Hi Folks, it’s been a while since I had anything much to talk about. As always projects are starting up and falling apart, or progressing slowly. Patience. It’s always all about patience. Well now I finally have some good news: my three novels are available again. With help from Duncan Lockerbie at Lumphanan Press andContinue reading “Back in (e)print”
Tag Archives: First Time Solo
Available in All Good Charity Shops
Some of you may know, and others may have heard, that the publisher of my fiction, Freight Books, has gone into liquidation. I’m not going to go into the whys and hows here. There are plenty of articles online that go through the salient points, some objectively, some accurately, many just recirculating gossip or grindingContinue reading “Available in All Good Charity Shops”
Planning Your Writing
I’ve written another essay on writing for the excellent Nothing in the Rule Book website, this time about planning. It’s one of those topics writers worry about and regularly argue about – should you do any, doesn’t it kill creativity, how much is too much etc. etc. – so if that kind of thing interests you atContinue reading “Planning Your Writing”
On The Nature of Reviewing
A happy New Year to you all. I hope, if you celebrate Christmas, you had a merry one. If not, I hope you still had a merry December. I’m currently on a beach in Okinawa getting the holiday that was denied me in October when I broke my leg the day before flying to Australia.Continue reading “On The Nature of Reviewing”
First Time Solo: Historical Novel Society Review
Editing, editing, editing. Ma heid’s like mince. Congratulations to Kirstin Innes, whose Fishnet has been shortlisted for the Guardian Not The Booker Prize. The reading and voting will commence soon so if you have a moment, head over, check up on the rules and give Kirstin (or one of the other five finalists) your support. FirstContinue reading “First Time Solo: Historical Novel Society Review”
Confessions of a Mask
Yukio Mishima is best known for his Sea of Fertility tetralogy, but Confessions of a Mask is a brave, honest book, and one that in part influenced some of the themes behind First Time Solo. In today’s Japan Times I take a look at the novel as part of the Essential Reading for Japanophiles series. You can read itContinue reading “Confessions of a Mask”
Notes from the Midst of a Novel.
Busy, busy, busy. I sort of crashed into the Christmas holidays on a wave of adrenaline and exhaustion. To all intents and purposes working three jobs, the end of the year hit me like a temporal cricket bat to the chronological face. A short trip and a lot of partying left me more relaxed andContinue reading “Notes from the Midst of a Novel.”
Silma Hill Cover
Here it is, the cover for Silma Hill. Writers get almost zero input into cover design, which as I’m not particularly visually competent and had no real idea of what the cover might look like, is probably for the best. Adrian Searle and the Freight designers have excelled themselves again. This is not only gorgeous, andContinue reading “Silma Hill Cover”
Silma Hill, Coming Soon …
So, I promised announcements. Well, here we go. First up, my second novel will be released on June 29th. That’s right, somehow I talked myself into a book a year. Madness really but hey, I’ve got nothing better to do with my time. My new novel is called Silma Hill and is a Scottish Gothic historicalContinue reading “Silma Hill, Coming Soon …”
Indelible Ink Review
Well 2015 has started with a bang. I’ve got a few wonderful pieces of news to drop on you, dear reader, but I have to wait for final confirmation on the biggest two. In the meantime allow me to share with you a review of First Time Solo by Scots Whay Hae‘s Alistair Braidwood on Dear Scotland.Continue reading “Indelible Ink Review”