Chapters 10 - 12 now available as audio files here!

Chapters 1-9 have already used up 100 megabytes, so I have had to set up a new site for chapters 10 onwards. Click here to get your mp3 files of my voice...

Chapters 1-9 now available as audio files here!

If you'd like to listen to me reading chapters from the novel click here and download the mp3 files. I'll be adding a new audio chapter every day over the next two weeks. I hope you enjoy them.

Steampunk Short Story

Telescope

Here's an introduction to a short story from another field while I work on my presentations book. 'Steam Solutions' will appear in Business Spotlight in mid October 2013, so if you want to read the final version, you'll have to rush out to a reputable newsstand and buy it then!

Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction where the writer imagines a world which developed differently to how it actually did. In this case, what would a world be like without the internal combustion engine and the computer, and what would the inhabitants of such a world think about us?

Steam Solutions

‘That,’ said Ernest as he and Millie made their way up the escalators to the roof to catch their skybus. ‘Was amazing!’

‘Told you so,’ said Millie. ‘I knew you’d like it.’ She smiled, her face turned green by the phosphorous in the wall lighting. They reached the roof and strolled arm-in-arm across to the skybus stop. Millie could see the skybus making its way slowly across the moonlit sky towards Leicester Square from Hyde Park Corner. She hoped it wasn’t too full. If they had to stand all the way back to Queens Park it might spoil the atmosphere...

Killer Robot Space Dogs

Killer Robot Space Pug receives training

No new chapters until August, I’m afraid. I’m in the middle of writing a book on presentation skills and it's dominating my life at present.

But I had to comment on the recent saga involving the ex CIA employee, Edward Snowdon and the information he has leaked about the US government’s legally dubious attempts to tap the world. It makes you realise that it’s practically impossible for fiction to out-do real life in coming up with implausible scenarios. It’s as if the whole thing had been created by a Hollywood screenwriter.

Firstly, there’s the megalomanic scope of the National Security Agency’s ambition to label and keep tags on all electronic communication. I’m sorry, that’s just James Bond villain stuff. It would be a nice touch if the information was being piped out to giant servers stored on the dark side of the moon and protected by killer robot space dogs. When the film is inevitably made of this whole saga, I bet Hollywood will add that. You heard it here first.

Secondly, there’s the John Wayne aspects of the central character himself. Edward Snowdon is behaving like this because his core values have been trampled on by the nefarious activities of his employers. They’ve finally pushed him too far. This creates the necessary moral dilemma for the hero. If he does nothing, he risks betraying his core values. If he takes action he risks being perceived as betraying his country. Which is ironic because his values are the same values as those enshrined in the US constitution which the security agencies are supposed to defend.

Thirdly – and this adds just a small but wonderful splash of colour to the whole story – his girlfriend is a trapeze artist. Brilliant! I wish I had imagined something like that.

What I find encouraging for my story is that a key element in my plot – collusion between the British government and various Balkan elements in the smuggling of weapons into the Balkans, despite a UN resolution not to provide arms to either party – now seems entirely plausible. It’s even a little tame in comparison to real life. Oh well, perhaps I can pep it up with a couple of killer robot space dogs. 

Chapter 12 - The investigation begins

This chapter is something of a watershed. No explosions yet, but the rumbling is beginning and Celia is going to find herself in trouble soon.

The next chapters will probably be longer in development as I'm involved in another writing project until the end of July. However I shall post some thoughts and comments about the novel's development so far over the next few weeks, so I hope that you will still check in from time to time to see what is going on. Many thanks to all the people who speak to me about this project or send me emails or post comments. You are very important for my motivation and I'm grateful.

The story so far - Celia and her team have finished removing the plaster from the altar wall of Colonel Kaiec's chapel in Istria. Celia travels to Zagreb to report to the Colonel who is busy campaigning for election. While she waits for him to arrive for a meeting she bumps into the journalist Tomislav Lederer again. Has he found out anything about her missing brother, Ned Atkinson?

This chapter can now be found on the right under 'Good Stuff'

Chapter 11 - Return to Istria

Et in arcadia ego - Hector Schofield fecit

A rainy weekend provides an incentive to get the next chapter done. Before writing it I read through everything so far and began to worry that there haven't been enough explosions so far for a thriller. Only one corpse (whom I've resurrected) and a faked mugging by a couple of children. So I thought hard about adding a train crash to this chapter, but decided it wouldn't work and regretfully abandoned the idea.  However, this chapter has some important events taking place which will have explosive consequences. Read and enjoy!

The story so far - Celia Thomas carries out pigment analysis on the samples she has brought back from the chapel in Istria. Although she is concerned that they indicate that the paintings are not from the 15th century, her boss, Dr Lenz, instructs her to go back to Istria with her team and carry on her research. Will this give her a chance to investigate the mysterious sighting of her brother, Ned, who was supposed to have died sixteen years before?

Chapter 11 can now be found under 'Good stuff'

Chapter 10 – The science of art and the application of philosophy

After a pause, I'm back. This chapter follows Franz and Celia at their work.

The story so far - Celia's belief that she has seen her brother Ned again, sixteen years after his death in Bosnia, is met with considerable scepticism by Franz. 
Annoyed with each other, they both head off to work, Franz to Paris on the night train, Celia to the department to start the tests on the samples she brought back from the chapel in Istria.

Chapter 10 – can now be found under 'Good Stuff'