Are you in Newcastle? Can you get to Newcastle? Maybe you own a helicopter or know how to drive a submarine. Perhaps you know of the secret Tunnel that Goes Wherever You Like (I find this one particularly handy.) If you enjoy books and aren’t put off by meeting actual authors then you should come …
Project Nova – Draft 1 done
As I anticipated I managed to finish the first draft of Project Nova today. This is my fifth completed novel, which seems weird. It’s just the first draft, so there’s lots still to do, but I’m happy to have gotten this far with it. I’m going to step away from it for a week or …
What I did during the Summer Holidays
The holidays are almost over! It’s time for the world to get back to normal! Let’s be honest, the six weeks’ holiday is a long stretch for us grown-ups. The entire routine and rhythm of normal life goes out of the window. In my experience this is even more so for writers. I work from …
Timesmith Brazil
My copies of the Brazilian Portuguese translated edition of Timesmith have finally arrived! Called O Artifice Do Tempo the book was released in July last year, so I’ve been waiting with anticipation for my copies to arrive for some time.
Animating Ideas – Patron of Reading Visit
I had a great first day at North Durham Academy yesterday. I’m Patron of Reading there for the next year and was looking forward to meeting the pupils who I’ll be working with. As well as an assembly talk and a library meet & greet I did a creative writing session for the Gifted & …
Orbiting Buzz
I was born in the Lunar Age. By the time I’d made my appearance on the planet we’d already walked on the moon twice. (It would have been three times if not for the near-death accident that aborted Apollo 13’s moon shot.) Even though I was only two years old when the last man walked …
Adventure at Buckingham Palace
Last week I was lucky enough to go to a garden party at Buckingham Palace. The actual Buckingham Palace. In London. Where the Queen lives. I know! It all started last year when I volunteered to to join the committee of the Society of Authors sub group, Authors North. Since then I’ve helped out with …
Animating Tony Blair
Sometimes a job comes along that is, quite frankly, ridiculous. That was my first thought when Director friend Adam Miller called me a few weeks ago. “We need some animation of Tony Blair,” Adam explained. “Right,” I replied cautiously. “In a tiny submarine.” “OK…” “Really tiny, as in microscopic.” Adam said. “He’s inside an artery …
Patron of Reading 2016
I’m thrilled to let you know I’ve been appointed as the Patron of Reading for North Durham Academy in Stanley, County Durham. What is a Patron of Reading? A Patron of Reading (PoR) is a school’s special, designated children’s author with whom the school forms a personal attachment. The patron might be a writer …