Writing about the Russian Mafia

What do I have in common with the Russian mafia? Not much, thankfully, except my friend, Joe Stein, has written a brilliant new detective novel which shows that he knows enough about them for both of us. I first wrote about That Twisted Thing Called Truth here, but...

Literature for Social Change

While I was having a wonderful time in Ireland pounding out the first draft of Novel 3, the kids of Anjali House were holding their third Writing Workshop. In between writing episodes about fictional lives in Siem Reap, real lives in Siem Reap were being poured into...

Meet Poet, Carolyn Oulton

Over the past years, I have had the good fortunate to get to know Carolyn and her poetry. I think all poetry lovers should know about her latest collection.Carolyn is a Reader in Victorian English at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her collection, A Child, a...

Retreat!

Random thoughts:1. Look at the 1st Draft Progress meter to the right. Yep, that’s 73% done and a crazy 13,000 words written since I’ve been here.2. I haven’t left the house in two days which is partly due to the above, partly due to the rain, and...

Deadlines Made Easier to Bear

For the first time in my writing career, I feel like I have a serious deadline. I feel like, finally, there are people out there in the world waiting for something, expecting me to produce. I have always been the type of person who responds well to the pressure of...