pwblog

Friday November 3rd. Please d to say that the writing is still going to schedule and is very close to 24,000 words. Although not possible to predict the "grand total" - I'm estimating that it will be around the 140,000 mark. So, a bit to go yet! Staying with books, I've very nearly finished Good Friday , a fast moving thriller by Lynda la Plante. The book is centred around a young female police officer, Jane Tennison, and contains plenty of action that is building to what I'm sure will be a powerful ending. For me, the big story this week has been the Bank of England's decision on interest rates. Of course, this will be a move welcomed by savers, but feared by mortgage holders and borrowers in general. Now, before half the nation  goes into terminal meltdown over the rate rise, can we pause for a moment to consider the other side of the coin? Born in 1942, I'm of the generation that worked to survive and buy the things we wanted only when we coul...

Friday Oct 23rd. THE WRITING of my new book  is going well and is (so far) on track with my schedule, that is 16,000 words at the end of week two. In fairness it has taken me about six weeks to really refine the "plot" - which has been fun as it's excitingly complicated. However in this, my third novel, I'm making changes to my style - aiming for shorter chapters, and each one ending with a  "juicy morsel" that makes the reader keen to head on for the next chapter. Anyway, I'm really enjoying the ravelling and unravelling of the story-line, and the development of the characters. Hopefully a few folks will like the finished article. OPINIONS are like noses - everybody has one and I'm no exception to the rule. In writing my blog, I am bound, from time to time, to voice an opinion that ruffles a few feathers here and there. But, in a society that still alleges to permit non-offensive free-speech, I hope that I'm to be allowed  to exercise this p...

Friday October 20th. I am pleased to report that work on my next book is going to plan. By mid-October the plot and characters were all detailed out, leaving me to maintain a writing schedule of some 8,000 words a week. On track at the end of week one! Well - it's a start. Having already completed two e-books, of 145,000 words each, and that can be found on Amazon, I realise that writing them was the easy bit. The hard part is creating sales. In fairness there must be thousands of "wanna be " authors out there, so breaking though the barrier is difficult. Of course, because agents and publishers are in business, investing in a new author can always represent a risk. But, with hindsight, perhaps the worst part is being told by an agent or publisher that they found the manuscript interesting, but that it wasn't for them. Very carefully, they avoid saying what is for them! Anyway I like thinking out a good story, creating my characters and mapping out their life-st...

Friday the 13th - a good day to get "blogging." I have just finished reading an excellent book call Active , written by Dan Hastings. This is a fast moving novel that takes an interesting - if frightening - look into the future. In the book, Dan questions what might happen if successive governments, weakened by decades of never ending political correctness, finally collapse and are replaced by a hard-core of zealots. This is a great book and will be appreciated by those who enjoy a well paced story, and who benefit from an active imagination. Download it onto your Kindle now - you wont be disappointed. Next on my reading list is a novel by Linda la Plante called Good Friday, a birthday present from one of my sons. This is a crime thriller based around the police workings of her main character, Jane Tennison. As a fan - and writer - of crime stories I look forward to reading this book, and passing comment on a later "blog." Did anyone see the figures on America...

Welcome to my Blog: A GOOD READ : For those of you who enjoy a well written and fast moving thriller, allow me to recommend A Time to Die by Wilbur Smith. I was “introduced” to this author some years back and, from memory, the first book of his that I read was The River God, quickly followed by The Seventh Scroll.  At present, I am working my way through this novel, which has my full attention. Brilliantly written, the book tells the story of two people who find themselves caught between warring parties in the heart of Africa, whilst on a safari. TRUE BLUE: Congratulations to the BBC for still televising the annual Oxford and who find themselves Cambridge Boat Race, one of our great sporting traditions. Returning to the literary front, True Blue is the title of a great book by Dan Topolski, the legendary Oxford coach, and covers the story of the 1987 Boat Race which Cambridge were expected to dominate, and lost! A great book about the intrigue, manoeuvring and personalit...

Welcome to my new blog that will be updated on a weekly basis.