Working Again
I was chatting to Paul Johnston, the author of several excellent books (I recommend them), and he demanded to know whether I ever actually wrote anything. Well, Paul, yes I do, actually. I don’t spend all my time Morris dancing. Writing is a tough job. No, seriously – the worst part is, that you’re never … Continue reading
Random Thoughts
It was a while ago that I first spoke with the folks at Cult Pens. At the time I was desperate for some special ink colours, and I was delighted to learn that I could buy them from a company based not far from my house. Tiverton has always had a special importance for … Continue reading
Displacement Activities
This has been one of those weeks of urgent work with very little to show. A few days ago Simon and Schuster let me know that there were another three books needing to be proofed, and suddenly there were three more titles to look at. And they were good books, too. The Abbot’s Gibbet, The … Continue reading
Back to Work!
This has been, without a doubt, the busiest Easter I’ve had since about 1976. When I was a kid, Easter was a big deal. We would all pile into the old man’s car, mother in front, the four brothers behind, and drive off to Devon (we lived in Surrey back then). At Northay Farm, near … Continue reading
What a week!
I have never tried to keep a diary before. It’s one of those tasks that has passed me by. Generally, I’ve always thought that they are journals for people with too much time on their hands. Time … How to organise it, how to make best use of it. These are questions which are always … Continue reading
A Weekly Update
This year has been a bit of a whirlwind (as usual), but I’m gradually getting things together. So, what’s happening? First, I am working on a new literary festival. No, I don’t mean I’m just attending – I’m working on the idea of a festival to help writers and readers. We had a meeting about … Continue reading
Writing – and Speaking
This week I went to Stockton on Tees and had a wonderful evening with the always-wonderful Karen Maitland in front of a select audience in the local library – thanks to Claire Pratt and her team for making us so welcome! The hard thing is, such events are slowing. In the past, there were plenty … Continue reading
Modern Books, ebooks and Writing
Writing books is a funny way to try to earn a crust. Authors are expected to be slightly odd characters (and most of us can live up – or down – to that), with peculiar insights which can be gained only by using illegal drugs or by excessive quantities of legal ones. I tend to … Continue reading
Glocks, Brownings and Delays
I was listening to the radio this morning and thinking what a joy it was to hear something sensible on guns. For a bit. Well, it made a change. The trouble is, journalists really do have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The piece began by saying that the British Army has at … Continue reading
Lovely New Operating System. Shame about the software …
There are times when you just want to despair. Take a for instance. Last week, hit with a slight glitch on my iMac, I had a brilliant thought. Rather than messing about with a slow system, surely it was time for me to update the operating system. Now, I used to work in computing. I’m … Continue reading
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