On the loose

The Akaroa Mail is a popular local free newspaper, produced fortnightly and frequently running to more than 12 pages. I recently made it to page 4! I am sure they held the front page for a while but the story about tomato plants growing in gutter of Akaroa's main street just sneaked in before me! Garry Brittenden has written a very kind review in the latest edition and he wouldn't even let me buy him a coffee when we met last week in a local cafe.  The newspaper was first published in 1876 and it was an invaluable resource for me as I researched  the novel. Like most New Zealand newspapers, there is an extensive archive on-line and many of the events I included in my novel were first researched from this archive. For example, you can find the original account of the "football match" here: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AMBPA19130527.2.8.3 Meanwhile my simple marketing campaign continues. I am learning a lot about what publishers do for their money: every

I came across this photograph on my computer this morning and it immediately took me back to June 2020 when I was deeply immersed in writing the first part of the novel. New Zealand had been in lockdown and I was due to return to the UK but COVID was making international travel little difficult. So writing the novel became a big part of my daily routine. Nearly two years later and the book is published. Thanks for the generous and positive feedback received thus far, mostly it must be said from friends and family. I look at this picture and sometimes wonder what was going on in my head at that time? Lots of research, so many threads to follow and a lot of determination to drag it all together into a story. The book finally emerged from a long term ambition to see if I could do it - could I write a novel that I would like to read? I was enjoying myself!  Of  that I am now sure and my thoughts have already begun to stray towards a sequel. Only time ( and reviews posted, preferably on Ama

I t's a nervous time for me! Quite a few copies of my first novel "The Bell That Never Rang" have beens old and I imagine the readers avidly turning pages - or nodding off, as the book slips onto the floor! The book is based on the life of my Great Uncle Jim Bowen who served for many years on the battlecruiser HMS New Zealand. The vessel, which was purchased by the New Zealand government and commissioned in 1912, had a relatively short but illustrious naval career. The picture above shows the medal and medal card that was issued to commemorate her visit to New Zealand in 1913.Three years later she was in the thick of it at the battle of Jutland. I spent many hours  researching  the history of HMS New Zealand so that I could make the storyline of the novel authentic. It was therefore a trifle ironic to learn, as I was on my final edit, that the NZ historian Matthew Wright, had just published a book on her history!  'The Battlecruiser New Zealand' is a really good r

Ever since I was a child, it has been an ambition of mine to write a novel. I was always writing stories in those days, and then laboriously stitching them into little books with lengths of wool stolen from my mother's knitting bag. The busy veterinary years, found me busily scratching way at something, usually technical articles or newsletters but sometimes I allowed myself the luxury of some less focused writing, the occasional poem or the beginnings of my next best seller. When lockdown arrived in New Zealand and the prospect of many weeks of my own company loomed, I no longer had any excuses; there was no longer any shortage of time. As I began to assemble the various scraps and notebooks together, I began to realise three things: I really enjoy the researching and writing.  It is very easy to get sucked into the detail. It takes a very long time to produce something like this. But slowly I pulled it together. On a few occasions I probably spent too much time down web wormholes

This is it folks: the big day dawned and freedom loomed. Release time was 2.20pm and there was no exercise slot beforehand, so the morning did drag on a little. Packing didn't take very long, I don't really know why I even unpacked some clothes, its been shorts and T-shirts most of the time: and underwear. I assure you I did change my underwear! The hot NZ news this morning had nothing to do with COP26 in Glasgow; "Bird of the Year" has been won by a bloody bat! How can that happen? My bellbird didn't even make the top five! Huh - not impressed! Suitably incensed, I sat back for a while and looked over that rather familiar view of the carpark and pondered a little on my imprisonment experience. What have I learned over the last two weeks? Coffee: I drink rather a lot of coffee - 750 grms in 14 days to be exact, that's just over 50 grms a day. Of course it hasn't been that nasty toxic instant coffee that you all drink, it has been pretty good coffee, produ

I woke at five, with the usual mix of anticipation and dread that is the prelude of any Wales v All Blacks game. Much has been made of the players missing from the Welsh side and I hate the fact that the English clubs get to thumb their noses at Welsh rugby by not releasing key Welsh Players. But I guess that's what happens if you have a Rugby Union which is bordering on bankrupt and players have to play elsewhere to make a living? Maybe it is time to get sponsored by an oil company? 😏 This was not a bad side on paper with some exciting new Welsh talent on display. Wales certainly missed Dan Biggar at ten but I don't know that Liam Williams would have done any more than Johnny McNichol at fifteen? He had an outstanding game. Ken Owens up front, especially throwing into the line out, would have maybe helped but he was a late injury withdrawal, so we don't even get to blame the English for his absence.  The Welsh back row, particularly before Moriarty left, played very well,

Group blue four had been granted the first exercise slot of the morning at 6am! As I was wide awake I decided to avail myself of the facilities: about six of us were brave enough to walk around the exercise yard in the gloomy morning light. Fifteen minutes on the bike were rapidly followed by coffee! Aaaah! By seven I was starving and I had to settle for a leftover banana until the yoghurt and toast arrived at eight. My second Saturday morning with Kim Hill included a protracted interview with Joanna Lumley waxing lyrical about the Queen. I loved how Kim managed the odd polite pause, following some of the more enthusiastic commentaries on the monarchy from Ms Lumley. I suspect Kim, like quite a few of us over here, is a republican? Have any of you listened to the interview with Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield yet? In it he mentions a book by Stephen King, "On Writing" and says that every aspiring writer should read it. I'm not Mr King's greatest fan but I downloaded