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 →
Flint Digs Again!
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 →
Newsletter Launched!
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 →
An Author’s Guide to Publication Day
It's publication day for Blackshirt Conspiracy, the second in my series of alternative history thrillers set in a Britain under the shadow of fascism. Cheerful stuff eh? Well, I'll raise a glass to it! Writing a novel is immense fun, but is an incredible amount of work once the research, drafting, editing, re-editing and proofing... Continue Reading →
It’s Crime Up North
Shetland Noir was a hoot; three full days of panels, seminars and interviews capped by a party, a ceilidh and a quiz. It was only the second time the event had been staged, the most northerly of British crime writing festivals. The venue was the Mareel arts centre, slap on the waterfront at Lerwick where... Continue Reading →
Writer, Archaeologist, Traveller – 2023
Winter keeps up its stubborn rear-guard action, but at least dismal February is done with. All three of my personas have been distracted during the cold months. Normal life stopped for Christmas, then stopped again for my second helping of covid. Essential family commitments ate up much of January and February, squeezing my writing time.... Continue Reading →
Launch Week!
It's launch week for Blackshirt Masquerade, which has entailed a flurry of social media posts, blogging and cross-sharing. A key part of the launch was giving a talk at the Alderney Literary Festival entitled 'Was British Fascism Doomed to Fail?' Given that Hugh Clifton's undercover work aims to thwart the fascists, his success seems pre-ordained... Continue Reading →
Blackshirt Masquerade
Blackshirt Masquerade is the first of a series of novels set in 1930s Britain under the shadow of fascism. Perhaps this is not the right time to read about dark episodes in our past, but perhaps this might be exactly the right time to re-learn the lesson of the chaos and suffering that a man... Continue Reading →
Music of the Night
Twenty-five short mysteries by members of the Crime Writer's Association lie in wait in the new anthology Music of the Night edited by Martin Edwards. As the title suggests each story has a musical theme, spanning different genres and settings. It is a great privilege to appear in such a starry line-up of authors. The... Continue Reading →
That Was the Year that Was
In January and February 2021, it snowed, then it snowed again. If this had been a movie it would have been called Lockdown III: The Return of Tedium. I watched a lot of foreign films, took snowy walks and put time into promoting my Jeffrey Flint backlist when it was re-released by Lume. I also... Continue Reading →