Thriller writer, archaeologist and traveller
Keen-eyed readers of my facebook page will have noticed the word count ticking upwards on my new thriller codenamed “NRT”. Draft 3 is only a few words short of the 80,000 mark and more or less done. I call Draft 3 “Animate”. By the end of Draft 2 I had a beginning, middle and an... Continue Reading →
It’s conference season and I’m doing the rounds of crime and literary conventions. One aspect of crime writing conferences is that I get to meet, or at least to listen to, detectives and forensic investigators who have worked on actual cases. Although fascinating, there is a gruesome reality about them which can be hard to... Continue Reading →
Having considered ‘Poor Decisions’ and the millennia-old revulsion against killing, let our thoughts turn to murder. The Sixth Commandment of God gave humanity an early steer that murder is a bad thing. Centuries of religious and moral codes have been reinforced by laws and penalties, backed up by law enforcement agencies which threaten... Continue Reading →
This has to be the best literary festival in the land (if you count the tiny island of Alderney as 'in the land'). Its cosy, its intimate and its focus is firmly on history: historical fiction, biography and non-fiction. As the speaker's room at the Island hall only accommodates an audience of 50, there were... Continue Reading →
'Artie, could you kill a German?’ ‘Course, easy.’ ‘No, but really kill him if he was standing just over there?...’ George challenges his brother as Glint of Light on Broken Glass enters the summer of 1917, with the Great War at its height and no sign of it ending. Artie’s reply is off-the-cuff, the stock... Continue Reading →
In a recent debate on a writers' forum the question was asked whether you had to actually have visited a place to use it as a setting for a novel. My answer to this is both yes and no. YES if the place is well known, such as London, and many of your readers are... Continue Reading →
"Don't judge a book by its cover" is a widely ignored cliché, as many book buyers do just that. In general the advice is (1) ensure the book looks like the kind of book it is supposed to be and (2) in the modern age make sure it works as a website thumbnail. My publishers... Continue Reading →
A pair of spectacles tumbles into a rock-pool. A trivial incident echoes down the years, disturbing the lives of George, Artie and Edith. So the new novel has a title. To my friends this has been 'The Book With No Name' for the past two years. Informally we called it 'Glint', and the early titles... Continue Reading →
My final lecture in the Celts & Romans series was given as the Alderney Society's Mendham Lecture on 9th July. This time I gave an update on our ideas about Roman Guernsey and Alderney, following on from the previous lecture which had covered familiar ground. It was also the first chance to discuss the 'new'... Continue Reading →