Critics – Be Kind
There are many critics in the world. And they have suffered some horrible comments in the past. Tynan said, “A critic is a man who knows the way but can’t drive the car.” Sadly, there are all too many critics around today. The advent of the internet has created an explosion of critical writing as … Continue reading
Thieves, ID and Piracy
OK, this is a blog post about the tedious side of publishing: money. Where does it come from and where does it go? The idea for this blog came from an email I had yesterday and another three this week. All were from friends of mine on holiday in the Philippines. Sadly, all of them … Continue reading
Persistent, Polite and Persuasive
This weekend I received a new book in the post. Actually I received three, but only one is relevant for this blog post. I regularly get books posted to me. Sometimes it’s a pain, especially when I’m in the middle of a book myself. Why? Because when I’m sitting at my desk trying to … Continue reading
End of the Series? Or Just a Pause?
This blog piece was prompted by an email I received this afternoon. The message was from someone who wanted to let me know how sad they were to hear the news that Baldwin and Simon’s series was to end. I know this has affected a lot of readers, so I thought it would be a … Continue reading
A Literary Heavyweight
It was about ten years ago we stretched ourselves and bought this house. And, I have to say, it’s been a good place for us. A hundred years ago it was put up as a purpose-built home and shop. The main building is rather like a pair of semis, because there are two front doors. … Continue reading
A Day in London – OR – A Travelling Author Muses
An excellent evening last night. In fact, a wonderful day. I was going up to see the guys at Goldsboro Books in Cecil Court, London. They always do a huge amount for new writers and for collectors. If you ever want a signed first edition of any title, they are, really, the only place … Continue reading
TEMPLAR’S ACRE Out This Week
So, here we are, in the launch week of another Templar Series story. But this time it’s going back in time to the siege of Acre, my first prequel to explain why Baldwin became the man he did. It was huge fun to write this book. The main story was complicated to work through, but … 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
Slip Ups and Errors
I rarely like to think back to errors made in previous books. Well, not with my own books, anyway. This last weekend, I was very glad to be asked to Scarborough for their annual Literary Festival, and while up there, I was made to reflect upon books past. A lady from the audience wanted to … 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















