Pedy had once told Billy about a film he'd made in the late seventies. The offer had come through to the North Soho News Agency to smear Harold Wilson. 'We'd got the old Trot out of Number Ten,' Pedy explained. 'But we needed to ruin his legacy. The clients involved had requested something really nasty. … Continue reading Late Seventies
Category: Novel
Cappuccino Leather
The black car squatted on Stockwell Road. Billy Vehement clocked it on his way back from Brixton tube station. The regular gang stood outside the Portuguese delicatessen across the road from his flat, swapping jokes over bottles of Super Bock. Traffic tore up the tarmac; a rogue gull dawdled over the skating park. Billy could only … Continue reading Cappuccino Leather
My First London Dream
https://youtu.be/7DpQHs8G1K8 My crime novel, My First London Dream, is now available on Kindle. Hack actor, ex-convict and ex-agent provocateur, Billy is hired by his mentor Peter Priest, a retired director of schlock, who had been advising Felix on the film industry in the weeks before his disappearance. Set in 2007, months before the financial crash, … Continue reading My First London Dream
Circumambient Darkness
'The main thing now for success was to get away from the coast and gain the middle of the gulf before day broke. The Isabels were somewhere at hand. “On your left as you look forward, senor,” said Nostromo, suddenly. When his voice ceased, the enormous stillness, without light or sound, seemed to affect Decoud’s … Continue reading Circumambient Darkness
Incomplete
Later that evening, Mitchell returned to his apartment. He'd brought a bag of tools from the cabin, to drill a fitting on the wall for the painting he'd found in the Old Room. He stood by the window, examining it carefully in the final light of the sunset. He imagined that the artist had based … Continue reading Incomplete
‘A Suitable Culture’
'Lee Harwood, the noted Anglo-American poet, has begun to publish compositions written in a language of his own invention. Linguists who have examined these 'neologisms' substantiate Harwood's claim that his language is not, in essence, derived from any other language, oral or written. Harwood is attempting to establish a utopian community on the outskirts of … Continue reading ‘A Suitable Culture’
Canvases
At one time or another, the cottage appeared to have been the residence for a landscape painter: Mitchell uncovered scraps of oil-soaked material, brushes, and dried-out paints, and on a set of shelves at the back of the room, he found a pile of canvases. One of the pictures showed a coastal scene, a wide … Continue reading Canvases
A Legend of The Future
'"... The first imperial Dream Palace is being built: Who can pay for a century of living, beautiful dreams? The answer is obvious, Thondup. And the choice of dream is understandable too, from their point of view. Thanks to it, there is no danger of any frustration, of experiencing the failures threatening them in this … Continue reading A Legend of The Future
Music From The Island
Scenes From The Island features an electronic musician, Tudor, who moves into the apartment building at the centre of the novel's action, and becomes integral to the tragic direction of the story. As I'm a dangerous loner with too much time on my hands (aren't we all these days?) I've put together a playlist of … Continue reading Music From The Island
Amazing Space
They were heading to the coastal town. Mitchell agreed to join them, which caused Hannah to shoot a look at him, which he couldn't quite read. She walked on the other side of Tudor, her hair wound up in a crimson scarf. A storm appeared to be boiling out over the sea: a refined silver … Continue reading Amazing Space
Absence Club 