Downhill Run
You need to put words on pages to make books. It's more about quality than quantity but you must have both. And it takes time and hard work. Right now I'm focused on writing a new novel - my fourth [...]
Abbs and Acronyms
We hear a lot about Apps and rather less about Abbs, unless you happen to be into bodybuilding. People who talk about their abbs are generally into flaunting their well-toned abdominal muscles. But an ABB could be an abbreviation of [...]
Why I Write Fiction
Here are five reasons why I write fiction: Because I love stories and storytelling. Because creating believable characters is a challenge. Because I am fascinated by the human heart and mind. Because I love words, language, learning and communicating. Because [...]
Spooky Time
Halloween - the name comes from the Old English 'hallowed' which means 'holy' or 'sanctified' as in the Lord's prayer "Hallowed be thy Name." All Hallows' Evening, contracted to All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve, is a celebration on [...]
Homeless not Hopeless
On the 10th October 2016 people around the world will mark World Homeless Day in many varied ways and try to change the lives of homeless people in their local community. Since its founding in 2010, World Homeless Day has [...]
No Satisfactory Ending
I've just read a book by well-known author that was beautifully written, with an ingenious plot and memorable characters - but it did not have an ending. There was an intriguing story with tension, insights and twists but with no [...]
Winterborne Slepe
Winterborne Slepe is the name of an imaginary village in Dorset, where much of the action in my new book takes place. Whilst I was searching for an appropriate name, I drove through a small village in the eastern part [...]
Shakespeare and an Encounter with Death
William Shakespeare died 400 years ago today on 23rd April 1616. He was probably 52 years old at his untimely death. By strange coincidence 52 years ago last November at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, I had an encounter [...]
Fishes and Fools
We lived in Brittany for 14 years and our children went to school to the local primary school there. We discovered that on 1st April each year, the local children played ‘Poissons d’Avril’. They used to play it on us [...]
Galapagossians
In early March, Michael and I were in the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles off the coast of Ecuador. We were staying aboard a small ship with about 60 others, English and French. The Galapagos are [...]