My Wigan Orwell Weekend
We recently celebrated the 85th anniversary of George Orwell’s ground-breaking piece of social journalism, The Road to Wigan Pier. He described the shocking living conditions
March 18, 2022
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We recently celebrated the 85th anniversary of George Orwell’s ground-breaking piece of social journalism, The Road to Wigan Pier. He described the shocking living conditions
I was recently interviewed by friendly and prolific book blogger Jo for her website Jaffareadstoo. As a special treat I was allowed to invite whichever
Author’s perks. What better excuse to visit a warm and welcoming independent bookshop than when they ask you to pop in and autograph a batch
Four years ago this Toni Morrison quote changed my life: If there’s a book you want to read, and it hasn’t been written yet, then
It means a lot to me that I made it into the local newspaper in Southport, the town in the north west of England where
Appearing on numerous BBC radio stations over the past month seemed the most pandemic-friendly way to get the word out about the launch of Rockaway, the second book
What is your go-to source for news and information? The mainstream media is subject to criticism, some of it justified. However, highly trained investigative reporters
I’ve subliminally programmed myself to buy nail polish in colours that match the Rockaway book cover. I didn’t realise until they arrived. This reminded me
Alan Moore and Brian Catling on Imagination – Review of How To Academy event, 17th January 2022 – Monday’s online discussion from the How to
The third book in my dystopian the Rockstar Ending series, Rockaway is published at last! Huge thanks are due to the friends who have kept
I have loads to be grateful for this year. At a time when many are facing difficulties, I have been particularly thankful for my good health,
Sometimes I think I only wrote the Rockstar Ending series as an excuse to commission cover illustrations from Tim Doyle. I had been a fan
I’m not sure which looks more scary – me or my book covers! My local council organized a book fair for authors at the weekend. The
Here’s a thought-provoking present for the reader in your life. Highly original, macabre and very funny – Richard Blair Speculative fiction at its best, thrilling
It was great fun to be invited to speak to students at Durham University about the progress I’ve made over the past few years in
Do you think they might ban me? I just celebrated seeing the cover design for ‘Rockaway’, the third novel in my chillingly plausible dystopian series,
I thought someone had stolen one of my fictional ideas! But then I realised I was reading a news story about facial scanning being used
I am ecstatic to announce that Free@Last TV, the production company behind ‘Agatha Raisin’, has optioned my ‘Rockstar Ending’ novels for a television series. It
On a recent journey I was reminded how I had lost all faith in Trip Advisor. It used to be my favourite source for recommended
Here I am reading from the Rockstar Ending series at the annual festival that takes place in my local park, Hilly Fields Fayre, an event
Whether or not you believe angels exist as supernatural beings, you can’t argue that – one way or another – these mystical creatures have a
Even though I have been a published author for almost 18 months now, opening that box of paperbacks with my name on the cover is
Where a maze of derelict warehouses and old cranes once testified to Britain’s decline, glass skyscrapers teeming with traders now dominate London’s docks, a metaphor
When I met Tracy Brabin MP, who has recently been elected Mayor of West Yorkshire, early in 2020, she gave me some uplifting personal advice.
Everyone wanted to talk about the drones. It was the last thing I had expected. Four years ago, I did some research on the Nepal Earthquake of
My middle-aged heroine Lexi has had such a tough time in the last two books that I wanted to let her have a bit more
What does success look like for you? I hit another milestone this week when a local bookshop decided to put my debut novel in their
Why art is important. A group of artists, MSCHF, has created Spot’s Rampage. It is an installation in which Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot, Spot, attacks pop
George Orwell made this chilling comment about writers and fear in his 1940 essay, ‘Inside the Whale’. It has been included a new, pocket-sized edition,
I’m thrilled to have made it onto the cover of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Magazine. ‘You’re old. You’re tired. And a burden on society. So just
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