writing
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“I know that some novelists do not plan, just start writing and see where the story takes them, but in my experience that often takes them into a cul-de-sac and things can become horrendously convoluted as they try to write themselves back out. I am one of the many novelists who do plan and I…
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A question which I am sometimes asked by readers is ‘what do you think is your best book?’ The answer may come over as glib but is absolutely genuine. ‘The next one,’ I say. That is because I genuinely believe that an author never stops learning, however many books they sell and however positive reviews…
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One of the key features of an event like the forthcoming Kirkcudbright Book Festival is the opportunities it affords for audiences to experience local voices. Yes, festivals provide a chance for local readers to hear readings from big name writers (this year those names include political commentator Michael Crick and romantic comedy novelist Fiona Gibson…
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Authors and football personalities supported the official launch of the National Year of Reading at The Emirates, the home of London club Arsenal. The nationwide initiative from the Department for Education and the National Literacy Trust seeks to address the steep decline in the nation’s enjoyment of reading by inspiring people of all ages to…
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Mary, Queen of Scots has long held a place of fascination in Scotland’s history and the annual book festival in Kirkcudbright is proving to be an excellent stage on which to recount different aspects of her story. Last year, one of the festival’s most popular events was a presentation of poetry and prose written by…
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The latest book written by author Tracey Iceton has been published – and it’s a remarkable work which is very different from her previous titles. Sparky: My Barn Owl Tale (2026, Cinnamon Press) is Sparky’s semi-(auto)biographical account of life before, and since, she and Tracey met in 2022. Hatched in the UK in August 2017,…
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Readers are being given the opportunity to learn about the dark side of the human imagination at three events to be staged as part of the forthcoming Kirkcudbright Book Festival. Crime fiction has always been well represented in the annual celebration of books held in the South West Scotland town and the 2026 festival, due…
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The business world was shaken to its core with the publication six years ago of the searing expose of corporate big business The Diary of Ridley Pinstripe. Indeed, it was so shaken that virtually no one bought a copy of the book, so now it has been relaunched thanks to popular lack of demand and…
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Preparations are well under way for the beginning of the National Year of Reading 2026, which aims to tackle the steep decline in reading for enjoyment among readers of all ages. The campaign is being run by the National Literacy Trust and the Department for Education under the rallying call Go All In, which was…
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I have always been a huge fan of libraries – my father was a chief librarian, my first summer job was in my local library and many years later, as a volunteer, I played a role in the successful campaign to save that library, and one other in the same town, which had been under…
John Dean - Crime Writer 