Brindle Books Author Interview with Paul Linggood, Author of The Boy on the Sofa

 

13th October 2026

Paul Linggood writes about the people and places that are too often overlooked, finding humanity, dignity and hope in lives shaped by difficult circumstances. A novelist and poet from Hertfordshire, his latest novel, The Boy on the Sofa, explores the realities of poverty, addiction and exploitation with an eye for the ordinary details that make his characters feel authentic. His debut novel, Just a Small Town, was first published by Hookline Books in 2020 before being republished by Bloodhound Books in 2023. The Boy on the Sofa marks a new chapter in his writing career as the first release from his own independent imprint, Broadwater Books.

With a background in English Literature, a Master’s degree in Creative Writing and more than twenty years spent working as a painter and decorator, Paul draws on a wealth of experience to bring authenticity to the voices and communities that populate his fiction. Through Broadwater Books, he also hopes to create opportunities for distinctive voices and emerging writers. We spoke to Paul about his writing, the experiences and observations that inform his work, and his ambitions for the future.

Paul Linggood, author

Tell us a bit about this book.

The Boy on the Sofa is a gritty social-realist novel that explores county lines, exploitation, addiction and kindness. The novel focuses on Billy, a fourteen-year-old boy manipulated into the world of county lines, and Terry, an ageing addict who is trapped at the other end of the same destructive system. Their unlikely relationship becomes the heart of the novel.

What prompted you to pick this subject and write this particular book?

I think this is a subject most people are aware of, yet few people actually witness. I wanted to highlight the suffering endured by people trapped in this world, but also explore the reasons they become involved in the first place. It was equally important to demonstrate the importance of kindness and how it can be found in unlikely places.

Unfortunately, I lived on the edge of this kind of life at one point when I was younger. Had I grown up in this generation, I think I could have been at risk myself. I know some aspects of this world. Later, when I worked as an FE English lecturer, I saw and worked with young people who could be susceptible to grooming, and I felt it was something I had to write about.

The Boy on the Sofa

You can find out more, purchase a copy, or read a sample by clicking HERE

You’ve had some glowing praise from New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Haynes. How did that come about?

Elizabeth Haynes has become a good friend and mentor. I was lucky enough to be introduced to her through my brother-in-law, and she has given me invaluable advice. She is an incredible writer who has seen just about every side of the publishing industry.

More importantly, she is a fantastic person. I feel privileged to call her a friend and to have been able to send her drafts of the book at moments when I had doubts about it. Having somebody of Elizabeth’s experience believe in the novel meant a great deal to me.

Tell us a bit about how and why you established Broadwater Books and how you found the experience of going from traditionally published with your previous book to becoming a publisher with this one.

I was traditionally published with my debut novella, Just a Small Town. I had a gentleman’s agreement with the publisher that they would also publish The Boy on the Sofa. However, I became quite ill while I was teaching and missed my deadline, and they were no longer willing to publish it. It was hard to take, but I understood. That is the nature of the industry.

I spent a while seeking representation from an agent, but eventually found the process draining and decided to take control of the book myself. I was fortunate to be in a better position than many first-time independent authors because I already had published work behind me. If I was going to do it, though, I wanted to do it properly. I established Broadwater Books and brought in skilled professionals, purchasing the rights to the cover photography and hiring a cover designer, editor and formatter. I wanted the finished book to be something I could genuinely put alongside a traditionally published novel and be proud of.

Broadwater Books

What are your future plans for Broadwater Books?

I don’t want Broadwater Books simply to be a platform for my own work. Eventually, I want it to become somewhere similar voices can be heard.

There are plans to launch an annual competition for Creative Writing MA students, and I am also beginning to put together a poetry collection showcasing emerging poets alongside some of my own work. I want to grow Broadwater slowly and sustainably rather than rush it. The long-term ambition is to give talented writers opportunities that can be incredibly difficult to find when you are starting out.

Which writer or writers would you say had the biggest influence on you, either as a writer yourself, or just in general?

I always find this question difficult because I have hundreds of influences and read very widely. I try to take something from every book I read. At the moment, for example, I’m reading Kate Atkinson and Paul Tremblay, two very different writers.

If I had to choose three who have been particularly influential, especially in relation to The Boy on the Sofa, I would probably choose George Orwell, Irvine Welsh and John Steinbeck. All three, in very different ways, wrote about class, hardship and people who can easily be ignored by society. Ask me again in six months, though, and I might give you three completely different names.

Tell us a bit about your previous book, Just a Small Town, and the journey from writing that to writing The Boy on the Sofa.

I originally wrote Just a Small Town for my major project at university. My lecturers were very encouraging about it and urged me to finish it. Initially, I wrote it almost as a form of therapy, as the opening chapters are semi-autobiographical and were inspired by a traumatic event from my youth. I never really had plans to publish it; I simply felt compelled to write it.

The book follows four connected young people trying to rebuild their lives after a tragedy. Having it traditionally published changed my relationship with writing. Something that began as a very personal piece of work became a book being read by complete strangers. By the time I came to The Boy on the Sofa, I was much more conscious that I wanted to write about difficult subjects and people whose experiences are often overlooked.

Just A Small Town

You can find out more, purchase a copy or read a sample HERE

What is it that drives you to write?

Many different things. As I said, Just a Small Town was partly therapy. The Boy on the Sofa came from an issue I felt I couldn’t ignore any longer. I write poetry for my own mental wellbeing, and I write speculative fiction for escapism.

I enjoy all aspects of writing in different ways. I don’t particularly want to confine myself to one genre or even one form. Sometimes I want to write about the real world and sometimes I want to get as far away from it as possible.

Can you tell us about your research methods?

It depends entirely on the book. With realism, a lot of my research comes from what I already know. It’s a cliché to say “write what you know”, but there is truth in it. I recall things from memory and put characters into places and situations that feel authentic to me.

I also listen. Conversations, news, podcasts, things people say in passing. I take snippets from everyday life and weave them into characters and situations. For subjects outside my own experience, I research more formally, but I think observation is one of the most useful forms of research a writer can do.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?

I write when I can, as often as I can. I have a family with two children and still work full-time as a painter and decorator. It can be a struggle, but you have to make the time — not only if you want to succeed, but for your own wellbeing.

I don’t plan too much. I’m not a full-blown discovery writer because I need some framework to work within, but I find over-planning boring. You can exhaust some of the creativity before you have even started writing, and then find yourself constrained by a plan you feel obliged to follow.

I tend to make bullet points for the main plot and character arcs. I spend more time planning places and characters, building their profiles and understanding who they are. Once I know the people and the world, I like to give myself room to discover what happens inside it.

What advice would you give to new writers in your field?

Write as much as you can. Read as much as you can. Keep your pencil sharp and your mind with it. Be open to advice and criticism, but don’t accept all of it. Learn when to listen and when to stick to your guns.

Most importantly, be prepared for rejection and don’t let it define you. Almost everybody who writes seriously will experience it. Sometimes rejection teaches you something and sometimes it simply means you knocked on the wrong door. Keep writing either way.

What are you writing next?

I’m currently working on a psychological horror novel called The Paperman, which is quite a departure from The Boy on the Sofa. It follows an English lecturer working in further education whose increasingly stressful working life begins to blur with a series of unsettling events. The central question is whether something supernatural is happening to him or whether he is simply beginning to unravel.

I write my speculative and horror fiction under the name Leonard Williams, which allows me to keep that work slightly separate from my social realism. The Paperman still contains many of the things that interest me as a writer — ordinary people, mental pressure, institutions and the way people cope when their lives begin to slip beyond their control — but this time I get to have considerably more fun with the darkness.

The Boy on the Sofa is available now in e-book and paperback. For more details, to purchase a copy, or read a sample click HERE

If you are a published, (or self-published), author, and would like to be the subject of one of our author interviews, please email us at:

contact@brindlebooks.co.uk

Put the words ‘Interview request’ in the subject header, and tell us a little about yourself in the message. If your book is available online, please paste a link to it in the message. We’ll get back to you with further details and some interview questions.

BRINDLE BOOKS INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL JUDGE, AUTHOR OF STENHOUSE: GROWING UP IN EDINBURGH AND BEYOND.

22nd September 2026 

Whatever town or city we grew up in, most of us have memories of childhood that stay with us long after the places, people and routines have changed. For Michael Judge, those memories are rooted in Stenhouse, Edinburgh, during the 1980s and early 1990s. His debut book, STENHOUSE: Growing Up in Edinburgh and Beyond, captures his childhood world through the everyday experiences of growing up — but the feelings, memories and characters at its heart could belong to almost any hometown.

Michael Judge, AKA Bill Rectangle,
author of STENHOUSE: Growing Up in 
Edinburgh and Beyond

Written under the name Bill Rectangle, the memoir isn't a conventional history of Edinburgh. Instead, Michael focuses on the ordinary things that made up childhood — the streets he knew, the people he grew up around, family stories and the seemingly small experiences that can become surprisingly significant to us all as we get older. His route to becoming an author is perhaps unexpected: Alongside a continuing full-time career in IT spanning more than 30 years, he turned his attention to capturing those memories, completing the book in around 95 days.

Michael calls his approach the “Cinematic Layering Technique”, using atmosphere, sound and sensory detail to bring genuine memories to life. We caught up with him to talk about growing up in Stenhouse, the Edinburgh of his childhood, the memories behind STENHOUSE, and his journey as a long-time IT professional also becoming a first-time author.

STENHOUSE: Growing Up in Edinburgh and Beyond

Firstly, Michael, please tell us a little about your book.

STENHOUSE: Growing Up in Edinburgh and Beyond is a literary memoir about growing up in Stenhouse, Edinburgh, from the late 1970s through the 1980s and into the early 1990s. It is about family, friendships, school, football, ice skating, skiing, skateboarding, music, early technology, local characters and the freedom of an outdoor childhood, but it also includes the harder moments that helped shape me. At heart, it is a warm, honest and sometimes chaotic portrait of an ordinary Edinburgh childhood during a period of enormous social and technological change.

How or why did you come up with the pen name of Bill Rectangle?

The appeal of Bill Rectangle was that it was very clearly a pen name — something memorable, a little unusual and slightly humorous rather than another ordinary-sounding name. It gave me a distinct creative identity for STENHOUSE while still allowing me to be completely open that Michael Judge is the person behind it. That balance suited the book quite well: it is personal and truthful, but there is also a lot of humour and personality running through it. 

What prompted you to write this particular book?

I reached a point where I realised how much of the world I grew up in had already disappeared. The streets were still there, but the atmosphere, routines, local characters, childhood freedoms and way people interacted had changed enormously. I wanted to preserve those memories while I could still hear the voices, picture the places and remember the small details that make a life feel real.

I also wanted to record a working family history that might otherwise simply fade. The book began as something personal, but as it developed I realised that many readers of my generation could recognise parts of their own childhood in it even if they had never been anywhere near Stenhouse.

Tell us a bit about the difficulties that you encountered and how they affected the way you went about writing this book.

One of the most important parts of my story is that written English did not come easily to me when I was young. My Edinburgh accent affected the way I heard and spelled words, and I needed additional support at primary school. I later moved through further and higher education and built a long professional career in IT, but I never forgot what it felt like to struggle with writing at the beginning.

That experience made me very methodical with STENHOUSE. I worked slowly, reviewed repeatedly, checked consistency and treated my own lived experience as the single source of truth. Modern digital tools helped with organisation, spelling, grammar, accessibility and production, but the memories, decisions, tone and final verification remained mine throughout.

How did your experiences growing up in the area you describe shape the course of your life?

Stenhouse gave me a mixture of independence, curiosity and resilience. We spent a huge amount of time outside, moving between football, bikes, skateboards, parks, the Water of Leith and whatever adventure appeared next. At the same time, I had a very secure family home, so I think I grew up with both a willingness to explore and a strong sense of having a base to return to.

My fascination with early technology also started there. Calculators, video recorders, electronic games and the first home computers seemed almost magical to me. That curiosity eventually became a career in IT spanning around three decades. In that sense, the child in STENHOUSE who kept trying to understand how things worked is recognisably the same person I became professionally.

Do you have plans for more books in the near future and, if so, what can we expect?

Yes. STENHOUSE is Book One, and the natural continuation is a second major memoir beginning around the point I left school at sixteen and moving into the 1990s. That period opens a very different world: work, growing independence, music and club culture, technology, friendships and the transition from adolescence into adult life.

I am also developing age-appropriate younger-reader adaptations of the original material. I do not want to rush any of them simply to meet an artificial deadline; I would rather develop each project carefully and make sure it has a genuine reason to exist.

Having put a lot of work into establishing White Hat Media, what further plans do you have for its development? Are you sticking with books/audiobooks or planning to branch out?

White Hat Media began as the publishing identity behind STENHOUSE, but I deliberately built it as a broader creative platform rather than just a logo on a book. The project already includes paperback, Kindle, an author-narrated audiobook, video material, extracts, bonus content and an independent website. I am interested in developing further books, audio, interviews, documentary-style material and other formats where they genuinely suit the story.

I am also open to working with professional partners on rights, publishing, documentary or adaptation opportunities where there is a sensible creative and commercial fit. Judge IT Consulting is separate but connected through the technical side of what I do. My professional technology background gave me the skills to build much of the publishing and digital infrastructure independently, and the website is credited to Judge IT Consulting: https://www.judgeitconsulting.org/

How do you think your own experience of growing up there compares with that of kids growing up there today?

I would describe it as different rather than automatically better or worse. We had freedoms that would probably surprise some parents now: being outside for long periods, making our own games, cycling around, exploring parks and learning social rules directly from other children. We also had far less instant access to information, entertainment or communication.

Children today have extraordinary opportunities through technology, education and access to the wider world, but there is a trade-off. My childhood gave us a lot of unsupervised imagination and local community life because there simply was not a screen offering something else every minute. I think both generations gain things and lose things, and that contrast is one of the reasons I wanted to preserve the period honestly rather than pretend it was perfect.

Which writers would you say have had the biggest influence on you?

I would not claim that STENHOUSE was modelled closely on one particular writer. Its strongest influence was lived experience itself: family storytelling, Edinburgh voices, remembered dialogue, music, places and the rhythm of ordinary conversation. I wanted the prose to sound natural and close to memory rather than imitate somebody else’s literary voice.

I have always been interested in memoir and social history that can make ordinary lives feel worth recording. That principle influenced me more than any single stylistic model: the belief that a family house, a street, a park or a conversation can carry just as much human meaning as a traditionally ‘important’ historical event.

What has been your highlight or biggest achievement in this field?

Finishing the book and then taking it all the way through independent publication has been the biggest achievement. I did not only write it; I built the publishing identity, produced the paperback and Kindle editions, personally narrated the full audiobook, created the website and promotional material, and learned the practical realities of bringing a memoir to readers.

The fact that this began with somebody who once needed help with written English makes completing that full process especially meaningful to me. Whatever happens commercially from here, nobody can take away the fact that the book now exists in three formats and the memories have been preserved.

Can you tell us about your research methods?

The foundation was memory, because this is literary memoir rather than conventional history. My own lived experience remained the single source of truth. I then strengthened it by talking through family stories, looking again at photographs and locations, checking the sequence of places and people, and verifying period details where dates, technology, music or public events could be checked independently.

I was careful not to turn uncertain memories into false certainty. Dialogue is naturally recreated from memory and family telling, and some names and identifying details have been changed for privacy. The aim was emotional and factual honesty without pretending that human memory works like a recording device.

Can you tell us a bit about your writing process?

Most of the work was done in my own time outside my normal 9-to-5 professional life. I would work through memories in sections, expand them into scenes, then repeatedly revisit the material for chronology, tone, duplication and consistency. I found that one remembered object or place often unlocked several other memories, so the book grew organically rather than being produced from a rigid daily word-count target.

The editing stage was at least as important as the initial writing. I wanted the final book to feel like one continuous remembered world rather than a collection of disconnected anecdotes, so I spent a lot of time making sure people, places, ages and themes flowed naturally across the manuscript.

What advice would you give to new writers in your field?

Start with the truth you actually own. Do not worry about making an ordinary life sound artificially dramatic. The tiny details — a room, a smell, a pair of trainers, a local phrase, the way somebody laughed — are often what make memoir universal because they make it specific first.

I would also tell new writers not to be intimidated by the fact that the first draft is imperfect. Writing is not only inspiration; it is review, correction, structure and patience. Use whatever legitimate tools help you work, but keep responsibility for the truth, voice and final decisions firmly with yourself.

For more information and bonus material, please visit White Hat Media:

https://www.whitehatmedia.org/

You can see the short advert for the book here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t7GQyo-vJk&feature=youtu.be

…or the full advert here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS0XmZhEVqQ

STENHOUSE: Growing Up in Edinburgh and Beyond is available in e-book, paperback and audiobook formats. Follow the links below for buying options:

Paperback: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H5WY8CGY

e-Book: https: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H5KWPX2F

Audiobook:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0H8ZV8JZG/

If you are an author and have a book out, either self published or traditionally published and would be interested in being the subject of one of our author interviews, please email us in the first instance, at:

contact@brindlebooks.co.uk 

Repeat Offender: Crime Wave at Tangents Earns Second Bollinger Wodehouse Prize Nomination for Roderick Easdale.

 30th June 2026

Brindle Books Ltd is delighted to announce that Crime Wave at Tangents by Roderick Easdale has been nominated for the 2026 Bollinger Wodehouse Prize for Comic Literature.

Crime Wave at Tangents by Roderick Easdale

The nomination marks a remarkable second successive appearance on the prize nomination list for Easdale's Tangents series. His debut novel, Summer at Tangents, was nominated for the 2025 Bollinger Wodehouse Prize, establishing the fictional village of Tangents as a place where comedy, confusion and poor decision-making flourish in equal measure.

Now, with Crime Wave at Tangents, Easdale returns readers to the increasingly eventful community, where criminal activity appears to be spreading at a rate that local authorities find deeply concerning and literary judges apparently find highly entertaining.

Here at Brindle Books, we are absolutely thrilled. Having one Tangents novel nominated for the Bollinger Wodehouse Prize was wonderful. Having a second nominated suggests either a growing appreciation for Roderick Easdale's comic genius or a serious containment failure in the village of Tangents. We are choosing to believe the former.

The news was greeted enthusiastically throughout Brindle Books headquarters, where celebrations reportedly included tea, biscuits and several minutes of dignified cheering before matters got completely out of hand.

Roderick Easdale responded to the announcement with characteristic modesty.

"It is an enormous honour," he said. "I am particularly pleased that the judges have once again agreed to visit Tangents, although I feel obliged to apologise for what they found when they got there."

The Bollinger Wodehouse Prize for Comic Literature celebrates the finest humorous writing and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in comic fiction. To receive a nomination once is a significant achievement; to receive nominations in consecutive years suggests that the residents of Tangents have developed an impressive commitment to causing trouble.

Author Roderick Easdale

The nomination also arrives ahead of the publication of the third novel in the series, Terror at Tangents, which will be released later this year. Readers can therefore look forward to discovering what fresh chaos, confusion and questionable judgement await the long-suffering inhabitants of the village.

Industry observers have noted that most fictional communities are content with the occasional mystery or minor scandal. Tangents, by contrast, appears determined to experience every conceivable catastrophe while remaining oddly cheerful about the whole thing.

Whether Crime Wave at Tangents ultimately claims the prize remains to be seen. For now, we are celebrating a second consecutive nomination and preparing for the publication of Terror at Tangents with a mixture of pride, excitement and a growing suspicion that the village should perhaps invest in a larger police station.

You can find out more, read a sample, or buy a copy by clicking HERE

Great Free Resources for Writers: LibreOffice.

 15th April 2026

Here's why authors should be using LibreOffice (and Other Free Open-Source Tools):

Let’s be honest: writing is hard enough. Staring at a blinking cursor. Wrestling with plot holes. Rewriting that one stubborn paragraph seventeen times.

The last thing you need is to pay a monthly subscription just to open your own manuscript.

That’s where LibreOffice — and other free, open-source tools — come in.

If you’ve never tried them, you might assume they’re “basic” or somehow less powerful than the big-name office suites. But here’s the truth: LibreOffice is seriously capable. And for authors, it can be a game-changer.

Let’s talk about why:

LibreOffice can do pretty much anything that Microsoft
office can do...

LibreOffice is a completely free office suite developed by The Document Foundation. It includes:

    • Writer (word processor — your main writing tool)

    • Calc (spreadsheets)

    • Impress (presentations)

    • Draw (diagrams and graphics)

    • Base (databases)

    • Math (formula editor)

For authors, Writer is the star of the show.

You can download LibreOffice HERE

No paywall. No subscription. No “free trial.” Just download it and use it.

Downloading LibreOffice is straightforward...and totally FREE.

What Does It Run On?

One of the best things about LibreOffice is that it doesn’t really care what computer you use.

It works on:

 Windows

Windows 10 and 11 (and newer versions)

 macOS

Current macOS versions

 Linux

Ubuntu, Fedora, Mint, Arch — pretty much all major distributions

If you use Linux, there’s a good chance LibreOffice is already installed.

There are also browser-based options like LibreOffice Online and Collabora Online if you want cloud-style access.

Basically: whatever machine you’re writing on, LibreOffice probably works there.

Why Authors Love It (Once They Try It)

1. It’s Free. Actually Free.

No subscription. No annual renewal. No “premium features.”

If you’re:

    • Self-publishing

    • Writing part-time

    • Teaching writing

    • Running workshops

    • On a budget (which, let’s face it, is most writers)

… this matters.

You can install it on multiple computers without worrying about licenses. That freedom feels surprisingly good.

2. You Own Your Work (Formats Matter)

LibreOffice uses the Open Document Format (ODF) by default (.odt files).

That might sound technical, but here’s why it matters:

    • Your files aren’t locked into one company’s ecosystem.

    • You’re using an open standard.

    • Your documents will remain accessible long-term.

And if your editor insists on a .docx file? No problem. LibreOffice opens and saves Microsoft Word formats just fine.

You can also export directly to:

    • PDF

    • EPUB (for ebooks!)

That’s built in. No plugins needed.

3. Writer Is Surprisingly Powerful

If you’ve only ever used basic formatting tools, you might be underusing your word processor.

LibreOffice Writer includes:

    • Styles (for consistent headings and formatting)

    • Automatic Table of Contents

    • Footnotes and endnotes

    • Indexing tools

    • Track Changes

    • Comments for collaboration

If you’re writing a novel, nonfiction book, academic paper, or long-form guide, these features are gold.

A Quick “Getting Started” Guide

If you’re curious, here’s how easy it is to install.

On Windows

    1. Go to https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/

    2. Click Download (Windows version will auto-select)

    3. Open the downloaded file

    4. Follow the installation wizard

    5. Open LibreOffice Writer from your Start menu

Done.

On macOS

    1. Go to the same download page

    2. Download the macOS version

    3. Open the .dmg file

    4. Drag LibreOffice into Applications

    5. Launch Writer

You might need to confirm that you want to open it (standard macOS security prompt). That’s normal.

On Linux

If it’s not already installed:

Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt update

sudo apt install libreoffice

Fedora:

sudo dnf install libreoffice

Or download packages directly from the LibreOffice website.

If you've used Word, it won't take you long to get used to LibreOffice writer.

Tips That Make a Huge Difference for Authors

Here’s where many writers level up.

Use Styles (Seriously)

Instead of manually bolding and resizing chapter titles, use Styles.

Open the Styles sidebar (press F11), and apply:

    • Heading 1 for chapter titles

    • Heading 2 for sections

    • Body Text for normal text

Why?

Because then you can automatically generate a table of contents.

Insert a Table of Contents Automatically

Once you’ve used headings:

    1. Click where you want the TOC

    2. Go to Insert ? Table of Contents and Index ? Table of Contents

    3. Click OK

Boom. Instant TOC.

Edit your chapters later? Right-click the TOC and choose “Update.”

It’s weirdly satisfying.

Use Track Changes for Editing

Working with an editor?

Go to:

Edit ? Track Changes ? Record

Now all edits are marked. You can accept or reject them later.

This is essential for serious revision work.

Export as EPUB

Want to turn your manuscript into an ebook draft?

File ? Export As ? Export as EPUB

That’s it.

You can fine-tune metadata and cover options inside the export settings.

Other Free Tools Authors Should Know About

LibreOffice is just the beginning.

Here are a few more free tools writers love:

Calibre

https://calibre-ebook.com

Perfect for managing and converting ebooks. Essential if you’re self-publishing.

FocusWriter

https://gottcode.org/focuswriter

Minimal, distraction-free writing environment. Great for drafting.

GIMP

https://www.gimp.org

Free image editing software. Useful for cover mockups or graphics.

Zotero

https://www.zotero.org

Amazing for managing research and citations (especially nonfiction writers).

All free. All open-source. All powerful.

The Bigger Picture: Creative Freedom

Here’s what it really comes down to.

Using free and open-source software:

    • Reduces your overhead

    • Keeps you in control of your files

    • Works across platforms

    • Supports open standards

    • Avoids subscription fatigue

And there’s something philosophically nice about writing your novel in software built by a global community rather than a corporation trying to upsell you.

It feels… independent. Which suits writers.

Should You Switch?

You don’t have to delete your current tools tomorrow.

But if you:

    • Want to cut costs

    • Care about open standards

    • Use Linux

    • Or just like trying smarter tools

Download LibreOffice and give Writer a week.

Most authors are surprised at how quickly it feels natural.

And once you realise you can write, format, export, and collaborate without paying a cent?

It’s hard to go back.

Lloyd Morrison Launches Bridled by Loyalty, the First Epic Instalment in the Riders of the Three Kingdoms Saga

 

28th January 2026

Bridled By Loyalty
by Lloyd Morrison

A sweeping new historical saga begins this year with the release of Bridled by Loyalty, the debut novel by Lloyd Morrison and the first book in the ambitious Riders of the Three Kingdoms series. Set against the tense and transformative years of 1641–1642, as England stands on the brink of civil war, the novel follows the intertwined fates of the Akins and Stephens families—two households bound by friendship, divided by allegiance, and tested by a rapidly changing world.

Packed with adventure, romance, and masterful horsemanship, Bridled by Loyalty plunges readers into the dawn of the English Civil War, where loyalties are questioned, friendships strained, and the cost of conviction grows dangerously high. Through richly drawn characters and meticulous period detail, Morrison captures the charged atmosphere of a kingdom unravelling, offering a story as intimate as it is epic.

A Lifelong Passion Turned Into Storytelling

Lloyd Morrison’s love of history began in childhood during a family trip to Devon. A spontaneous stop at a now-forgotten castle—and an encounter with reenactors portraying medieval knights and archers—sparked a fascination that never faded. From that moment, Morrison immersed himself in the past, exploring historical eras with boundless curiosity.

He eventually became a reenactor himself, particularly within the Wars of the Roses period as part of the Duke of Beaufort’s Household. During those early years, he began drafting a story that would evolve into the prequel to Riders of the Three Kingdoms. His commitment to authenticity led him to HEMA, where he studied historical manuscripts to understand how people of earlier centuries truly fought. Alongside this, he developed into a skilled horseman, which is evident in the description of equestrian skills in the book.

A chance visit to a Sealed Knot event later shifted his interest toward the 17th century. This spark was fanned into flame by historian Mark Turnbull’s Cavalier podcast, which revealed a century brimming with political tension, personal drama, and vivid storytelling potential. For Morrison, it became the perfect backdrop for a sweeping family epic.

Raised in Chipping Sodbury, with the historic Little Sodbury Manor as a near-constant presence, Morrison found fertile ground for building the worlds and characters his readers now meet. His lifelong engagement with history, hands-on reenactment experience, swordplay studies, and passion for horses infuse Bridled by Loyalty with realism, emotion, and immersive detail.

Lloyd Morrison

A New Voice in Historical Fiction

With Bridled by Loyalty, Lloyd Morrison steps onto the literary stage as an exciting new voice in historical fiction—one whose work promises depth, authenticity, and unforgettable storytelling. Fans of Bernard Cornwell, Philippa Gregory, Stuart Turton, and S.G. MacLean will find much to love in this gripping tale of families caught in conflict, hearts pulled in opposing directions, and the enduring bonds that hold people together even as a nation falls apart.

Bridled by Loyalty is now available through major booksellers in both paperback (ISBN: 978-1-915631-17-6) and digital formats.

To find out more, purchase a copy, or read a sample, please click HERE

Burgos and Beyond by David J Blackmore

 26th December 2025

Burgos and Beyond, the Sixth Instalment in David J. Blackmore’s Acclaimed Wellington’s Dragoon Series is out now from Brindle Books Ltd.

Brindle Books Ltd is proud to announce the publication of Burgos and Beyond, the much-anticipated sixth book in David J. Blackmore’s popular historical-military fiction series, Wellington’s Dragoon. Rich with authentic period detail and gripping battlefield drama, the novel continues the adventures of Michael Roberts, an officer of the 16th Light Dragoons, as he rides once more into the turbulent heart of the Peninsular War.

Set in the early 1800s during Britain’s struggle against Napoleon’s armies, Burgos and Beyond picks up with Roberts and his comrades facing new hardships, new enemies, and the unrelenting uncertainty of war. From the desperate retreat after the failed Siege of Burgos to the sweeping advances that follow, Blackmore delivers a vivid, human portrayal of courage, loyalty, and survival against the backdrop of one of Europe’s most dramatic military campaigns.

“David J. Blackmore combines meticulous historical research with compelling storytelling,” said Richard Hinchliffe, Director of Brindle Books Ltd. “Readers who have followed Michael Roberts’s journey from the outset will find Burgos and Beyond to be an exhilarating and emotionally resonant continuation of the saga, while newcomers can expect an immersive and engaging introduction to the world of the 16th Light Dragoons.”

The Wellington’s Dragoon series has garnered praise for its authenticity, character depth, and cinematic depiction of cavalry warfare—qualities that have made it a favourite among fans of Bernard Cornwell, Patrick O’Brian, and other masters of historical fiction.

Burgos and Beyond is now available in paperback (ISBN: 978-1-915631-27-5) and digital formats. 

You can read a sample or order a copy by clicking HERE

Crime Wave at Tangents: Teeing off another hilarious adventure in the latest novel release from Brindle Books

26th November 2025

Crime Wave at Tangents

You can read a sample of Crime Wave at Tangents, or purchase a copy by clicking HERE

Brindle Books Ltd is delighted—if slightly alarmed—to announce the publication of Crime Wave at Tangents, the newest comic novel from Roderick Easdale, who has once again turned the genteel village of Tangents into a hotbed of delightful chaos.

In this uproarious sequel to the widely praised Summer at Tangents, life in Tangents is proceeding with its usual mild confusion when property developers, armed with blueprints, ambition, and probably far too many clipboards, set their sights on the village’s golf club.

Naturally, the golf club committee springs into action. Or rather, it ambles into action, stops for tea, and gets thoroughly distracted and argumentative.

Can they save their cherished club and village life as Tangents knows it?

Is a highwayman really scouting out the village?

What has the unexplained appearance of a large wooden camel got to do with anything?

Will Willoughby’s imaginative ways to evade the diet his wife has imposed on him bear fruit, or indeed any sort of food?

Crime Wave at Tangents answers these questions and many more you never knew you had.

Richard Hinchliffe, Director of Brindle Books Ltd said: “When Roderick Easdale sent us his first novel, Summer at Tangents, I was immediately hooked and accepted it for publication, even though we had never published in that genre before. I was overjoyed to see this sequel in my inbox, giving us the chance to revisit Tangents and to catch up with the brilliantly eccentric characters.”

The new novel follows on from Summer at Tangents, which enjoyed a triumphant reception, being named one of Country Life magazine's Books of the Year for 2024 and earning a nomination for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction.

About the Author:

Roderick Easdale writes about a world he knows well, having been a member of six golf clubs and worked as a golf journalist for more than 25 years. He also has a keen eye for the absurdities of village life—and a willingness to gently poke them with a nine-iron. His previous novel, Summer at Tangents, earned widespread acclaim for its humour and warmth.

He explains: “The village of Tangents is entirely fictional, but it was inspired by one of the clubs I have been a member at where the surrounding village had little other than this golf club. Thus the golf clubhouse became the centre of activity for all the locals, whether golfers or not, and acted as the local pub and restaurant.”

“Behind the humour of the Tangents novels is a serious message about saving communal village life. Over the years, my own village has lost its church, post office, shop and now even its postbox. As one of the characters in Crime Wave at Tangents says, the desire is to preserve the village as ‘a living entity, rather than somewhere people go to sleep and sit in armchairs and watch their televisions and occasionally take the dog out for a walk’.” 

Critics on Summer at Tangents:

Summer At Tangents

You can read a sample or buy a copy of Summer at Tangents HERE

“Effervescently amusing… hopefully the first of many P.G. Wodehouse-esque tales of golf and village life from Roderick Easdale” — Country Life

“A brilliant comic novel” — Golfshake

“A beautifully crafted tale involving many laugh-out loud moments” — Golf Monthly

“Roderick Easdale effortlessly delivers in this witty, feel-good novel” — Golf Today

“A witty, warm-hearted, beautifully written, cleverly told story” — Planet Golf Review

Book Details

* Title: Crime Wave at Tangents

* Author: Roderick Easdale

* Publisher: Brindle Books Ltd

* Format: Paperback and e-book.

* ISBN: 978-1-915631-26-8

You can read a sample of Crime Wave at Tangents, or purchase a copy by clicking HERE

Availability

Crime Wave at Tangents is available now from booksellers nationwide, online bookstores, and anywhere that appreciates laughter, golf, or communities in modest disarray. 

REALISTIC TIPS FOR INDIE WRITERS WHO WANT TO ‘MAKE IT BIG’.

 5th July 2025

The internet is full of tips and advice articles for would-be authors, many of them promising the world to just about anyone who can open a Word document. There are countless posts out there giving the impression that “everyone has a book in them” and all you have to do is type it up, stick it on Amazon KDP and then wait for the millions to start rolling in.

The reality is, of course, somewhat different. The vast majority of authors worldwide, (especially fiction authors), don’t ever make any meaningful amounts of money from their writing, even when they are published, leaving them dejected and disillusioned with the whole writing process.

When starting out on our writing careers, we all automatically think about the successes – the J K Rowlings, the Robert Ludlums, the Dan Browns and many others…The list seems endless. However, for every successful author on this list, the ones who got lucky, (and yes, even with good writers, luck plays a huge part in it), there are thousands of authors out there who made nothing.

Before you decide that you’re going to be a successful author and make millions just from tapping away at a keyboard now and then, it’s worth thinking about how much competition you actually have out there and how much work you will really have to put in.  

So, here are ten tips for writers grounded in reality:

Rather than writing books, get a job with a paying magazine or newspaper. Of course, it isn’t easy, but if you’re actually looking for a career as a writer, you stand more chance of making a living this way than by writing books. Once you’ve made a name for yourself and established your reputation, you may even get a book deal and if you’re famous enough it may even help your sales.

Get famous for doing something else and then publish a memoir. Of course, many people waste their whole lives trying to become famous for its own sake, and it relies on luck as much as anything else. However, if you’re famous enough already, the chances are that your book will sell no matter how bad it is, and your chances of success by this method are undoubtedly just as good as most new authors. You only have to look at all those ‘celebrity’ memoirs outselling genuinely good books to realise that fame sells better than talent.

Write non-fiction rather than fiction as that often sells better, especially if your book contains useful information that will help readers do a specific thing. Self-help books and books giving advice to desperate wannabe writers tend to sell the best, (even if the author has only ever written books giving advice to wannabe writers).

Don’t concentrate too much on getting into brick-and-mortar bookstores unless you have a deal with a reasonably large traditional publisher. If you want to see your book on the shelves of your local bookstore, the best thing to do is befriend the staff (and management) of your local independent bookstore and ask them to stock a couple of copies, (assuming that your book is in Gardner’s catalogue), or write a local history/local interest book. Even Waterstones will sometimes stock local interest books if approached by the author in person, but only for that specific area. In other words, if you write a local interest book about Leeds, don’t expect any Waterstones in any other towns or cities to stock it. There are forms that can be filled in with larger chains like Waterstones asking them to stock the book but the fact is that they will not stock it unless they think that it is going to sell, no matter how nicely you ask them. They are in business, first and foremost, to make a profit, not to risk those profits by ‘taking a chance on a new, unknown author. There are thousands of books published in the UK every month, many of them published by the big five, and it is very rarely that a big bookstore chain will even consider stacking your book unless you can guarantee them a profit.

Don’t Look down your nose at e-book sales. I know that many authors (especially new ones) are only interested in print books because they think that makes them a ‘proper’ writer. I understand that writers like to see a physical, printed version of their work, (and of course, with the advent of print-on-demand, it’s not that difficult or expensive to get your book into print). The fact is that a much better indicator of what makes a ‘proper’ author is if they sell books, irrespective of the format. If you’re a new and relatively unknown author, the chances are that nearly all of your sales will be e-books. E-books are considerably easier and cheaper to produce than print books and you can make a much bigger profit on the sale of an e-book than a print book, even when the e-book price is considerably lower.

It is worth noting the difference in profit margins for different kinds of book sales for self-publishers using the main print-on-demand and e-book platforms:

Amazon eBook: Cover price: £3.99. Royalty Rate from Amazon 70%. Royalty per copy: £2.76 (The few pence difference between 70% of the cover price and the actual payment £2.76 covers delivery of the eBook. Yes, there are actually some costs involved in sending an eBook electronically, and it can vary a few pence, depending on the file size of the eBook). 

Amazon paperback: Cover price: £8.99. Royalty rate from Amazon 60%. Print cost (deducted from the 60% royalty): £4.17. Royalty per copy: £1.22. 

Let’s compare this with Ingram Spark, the most effective Print On Demand service for making your book available to Bookstores:

Ingram Paperback: Cover price: £8.99. Minus Retailer Discount set to 40%* : (£3.60) , which leaves: £5.39, minus print cost (£4.97), leaving: £0.42.  Royalty rate (between 60% - 70%, depending on region – so let’s be optimistic and assume 70%), leaves a royalty per copy of about: £0.29. 

If you’re a self-published author, or are published through a small independent publisher, Amazon is your friend. We are constantly told that Amazon is some giant corporate Devil, killing off independent bookshops and taking over the world by destroying the High Street. Of course, this is utter nonsense. This one company, however large and far-reaching cannot realistically be held responsible for the shopping habits of the modern world. If people decide to shop online for the convenience of being able to order a massive range of items from books to electricals and home décor, in their lunch break at work, on their mobile phone, and have the items delivered to their door, this isn’t because any one company is somehow inherently evil. If you want to blame someone because your local high street doesn’t have an indie bookstore, you’d be better off looking to a) the consumers who don’t go into town to buy books, or who only buy second-hand, and b) the big brick-and-mortar bookstore chains who have priced independents out of the markets, (why go to an indie bookstore and pay £8.99 for a book by an author you’ve never heard of when you can go to The Works and get 3 for £5?). The fact about Amazon, (at least as far as indie publishing goes), is that they have made it possible for self-published authors and small publishers to put books in front of an audience without having to spend a fortune. The vast majority of books that are published globally (including books published by big publishers) do not make a profit and there is no sure-fire way of knowing whether a book by a new author will be a success. Big publishing houses therefore only accept books for publication that they feel stand a good chance of making them a profit, not books that they think are good, you understand, just books that they think will make a profit. With the advent of Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and print on demand services, it is now possible for small publishers to take a risk on publishing books based on whether they think the book deserves to be available, not just on their return on investment. In this way, small publishers like ourselves can now afford help authors develop their craft over time, irrespective of what the sales figures are for their initial books

Be prolific: The most important thing that you can do to increase your chances of making a profit. Very few authors (even new authors published by major publishing houses) make more than pocket change from their first, (or even second), book. The best way to increase your chances of making anything from writing fiction, (other than writing for paid fiction magazines like ‘People’s Friend’), is to write a series in a popular genre. By the time you have written three or four books in a series (if it’s good), you stand a reasonable chance of making a useful amount of money (though it will still probably not be enough for you to give up your day job). If you can only manage one 60,000 word novel per year, it will take a long time for your book series to gain traction. So, what do we mean by being prolific? To be realistic, writing 500 words per day, every day, should be considered your absolute minimum, and any editing, tweaking etc. should be done in addition to your 500 words per day. If 500 words seems like a lot to do in a day, please bear in mind that it amounts to just under one A4 page of 12 point text. Hardly a grind, even if you have a 12 hour a day job, and considerably less writing than most of us did in a day when we were at middle school. 500 words a day equates to 182,000 words per year, so about three 60,000 word books in a series per year. I know a lot of authors these days like to churn out massive doorstep sized volumes, but they won’t necessarily sell any better than a readable 60,000 page novel, especially in crime, thriller, romance genres. (Most of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels ran to about this length, for instance and they were quite popular, even before the film franchise began). If you can’t manage 500 words a day, and you’re not famous enough to have a guaranteed audience, your chances of writing for profit are pretty slim. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t write, it just means that your writing will, in all probability, never be more than a hobby or a side-line.

Build your own audience by interacting with potential readers, either with an email list, personal appearances, or on social media. This means genuinely interacting with your potential readers. They aren’t going to warm to you if all you ever post is adverts for your latest book. Don’t rely on publishers to do this for you, whether they are a tiny independent or one of the big five. The smaller publishers don’t have the resources to advertise you widely and the bigger publishers feel that they don’t have to. Sure, some of the larger ones will pay to advertise their big name authors because they know that all they have to do is tell the public they’ve got a book out and their fans will buy it, but if you’re new and don’t have a track record, they’re not going to use up their cut of any potential profits on advertising an unknown author.

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 Don’t be too proud to take advice. I know how it is: You’ve spent ages on that manuscript, you’ve read it through, edited it, honed it to perfection. You just know that it’s perfect…and then some editor wants you to make changes. They advise you to cut some of your beautiful, oh-so-perfect words. What do they know about it? Actually, if they work in the publishing industry, the chances are they know a lot. If they say that the gratuitous and explicit sex scene in chapter two of your adventure novel sounds clumsy and uncomfortable and not suitable for readers of adventure, they’re probably right. If they’re from a publishing company that releases the kind of work that you’re pitching, they probably have a good idea of what their readers are looking for. If you’re after a deal, swallow your pride and take their advice. Or don’t; it’ll be your book that they turn down. Wherever possible, take advice, not just from editors but from well read beta-readers, if you can find them. The only time I feel you should ignore this advice is if you’re a very prolific pulp fiction author, and when I say very prolific, I mean ‘Edgar Wallace prolific’, and you’re producing a new novel every month. Even then, a trusted beta-reader is a godsend for spotting the huge errors and plot holes that are surprisingly easy for authors to miss.

Don’t wait for the perfect time or place to write, it will never come if you sit around waiting for it. As writers, we’re constantly advised to have a special writing place where we can sit without distractions and allot a specific time each day to make the magic happen and that’s great. It’s great to have that special place, whether it’s a private study in the attic, or a desk in a quiet corner of the house. By all means get one, but don’t (as many would-be authors do), use it as an excuse not to do any writing today just because you haven’t had the chance to sit at your desk. If you’re working a 12 hour shift and you know that you’ll be too tired to sit at your desk and write, you should still be producing your 500 word minimum during your lunch break, your commute to and from work…anywhere. You have to get the word count in if you’re going to finish the work. It doesn’t matter whether you get your words down in a notebook, a voice-recorder, your phone or wherever. You can always go to your special place to type up your work neatly when you do have the time later.

The Writing Process by David J Blackmore

 

19th June 2025

In the third of his fascinating guest posts, David J Blackmore, author of the thrilling 'Wellington's Dragoon' series, tells us about his writing process for the series...

David J Blackmore on Johnny, the inspiration for
Michael Roberts' horse  in the Wellington's Dragoon Series

The Writing Process

This is a tricky topic, because for every book I have written there have been variations in the process. It is also a personal process, every writer has their own way of working and I also believe that it is something that can’t be taught. All of which renders this piece rather unhelpful, except that my experience might help you find your own methods. So, let me start with the most commonly asked question on this subject. It goes, roughly, as follows; “Do you have a set time for writing and/or do you write until you have written so many words?” The answer to both is no. I write when I can, by which I don’t mean when I have the time, but when I can actually sit down in front of my keyboard and be creative. Days can go past when I can’t write, some days the words just flow, but more on that in a while.

To The Douro
Wellington's Dragoon Book One

When I decided to write the Wellington’s Dragoon books, and the name came later, I wrote a brief plan for the series. It was going to be eight books from the very beginning, although there have been times when that has come close to changing, sometimes to seven, once to nine. The plan consisted of a few lines for each book, outlining, very briefly, what time period it was going to cover and what would happen. It has stood up remarkably well, but that’s probably because it was all rather vague.

Secret Lines
Wellington's Dragoon Book Two

When it comes to each individual book I create a very detailed plan. I start it based on the historical narrative of the period covered by the book, which gives me a framework in which to work. This stage involves quite a lot of research and I always start with the relevant volume of Sir Charles Oman, “A History Of The Peninsular War” in seven volumes. It was written at the beginning of the 20th century, with a brief break for war work during WWI. It is a monumental achievement and my constant guide. Then I go to more recent studies on particular campaigns and battles. At this point the plan is beginning to get quite long and has nothing in it about Michael Roberts.

Behind The Lines
Wellington's Dragoon Book Three

This is when it gets interesting. As I do my research I am looking for ways to fit Michael into the events. Perhaps the most obvious comes in the first book, “To The Douro”. Sir Arthur Wellesley, as he was then, drove the French through Portugal until they crossed the Douro at Oporto and blew up the bridge of boats that spanned the river. History will tell you that a staff officer, exploring the river upstream, discovered the wine barges, or Rabelos, secured them and Wellesley launched an assault across the river using them. I asked myself, what would he have done if the wine barges hadn’t been so fortuitously discovered? Wellesley was no fool, surely he must have anticipated that the bridge would be destroyed? In which case, what was his plan? We don’t know, and he was notoriously tight lipped about his plans. Enter Michael and the plan to make sure the boats were there.

A Different Kind of War
Wellington's Dragoon Book Four

Having got the historical framework sorted out, and decided what Michael’s role will be, I begin to sketch out what will happen in each chapter, what Michael will be doing, creating his personal narrative, gradually moving from a broad outline to a detailed plan for each chapter. Once I am happy with the plan I start writing and the advantage of having a detailed plan is that I can forget about the plotting and concentrate on the story telling. 

The Road to Madrid
Wellington's Dragoon Book Five

One thing that I have discovered, however, is that, sometimes, I don’t follow the plan. I find myself bashing away at the keyboard, the words just flowing, but they’re not taking me where I planned to go. The first time it happened was rather disconcerting, but it turned out that what just flowed was better than what was planned, it was, somehow, more natural. I have learnt to go with it, even if it means a bit of rejigging of the plan.

Some of the books that David uses for
his research

“To The Douro” had thirteen drafts. Of course, I was learning how to write, finding my style, developing characters, and it took time. The second book, “Secret Lines”, had seven drafts as I learnt what to do. Since then the process has settled down. The first draft is all about the basic story, getting that straight and all nicely worked out. The second draft is about adding colour, the detail that, I hope, gives it a veracity, a period feel. Sometimes there may be a third draft, particularly if I’m not happy with some aspect of the story or I feel it needs a little extra something. This is when I start to be unable to see the wood for the trees. I once had a friend who was an artist, and he also taught art. One of the things he taught me was knowing when to stop. There comes a point when you have to say, for better or worse, I can do no more. And that is it, when you can no longer see the whole wood, just lots and lots of trees.

So, is that when it goes to Brindle? Oh, no! Then it goes to my two wonderful and patient test readers. They tell me exactly what they think of it, spot plot anomalies, general gaffs and the inevitable typos. The time lapse while they read it, however, does clear the mind so that when it comes back I am ready to tackle their comments and write the final draft.

And that is why it’s one book a year!

You can read David's Wordpress blog by clicking HERE

You can find David's Amazon Author Page HERE