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Yesterday I received my copy of Writers’ Forum through the mailbox, and opened it with the same enthusiasm it produces each month. I thought the ‘Prize Letter’ in the Readers’ Letter page was particularly good, but then I would, because it was mine.

My fuel tank ... and a message. — My fuel tank … and a message.

Apart from having my letter, ‘Chapter and Verse’, published, I had other reasons to be pleased about the event. First, it means I’ve won a year’s subscription to the magazine, but in my letter there is the subtle mention of my thriller, ‘Beyond The Law’, and my website. We need all the publicity we can get – right!

Today, I received an email from Robert Grieve Black, author of ‘Jammy Dodgers’ and several other books, all available on Amazon. Like me, Robert is a Glasgow man, which comes through in his writing. He wrote, in response to my review of Jammy Dodgers, which just goes to prove, you can get feedback on feedback. Check out Robert’s writing.

What am I working on? I’m still giving every spare moment to ‘Amsterdam Calling’. Instead of some simple notes, I’ve written a full cast of characters, a family tree, places of interest, and of course a comprehensive synopsis.

My next coffee is calling …

Top to bottom: Zak Tracey, Derek Nicholson, John Rowley, Mick Bush, Sandy Shaw, Dave Crisp (RCT), Jim Farrell, Me, The chef, an u/k RCT driver

For over a year now, I’ve been doing a three-day working week at my retail assistant job, so most of my time is spent writing, which is how I like it. Imagine my shock and delight, when on 15th January, into the store, walks a man I last saw 38 years ago.

Top to bottom: John Worsell, Mick Bush, Jim Farrell, Dave Crisp, John Rowley, me

In 1976 when I left the city of Londonderry, I was a Private soldier, and my Troop Commander was Captain Les Fox. Why, might you ask, after such a long time would I still remember him? In all of my 23 years in the military, he was one of only a handful of men, (and the only officer), that I worked hard to impress. Sadly, he’s not included in the photo I’ve used in this post, but he was there with us, on the Mull of Kintyre on a memorable two-week exercise in 1975.

Still ‘looking back’, in December 2013, sales of my crime novel, ‘Beyond The Law’; were in double figures for the month, and copies of my poetry books sold too, so it was a good month.

I’m presently making headway with my next romance novel, ‘Amsterdam Calling’, which is due for publication in June this year. The second draft is going well; the characters are behaving, and I’m happy with the places of interest I’ve been able to include in the tale. My son Andrew has agreed to lend his expertise in producing the cover, which removes a lot of pressure. Apart from being important, the cover is a very personal thing, but I trust Andrew implicitly, especially after the cover he produced for, ‘Beyond The Law’.

With regard to ‘looking forward’, I am more eager than ever, to get back to work on my next big project, ‘A Life of Choice’; which is a fictional tale, using many of my own experiences, and those of others from my military service. Meeting Les Fox again, has provided me with the incentive I needed, to get working on my fact-based fiction story.

For now, I must get back to Amsterdam …