A new definition of ‘vintage’

Apparently the laptop on which I write this post is 'vintage'. Perhaps I should explain. The machine in question is a MacBook Air with an eleven-inch screen purchased in Singapore in 2014. So eight years ago. It has served me faithfully and reliably all that time, in the process surviving numerous operating system and software … Continue reading A new definition of ‘vintage’ →

“The Waiting Room” – a short story

I have just posted a reading of "The Waiting Room" to my Walking Thru' Fire podcast; you can find it here. This is the initial story in my Degrees of Separation collection, and concerns a chance meeting at a remote branch-line railway station one cold January. More information on the collection can be found here.

I’m being interviewed: post-interview update

I was interviewed today in Harrogate Library as part of their 'Books and Beverages' series. The interview covered both my writing and publishing exploits. I think it went really well. Unfortunately the event was not streamed as expected (e.g. the Facebook stream kept dropping out) but there is a recording of the event. I will … Continue reading I’m being interviewed: post-interview update →

I’m being interviewed tomorrow!

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Friday 25th November (@13:30 UK-time) I am being interviewed in Harrogate Library as part of their 'Books and Beverages' series. The interview will cover both my writing and publishing exploits. I'm looking forward to it hugely! Although this is an in-person event, it is also being filmed and streamed, and … Continue reading I’m being interviewed tomorrow! →

“Exile and the Kingdom”

Okay, nothing Albert Camus writes is ever likely to be a bundle of fun - and "Exile and the Kingdom" is no exception. But what it is (as usual) is compelling. In the short stories in this book, Camus digs deeply - and remorselessly - into the psyche of his characters, laying them bare for … Continue reading “Exile and the Kingdom” →

“Trio”

When I started reading William Boyd's "Trio" I thought it was some kind of joke. The characters' names were first to ring alarm bells: Elfrida, Troy, Cornell, Talbot. Indeed, 'Elfrida' is the first word. And the style of the opening read a little like an uninspired 1940s or 1950s Hollywood melodrama - a notion that … Continue reading “Trio” →

Orienteering – a sonnet

I am writing a long sequence of sonnets that will see publication in 2023. I thought it might be fun to share some of them in advance. A sonnet is included below, along with an audio recording of me reading it. Orienteering The map offers no clues to where we are. You’d said “let’s get … Continue reading Orienteering – a sonnet →