Review: EMPIRES OF CRIME by Tim Newark, published by Pen And Sword History

ISBN:  1526713047 I have to admit, I picked this up with a degree of trepidation. There are so many books published which blame the British Empire for everything from famine, slavery, warfare and xenophobia, that I am forced to select my reading with care, just to avoid damage to my blood pressure. I need not have … Continue reading

REVIEW: IN THE WOODS by Tana French, published by Hodder

ISBN 978 1 444 75834 4 Paperback £8.99 If you fancy a copy, here’s a link: https://amzn.to/3i6uFaR This is a book I read early this year. It was recommended to me while I was on a Smithsonian Journeys tour last October. I was the Smithsonian Expert for the trip, and one of the clients, an … Continue reading

2020 – A New year!

A new year is always a time to take stock, to think about things, and plan and scheme! This year is going to be one of change for me. I’ve finally taken back the rights to half my books from Simon and Schuster and will be working with a number of other publishers to market … Continue reading

Students Help – Analysing Your Essay – Form and Transcript.

This is the transcript of the Youtube video which I put up here today. It is primarily aimed at students, but be aware that the same approach works for any writing. Whether you are an aspiring author, a journalist or a business manager trying to write a report, the same disciplines apply. At the bottom … Continue reading

Writing Lessons 3

Right, this is the third piece on my short run of ideas about getting started as a writer. If you haven’t looked, please go and check the first two items from this week. So how did you get on with trying out different scenes to throw your guy into? I’m going to give you some … Continue reading

Distraction Free Writing

I have to be quick with this. I only have fifteen minutes. Okay, for the last few days I’ve had a busy time of it. I’ve a friend who’s become ill at an inconvenient time for him. He has a job, you see: periodically he is asked by a local railway to help them by … Continue reading

The New Project

I’ve been asked how my handwritten novel project was going… Well, not that well until now! The fact is, people get used to specific ways of working, I think. I decided to try writing a novel by hand because I felt it would allow me more freedom to work in different places, would give me … Continue reading

A Murder Too Soon

I had a great time on Saturday. It is, I have to admit, a pain to have to work over weekends. It’s not as if, being self-employed, I can take time in lieu or win back spare time with the family, but going out and meeting people at events is enormous fun, and when there … Continue reading

Review: AMNESIA by Michael Ridpath, published by Corvus in May 2017

Trade Paperback: 9781782397564  at £12.99 ebook: 9781782397571  at  £5.99 Okay, I have a confession to make here. I hadn’t heard of Michael Ridpath when he first started writing. I was a lowly author of three or four books, and it was my sister-in-law who persuaded me to pick up a copy of THE MARKET MAKER … Continue reading

Review: When She Was Bad

Review: WHEN SHE WAS BAD, Tammy Cohen, published by Black Swan There are many styles of crime books. I tend to write historical and spy thrillers, others write gritty, noir contemporary crime, some stick to psychological suspense, or to straightforward cosy stories. I am always keen to find a book that is a little different, … Continue reading