Category Archives: Uncategorized

In Person

I’ve mentioned Metropolis Magazine a few times in these posts. It’s a Tokyo based English language magazine I do some freelance writing for, most recently an article about Rita Taketsuru. Metropolis is that rare thing in Japan, a magazine aimed at ex-pats that is worth reading. Some of them are little more than a collectionContinue reading “In Person”

Shiny New Books Review

My first review since the Not The Booker mauling has been posted online and I’m relieved to see it’s a good one. I particularly like it because it’s the first one to look at the prose rather than just the story. Anyone who has been reading this blog for a while will know my thoughts onContinue reading “Shiny New Books Review”

The Workers’ Guide To The World

Good news often comes shackled to bad news. I’m delighted that my story ‘The Workers’ Guide To The World’ is included in the latest issue of Outside In Magazine, unfortunately it’s also the last issue. I hope the two aren’t connected. Outside In is a magazine of literature and travel, featuring fiction, non-fiction and poetry.Continue reading “The Workers’ Guide To The World”

Rita Taketsuru née Cowan

A new soap opera has just started in Japan called Massan and is (loosely) based on the life of Rita Cowan from Kirkintilloch, Scotland. In 1920 she married a Japanese student Masataka Taketsuru and the couple moved to Japan. Together they founded Nikka Whisky, one of the Japanese distilleries that still regularly wins international awardsContinue reading “Rita Taketsuru née Cowan”

Turnstile, The Making of …

The evolution of a short story can be a bizarre path. This month a flash story I wrote, Turnstile, is included in Eastlit Magazine. I’m really pleased to finally get this story accepted because it’s been with me a long time, and not always in a good way. When I first came to Japan in 2005Continue reading “Turnstile, The Making of …”

You Pay Your Money

A story of mine called ‘You Pay Your Money’ has been included in the first issue of Chase The Moon. Set up by the editor of Glitterwolf Magazine, Chase The Moon aims to  ‘publish stories that haven’t found a home elsewhere. If you’re sick of seeing that line on a rejection, “your story isn’t quite the right fitContinue reading “You Pay Your Money”

J David Simons Interview

The September issue of Eastlit Magazine is out and it features an interview by me with J David Simons, primarily about his book An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful. I’m a big fan of this book, a moving story spanning decades and continents, and I hope you’ll check it and his other novels out onceContinue reading “J David Simons Interview”

First Time Solo, The Making Of …

Another four star review has come in, this time from the lovely people at Our Book Review Online, and you can read it here. In addition, they asked me to write a guest post introducing First Time Solo. I decided to explain something about the initial inspiration and wider themes of the book and you canContinue reading “First Time Solo, The Making Of …”

London Jazz News Review

Another review has come in, this time from the London Jazz News. For First Time Solo I had to do a lot of research into the music of the era. I love jazz, but before FTS I tended to listen to artists from the 1950s and 60s so I took a crash course in all things NatContinue reading “London Jazz News Review”