Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
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 →
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 →
So, my longest long-haul flight since the pandemic offered plenty of time to start on the next novel. I unpacked my notepad dutifully, wrote a paragraph, then switched on the first of six-and-two-thirds in-flight movies. Top of the bill was in the Heart of the Sea, my second cannibalism film of the week after Society... 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 →
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 →
Don't we all want to travel the world, discover ancient treasures and punch Nazis? Archaeology may make a great backdrop to serial-style Boy's Own adventures or schlocky horror, with archaeologists portrayed either as action heroes or crusty academics, but it can also inspire more serious fiction. Archaeology is the perfect field for fictional adventures and... Continue Reading →
May has seen a swift change of hats from thriller writer to archaeologist and traveller. And then back again. Quite literally, as my trusty leather packer hat is an essential piece of kit for two weeks in the sun. It folds into a suitcase and is tough enough to be thrown onto the dusty ground... Continue Reading →
Writing is not very photogenic. Between the cover reveals and the book signings there are mornings tapping at the computer and afternoons quietly reading research books, all punctuated by country walks to work out this scene or that and simply stretch my back. Before this year's conference season and travel season begins, here are a... Continue Reading →