Crafting an ending
I’m near the end of the first full draft of my new novel, The dead can lie. It’s about Greg, a criminologist whose wife was killed by a serial killer known as the Dreamer. A year after her death, Greg has no new leads, and is close to ending it all, when he receives a phone call that changes everything. But he is then framed for his own wife’s murder.
I didn’t intend to write this book, I had something else in mind, but it kind of insisted.…
In the footsteps of Nadia…(Hong Kong)
Over the summer I went to do some tai chi training in Hong Kong, which happened to be where I sent Nadia and Jake in the final book, 88 North. When I wasn’t training, I spent quite a bit of time re-tracing their steps in Wan Chai, Central, the Peak, Victoria Park, etc. It was like doing research after the writing. Upon my return, I was asked by a local Paris magazine (Panache) to write about Hong Kong and Taichi, so here’s what I wrote.
The writer’s manifesto
I fell asleep for 15 minutes, and woke up with this in my head.
The Writer’s Manifesto
I, the undersigned writer, understand and accept the following ten conditions:
- I will never be completely happy with my manuscript, because it always could have been just that little bit better.
- Even though I write something great, it may never find a publisher, its due audience, or sell well.
- It may not get the cover it deserves, or even one I like.
- I may have to do most, if not all of my marketing, and spend large sums of money and inexhaustible time on social media with little sales impact.