Authors Electric

It’s that time of year when one usually makes their New Year’s resolutions. I’ve done so in the past (and usually, to be fair, have managed to keep to them; however, I put this down to them being reasonably small steps to take). This year, however, my resolution was not to make any resolutions. Instead of planning for the year, I’m going to try and ‘pants’ it. Pretty much like I do with most of my writing, although I have been dabbling with plotting for a while with reasonable success. That’s not to say I don’t have some ideas in mind for goals I’d like to reach – There’s a couple of pieces of Bach’s music for which I have guitar transcriptions and I’d like to learn them; there’s also a couple of pieces I’d like to master on the piano as well, for example – but I don’t want to set dates on them. I’d rather enjoy the journey of discovery as I come to learn the pieces. It’s a similar story with writing. I have a few projects that I aim to finish this year. I have a new YA...

I’ve finally managed to obtain something I’ve wanted for a while – an antique writing slope, almost identical to the one below: It’s probably taken a couple of years of looking to find the one I want, at the right price, and in the right condition. I must’ve become a bit of an expert on them since I started looking. I didn’t want to buy new – part of the appeal, for me, as the history attached to it. I also didn’t want a restored version, for similar reasons. But I did want something that was more than just a pile of broken bits – surprising how hard it was to find something to match the image in my head. I want to put my own stamp on it, give it my own twist to make it mine. I was also looking for a chance to flex my woodworking skills, and challenge myself with something different from the usual DIY or garden furniture. My most complex woodworking project so far has been a guitar, which I built many years ago; starting a family and changing jobs has meant less time ...