Racism vs(?) Antisemitism
Is there a difference between anti-semitism and racism? The Labour Party have suspended Diane Abbot as an MP following her comments in a letter to the Observer. She wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice", which she said is...
Seven Best Quotes on Writing
Why seven best quotes on writing? My publicist Brian Feinblum posted some advice on blog posts for selling books today. He says you have to have a catchy title like seven best, 6 ways to, 9 benefits of, etc. I thought I’d try following his advice, so here goes. I’ve...
Vikings and the Irish
Brian Boru defeated the Vikings in Ireland on this day in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf. It must have been quite a battle because all the leaders died. It wasn’t simply a battle between the Irish and the Vikings, because the Vikings were allied to the Irish king of...
Bullying and Parliament
Dominic Raab has been found to have engaged in bullying as a minister and has resigned. He seems to have some issues with the definition of bullying. As a writer, I always reach for the Oxford English Dictionary when a definition is required. The OED says that a bully...
Scientists of Sir Anthony Standen’s Lifetime
I don’t claim that this is an exhaustive list of scientists contemporary with Sir Anthony Standen. It’s more of a tasting menu, with each scientist chosen because they relate to the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures in some way. The place to start must be Galileo...
Pointless and Dying Phrases
Claire and I often watch Pointless in the afternoon. It’s a quiz show hosted by Alexander Armstrong. The format is to try and choose an answer that is the most obscure correct answer. One of the rounds today were clues to phrases which are rapidly dying out. We were...
Corsham Writers, Raymond Chandler, & Duck Soup
I attended my second meeting of the Corsham Writers Workshop on Thursday. As with my first meeting, it was a delight to chat with other writers. There were a couple of writers new to the group, and a long standing member who hadn’t been at the first meeting I...
Facebook Friends and Profile Hacking
Brian Feinblum gave me some book publicity coaching last year. He asked me how many facebook friends I had, to which my reply was around twenty. “That’s hopeless, you need thousands’, he replied. He also gave me some tips on how to achieve that, which I have been...
Wordle Strategy
Claire and I start most days with the New York Times Wordle puzzle. Then we move onto Quordle. Finally, after completing Sudoku, I feel my brain is ready for writing or researching. Judging by my facebook friends, Wordle is very popular. I post my results and then my...
Racism vs(?) Antisemitism
Is there a difference between anti-semitism and racism? The Labour Party have suspended Diane Abbot as an MP following her comments in a letter to the Observer. She wrote that Irish, Jewish and Traveller people “undoubtedly experience prejudice", which she said is...
Seven Best Quotes on Writing
Why seven best quotes on writing? My publicist Brian Feinblum posted some advice on blog posts for selling books today. He says you have to have a catchy title like seven best, 6 ways to, 9 benefits of, etc. I thought I’d try following his advice, so here goes. I’ve...
Vikings and the Irish
Brian Boru defeated the Vikings in Ireland on this day in 1014 at the Battle of Clontarf. It must have been quite a battle because all the leaders died. It wasn’t simply a battle between the Irish and the Vikings, because the Vikings were allied to the Irish king of...
Bullying and Parliament
Dominic Raab has been found to have engaged in bullying as a minister and has resigned. He seems to have some issues with the definition of bullying. As a writer, I always reach for the Oxford English Dictionary when a definition is required. The OED says that a bully...
Scientists of Sir Anthony Standen’s Lifetime
I don’t claim that this is an exhaustive list of scientists contemporary with Sir Anthony Standen. It’s more of a tasting menu, with each scientist chosen because they relate to the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures in some way. The place to start must be Galileo...
Pointless and Dying Phrases
Claire and I often watch Pointless in the afternoon. It’s a quiz show hosted by Alexander Armstrong. The format is to try and choose an answer that is the most obscure correct answer. One of the rounds today were clues to phrases which are rapidly dying out. We were...
Corsham Writers, Raymond Chandler, & Duck Soup
I attended my second meeting of the Corsham Writers Workshop on Thursday. As with my first meeting, it was a delight to chat with other writers. There were a couple of writers new to the group, and a long standing member who hadn’t been at the first meeting I...
Facebook Friends and Profile Hacking
Brian Feinblum gave me some book publicity coaching last year. He asked me how many facebook friends I had, to which my reply was around twenty. “That’s hopeless, you need thousands’, he replied. He also gave me some tips on how to achieve that, which I have been...
Wordle Strategy
Claire and I start most days with the New York Times Wordle puzzle. Then we move onto Quordle. Finally, after completing Sudoku, I feel my brain is ready for writing or researching. Judging by my facebook friends, Wordle is very popular. I post my results and then my...