SAM NORTH - The Novels and Words: an archive.

Everyone has a blog. Everyone had a website. Everyone is probably on Facebook and has something to say on Twitter ten times a day. But what if you're busy? What if you have other things to do? Excuses for not keeping this site updated on words and comments. Apologies for having such a boring space. I know in a world of six billion people this has slipped to 5.9 billionth in Google. I sincerely apologise for this. What can I say, I haven't evolved. Currently I am working on a new novel set in London and in between marking and teaching.

Words & Comments

Fiction Extract: Here's something I started earlier... She came bursting out of the door, careening noisily off the far wall, staggering to a stop, dazzled by the glare of the moon against the whitewashed walls. She was dressed in the colourful costume of a Flamenco dancer, her long full dress hanging awkwardly askew off her shoulders, her red hair sweat bedraggled. She nervously glanced back to the doorway, a cry seemed to stick in her throat as she heard a chair scrape and fall to the floor within. Guitar music could be heard playing in the background, then the crash of shattering glass.             She began to run, stumbling a moment as a broken buckle delayed her. Her hand went out to steady herself and as she moved off again, left a clear bloody imprint on the wall. ZAPTEADO - one day I might finish this...

'An engaging, unusual and completely engrossing read' - Beverly Birch author of 'Rift' Available in Blackwells Bookshop, Amazon and Lulu

Mean Tide by Sam North 'Extraordinary novel about a child's psychic awakening' ISBN: 978-1-4092-0354-4 Print and e-book Kids can survive anything, they say. Oliver, aged twelve, has a missing father in Africa, his mother has had a breakdown, and he is recovering from chemo. He is sent to live with his only relative. On a foggy day, one bald boy, with his cat, Flop, arrives at his Grandma's house at the water's edge in Greenwich. Oliver discovers to his horror that his Grandma, a famous psychic, hates cats. Her housekeeper, Lena loathes kids, and silent Justine seems to hate everyone. Add crazy Harriet, who has seen every fortune teller in London; Aura, a mysterious, aspiring beautiful actress and Bullet, the homeless kid with a very mean streak, trouble can't be far behind. When Oliver and Justine find a beautiful dog with it's throat cut washed up on the riverbank, Oliver feels a strange connection to this dead animal and so begins his own induction into a psychic world.

Since 1999 Sam has been running the on-line magazine Hackwriters.com a site for international writers in all subject areas. It continues as a place for new and 'experienced' writers to showcase their work. As of writing there are 4850 articles posted on site and it as archived by the British Library for the digital web archive - a work in progress.

Thanks to all who have been ordering my books recently, particularly the flu pandemic novel 'Another Place to Die' - much appreciated. Spread the word. Now available as an e-book as well as print. 'Swine Flu infected almost every country on earth but it 'only' killed just under 13,000 people so far. Bad luck for those who died, but good luck for us it was such a benign virus. But there is a virus coming, something bubbling up, awaiting the right circumstances. Swine Flu was just 'practice'. When it comes - we will be so blasé about it we won't even take it seriously. That's the danger of a benign virus, we think we can handle it. We wont. You are warned. Read 'Another Place to Die' and prepare yourself for the worst...'

This update January 2010

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