Hi everyone, Episode 25 - Julian's Horrid Christmas (Part 1) Hi all, The team left before we had a chance to pick a title, so I made this one up. Join me, Daisy, Morgan and special guest podcaster Ella, as we invent the story of 12 year old Julian, condemned to the naughty list and out for revenge on Santa. Email your ideas (we need them) and writing to 

A little milestone reached that I thought was worth sharing. 100000 people around the world have visited my website. If the next 100000 buy my book, I’ll be delighted. Here’s a link if you haven’t got your copy yet… Cheers, Richard

Hey all, Special promotion offer today and tomorrow. You can get the ebook version of The Ardenna Crossing: Between Two Worlds absolutely get today and tomorrow. Click this link and enjoy. Just don’t forget to leave a review (and buy the sequel while you’re at it) Cheers Richard

Hi all, I am running a special promotion this Sunday and Monday giving you the chance to bag a copy of The Ardenna Crossing: Between Two Worlds, the first book in my series, absolutely free, so you can catch up on the story so far. The Ardenna Crossing: Between Two Worlds, which tells the story of Paul Armstrong and his journey into space, is FREE on ebook from Amazon from Sunday 30th November until Monday 1st December. Get your copy now. As featured on BBC Upload. Thanks, Richard

Hi all, Five years after the release of the first chapter, I am delighted to announce that the sequel is now out there for all of you. It's been a long process, taking about seven years since I put down the first words of the continuation, but I'm really happy with the result and I hope you will be too. Paul's troubles are only getting worse as the Ardenna travels on, and back on Earth his father is on a dangerous search for the truth.

Hi everyone, Episode 24 - The Books of Bararak (Part 2) Daisy and Morgan are back with me and we have a special guest contributor, Eliza. Together we recap on the story of Eric Jones and his search for ultimate power. He is joined by his younger brother and a lighting technician called Tom Crooks. Join us as they journey into a frozen mountain filled with booby traps and danger.

Hi all, In advance of the release of The Ardenna Crossing: A Thousand White Fragments next week, now's the chance to catch up on the story so far. The Ardenna Crossing: Between Two Worlds, which tells the story of Paul Armstrong and his journey into space, is available now on ebook and paperback from Amazon. Get your copy now. As featured on BBC Upload. Thanks, Richard

Hi all, I'm pleased to announce that the final edits are done, I think I've caught just about everything and now I'm ready to let this thing fly. It will be available by Friday 14th November on Amazon and I will share details and a link here closer to the time. In other news, I have finally started work on Book 3.

Hi everyone, Episode 23 - The Books of Bararak (Part 1) Shott Stories returns with a brand new team. Join Morgan, Daisy and I as we introduce ourselves, talk about Book clubs, fantasy stories and conquer that painful problem of character name generation! We're making up an adventure story set deep in the wastes of Antarctica as Eric Jones seeks the book that will unlock a hidden world and unlimited power.

Hello everyone, Things are going really well and I'm in the final stages of getting Book 2 ready for publication. the tentative date is 15th November so I hope to give you a firm confirmation of that as soon as I can. I'm really excited about getting it out there so people have a chance to see the story continue.

A trip to the pictures today to see this adaptation of Stephen King’s short story. Arriving ahead of Rdgar Wright’s new take on another tale from The Bachman Books, The Running Man (with Glen Powell), this has had much less fanfare. I read the story nearly thirty years ago and remembered the premise, but I didn’t recall the details of the plot, so I went into this fresh and with no expectations.

Hi everyone, Great news. An extract from The Ardenna Crossing has been selected for the BBC Upload program. You can hear me reading a section of the book on 31st July and 2nd August between 6pm and 8pm (BST). The show is BBC Upload on Thursday and Saturday - 6-8pm on 95.3 FM, 104.5 FM, 104.8 FM, on Digital, BBC Sounds and here: Happy listening, Richard

Hi everyone, Episode 21 - Zulu but with Vikings (Part 1) Join Cian, Ivy, Polly, Haydon and I as we conjure a tale from the mists of the North; a tale of Sven the Slaughterer and his marauding Viking band as they come up against retired Roman general, Marcus Maxidius III, in Hull! Who will emerge victorious? Send in your ideas to 

Hi everyone, I didn't know anything about this film until about a week ago. I found it on Disney+ last night and decided to give it a go. Here is my review. If you’re a fan of the franchise, this animated anthology film is pretty special. It’s cinematic and has some really memorable, well-drawn characters, staying true to the intensity that made the original…

Hello everyone, With Book 2 nearly ready, I did some planning for the next two books in The Ardenna Crossing series. So, while you wait for Book 2 to be released later this year, I can reveal the working titles for Books 3 and 4. Book 3 - The Ardenna Crossing: Like The Flapping of a Black Wing Book 4 - …

Hi there, One last poem I had forgotten about from my trip to the Tate Britain. This one is based on Mona Hatoum's installation made up of wood and wire coops with light bulbs flaring and switching on and off. The electrical hum put me in mind of David Lynch, as did the varying contrast between darkness and bright electrical light.

Hi there, Another day, another poem. This one is based on JMW Turner's beautiful picture, The Field of Waterloo (1818). I'd never noticed this picture before I saw it last weekend. Lovely. The Field of Waterloo Minister to them,The fallen; intermingled colours,Joined in death as an endless host,Indistinguishable,Red favours adorn them all, Kindled light of hope,

Hi there, Another poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on Northumbrian artist, John Martin's painting from 1851-3. I hadn't seen any of his work for ages. I think I saw his Sodom and Gomorrah piece years and years ago. he has a knack for big landscapes. I couldn't come close to the breadth of the subject, so I stuffed it into a couple of haikus.

Hi everyone, Episode 20 - The Forest of Silent Screams (Part 2) 20 episodes. Can you believe it? Haydon, Ivy, Polly, Cian and I finish off the tale of Jamie Stevens. He's hiked into the woods to find a special fungus to cure his father. What he finds with it is terror and confusion. There are wolves, monsters, madness and a long discussion about how the ending has to be.

Hi there, Another poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on James Tissot's painting from 1876, Summer (Portrait). Miss Lloyd Stay, You cannot come,It cannot be,I dress for another,Promenade for anotherStay your declarations,Your protestations,Your talk of love,Feelings are useless to me,Useless as the shade I carry,

Hi there, Another poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on John Everett Millais' painting from 1874, The Northwest Passage. Weathered He cannot tell it,Aged Captain wants for wordsDaughter reads instead the tale,Of each knot tied, each wave ridden,Feeling through pages stained with salt spray, His record; this man,Removed from service,

Hi there, A second poem with a very different subject from the Tate. This is based on Elizabeth Butler's painting from 1879, The Remnants of an Army. Just a couple of haikus. Into Jalalabad Beaten beyond hope,Ragged mount can bear no more,Return him in shame. Dust disturbed for nought,Settled after marching feet,Shifting now for what? Thanks for reading. Another one tomorrow. Richard

Hi there, Got some inspiration today. I spent the day editing The Ardenna Crossing: A Thousand White Fragments, but also had the chance to mooch around The Tate Britain for a good while, taking in some pictures and generating some ideas. I have a few to come, but this is the first, based on Luke Fildes' picture, The Doctor, from 1891.

Hi everyone, Remembered this today, and realised that I had never posted it here before. A few years ago I entered a competition to write an extra page from Laura Palmer's secret diary. This was my entry, which ended up winning the competition; the first time I've ever won anything for my writing. I found one of the places in Jen Lynch's book where there were pages missing, and then thought about what have happened in between the surviving entries.