People often ask me about my writing method. Of course, each writer has his or her own but here is mine (please remember I’m relatively new at the game). First, I set myself a completion deadline and stick to it. This approach probably reflects my diplomatic career in which every task – writing a brief,…
I have already written about the way in which some pieces of 18th and 19th century music inspired a handful of scenes in each of the three books in the Herzberg trilogy. As a general rule I do not write to music playing in the background, much preferring to write in silence. The room in…
With just over 3 weeks to go until the publication of the latest and last book in the Herzberg trilogy, A Motif of Seasons, my diligent team has selected six extracts to provide readers with a little glimpse into what they can expect. My personal favourite is the poem written by Frederick in the bloody…
As a former diplomat and a strong advocate of taking the long view, I’ve witnessed the good and bad in human nature amongst many I’ve met in my career. I reflect this in my writing, not least in my third novel – A Motif of Seasons. I’ve also drawn on forty years of being part…
The photograph below shows the main entrance to the building in Nuremberg where senior members of the Nazi regime were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The process began on 20 November 1945 and ended on 1 October 1946, with those sentenced to death executed by hanging 15 days later. As my wife…
With World War 1 as part of its concluding backdrop, I have decided to dedicate A Motif of Seasons to Private Charles Alfred Lawrence of the 9th Battalion of the Norfolk Regiment. The Royal British Legion gave me his name as part of their programme to have members of the public remember individually every British…
All three of my books contain a significant number of musical references: the baroque period in The Music Book; baroque and classical in Fortune’s Sonata; and the classical and romantic period in A Motif of Seasons. The performance of music in all three books – either by a fictional chamber orchestra or by fictional soloists…
August has been an incredibly busy month for me. The final manuscript for A Motif of Seasons has been sent for production, and the publicity machine is preparing for action. This has given me time to reflect on my journey as an author over the last few years. I originally intended for The Music Book…
I want to express my gratitude and thanks to all those who attended the London and Norfolk launches of Fortune’s Sonata. I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did. If you didn’t manage to pick up a copy of the book, you can purchase one from The Holt Bookshop, Waterstones in King’s Lynn…
To further celebrate the release of Fortune’s Sonata in paperback and Kindle editions I am offering the Kindle edition of Book 1 of the Herzberg Trilogy, The Music Book, free to download for a limited time, to introduce new readers to the series. It can be downloaded from http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KAWXLCW or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KAWXLCW. As a still relatively…
To celebrate the official launch of the paperback version of The Music Book, I have decide to give away 5 signed copies to Goodreads members based in the UK. To enter, simply go to the Goodreads giveaway page and click the “Enter to Win” button. The giveaway will run until 21 July 2014, after which…
Birkbeck, University of London, recently asked me about my inspiration for my first novel, The Music Book. Here’s what I wrote: http://www.writershub.co.uk/blog-piece.php?pc=2435