Blogs

Patricia Wolf’s Outback is a DS Walker Thriller. This is her debut novel. Less than a handful of readers would know (or care) who DS Walker is. But it’s presented as part of a series of books such as Rebus or Laidlaw that has a pedigree. This is market-speak for look at me. Outback is readable. I’ve left unfinished around four novels recently. Simple setup—with the ticking clock. Unless they’re found they’ll die. The Australian sun is a killer...

Having too much time to scroll, and having clicked once on something to do with gut health and the microbiome, my Insta feed has become inundated with increasingly disgusting images of bloated bellies and corresponding cures. From Tai Chi – emphasis on the AI – to mushroom gummies. Some of the things I thought I’d try until I saw the price, or the ingredient list, usually both. However, had decided to try inulin as it’s only chicory and is good...

Nowadays, sausages and other processed foods are allegedly the devil’s work. Extremely bad for the body. But who can easily give up a lovely sticky, slow-cooked pork sausage? Not I. Especially if you’ve ever read Nigel Slater’s description of the joys of a sausage sandwich. Nothing else will do. It is fortunate then, that supernatural helper, YouTube, and a Food Processor have come to the rescue for making less-bad-for-you, and more economical,...

They (I’d like to meet ‘they’ someday, have a few choice words for those vacillating piss-takers), have decided that it’s no longer 10,000 steps a day that will help extend the ‘health span’ (no point extending your lifespan if you can’t get up off the toilet). Magic number is now 8,000 steps, briefly lifting heavy things three times a week and prioritising sleep. Am an expert at one of those so far. Resistance training is the new black...

The paperback of Son of September is here — two hundred and six pages, a spine with the title on it, for those of you who told me you wait for paper. UK: https://amzn.eu/d/03ZpHOjs US: https://a.co/d/09rLIwhJ The Kindle edition follows on September 1st. Pre-order that version if you prefer. There's an acknowledgements page in the back, and you're on it. It thanks the readers and editors of ABCtales, who have read me for years and made room for...

Cathy Rentzenbrink is described on the cover as a Sunday Times bestselling author. True. It reminds me of a phrase Carl Macdougal copy and pasted onto all of his books. Something from Billy Connolly that described him as a great writer. It you’ve got it, flaunt it. Often now, authors aren’t selling books but brands. Her memoir The Last Act of Love was a breakout hit. In Rentzenbrink’s memoir she described the devastation of her elder teenage...

Hey everyone, I received this great review of my new novel Family Man from a book reviewer on Instagram. If you fancy checking out the novel yourself. Family Man can be ordered from Amazon, Waterstones, Blackwells and many others. Cheers Book Review: We follow Aldo, a family man who also happens to be Edinburgh's top man, a working class mafia boss. He is feared all over with important contacts worldwide. He thinks nothing of ridding the world...

What does your summer reading tell about you? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd69glgl2jzo I’m grumpy. I had to search for the translator’s name. It wasn’t included on the cover or listed in the first few cover pages of the English paperback of Mariana Leky’s international bestseller released in 2021. It was translated from the German for Bloomsbury by Tess Lewis. Translation is an art. Her name should have been on the front cover, not the...