Authors Electric

I wrote something here about my work in progress, a kind of alternate history mystery, a few months ago, and it is still in progress today.  This is not because it's ridiculously long - nothing I write will ever exceed about 80,000 words, and ideally I like to wrap everything up way before that - but because in more or less every chapter there is something I need to research, and the things I imagine I need to research have now descended to a level of fine detail that is actually anathema to someone like me. When I studied history, some years ago now, I realised I didn't want to know any of the detail, as I was very much more interested in broad generalities - the great sweeping movements of history, not where the Duke of Wellington had his hair trimmed (I leave that kind of thing to Georgette Heyer). Of course there is no escape from some of the fine detail when you're writing a novel, and when researching almost anything it's often by building up the layers of detail ...

  Recently I have been doing some research for a novel. I write historical fiction so I like to mention real people, real places and real events. Anything to help give my historical setting authenticity. It was while searching for some of these ‘real’ people – as in people whose names and deeds are recorded in history – that I came across some intriguing names. My books are set in medieval Wales so that does explain some of the unusual spellings and meanings I have come across. The first that caught my interest was Gwenwynwyn ap Owain Cyfeiliog (d 1216). It bothered me because his first name sounded rather soft for someone who was regarded as quite a formidable ruler in his day. Too many ‘wyn’s for a start. And then my Welsh speaking   son informed me that Gwenwyn means poison. Ah, makes more sense, I thought! Incidentally, he was the son of (ap) Owain Cyfeiliog who was apparently a poet as well as a ruler. I guess he named his son?! My favourite find was Rhys Gryg, or in ...

  Earlier this month I visited our local library for the first time in a very long time. In a relatively small space I was really pleased to see a good selection of fiction books, and especially to find some interesting historical fiction titles. I know it is not a genre that is to everyone’s taste but I always find myself gravitating towards historical fiction – it is perhaps no surprise that it is what I write too. It didn’t take me long to find several books that I wanted to read, and I had to restrict myself to four. And then just as I was persuading myself to walk away from the bookshelves I saw a book with a cover and an author’s name that just called out to me. It was this one. I didn’t even read the blurb on the back. I just grabbed the book and ran – well after getting it date stamped by the librarian of course! Alison Weir is a legend in the world of historical fiction, and an historian in her own right. Apart from fiction she has written many non-fiction books, based m...

  How can you resist a writing blog that starts with a view like this? In case you're wondering, that is the Caribbean Sea, and that's me writing. Before you think I spent two weeks drinking cocktails whilst channeling my inner Hemingway, that wasn't quite the case. Let me backtrack. I was fortunate to receive a research grant from the Society of Authors in order to got to Antigua and research Nineteenth Century Naval History and Antigua in the Nineteenth Century. Therefore, I was actually out there doing research. Yes, I really was and what an amazing time it was. So, how does one go about doing research in another country? The perfect starting point is by realising that it's not going to flow as smoothly as it does in the UK. You really are on Caribbean time. Now, don't get me wrong, everyone is lovely and really keen to help and support, it just takes a little longer than when it does in the UK. The people in the archives were amazing, bringing out a microfiche a...

I hate when daily events confirm my worst predictions. It happens all the time while I track the news, which I can't help doing as a former journalist - and just someone, like most of us who can't look away from a train wreck. I keep trying to distract myself by watching ball games and old movies, and browsing the Internet for factoids. Neither does my being a history addict help. It's deja vu, over and over again, like knowing you've seen a movie before, or the original of a remake, with a few differences but much the same outcomes. Donald Trump's moves, of course, have become easy to predict by now. He telegraphs his nefarious actions by projecting them on his political enemies. Whatever Trump accuses them of doing, you can be sure he's doing himself. The exasperating surprise is that he - and his kind - keep getting away with more and more blatant violations of conscience, decency and law. Two years ago, for example, I predicted in this space that Tru...

I've recently been enjoying carrying out a lot of research for a non-fiction work in progress and my latest collection of short stories. Now once upon a time I used to go to the library to do my research. Searching shelves for those elusive books and ordering books from other libraries. That's no longer the case. Over the last few weeks I haven't left my desk but have visited libraries all over the world and found everything I've needed. So in the spirit of sharing I've decided to share my top five online digital libraries. They are in no particular order: Perseus Digital Library This easy to use online library contains primary and secondary sources for the study of ancient Greece and Rome. Perseus is a non-profit located in the Department of the Classic, Tufts University - Medford, Massachusetts. Archive This non-profit library contains millions of free books, movies, software, music, website and more. It is easy to use and to support the great wo...

Angus - farming country in the lee of the hills When we do historical research it’s easy to think that we have to uncover some hidden world lying beneath the accretions of business, construction, technology and all the stuff that has happened between ‘now’ and ‘then’, stuff we often think of as progress. But of course things aren’t that simple, and I was reminded of this last weekend on a bit of an impromptu trip to Scotland to the small town in Angus which was home to many of my ancestors.  Brechin High Street I had been there only once before, in my childhood, and had hazy memories of family walks, paddling in a very cold river, and on rainy days (we had a few!) being allowed to spend my pocket money in Woolworths. (Retail therapy started young in my case!) Returning after 50 (or more) years, I found (no surprise) that even Woolworths has gone, leaving a random mixture of businesses: –an upmarket deli and an unreconstructed corner shop,  a local hardwar...

Jean, in her late forties, John Moir, courtesy of South Ayrshire Council As everyone who knows me, and quite a few people who don’t, will know by now, I’m working on a novel about Robert Burns's wife, Jean Armour. Never heard of her, somebody said to me only the other day. Which is one of the reasons why I’m writing it. Even this fine portrait, which seems to be a reasonably youthful Jean wearing smart clothes - as opposed to the elderly  and rather grim faced widow normally depicted - isn't at all well known. Anyway, as usual in mid-project, especially mid historical project, I’m doing a lot of research. Some of it is necessary but some of it is just for fun, meandering down some strange highways and byways of history and occasionally (like last week) coming up with one or two electrifying possibilities about certain – I hesitate to use the words ‘sacred cows’ but they just popped into my head – of Burns lore. Also popping into my head in the early hours of the morni...