Featured Photos April 30, 2024 – Stormy Seas
Another trip to Teignmouth on the Devon coast. An unseasonably stormy day, but it can be fun to watch the waves crashing against the sea wall. Not so great if you have to put to sea in the lifeboat, I imagine, but for a landlubber like me, the sound of the waves makes an excellent accompaniment to a stroll.
Afterwards, we retired to a cafe for a mug of tea, and later on we discovered there was a play on in the arts centre, so we decided to make a day of it and stay for the performance. It was called The Haunting, and though it was very entertaining, most of us in the audience were rather nonplussed at the ending.
Ah well, the play’s the thing.
I hope you find the photos interesting. First. here’s a snap of me at the local Park Run on the Parke estate in Bovey, just to prove that I really do these things.
Featured Photos April 19, 2024 – Location Scouting in Exeter, plus A Study in Stone Reference
DC Spiller’s books, The Devonshire Crime Thrillers, and Dan and Alan’s adventures in The Devonshire Mysteries are all almost all set in the local area, and I sometimes like to scout out locations.
In Exeter the other day, I was thinking about the grittier world of DC Spiller and decided to look for the seamier side of the city. Heavily bombed in WWII (as you’ll know if you’ve read Accomplice to Murder) Exeter is a city of contrasts. Beautiful old buildings and picturesque streets of small shops are surrounded by hastily built, and rather boxy, concrete and brick buildings with all manner of designs.
As we walked through the area known as Sidwell, I thought back to Dan and Alan’s first story in A Study in Stone. The area and the legend of Saint Sidwell, a figure known by variants of that name, e.g. Sativola, figure in the story, and I thought how great it would be to capture a picture of the woman herself.
I looked up and there she was, portrayed on the side of a building. I don’t recall seeing that image before, but that might just be my memory playing up. At any rate, it was a nice surprise, and I included a couple of photos below, along with my location-scouting shots.
I hope you find them interesting.
A Snippet from the Upcoming Devonshire Crime Thriller, Lawful Duty
Lawful Duty – The new crime novel set in Devon
Set in the 1990s, this book features a much younger Tim Spiller, the detective from the Devonshire Mysteries.
I hope this snippet will whet your appetite.
Preorder Lawful Duty now to read it as soon as it launches on 26 April, 2024
or buy direct and read it now at: mcamplingbooks.com – my official store
Find it on all retailers at: books2read.com/lawfulduty
Excerpt From Chapter 2
1992
With an effort, Lynsey opened her eyes. The blindfold was tight, the fabric pressing hard against her skin, its edges digging into her cheeks and forehead. It flattened her nose and made breathing difficult, so she opened her mouth and gasped for air.
Lynsey tried to free her arms, but the ropes had left her wrists and ankles raw, and struggling only made the pain worse. She was tied to some kind of bed, and she could hardly move a muscle.
She thought of calling for help, but she’d tried that before, and he’d pushed her down and threatened to cut her throat. His voice had been little more than a whisper: a low, guttural growl intended to frighten her. Lynsey had tried not to react, but it hadn’t been easy. The man’s sinister, soft voice had sent a shudder of revulsion through her whole body. She’d been tempted to provoke him, to make him shout and yell. Anything would’ve been better than his insidious whispers. But she hadn’t dared. She’d heard the anticipation in his voice. He hadn’t been making idle threats; he wanted to cut her throat.
Lynsey almost wept, but she’d run out of tears some time ago. She had to make herself strong and focus on surviving. It was the only way she was going to come out of this alive.
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Featured Photos April 07, 2024 – Barcelona part 2
A few more photos from our recent trip to Barcelona.
I hope you enjoy them.
We stayed near the Arc de Triomf, and the area around it and nearby park were both busy from dawn until dusk (and beyond). As you can see, the park was flat as a pancake, so we went for a few runs in the warm evenings – a treat compared to the hills of Devon.
Featured Photos March 30, 2024 – Barcelona
A change of scene is often very welcome, and you couldn’t get much more of a contrast between our quiet, tiny village and the restless hubbub of Barcelona.
It was warm, the people were friendly, the food was good, the architecture was stunning, and there was always, always, something going on.
Below are a few photos. I may post another batch soon, but I’m being very selective. I won’t bore you with the scores of photos I took.
I hope you enjoy these glimpses of Barcelona.
The Sagrada Familia – Gaudi’s great work
Featured Photos March 10, 2024 – Lustleigh
The small Devon village of Lustleigh wasn’t the model for Embervale in the Devonshire Mysteries, but it conveys an idea of the kind of place I had in mind.
Thatched cottages, a friendly-looking pub, a small shop, a church and all surrounded by beautiful countryside.
Dan and Alan would love it here – especially the pub.
I hope you enjoy these few photos.
Featured Photos February 28, 2024 – Parke
Spring is in the air.
Near the town of Bovey Tracey, Parke is the slightly confusing name of a house and estate.
Once privately owned, the house and estate belong to the National Trust, and the house is home to the headquarters of the Dartmoor National Park Authority.
The grounds have plenty of paths for walking, cycling and, of course, running. We’ve visited it many times, and there’s always something different to see.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Featured Photos February 13, 2024 – Bovey Tracey
The nearby town of Bovey Tracey is often mentioned in the Devonshire Mysteries, so I thought I’d share a few photos to give you an idea of its leafy environs.
Generally shortened to one word, Bovey, and pronounced ‘Buvvy’, the town is an old one and still small, but it is an official town, complete with a mayor. I sometimes mention real-life issues in the books, and you’ll find Alan chuntering about the building of new houses. Bovey is a case in point. Quite a few of the surrounding fields are being turned into housing developments, and it’s not hard to see why. People want to live in a small town on the edge of Dartmoor, and the old houses weren’t built for those demands. Towns need an influx of young people and families to thrive, but if there’s no infrastructure for those people, there will be issues, e.g. with schools, doctors, transport links and so on. And if people jump in their cars and drive to an out-of-town supermarket for their needs, then there’s a chance that they won’t contribute much to the town.
That said, it’s a nice town and there have been lots of improvements. A new library and community hub was built, and an old pub that was almost falling down has been restored and converted into an arts centre that will one day include a small cinema and cafe. I’m looking forward to that.
I offer all this as background information to the books rather than as social commentary, and I hope you enjoy these few photos.
The old mill is a rather fine building, and it now houses a craft centre, gallery and cafe. The items for sale are made by local craftspeople, and it’s interesting to see the furniture, ceramics and so on. There’s a lot of skill on show, and these handmade items are things of beauty. The V-shape stonework in the foreground is the edge of the bridge I was standing on – it’s a sort of refuge in the centre of the bridge where you can escape from the passing traffic, which is just as well as there’s no pavement on that side.
A Snippet from the Upcoming Devonshire Detective Novel
The new crime series set in Devon is on its way.
Set in the 1990s, this isn’t an adventure for Dan and Alan since the duo would’ve been far too young to go chasing criminals. But this book will give a starring role to a character from the Devonshire Mysteries.
Tim Spiller, the world-weary detective inspector you’ve met before, is a fresh-faced detective constable starting his first job in CID. He’s done his time in uniform, but he’s ready to do some detective work, and he’s moved to Exeter to take up a post. Tim is young and full of zeal, and he’s only been married to his wife Sheila for a year.
He’s keen to impress, but how will he get on with his first case?
This is a crime novel of the kind often called a police procedural, and it’s a shade darker than the Devonshire Mysteries. The villains tend to be nasty pieces of work. There are violent crimes, although I’m not interested in going overboard with blood and gore, so I don’t think it will keep anybody up at night (unless they’re eagerly turning the pages to see what happens next). Fans of Ian Rankin or Anne Cleeves will, I hope, find something to enjoy in this book.
If you’ve read my work, there are elements that you’ll recognise. There’s a little wry humour in almost everything I write, and I’m always very interested in characters I create. The story takes place over a few days, and I think it’s fairly pacy. I’ve found it quite quick to redraft, mainly because I’ve enjoyed racing through the chapters, and that’s a good sign.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this snippet which is an early draft. I will be looking for beta readers soon, and the book will be edited after that.
I’m not revealing the title just yet, but that will come soon.
At this point in the story, Spiller has arrived early for his first day, and the only other person in the CID office is Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Boyce. Spiller is somewhat in awe of his new boss. They’ve exchanged a few words over a mug of tea, but DCS Boyce is quite a reserved and formal officer, so the pair quickly run out of things to say. It’s about time the other detectives show up, so let’s dive in!
Excerpt From Chapter 1
1992
The door opened, and both men breathed easier as a besuited man strode into the room.
The new arrival greeted Boyce, then acknowledged Spiller with a nod. “You must be my new DC. Tim Spiller, am I right?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Tim was here early, raring to go,” Boyce said. To Spiller, he added, “This is Detective Superintendent John Chisholm. He’ll set you on the straight and narrow. You’ll be seeing more of him than you will of me, although…” Boyce looked from Chisholm to Spiller. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Tim. I’m not going to hold your hand; if you need that, you’re in the wrong job. But I can see your potential, and I’ll be having a chat with you now and then, just to see how you’re doing.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
Boyce nodded. “Gentlemen, I’ll leave you to it.” He took a sip of his tea and then marched across the room, disappearing into a corner office and closing the door firmly.
Chisholm strolled over to his own large desk at the far end of the room, then he shrugged out of his jacket, hanging it on the back of his chair.
“First things first, Tim,” Chisholm said. “Milk and two, and leave the bag in. I can’t stand weak tea in the mornings.” He sat down and frowned at Spiller. “When you’re ready, in your own time.”
“Sorry, sir. I’ll get right on it.” As quickly as he could, Spiller made a mug of tea. He’d kept a keen eye on Boyce earlier, so he found everything he needed without difficulty. But when he splashed milk on the counter, he searched in vain for something to mop it up.
“Leave it,” Chisholm called out. “You can get a paper towel from the loo later. Bring my tea over, will you? I’ve got a tongue like the bottom of a budgie cage.”
Mumbling an apology, Spiller hurried over to Chisholm’s desk. He felt the colour rising to his cheeks, but Chisholm didn’t seem to notice. He was rifling through the stacks of cardboard folders cluttering his desk.
“Pull up a pew,” Chisholm said. “Any one will do, but that purple one is good.”
Spiller hesitated. The only purple chair in the office was noticeably newer and smarter than the others, its upholstery pristine.
“Go on,” Chisholm went on. “I haven’t got all day.”
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Featured Photos February 9, 2024 – A Run in the Sun
I often run up to the nearby reservoirs of Tottiford, Kennick and Trenchford because I can step out the front door and just start, running from one lane to the next.
It’s pretty much uphill all the way, but it’s good for the legs, and I’m rewarded by lovely views when I get there.
Also, it’s mainly downhill on the return journey, so there’s that.
I hope you enjoy the photos.
Featured Photos January 23, 2024 – A Seaside Town
I entered a half marathon in Dawlish recently. It was mainly a trail run and a hard slog over rutted, muddy paths. The first half was a long, long climb but it did deliver some lovely views.
Almost at the finish! read more…
Featured Photos January 15, 2024 – Light and Dark by the Sea
The nearby seaside town of Teignmouth is handy for a walk by the sea. I took a few photos as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
