Monthly Archives: April 2012

HOW JAMES BOND WON THE SECOND WORLD WAR

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

On 30th April, 1943 a waterlogged corpse washed ashore on a beach in Spain. The dead man wore a British naval uniform and a life jacket, apparently the casualty of an airplane accident at sea. Among the dead man’s belongings … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , | 5 Comments

KILLING FOR FUN AND PROFIT

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

People who know me well have often asked me: how did you dream up that twisted serial killer – Michel – in VENOM? Is there something you should tell us? In fact VENOM was suggested to me by the life … Continue reading →

Posted in THRILLERS | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART?

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

So how do you? Like anything that’s broke, it’s important how you go about mending it again. It’s like a broken leg; it has to be set straight or you end up the rest of your life crippled or with … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 26 Comments

To quiz or not to quiz?

Posted on April 22, 2012 by

April 23rd is a very significant day in the life of William Shakespeare so I thought I’d celebrate the event with a short fun quiz. How much do you know about the greatest dramatist in the English language? An easy … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , | 20 Comments

SIX MORE STRANGE FASHION TRENDS FROM HISTORY

Posted on April 20, 2012 by

1. MY FEET ARE KILLING ME Footbinding produced the so-called ‘lily’ feet or ‘lotus’ feet once common in China. Women today may complain about high heels but this was probably one of the cruellest forms of foot torture ever invented. … Continue reading →

Posted in HISTORY | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

THE MOST HATED WOMAN IN MEXICO

Posted on April 18, 2012 by

Hernan Cortes  was probably one of the greatest of the conquistadores – which is a back handed compliment in a way, like being the best of the Nazis or being named Terrorist of the Year. He was a man of … Continue reading →

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“EL PROMO” OR: HOW TO SELL YOUR BOOK IN LATIN AMERICA AND HAVE A BLONDE IN A BLACK BIKINI PIN YOU TO A PSYCHIATRIST’S COUCH ON NATIONAL TELEVISION

Posted on April 16, 2012 by

Everything you’ve ever heard about Mexico City is true. The city contains roughly the same population as the whole of Australia and twice as many cars as people. They say that one day walking in the streets of El DF … Continue reading →

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THE TITANIC ANNIVERSARY QUIZ IN 3D

Posted on April 13, 2012 by

A hundred years ago today, at just about now in fact, Jack was standing on the bow of the Titanic with Rose, arms outstretched. It seems like yesterday, doesn’t it? The iconic ocean liner was set to become the most … Continue reading →

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I’VE BEEN TAGGED!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by

The wonderful children’s author Lynn Kelley at http://lynnkelleyrandomactsofwriting.blogspot.com.au/ and historical author Mirella Patzer (who has one of the best history blogs and review sites) at http://www.historyandwomen.com/have both tagged me for the Lucky 7 Meme. It works this way: 1. You go … Continue reading →

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THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT STORYTELLING

Posted on April 9, 2012 by

Great story telling is not an accident, it’s an art, as Lucas here demonstrates. Hope you enjoy this short video that illustrates why the ability to structure a good yarn is so very, very important.

Posted in WRITING | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment