February 24, 2013
Writing characters for historical novels
I’m often asked how writing differs for me when I’m working on a novel set in the past or one in which the action takes place in the present.
All
January 15, 2013
Researching To Write Historical Novels
In researching to write historical novels, the internet is an indispensable tool as a first port of call however fact checking using reliable sources is key
January 4, 2013
Writing profiles for your Historical Novel characters
For almost all historical fiction there are two types of character populating the novel or short story. First there is the ‘real life’ person, a character who once lived. The other type is the purely fictional figure you have blended into a plot.
September 2, 2012
MEETING THE NEW CAST
There is a delicious early stage in the process of writing a novel in which I meet the cast. By that I mean that the main characters are starting to gather shape and substance. I haven’t yet thought of a title for the new book and
March 18, 2012
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? (WDIAM)
So, I’m now totally digitised. My wife, Lisa (known in our household as The Web Goddess) is fully integrating my web presence (or FIMWP). Which is fine and dandy and will probably increase my book sales by…well, oh…several. But actually, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve
December 21, 2011
THE COMING WAR
In the lead up to the two great wars of the 20th century, anyone with any awareness of the world around them knew that violence was coming. It must have felt as though the planet was moving inexorably towards the precipice and that no one
November 10, 2011
LOST IN TRANSLATION
One of the great thrills of being a writer is receiving finished copies of your latest book. The buzz I get from this never diminishes, even after writing thirty-six books. Aligned with this is the pleasure of receiving translated editions. My record for having one
October 3, 2011
NOT SO SECRET HISTORY
Like many people, I’ve been thinking back to the events of September 11, 2001, and I began to wonder how future historians would view it. That dreadful day was a significant milestone, not just in our lives, but in the history of civilisation. It’s up there
September 2, 2011
THE LONELINESS OF A LONG DISTANCE WRITER
My brother once told me that he sometimes imagines me working on a book and pictures me putting on a smoking jacket and cravat before spilling a few finely-tuned words onto the page each day. Sounds like fun. Machiavelli used to dress up in his
August 16, 2011
SACRED COWS
It’s not only Hindus who have sacred cows - we all do. But, as I get older (and I hope, wiser) I’m beginning to question the value of some of today’s icons, the cows that are so sacred their contribution to culture cannot be reasonably
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