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Thursday, 21 September 2023

Schemes, Mice and Men.

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      In 1785, Robert Burns wrote one of his most famous poems, “To A Mouse”. It contains the lines:   The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men...
Wednesday, 30 August 2023

How did a writer of historical crime fantasy come to write a non-fiction book on Crime and Punishment in Tudor England?

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  About 15 years ago, I was on a cruise ship going around the Caribbean islands for a month. It was not a pleasure cruise; I was responsible...
Wednesday, 23 August 2023

Workers’ playtime ain’t what it used to be: The work/life balance

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Reams have been written about the work-life balance. How vital it is for our wellbeing and mental health to make sure that life is not all a...
Friday, 9 June 2023

Can you make a fantasy world believable?

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I am pedantic and I do not mind admitting it. Pedantic with a deep love of British history from the Normans to the Tudors. So, when I wanted...
Thursday, 1 June 2023

Introducing Luke Ballard. Apothecary at Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace. Oh, and he is a magician, too…

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 When I first conceived the basis of the Luke Ballard stories, I was in the middle of the Atlantic, on a cruise ship, responsible for turnin...
Wednesday, 21 December 2022

Why are some authors like harp seals?

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Hurrah! Who Wants To Live Forever is out in the world. Yay! This will be—allegedly—Georgia Pattison's last case.  And, as is always the...
Monday, 14 November 2022

Wading through treacle - the adventures of a writer.

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  Confucius, the Chinese philosopher is alleged to have said "May you live in interesting times". I think he meant it as a curse. ...