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The Atholl Expedition: location photo gallery
Overview of the Atholl and Mar forests, as seen from Beinn a’Ghlo. It’s a big area! Blair Castle, Blair Atholl. This is a key location in the early part of the book. The Great Hall Forest Lodge, Glen Tilt. This was traditionally where hunting parties from Blair would
The Atholl Expedition moves into beta
After a weekend of intense activity, I have succeeded in converting the second daft of The Atholl Expedition into a beta advance copy: that is, a rough-and-ready (but presentable) version of the book suitable for distribution to a small number of beta readers. This is something I recommend all writers
The magic of early winter in the Highlands
Exactly five years ago I was standing on a mountain ridge in Glencoe, spindrift blasting in my face and rejoicing in my first winter climb of the 2008/2009 Scottish winter season. It was an exciting time for me. I’d moved to the Clachaig Inn about a month earlier
A plea to reviewers of The Only Genuine Jones
Thirty four people have reviewed The Only Genuine Jones over the past year on the UK homepage of the book. Twenty seven of those reviews were five stars – reviews any author would be proud to receive. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has taken the time to review my
Two months writing with a vintage Mac
A while ago I blogged about how I believed easy Web access has eroded my ability to concentrate and to write without distractions. I reminisced about the earliest computers I had used for writing: the bare-bones SE/30, the clunky but focused PowerBook 190, the IIsi. I decided to conduct
I have a rough draft for “The Atholl Expedition”
Months of work have paid off, and today I wrote the final paragraph of The Atholl Expedition, my second novel and the first in an exciting new series of books. The final word count is a shade over 65,000 words, which is far longer than my original intentions but
My first year as a published author
The Only Genuine Jones went live on the Kindle store one year ago today – at first just for a few early readers, then general availability on the 21st of October. Initial demand was high and the book quickly rose to no.1 bestseller in the Mountaineering genre, a position it
Why I love the 1840s
Until now, readers of my work will be familiar with a narrow time period beginning in 1893 (the first chapter of Crowley’s Rival) and ending in 1897 (most of The Only Genuine Jones). This period interests me as a climber because it stands at an important crossroads in the
New review for The Only Genuine Jones
The Only Genuine Jones was published almost a year ago but the blog reviews are still coming in. I thought I would share the latest one because I think it’s one of the best reviews I have yet received on any platform, and really showcases how the book resonates
A week of mist and magic in Glen Shiel
This time last week I was sitting in the public bar of the Cluanie Inn, nursing a pint of Red Cuillin and reflecting on yet another spectacular day in the mountains of Kintail. All of my trips to the mountains this year have coincided with pretty decent weather, all things