What’s new

The last three months have passed in a blur.  I have had visitors from all over the world and instread of exploring foreign places, I have been rediscovering my own country and its been great, although I was finding it very challenging to find time to write. One of my favourtie places in DOubtful SOund and I took a very dear friend on an overnight boat cruise and it was simply magic. I think it was one of his highlights in NZ….but his  real highlight and a good lesson for writers was the 80 foot concrete beam which straddles the alpine fault at Marble Point near Springs Junction in the SOuth Island. Geologists from the University of Canterbury laid the beam two thirds of the surface above the ground, many years ago, in think sometime in the 1960s in an attempt to measure seismic displacement. The very strange thing is that, despite the big Christchurch quake in 2011 and other less significant shakes since then, the beam hasnt moved an inch. It has scientists scratching their heads.

I asked him what was it about this piece of concrete that had him so intrigued. He said ” It was just standing there, knowing that underneath me was all this massive pent-up force, an indescribable power grinding and grating,  just waiting. It blew my mind.”

I got it.

The reason I thought this interesting as a writer, was because of the fascination readers have for different ideas and places and events in a book. It is so diverse  and unpredictable that you can never write thinking, ” Oh the readers will like this.” We cant anything for granted.

Last weekend we had the Sunshine Noir “Mystery in the Library.”  We had a great afternoon with the Queen of NZ crime, Vanda Symons as well as Stef Harris and Douglas Brooks a local film makers and actor.   It was great to talk about crime again.

Im well into my third book, as yet untitled…..no teasers just yet, except to say, Im enjoying the characters…..but as usual they are telling me what needs to be done.   They dont make my life easy.