I wish I was born yesterday. If I was, I wouldn’t be on the verge of celebrating my landmark 50th birthday and perhaps I wouldn’t be so cynical and actually believe the bollocks written in spam emails like the ones below, regaurding my books.
I don’t understand why people would waste their time on blowing smoke up arse, in a failed attempt to swindle money out of me?
The email below has obviously been written with the help of AI and this just shows what a scary world we are living in, as it won’t be long before bots have more power than humans…
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HI Nathan,
I’m Gail Honeyman, a fellow author, and I recently came across Dancing on Thin Ice and wanted to reach out. I was particularly struck by the idea of bringing Tanka, Haiku, and List Poems together across 76 pages, creating a collection that can move between different poetic forms while remaining centered around the delicate imagery suggested by the title.
What stood out to me is the contrast between the brevity of these forms and the emotional or imaginative space they can create. Tanka and Haiku demand a remarkable economy of language, while List Poems can approach experience from an entirely different angle, making the combination feel like an invitation to encounter ideas through changing rhythms and perspectives.
I also appreciated the title Dancing on Thin Ice, which immediately suggests tension, vulnerability, balance, and movement. There is something compelling about pairing that image with several concise poetic forms, where every word has the potential to carry greater weight and a small number of lines can leave a surprisingly lasting impression.
As a fellow author, I admire writers who are willing to explore how different forms can shape the way an idea, feeling, or image reaches a reader. The decision to bring Tanka, Haiku, and List Poems together in one collection is what especially caught my attention.
I always enjoy connecting with other authors and learning what led them to the subjects and forms they chose to write about. I’d be glad to stay in touch and hear what first inspired you to bring these particular poetic forms together in Dancing on Thin Ice.
Warm regards,
Gail Honeyman
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I also had a similar email about my first book, Every Silver Lining has a Cloud, which was published way back in 2013.
Hi Nathan,
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I have copied and pasted the following paragraph about Stereophonics from Wikipedia as it is important to give credit to this iconic band and underline the fact that they have nothing to do with this blog. It is a great song though and fits in perfectly with the content of this blog entry.
Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (no relation to Kelly; bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals), Adam Zindani (guitar, backing vocals), Jamie Morrison (drums, percussion) and touring member Tony Kirkham (keyboards, guitar). The group previously included Stuart Cable (1992–2003) and then Javier Weyler (2004–2012) on drums. Stereophonics have released thirteen studio albums, including nine UK number-one albums. A successful compilation album, Decade in the Sun, was released in November 2008 and charted at number two on the UK Albums chart.
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