Write I mean! On trains and buses, boats and rooftops, beaches, balconies and the bottom of the sea, we writers will do it anywhere (get your minds out of the gutter please!) I'm sure you know what it's like to have the Muse (or just the need to flex those writing muscles) strike at an... Continue Reading →
I Bought the Final Discworld Novel
Well, I had to didn't I? The final Discworld novel. After this, there will be no more. I knew this day would come eventually, but it shouldn't have come so damn soon. I've started reading it and it's just as good as I expected albeit tinged with bittersweetness in every word. One day I shall... Continue Reading →
Exploring Highgate Cemetery
Highgate East cemetery is one of the biggest and oldest graveyards in London. It's split into two sides, East and West. Both sides are open to visit for a fee - but the West requires a tour, whilst the East lets you wander at will. The cemetery was one of a number built and run... Continue Reading →
Poetry – The Torch is not the Only Guide
If the darkness has found you, fear not. If it caresses your ears with cold, velvet words, you may listen without tremor. If it clasps and twists your body, you can move with it unbound. If it blackens your vision, close your eyes and make it blacker still. The darkness knows one path, so pull... Continue Reading →
Are you a Digital Hoarder?
When I was younger, I was a bit of a hoarder. In my tiny bedroom, I kept a number of collections, from the usual (stamps, boxes, dolls) to the slightly weirder (sugar cubes from our family holidays). Everything was organised but there was still a lot of it and not all of it was really... Continue Reading →
An Open Fan Letter to Sir Terry Pratchett
I recently started reading Terry Pratchett's latest book 'Raising Steam', with a slightly heavy heart. Not because I didn't think I'd enjoy it, I knew I would, but because each new book brings us a bit closer to the time where there will be no more new books. He has a very rare form of... Continue Reading →
Books That Get Under Our Skin – Literary Tattoos
The classic horror aficionados amongst you will recognise the quote above from Bram Stoker's "Dracula". The tattoo and the arm it sits on belong to my friend Kasi. This is her favourite line from her favourite book, and it's now permanently embossed on her skin. Literary tattoos are hugely popular. There are plenty of websites... Continue Reading →
Following Harry Potter – A Visit to Lacock Abbey
A while back I visited Lacock Abbey. Now yes it is well known as the place where William Talbot made the earliest known surviving example of a photographic negative in 1835 but more importantly, they filmed scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Chamber of Secrets and Half-Blood Prince there. There are also a number of... Continue Reading →
A Nightmare to Remember
We've been away for a few days in the wilds of Dartmoor, an area thick with inspiring scenery and mythology. Our home away from home was an manor house turned hotel, complete with roaring fires, wood panelling, a cosy library - and possibly a ghost or two. I'm not sure if it was the hotel... Continue Reading →
Take a trip to Zozoville
"A platform for freaks, misfits, and the occasional well balanced individual." This is Zozoville. Zozoville is a collaboration between Johan Potma and Mateo Dineen. I encountered their work on a trip to Berlin where they and the Zozoville Gallery are based. Walking through a small craft market in the museum district, I noticed a stall... Continue Reading →
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