Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
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 →
Even when there is not a coronation, I hang out the flags this time each year. During the pandemic, home-made bunting had to suffice, strung across the windows to the mystification of neighbours. Possibly they were too polite to ask whether I’d just joined the Brexit Party. Last year, a dog walker finally posed the... Continue Reading →
The Alderney Literary Festival was the first on my calendar this year and lived up to its usual high standards. It has special attractions, not the least in that it is organised by some lovely people on the very special island of Alderney. It also has a unique focus on historical novels, biography and historical... Continue Reading →
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 →
'Thriller Writer, Archaeologist and Traveller' it says at the head of the website, and that was the plan at the end of 2019. Then guess what happened to spoil everyone's year... and the one after that too. Never one to be in fashion, it wasn't until the second anniversary of lockdown that I went down... Continue Reading →
Festival organiser Isabel Picornell, Jason Monaghan and Paul McCormick of Gower Financial Services who sponsored Jason's talk (Lucie Stribrska) It's back! Alderney's small but perfectly formed Literary Festival returned after a two year absence due to covid. What makes the event special is that it concentrates on historical fiction and non-fiction, achieving a satisfying coherence.... Continue Reading →
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 →
My report on the excavation of Roman buildings on Longis Common is published in the latest edition of the Alderney Society Bulletin. Due to the passage of time I have been able to combine the tentative results of the fortuitous discoveries of 2017, the dig where I was assisted by school students in 2018 and... Continue Reading →
Do one thing and do it well, they say. Well, my profile says ‘author and archaeologist’ so I’m hedging my bets. The manuscript of my new thriller Blackshirt Masquerade is with Level Best’s editors in the USA, and although I have a rough first draft of the sequel, I’m not intending doing more work on... Continue Reading →
The Alderney Literary Festival 2020 was due to have taken place on the third weekend of March, but with just one week to go was cancelled due to the looming coronavirus crisis. I was already out there and brushing up for my panels when the news came that disappointed us all. Rory Clements was one... Continue Reading →