Notes
I have a rough draft for “The Atholl Expedition”
Months of work have paid off, and today I wrote the final paragraph of The Atholl Expedition, my second novel and the first in an exciting new series of books. The final word count is a shade over 65,000 words, which is far longer than my original intentions but
My first year as a published author
The Only Genuine Jones went live on the Kindle store one year ago today – at first just for a few early readers, then general availability on the 21st of October. Initial demand was high and the book quickly rose to no.1 bestseller in the Mountaineering genre, a position it
Why I love the 1840s
Until now, readers of my work will be familiar with a narrow time period beginning in 1893 (the first chapter of Crowley’s Rival) and ending in 1897 (most of The Only Genuine Jones). This period interests me as a climber because it stands at an important crossroads in the
New review for The Only Genuine Jones
The Only Genuine Jones was published almost a year ago but the blog reviews are still coming in. I thought I would share the latest one because I think it’s one of the best reviews I have yet received on any platform, and really showcases how the book resonates
I’m off on an adventure
Image from http://goo.gl/Wxmk9W This is a magical time of year in the Highlands. Gradually, almost imperceptibly, the hills are changing colour – from the dark greens of August to a palette of tan and copper. The first snows have already settled on the highest peaks and the nights
Blog Spotlight: self powered
Image from www.selfpowered.net self powered(Backpacking, Mountaineering, and Photography)Run by David Lintern This series of articles showcases blogs of merit and interest, usually (but not exclusively!) connected with the topics of mountaineering, Scotland, writing, and history. I discovered this blog fairly recently, after a certain article of
A cover reveal and title change for my next book
Never before have I been through so many different working titles for a project. Nothing seemed to sit quite right, from initial concepts (The Silver Glen) through to more considered and longer-lasting titles (Forbes’ Challenge or The Forbes Challenge). Part of the problem was that this book grew from a
The 2013 #Scotwinter Sweepstakes: we have some winners!
Back in August I posed the question “when will the first snows of the new Scottish winter season arrive?” and plenty of you placed your bets. Most of you thought they would arrive at some point in September, and today the question on the mind of every winter mountaineer has
An interview with Terry Abraham, mountain film-maker
This is part of a series of interviews with authors, photographers, film-makers, and other creative people who all have one thing in common: a connection with mountaineering culture. Today it is my great pleasure to welcome Terry Abraham to my blog. Terry is the creative talent behind the highly acclaimed
Visiting the Grave of Owen Glynne Jones
There comes a time in the career of an author when the seemingly impenetrable veil between reality and the imaginary worlds we write about is lifted. We are touched by the very stuff of our stories. Characters who were real enough to us in our heads become suddenly tangible human