by David West | Jan 6, 2024 | News
Does a spreadsheet have a role in creative writing? Spreadsheets are for numbers, right? Well I’m using one for my fifth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, working title, The Favourite Murder. I know it sounds crazy, but let me explain. I’ve posted about the...
by David West | Dec 29, 2023 | News
Last night Claire and I watched The Greatest Showman for the first time, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m sure you all know that it’s the fictionalised, musical biography of P.T. Barnum. At the end there is a quotation by Barnum which reads, “the noblest art is that of...
by David West | Dec 26, 2023 | News
Boxing Day seems to be a day when a lot happens. King Lear was first performed on this day in 1606 for king James I. I’m not a fan of King James. He had my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen imprisoned in the Tower of London. You can read all about it in The Spy who Sank...
by David West | Dec 24, 2023 | News
On the 24th December 563 the Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was dedicated for the second time having been destroyed by an earthquake. The original church was commenced under the direction of Constantine I and consecrated by his son Constantius II in...
by David West | Dec 23, 2023 | News
Today’s murder became known as the Day of the Dagger. On the 23rd December 1588 the bodyguards of King Henri III of France stabbed to death the king’s main rival, Henri Duke of Guise. The late 16th century was a turbulent period in France, marked by deep religious...
