creative writing

Characters in Mystical Circles – Meet James, a Shady Academic with a Dual Personality

This is the first in a series of character studies from my mystery romance novel Mystical Circles. Meet James Willoughby, a shady academic with a dual personality, signalled by unexpected appearances as a tramp. In James’ “socially acceptable” personna he has high social status; a don at Edinburgh University, and Craig’s former PhD supervisor, he isContinue reading “Characters in Mystical Circles – Meet James, a Shady Academic with a Dual Personality”

Extract From the First Two Pages of “Mystical Circles”

This is the first in a series of extracts and character profiles from Mystical Circles. 1 Arrival Juliet was trembling. It had all happened so fast. The explosion of anger between the two men. The rush for the car park. The engine roaring into life. As the rear lights picked her out, she dodgedContinue reading “Extract From the First Two Pages of “Mystical Circles””

Do Creative Writers Ever Feel they’re On the Inside? Or are they Always On the Outside of Everything Looking In?

This morning I was listening to Howard Jacobson, comic novelist and Booker Prize winner, on Desert Island Discs, and among the many things he said which touched and amused me, the most striking was this, “I have always felt myself to be on the outside of everything, looking in.” He gave this reply to the interviewer’sContinue reading “Do Creative Writers Ever Feel they’re On the Inside? Or are they Always On the Outside of Everything Looking In?”

My BBC Radio interview with Liz Kershaw

This was my live interview with Liz Kershaw of BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire on Sunday 7 November 2010. Liz clearly understood the struggles of a writer and asked some very good perceptive questions. I greatly appreciated the opportunity she gave me to talk about my writing journey on live radio. scskillmanlizkershaw-interview

HELLO WORLD! My First Personal Blog on The Writing Life

This is new territory for me – though I’ve written lots in my life I’ve never written it “nearly live” (apart from Facebook of course)! Usually I correct what I write over and over again – even emails. Yes, I still long for those far-off days when Mr Darcy sat down and composed carefully-thought-out letters to his littleContinue reading “HELLO WORLD! My First Personal Blog on The Writing Life”