Thoughts and words

Yesterday and today - inspiration from changes in attitudes

Cecil Roberts (1892-1976) was an English novelist, poet and dramatist. He was a prolific writer and his novels were very popular in his lifetime. He is now almost forgotten. His books include A Terrace in the Sun and the Pilgrim Cottage trilogy. During my teens, I read and enjoyed many... Read more →

US Novelist, Paul Auster, reveals his inspiration

What inspires writers? Desperation, deadlines, traumas from the past, a need to communicate, a love of words or the need to leave a mark on the world so that, in a sense, we live after death. Listen to Paul Auster talking about how a lightning bolt changed his life. http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-radio-and-tv-19948116/paul-auster-lightning-bolt-death-changed-my-life Read more →

Inspiration from daily experiences: Stromboli

Must have been the summer of 1982 when I stood with Pete and P.J. on the outer crater of Stromboli. As night fell, Pete fixed his camera and took pics. One of these is shown below. via www.thoughtsandwords.eu Read more →

Inspiration from difference

Who is this striking and inspirational woman? Have a good look at the pic and then - read on. This creative individual (1900 - 1983) was, by all accounts, a legend in her lifetime. And yet, she is largely unknown today and is in danger of fading away - perhaps... Read more →

Inspiration from art - glamour and misery in the Weimar Republic

This exhibition in Frankfurt (until 25 February 2018) is a must for all art lovers and for those of us who like the literature of the period. Writers Erich Maria Remarque and the brothers Heinrich and Thomas Mann wrote about this world of failed politics and the competing forces of... Read more →

Inspiration for "Lost Property" - Refugee crisis 2015 and Refugee Crisis 1946 - 2

Lost Property was partly inspired by the current refugee crisis in Germany. But I also wanted to draw parallels with the refugee crisis in post-war Germany. In 1945, Germany was in ruins and yet it had to accept and assimilate ethnic German refugees kicked out of their ancestral homes in,... Read more →

Inspiration from the news: truth can be stranger than fiction 2

Yesterday I posted some photographs with a number of questions. For those of you who might be interested, here is an extract from the article to which the photos were attached. To read the full article, click on the link below the extract. Any suggestions for storylines? Seventy years ago,... Read more →

Inspiration from the news: truth can be stranger than fiction

Several of my stories have been inspired by newspaper articles, some of which were tucked away on the inside pages of (very) local press. For example, next time you visit Sidmouth in Devon, UK, get a copy of The Sidmouth Herald and read through it. Truth can be much stranger... Read more →

Free extract from Whispers in the Hearts of Men: prologue and chapter 1

Whispers in the Hearts of Men concerns Richard Chambers’ ordeal as a victim of kidnap in the Middle-East and his reactions to the hopeless and desperate situation. The book also explores the motivation of the kidnappers, who are responding to desperate and desolate conditions of their own. The situation’s resolution... Read more →

Inspiration from everyday experiences: Two Lovers of Budleigh Salterton

One day, I was walking along the seafront in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, when I came across this wonderfully ambiguous epitaph on a plaque attached to a bench near the water's edge. The plaque read: "To X and Y. Two Lovers of Budleigh Salterton." I made a note of it in... Read more →