My runs are taking me through the winding lanes of Devon and up to the local reservoirs.
Bearing in mind the poem, Leisure by William Henry Davies:
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
I decided to stop and take a few photos. I hope you enjoy them.
The quay in Exeter features in the Devonshire Mystery, Accomplice to Murder, both in the present day story and in the past via a cold case. These days it’s a jolly place to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially when there’s a jazz band playing and people dancing in the street. Mrs C and I had a relaxing afternoon strolling along and checking out the cafes and eclectic shops, and I hope you enjoy the photos.
Stone setts make up the road here, and you can see a building was probably once a warehouse – more on that below.
Trying to get back into a working routine after the loss of our lovely Labrador, Lottie, I tackled the mass of papers and folders and notebooks that were cluttering my desk and lurking in drawers.
A lot of them could safely be thrown out, but only after I’d checked them in case they held nuggets of wisdom. I came across a few good ideas that I’ve filed away in the bulging folder that’s unimaginatively labelled ‘Ideas’, but I was more interested to find some early scribblings about characters and story elements that you might recognise.
Here’s the moment when a certain person came into being:
Inspector Trenchford, named after a local reservoir, didn’t make the cut because I thought I might refer to the reservoir, and I think the place is mentioned in the books.
Like a lot of people, we tend to visit certain places near our home regularly, and we forget that there are so many parts of Devon we could explore.
I haven’t been to Exmouth often, but it was a perfect day to visit the coast, so we packed a picnic and off we went. I hadn’t realised that the beach was so long and the sand so soft. The sun was blazing, but I didn’t take my photos until later when it clouded over and the skies looked more dramatic.
I hope you enjoy the results.
I don’t go to many writing conferences, partly because many of them are abroad, but the Self Publishing Show Live has become a fixture for me.
Run by bestselling author Mark Dawson, the conference is a great chance to learn more about writing and all that goes with it. Above all though, I value the chance to meet and talk with other writers. Much of my working life is a solitary affair, so it’s great to share experiences with like-minded friends old and new.
As always, I came away feeling inspired and motivated, but also slightly overwhelmed at all the possibilities. It was an enjoyable trip, and I shall miss the company of other writers, but it’s good to be back in the green spaces and quiet lanes of Devon. It’s good, too, to be back at my desk and working on the next Devonshire Mystery. The second draft is going well, and I think fans of the series will really enjoy it.
Me on the South Bank of the Thames, and once again I’ve managed to make it look as though I have a tiny antenna on my head.
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It’s a perfect place for a walk on a warm day, and Lottie was like a new dog, sniffing everything as she trotted along the bank.
I hope you enjoy the pictures, and please note that you no longer have to sign in to see all the photos, but you do need to be registered and sign in to comment.
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