Category: Fiction

Last week I attended the inaugural “Dart Speak – A Writers Open Mic” at the Dart Gallery. I’d intended to read a short passage from Ocean’s Lure, but several people present asked if I could read something from my work-in-progress, Picture This. Like Ocean’s Lure, Picture This is a contemporary romance. A mid-twenties model, out… Continue reading Picture This Prologue

I’m still on track for releasing Ocean’s Lure this spring. The book is currently with an editor. Although there were several beta readers (thank you!), I decided to invest in a professional edit. Apart from wanting to make sure the text is as error-free as possible, as an editor myself I feel it would be… Continue reading Ocean’s Lure Update

I’ve added a new short story to my site. It’s a page, not a post, which means no automatic notification or listing of new blog content. Hence this note, announcing it. A time-travelling assassin is challenged by his latest assignment: Go to “NYC Tenement Feb/02/1935”

During three decades of part-time university studies, I developed an interest in the social, industrial, and technical forces that shape the content and understanding of films. Various aspects of the subject continue to fascinate me, which explains why I still research and write about film classification systems, why I recently bought a Laserdisc player, and… Continue reading Studying Romance Novels

Some years ago, if I made what was considered an irrelevant or pointless remark at the dinner table, the response was “What does that have to do with the price of rice in China?” At the time, I was not acquainted with the butterfly effect, or chaos theory, so I could not make the only… Continue reading The Price of Rice in China

This review includes spoilers. Season of Love is a 2019 Mirabooks (Harlequin) release. It contains two previously published novels, Thanksgiving Prayer from 1984 and Christmas Masquerade from 1985. Both are by Debbie Macomber. Last year I read her recently republished book, This Matter of Marriage, from 1997, and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward… Continue reading Time out of Joint: Season of Love Book Review

Later this year I hope to publish a romance novel. After considering many factors, I’ve made the decision to self-publish. My novel is unlikely to be purchased by a traditional publisher. The story, through firmly in the romance genre, is not ‘written to market,’ which is, in any event, apparently both over-saturated and dead. I’ve… Continue reading How do you know?

In a month or two I’ll be looking for beta readers for this romance novella (about 48,000 words). Meanwhile, here’s chapter 1. Have a look, and let me know if you find it a) interesting enough to finish, and b) interesting enough to see what comes next. Looking forward to your comments. Thanks! “It’s going… Continue reading Sandcastle Rock Beach – Chapter 1