Narwhal Placed In Uka Press Competition.

Narwhal has been longlisted in the 2007 Uka Press Competition. Shortlisted results out in January. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Team Tibet

China is refusing to allow Tibetan athletes to participate in the Olympic Games, another blow for freedom and liberty.

Chronicle and Echo

C and E have asked me to do a write up on my 'schooldays' I think I sound a bit serious and stuffy for youngsters. We'll have to see what the young journalist of the year, Lei Chan has to say about my responses.

Cinnamon Awards

Narwhal was shortlisted in Cinnamon novel awards for 2007. I was delighted with the news.

Winchester 2007

Narwhal was highly commended in the 12+ competition at Winchester. I know that competition is now much fiercer than a few years ago but since I consider Narwhal as my best book to date this is a little disappointing.

You Write On

Have decided to take the plunge and rejoin the critical world of You Write On starting with a crime novel set in Ireland during the 'Troubles' I wonder how Narwhal will fare

Quantum Touch

A weekend spent learning ‘Quantum Touch’ gave me one of those ‘ah! ha!’ moments.when you say “But I’ve known this all my life. I’ve spent years teaching the 4:4 breath and the breath of fire but never realised the simplicity of directing the breath and using it as a healing tool.”
It’s like suddenly knowing that to drive a car you need petrol. It’s that basic and that obvious but somehow is the missing link in all the yoga teaching I’ve experienced over the 30 or so years I’ve been practising.
The results in my own increased energy are amazing when coupled with asana work and in addition the instantaneous healing that results is nothing short of miraculous.
I feel I’ve been presented with a very simple and incredibly effective tool after years of experimenting with healing practices, taking courses, becoming qualified, trying to push the limits of knowledge and yet it was there all the time… a simple intentional directing of the life force. Everyone should learn it.

Walgrave School visit

A most energising session with Year 6 at Walgrave Primary. They were an amazingly responsive and well informed group, all praise due to their teacher, Mrs Parker. I concentrated on the current book being written, "Narwhal" and asked them to write their own endings to the story.
When I paid a return visit they were eager to know about the success of their own stories. Some of their ideas were delightful - like the mechanical tusk that could make phone calls, and the hero learning to speak "seal." For their age there were some excellent images - "the wind howled like a wolf to the moon" - and several story endings were very well structured. The one that really caught my eye was the very unusual way of ending by choosing a sacrificial substitute victim. I thought this story ending had other levels in it which made it quite sophisticated writing for a ten year old. This was valuable information for me as a writer to learn how knowledgeable children can be at this age. Well done Year 6!