Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
Here's a selection of the books I've read this year which stand out in the memory. Not all are 'new' as I read what I come across. These are all books read for pleasure, and many were recommended by friends. My favourite book of the year, gripping from start to finish and the only one... Continue Reading →
I've just pitched into another draft of my next non-fiction book, which has the working title A Roman Small Fort on Alderney. It's the result of research and excavations stretching back to 2008 and I've been picking up the text and working on it for the past eight years or so. It now has a... Continue Reading →
Coming away from watching Wicked the movie (part 1) I chewed over the decision to break the film into two halves. As I'm also well into the second half of writing my next novel these thoughts have some relevance to fiction writers too. The first part of Wicked contains the most crowd-pleasing songs, opening with... Continue Reading →
#12 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction (with a little fiction thrown in) Eagle-eyed followers of this blog will notice that #13 came out last week and #12 follows it. The simple reason is that I didn't have a cover image to hand. Does it show? So, book titles. You probably set out writing... Continue Reading →
#13 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction It is tempting to write your book straight out, beginning to end. At which point you realise you have uncovered a great deal more information than you can fit into the main text without breaking up the flow. This is the purpose of Notes and Appendices. Footnotes... Continue Reading →
No.11 in an occasional series on writing non fiction In fiction it is true to say that you cannot edit your own work. At very least it needs a capable beta reader if not a professional editor to work through the manuscript you thought was finished. Editing non-fiction can be complicated by the subject matter,... Continue Reading →
Whether to adopt a pen name is one of those questions that often comes up in writers’ discussion groups. For some aspiring authors, having a pen name cements their identity as a novelist, for others it’s a functional choice. Changing genre can make picking a pen name a sound commercial decision - publishers and agents... Continue Reading →
The day Blackshirt Rebellion was launched, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by crime blogger Donna Morfett. We ranged far and wide from my origin story to the Jeffrey Flint novels, then on to the Blackshirts. Then as interviews do we went off down side alleys to talk crime writing in general. The whole... Continue Reading →
Apart from being set in a gorgeous Pennine valley, Sedbergh prides itself on being England's premier book town. There are book shelters, book shelves in cafes and several book shops. It also hosts a rolling series of book festivals and for the first time one focussed on crime writing. Death in the Dales was ably... Continue Reading →
As promised in the last Newsletter, I thought I'd share a few pictures from August's safari to Botswana. I took over a thousand, even once the rubbish was discarded plus two hours of video which still needs editing. The trip lasted two weeks, of which we spent twelve days travelling in an open-sided safari truck... Continue Reading →