Category: Books

  • Research: It’s a damn odd job but someone’s got to do it.

    Writing requires research. The adage ‘write what you know’ holds very true but I agree with those who say that, in this day and age when information is so easy to find, the adage ‘know what you write’ is truer. It is perfectly possible to write short stories, articles and novels without any research. The…

  • If Heaven was a corporation

      In our novel, Satan loses his job and is given ‘indefinite leave’ which he is forced to spend on Earth. Such a premise requires that the realm of the afterlife, perhaps both heaven and hell, is run rather like a private company or a large public corporation. The afterlife story arc that runs through…

  • Foodie Fun

    Fish and Chips, foodie style I am starting work on a new chapter. Clovenhoof (our earth-bound Satan) is having a dinner party. His own favourite food is Findus Crispy Pancakes, but he’s been persuaded, in part by his desire to impress a woman and also by his own inclination to show off, to take on…

  • When real people turn fictional

    Inspiration comes from all manner of sources. This is an almost verbatim transcript of an e-mail conversation Heide and I have been having over the past week or so. Heide: I realised last night that for a couple of weeks or maybe more I have unconsciously been picturing Simon from BWG [Birmingham Writers’ Group] when…

  • Hell’s Vision & Mission statement

    Every organisation worth its salt has a vision and a mission statement. The vision is how they’d like to see themselves, and the mission statement should say, at the highest level how they plan to get there. Here’s a couple of possibilities for Hell: VISION To be the provider of choice for corrective torment. To…