Shots E-Zine

Over the last twenty-odd years I have contributed to a number of excellent magazines and e-zines. I have been fortunate to have been given many books to review and comment on, and most of the time I have taken the very sensible approach of only commenting on the books I’ve really enjoyed. After all, there … Continue reading

Review: THE RESTLESS DEAD by Simon Beckett

THE RESTLESS DEAD by Simon Beckett, published by Bantam Press ISBN: Hardback 9780593063477 RRP £12.99; ebook 9781409043034 at £7.99 on Amazon Simon Beckett is now a “European phenomenon, selling over 6 million copies in Germany alone”, according to the publisher’s blurb on the press release. Yes, I know, I don’t take much notice of such comments either. … Continue reading

Holidays!

It is very hard to write when it is school holidays. Children on holiday have an ability to make noise and disrupt thought processes much more than children at other times of the year. It is particularly unpleasant to be attempting to live to the 5:2 diet when sadistic teenaged girls insist on wafting lemon … Continue reading

New Moves!

I’ve been having a lot of fun recently and it’s getting better. Some of you will have occasionally sprinted over to writerlywitterings on YouTube and seen some of my videos on my books and on writing. Not yet? Go and check it out. The videos seem to have interested a lot of people, and because of … Continue reading

Morris – an Introduction

There are some elements of any culture that cause embarrassment or difficulties when trying to translate them to people from other countries. I daresay some Scots find explaining why men wear kilts (and do or don’t wear anything beneath) as tricky, let alone the attraction of the noise of a series of pipes fed by a bladder … Continue reading

A New Week

It was just as I finished my last video, which was all about Conway Stewart’s demise, that I had a contact from a wonderful couple of guys who have set up a new company. This firm, called Bespoke British Pens, has been dealing with Onoto and other pens for some time, and now they have bought up … Continue reading

Editing and Paper

I had a question today from a lovely lady in Japan asking whether I usually edit my books on paper. I had put up a photo of my morning desk (which was embarrassing, but I can cope), and prominent on it was the pile of paper that will be my next novel: BLOOD ON THE … Continue reading

This Week Won’t be Easy

This week was always going to be a pain. Phew. A short story to write urgently. A book I’m really enjoying writing (modern -day, quite gritty but fun). Then last week I received a copy edit for the next Hundred Years War book, BLOOD ON THE SAND – and that’s going to be a good … Continue reading

Exciting Times!

There is always something happening when you have as many books published as I do. Last week Headline contacted me to let me know about two more little ideas they’ve had. First is a brilliant one, I have to admit. They are putting together THE MICHAEL JECKS COMPENDIUM. This is going to be a collection … Continue reading

Resolution

And a very warm Happy New Year to you all! This year is the twentieth anniversary of the publication of my first book, THE LAST TEMPLAR. The last few years have been hard, as readers of my blog will have noticed. I’ve droned on pretty often about the trials and troubles of being a mid-list … Continue reading