A Christmas Ghost Story
‘Know whit’s traditional at Christmas?’ he said. ‘Ghost stories. Everybiddy loves a Ghost story’ I swirled the beer at the bottom of my glass and smiled. ‘Load a shite, in’t it?’ ‘Naw, naw. Look at Dickens and A Christmas Carol. Classic ghost story that.’ I raised an...
We need to talk about Collin*
I was recently talking to a friend about depression – we have both suffered with it off and on and they are one of the first people I go to when I'm 'having a sad'. Talking to them made me think about my own history. I have always tried to be open about my mental...
No Looking Back
I’ve been doing some research recently for a novel I’m beginning. It’s a crime fiction set in Glasgow and I’ve been using Google Maps to investigate the streets where the story takes place. I had two possible locations in mind: the Southside, where I lived last in...
A rose by any other name…
When it comes to ideas of what to write about, I am never short of ideas. One of my main problems is choosing one from among the many ideas flashing around my brain at any given moment. I can usually get a quick grasp on the most important elements of my characters; I...
I like books.
Why do I have so many books? No, seriously, I want to know. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought recently and I have to say I’m not exactly sure. Not only do I have shelf after shelf of books, most of them are unread. I gave up buying fiction in a physical...
My Top 5 Scary Movies
Last week I blogged about my top five favourite scary books. This week it’s the turn of the silver screen. I love a good horror movie. There’s nothing to beat going to the cinema and sharing a “jump” with the audience, inevitably followed by a wave of nervous...
My Top 5 Horror Books
Do you like to be scared? Not the oh-my-gawd-there’s-a-madman-with-an-axe-chasing-me-down-the-corridor type of scared, but the ‘safe’ scare of a good horror film or book, the type of scare where the monster stays safely inside the cinema or the pages of your book? I...
This will pass…
Depression is a bugger, isn't it? You can be bumbling along, happy as Larry, nary a care in the world when you suddenly stop short. There before you is a huge black hole, sucking all the joy, the fun, the light from your life, leaving you empty and unable to put one...
Ooh! Shiny! I’m a Scanner! (not the head exploding kind)
All my life I've been a dabbler. I discover something new, get filled with passion and enthusiasm about it, go hell for leather for a while and then lose interest. I have umpteen unfinished books, pieces of knitting, cross stitch, clay.... The list is huge. I believed...
To Bullet Journal or not…
Bullet Journalling seems to be flavour of the month, doesn't it? Everywhere you look nowadays there are people expounding on the benefits of what its inventor calls the "analog system for the digital age." Do we need such a thing? Is using a notebook and pen a better...
Enjoy Yourself…
...it's later than you think. There is a freedom that comes with getting older, a freedom to be more yourself than you ever were when you were young. When I was young and skinny I spent hours sucking in my non-existent tummy, worrying whether people would look at me...
The Nettie Thomson Compliment Method
Imagine the scene: your friend comes over to show you her new dress. She tries it on and asks what you think. You look at her, standing in front of the mirror like an over-stuffed viscose sausage, the yellow of the fabric making her skin look like she's in the throes...
Glasgow Empire: Where Comedians Went to Die
I don't know if any of you caught the BBC2 show about the Glasgow Theatre that was broadcast on Sunday evening? You can still catch it on BBC iPlayer (if you're a non-UK bod, just install Hola or Cyber Ghost and you can access everything with no problems). Anyway, the...
Forgotten or Dead
A story was reported on the BBC News site today. I'd like you to go and read it here and I'll wait for you. All done? How's your blood pressure? Feeling sick? Feeling enraged? Yeah, me too. But where are the people in the streets? Where are the demonstrations, the...