Authors and Ideas Part One: Stephen King on Duma Key

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One of the most frequent questions I get asked as an author is where I get my ideas from. It got me thinking – not only about where I get my own ideas but how other writers dredge them up from the murky soup of the subconscious. I thought I’d do a series...

Gurkha Injustice

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It goes without saying that the government ruling on the Gurkhas’ rights (or not) to live in the UK is a shameful slap in the face to men who served the country with the utmost valour.  My dad served with the Gurkhas.  Gurkha soldiers helped teach me to ride as...

A Buzz At The London Book Fair

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I spent Monday afternoon at the London Book Fair and, whatever else anyone tells you, it was buzzing. OK, so the buzz was mostly concentrated around the bigger name publishers with queues in particular at the HarperCollins, Orion and Penguin stands.  Wiley was also...

Free Mags!

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In these crunchy times a freebie is always welcome, particularly if you are a writer or even an ex-banker contemplating a career change.   For you, my lovely readers, I have ferreted out a pretty cool deal.   The Telegraph is running a promotion where you can download...

Will Lana Have the Last Laugh?

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Throughout the farrago of the Phil Spector court case the one who interested me most was the victim, Lana Clarkson.  Her Wikipedia entry makes for depressing reading.  Look between the lines of what is obviously a bio designed to counteract the smears resulting from...