Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
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 →
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 →
It is said that as soon as you accuse someone of being like Hitler you have lost the argument. The word ‘fascist’ is thrown around carelessly in political debate and can mean essentially any decision the speaker disagrees with. Nevertheless, a number of heavyweight publications from Der Spiegel to The Atlantic have asked the question... Continue Reading →
The biggest drawback of the online world is fighting a daily battle against hackers and scammers. In a previous life I worked in risk and compliance and even 20 years ago my staff passed on so many attempted scams they had blocked I was able to fill two A4 arch files with examples to use... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
2023 began with me catching covid again, unfashionably late. Once recovered, January was absorbed by helping clear the family home, so little writing, travelling or archaeology at all! It was minus two the day we filled the skip. By February I managed to get out and about again, hiking over Malham Cove in a balmy... Continue Reading →