The author, his writing and more
I was deeply saddened to read that the high court in England has just ruled to severely curtail, if not forbid, access to puberty blockers for young people under 18 (See the article in The Guardian). This applies to GIDS at the Tavistock Institute, the sole clinic in England working with transgender children.… Read more
One of the suggestions of the author Neil Gaiman in his writing Master Class involved drawing up lists of related words close to the preoccupations of a forthcoming novel. In my experience, being someone who has an inspirational approach to writing, such word lists not only activate a rich store of vocabulary, but also give depth to the subject and nourish the narrative.… Read more
Listen to the author reading The boy who told himself stories.The beginnings of the story…
Even as a kid I used to tell myself stories. All the time. In my bed, at school, on the high street, in the library, on the bus home or the train, out on my bike roaming the countryside.… Read more
One of the fascinating things about imagining the world through the ‘eyes’ of a cloud, something I am obliged to do as I write The Cloud Catcher, is how startlingly different and alien that perspective appears to us humans and how incomprehensible we must seem to a cloud.… Read more
The third book of The Boy & Girl Saga, We Girls, has just been released and is available in ebook format. Links to information about the book, to read sample chapters and to buy your copy can be found here.… Read more
I am currently re-editing the first two books of the Boy & Girl Saga with a view to publishing the third book. When I mention editing, I am not talking about ensuring grammatical accuracy or correct spelling.… Read more
… the manipulation of reality using words and images till reality is no longer anchored to anything but the will of the powerful …
In an excellent little book H.G. Frankfurt writes about bullshit (1). The concept is particularly pertinent at the current moment although the word may be misleading as it is regularly misused.… Read more
On the eve of the official UK departure from the European Union, I am filled with profound sadness. I don’t share the opinion of those who think the debate will magically go away. It will never disappear. There are fundamental tenets involved in the adhesion to Europe that we must continue to defend.… Read more
I have just completed the first draft of We Girls Show the Way, my 14th novel, the third in the Boy & Girl saga. When I began writing this new novel some five months ago, I was sure it would be all about Peter’s dilemma with gender.… Read more
At the Alhambra, Geneva, yesterday evening, Kate Tempest was greeted by a packed, enthusiastic crowd of which I was one. She whipped up a deluge of words and music breaking over us, wave after wave, constantly reminding us, bringing us back to a forgotten fundamental, that language is a union of sounds and sense.… Read more