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”
Category: Fiction
New Podcast Episode
I have just posted a new podcast episode containing five of the sonnets recently shared. You can find them here along with a raft of other material
New Podcast episodes
I have just posted a new episode on my podcast. You can find it here.
“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”
“Novelist as Vocation”
Published this month, Haruki Murakami has pulled together a collection of eleven articles all covering the subject of what it is to be a novelist. Some of these have been previously published, some are new. A keen reader of Murakami's fiction, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pre-publication edition of the … Continue reading “Novelist as Vocation”
“Degrees of Separation” – a new edition
I am pleased to be able to announce the publication of a new edition of my second short story collection, Degrees of Separation. This edition contains a little stylistic reworking and a few other minor amendments. There have also been some changes to font and layout to better align with Coverstory books' house style. Degrees … Continue reading “Degrees of Separation” – a new edition
I’m being interviewed!
On Friday 25th November 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 will be available 'live' and from … Continue reading I’m being interviewed!
I’m being interviewed!
On Friday 25th November 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 will be available 'live' and from … Continue reading I’m being interviewed!
You can’t spend time twice…
The phrase is - to the best of my knowledge - original and my own. It is a line from a new poetry project on which I have started work. The only reason I mention it is that I read it out at a writing group today and three people wrote it down. It was, … Continue reading You can’t spend time twice…
“A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain”
If I was disappointed by Robert Butler Olen's short story collection "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain" then it was not because of the individual stories themselves. They are all well-written, and some of them exceptional. But reading the book cover-to-cover, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed/bored by the lack of variation in the … Continue reading “A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain”
Ian Gouge - Writer 