You may remember that in November I had a spot of bother with my heart. My symptoms started appearing whilst in London for the Checkatrade Cup Final in March 2019. After months of tests, a coronary angiography showed that I had two serious blockages, a 90% one in my LAD (Left Anterior Descending) and a … More Achy Breaky Heart (Part two)
How to survive Coronavirus and other crises. … More How to survive a crisis
As has become tradition, here is my review of last year. A – Arvon. My week long residential writing course gave me a new insight into how to finish my novel. B – Burying Reggie. The working title for novel number five. C – Cultural Development Fellowship. I was awarded one. Thanks Sunderland Culture. D … More My A-Z of 2019
Anyone working in creative circles will tell you that the hardest part of the job is making it pay. We all love what we do but turning it into a living wage can be troublesome. I’ve done alright. I’ve self-published four novels and along with running workshops and doing various other projects, I’ve scraped a … More My week at Arvon
“Don’t tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don’t think he’d understand.” Being a fan of Sunderland, there’s been plenty of heartbreak, it comes with the territory. As we went into penalties at Wembley in March following an injury time equaliser, the bloke next to me said “I don’t think my heart can … More Sunderland and my Achy Breaky Heart.
My train’s at half nine so I’m getting the Metro at eight, just in case. I set my alarm for six this morning, in fact I set two alarms, just in case. I was wide awake at half five so there was no need for alarms anyway. If you hadn’t already guessed, I’m off to … More Won’t Be Home For Tea
It’s been a while since my last blog, I’ve been a busy man. Since Troll Life was published in October, I’ve been focussing on my fifth novel. Normally I would have it all planned out in the break between first draft and editing of my previous one but that hasn’t been the case this time … More First drafts and the Millfield Morrissey. (What I’ve been up to recently.)
My A-Z of 2018 (The Highlights) A – Amazon Review – This review of Troll Life is possibly the best I’ve ever received. B – Bros – After the screaming stops. Surprising TV hit of the year. C – Crossing The Tees – I don’t enter writing competitions often so surprised to find myself ‘Highly … More My A-Z of 2018 (The Highlights)
Coffee shop etiquette (Part Two) We’ve covered the basics but as with pubs, there are many more coffee shop scenarios that need to be addressed. Ordering (Part two) It really should be a simple process but people like to think that by making it complicated, they’ve achieved a feat similar to winning University Challenge whilst … More Coffee shop etiquette (Part Two)
Coffee Shop Etiquette Like most writers, I put on the pretence of doing my writing in a coffee shop. I therefore have a great deal of experience of the type of people who frequent them. Not as much a pubs but I still consider myself expert enough to tell you how to go on. Ordering … More Coffee Shop Etiquette
Alan Parkinson 