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Good News!
The Oban Inn – inspiration for The Three Fishes Inn in The Wolf of Dalriada – stands on the North Quayside close to where in the 1790s the newly-minted Oban Distillery first stood. After several years' decline, it has now re-opened and, I am reliably informed, once...
A new arrival – in Oban, Gateway to the Isles!
'The Wolf of Dalriada' has just arrived at Oban Library, Argyll. A donation made in gratitude for help received when researching 18th Century Argyll. Physically, of course, landscapes change as do human beings. Looking at the photograph of Oban next to this post, you...
Off to the Beta Readers!
Phew! 80,000 words of 'The Wolf of Dalriada - Part 2' are now winging their way to the Beta Readers! A significant moment. But who are Beta Readers and what do they do? Brenda Pollard answers these questions clearly and my own feeling is that Beta Readers are vital to...
Let’s get physical!
Author Joanna Cannon appeared to have it all. Written during snatched moments in car parks at the hospital where she worked as a psychiatrist, Joanna’s first novel, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, garnered the lifestyle that many a writer would aspire to and an...
With a little Help from my Friends – Reasons to join a Writers’ Group
When I first announced that I wanted to attend a writing group – as a participant not a facilitator – someone looked me blankly in the eye and asked ‘Why?’ There I was, the author of two novels, a long-serving and published freelance journalist, a writing coach, a...
The secret pleasures of Research
You may write contemporary fiction. You may write historical adventure. You may even write romance - in any of its forms. What all of these options have in common is - research! You cannot contain all you need to know in your brain so - whether internet,...
Talking about ‘The Wolf of Dalriada’!
Yesterday, I gave a talk to U3A Neston on 'The Wolf of Dalriada'. The theme was the transition from journalism (creative non-fiction) to historical novels. Vastly amused by tales of my years exploring occupational health, the group were then pleased to explore the...
Heroics
What do we hope for from a hero? Well, the first question is: how often do we meet heroes in real life? I can think of precious few. 'Cometh the hour, cometh the man (or woman)' doesn't seem to happen. Or it may be that by the time the media have inspected every...
The Wolf of Dalriada on Kindle!
The Wolf of Dalriada Kindle Edition is now out on Amazon.co.uk and other Amazon outlets. Other retailers include Apple, Kobo etc. And a link appears on my book page in Troubador Books. Thank you, Troubador Books, for your support in this new adventure! I like a print...