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#30words30days PART 1
I thought I’d record my entries for September’s #30Words30Days challenge on Twitter / X. Each day had a different theme. Post 1/3 DAY 1 – GROWTH Jack’s mother looked out of the window. Alarmed, she gasped and stepped back. “Your gardening skills show some real growth,” she said. “By the way, have you seen the… Read more
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WHY IS THE TITANIC CAPTAIN’S STATUE IN landlocked LICHFIELD?
In the cathedral city of Lichfield stands the statue of Captain Edward J. Smith, the captain of the Titanic. The statue looks over some distant horizon with its arms folded. Captain Smith looks wise, strong and proud. Why Lichfield? But why is his statue in Lichfield at all? A thirty-minute drive from Birmingham, Lichfield is… Read more
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The Hardy TreE
The story of Thomas Hardy’s Tree provides hope for all aspiring authors. Photograph by David Edgar Thomas Hardy wasn’t always a writer. Before he penned Far from the Madding Crowd and Tess of the D’Urbervilles, he worked as an architect. In the 1860s, his company was commissioned to ensure the smooth passage of a new… Read more
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The Vampire Grave of the Isle of Man
I grew up on the Isle of Man, but I first learned about Matthew Hassal’s vampire grave when I visited this summer. Incongruously for such a terrifying legend, the grave lies in the lovely church graveyard of Malew, just outside the old Manx capital of Castletown. I was lucky enough to catch some decent weather while… Read more
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DO NOT KEEP SILENT
Do Not Keep Silent, my new novel, will be released on Amazon Kindle in early September. Pete Anderson clambered out of an aimless, lost existence, created his own company, became respectable. But success cost him his girlfriend and sense of self. Taking a break, he visits Hong Kong, where he grew up. On Victoria’s Peak,… Read more