The Bakerton Blog…
Femme fatale
Just recently, I’ve been thinking about femme fatales. Not through any personal desire, you understand, but merely in a writing context. Femme fatale (“that’s yer actual French,” as Delboy might say) translates as “fatal woman”, which is quite a burden to carry if you think about it. Of course, the femme fatale is a staple…
War in literature
There have been many great books written about and around war. Take Grahame Greene’s Our Man in Havana, the 18th of his 27 books, which is set in Cuba during the Cold War and which pastiches many of the spy novels of the time and lampoons both British and American spy agencies. Another of his…
Sporting authors
I have been a fan of Burnley FC since February 1964, when a mate invited me up to White Hart Lane to see his favourite team play. I had never been too interested in professional football, preferring the kick-arounds we had down the local park and out on the Butts. But I went with him,…
When fact invades fiction!
In 2016, when the plot for Bakerton was filling my head, I also had ideas for a couple of other books. One of them revolved around a young Anglo-Saxon girl, probably aged sixteen or seventeen, who found herself caught up in the great Viking invasion of Britain in the 9th century. For those who need…
Missed Treasure?
I want to tell you a story! Strangely enough, it’s not really about writing, but literature does play a small part at the end of the story. I learnt to play chess at the age of 12, while attending Alton County Secondary School in Hampshire. Yes, it was many years ago! It was a fairly…
It could have been so different!
When my first book was rolling round my head, I knew immediately what it would be called. After all, the fictional town of Bakerton had been my first inspiration, closely followed by its enigmatic and unorthodox sheriff, even before the crux of a plot ever developed. But this got me to thinking: had other authors…
Celebrating the pioneers
I have been working with words since I started my apprenticeship as a proof-reader/compositor at the age of sixteen. That was a little over a month after England had won the World Cup! In the intervening years, I have learnt about many people who have shaped the history of the printed word – people like…
Music, maestro!
Hi, after receiving the book proof of “Thurlow Junction” this week, my mind wandered to a quote in it that I am particularly proud of. While chasing the baddie in his beloved MX5, Sheriff Withers contemplates turning on his CD of Django tunes. But: “He needed to concentrate, not be wafted away into some dark,…
What’s in a name?
I find that one of the most enjoyable parts of writing a novel is the creation of the characters’ names. Take, for instance, Mr Sumo, my villain in Thurlow Junction. As I make clear: “He wasn’t Japanese. And he wasn’t a wrestler. But Mr Sumo was a very large man. And a very strong one.”…
A little tease…
As publication of “Thurlow Junction” fast approaches, we thought we might tease you just a little by offering a section from the Prologue of the book, just to whet your appetite and get you in the mood for the latest adventure with Sheriff John and Deputy Dawg Janowski… It is almost dark, and he is…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
philclinkerwrites 