Thursday, February 23, 2023

Views From The Bike Shed - and a writer's guide to blogging

To be released,  1 March 2023

It's been quite a journey...

But, at long last, I'm delighted to confirm that my new book will be released on the 1st of March.  

Views From The Bike Shed is a retrospective collection of posts from this blog. Spanning almost fifteen years of my writing, it includes a series of new essays that make the case for blogging as a form that deserves more serious attention. 

I've never ceased to be amazed at how in pressing 'publish' our words take on a life of their own. Views From The Bike Shed may be a tiny corner of the internet, but through its online pages, I've reached people and made connections I never dreamed were possible. That my posts have now found their way into print is confirmation of blogging's unending capacity to delight and surprise. 

In truth, I'm immensely proud too, for the collection showcases a body of writing I have loved creating and hence crafted with care. I'd like to think it demonstrates that blogs can be more than mere diaries or publicity vehicles. Above all else, I hope it shows how, through blogging, we tell not only our own stories but also those of the world around us and the events (big and small) which shape our lives.

Since its very beginning, I've tried on this blog to write 'from' my life rather than simply to record it. In this sense, Views From the Bike Shed is not, and has never been, about me — rather, it's about us all.  That my publisher has shown faith in such a vision is a joy and privilege. My thanks to them and to all my blogging friends and readers who've made this possible.

Meanwhile, our journey is far from over — which is good news, because I'm hoping the book will bind us even tighter.

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Views From The Bike Shed, and a writer's guide to blogging is available to order from all bookstores and online retailers and direct from my publisher Cinnamon Press - or order it from your local library!

11 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Congratulations on the 'birth of your third'! Blogging is indeed a surprising and elastic medium of expression. Long may it continue! YAM xx

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  2. You are a great blogger Mark and I wish you every success with the book.

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  3. This is great news. Congratulation! I've just added 'View from the Bike Shed' to my list os books to read. As a long term blogger I'm delighted to hear that, in some corners of the internet at least, the form is alive and kicking.
    Cheers! Gail.

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  4. I hopped straight over to the library website and suggested they order it. Hope they will as it sounds good

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    1. Just had an email back from Suffolk Libraries that says "They have no plans to buy this book" which is a bit sad and unexpected as they are usually pretty good at buying suggested titles.

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  5. Congratulations and we hope it romps off the shelves. The cover is an interesting design that makes me think of old crime novels or something. There is an interesting study that could be done in how we react to font styles and colour - what various fonts represent to us.

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  6. Dear Mark,

    I hope you are well. I would like to congratulate you on the most exciting news about the publication of your new book next month. I look forward to purchasing this book. The design of the book is quite intriguing. A vast expanse of blue colour in contrast with the green grass and white triangular rock makes me think of a panorama, an unbroken view of looking outward to the sea from the edge of the land, a frontier or a coastline.

    Blogging is a flexible medium. It offers a way to organise thoughts and find language to see what is on one's mind. Perhaps, this is why it is revelatory and fascinating to read your blog posts. Other platforms of social media such as Instagram and Twitter do not interest me. But blogging makes us see the lives of others from multiple viewpoints and each one emanates its distinct luminosity. I wish you every success with the publication of your new book.

    Many congratulations once more.

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  7. Congratulations on publishing your book. It will indeed be an interesting read on blogging.

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  8. I placed my order last night, Mark. Sometimes, these small outfits can't handle a foreign order, but my transaction went through without a hitch.

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