Improbable Press Blog — G.V. Pearce

Doing a live reading or discussion of your work is something most new authors dream about long before publication. However, when the time comes, it can also be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re not accustomed to public speaking. I was recently lucky enough to talk to the Romancing the Gothic group about my first novel Ghost Story, and I’d like to share some things I learned with other new writers who might find themselves scared of the prospect of talking in front of friends and strangers alike. So here are my five tips for live readings: Practice – it...

* Your novel, a mystery-romance-delicious-ghost story, has been out for four months now, what does that feel like? Time is a strange thing right now, isn’t it? Honestly it still feels really fresh to look up and see my book on the shelf. All the wonderful readers' feedback has been a much appreciated source of delight and motivation. I’m excited to see where this 'being a published author' thing goes next. * What are you working on now? I’ve been incredibly busy since lockdown began, but I’m pleased to say that I have managed to get some words onto the...

By G V Pearce Little writing details can be amazing. How a character takes their tea, the objects they always carry in their pockets, distinctive ways they respond to stress, whether they nod along to the pop song on the radio or turn it off—these things can give colour to a character and their world without disrupting the narrative.I’m a big fan of little details, and some of the most enthusiastic feedback I’ve received from readers has been about the details I include. You see, I have a love for writing disabled characters—I’m disabled myself, and I interact with disabled...

Plant pots crowded every flat surface and hung from the ceiling in stalactites of dusty macramé. Most of the plants had died long ago and crumbled to dust, though a courageous mint sitting by the kitchen sink had managed to send a runner down the drain and had since taken over half the counter. It smelled fantastic, which really wasn’t what John had been expecting. ‘One of everything,’ Sherlock observed, while he peered into the old Formica kitchen cabinets. The unexpected sound of his voice across the stillness of the room made John jump, but he managed to push down...

On Friday Improbable Press released our latest book, G.V. Pearce's Ghost Story, a Sherlock Holmes and John Watson mystery, wrapped in a romance, inside a ghost story.A captivating mystery, Ghost Story is also "a story about acceptance—not only of bad things, sad and painful things, but also about acceptance of gifts, and impossible luck, and your loved ones."IP's editor Atlin Merrick talked with G.V. Pearce about their book, and of course she had to start with the coolest question…* G.V., do you believe in ghosts?I believe the universe is far more complicated and ridiculous than we can possibly imagine, but...