Oakfast. Seedburst. Crossing. War. A damask sea. Cozening. Drunk on geography. The new Aphrodite. The savage tongue. Solar alchemy. The Great Comet. Lunar alchemy. The Presence Chamber. Gallows fly. A very pirate. Poor John. Aboard the admiral. Tar. Cannonshot. The Paradoxal Compass. Tennis. Making ink. A dozen devils. For a suit of clothes. Conjuring enemies. The Golden Fort. Very well. This. Letters. Groans. Further examples. Wintergreen. Revels. She gives. The old cob house. I am Water. Whither? Whispers. Fall. The whiff of treasure. Ripples. Have with you to Walsingham. Backwater. Ebbtide. Undertide. Dreamtide. Lowtide. Woetide. Bloodtide. Meta Incognita. Wind-whipped. Best hated. Hellburners. Politic. For what …

Chapter headings for Fortune’s Hand Read More »

To judge by the majority of its Amazon reviews, one book of mine seems to be pretty universally loathed: Summon Up the Blood. It’s fair to say that there are people who hate it. They hate it so much that they feel compelled, more than with any of my other books, to go on Amazon …

The Elephant in the Room. Read More »

Here are some of the books I consulted when I was researching Fortune’s Hand. They range from biographies of Raleigh (or Ralegh as he is more ‘correctly’ spelled) and other notable figures of the period, to general histories and studies of specific aspects of the life at that time. It’s by no means an exhaustive …

Researching Fortune’s Hand II Read More »

Fortune’s Hand is fiction, not history. In writing it, I was trying to imagine what it must have been like to see the world through Walter Raleigh’s eyes. Now you may say that’s an insane thing to attempt and I wouldn’t necessarily argue with you. But for whatever reason, that’s what I did. So it’s …

Researching Fortune’s Hand I Read More »

I’m really excited to announce the publication of a new novel, Fortune’s Hand. It will be available as ebook first of all, with a paperback on the way soon for those of you who like to hold a physical book in your hands. Here’s the blurb: “An extraordinary excursion into the past by a master …

Fortune’s Hand published today! Read More »