Bestselling Australian author
Writing can be a lonely job. We spend most of our time chained to a computer, or a notebook, talking to people who exist only in our own heads. It has been said that the only person who really understands a writer is another writer. That may or may not be true, but…
I know – I’m too late for Halloween. But whatever the time of year – I do love graveyards. Old graveyards. Whether it’s a Neolithic burial mound, a stone cross on the moors or a marble mausoleum, each has stories to tell. It should therefore not be any great surprise that a certain amount of…
I know I promised you a graveyard blog this week… but I’ve got something better for you. Drum roll please. I have a new book – working title The Sun At Midnight – coming out in time for Christmas (which is probably a good thing as it is set over Christmas).
There’s bears in them there hills. Seriously. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park – which straddles the Tennessee / North Carolina border – claims to have bears. About 1700 of them. That was all I needed to hear and we were off, cameras poised, on a bear hunt. Entering the park, we stopped at the…
Museums are not about rare and fabulous objects safely locked behind protective glass. At least the good ones aren’t. Museums should be about people and the lives they lived. Museums should tell stories. And never have I found more stories in a single place than at the fabulous Museum of Appalachia in Tennessee. The…
It is amazing where music will lead you. In this case – to a shotgun shack in the Appalachian Mountains and an art deco railway carriage in Chattanooga. Recently we went to a gig by US folk artist Diana Jones. She sings songs of Appalachia. Mine disasters, murders – cheerful stuff. She’s very good…
I read the other day that the BBC is about to do a remake of the Clangers. For those of you who did not grow up in the UK in the late 60’s – the Clangers are small pink knitted aliens who live on – or rather mostly inside – a very small planet…
I am sure I am not alone in hating the words ‘author photo’. We all need them – for our websites and blogs and other promo work – and to put in our books. The problem is, these photos never go away. They stay out there forever. And it’s just horrible hearing a whisper…
Or… how I went to Ally Pally and nearly lost my mind. Regular readers will know that some time ago I took up knitting. I’m not that good at it – but I really like it. So – a friend told me about this Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. I must…
After my rant last week about spoilers in book reviews – I thought it was probably time I did some reviews here… and I promise – not a spoiler in sight…. I’ll start with one of the most surprising (and biggest) books I’ve read recently… Stephen King 11/22/63 We’ve all heard the question posed…