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I am making good progress revising my new novel “Coronatime”, to prepare it for publication. What might happen in a future world long after COVID-19,…
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Need some light relief from the global pandemic? How about a coronavirus comedy? “Hotel Corona“, brand new and No.10 in my “Hotel Story” series, is…
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“Pigs have Wings” is one of the series of Wodehouse novels set at Blandings Castle, in Shropshire, featuring Lord Emsworth and his prize pig, the…
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My new short story “Total Control” – Number 9 in the “Hotel Stories” series – is available now. Did you know that every year I write…
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How far should fiction be based on true events? Can you use personal experience to create imaginary characters and stories? My book “Seven Hotel Stories”…
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When should you write? How can you find time to complete a novel – or two, or eight? Do writing targets – eg two hours…
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How will Coronavirus change the world? How can we control coronavirus? Can we learn from other pandemics? Laura Spinney’s “Pale Rider”, subtitled “The Spanish flu…
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How many books should a self-published author aim to sell? If you are writing a book, how much money are you likely to make from…
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What if the cure for coronavirus is worse than the disease? What if after COVID-19 we have COVID-21, COVID-35 and COVID-42? How will coronavirus change the…
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A famous poem highlights the challenges of English spelling and pronunciation. Many readers of this blog use English as their second or even third language.…
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The Overton window is a way of describing the acceptable range of political culture at any given moment. Wikipedia defines it as “the range of…
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Many people writing a book are looking for writing prompts or ideas for stories. A couple of simple writing tips may help, including: start writing!…
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The coronavirus crisis shows us a number of ways to deal with uncertainty. But dealing with uncertainty is easier with practice and a bit of…
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A review of “Unsheltered” by Barbara Kingsolver, with quotations, reflecting on what it says about the mood of contemporary America. Barbara Kingsolver is a great…
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As the coronavirus crisis continues, I’m writing upbeat posts to celebrate countries I’ve lived in. Here are ten reasons to like Austria, where I lived…
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The Finnish ambassador turned to me. ‘It’s not true that Finns have no sense of humour,’ he said. ‘Or that we lack passion.’ ‘For example,’…
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To say W Somerset Maugham is unfashionable is like saying that J K Rowling has sold a few books. Yet he remains popular. My post about…
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You can now see a selection of videos of Robert Pimm in action on my new YouTube channel. Who knows? Perhaps one or two of…
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Let’s celebrate. We’re going through a ghastly coronavirus crisis. But we should not forget that the world is wonderful. I thought I would write in…
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In February, before Coronavirus, I did three readings. Two were in Berlin, from my Berlin thriller Blood Summit. The other was in Vienna, from my feminist…
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Someone did an interview with me the other day using the “60 Seconds” format. I found the questions searching, and had to invest a little…
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Let’s celebrate. We’re going through a ghastly coronavirus crisis. But we should not forget that the world is wonderful. I thought I would write in…
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When I lived in Istanbul from 2012-16, people often asked me whether I was concerned about terrorist attacks, crime or civil disturbance. At the end…
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What to do, when you are stuck at home because of the #coronavirus outbreak? Read Middlemarch, by George Eliot. George Eliot’s real name was Mary…
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“Three people came up the walk to the old mansion just at dawn on a perfect May morning. Oliver Wilson in his pajamas watched them…
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In these coronavirus days, it’s worth recalling how to be happy. I’m going out to dinner tonight, so this might be my last chance. I’m…
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By Robert Pimm Financial Times, May 9, 2003 I’m picking up the kids from school here in Berlin when a teacher accosts me. “Started being a…
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Which rooftop bar in Vienna has: outstanding cocktails the best view in Vienna total coolness? Here’s a clue: Here are some reasons I like the…
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At a recent reading from my blackly comic “Seven Hotel Stories” in Vienna, a man asked me: ‘These stories seem explicitly feminist. Is that intentional?’…
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My two live readings in Berlin are coming up. I shall be reading from my thriller Blood Summit in Berlin on 21 and 22 February. I…
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How a convicted killer introduced me to his girlfriend – who loathed him. What I thought about love aged 21. The lawyer who took me back to…
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I am listening to literary folk on the Queen Mary Literary Festival at Sea (links in bold italics are to other posts on this site). After a…
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An introduction to, and excerpt from, my short story “Seven Ukrainian Girls” – Number 8 in the “Hotel Stories” series. Welcome to a brand new “Hotel…
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It is time to plan your weekend in Berlin. I shall be doing two readings from my thriller Blood Summit in Berlin on 21 and 22…
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What are the Top 10 Vienna cafes? How can you find the best Viennese cafe for you? Start here with Robert Pimm’s fun, objective and…
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Welcome to the opening chapters of my Berlin thriller, Blood Summit. I wrote Blood Summit from my personal experience, after years of working with real terrorist…
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I’m sitting on a high-speed train, next to the window, with an empty paper cup. How best can I make myself happier? One of my…
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My blog of January 2016 recorded the discovery of a handwritten list of ten rules of behaviour amongst my father’s papers, two years after his death in…
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What are the John Connolly “Charlie Parker” novels about? Should you read them, and where should you start? My answer, based on reading four novels…
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Respectable Austrian news service APA has published a report saying, and I quote, “according to employees sent abroad by companies, Vienna is the third-most unfriendly…
Good questions all Leigh – and ones that I have also been asking myself. I’m in favour of regularity myself; every Saturday, or every other Saturday, suits my way of reading. I love the diversity of your blogs so have no preference whether it’s football, film, books, travel or anything else – it’s your ‘take’ on the subject that makes it interesting. I understand that you want to mention your other writing but, to be honest, most of your regular readers are more than aware of your literary output and, like me, are waiting for the Amazon version of Biotime. Links to other blogs are, I suspect, problematic because most people prefer to remain in their comfort zone. It’s hard enough to get readers to leave Facebook and cope with the new layout/navigation of your own blog; asking them to do so again by going to a stranger’s page is, in my limited experience, not simple. JR
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Thanks Jony good points all. A tricky balance between publicising your “main” fiction writing – if such it is – and advertising your ability to write something interesting through the blogs. Once I have a first draft of the present novel (code name: The Boy Friend) finished, I shall consider whether next to revise and publish “Biotime” or do something with “Istanbul Rising”, my Istanbul novel. More tough decisions ahead.
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OK I’m going to disagree – I think random blog posts would be even better, to keep us on our toes, and you could use the extra time for more novels (we’re waiting!)
And I read and enjoyed the post about George Mikes 🙂
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Thank you for this. Random or regular, that is the question. I am inclined to stick to every Saturday for now, which means – it’s time to get cracking! Watch this space…
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I love your book reviews especially when they are related to feminism ! Your journalism pieces and everyday stuff like “how to be happy” are also a delight !
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Will maintain the feminism theme for sure, if only because Ms N and Tatiana from the “Hotel Stories” will not allow me to do otherwise! Who knows – perhaps an 8th Hotel Story may appear soon…?
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No preferences for timing or subjects, Leigh, though it might be interesting (and provoke replies) to have three or four in a row on one subject. The George Mikes was very good.
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Thanks Paul. Thoughts always welcome. I am moving a little towards book reviews, perhaps as a result of enjoying a few recently. Next up: Raymond Chandler.
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