The TGO Awards 2014
Tonight I have been at the TGO awards event in Kendal. You may remember that my second novel, The Atholl Expedition, was shortlisted for the Outdoor Book of the Year category. I was invited to attend the event in which winners were announced. Outdoor Book of the Year went to
Helvellyn with Mark Richards — film review
HELVELLYN WITH MARK RICHARDSA film by Terry AbrahamWatch the trailer here Terry Abraham has made his name by creating beautiful mountain films, usually doing all the hard work himself — and that means both the filming and the production. His Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend was a visual feast with
Forty-eight hours at the Lairig Leacach bothy — a typecast
In a departure from my usual form for trip reports, I’m writing this one up as a typecast — that is, scans of pages typed on a manual typewriter. I used an analogue camera to take all the photos on this trip so it feels appropriate. I hope you enjoy
Book review and interview: Low Fidelity by Riccardo Mori
I have published a book review of the serialised science fiction novel Low Fidelity over on my work site, Pinnacle Editorial. It also includes a mini-interview with the author, Riccardo Mori. There are days in which Internet and what’s happening online dishearten me so much I would like for
Ditching the Infinity Machine — going smartphone-free in the hills
It seems that outdoor folk have been discussing the use of smartphones in the hills forever, but it’s easy to forget that they have in fact only been around for a few years. In this post I ponder my own use of smartphones in the British mountains and how
The gift of impermanent permanence
In early 2002 the Roddie family moved to a small village on the Suffolk coast. At the time I was sixteen years old and I didn’t appreciate the move. I felt that I was being taken away from my friends, and I didn’t really apply myself to making
The Atholl Expedition featured in Mountain Pro Magazine
An extract from my second novel, The Atholl Expedition, has been published in this month’s issue of Mountain Pro Magazine. It’s a double page feature and the illustration of Forbes taking measurements at the Braeriach bergschrund looks particularly striking. There’s plenty of other good stuff in the
The Atholl Expedition shortlisted for Outdoor Book of the Year Award 2014 — Please Vote!
Nominations have now closed for The Great Outdoors Awards 2014, and I’m delighted to announce that The Atholl Expedition made the short list for the Outdoor Book of the Year Award. There are nine categories in the awards, and the books section is number 7. Other categories include Independent
When’s the next book coming out, Alex?
2014 has whooshed past in something of a blur. My plan at the start of the year was to release three titles: one major novel, plus two shorter companion pieces. I’m sorry to say that I’m on track for releasing precisely nothing. Work continues on A Year of