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Nick McLoughlin

@nickmacwrites

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Reading, writing, running. Snow, surf, and tea.
📚Author of the novel Slings and Arrows, published by The Book Guild.
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Photos from our family 🏄 trip to Taghazout, Morocco . Cooler temperatures than home in the alps, who’d have thought, crazy. Pics 1-3 Paradise Valley (inland) Pic 4 Typical Moroccan breakfast Pic 5 A rare pic of Nick and I Pic 6 -7 Lily off to surf and a shot with 🐪 Pic 8 Lily and Noah Pic 9 Skatepark,Taghazout Pic 10 Shakshuka, one of my fave dishes Pic 11 Cats 🐈‍⬛, lots of them everywhere Pic 12 Taghazout beach
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Absolute belter of a crop going out on the shelves today and over the weekend - including, but not limited to this lot ✨📚 Teenage me screaming internally at the signed copies of Melissa Auf der Maur’s memoir 😮 (one for me please) Dan, I’ve put aside a copy of Hooked for you . . . Readers, come by and take a look (while the sun is shining!) 🌞 #newbooks #bookcoverdesign #indiebookshop #bookworm #bookishlife
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Lily’s home from Uni and we finally got to ski together, just one of the family missing from the pic 👦 . It still makes me so happy that they both love to ski!
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Indonesia and Kuala Lumpar 🪷🐟🐢🦈🌴🐒🐚🏄‍♀️ Hard to sum up this trip with the kids, it went far beyond our expectations. The people, the food, the beaches, the surf, the chilled vibe versus the city of Kuala Lumpar, loved it. Highlights✨ Exploring on a moped on Indo roads, think potholes, chickens, stray dogs, monkeys etc Surfing the long slow waves at Tanjung Aan beach Snorkelling with 3 Manta ray and seeing sea turtles at the blue lagoon Experiencing the incredible warmth of the local people and eating such delicious food and smoothies despite some serious seasickness 🤮 Living off those memories for a long time and feeling very lucky.
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This is the betting shop in Sneinton, Nottingham that inspired me to write two novels. A micro-brewery stands in its place today. I often wonder what became of the closely knit community of betting shop punters who made this place their second home? Both my books are a mixture of fact and fiction. Manvers Road was actually Manvers Street. Andy, Rita, Duke and Des never existed either, rather they were a mixture of different people I got to know, working in betting shops as I did down the years. It is a pity that the bookies is no longer there - closed, forgotten about, like so many in the Britain of today. At the same time, I am pleased that I wrote about the place, stories of another time in recent history, preserved in print for ever. #bookstagram #booklover #bookreview
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Derbyshire, England – 1982. Set against the imminent arrival of the Falklands War, Nick McLoughlin’s debut novel is a beautifully written exploration of love, family and friendship. Funny and poignant in turn, Slings and Arrows offers a window into the lives of life-long friends Terry, Phil, Dave and Tom, whose individual personal struggles are skilfully juxtaposed against the advancement of the darts team of which they are members into the latter stages of a national tournament. The empathy with which the author portrays his characters puts me in mind of Ken Loach. Indeed, McLoughlin’s writing possesses a cinematic quality and one of his biggest attributes as a writer is his ability for writing pin sharp, descriptive text. As a result, I experienced Slings and Arrows in a highly visual way in all its grainy, atmospheric glory. The cramped cosiness of Terry and Pats static caravan, the smoke-filled public houses – I experienced each setting in a fly-on-the-wall manner. A carefully assembled collection of pop songs and TV show references, reinforce the authenticity of early nineteen eighties Britain. The ability to write a novel sourced from the day-to-day of ordinary life and produce a story with such shine is no mean feat - and something that resonates very highly with me. This is exactly what McLoughlin has achieved with Slings and Arrows – and I very much look forward to reading his next book. #literaryfiction #goodreads #indieauthor #recommended #fiction
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Next on my reading list is @nickmacwrites Slings and Arrows. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy this … #fictionbooks #love #family #friendship #darts #literaryfiction
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April Reads Pt 2 A month of celebrating indie authors and this selection are all chosen from fellow authors published by @thebookguildpublishing and @troubador_publishing who publish my own books. Pleased to say they are all fantastic reads and show the strength of writing beyond the mass market big publishers. Get out there and look beyond the feature tables and big names and discover new writers! (Dare I say that they are equal to, if not superior to some of the bestsellers? Yes I do!) Shout out to @nickmacwrites @j.d.pullan.author @rebeccagosdenauthor @anadeandradawriter @leecoatesauthor
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. . . 📚 January Wrap-Up 📚 Happy Wednesday, everyone! 😁 It’s ages since I did a monthly wrap-up (last April), so I thought it was about time I started again. I read some fab books in January and ticked off some titles from my challenges: 4 from my 25 in ‘25, 10 from my A-Z, and 1 KindleCrush. My favourites were Raising Hare (a beautiful read), The Daughter (gripping), and The Devil You Know (tense and addictive). I’ve also found a new (to me) excellent crime thriller series. The Devil You Know by Neil Lancaster is the fifth book in the DS Max Craigie series (set in Scotland) and an absolute belter. I’ve had it on my Kindle for so long; I’m just gutted I didn’t read it sooner! I’ve since read the sixth installment, When Shadows Fall, and loved both books so much I’ve gone back to start at the beginning of the series. It’s fast become a firm favourite. If you’re looking for a new crime thriller/police procedural series to sink your teeth into, look no further! Anyhow, without further ado, my January reads were: 📚 Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton @chloedaltonuk ⭐️5⭐️ 📚 I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin #kindlecrush ⭐️4⭐️ 📚 Slings and Arrows by Nick McLoughlin @nickmacwrites ⭐️4⭐️ 📚 Christ on a Bike by Orla Owen 1/25in25 ⭐️3.5⭐️ 📚 Eye for an Eye by M.J. Arlidge 2/25in25 ⭐️4⭐️ 📚 Don’t Let Him In* by Lisa Jewell Publication date: 3rd July ⭐️4.5⭐️ 📚 The Daughter* by T.M. Logan @tmloganauthor Publication date: 27th February ⭐️5⭐️ 📚 Carrie’s War 3/25in25 by Nina Bawden ⭐️4.5⭐️ 📚 Five Minds 4/25in25 by Guy Morpuss ⭐️3⭐️ 📚 The Devil You Know by Neil Lancaster @neil_lancaster_crime ⭐️5⭐️ ⁉️ What was your favourite book(s) in January? [*AD-PRODUCT] Thanks, as always, to the tagged publishers, publicists, authors, NetGalley for proof copies, finished copies, eARCs. #januarywrapup #book #books #bookstagramuk #bookstagram #bookstagramuk #booksta #hopeful #booksonbooks #ilovebooks #booksbooksbooks #bookalicious #bookaholics #bookaddicted #bookaddicts #read #reading #readers #readersofig #readmorebooks #ilovereading #readit #bookworms #bookworm #bookloversunite #booklove #booklovers #booksofig #allthebooks #lovebooks
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January’s article for the Derbyshire Times! I’m still scarred by those tartan flares (thank you very much Hathersage CofE). The 80’s, when duvet days weren’t a thing…also two great book recommendations. ‘Single in the Snow’ by @itshelenwhitaker ⛷️ & ‘Slings and Arrows’ by @nickmacwrites 🎯 #writing @derbyshiretimes (link to read in stories) #derbyshire #books #writingcommunity #derby #chesterfield #hathersage #thebeautyqueen
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. . . 📚 Currently Reading 📚 Happy Thursday, everyone! 🎯 Q: What are you currently reading? 🎯 I’m currently reading Slings and Arrows by Nick McLoughlin @nickmacwrites, which I’m really enjoying. 🎯 I’ve had my eye on it for a while, but it’s currently only 99p on Kindle, so it would’ve been rude not to! It’s set in the 1980s, and I’m loving the nostalgia. 📚 Synopsis: It’s January 1982, and Britain will soon be at war with Argentina. But that’s not why Terry’s life is falling apart. Forty-five and recently redundant from the only job he’s ever had, he and his wife Pat are forced to sell their home and move into a static caravan. The only chink of light is the unlikely success of the White Hart darts team, but Terry’s teammates face problems of their own: Phil suspects his wife is having an affair, while Tom’s is depressed about their inability to conceive. Then Terry’s son reveals some surprising news, and Terry makes a visit to the doctor that leaves him with no choice but to consider what matters most in his life. Slings and Arrows is a funny and moving novel about love, family, friendship – and darts. #slingsandarrows #nickmcloughlin #currentlyreading #books #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #lovebooks #darts
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#octoberreads: What was your fave read of Oct?? Comment below 👇 My 5 ⭐️ reads: Weyward - #emiliahart Think Again - #jacquelinewilson Frankie - #grahamnorton Slings and Arrows - #nickmcloughlin From Here to The Great Unknown -#lisamariepresley & #RileyKeough What Does it Feel Like - #sophiekinsella Do you listen to audiobooks? My 🎧 in October: Whispers underground - #benarronovitch Big Adventures on The Small Screen - #PeterKay Getting Away With Murder - #LyndaLaPlant The little Book of Big Happiness - #BernadetteFisers You Will Never Be Me - #JesseSutanto If I had to pick one favourite book from October, it will be Slings and Arrows #nickmcloughlin @nickmacwrites So well written, great storylines, great characters, loved the setting, it made me cry & laugh.
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