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C.C. Hogan

C.C. Hogan - Author

Deep in the Dark Forest Podcast

I have launched a new podcast telling stories. Some are new adaptations of famous old tales from the Brothers Grimm and many others, some are long forgotten tales, and I hope new tales from new writers. And it has its own website!

 

writing blog

We Love 1976

My new book, The Stink, is set in 1976. It was the year the water ran out, the dustmen went on strike (again) and of the Notting Hill Riots.

But I also remember it as the year when we had a huge amount of fun and grew up a lot. So, why did I chose it as the backdrop for my book?

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The Stink Website is Launched

Just launched - the Official website for The Stink, the forthcoming book from C.C. Hogan.

Story background, band profiles, excerpts AND the whole of chapter one!

Don't forget to sign up to our news letter to hear when the book is released for Kindle and Paperback.

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Fantasy Recipe: Beef and Carrots

Here is another good old Tavern Favourite for those writing about taverns in your fantasy novel.

Boiled Beef and Carrots is a bit of an English tradition, though one that has fallen out of favour. Properly cooked it is delicious and perfect for that tavern on winter nights with your dragon parked outside.

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Creating a Promotional Book Website

As I drift towards releasing my new book, The Stink, I have to think about the book's website.

Since I am self publishing, I have to do my own (no money, you see), but thankfully I have a few skills. Design is one thing, but what do you put in it?

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Planning a Trilogy or Saga

There is a ton of advice out there about how to plan your novel, develop your characters and generally get yourself organised.

But what if you are not just writing a book but an entire saga, a series, a trilogy on steroids? How the hell do you plan that? This is what I have learned....

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Definitely Gold

A short comic tale about workers in a space station

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It should not hurt

I like writing the odd verse.

As I write a character tonight, I realise I have filled her with a memory from my youth, an opportunity that I, as a stupid youngster, threw away.

Writing can creep up on you sometimes.

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Should you swear in Young Adult Fiction?

I am wrestling with my teen characters, it appears. The book is set in 1976 in North London and involves a bunch of sixteen year olds starting a band.

Being a sensible fellow, I am basing it on me at sixteen in the 1970s. I swore, got angry, wrestled with contentious issues and was a pain. And I also swore. Did I say that? I REALLY SWORE!

Warning: Contains Swearing.

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I Really Don't Have Writer's Block

Writer's Block is one of those things that we love to talk about. It always comes up in author's interviews, it is often a plot line in some corny US TV thriller, and is a constant complaint all over Twitter.

But is it real? Has the entire concept of Writer's Block simply become a cult?

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The Joy of the Readthrough

There is nothing better than sitting down and reading through your own writing, polishing it while revisiting the joys and the heartbreak, the intrigue and twists hand in hand with your characters

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Tutorial: Creating a Fantasy Map

Creating a map for your fantasy world is far more than giving your readers a helpful, absorbing bit or artwork on the inside cover of your book, it is about making your world make sense and is a vital part of planning.

This tutorial is not trying to turn you into an artist, but talk through one way of creating maps that will help you bring life to your work

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Lines I enjoyed writing

I hope I often write well and that my work reads well.

Just occasionally I am extra proud of a line or a phrase or a short section; it is not that it is especially beautiful or uses clever words, but it just works.

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How long should the build up to a battle be?

As I work my way to an important battle in my current book, I am pondering over how much build up I should have before swords are drawn and the blood-bath gets going.

It is an interesting puzzle because it brings home the emotional response to war and death in a way that just shouting "go" doesn't.

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Fantasy Recipe: Rough, Chunky Tavern Bread

Well, I have already covered soup and stew, but in your crackling warm tavern in your fantasy world, one of the mainstays of the food offering is bread.

Not for us is that pappy cotton wool rubbish sold by supermarkets, but a fresh, crunchy, rippable, herb-filled wonder that you could almost dunk in your beer!

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Series One & Two are out now!

Start series one with Dirt for Free, and start reading the brand new series two with Girls of Dirt for only 99p!

Girls of Dirt includes a recap of series one.

Get it now at the Dirt website

The Stink Is Here

North London, 1976. The longest, hottest summer on record. The water is running out and the kids hate their parents. Which bunch of idiots would think it is a good idea to start a band?

The Stink

Visit The Stink Website

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