On Tuesday, almost two years on since I released Idle Threats, I launched my third novel, Life In The Balance. More accurately, I released it over a week ago but chose not to tell anybody. This may appear to be counterintuitive. Why wasn’t I shouting it from the rooftops? The answer is simple, I wanted … More Softly, softly. (The cautious approach to book launches.)
“I might as well talk to the bloody wall. A class of thirty kids and not a sign of life from any of them.” A copy of the Guardian rustled at the other end of the room. Someone marked off one of the last days on the 1985 calendar. “It can’t always have been like … More Leg It (Part thirty-one)
The first punch took me by surprise, the second I saw coming but I could do nothing about. By the time I hit the floor the kicks had started, each one aimed with precision on my temples. Curl into a ball, curl into a ball. I kept telling myself but it was too late, my … More Leg It (Part thirty)
How far would you go to make amends? Manuel Frost is obsessed with right and wrong. Each day he logs good and bad deeds that he witnesses into a ledger that nobody is allowed to see. Each night, if the books don’t balance, he sets out to perform deeds of his own to even them … More Life In The Balance
“Hello Geordie, long time no see.” Mike Teale welcomed an old friend. Mike was in his late forties, overweight but immaculately dressed. His black hair was slicked back; he wore grey slacks and a navy blazer over a pale blue shirt and yellow tie. His brand new Mercedes SLK was parked outside. There was a … More Leg It (Part twenty-nine)
Kev drove around the streets not knowing where he was going. Tomma sat in the passenger seat beside him. “What do you think he knows? He was talking about two bodies.” “I don’t know, Kev. You never liked Burns but nobody did. They can’t pin that on you.” “What about the other body though? How … More Leg It (Part twenty-eight)
Big, heavy raindrops lashed the windscreen as I drove along the seafront. Two minutes ago the sun had been shining and then the black clouds appeared and the heavens opened. It seems to have done nothing but rain since I came home. I thought to myself. Through the rain I could make out the blurred … More Leg It (Part twenty-seven)
You’ve decided on your cubicle and entered with the minimum of fuss. Now what? The advent of mobile phones has been a game changer in the world of on pot entertainment but some people are still old school and prefer traditional reading material. As an author I am all for people buying books to read … More Creating a stink (Toilet etiquette part two).
We met up the next day, dismayed that there hadn’t been any strikes on the news the previous night. We had to make the slogans up ourselves. “Builders go away,” suggested Elvis. “Stick your houses up your bum,” said Bumper. We all laughed at this one. Except Gilbert who was a bit concerned at the … More Leg It (Part twenty-six)
Carter knocked on the door and waited. He avoided the doorbell as he knew it played the theme from the Godfather. He waited patiently and eventually Claire came to the door. Her hair was scraped back in a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing any make up although she did have on a pair of dark … More Leg It (Part twenty-five)
