Mark My Words – February 2026
Fantastic February!
Dear Friends, New and Old,
Inspired by the actions of a writing friend who managed to brighten up January for herself and those around her, I decided to post something positive on Instagram every day of the month. The experiment seems to have worked – for me at least! The month has flown by and there have honestly only been a couple of days where I’ve struggled for something to say.
I’m not sure to what extent you can make things happen by being positive, but I have to say a lot of good things seem to have happened during what is usually a miserable month. I’ve won prizes, including a Love to Shop voucher (!) in a Haiku competition and seen successful submissions. Maybe I should carry on like this! But seriously, I think I’ll revert to my usual style of just highlighting the big moments and the occurrences which I think will genuinely be of interest to others.
Final Approach – Hardback launch event details
The details for the Somerset launch and the London event the following week are all confirmed. You are all invited to one (or both!) of the launches; Brendon Books in Taunton on Thursday 23rd April where I’ll be discussing the book with writer Elizabeth Delo and the London event at the Society of Authors on Thursday 30th April. To RSVP for the London event email me directly at: mark@markblackburn.co.uk
Calendar of Events
It’s nice (for me, at least!) to see more events going onto the calendar. Next month, on the 11th I’ll be doing an online event with Dialect Writers in Gloucestershire. Telling Your Story – Trick, or Treat? will be a ‘one-off workshop exploring the joys – and pitfalls – of writing from personal experience’. I’ll be discussing the benefits of putting personal material out into the world and also potential dangers writers should consider when their stories enter the public domain. All welcome!
Later in the month I’ll be returning to the Dirty Laundry event at the Archangel in Frome to air some of my work which I like to think pushes the envelope – it’s an edgy evening but a very supportive crowd to cushion the blows! I won’t post a link as it’s already sold out.
EVENTS 2026
Weds 11th March
Telling Your Story – Trick, or Treat? Dialect Writers Online Event – 7-8pm
Fri 27th March
Dirty Laundry, Archangel, Frome
Thurs 23rd April
Final Approach Hardback Somerset Launch – Brendon Books, Taunton – 6.30pm
Sat 25th April
‘Taming Trauma’ with Victoria L Humphreys, Bournemouth Writing Festival
Thurs 30th April
Final Approach Hardback London Launch – Society of Authors
Sat 16th May
‘Flights to Freedom’ with Pen Farthing, Dorchester Library
Sat 20th June
Stroud Indie Book Fair
Sat 4th July
Frome Independent Publishing Fair
Weds 23rd September
Final Approach Event Westlands Centre Yeovil
Book Review – The Approval of Sheep, Karen Storey
It struck me that there seems to be an animal theme to my book reviews recently; the last one was about horses and this one’s about sheep. They are very different though! Karen Storey’s book The Approval of Sheep is a delightful comedy of modern manners with an intensifying whiff of romance infusing the pages. I really enjoyed this book. I don’t often chuckle when I’m reading, I’m more of a ‘wry smile’ kind of reader, but this one had me laughing out loud on several occasions.
The premise of the book is ridiculous, let’s face it – it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that the action all hangs on whether, under a right given to them under an ancient covenant, a flock of sheep will or will not rampage through the lobby of a posh hotel. Much is at stake in this conundrum, especially for Gordon. But Karen plots the tale with such deft authority that we are totally up for the ride, and get drawn into the protagonist Gordon’s herculean labours.
Gordon may not be a moron (Karen made the link to the song, not me) but initially the reader would be tempted to think he is one. He certainly is a rather hapless hero, but our affection for him grows as the novel develops. Do the sheep get to soil the hotel’s plush carpets? Does Gordon ultimately prove to be a moron after all? Read The Approval of Sheep and find out; I guarantee you a lot of fun.
And Finally
Back to my own books. You can now ‘pre-order’ a signed and numbered copy of the limited edition Final Approach illustrated hardback (link below). There are copies of the original Final Approach paperback and all my Brian the Bear books in my little home bookstore – they can also be dedicated in whatever way you wish. If you buy or read one of my books, please do leave a review on Bookstore UK/Goodreads/Amazon or wherever you can – it makes a massive difference.
That’s all for now; you can view all my my work here.
markblackburn.co.uk 