New Posts
Komodo cruise – highs and lows
A Komodo cruise in the rainy season includes ecstatic highs as well as some pretty awful moments. Want a holiday you’ll never forget? This could be it.
20th Century Books: top 100
20th Century Books – one for each year from 1900 to 1999 – which would you choose? How many have you read? And do you agree with the ratings?
Barnaby Rudge – why it is relevant today
“Barnaby Rudge”, written by Dickens in 1841, depicts riots in London in 1780 that echo eerily the storming of the US Capitol in January 2021.
Does Duolingo work?
Does Duolingo work? A professional diplomat tries it out. What is needed to move from Duolingo to fluency?
Christmas books
Christmas books – 15 months after I retired, I have four out. My latest, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Diplomacy” is due on 12 April 2023
“Wolf Hall” and “Bring Up the Bodies”
“Wolf Hall” by Hilary Mantel, and its sequels “Bring up the Bodies” and “The Mirror and the Light” may seem intimidating. But dive in and you will find thrilling, engrossing writing.
Russia-Ukraine War: November update
The Russia-Ukraine war is far from over. As winter draws on, countries supporting Ukraine must maintain unity. That will be tough.
Microcourtesies
Microcourtesies are a counterweight to microaggressions. They are easy and life-affirming. Let’s embrace them.
Gender in fiction: a non-binary US president?
Gender in fiction: can you write a thriller without revealing the gender of key characters? Yes – and it may enhance your book. Here’s how.
The Shallows by Nicholas Carr – the internet and your brain
Nicholas Carr’s “The Shallows” explores why you should put your smartphone in another room and embrace a human being instead. You know this already. But “The Shallows” spells exactly how much harm the Internet is doing to us every minute of every day.
Self-publishing a paperback
Self-publishing a paperback is easy – but a bit more complicated than self-publishing an e-book. In particular the cover, manuscript and pricing need care. A step-by-step guide.
My reading in Vienna 22 October 2022
ll be reading from my Istanbul thriller Palladium in Vienna on Saturday, 22 October. Do put it in your diary if you are in or near Vienna that weekend!
What changes when you retire?
What changes when you retire? I finished as British ambassador to Vienna in September 2021, 42 years after starting work. What have I done since then?
Russia-Ukraine ceasefire: why not?
7 reasons why a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire would not be a good way to stop the horrific killing caused by Russia’s invasion of February 2022
Self-publishing your own book
Self-publishing your own book on Amazon is easy, but you may find a bit of help useful the first time. A simple step-by-step guide.
“The Latest Thing”: Ms N and Tatiana return
“The Latest Thing” is the 12th “Hotel Story”. Ms N, the world’s most brilliant, unpredictable and occasionally homicidal hotelier, must fight off a team of experts sent from HQ to “improve” her hotel…
John Savage in therapy: an interview
John Savage: ‘I won’t talk more about what happened that winter in Moscow. It’s between me, the Office and – I suppose the Russians know the whole story. Moscow was worse for Clare than it was for me. She suffered most. Obviously. She’s dead. I’m alive.’
Resources for writers
Resources for writers on this post include how to write articles and blogs; how to write a novel; dealing with rejection; scenes, sequels and cliff-hangers; editing as you go along – or not – and a selection of writing courses for you to try.
Russia’s war on Ukraine: what’s happening?
Russia’s war on Ukraine has failed on most fronts. But Russian President Putin continues to slaughter vast numbers of his own troops, and Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, in the hope of a military breakthrough. That could yet happen. The top task for countries supporting Ukraine must be to maintain unity for weeks, months or years to come. This will be a challenge.
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