shepline

My tweets

2012-05-22T11:00:25Z

Mon, 15:05: is eating cake! :-)
Mon, 18:11: is on mini-holiday! The sun is shining, the temperature is rising, just like I ordered...!
Mon, 20:21: Yay! I've managed to resolve my small glitch with an epub file and a missing TOC... #geeky #makingbooks
Mon, 20:36: I swear, if I got told just one more time by the "boffins" at @amazonkdp that #epub was a resultant file format, I would have screamed!
Mon, 20:36: Fixed it though, in the epub, despite what the "boffins" at @amazonkdp were saying... *smug* *knows more than them*
Tue, 08:15: Too big for the mantelpiece but an ineffectial cheese grater... http://t.co/37gWIRSc #Kindle
Tue, 08:47: An untold story has a weight that can submerge you sure as a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean http://t.co/nRThQ35o \via @sophie_waters
Tue, 09:24: thinks that today might be a sock-free kind of day... #justlikeiordered

My tweets

2012-05-20T11:00:19Z

Sat, 14:29: Marketing Your Way To A #1 Amazon Bestseller With Rachel Abbott http://t.co/ohIL514h
Sat, 15:41: Baby steps... slowly but surely there is hope... Hitting the Amazon #1 Spot : The Marketing Plan http://t.co/9lTcSC8L \via @rachel__abbott
Sat, 17:00: Selling Self-Published Books: The Amazing Amazon http://t.co/PLR0YCjY via @cathryanhoward
Sat, 19:43: Interview with Jamie Salisbury, author of the Tudor Dynasty Series http://t.co/sVgC6khM via @mastbrat
Sat, 20:08: Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. --Jules Renard \via @cathryanhoward
Sun, 00:01: is proofing the paperback version... #TheEndOfAllWorlds
Sun, 09:46: Self Publishing Does NOT Mean DIY. http://t.co/at1M9y0B via @Elmseeker
Sun, 09:59: considers the rules of Twitter – a matter of personal taste or a set of rules? http://t.co/3BeuTzTv \via @rachel__abbott

My tweets

2012-05-19T11:00:08Z

Fri, 12:17: Book Review #26: The Quiet American – Graham Greene http://t.co/kF6cYaLS via @elenchera
Fri, 12:38: The Indie Experiment: Publication Day http://t.co/WKY80NWT via @shepline
Fri, 12:59: Book Review #28: The Lovely Bones http://t.co/z35M0czn via @elenchera
Fri, 13:20: Book Review #27: Life on Air – David Attenborough http://t.co/hVSHgX42 via @elenchera
Fri, 13:37: RT @EmmaMwriter Come on UK I've sold 84 books this month in US but only 8 in the UK. #Witchblood is set in the UK. Support a UK writer ;-)
Fri, 13:37: RT @shepline_words Don't forget that you don't need to own a Kindle to enjoy our eBooks... http://t.co/5Rf6cbzQ #kindle
Fri, 13:41: My interview with Kai Meyer for http://t.co/ogFiqqFx http://t.co/hNo0WaZw via @EmilyMah
Fri, 22:49: 9948 people have seen the #fb ad for #TheEndOfAllWorlds who saw it 1.5x; 15 clicked the link: how many bought the book? http://t.co/4tsnSglk
Fri, 22:54: is enjoying the geeky pleasure at having being confirmed a @goodreads author... http://t.co/tVDN14hM :-)
Fri, 23:21: RT @MichaelRosenYes: In 30 secs on News at 10, the naked truth of the crisis was there: debt caused by bankers' speculative lending.Noth ...

Fri, 23:21: RT @MichaelRosenYes: The success of the Big Lie in the UK is that the papers report a majority supporting austerity.SHOUT IT: IT'S A HOA ...
Fri, 23:21: RT @MichaelRosenYes: The debt was not caused by the health service or school building programme. It was caused by the loan-junkies,debt- ...
Fri, 23:22: RT @Icelandair: Flight FI689 has landed safely and passengers are getting ready to embark after the flight was diverted back to... http: ...
Fri, 23:25: LDS Blog Hop Wraps up with a Winner! http://t.co/chylEHwG via @paulinebjones
Fri, 23:46: Classic Screen Scene #37: Spirited Away http://t.co/SLB7MEAe via @elenchera
Sat, 00:07: So, #indierocks? Absolutely! http://t.co/SBxDvT8J via @elenchera
Sat, 10:12: looks like today is a bit of blah-nothing-special day. The perfect day to curl up in the armchair with a new book: https://t.co/A1RJD8jS

My tweets

2012-05-18T11:00:09Z

Thu, 15:15: is geekily pleased to discover that after only a few short hours #TheEndOfAllWorlds is at #24 in the #kindle #fairytales store
Thu, 15:17: ...and at #34 in the #MythsandFairyTales of the whole of #AmazonUK! #TheEndOfAllWorlds #newbooks #Iceland
Thu, 18:41: I read The End Of All Worlds by TE Shepherd http://t.co/ZVJCo4du
Thu, 22:48: Not even a day old and #TheEndOfAllWorlds receives its first 5-star review: http://t.co/Vl4tE96w Buy it here: http://t.co/4tsnSglk
Thu, 23:27: And now #EndOfAllWorlds is at #19 in the #kindle #fairytale store and #27 in the #mythsandfairytales #AmazonUK store! Thanks everyone! :-}
Thu, 23:44: writes about the Indie Experiment on #PublicationDay: http://t.co/HGnNuWUW #TheEndOfAllWorlds #kindle #ebooks #IndiePublishing
Fri, 00:06: wonders if anyone will notice my #facebook ad that starts tomorrow... oh, later today... #TheEndOfAllWorlds http://t.co/4tsnSglk
Fri, 00:22: is now a #LibraryThing author: http://t.co/SuUIyCHe #geekyjoy :-)
Fri, 00:47: RT @MichaelRosenYes: Some schools are very grateful that the KingGoveBible has arrived.They couldn't afford to get the piano leg repaire ...
Fri, 00:50: Some schools are very grateful that the KingGoveBible has arrived.They couldn't afford to get the piano leg repaired \via @Michaelrosenyes

Fri, 09:04: 9 copies sold in the first 24 hours can't be bad. Just hope its liked by half of them. RT if you do... :-)
Fri, 09:24: RT @EmmaMwriter: In Between the Pages: Interesting Author Interview with @vaempires #Vaempires http://t.co/Xhtr54rT
Fri, 10:41: #SundayShorts and Under the Needle's Eye on Ritesh Kala's Book Reviews http://t.co/vb0dqAv4 via @EmilyMah
Fri, 10:49: You Know A Scene Must Die When-- http://t.co/W5DX5y1e
Fri, 11:03: Concentrating On Book Condensation. http://t.co/k5qYwe3I via @aly3008
Fri, 11:55: #sundayshorts Under the Needle’s Eye- Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories http://t.co/3hsC0fAw via @mastbrat

The Indie Experiment: Publication Day

2012-05-17T22:43:25Z

Today has not been my birthday; its not been an un-birthday; but it has been my book's birthday.

When I first visited Iceland in the summer of 2001 I fell in love with the landscape, the people, the history, the folklore - everything about the country, and I knew that I had to write a story set there. I didn't know what the story would be. Then in August 2001 there was a story in the news about a girl who was lost whilst hiking in the Peruvian mountains. I can't remember what happened now, and I fear to find out, but the idea got lodged in my brain and together with ideas surrounding Iceland, the seeds of the story was born.

So, it was conceived in August 2001. 110,000 words; 430 pages; 250 days in the writing; 5 years in the making. Blood & Fire, as it then was called, was finished on Tuesday 19 September 2006. Another three years of revising later, and I started subbing it to agents and editors but, as is so often, these days I only got the classic 'our lists are full' or 'we like your writing but you as a writer are not quite right'...

I got married, and started writing Mr Tumnal and left The End Of All Worlds as its now called on the shelf for two more years. In that time technology changed and self-publication - Indie publishing - became something that actually worked. With the the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 other events since then, some of the themes of The End Of All Worlds have become increasingly topical. I decided that ten years is a long time to live with a novel. I needed to let it go free and for other people to read it.

I will write about the process of getting the novel to this point, today in future articles, but it has been a journey these last few months. But today I have reached it. I have published a novel out there, to the world and I will wait, if nervously and with large amounts of trepidation, to see what the world will think (if indeed they notice).

All day, friends have been posting messages of congratulations on my facebook and twitter accounts. I feel a bit of a fraud about it really because yes my book is published, but I published it. Surely congratulations would best be saved for when a publisher decides to publish my book... And then I thought, no. Lots of people can claim to be writing a book, still more to wanting to write a book, but only the few actually complete the book, and then work to make it in some shape or form half-decent. To publish a book, even by the self, is still no mean feet. It's still something to be congratulated.

And so to those who have congratulated, I thank you, if humbly and diffidently... :-)

My tweets

2012-05-17T11:00:15Z

Wed, 19:24: RT @MichaelRosenYes: Listen bankers,you can force govts to stop spending money but all it will do is make people poorer'n' sicker.It won ...
Wed, 19:24: RT @MichaelRosenYes: The difference between debt and a hot potato is that when you pass a potato around it gets cooler.
Wed, 21:15: is uploading...
Wed, 22:22: has hit "publish" to my debut novel... #scared #waitsnervouslyforittoappear
Wed, 23:41: On page 179 of 365 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/OhXRrQps
Thu, 07:03: I just published: 'The End Of All Worlds' by T E Shepherd http://t.co/Jc125eDr #TheEndOfAllWorlds
Thu, 11:19: is celebrating my book birthday. #TheEndOfAllWorlds is out today! :-) http://t.co/S4UoMjyV #kindle #ebooks #iceland

My tweets

2012-05-16T11:00:09Z

Tue, 19:51: is getting back to the widows, orphans, kerning and leading... #preparingforpublication #TheEndOfAllWorlds
Tue, 22:48: is close... #preparingforpublication #TheEndOfAllWorlds http://t.co/uBYYDF8V
Wed, 07:33: 32% done with Someone Else's Fairytale, by Emily Mah Tippetts http://t.co/JwSd3Gqb

My tweets

2012-05-15T11:00:15Z

Mon, 17:47: Not just an eBook anymore... #UnderhillButtons http://t.co/9LNuu2fR
Mon, 20:52: is typesetting. Oh the joys of widows and orphans and kerning... #preparingforpublication

My tweets

2012-05-14T11:00:09Z

Sun, 18:05: wonders Horton cum Studley agm controversy was? More drama than ep of #TheArchers judging by what we overheard in @NGSOpenGardens tea shed!
Sun, 19:03: Yeah right?!? Looks like flapjack, lights like flapjack... #bbq http://t.co/KhToFO8y
Sun, 20:20: First #bbq of the season... http://t.co/KuYRhpVP
Sun, 21:24: has just had our first alfresco evening dining of the year, if by the warmth of the charcoal embers... #summernights

My tweets

2012-05-11T11:00:13Z

Thu, 16:21: wonders if you can have reasonings, ie. the plural of reasoning? #oed #spelling
Fri, 10:18: A cloud dragon? Only in Iceland! Photo taken by Melissa, UK Marketing Manager, last night https://t.co/pniYv9RB \via @IceFarm @Icelandair

My tweets

2012-05-10T11:00:12Z

Wed, 21:32: You've seen the illustrations http://t.co/f8IJc1ft You've listened to the playlist http://t.co/t3cUWPR0 Are you ready for #TheEndOfAllWorlds

My tweets

2012-05-09T11:00:20Z

Tue, 15:21: Maurice Sendak has gone where the wild things are. RIP \via @rhi_lassiter <-- Sad times... :-(
Tue, 23:33: On page 157 of 365 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/IpluOIay
Wed, 09:18: sees that the Wacom Inkling is now available in the UK... http://t.co/HdJQFKQh #wants

My tweets

2012-05-08T11:00:13Z

Mon, 16:47: Yay! Thunderstorm! :-) #weather

My tweets

2012-05-07T11:00:09Z

Sun, 22:13: has had a nice day in the great outdoors with @EmmaEShepherd... all ready for more #hibernation tomorrow! #weather
Mon, 09:04: On page 137 of 365 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/Ul4kAxqg

My tweets

2012-05-06T11:00:23Z

Sat, 14:00: http://t.co/wqSzTBXO #Kindle
Sat, 15:47: On page 95 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison: 'You're bloody nuts,' said Vince. 'And you're a lying bitch. You... http://t.co/tjJOKs3D
Sat, 19:50: 30% done with Someone Else's Fairytale, by Emily Mah Tippetts http://t.co/7DX9cluY
Sat, 22:28: I've been to 11 of the 116 countries #wherethequeensbeen and 2 where she hasn't #jubilee http://t.co/on4SeI7L
Sun, 09:48: On page 113 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/XZytVEFV

My tweets

2012-05-05T11:00:22Z

Fri, 21:48: wishes that I really understood what a dangling modifier was... Sounds painful! #writing #editing #gettingthemssback
Fri, 23:27: On page 30 of Someone Else's Fairytale, by Emily Mah Tippetts http://t.co/6P7WWhUq
Sat, 00:21: On page 70 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/vReNdwwX

My tweets

2012-05-04T11:00:14Z

Thu, 17:44: On page 28 of Someone Else's Fairytale, by Emily Mah Tippetts http://t.co/SR8pDP10
Thu, 22:54: still can't quite believe that we were told the flutes were perfectly in tune at band tonight. It can't last. It probably didn't...
Fri, 09:57: is immersed in podcasts and the feasibities thereof... #work #interesting

My tweets

2012-05-03T11:00:13Z

Wed, 18:31: My Head Is An Animal - one trick in and I like! #newmusic
Wed, 18:53: is listening the new album from @mostersandmen. Absolutely flippin' brilliant!
Wed, 22:15: Classic mistake ever! "he wore trousers of course linen and a sleeveless leather gerkin" ?!!? #writing #editing #laughable
Thu, 00:06: On page 52 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/n6HNHUhO

My tweets

2012-05-02T11:00:23Z

Tue, 20:57: has just 13 chapters to get back in out of 37. Progress is progress, and publication is in sight... :-) #thanksall
Wed, 00:03: On page 39 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/TB8YZXl8
Wed, 11:04: Scripting your life http://t.co/dGNrxIAy via @shepline

My tweets

2012-05-01T11:00:12Z

Mon, 15:20: @ianshepherd First part of John Peel's record collection goes on line tomorrow: http://t.co/3xbjEikO
Mon, 15:20: First part of John Peel's record collection goes on line tomorrow: http://t.co/3xbjEikO
Mon, 19:02: was home in time to cut the grass and sit and read in the garden in the evening sunshine... #bliss #Spring
Mon, 23:03: On page 20 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/klaSH7ou
Mon, 23:31: RT @HairyBikers: We need your healthy hints and recipes for our new bbc2 series hairy dieters series made by optomen tv go to http://t.c ...
Tue, 00:00: On page 28 of 464 of Unrest, by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/cjWLC2cc
Tue, 11:41: Mmnn, yumm! Chocolate carrot cake c/o @nickyanderton. #offdiet but it so works!

Scripting your life

2012-04-30T21:51:40Z

It's five years to the day since I left Blackwell, replaced by a machine. At the time, it was the end of an era, but there were already seeds of change. As I put it in my 'friends only' post that day: after seven years one of the favourite and perennial characters finally gets the girl. How can the writers end it there?

Well, the scriptwriters didn't leave it there. They'd already started weaving in a new character and a new storyline, and as everyone now knows, with Emma, the series went from strength to strength. Some other characters returned on a regular basis, others have popped up in supporting roles, and others have been consigned to the bottom draw of the earlier series. Five years ago I didn't know that I would now be married for almost three, and five years ago, the idea of Indy publishing the book written during those seven previous years, was not a serious proposition. Where I wonder will my life be taken in next five years?

Life is for living, and you never quite no what it has planned for you.

My tweets

2012-04-30T11:00:09Z

Sun, 12:07: A day for letting it all hang out... http://t.co/5n66pvsU
Sun, 12:23: Just posted a photo http://t.co/UFPkPWoU
Sun, 14:31: Little ball of fluff... http://t.co/i6MfzKg1
Sun, 20:46: has, this weekend, changed my first nappy and fed a baby til' she was full... #babysitting

My tweets

2012-04-29T11:00:15Z

Sat, 13:31: has just bought @MHarrison13 new book from the Indy bookstore in Bicester. Lovely cover - apparently scary contents... #newbooks
Sat, 19:58: 17 chapters down, 14 to go... :-) #progress #editing #TheEndOfAllWorlds
Sat, 20:03: Marked as to-read: Unrest by Michelle Harrison http://t.co/mrHO1kVs
Sat, 20:59: can't quite believe I've just applied to be on a TV show?!! But it is the @HairyBikers... #waitandsee
Sat, 23:09: A walk in the woods with our neice... http://t.co/UUgXNxRS
Sat, 23:23: On page 234 of 292 of The Girl With Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw http://t.co/jFn2WtJJ
Sun, 08:03: On page 242 of 292 of The Girl With Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw http://t.co/hHrinUVd
Sun, 10:59: thinks that today is a hibernating kind of day...
Sun, 11:16: wonders if the chickens and bunnies would forgive me I didn't clean them out today? #hibernation

My tweets

2012-04-28T11:00:08Z

Fri, 17:59: Just posted a photo http://t.co/8u8vJgRC
Fri, 22:47: On page 218 of 292 of The Girl With Glass Feet, by Ali Shaw http://t.co/l6aA68rH

My tweets

2012-04-27T11:00:14Z

Thu, 15:44: RT @bbcgoodnews: Remember the Swansea uni toilet sign from last week's show?Well @Ellie_Nash83 just sent us this from a Swansea office.. ...