I managed to catch some, but not all of this episode last night. No doubt I'll catch up with the rest on the weekend.
I suspect I'm going to need a trowelled on Christie style "summing up" scene in episode six in order to work out what's been going on. But the muddy waters of episode one have become frosted glass by episode four and that's the beauty of this series as the plot moves on.
Highlight of the week in epsiode four was Ben Daniels; I haven't seen such a remarkable display of "sinister" before. It was all in the facial expression. Brilliant stuff!
This is a glossy production and the acting is amongst the best you'll see on the small screen at the moment in the UK.
This is another one from Accent Press and one that I bought yesterday. Here's the synopsis from Accent's site:
Peter Shaw first came to the world's attention in June 2002 when he was brutally kidnapped by a pseudo military organisation in a busy suburb of Tbilisi, the capital city of Georgia in eastern Europe. His harrowing account of his five month captivity and subsequent 'escape' in November 2002, encapsulated by a live television interview broadcast from Georgia only hours after his release, captured the attention of an international audience and invoked widespread sympathy and admiration. Peter's powerful and moving story focuses on how he managed to endure the harsh physical and mental pressure inflicted upon him by his captors, particularly during a period of 141 days when he was held in appalling conditions, chained by the neck in a tiny cell 3 meters underground, unlit, cold, wet and isolated, and his eventual reunion with his loved ones. The theme of Peter's book is how an 'ordinary Joe' is able to endure unimaginable levels of physical and mental hardship by reaching deep into the inner recesses of one's character and finding hitherto unknown levels of determination, courage and strong mindedness. His story also concentrates on the after-effects of his experience which has invoked a new and fresh appreciation of the joys of simply 'being alive' and a determination to enjoy every shade and colour of everyday existence, family and friendship. The story amazingly ends on a high note as Peter, following his return to Wales, gradually learns of the extraordinary efforts that had been made by so many people to extricate him from a situation in which he though death was the inevitable consequence. His experience of being 're-born' and his new-found comprehensive appreciation of all that life has to offer serves as a deeply touching inspiration to all.
Available on Amazon, this looks to be a very inspiring tale.
Accent's main page has a link to Peter Shaw's full events schedule. Check there for the actual times, but remaining dates and locations are as follows:
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Please note: Posts may be a tad sporadic over the coming couple of weeks as I'm going to be travelling about a bit. Perhaps I'll get to see some new bookshops...
From Sunday 25 March to Saturday 31 March 2007, esteemed UK crime fiction authors Margaret Murphy and Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award winning Ann Cleeves will be tutoring a "Crime Writing" course at Castle of Park in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
As you can see, Castle of Park is a beautiful place, so there's far more on offer than excellent teaching. I recently received the brochure from Castle of Park, so I will share the following with you:
Margaret Murphy teaches on the MA in Writing course at Liverpool John Moores University. Ann Cleeves runs the Harrogate Festival's "celebrated outreach programme". Both have worked together before, and with students.
Course prices are all inclusive, which includes: transfers to and from Aberdeen; tuition; accommodation; all meals; complimentary drinks (to which there is a generous limit applied); local transportation (specified); live music on one evening.
The all inclusive charge for single occupancy of a room starts at just over £850 (incl VAT) for the week. Shared occupation of double rooms/suites attracts a slightly smaller charge. Non-participating partners are welcome and reduced rates apply.
In addition to the crime week, Castle of Park also offers the following for budding writers in 2007:
All the creative writing courses are outlined on Castle of Park's site here.
Castle of Park also runs other courses for painting and photography.
I receive the brochure as I once booked a course there. Alas, due to the necessary recovery period for a broken arm, I was unable to make it in the end. However, others with whom I had booked had a really good time and I subsequently noted in the feedback comments that one of them had gone on to book a week for her and her writing group.
Unlike Arvon (a registered charity) and similar, it's all on tap and you don't have to lift a finger (in the kitchen, especially) apart from for the purposes of writing. But Castle of Park does cost a lot more, although you can expect salubrious surroundings and to be treated like a lord/lady.
There is nothing better than a lovely secluded place in which to write. There is nothing more worthwhile than the opportunity for constructive feedback on your writing and the experience of good tutors. So, if you can treat yourself (and your partner), this may be the one for you...
But don't forget to add the costs of getting to Aberdeenshire - the "all-inclusive" package starts when you arrive.
Dear Father Christmas/Santa/New Millennium Required Politically Correct Name Substitute,
I promise I've been as good as possible, so please could I have the following two books in my stocking? If they are too big to get in, you can leave them near the tree. I have a nose for books, as I think you know already. I'll leave you a mince pie after 11pm; that'll ensure my mother doesn't pinch it, as she's asleep by then. I'll wrap it in triple thickness cling film though, as I'm not sure if our cat likes mince pies.
Thank you FC. My short list follows. It must be nice up there on Christmas Eve - all to yourself and no traffic congestion. Have a good one!
Best,
crimeficreader
For laughs:
They Call Me Naughty Lola: The "London Review of Books" Personal Ads - A Reader with David Rose as editor.
I saw this in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago and the double page spread included a mass of examples. It is thought that the "highbrow" London Review of Books has the most witty lonely hearts ads and this book collects some of the "most amusing and desperate". It's the sort of book you can dip into at leisure, sharing the laughter provoking ads with family and friends. Here are some of my favourites:
"Sinister-looking man with a face that only a mother would love: think of an ageing Portillo with a beard and you have my better-looking twin. Sweetie at heart, though. Nice conversation, great for dimly-lit romantic meals. Better in those Welsh villages where the electricity supply cannot be guaranteed. Charitable women to 50 appreciated."
"Your age is immaterial, your looks irrelevant. Your bank balance, on the other hand - let's not joke about with that. Grabbing F (28)."
"Ploughing through the loneliest furrow. Nineteen personal ads and counting. Only one reply. It was from my mother telling me not to forget the bread on my way home from B&Q. Man, 51."
"Reply to this advert, then together we can face the harsh realities of my second mortgage. M, 38, WLTM woman to 70 with active credit cards."
And the ad which inspired the title:
"They call me naughty Lola. Run-of-the-mill beardy physicist (M, 46)."
For inspiration:
Heroines: The Bold, the Bad and the Beautiful by Jessica Ruston with Matthew Rice (illustrator).
More info here; and here's an excerpt:
"Jessica Ruston has compiled a fascinating book of Heroines of every kind… Leaders of Men, First Ladies, Spies and Secret Agents, Saints and Sinners, High Flyers, Wild Women and many many more.. even Betty Boop is here.
Find out more about women you admire and discover a host of new heroines from this inspirational and enticing little book."
Various women in the public eye let us know who their heroines are.
With a foreword from Dame Judi Dench, it's wonderful to see a celebration of inspiring women in the market place. One for us women and sympathetic men!
So far, I can only find reference to this case in The Daily Mail, but it appears that Jake Arnott has created a character in his latest novel "johnny come home" that was inadvertently far to close to reality in terms of name and occupation.
Yesterday, Arnott and his publishers Hodder & Stoughton agreed to apologise and pay "substantial" libel damages to (the real) Tony Rocco and will change the novel's character name in all future reprints.
In his novel, Arnott created the character "Tony Rocco" who is a music manager and "...a former singer who had a hit in the 1960s, and is portrayed as a pervert who preys on young teenage boys".
The real and living Tony Rocco is "a singer who had a hit single in the 1960s, was part of the London music scene in the early 1970s and is still performing."
The Daily Mail reports "A relieved Tony Rocco said after the settlement, details of which were not disclosed: 'I am extremely pleased that the record has been set straight and that Mr Arnott and his publisher have accepted, without hesitation, that they were wrong. The matter was dealt with fairly and promptly and as a result I feel that I can now perform my music before audiences without embarrassment.'"
My sympathies to all concerned. I can't imagine that any party to this case ever thought they'd be in these circumstances.
And a tip to all writers - do google extensively the names of your fictional characters, especially if they are not particularly loveable.
I wonder what the name of the character will be in the reprints. But I'm sure the research will be done to the nth degree before "johnny come home" goes again to print.
Update 17/11/06: More in today's Guardian. (With thanks to kimbofo at Reading Matters for the link.)
UK-based reader of crime fiction for many years.
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