Feb 2026 – For The Love of the Short Format

I’ve often spoken of my love for short stories, both writing and reading them. As I have continued on my writing journey, I’ve discovered a love for writing novellas and short books also. It is a love of these formats that have shaped the start of my year.

As discussed in my last blog, I published a novella called This is Not the Athens Train, a spy thriller type story that I had a lot of fun writing. What started as a bit of a fun project, will develop into something grander as the initial feedback that I have received has taken me aback. I certainly had fun writing it and I thought the characters were appealing, but the overall sense from the early readers is that there needs to be more.

One of the advantages of writing it in the novella format is that I could maintain the tension throughout the story. I’ll admit that I questioned if I would be able to do this in a full novel length story, hence I decided early on that it would be a novella. The outcome is that I will definitely write more stories with these characters and I think it would make a good series of novellas, for the reason I have stated.

There are times when short story competitions pop up on my social media timeline and I manage to resist many of them. Having failed to resist the challenge of writing a crime story with a cat it (and the added warmth of raising some money for a cat charity), I succummed once more to temptation of submitting another. To be fair, there was a very good reason for dropping my current writing plans, as this is connected to the best crime writing festival in my country, so I felt I had to at least put myself in the mix. I’m happy with the end result, and my test reader also gave it the thumbs up, so it’s been submitted for consideration. As with other stories I have submitted, I will find a way of sharing it, if it is not chosen.

Another reason why I have been thinking a lot about the shorter format is because of the editing process I am currently undertaking. The much mentioned co-authored novel is now going through a final edit before publication later this year. This book has been around ten years in the making and comes in at around 100,000 words. Unless a massive chunk is cut out (unlikely), it will be the longest book that I have published. I hope, however, that it will be worth both the wait and commitment to read it.

As well as the short stories and novellas that I have written, there has also been a reduction in the length of the Christie novels. The early ones came in at around 70,000 words, whereas the last two have been closer to 50,000. There are a couple of reasons for this, firstly (like the aforementioned novella) it allows me to keep the story going and maintain the tension throughout. I am not one to pad out a story or add unnecessary fluff as this is something I neither enjoy writing or reading. Secondly, it allows me to publish quicker which helps maintain an interest in the stories. As I am not fortunate enough to do this as a full time job, a shorter novel will help me to publish more regularly and (hopefully) keep my readership happy.

I understand why the publishing world focuses on novels and stories of a certain length and size, although I wish that we could celebrate the joy of the shorter format more. I for one, will continue to share my love of it and write stories in these wonderful packages…

Thanks again for reading my blog. ‘This is Not the Athens Train’ is available now in eBook and paperback novella. Some of my short stories are available on this website to read for free. The Alexander Simpson novel will be published later this year, so please subscribe to this blog if you want to keep up to date with what’s happening and when.

Jan 2026 – Year Ahead, Athens Train and 1001 Songs

I’m not planning on setting many in the way of writing goals this year, having seen previous attempts falling by the wayside too often. I do, however, have a number of projects being worked on, including a novella that has just been published, which I will discuss in a moment. Beyond the novella, I have just finished writing a short crime story (that involves a cat) for a competition and to raise money for charity, then I have to do a final edit on my collaboration novel for publication later in the year.

After that, I will be working on the first in a new crime series which will be sent to agents and publishers initially rather than self-publishing like the Christie novels. I will also be looking to publish a football related crime novella (again for charity), which may include some additional stories with the publication. If time permits, I will re-visit DI Christie at the end of the year, either for a short story, novella or to work on book 6.

As I said, I have just published a novella called ‘This is Not the Athens Train’, a spy-thriller type story set in Greece. The title comes from a family joke when we were visiting friends/family in Thessaloniki and getting a train back to Athens to fly home. When a heavily graffitied train pulled up to the station, I assumed that it was a local train. I said the now immortal words and they have stuck ever since. I even received a Penguin Books print of the words, so I had to write the story.

The genre is a little different to my usual crime thriller style, but I enjoyed writing this and it is something I may come back to in the future. I certainly had fun creating the characters and their back story, so I know there are more stories to be shared with these people. Growing up watching the James Bond films, I suppose the novella is a love letter to both that style of drama as well as Northern Greece which I have visited many times to see our Greek family.

A while back, I came across the book 1001 Songs to Listen to Before You Die. It’s one is a series that also includes subjects like books, films and albums. I think the songs version is the most achievable and I have a list from c2015 (they tend to update the list from time to time). I decided at the start of the year to start this challenge, by listening to all 1001 songs this year (even ones I have heard before). Breaking it down to 3 songs a day makes it more achievable and I am doing the list in chronological order. I’m currently well ahead of schedule (165 at time of writing), so I’m confident that I can keep this up. It has been relatively easy so far, as most songs from the early period of recordings were between 2 and 3 minutes long.

Thanks again for reading my blog. This is Not the Athens Train (or TINTAT for short) is available to buy in eBook and Paperback format (link in the Books tab of this website). Please let me know what you think and if you would like me to revisit these characters in the future.

Dec 2025 – DI Christie Update & the Year That Was

In my final blog of the year, I provide an update to DI Christie and discuss the year that has been.

I Am Mine is the fifth in the DI Joanne Christie series and a bit of a change to other books I have written. Firstly, it is my first attempt at a locked room mystery, which is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time, before I finally wrote one as a short story. As I’ve stated before, this story was shelved following the decision of the publishers not to proceed with the planned anthology it was to be included in. This allowed me to use it as the basis for this novel and add a few extra threads to the story.

Another thing that is different, and without trying to give too many spoilers away, is that it is not so much a whodunnit, rather than how they done it. What I mean by this, is there is not the usual long list of suspects for you to choose from, although there is an element of trying to work things out as is expected in a crime novel. I’ll leave it at that and hope that you go on to read and enjoy this.

On top of the novel, I have also written a short story that is currently under consideration for publication. I should find out around the end of April if it has been selected and, if not, may submit it elsewhere or just publish it on this website. It’s a bit different to other stories that I have written as, although there is a small element of crime involved, that is not that main essence of the story. I enjoyed writing that one, so really hope I can share it soon.

The final thing to state is that I will be taking a, hopefully, short pause with the Christie series. I may do a blog in the new year about my plans for 2026, however, I have 4 separate writing projects to deal with before I go onto book 6 of the series. The first involves completing a novella that I am currently writing and nearing completion. I then have a novel that was co-authored to edit and publish and another novella to edit and publish. Finally, I plan to write the first of a new series which will be queried rather than self-published initially.

As three out of the four projects are already written/nearing completion, I only have 1 full novel to write before I can reacquaint myself with Christie. I have a couple of ideas what happens next and I did leave the last novel with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I won’t be waiting too long before getting started with it.

I wouldn’t do that to those who are excited to find out what’s to come…

Thanks again for reading my blog. Links to DI Christie number 5, and all my other novels, is contained within the Books tab of this website. If you haven’t already, please consider signing up for notifications when a new blog is posted (subscribe at the bottom of the Home page) and follow me on your social media of choice (see Links tab of this website for more details). Finally, I hope you have a great 2026.

Nov 2025 – One, Two, Miss a Few and DI Christie Book 5 Update.

Well my plan of monthly blogs has, somewhat, gone out the window over the last few months so I will need to think of some things to share in the coming couple of months to catch up. Sometimes, an idea for a blog just comes to me and other times I just can’t think for the life of me what to say. Fortunately, I have an update on the latest DI Christie novel to share, as I continue to think what else to say in the near future.

‘I Am Mine’ is the name of the fifth instalment of the DI Joanne Christie series based in Edinburgh. The novel derives from a short story that I had written under the same name, which was due to be published in an anthology of stories based in Ireland. Sadly, the publishers decided to close so the anthology didn’t go ahead, but I liked the story and felt it could be used as the basis of the latest Christie novel. Although the story moved from Ireland to Edinburgh, I decided to keep some Irish characters in the plot as a nod to the original story. Another thing I was proud of, was the fact it was my first attempt at a locked room mystery.

I’m a big fan of this sub-genre of crime fiction, Agatha Christie has included a few in her novels and some of the best crime writers have written them over the years. I am also a big fan of the Jonathan Creek TV series, which brings a lot of the magic of these mysteries to life, if you excuse the horrendous pun. On that note, I had the delight of meeting Alan Davies recently in Edinburgh and managed to resist the urge of attending his event in duffle coat and curly wig.

As well as the main plot to the novel, I added a couple of other investigations to the story which allowed some of the regular characters to work on their own cases. I won’t say too much about these as so not to add any spoilers, but I was delighted how all these threads came together.

Fans of Kevin Curtis (also known as The Chain), will be glad to know that he plays a part in the book also. His retrial date has been set, but there are events that will happen in the run up to this that I hope readers will enjoy experiencing.

The eBook and paperback have been submitted for publication, so by the time you read this, you may be able to purchase them. It sometimes takes a few days for everything to pull through so if you can’t see it yet, you are just too keen! I’ll leave a link in the books section in due course.

Thanks again for reading my blog. If you’re a fan of the Christie series, I hope you enjoy the next one. I have different writing plans for next year, but I may drop a Christie novella later in the year as I love these characters I have created over the last ten years or so.

Jul 2025 – Half Way There – Living on a Prayer

This month’s blog provides an update on my writing progress and a few tips for handling the dreaded ‘Writer’s Block’ which was threatening me earlier this year.

I am officially half way through DI Joanne Christie book number 5 and have made a commitment to write a chapter per week so that it will be completed before the end of October and published later in the year. I mentioned on an earlier blog that the novel comes from a short story that I wrote, that was due to be published in an anthology, before the publishers decided to close their business. I was really proud of the story, a locked room mystery set in Ireland and had been thinking of an alternative way of getting it out.

I had considered changing it to a DI Christie short story and publishing it separately, however, when I rediscovered the story, I started to think about other elements that I could add to the story involving the other characters in the DI Christie series. As these thoughts began to evolve, I knew I had the main thread of the 5th book. I’m quite structured in my length planning, so I usually know how long a book will be and how many chapters it will contain before I start. Hence, I know that I am half way there and now starting the descent of the novel writing mountain.

Part of this planning helps my own writing process, which certainly took a bump earlier in the year following a difficult period. Sometimes, other things are more important than writing and it took me a while to get back into this novel. In recent months I have managed that and have set myself a specific goal to aid that. I’m not sure if it was Writer’s Block exactly, but my tried and tested methods helped me get back on track. As such, I wanted to share how I plan a novel to help me get through the process and perhaps help others who are suffering during their own process.

1 – HAVE A GOOD OUTLINE

Before you start, have a good outline for your novel. Some authors take this to the extremes and have tens, if not hundreds of pages of notes. I’ve not always done this as much as I do now. When I wrote Five Against One, I had no idea who the killer was until I was nearly finished. I like to leave some room for creativity, as sometimes the best ideas happen during the process. More often than not nowadays, I know who the killer is at the start, as it helps with planning red herrings and leaving breadcrumbs for the reader.

2 – BREAK THE NOVEL DOWN TO CHAPTERS AND SCENES

As part of the planning process, I know how many chapters I will write and how long each chapter is roughly. With this word count in mind, I know that each chapter is made up of one very long scene, a couple of longer scenes or a series of shorter scenes. When I am writing my novel, I have two sections that I keep at the bottom of the manuscript document. One is ‘Plot Outline’ where I keep notes of the general plot and add to this as the novel progresses and ‘Next Scenes’ where I note what scenes are coming up. I find this second section helps eliminate Writer’s Block as if I’m not sure where a story is going, I just focus on the next scene. For example, I may have written that the autopsy results are due at a certain time or a particular witness or suspect needs to be interviewed. Having a few future scenes planned helps you move the story forward and, as you write these scenes, others will form in your mind or arise through the story.

3 – TAKE A BREAK

Sometimes a scene just will not progress, regardless of how much you try and force it. If you find yourself staring at the flashing cursor for longer than is healthy, then it’s time for a break. Grab yourself a coffee, go for a walk or just leave it until the next time you plan to write. When taking that break, think what you want to achieve in the scene, or how it can link up to the next scene. Alternatively, think of something major that could happen that will shock the reader. Raymond Chandler’s advice was “when in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand”.

4 – HAVE A TEST READER

I’ve spoken often about my writing brother and test reader, Craig ‘Brodie’ Simpson. Since my debut novel, Alive, was being written, I have shared my WIP with him during the writing process. I don’t tend to change my novels much from the first draft and he makes sure the story makes sense. I generally polish the manuscript during revisions, but the main story tends to stay the same (unless I make a major error, which hasn’t happened yet – to my knowledge!). I do this by sending him the manuscript at the end of every second chapter. This also helps in the process for two main reasons. Firstly, he is waiting patiently for the update and secondly, his positive feedback motivates me to press on. Of course, this may backfire if at any time in the future if he thinks what I am writing sucks.

5 – ENJOY THE PROCESS

Not many of us are fortunate enough to write as their full time jobs. As such, most of us do this for the enjoyment of writing, or that buzz you get when you sell some books, or someone leaves a kind review. For me, just having the opportunity to talk to readers, who have read one of my novels, about the story, gives me a great sense of pride and achievement. If you are struggling, remember you are here to enjoy it. Don’t be afraid to leave a WIP and start something different, or take an extended break from it. Try writing a short story with a different set of characters or even in a different genre. If the story is right, you’ll come back to it – usually with some new and improved ideas.

Thanks again for reading this blog. Hopefully it has been insightful and helpful if you do dabble in the joys of writing. Please remember to subscribe to the blogs, so you get notified each time I post. The DI Christie novels are available via the Books tab as usual.

Jun 2025 – Underrated Christie

Stupidly late for this month’s (or more accurately last month’s) blog, but I’m aiming for ‘averaging’ a blog a month. This month, I wanted to return to Agatha Christie and talk about three of her underrated stories, in my most humble of opinions.

I decided to pick one Poirot, one Marple and one Other for my list, so here we go…

1 – POIROT – Cards on the Table

I do speak a lot about this novel and it is the one that immediately springs to mind when I think of underrated Christie novels (I’ve heard Anthony Horowitz agree with me on a podcast). It has such a simple set up, eight people are invited to play bridge and the host is murdered. One of the players is the murderer and Poirot has to work out who it is. It may be the simplicity of the set up that I love, or it may be that the wonderful Mrs Oliver makes her debut (in a Poirot novel). The characters are gripping and there is the usual twists and turns along the way until we reach a satisfying conclusion. Definitely one worth a read and a good introduction to the Poirot novels, before you consume the more recognisable ones. Of course, the David Suchet adaptation is marvellous.

2 – MARPLE – Nemesis.

Another clever mystery, where Miss Marple is sent on a tour of famous British houses following the death of Jason Rafael. Miss Marple’s inheritance is reliant on the trip and solving of a secret mystery. This is a great and clever story, with a number of shocking incidents along the way and the conclusion is extremely satisfying. I love the Joan Hickson adaptation and the more modern one with Geraldine McEwan was also great, with a fantastic performance from Richard E Grant as Marple’s nephew Raymond West.

3 – OTHER – Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?

Another book that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves and I feel that Bobby Jones and Lady Frances Derwent could have made a great crime fighting duo, but sadly only appear in this novel. A simple premise, a dying man found near a golf course with a cryptic last statement, leads the amateur detectives off in search of answers. I’ve not seen the 1980 adaptation and although I enjoyed the episode that they shoehorned Miss Marple into, Hugh Lawrie’s 2022 adaptation is sensational.

Thanks for reading this quick blog, I’ll aim to get another out shortly to catch up and maintain my monthly blog commitment. Please consider subscribing (for free) to be notified as soon as I release a blog here. Let me know through the socials what your favourite underrated Christie novels are. I’m currently working on DI Christie (named after Dame Agatha) book 5, so if you fancy reading about her, check out the Books tab on this site.

May 2025 – Desert Island Albums

Once again, I’m late for my monthly blog, albeit just a couple of days (should I be able to complete this at the time of writing). I’m returning to my Desert Island series, where I select 8 items from a random topic to discuss. This time, I am looking at some of my favourite albums of all time. For this list, I am referring to studio albums only, I may come back and do a live and/or compilation list at a later date.

With the change in listening habits, I feel that the art of putting together an album may be lost on many. The saving grace appears to be a return to vinyl, which seems to be going through a bit of a purple patch at present, with record shops making a welcome return to many cities, towns and even villages. I was delighted to see one such case in the beautiful village of East Linton, in my county of East Lothian, with the opening of ‘A Love Supreme Records’. It is now becoming my favourite place to visit, with Hometown Coffee and Night Owl Books also located there.

Anyway, on to my list of eight albums, which in my opinion are what the kids call ‘Non-Skippable albums’, where every song in a ‘Banger’. Personally, I would simply say that these are albums to be enjoyed from start to finish…

1 – Dark Side of The Moon by Pink Floyd

No surprises here, as this is often classed as the greatest album of all time. I discovered Pink Floyd in my late teens, but of all their albums, this is the one I go back to. Controversially, there is an almost skippable track with ‘On the Run’, but that is more down to the lack of guitars for me. That said, I let it run so that I can enjoy the piece as a whole. The added joy of being able to listen to the whole album live, in correct order, via the Pulse album is bliss.

2 – Ten by Pearl Jam

Put a gun to my head and I would confess that this is my favourite album of all time. Purchased on its release in 1991, it is an album that I never tire of listening to. Some feel it is over produced, too radio friendly for the grunge era, but I personally think it is perfect. The band have since released some incredible records, but for me the debut still stands above all else.

3 – Strange Kind of Love by Love & Money

James Grant is probably my favourite singer/songwriter and it is a crime against brilliant songwriting that Love & Money were not given the credit (or success) that they deserved. Their second album was the one that my sister first introduced me to in the late 1980s and I’ve been a massive fan of the band, and James as a solo artist, since. There are so many good tracks on this album and I played this to death upon discovering it as well as wearing out my VHS video tape of their Sounds of Eden concert that was shown on the BBC around this time. It is now available to watch on Youtube and yes, I’ve watched it more than a few times since.

4 – Slippery When Wet by Bon Jovi

When my young ears started to listen to rock music, there were two albums that got me hooked, Def Leppard’s Hysteria and Slippery When Wet, Bon Jovi’s third album. Although I may not have been able to separate them at the time, for me, Slippery has aged better than the former. It was the album that made me want to learn guitar and I spend hours trying to emulate Richie Sambora, often failing miserably due to lack of talent and equipment.

5 – Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette

Another album I became obsessed with after it was released. I played the CD constantly and even went as far as obtaining a Japanise import that had an extra live/acoustic disc. I was there just before her popularity exploded and seen her live at the Glasgow Barrowlands, even meeting the band afterwards at the Cathouse. It’s quite sad that this mainly unknown group of musicians that I met that night, included the late Taylor Hawkins. I’ll be going back to see her later in the year with my daughter, 29 years after that memorable gig.

6 – Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos

The album that inspired Alanis, this is a collection of incredable songs, beautifully sang with outstanding piano playing throughout. If my sister introduced me to some of Scotland’s great bands and my eldest brother introduced me to rock and metal, my other brother brought me some of the great female singer/songwriters. Although I hold Kate Bush in higher regard overall, I don’t think any of her albums are as complete at this one.

7 – Iron Maiden – Seventh Son of a Seventh Son

Where many Maiden fans will no doubt mention Number of the Beast, Piece of Mind or Powerslave as the greatest, for me Seventh Son of a Seventh Son is listening joy. From the moment that the strummed acoustic guitar introduction makes way to Moonchild, to the perfection of Intimate Dreams, this album grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go until the end.

8 – Dirt by Alice in Chains

I could have picked Nirvana’s Nevermind or one of the Soundgarden albums, but I think Dirt may be the better album. I came late to Alice in Chains, being more interested in the other three of the ‘Big Four’, but I was wrong. It seems that AIC are getting more credit now than they did at the time and rightly so. The mix of stunning lead vocals, with perfect harmonies, was missing elsewhere in the genre. Dirt stands the test of time and remains as refreshing now to hear than it did back then.

Thanks for reading my blog. These are, of course, my personal choices and many of the greatest albums of all time are missing, but this list comprises eight albums that I could listen to from start to finish on any long journey and not feel the need to skip, forward or zone out at anytime. Songs from some these albums may appear in the current DI Christie novels, with DS Mike Lyle constantly playing many of the classic rock songs throughout the novels. As always, links are in the Books tab should you want to mix classic rock with good Scottish crime stories…

Apr 2025 – My Top 5 Crime Dramas (This Year, So Far…)

It may not come as a surprise that I watch a fair amount of crime drama on television and love nothing more than having a good binge of the latest series of a great show. I tend to watch mostly home based shows as US ones tend to overstay their welcome and often have a stupid amount of episodes per season. I decided to reflect on the best 5 shows that I have been watching this year so far.

5 – The Chelsea Detective

I’ve been catching up with this show having really enjoyed the first series. A change of one of the main characters can sometimes cause issues, but I think this show has maintained its high standard, even with the changes. Adrian Scarborough is an excellent lead actor for this show, playing the part subtly without the need to show off or follow many of the usual traits of a troubled detective.

4 – The Madame Blanc Mysteries

Okay, so this may fall under the ‘guilty pleasure’ heading, but this cosy crime set in France is really good fun. Created, written and staring Sally Lindsay and Sue Vincent, the show has clever mysteries written, within a charming narrative. It has become a bit of a comfort watch over lunchtime and I keep coming back for each new series.

3 – The Marlow Murder Club

You could argue that this is another cosy crime show, but I think that would not be giving the mysteries the justice they deserve. Yes, the amateur sleuths helping the police in a consultancy basis is often a bit far fetched, but the main characters are enjoyable and well portrayed. Samantha Bond, of course, leads the way with perfection.

2 – Grace

A show based on the best-selling book series by Peter James was always likely to be a hit, but getting the casting right was important and this is where the series excels. John Simm was an inspired choice for the lead role, but he is well supported by the rest of the cast.

1 – Annika

I’ve enjoyed this from when it started as a radio show with the exceptional Nicola Walker. I did wonder how it would make the transformation to television and have been greatly impressed. Moving the show to Scotland and to the fictional Marine Homicide Unit didn’t take anything from the original, however, retaining Nicola Walker and maintaining her breaking of the fourth wall in the show was a genius move. By far my favourite show of the year so far.

Thanks again for reading my monthly blog. If you are new here, please subscribe at the home page to be notified of updates. I try and post at least monthly, but occasionally will add extra posts. I won’t however, flood your inbox on a daily or even weekly basis. You can also find my own creations via the Books and Short Stories tabs of this website.

Mar 2025 – Books of My Years

For my latest blog, I decided to take some inspiration from a radio show/podcast called ‘Tracks of My Years’ and take a bookish spin on it. The below list is not of my favourite books of all time (although some may fit into that category), but more the books that shaped me throughout my life and, perhaps, helped me as an author.

1 – MEG & MOG

It may not be the first book I ever read, but I remember this from my early primary school years. Alongside the Mr Men books, this was the first series that really captured my young imagination. I had great joy in purchasing some of the books from the series for my own children and remember this cover particularly well. Perhaps it’s because I was born on Hallowe’en that it has stayed with me.

2 – ALFRED HITCHCOCK & THE THREE INVESTIGATORS

My earlist memory of independent reading and trips to the local library to get these books out. It may have been the catalyst to my love of crime and investigation stories and I loved these more than the more famous Enid Blyton novels. I remember the cover of this one and having it by my bedside to read before I headed off to sleep.

3 – THE SECRET DIARY OF ADRIAN MOLE

I read the first two novels in the series as an early teenager and giggled at the humour throughout. They were then made into a TV series that heightened my enjoyment of them. In recent years, I re-read them and continued with the series, with only the final instalment being savoured for a later date. As enjoyable now, as an adult, as they were back in the 1980’s.

4 – THE FOG

In my mid-teens I started to read the horror novels that were left lying around by my older brothers, but it was James Herbert, rather than the more popular Stephen King, that grabbed my attention. I would read many of his novels, including the Rats trilogy and The Magic Cottage, but it was The Fog that I enjoyed most. Having recently re-read it, it still stands up with the great horror novels, albeit, very much of its time. Not to be confused with the film which had nothing to do with this novel.

5 – TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

When I was reading more, I asked one of my brothers to recommend a ‘grown up book’. Unfortunately, I was too young to get very far with my first attempt at reading this, although I would go on to study the book in high school and it was the stand out of all the books I was made to read in those years. I can admit, unlike many writers, I was not devouring books throughout my school years, my interests lay in the outside world of football and bike rides, but sometimes its hard to ignore a genuine classic, even if your mind was elsewhere.

6 – THE GREEN MILE

I was working in a bank in the city centre of Glasgow when Stephen King released a new serial of what would be 6 short books. I had read a few of his novels at this point, but I was captivated by this story from the very beginning. I feel sad that I no longer own my original copies of the six books, as I had great memories of reading them and sharing them with a colleague at the time. It would also be made into one of the better Stephen King movie adaptations, unlike Thinner which I had previously enjoyed reading.

7 – ALONG CAME A SPIDER

My first real foray into crime fiction came through the first Alex Cross novel. I was gripped by the story and the format of the short chapter novel. I would become a little obsessed with his novels and would buy the new books in hardback as soon as they came out, even meeting him at a book launch once to get my latest copy signed. It was a shame that his success led to a ridiculous amount of releases, and a dilution into being unable to know how much of a book was written by him or his array of co-authors. Although I don’t read him now, I still have respect for the author that brought me to the genre.

8 – LABOUR OF HERCULES

A rather strange place to start my Agatha Christie love and obsession. Not high on the list of her great novels, but during this time I was watching the David Suchet adaptations and loving the characters and stories. I still have many of her novels still to read, but there will always be a place in my heart for the first one. I even have the Penguin edition tea towel of this novel.

9 – ANY HUMAN HEART

With the greatest respect to Dame Agatha, I have to state that William Boyd is my favourite writer. I was introduced to him by my good friend, test reader and writing brother, Craig Brodie Simpson. When we worked together, Craig would often lend me his books and we would meet up to discuss them over lunch after I had read them. When he gave me this novel, I made it to around 100 pages and gave him it back, as I knew I had to buy my own copy. I’ve since purchased all of his novels and read most of them, but this remains my favourite. Boyd himself wrote the screenplay of the excellent TV adaptation of the novel and it will take some beating to knock it off the perch of being my favourite novel of all time.

10 – ALIVE

My debut novel and, at present, my only stand alone book. As much as I love the DI Joanne Christie series, this is where it all started. Encouraged and championed by the aforementioned Craig, it was the novel I wanted to write and the reason why I continue to enjoy writing to this day. I have a feeling that many of the books on this list helped shape this novel, the diary format taken from the Adrian Mole books, the mystery of the crime and investigation novels, perhaps my aim to write characters as well as William Boyd (or at least try). I’m still incredibly proud of this book and although it may be rough around the edges, I think there is heart in the story and a shocking twist or two.

Thank you again for reading my blog. It may be a few days late, but I will try and release these at least monthly, so please subscribe so you are first to hear when I eventually get round to writing them. You can reach out to me on the usual socials (except THAT one) and let me know if you’ve enjoyed any of these books or what books would make your list. Also, if you haven’t read it, have a read of Alive and let me know what you think – hearing reader’s thoughts is the best part of being an author…

Feb 2025 – My Commitment to the Library

This month’s blog comes in a bit later than planned, for which I apologise to anyone who is so keen to hear from me that they may be disappointed. We had a bereavement in the family, so other priorities have taken precedence, however, I will share this one and try to ensure I get March’s blog out before the end of the month.

I’ve been thinking about libraries a lot of late and of how important they are to readers, writers and the local community in general. Most people will have a fond memory of a library or visiting a library, but more and more these tend to be nostalgic recollections from their childhood. With many local councils under pressure to make savings in their budgets, libraries may be at greater risk than previously and this got me thinking, what can I do to support them?

I have used the library consistently for the last ten or so years, however, mainly this has been online or using their eBook catalogue and it has been a while since I actually visited the library building. I decided to change that, and went along to my local library with my daughter and granddaughter. Although it has a decent crime section and the children’s section is marvellous, it’s not the biggest one in the county but I still managed to borrow an Agatha Christie book and a couple of children’s ones for my granddaughter. Shortly before the three week borrowing period, I visited on my own to return the books and made the decision to borrow another. It was at this point I decided to make a commitment.

Regular usage of their facilities may be the best way to ensure these places of comfort and safety for some, remain open. So, if I was to borrow at least one book every time I visited, it may help the cause. Even if, as in this case, it was a deliberately short novel, or one that you may not read, by borrowing a book you are committing to returning within 3 weeks. Get into the habit and try and get others to do the same, and you can make a real difference to the usage of your local library.

I have to confess, that this is just my opinion on the situation, I have no data on the usage of my local library or if it may be under threat of closure, however, I am passionate that as many as possible should remain open. So, I guess the whole purpose of this blog is to ask my readers when was the last time you visited your library and, more importantly, will you join my campaign to borrow more books?

Thanks again for reading this blog. Given the erratic timings of my blogs, please subscribe by adding your email address to the main page of this website, so you get notified when a further rambling is published.