The author, his writing, photography and more
Confronted with ‘alternative facts’, it’s reassuring to compare them with what we know to be fact. However, fact is not so easily distinguishable from fiction as the following extract illustrates.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Confronted with the so-called ‘alternative facts’ of politicians and others in positions of influence and the deep-seated anxiety they can provoke, it’s reassuring to compare their fabrications with the truth of the reliable reality we call fact.… Read more
Inspired by the construction of an incongruous object, this fable explores the arcane workings of imaginary local politics. Inspiré par la construction d’un objet incongru, ce fable explore les arcanes d’une politique locale imaginaire.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The pyramidal flying-saucer was perched atop a stout pole that resembled a launching pad.… Read more
Based on my own novels, some elements of a possible framework for writing aimed at sparking future narratives in readers.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
In my article Stories for the Future, I wrote: By hinting at possible narratives, fiction can be a powerful tool for change.… Read more
Carefully crafted stories can help stave off anxiety due to uncertainty about the future by inspiring individual narratives of ways forward.
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Anxious? It’s hard not to be. Just turn on the radio or the television or browse the Internet, the news is an unending tale of woe.… Read more
The division between boy and girl is not as immutable as many would have us believe. Yet, in the rigid adherence to their beliefs such people can inflict great harm as this extract from Colourful People illustrates.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
The division between boy and girl may seem self-evident, biologically speaking.… Read more
Crossdressing is a widespread practice that is little understood. The male-to-female crossdresser, who differs from a transgender woman, has a palette of roles to chose from. But what impact does this playing with apearences have on our relationship to reality?
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
You could say we are all playing roles in our lives, if only by unconsciously limiting our behaviour and dress to conform with the expectations that go with a profession or a role as husband, wife, parent or whatever… But for some people the roles they play and how they dress for them are more consciously and deliberately fashioned and acted out.… Read more
The diversity of the stories I tell is too complex to be shunted into convenient, saleable categories, but there are identifiable underlying forces that characterise what I write…
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Each of my novels is born of the fountain of story fragments that are constantly bubbling up inside me.… Read more
The colourful wave of gender diversity will ultimately triumph against those who would eliminate it, but care is needed to protect Colourful People from becoming victims of the change.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
When I read about the wave of right-wing dominated legislations around the world scrambling to pass anti-LGBTQ laws (1), I’m reminded of King Canute, so sure of himself as he sits on his throne perched on the beach, water lapping inexorably around his feet, ordering the tide to go back.… Read more
So you don’t like fiction. Yet your lives are criss-crossed with stories of your own invention. Fiction has its advantages. It offers an intimate glimpse into unfamiliar perspectives like that of the Colourful People struggling with their gender identity.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The following questions and responses were inspired by reactions to my newsletter entitled, A touch of colour – a new novel in the making.… Read more
Click to read an extract from the beginning of Colourful People, the 4th book of the Boy & Girl Saga.
Gina shaved the last of the hair from her head, tossing the blond curl to the floor. She squeezed a generous dose of baby oil into the palm of her hand and massaged it into her scalp, delighting in the smoothness of her skin.… Read more