It felt strange coming back to Brian Patten so many years after The Irrelevant Song and Vanishing Trick, but I found a copy of Armada in an Oxfam shop and simply couldn't resist. Why would you? In the main I was struck by a familiarity of tone, a kind of lazy meandering towards a conclusion … Continue reading “Armada”
Category: Blog
“Case Study”
Having read Graeme Macrae Burnet's His Bloody Project, I was looking forward to Case Study - but unfortunately I was disappointed with what I found. I hadn't expected quite so much humour. Clearly not all of this is down to Burnet. I find humour in novels difficult, partly because I struggle to 'laugh out loud' … Continue reading “Case Study”
What’s in a name..?
Quite simply anything and everything. I have a file in which I keep lists of names: male christian names, female christian names, surnames. Occasionally I look at these lists and start to pair a christian name with a surname. Like 'Morgan Cowley' - just to pick two at random. And I can't help but start … Continue reading What’s in a name..?
It’s all about 2023…
Already - and so soon - it's all about 2023. It's about building on the foundations laid during this year. Kicking-on again. And maybe for the first time a new year won't be about production (that age old dilemma of what to write - and then struggling to do so!) but about recognition; of taking … Continue reading It’s all about 2023…
“When It Happened” – new podcast episode
I have just published a new episode on my Walking Thru Fire podcast. "When It Happened" is taken from my short story collection, Secrets & Wisdom. The story represents something of an unusual departure for me. Almost sci-fi, it posits the possibility of a new and better future driven by - well, who can say? … Continue reading “When It Happened” – new podcast episode
I’m being interviewed: the video!
About three weeks ago I was interviewed in Harrogate Library as part of their 'Books and Beverages' series. The interview covered both my writing and publishing exploits. The recording of the event is now available on YouTube and can be accessed via this link or here.. Settle down with a cup of coffee and a … Continue reading I’m being interviewed: the video!
On Parliament Hill – an updated edition
I have just published an updated edition of my novel, "On Parliament Hill". There are no dramatic changes in this version, just a few tweaks to sentence construction here and there, the odd word change etc. Slight stylistic adjustments, if you will. This is the fourth such updated edition after "At Maunston Quay" and my … Continue reading On Parliament Hill – an updated edition
“England Made Me”
Perhaps Graham Greene isn't 'modern' in the sense of the literary term when applied to that seismic movement of the early twentieth century; even so, I was stuck by how fluid and 'anti-traditional' some of the writing is in "England Made Me". It is not one of his most 'popular' novels, I suspect - though … Continue reading “England Made Me”
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’
You cannot be serious..!
According to the folk at the Forward Prizes, this is one of the best 'poems' of 2022... Gimmick or what?! Surely an insult to the millions who try and write good poetry...
Ian Gouge - Writer 