Last time, science reporter Vivienne met an unusual man called Ignatius Von Brandt. This week he takes her to his apartment and shows her something that her enquiring, analytical mind cannot fathom. Things are heating up… Viv and Ignatius slipped out just as the rich and fabulous were brandishing their chequebooks. It seemed typically ostentatiousContinue reading “Resurgam: Chapter 2”
Author Archives: dgjones81
Long read: Drowned Books
At the end of my as-yet unpublished novel The Green Man there is a sort scene that echoes one of Prospero’s final lines from The Tempest, “I’ll drown my book.” Prospero (and the character from TGM) realises that investigative rationality (symbolised by his book), and the ability to control aspects of the world with theContinue reading “Long read: Drowned Books”
Resurgam: Chapter 1
Resurgam is a novella told in eight parts, plus an epilogue, which I’ll release on Fridays. In the first chapter, Vivienne, a science correspondent for a London newspaper, is tasked with reporting on a charity fundraiser – not her usual gig – but she’s drawn to a mysterious individual who seems to burn just aContinue reading “Resurgam: Chapter 1”
I’m A Failed Writer – God, That Feels Good!
Yeah, I am a failed writer. And not just once. Several times. A multiple failure, I suppose you could call it. I’ve submitted novels, novellas and short stories to various agents, publishers and publications over the years. And if I totted up all the rejection emails I’ve received then it’d probably be the length ofContinue reading “I’m A Failed Writer – God, That Feels Good!”
A Reason to Write – Wrestling With the Truth
The truth is a tricky thing to pin down. It’s a bit like water. It’s sticky, it’s slippery, and it’s fluid, refusing to conform to, or remain in, any one shape. You can immerse yourself in it, but you can also drown in it. And if you stand at the edge of the ocean, itContinue reading “A Reason to Write – Wrestling With the Truth”
Books Must Live!
I last wrote about taking control of your narrative in the face of rejection, being told that what you are offering the world is deemed insufficient, or unworthy. Worse than that, it’s rejection by the exact same people whose favour you’re attempting to garner through your activities. So no wonder it smarts when it comesContinue reading “Books Must Live!”
Book Review: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Sarah Perry’s exploration of the 19th century wildlands of Essex is masterful, heartbreaking and uplifting. It seems at first glimpse to be a late-Victorian X-File, when rumours of a strange creature called the Essex Serpent coincide with bad happenings in and around the small village of Aldwinter, where the ostensibly grieving Cora Seaborne heads toContinue reading “Book Review: The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry”
Rejection Doesn’t Define You
How many people reading this have submitted a novel manuscript to a literary agent? More to the point I wonder how many people have received rejections? In fact, scrap that. Forget about writing and submitting manuscripts to an agent. How many people have been rejected for anything, ever? A job, a business proposal, a grant,Continue reading “Rejection Doesn’t Define You”
End of Week Ramblings
After the announcement that the Man O’War Bookstream has been delayed because of Covid, I have a couple of further updates. Being hit by Covid has bungled up the schedules of Alessandro Babalola, who was set to play Adem, and Boo Golding, who was due to play Nita, so they’ve sadly had to pull out.
Long Read: The Parable Of Nehushtan, The Bronze Snake
A lot of the background research research for The Green Man has involved reading The Bible. That’s perhaps unsurprising given that the story is about a group of Benedictine, Franciscan and Dominican monks from the 14th century. One of the Biblical stories that I ended up using as a reference point in TGM is generallyContinue reading “Long Read: The Parable Of Nehushtan, The Bronze Snake”
