Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive. 1808. My journey to Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, was originally more a meeting with old friends than anything especially literary. However, there was the bonus of a small Turner exhibition at his house for Turner, at the behest of […]
Monthly Archives: November 2018
Review – Robin Williams, When the Laughter Stops. 1951-2014 by Emily Herbert
Like many other people, I was shocked in 2014 to hear actor/comedian Robin Williams had taken his own life. It is always immensely sad news to hear, but for a comedian to hang himself is somehow especially perturbing. How can someone continue to make the world laugh while living with such inner turmoil that they […]
Getting published
I used to co-own a publishing business, where we created local history/interest titles, but also had some massive print runs of larger, full-colour books, which we primarily sold by the direct selling method back in the 1990s-2000s. We also sold to bookshops. My role was as writer/commissioning editor. Loved editing this one! The profanities from […]
Review: T. E. Lawrence Tormented Hero
The only things I knew (prior to reading this book) about Lawrence of Arabia were that he was a soldier in the Arab Campaign during World War I and that there is a Peter O’Toole film about him. There is also a copy of his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom on the family bookshelves. Yes, […]
What I’ve learned from my wonderful writing students …
Teaching is terrific, but learning is better. I’m totally thrilled that my super students have taught me so many things, for learning is what I love; it is a two-way process. Sitting here, as my naked hand wipes away some cobwebs, I hammer out some words of wisdom instead of getting a duster. It’s called being […]
The War Poets
Poetry expresses a huge depth of meaning in very concise language. It has always intrigued me that the horror of World War I, where around ten million people lost their lives, delivered to us such very fine poets whose impact has been immense and possibly eternal. In a hellhole punctuated by the incessant racket of […]
Review – The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
Everyone raves about the cover of this book; it is indeed eye catching. However, judging a book by its cover we know to be dangerous; it’s what’s inside the gift wrapping that matters. Fortunately, what’s inside this wrapper is pretty decent, so this isn’t like settling for the tough, flat Quality Street toffee which grated […]
