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Alpine Dawn

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Character focus: Josette Barbier

Painting: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Reverie sur le seuil” This is the first in a series of articles highlighting characters from my second Alpine Dawn novel, The Invisible Path. Don’t forget to sign up to my mailing list for advance notice of publication! Two kinds of characters inhabit my novels: those

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Alpine Dawn II — a teaser

As many of you know, I am currently writing the much-delayed second volume to my Alpine Dawn series. The first volume, The Atholl Expedition, is currently available on Kindle and in paperback. I hope to release the second, The Invisible Path, this year. Here’s a portion of a scene

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Alpine Dawn II progress report

“I lifted my eyes up to the heavens, and saw above me the eternal snowsof the Monarch herself, Mont Blanc.”— James Forbes Most of my progress reports on Alpine Dawn II so far this year have been heavy on excuses and light on progress, but I’m glad to say

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When’s the next book coming out, Alex?

2014 has whooshed past in something of a blur. My plan at the start of the year was to release three titles: one major novel, plus two shorter companion pieces. I’m sorry to say that I’m on track for releasing precisely nothing. Work continues on A Year of

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Three years of work on Alpine Dawn

In summer 2011, I read a book that would change my life. That book was Travels Through the Alps of Savoy by James Forbes. I’ve already discussed it many times on this blog, so I won’t go into it again now, but it is sufficient to say that

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A return to the Western Alps

My blog has been far too quiet this year, and that’s a reflection on the fact that the day job has been occupying more of my time, and (as I recently lamented) I have been able to enjoy fewer trips to the mountains. However, that is about to change.

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Breaking the ice on a new novel – the pilot chapter method

Actually getting started on a new novel can be a difficult step. Every writer is different: some of us leap headfirst into a new project, eager to get going, while others linger over characterisation and plot plans. I tend to fall into the latter category. I have failed on novels

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The Solomon Gordon papers, 1787 – 1789

“Who is Saussure? I hear his name everywhere about town this morning. Can it be that I am to have civilised company in this execrable valley at last?” “… For now that I have seen it, I confess that my thoughts are elevated from this abyss of sin in which we

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Defeated by Lochnagar but inspired by Balmoral

Wham! The gust of wind punched me in the chest, lifted me off my feet, and hurled me twenty feet back through the air to land, dazed, on a snowbank. I struggled to get up again but the force of the wind was relentless, pushing me back step by step,

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“What about the next book?”

This is a question I have been asked several times over the last few days. Unfortunately the answer is far from simple! On Wednesday night at the book launch I dived headlong into a conversation about glaciers and legends and the remarkable books I have read over the last year

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