13th June 2021

 Human greatness does not lie in wealth and power, but in character and goodness. Ann Frank, aged 13.

I wonder whether Angela Merkel, on arrival at the G7 in Cornwall this weekend, congratulated the Queen on her birthday? Probably. But, did Angela commemorate the birthday of one of her own citizens 92 years ago - Ann Frank, a young girl from Frankfurt brutally murdered by her own country? Probably not. I wonder also whether Angela will be applauding her team at the Euros as they ‘take the knee’? Probably. Yet, will she understand that it’s not just one group of people who are being subjected to global racism but many others too, some who have been persecuted for 3000 years? As a writer, I kept waiting for someone to highlight the unfairness suffered massively by the latter group. Eventually I thought, well, if no-one else, maybe I should do it myself.  So, my newly-completed novel - set in historic Israel from the year 1500 BCE through to the present day - is now finished. Irrespective of any future success, I doubt if Merkel or anyone else will be taking the knee on my behalf somehow! 

6th June 2021

 Yesterday was the anniversary of the 6 day war, which leads me to a question. Do writers have a duty to showcase things that are wrong with the world?  Or should we simply write superficial historical romances, which seem so popular today? You know the kind - those with covers featuring young, beautiful women with modern faces and make-up, white teeth and looking far too clean and well-groomed to ever have lived in the era depicted. My next book will attempt to show the world how unfair they’ve been to the Jewish people for thousands of years, forcing them out of their ancient tiny homeland again and again by successive waves of tribe after tribe. In Hitler’s Germany, millions walked meekly to their deaths, yet today when they at last defend themselves against yet another tribe vowing their extermination, it’s the Jewish people who are again derided rather than their aggressors. It’s clear enough: if Hamas et al lay down their weapons there’ll be peace; conversely, if Israel lays down its weapons, both Israel and its people will be wiped off the face of the earth. But, should I publish such a book when antisemitism is unbelievably rising yet again? Or do I have a duty as a writer to correct a terrible wrong? The jury’s out.

30th May 2021

 The older I get, the more tired I am of all the troubles in the world. Generation after generation of young men get angry about something, testosterone kicks in, followed by their committing a terrible crime causing terror to the innocent public. So, as a writer, I decided to do something about it. What if there were a series of enticing thrillers, set in different parts of the world, showcasing a young man in just such a situation?  The novels would need to zoom inside a young man’s head, reveal the often understandable cause of his initial angst, but then show all too clearly the horrifying aftermath of his actions. Step forward thriller no. 1:

Dunoon Assassin.  

Now available as an ebook and paperback. Just click the image on the right.

Here’s the blurb:

A story of revenge and retribution spanning three continents, a hundred years apart. Jay Khatri grows up in 1950s New York, the son of immigrants. Life is hard until a chance encounter leads to a job at Tiffany’s on Fifth Avenue, where he learns the skills that will influence the rest of his life. When he learns about the Amritsar massacre in India in 1919, he vows to avenge the massacre of his grandparents. A murderous obsession grows.  A secret, wartime, nuclear bomb is set to explode in Holy Loch, Dunoon, years in the future. Will the combined efforts of the US President, the British PM and Scottish First Minister be in time to save the world from almost certain apocalypse? As the story moves from New York to Dunoon and to Amritsar, the tension mounts.…..and all the while, the clock is ticking.

Hope you enjoy it!

23 May 2021

 I watched the Eurovision Song Contest last night. It was good to see so many nations performing in harmony with each other. On the digital front, FB also gives a global platform for people to ‘sing’ together. Trouble is, instead of bringing harmony, it gives voice to mayhem. Ancient prejudices and historical misunderstandings which, before the IT age, simmered underneath, are now let loose to multiply and gather strength, leading to war. Today, international mediators are quick on the scene, stopping conflicts. But, if they’d stopped Churchill before he defeated that madman Hitler, I would not be here today. So, what to do? How to stop historical inaccuracies building in the first place? We need to prevent IT platforms multiplying incorrect idealogues, and somehow give unbiased, globally-recognised, fact-based truths about land origins. And global, peace-keeping organisations should not comprise - like the UN - 11 Muslim nations v only one Jewish one, when discussing the ME. What can individuals do? Shortly I’ll be publishing a novel about what can happen when one man over-reacts to perceived injustice, followed by another novel of similar genre, set in another continent. Let’s hope that, like the UK last night, they don’t get nul points! Watch this space.

16th May 2021

 I get tired of so many media distortions, fired at us from ‘reputable’ sources like the BBC, Sky News etc. One viral video showed a Palestinian funeral for a boy supposedly killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, to attract global sympathy. However, when sirens sound, the ‘body’ runs away. The exact same video was also shown last year. These media distortions cause incalculable harm. Yesterday, thousands of people, including Corbyn and Diane Abbot, marched in London for the Palestinian cause, their opinions irrevocably swayed by thousands of years of biased reporting. I prefer to listen to neighbouring countries, who have a far more real picture of events. Here’s what the UAE leader said yesterday: “If Hamas does not commit to complete calm, it dooms the residents of the Strip to a life of suffering. Its leaders must understand that their policies are hurting the people living in Gaza.”  In 2005 Israel was asked to withdraw its defensive troops from Gaza in exchange for peace. It did so. But attacks from Gaza did not cease. So, whom should you believe - terrorist leaders of Gaza who deliberately house families in buildings used for weapons and rear their children in violence and hate, or the only democratic, free nation in the ME? The choice is yours. And me? I’m writing........

9th May 2021

Yesterday marked 16 years since we turned off the lights and moved to France. Oh, if only we knew then what we know now! In a nutshell, the French just don’t like the English. Last week, Macron threatened to cut off electricity supplies to Jersey, so Boris had to send in the gunboats to protect fishing rights. Wonder what Napoleon would have done? Wednesday was the 200th anniversary of his death. Ever noticed how similar he and Macron look in profile? And there’s more. Short stature, intensely nationalistic, modernisers and ego-centric. Him indoors says you can’t tell a bone-apart! In complete contrast, I was thinking also of America’s head of state. To me, Biden looks doddery. A cardboard cut-out almost. Those in the know tell me the real leader is called ‘President Klain’, officially Chief of Staff, but apparently running the show in all but name. So, clearly France and the US are very different from the English. Want to read more? My two humorous slants on each country are now re-released. Simply click on the first two images on the right.  Enjoy!

2nd May 2021

 

Him indoors, ever the comedian, said he wanted a new Porsche, but this is what we got!  For the past week, we’ve seen English workmen close up, in all their glory. They worked very hard all day, without a break, and their craftsmanship has been a joy. I didn’t worry too much about masks and social distancing as they were working outside and we’ve now had our second vaccine. What a contrast, though, to our experiences in France. There they caused us headaches and were very expensive. French workmen are a strange breed. Don’t even think of hiring them in August, when the whole country shuts down for four weeks. And, jobs there can drag on for ever when 3-4 hours each day are taken for the notorious lunch/siesta breaks.  There was no bureaucracy here and we haven’t even paid a penny to our English builder yet. You do have to offer English builders frequent tea/coffee though, which French builders always refuse, but that wasn’t a problem. Trouble is, from the name on our new bell push (Byron), people think I’m a poet!