Detective fiction . Line of Sight . Writing
Writing a different book every time – why I can’t seem to stick with a ‘brand’….
On 30 April 2014 by Admin‘All your books are different,’ said a friend who’d just read the latest one. He meant it as a compliment, but I’m afraid that – given the way that the book world is these days – it’s a serious disadvantage. A cursory glance at the ‘three for two’ tables in any bookshop, or at the
A Mild Suicide . iPad . Novels . Print on Demand . Writing
Revisiting your life in fiction
On 13 March 2012 by AdminIt’s twenty years since my first novel, A Mild Suicide, was published – years which have seen the most radical changes in publishing since the invention of the printing press. The rise – and fall – of the bookstore chains, the decline of mainstream publishing, the massive expansion of digital media, and the invention of
eBooks . Fabulous Time . Literature . Novels . Print on Demand . Writing
Having a fabulous time
On 20 September 2011 by AdminOne of the joys of publishing with an independent online publisher is being able to re-publish one’s out of print work – hitherto doomed to a half-life in the ‘used’ section of the Amazon store, or to second-hand bookshops -– themselves fast disappearing. It’s a wonderfully liberating feeling, to know that one’s characters are no
Astronomy . Literature . Variable Stars . Writing
More Bright Stars
On 3 May 2011 by AdminThere are some subjects in literature which seem inexhaustible: birth, childhood, first love, marriage, adultery, revenge – and death. What makes these topics of such enduring fascination is their universality, since all of us have experienced at least the first of them, although – if one concurs with Wittgenstein – none of us will experience
Astronomy . Literature . Variable Stars . Writing
Writing about the stars
On 16 April 2011 by AdminHaving just finished a novel about astronomers and the stars – Variable Stars, to be published next month – I thought I’d see what else had been written on the subject. Some of this I’d come across already, in the line of research – although as a rule I try not to read anything too
Astronomy . Literature . Novels . Variable Stars . Writing
Dark Matters – writing about astronomy
On 23 March 2011 by AdminWatching the very watchable Brian Cox talking about the universe last night on TV made me think what an amazing place we live in – and for once, the adjective seems precise, not hyperbolic. What is it if not amazing that – as the engaging Dr Cox was at pains to point out – the
Astronomy . Literature . Novels . Variable Stars . Writing
Writing in Time
On 28 February 2011 by AdminI’ve been thinking a lot about time, recently. It all started with having a cold. With nothing to do but try and throw it off, and nowhere to go but the few steps from my bed to the kettle and back again, I got down to some serious reading – or rather, re-reading. The book
Astronomy . Historical Fiction . Literature . Novels . Research . Variable Stars . Writing
Inventing real people
On 11 January 2011 by AdminWriting about real people or events in a work of fiction might seem to have obvious advantages. Instead of starting with a blank canvas, where your character is concerned, you have access to previously existing ‘sketches’. These can include actual images – whether photographs, drawings or paintings – as well as verbal descriptions by those
Astronomy . Historical Fiction . Literature . Novels . Research . Variable Stars . Writing
Where Do You Get Your Ideas?
On 15 December 2010 by Admin‘Where do you get your ideas?’ is a question most writers get asked – and not a few find hard to answer. One feels almost superstitious about it – as if, by delving too deeply into the mysterious process by which stories are made – or found – one might lose the trick of it.
Literature . Novels . The Dark Tower . Undiscovered Country . Writing
What’s in a name?
On 10 November 2010 by Admin‘What’s in a name?’ asked Shakespeare – ahead of the game as usual – and it’s certainly a question I’ve been asking myself a lot recently, with regard to titles. Ah yes, titles… that most difficult of things to get right. Perhaps only naming a rock band is more fraught with complexities, and potential pitfalls…