Creative thinking...

Have been in Wales teaching creative writing with Matt Whyman. Enormously rewarding and even more tiring, and even more than that, my brain actually hurts. 

But the chance to think freely for a few days - priceless.

Love the path by the river below David Lloyd (/Health Clubs/Cole and the Commotions) George's grave, and eventually discovered that just because you and your mate think a bad joke is funny fifteen times over, doesn't mean anyone else will. 

The Genius that is... Martin Jarvis

I was so enormously delighted when I heard that Martin Jarvis would record the audiobook version of Flood and Fang, first book in the Raven Mysteries, and even more delighted to witness his utter genius last Thursday evening as he put the finishing touches to the book. He's added a whole new level of humour to the book and it was great to see such a great actor at work on Edgar and co...

Humble thanks are in order.

Events!

I've been fairly busy with events of late. Here's shot from a signing after a lovely visit to Burford School for World Book Day. I've also been recently to Magdalen College School, Oxford, and Eastbourne, for a great time with the East Sussex Libraries Service.

Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming and making the events such fun!

Gasp! The Raven Mysteries is unleashed...

Heh, heh, heh. Solstice, Cudweed and of course Edgar the Raven are now available and waiting to be discovered in the first of The Raven Mysteries; Flood and Fang. 

I only pity the poor kitchen maids who keep getting eaten...

Rest...

I'm in a non-writing phase at the moment, I'm just doing some rewrites of next year's novel: Revolver. You can see a brief teaser for it here.

Otherwise I'm enjoying reading some things I should have read a long time ago, and puting my feet up a bit.

Now that I have a 'proper' keyboard again, I want to say a proper thank you to Barry Sayer and everyone at the British School of Brussels, where I had a superb time. It was I think the nicest school I've ever had the pleasure of talking at and all the students and teachers were friendly and welcoming. Thanks for inviting me!

Oxford

Had a wonderful time in Oxford with the Oxford Children's Book Group, giving a talk on Historical Fiction, with Linda Newbery, Adele Geras, and Marie-Louise Jensen: in case you're ever wondering, I'm told (by Adele herself) that Geras rhymes with terrace. And on the same subject, (Phillip) Ardagh rhymes with harder. Sedgwick rhymes only with hedgepig, and even then, not that well...

It was an interesting morning, if only because I learnt that I am a historical author, which was news to me, but I guess true. Mostly I feel like a hysterical author, ha ha.

In Brussels

The title is in ho,qge to the superb fil,; In Bruges. q classic of the future; no+

I q, noa ariting this blog on q belgiqn keyboqrd in q tozn zhere they qctuqlly speqk Dutch, then Fle,ish; then French, qnd let ,e tell you thqt this is the crqwiest keyboqrd I hqve ever co,e qcross; I hqve decided to give up trying to find the correct letters qnd q, just going to type nor,qlly: pretty fun, no+

thqtùs enough; i:ll hqve to zrite ,ore zhen I get bqck to Blighty!!!