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Alex Reeve (storyjoy)

@alexreeve.bsky.social

Award-losing author of the Leo Stanhope series of historical crime novels published by Bloomsbury. Rep’d by Carrie Plitt at Felicity Bryan Associates. Otherwise, an absent-minded Professor. Tries to be a good egg. Also enjoys a good egg. He/him.

1,872 Followers  |  1,532 Following  |  151 Posts  |  Joined: 26.09.2024  |  2.2134

Latest posts by alexreeve.bsky.social on Bluesky

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The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le... Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal it was far from the truth

I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

06.07.2025 06:06 — 👍 2099    🔁 551    💬 180    📌 167
Cute dog on sofa

Cute dog on sofa

I haven't much to say and the world seems a bit grim, so … here's Bobbie. She doesn't care about that stuff as long as she gets to chill on the sofa.

14.02.2025 01:05 — 👍 9    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

These kinds of thing don't work for me, but everyone's process is different. Creative inspiration is very personal, I think.

20.01.2025 12:33 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Thank you!

07.01.2025 10:31 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Pros and cons

31.12.2024 16:33 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Obvs not the point, but someone at The Spectator needs to read GRRM's books before abusing them. No such things occur.

19.12.2024 21:19 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Bit murdery

19.12.2024 20:41 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Yes - I guess some novels have a kind of meta story that reveals itself - eg Owen Meaney and Use of Weapons. I’d be tempted to read those again.

12.12.2024 22:00 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

These things can edge towards snobbery, ie some novels are ‘worthy’ of repeat reads and others not, and I don’t accept that idea at all.

12.12.2024 14:46 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

It’s so personal, isn’t it? I wouldn’t read Agatha Christie twice, but I know people who do. Whereas I might read James Ellroy or Walter Mosley more than once. I think it’s more about the reader than the writer.

12.12.2024 14:42 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0
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a soldier with a skull on his face and the words `` zombie apocalypse '' above him . ALT: a soldier with a skull on his face and the words `` zombie apocalypse '' above him .

I hear folks with big Twitter/X followings say they're reluctant to come to Bluesky because they'll have to start again. I get that. The problem is, those followers on X are either RW arseholes or the left-over zombie accounts of people who've come to Bluesky. Are they really worth staying for?

11.12.2024 19:58 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Thank you to the @societyofauthors.bsky.social & @samblakebooks.bsky.social for leading on this. Could we propose a code of practice for publishers to ensure transparency for stakeholders & customers, eg ghosts & illustrators must be named on the front cover? Smaller font perhaps, but present.

11.12.2024 10:36 — 👍 20    🔁 8    💬 0    📌 1

Other industries are required to give credit where it's due, eg movies and academia. Why not publishing?

11.12.2024 10:22 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

There are grey areas here between 'written by', 'story by' and so on. I've heard of some celebs who genuinely think they wrote something which has been heavily edited / borderline ghosted by the publisher.

11.12.2024 10:19 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Yes. My only caution is that celeb books are propping up publishers' revenues, & it isn't clear whether they're cannibalising proper books or are additive. Some of each, probably. As a first step, a specific recognition of who actually wrote the book - preferably on the cover - would be positive.

11.12.2024 10:16 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Top stuff. Love it.

10.12.2024 19:11 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Call to acknowledge all writers behind celebrity books - The Society of Authors The Society of Authors is calling for celebrities, publishers and agents to acknowledge the writers behind celebrity books, particularly for children

This is good and correct. Well done to the SoA. societyofauthors.org/2024/12/09/c...

10.12.2024 18:58 — 👍 13    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 2

Yep, for sure. He's messing with the WRONG demographic.

08.12.2024 21:38 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

He's not easily bullied at corners and is a decent stopper. Old school, but good as a back-up.

08.12.2024 21:29 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Ryan Mason will be searching out his ‘Interim Head Coach’ business cards right now.

08.12.2024 18:07 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

I agree. I truly don’t want to cut off a revenue stream for publishers, but they should be clear when a work is written to a great extent by someone else. As you say, this should be addressed more strongly by SoA, CWA, etc.

06.12.2024 23:18 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Yes, agreed. I daresay ghost writers like the income, and fair enough. I’m not against ghost writing per se at all. I just think the publisher should be more clear - find a form of words by which an interested reader can see who did what. It doesn’t seem a lot to ask.

06.12.2024 15:16 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

This is a very good point.

06.12.2024 15:11 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Agreed, most likely, and sadly.

06.12.2024 12:39 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

True, of course, and the books may actually be great. But can’t they be honest anyway?

06.12.2024 12:35 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Yeah, we’ve all grown kind-of accustomed to the celeb branding thing. People are inured to it. And I’m not trying to kill publishers’ businesses. But they could find a form of words that still allows the big, famous name on the cover, without being dishonest.

06.12.2024 12:30 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

People seem to think writing for kids is easier (and they couldn’t be more wrong). Most of the celeb stuff is derivative merch designed to be given as a gift, not actually read more than once.

06.12.2024 12:21 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

But if their job is reading an autocue, kicking a ball, cookery, politics or modelling - or they’re the Hawk Tuah girl - there’s a lower chance.

06.12.2024 12:17 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

It’s a balance of probabilities. Did the celeb come from a script-writing, journalistic or comedy background? Do they seem to choose their words carefully and have an ear for language? Do they care about words? If so, there’s a reasonable chance they did the work.

06.12.2024 12:15 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Writing a novel is hard. It takes months of work, mostly alone at a keyboard. It’s mentally and emotionally taxing. If you didn’t personally do that work, don’t say you did. It’s dishonest, plain and simple.

06.12.2024 12:12 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0

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