These are testing times for kids. A couple of days ago, Abi Elphinstone (author of The Dreamsnatcher and The Shadow Keeper) took sample SATs tests for English and Maths and failed horribly. I made this for all the kids sitting SATs this week after taking a sample online test 😘 #SATS2016 #SATsweek #SATS pic.twitter.com/FlcASRfaYU — Abi Elphinstone… Read More
writing
On the 25th of March, 2015, it was announced at a ceremony in Dundee that my book, The Wreck of the Argyll, had won the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize, and would be published by Cargo in September of that year. A year and a day later, on the 26th of March, 2016, it… Read More
I’ve been sitting on this news for a wee while, so it’s really nice to get it out in the open. I’m delighted to announce that I’ve agreed a deal with Cranachan Publishing for my next book, The Beast on the Broch. My book will form part of their Yesteryear series of historical children’s fiction,… Read More
Issue 3 of Shoreline of Infinity magazine is out now – and this issue contains Time for Tea, a short story by me, under the cunning pseudonym of J.K Fulton. (I decided to use a slightly different name for this story – J.K Fulton is the sci-fi short story writer, John K. Fulton is the… Read More
New Year status report 2016
I did an annual update for 2015 and 2014, so in that grand tradition, here’s the 2016 edition. So, did anything interesting happen this year? Let’s take a look. The Wreck of the Argyll This book started the year on the shortlist for the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize, and to my utter amazement,… Read More
The cover of my book, The Wreck of the Argyll, has a quote from the author and historian Allan Burnett: “An exciting and fast-paced spy thriller, The Wreck of the Argyll is my kind of story.” I’ve always been particularly pleased with that quote, for one reason above all others. Back in September 2014, I was… Read More
At just after 0430 on the morning of the 28th of October, 1915, the Royal Navy armoured cruiser HMS Argyll ran aground on the treacherous reef by the Bell Rock Lighthouse and was wrecked. That was one hundred years ago today. The Argyll had been undergoing a refit at Plymouth and was on her way… Read More
Back in June of this year, the nice folks at the Wigtown Book Festival invited me to come to their town and give a talk about my book, The Wreck of the Argyll. Now, I’m not at my most comfortable talking in front of an audience – anyone who was at the book launch will… Read More
Friday, 25th September, 2015, was the big day – the day my first novel, The Wreck of the Argyll, was launched. My partner Sandra and I made the 400-mile trip up from Leicester the previous day – we usually drive up to Dundee about once a year, but this year we’ve become a bit more… Read More
In one week, my book, The Wreck of the Argyll, is being launched in Dundee. It’ll be the first time I’ve been back in Dundee since the prize ceremony back in March, when it was announced that I’d won the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize, and I’m really looking forward to catching up with everyone… Read More