Hi. I'm Tom and, if you have read any of my work, or follow me on Social Media, you will know that I don't take myself too seriously. I look out the window and smile, I see the irony in the world and I chuckle, I look in the mirror and... OK, then I cry! But you get the idea.
Authoring and the whole Authorisation process of related to being an Author is hard work - from wearing my Author hat around the house to the complete Authorification of my written work, an Author's day can be very complex.
In fact, sometimes it's just Authful!
(Yep - All that, just for one bad pun!)
Whether I'm writing a novel, bashing out a quick short-story or working on another TV screenplay. I sit here.
Occasionally, I scooch along to the end of the table, just to allow myself a different view but, unless I am on set somewhere, my backside rests here.
On those rare occasions when I am writing elsewhere, I'm usually found tucked in a corner on some rickety table squinting into my all-too-small laptop screen.
The template for this section came with these three headings and so, just for fun, I've decided to leave them in and answer accordingly.
Actually, my desk is pretty clean. Obviously, there is the obligatory spaghetti of cables, but even those are (mostly) wrapped together and channelled accordingly.
It is a rare day that a discarded coffee (or milk-shake) cup is left overnight on my desk. That said, I'm always finding pairs of socks on it. It's obviously a subliminal dumping station for them.
I really should look into that...
Those don't exist for me. Well, rarely, at any rate.
If I have a commission or deadlines, then obviously I glue, tie and duct tape myself to my chair and knuckle down.
But usually, it varies.
I might not sit here for three days at a time, but then another day, not leave my chair for eleven hours on the trot. In fact, there have been many times when only the complaints from the cats make me realise just what time it is.
Inspiration hits when it so chooses, I suppose (which sounds very highbrow and pompous).
I read on various author groups how writers listen to Metallica, Clannad or Chopin when they write.
Now, whilst, I do like a good Irish Ballard rumpty-tumpting through the house (thank you, my linked Google home devices), I cannot listen to music when I write. Instead, I listen to ambient sounds like 'Rainforest', 'Cats Purring' or the leg-rubbing antics of crickets. I'm also a lover of white, pink and brown noise. These are especially good with my earpods...
*NB. I feel terrible for implying that Clannad 'rumpty-tumpts'. Sorry, guys!
I know my way around a computer, some coding (hello, I built this site) and hardware in general. But this laptop is just a simple workhorse, designed to help me write.
I have another, more powerful desktop computer that I do all my graphics and video work on. That said, it's a good five years old now and has probably dropped from 'near cutting edge' to 'wow, grandad, where did you get that relic?' But the 16Gb ram still keeps it working fast enough (for now).
To make working easier, I use an external keyboard and a wireless mouse with a Qi charger, so I simply drop it on the wireless charger built into my mouse pad... So simple!
My shiny, red TS8120 allows me to print my cover designs in full colour to check for any issues. It's a greedy ink-guzzler, so I only use it sparingly. I even tend to print my manuscripts at the local store, as it's so much cheaper.
I may just invest in a cheap laser copier too...
My massive monitor sits on a super-mobile bracket that allows me to move the monitor anywhere and easily flip between landscape and portrait. That's just perfect for super-sizing my cover designs.
I'm a straight-to-digital guy. Pens and paper are strictly for editing, doodling (I cannot draw for toffee) or looking nice on my desk.
I hardly use it, but I LOVE my penholder.
Sure, I write sizzling sex, but my naughty scenes are always tinged with a hint of hilarity.
