Light at the End

I started this year by returning to Selena: Sea Nymph, which I still find a challenge, which is just as it should be. I am, however, already ten chapters (30k words) in with McLennan, my next thriller.

To date, I’ve never considered myself to be affected by ‘Writer’s Block’ because, for many years, I’ve maintained multiple projects. I always have a primary Work in Progress and at least one (but usually two) other writing projects.

Some authors say they can’t move from one story to another, but I rest my work often and for long enough to make this possible and desirable. When I ‘rest’ my work it can be for two weeks or more. Apart from reading and reviewing, I might draw, paint, bake, complete a domestic project (like building a new garden gate or bird table), or head off with our caravan. Whatever else I do, there is always the need to write.

Within weeks of this new year beginning, I was making a list of possible content for A Life of Choice: The Retail Years,* which is a follow-up to my popular A Life of Choice series.

As recently as this week, while revising poems in my Natural History volume, I considered it might be worthwhile to produce a paperback edition. Poetry: Volume 3 – Natural History contains 45 poems, so I believe it would need to be increased to at least 60 or 70 poems to work as a paperback.

The new verses are underway, and when they’re ready, I’ll add them to the digital edition and also create the paperback. Apart from my Light at The End books, my natural history writing is possibly the only genre I’d recommend for those under 18.

However things work out, I’m confident that this year, I’ll produce at least one new title and possibly a second.

I sincerely thank my regular readers for taking an interest and supporting my brand. If you’re new to my writing, I hope you’ll soon become one of my valued readers. Thank you for checking out my blog.

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*A Life of Choice: The Retail Years. The Foreword and first chapter, 1. One Door Closes are available in my Work in Progress menu.

In mid-September I spent a week up in Scotland—in the picturesque Highland village of Pitlochry. It was an appropriate place to finish off the first full editing session of Codename: Foxglove. Dominique (Foxglove), went there to visit her mentor, Rachel (Codename: Nightshade).

The Foxglove story will rest until mid-October, and from then it will undergo at least three further sessions with two-week breaks between. If it feels ready, I aim to send it out to beta readers in late November. When published, this tale will bring the Beyond The Law stories to a close, so, as might be expected, it will be done with a heavy heart, but by the same token, some series’ run their course. I’d like the final story to be a worthy conclusion to the tales which started life as a single experimental poem about a man who was compelled to end his military career.

Pitlochry saw several scenes from Codename: Nightshade which involved the Mental Riders Motor Cycle Club among others. Characters from both sides of the line came unstuck in a big way in the village. Locations like the filling station, a (renamed) bar on the main road, a large hotel, a car park, and the railway station all held a special significance for me. I travelled along the road which was used in a car and motorbike chase and felt justified in having used the route in the scenes.

While in Scotland, I visited Braemar which featured in Beyond the Law: Retribution. As the author of action scenes, death and mayhem, it creates a peculiar feeling to be on site and imagine what took place in my imaginary world.

Apart from those places I also spent a day at Aviemore and on several of the countryside routes in the area. Here, of course, I was reminded of the characters from my Light at The End trilogy, and in particular my heroine from the spinoff, Sylvia.

In visits to Glasgow, my home town, I’ve enjoyed the ‘sense of place’ when thinking back to the Beyond The Law trilogy, and in recent visits to Edinburgh I sensed the presence of Bryce, and several other characters from Czech Mate.

A knowledge of the locations used in stories complements the imagery and to a certain extent, the action. Returning to ‘real’ places after the job is done is a surreal experience and provides a healthy dose of satisfaction—I’d recommend it to fellow authors.

Thank you for indulging me with your time and comments.

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