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Looking back on 2012 from an author’s perspective
I know we’re not quite at the end of the year yet, but the next two weeks are going to be very busy so I thought I would write a reflective post while I have the chance! I will also take this opportunity to bring readers up to speed
Maurice Herzog, Himalayan pioneer, 1919 – 2012
Image from hec.fr http://goo.gl/7b5U8 While browsing Twitter this morning I read the sad news that Maurice Herzog, first man (along with Louis Lachenal) to climb an 8,000m peak, has died at the age of 93. In 1950 he made the first ascent of Annapurna, the
This website is undergoing a redesign
Just a quick announcement to let you all know that this site is undergoing another redesign. The old layout was elegant but rapidly outgrowing its capabilities; Blogger’s Dynamic Views just aren’t customisable enough, and worse, several browsers weren’t even rendering it properly! The design focused too much
Crowley’s Rival will be available from the 19th of December
Crowley’s Rival, my new short story (or novella, depending on your definition), will be released as a Kindle exclusive on the 19th of December. That’s one week away! This story is aimed at fans of The Only Genuine Jones, although it also works as a standalone piece and
The Ice World
Mountaineers begin the ascent of Mont Blanc du Tacul, dwarfed by the ice world all around them. It’s strange to think that water, the compound essential to human survival, can coalesce and twist itself into the fantastical shapes and structures that clothe the world’s greatest peaks. The Alps
Now reading: Caleb’s List by Kellan MacInnes
Caleb’s List by Kellan MacInnes Chris Highcock recently attended the launch event of a new book about the Scottish mountains: Caleb’s List by Kellan MacInnes. He kindly sent me a copy signed by the author as he thought it would be right up my street (or up my
The Last Mountain by Malcolm Havard: book review
The Last Mountain by Malcolm Havard I came across Malcolm Havard’s book by chance on Amazon, and downloaded it on impulse. I’m an indie author of mountain fiction myself so wanted to do my bit to support the genre.The Last Mountain is written from the point of
Oscar Eckenstein: the first true innovator of climbing equipment?
Eckenstein prototype “Ice Claw”, or crampon, in my personal collection “What the ice climbers of the future will be able to climb, I know not. But I find it hard to believe that we have already reached the limits of what is possible.” –Oscar Eckenstein, from his 1908 article on
Paperback covers for print on demand with FeedARead
Full jacket book cover Over the last couple of days, I’ve been putting some work into finishing the proofs for the print on demand version of The Only Genuine Jones. For readers who may have missed the announcement, the paperback edition will be launched on February the 27th, 2013,
Mountain inns and communities: worlds apart
Hotel du Mont Rose, Zermatt, 1864. Name the climbers and guides if you can! “Beyond the lake, broken cliffs and ribbons of ice reached up to the flat plateau of Illgill Head, and as they rounded a curve in the road, the fells that featured so fondly in Jones’ memory