Category Archives: Writing
2026 – The UK National Year of Reading
This inevitably caught my interest. It’s a Department of Education initiative to promote reading, by designating 2026 as the UK National Year of Reading. The glossy website is alive with flashing images of muscle cars, football stars, nightclubbing, and happy … Continue reading
AI vs Authors
A report released this week looks at the impact AI is having on the novel, and those who (up until now) write them. Impact of Generative AI on the Novel is by a team of independent researchers, working at Cambridge … Continue reading
Fiction or Non-Fiction?
When we think about reading, most often we have in mind fiction. Novels, short stories or even flash fiction can be entertaining and engrossing, invoke emotion, take us out of ourselves and give our minds a welcome rest from the … Continue reading
The Shape of Things to Come
I was speaking to a friend the other day about the books we read in our youth (which is oh, just a few years ago now). And in particular, those novels of a prophetic nature. My friend has just come … Continue reading
The Bonfire of the Rights…
Here in the UK we like to think of ourselves as belonging to the ‘Free World’. You’d think we’d have the freedom to burn books, for instance (so long as they belong to us, of course – burning other people’s … Continue reading
Contemporary Fiction Worth Reading…
At last! I believe I may have written previously about my struggle to find contemporary novels that I like. As a youngster my reading was concentrated on novels from the past, mostly early twentieth century, from authors such as E. … Continue reading
Libraries for Growth
My local library is permanently closed due to the discovery of dangerous ‘RAAC’ concrete in the building. This typifies the plight of libraries across the country. Our library system has been neglected and underfunded for decades. But the current government’s … Continue reading
Mozart – The Rise of a Genius
You know how it is when you start watching the first episode of a TV series, and find it so irritatingly bad you’ve no choice but to stick with it for the full hour? And then watch the rest of … Continue reading
How do you sell a book?
I published my latest novel, Shooting at Strangers back in May of this year. I have to be honest and say that, despite getting some good reviews, sales have not been forthcoming. I published the book physically, as a paperback … Continue reading
Shooting at Strangers
This is me, having just opened one of the boxes of my new book, which arrived by courier a few days ago. I’ve only ordered a small quantity to start with, but if things (i.e. sales) go well, I can … Continue reading
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