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Getting to grips with the flics

15 keys to One Green Bottle. N° 7: The gendarmes. ‘And the police?’ asked Antoine. ‘Who’s in charge? We’re deep in gendarme territory here.’ To someone not French, that might seem a little opaque. Gendarme… 

What is the nature of the beast?

“What?” she cried. “Surely he wasn’t serious?” “No, Madame,” said Cheng, with an indulgent smile. “It was satire.” When it came to the villain in Mystery Manor, there could only be one nationality – Chinese.… 

The Big Announcement

Release of Perfume Island: 15th November. Now, to those who’ve been following me for a while, that’s not a big announcement, as I’ve set about 8 different release dates over the past 15 months. Like… 

X is for Xavier

Apart from having a name that begins with X, Xavier isn’t an interesting person at all. But he does indirectly lead to Cat Tales, the anthology drawn from last year’s Book a Break short story… 

Potholes and Divans

On behalf of my client, Mme Carole Borde, I hereby inform you that she has lodged a complaint against you for the usurpation of the title of psychotherapist. ‘Does it mean I’ll go to jail?’… 

What's odd about it?

You may find a curious anomaly in this string of words pursuant to my introduction. Gallic? Truly it is, but that is not my point, which is plainly a particularity most odd. Do you spot it?… 

Flics and Flicks

‘And the police?’ asked Antoine. ‘Who’s in charge? We’re deep in gendarme territory here.’ To someone not French, that might seem a little opaque. Gendarme territory? What’s that? Well, actually, it’s simple: in France, you… 

Aston Martins and Broomsticks

15 keys to One Green Bottle. N° 6: The detective plaque. A novel has to be plausible. Not close to the real world, but plausible in the world of the novel. So in Harry Potter’s… 

Z is for Zanzibar

Number 26 in The A to Z of the Writer’s Affliction, part of the A to Z blogging challenge. The tide at Jambiani, Zanzibar, withdraws for half a mile, revealing a vast expanse of beach.… 

M is for Meizius

Number 13 in The A to Z of the Writer’s Affliction, part of the A to Z blogging challenge. Why? Now that’s a good question. Why did I go through Meizius Publishing to bring out…