Just added a new photo page showing our recent Kenyan Safari and trip. Most of the photos are of the safari continuing my wildlife theme on a dedicated page here. Our trip was with Secret Escapes and is still available here
On Tuesday 3rd we said goodbye to Merlot our 12 year old border collie
Conqueror of weather, mountains, tennis balls, and long walks. Life’s too short sometimes.
After much deliberation I have decided to unpublish Semblance of Storms. Initial feedback has led me to believe that the book needs some major reorganisation and probably slimming down.
Activity to remove it from various platforms will be ongoing
The book will return when I have completed this task. Any questions please contact me via feedback or comment.
Sail Chains countdown is on so get it whilst you can
Sail Chains is on a Kindle Countdown deal from today until 19th November
Captain Tom Larring barely escaped alive from a mission in Afghanistan. He now has another task. Effi Miani has been undercover in the Middle east but is needed for the same operation. Together they must find Bravo-One-One who is the highest priority target for MI6. He is believed to be building a chemical weapon in Northwest Pakistan. A previous MI6 operation has already failed. A leak or a traitor inside MI6 may have destroyed that mission, so extra precautions must be taken otherwise, this team will also fail.
Tom and Effi need a faultless back story before embarking on their mission. The operation needs financing and a cover story. The help of a former disgraced MI6 officer, Michelle Houston, and her lover, Hugh Turnbill, is sought. They successfully control the laundering of black funds for the security services whilst sailing clear of the security services. Some of the MI6 leadership wants to gain direct control of the money and the couple, despite previous agreements. They want that control regardless of the risks to the operations in Pakistan. They think they may get leverage using two former teenage runaways connected to the couple.
The hunt for whoever leaked the information continues. Suspicions are raised. The internal security team needs to prevent the traitor putting the financiers and the operation at risk. An MI5 team is on the trail of a suspicious Saudi diplomat. He may be connected to Bravo-One-One.
Closed missions should not be re-opened. The NSA and GCHQ are monitoring and tracing communications using secret programmes and techniques, but some secrets should not be shared with allies.
Sailing Clear countdown is on so get it whilst you can
Sailing Clear is on a Kindle Countdown deal from today until 12th November
Sailing Clear is a thriller about missing girls, missing money, a missing man, luxury motor yachts and the people chasing them.
An old MI6 undercover mission to prevent terrorists entering the UK via sex trafficking routes goes wrong. The undercover agent is assigned to a new role.
A man lost in the shadows manages the hidden finances of the security services but dreams of a better life sailing the Mediterranean. When he runs off he is hunted, but he may have been killed by an organised crime leader. The police are assigned to find him.
Two sisters run away to Greece escaping from the sexual abuse of their father.
The characters intersect as the hunt commences. Then, the various security services need to find options to deal with the fallout.
The undercover agent now in her new planning role, is assigned to trace the missing financier, but a corrupt cop may give them all away.
Semblance of Storms will be published in Kindle and Paperback format on 1st November via Amazon
Formally called Written I made a last minute change of title and associated cover – so here it is…
All that is required, by his publishers is to write a fourth book, not like the flop that was his third. His successful first two books bought him fame, some fortune and disputes with his terminally ill father. He wants his son to help with his half-sister. If only her mom, wouldn’t give confusing messages on what she wants; possibly him. A family friend and lawyer will help, as he always has done but there are secrets in his past too.
His new book will be a tale of boy meets girl in his usual elaborate and descriptive style. His agent, wants him to produce it soon but he has his own pressures from his new investors. There might be a movie deal to be negotiated. The new investor is represented by an attractive woman who is infamous for other reasons.
His editor, wants him to finish the book so she can stop his publisher asking for the advance back. She hopes he has written something as good as his first published book. He does too. He needs to concentrate on writing this book not drafting anything else. Old lost, and possible new loves and lusts, keep distracting him. The idle beach lifestyle diverts him as do post pandemic visitors.
Just when he begins to make progress on the last chapters a hurricane approaches his home in North Carolina. If he goes to visit his father, another storm may await in Houston. His neighbor and that family add further complications and secrets that need to be hidden or avoided, especially from the FBI.
WIPs are works in progress otherwise known as the trials and tribulations of writing.This is the never ending search for the next book to read. Reading requires authors to write stories, meaning me, in this case. I look with envy at other writers with seemingly endless series that all seem to sell well, judging from the number of reviews they receive. My only criticism is the formulaic nature of the stories; however, it’s a formula that sells.
I’ve been wading through several linked series by Mark Dawson covering the John Milton character and two spin off stories with their own series – over thirty books I think. I’ve also been enjoying Mick Herron’s Slough House series. It is a recent Apple TV+ drama, renamed as Slow Horses from the title of the first book in the series. Having read that, I must congratulate the TV makers in their adherence to the story.
My own progress has been slow in completing my Coming Soon list. This remains a longer list on the dedicated page on this site. It also includes additions to one series. Except my sci-fi Space Opera The Observers, none of my books set out to be series.
As long as we don’t define soon, as anytime this decade, the tales may appear! It is high time I updated the list on the main page. Perhaps, it might lead to more focus on the actual writing. If I list what I have actually been working on rather than hoping to work on, progress may be inspired.
Showing some possible cover choices too. The other coming soon books have not gone away in terms of I have not thrown the files away. The list below is in closest to publication order but this of course can change.
Other books remain as WIP, including the third part of The Observers story. That has stalled. The never-ending search for the sequel to To The Survivors continues. It gets occasional single line updates.
Editors Note – Now renamed and published 1st November 2022 as Semblance of Storms
A novel of writing, lust, storms, secrets and relationships – A major effort and close to completion. It’s huge (for me). I have also tried to release it (so far unsuccessfully) via a formal route with literary agents etc. The draft blurb is below and will be on the dedicated page for Written when it is published
All that is required, by his publishers is to write a fourth book, not like the flop that was his third. His successful first two books bought him fame, some fortune and disputes with his terminally ill father. He wants his son to help with his half-sister. If only her mom, wouldn’t give confusing messages on what she wants; possibly him. A family friend and lawyer will help, as he always has done but there are secrets in his past too.
His new book will be a tale of boy meets girl in his usual elaborate and descriptive style. His agent, wants him to produce it soon but he has his own pressures from his new investors. There might be a movie deal to be negotiated. The new investor is represented by an attractive woman who is infamous for other reasons.
His editor, wants him to finish the book so she can stop his publisher asking for the advance back. She hopes he has written something as good as his first published book. He does too. He needs to concentrate on writing this book not drafting anything else. Old lost, and possible new loves and lusts, keep distracting him. The idle beach lifestyle diverts him as do post pandemic visitors.
Just when he begins to make progress on the last chapters a hurricane approaches his home in North Carolina. If he goes to visit his father, another storm may await in Houston. His neighbor and that family add further complications and there are more secrets to hide or avoid, especially from the FBI.
The third part of the Sailing series with Sailing Clear and Sail Chains already out. The first chapters have been completed. The plot is outlined and progressing.
A follow up to Counter – first chapters completed Ben and Helen return a few years after the events in Counter.
A time travel sci-fi – first chapters written
A short story which is almost finished
Just added some photos from two USA trips, both to Charlotte, North Carolina. These were the 2nd and 3rd trips to the city to visit our daughter. The pre-pandemic first trip details can be found here
The first in December 2021 somewhat constrained by COVID tests and restrictions. It featured Christmas, New Year, and the highlight, the engagement of our daughter. The proposal at sunset on the beach in Ocean Isle. The trip included the first physical and very emotional meeting with her thanks to the global pandemic for a few years.
In June 2022, we returned for our first trip in Summer. Despite airline delays and lost baggage, thanks to AA and BA not assisted by Heathrow and JFK, we had a great time. We also headed up into the Blue Ridge mountains another contrast in Summer from the cold of winter and in other photos. Our previous trip to the mountains at Christmas 2018 featured snow and storms before the cold of Washington. This time we paddled in waterfalls.
Out of hundreds of photos taken with family and friends, I’ve selected a few to share to a wider audience. The contrast with winter was not just the average temperatures but the greenery of the scenes.
Charlotte is a rapidly expanding city with new housing and businesses seemingly everywhere. No wider trips on this visit except up to the mountains.
Today 31st March is a strange day. Following redundancy I have decided to retire from full-time employment. I wish I could say my working life has No Regrets like the song but there have been many. I didn’t do it all My Way either despite many positives.
I started full time work with a small company called Microwave Associates as an electronics technician before moving to British Aerospace testing missile components – which could be a lot of fun – I had a penchant for blowing things up.
I joined the Royal Air Force and was commissioned in time for the end of the Falklands War, luckily I didn’t go down there until later.
After 17.5 years I left to start a civilian career. I had lots of jobs with lots of different companies, some so-called permanent roles and then may engagements was a contractor. Some contractor roles lasted longer than the permanent ones. That was before returning to full time for the last ten years or so and now that has come to an end.
Of course, never say never, but… I have hectic plans for the next few months, and a very long list of things that I have been putting off. Now, I may I have more time. I’ll continue to write whenever I can or get the urge.
I’ll still take photos and post some. I hope to get my guitar and piano back to a decent standard (Not much hope there). Perhaps, I will finish digitising old photo albums.
My much better half has a few things planned, and we have travel plans too. Perhaps another long distance walk, now the memory of the pain of the last few days of South Downs has dimmed.
All these plans depend on maintaining our health and keeping finances in budget.
This is a time to reflect, and I have been over the last few weeks. The clock has slowly ticked down. No more email and Teams meetings. No more deadlines and fighting corporate bureaucracy. I will miss work colleagues, but I won’t miss late night go-lives or security incidents.
None of us know how long we’ll have left to enjoy life. I certainly intend to enjoy what time I do have without worrying about booking leave and making sure that task is complete. So, a new chapter begins. That reminds me I need to get writing….
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