26th May 2019

A week of political hypocrisy and pantomime. Theresa May has had to endure a tsunami of vitriol ever since she inherited that poisoned chalice of Brexit. Did she deserve such vitriol? Is this a leader who has evil intent with murderous global intentions? No. A decent vicar’s daughter who loves her country but handed an impossible task. Yet, the minute she’s forced to hand in her tearful notice, she’s showered with kind comments from self-serving parliamentary colleagues, looking for the main chance. Hypocrites all. How to avoid all this in future? Parliament should show less minutiae in its public face, cease its regular Westminster Question Time pantomime and let the PM govern. For the future, will Boris and Donald put their twin blond heads together to heal the world? They each need to read the government chapter in An Englishwoman in America!

19th May 2019

Eurovision. Is the lack of a good melody every year a deliberate ploy? Seems that way. If we take Eurovision as a symbol of European unity, then no one country should be seen to be “uber alles”.  At least the Tel Aviv crowd last night booed Greece and Cyprus when, yet again, they brought political bias into their voting. And Iceland thought it acceptable to display bondage in family entertainment yet showed ill-educated political bias by waving ‘Palestinian’ flags in Israel! In real politics, 80 years ago Churchill was originally labelled a buffoon. Today another politician named Boris, who wrote a brilliant book about Churchill, ironically also wears the buffoon label as he competes to be the new leader. So, Eurovision or real life, better an intelligent, educated buffoon who loves his country than someone ill-educated who consorts with terrorists.

Author brand news

News from author brand Olga Swan. Both The Mazurek Express (mybook.to/themazurekexpress) and 3rd Degree Murder (authl.it/b36) have been re-branded. Buy now in ebook and paperback.

....and the countdown begins for the launch of the one you’re all waiting for: An Englishwoman in America, ebook on pre-order now. Paperback now available to buy (mybook.to/anenglishwoman). 26 days to go.

Blog supplemental

Something remarkable happened this week. A new royal baby was born who is dual-national, American and British, so he could in effect grow up to be president or king. To all those who say he’s unlikely to be king, look what happened to Prince Albert of York (Bertie) who surprisingly became King George VI. So, even though the new baby is called by an unlikely kingly name, he only has to look at his great-great-grandfather for a lead. But that’s not all. Archie’s mother not only is mixed race, but American.  Oh the irony, when his great-great-granduncle King Edward VIII was forced to abdicate because he wanted to marry an American. Could it be, then, that Harry is the catalyst for change in Britain? At a time when European elections loom, is he subtly pointing Britain away from the EU and forging a new alliance with our historical ally, America? Click right and learn more.

12th May 2019

Yesterday, nerves jangling, I watched my football team - Aston Villa - play rivals Albion for a chance to be promoted to the Premier League. Before the match, in typical  pessimistic fashion, I kept repeating my team had no chance.  Is this a British cultural thing, building an armadillo-like outer skin to protect against life’s potential hardships and unfairness?  In France we lived near a rugby stadium, the French being notoriously famous for their depression.  In complete contrast, however, go to an American football game. No depression there. Rah rah atmosphere everywhere. And yet, after the Villa game, star player Jack Grealish explained that during every game he repeats the mantra: we’re gonna win, we’re gonna win. So, for Tuesday night’s crunch second-leg, should I cancel the Valium? There’s more about cultural differences in sport in my latest book. Click right to pre-order.

5th May 2019

Last night I was watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA. A hapless hotel manager from New Jersey not only had to Google recipes in the kitchen before cooking them, his customer style with guests contrasted sharply with what a British hotelier would say. To a wedding party, champagne bottle in hand: “Hi all, I’m gonna top you all off.”  Hardly what a discreet British butler would say. That’s one reason I wrote my latest book An Englishwoman in America. From 1950s Britain to Trump’s America, no-one is left unscathed in my humorous account of life across the pond. You can read how Britain and the US are divided over language, culture, humour, health, sport, government, gun law, religion, patriotism and even sex! Released on 11 June, it’s now available to pre-order. Just click the image on the right. Enjoy!

2 May 2019

I'm delighted to announce that today - on the memorial day of the Holocaust - my new thriller, The Mazurek Express, is available for download on Kindle right now. 

Here's a description to whet your appetite:

"1943.

In Birmingham Paul Mazowski meets a friend, Pierre de Jonge, whom he last met in Germany five years previously. Together they discuss a spying mission in Europe, directed by Churchill: Pierre to be based in Berlin, Paul in Warsaw. Paul is sent to Warsaw on his most dangerous mission yet: to help those trapped in the ghetto. However, despite heroic efforts, he finds himself herded into a cattle car heading for the notorious Treblinka concentration camp. 

As the heavy wheels churn, everyone is in peril.

This is a story about German-occupied Poland, the courage of the inmates of the Warsaw ghetto, and how a mighty locomotive acts as a catalyst for salvation of the spirit".

Be the first to download The Mazurek Express.
Never forget, lest it happen again.

mybook.to/themazurekexpress