Who would have thought it?

Aquila – Can Silvanus Escape That God? is a work of historical fiction, set on the Isle of Elba in the 6th century.

My brain was addled and my neck ached. I had been sitting too long in front of the computer. I couldn’t even motivate myself enough to procrastinate. And then I saw the sun was shining. Why not grab one of the tasty korvapuustit my wife had just baked and head for the woods? Who would have…

Food Cereals, vegetables and fruits were certainly more common on the table than meat. But since these – unlike bones – are seldom preserved, this is difficult to verify. Common foods were certainty oats, spelt and einkorn; somewhat less common barley, rye, cone wheat, emmer, and millet. From these, porridge, grit and flour were made. Legumes, olives…

I’ve tried something new – a reading from my WIP, in which the runaway slave girl Virna tells Silvanus how she came by those ominous lashes. If you watch to the end, you’ll even see what she looks like… Here’s the video. I’ve done this in aid of a Philippine project to make books available…

I woke up the other morning to find this little fellow threatening me with his lightsaber! I had thought he was a wee harmless angel, who just sat there, minding his own business. Had he come to life? What made him so unfriendly, all of a sudden? Or was it, perhaps just me, imagining things? Many people…

Some gleanings from from the Zürich Writers’ Workshop, 13.-14.4.2013 I was in the Storytelling Fundamentals stream with instructor Sam North, who teaches Creative Writing at Exeter University. We were about 15 participants from all over the world – Philippines, Sweden, Nigeria, India, USA, UK, Switzerland – mostly living in the Zürich area. A very interactive, stimulating group. I hope to…