Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
It was a pleasure to be invited to the UK Crime Book Club Live event in Leeds this weekend. The convention was a consistently jolly affair, with plenty of laughs considering the grim topics under discussion. In thirty years of writing I've only spoken on five panels, so it was a double pleasure to be... Continue Reading →
It's quiet...too quiet. Yes this blog has been silent for the last month because I've been away from home and didn't want any of the cat burglars or nervous insurance underwriters who follow it to know. On the first of May, Dig Alderney's team of volunteers started to excavate a large Roman building. We'd explored... Continue Reading →
No.7 in an occasional series on writing non fiction You’ve established the scope of your non-fiction book, you’ve spent months or years amassing research and now all you have left to do is write it. With your head full of your subject and a heap of reference material at your fingertips, the book could simply... Continue Reading →
You may think the Channel Islands are a bit out of the way, a backwater maybe, but in cultural terms they punch above their weight. My whole 'writer/archaeologist/traveller' persona kicked in over the past few weeks, but I take care in blogging when away from home because it makes insurance companies nervous. The featured image... Continue Reading →
#6 in an occasional series on writing non-fiction. If you are writing a book that is essentially creative, the crucial thing is that it works. If you are writing Teach Your Child to Swim! Or Build Your Own Microlight Aircraft, it is vital. Cookbooks are a less extreme example; you should have made all the... Continue Reading →
March means the Alderney Literary Festival, an event loved both by islanders and by the authors who fly in to participate. This boutique festival concentrates on historical writing, both fiction and non-fiction, giving it a coherence some festivals lack. Another feature is that authors get whole hour slots to themselves, either giving a presentation on... Continue Reading →
Flint is back – and with extra content. Lume Books have re-issued the e-book box set of the five Jeffrey Flint archaeology mysteries with new covers, but that’s not all. One feature of my historical thrillers that readers have said they enjoy is the author’s note at the end, so notes have now been added... Continue Reading →
#5 in an occasional series on writing non fiction Research is the backbone of the non-fiction book. Even if you are writing your autobiography it is important to get the facts right; for one thing people expecting to be mentioned in your book will be looking eagerly for their name and have their lawyer’s telephone... Continue Reading →
The time has come to launch a newsletter. It will be roughly monthly depending where I am in the world, what I'm writing and whether I'm digging. The title is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe, reflecting that I'll be posting pieces on my whole range of books from historical thrillers to archaeology mysteries plus the... Continue Reading →
#4 in an occasional series on writing non fiction Know your market is one of those truisms thrust at novelists and it is doubly true for non-fiction writers. It helps to frame your book, directs your research, dictates your writing style, and constrains your expectations. A huge number of books are published each year, and... Continue Reading →