February 2015


HURRAH for the wondrous Katie WebSphinx who, between running her own brilliant business and raising three young Sphinxlings, somehow found the time this month to update my websites.

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Broken links have been zapped and spammers foiled. In addition, though we’ve sadly had to say goodbye to my sites’ defunct Guestbooks, anyone who wants to reach me can now do so directly via this email address: sam at samenthoven dot com. That’s if you wouldn’t prefer FacebookTwitterLastFMLibraryThing or Wattpad – links to my profiles on which can all be found at my squeaky clean and fully firing homepage.

Katie has been kindly and patiently helping and guiding me with her web-fu and wisdom for nearly ten years now.

Thank you, Katie. You are AWESOME. 😀

This is from a fascinating and inspiring book called The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer. I feel it always, and this week especially.

When you’re an artist, nobody ever tells you or hits you with the magic wand of legitimacy. You have to hit your own head with your own handmade wand. And you feel stupid doing it.

There’s no “correct path” to becoming a real artist. You might think you’ll gain legitimacy by going to art school, getting published, getting signed to a record label. But it’s all bullshit, and it’s all in your head. You’re an artist when you say you are. And you’re a good artist when you make somebody else experience or feel something deep or unexpected.

Mine snapped a while back. It’s held together with tape and hope. But it’s still there.

An ecstatically cackling THANK YOU to staff and students at The Ravensbourne School in Bromley for the warm welcome they gave me yesterday.

In two sessions I spoke to the whole of Years 8 and 9 – about five hundred students in all, full of excellent questions about books, writing and life.

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Giving readings in Ravensbourne’s gorgeous school hall was a particular thrill. The opening scene of Crawlers – and the scream of the Queen’s first victim – produced an intensely satisfying echo. I hope it inspired some students to read on as Crawlers continues on Wattpad. It certainly made some of them flinch. 😀