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I'll be continuing to post the same kinds of things about writing, politics, Northern Ireland and dropping in a few music and film reviews.

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The Trouble with ‘The Troubles’ - 10 CRIME FICTION BOOKS TO READ FROM NORTHERN IRELAND

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When I was writing my latest novel, Hunted, it was the first time I had really dealt with ‘The Troubles’ in one of my books. I had always avoided it as much as possible. Coming from here, there are many reasons why that is. But it's the elephant in the room. I’m not a fan of books that are directly ‘Troubles Books’ and many are perhaps unkindly known as ‘Troubles Trash.’ I am a fan of books that reference it and offer a particular and specific perspective, and that is what I have tried to do with my new series too. Here are 10 books that deal in some way with ‘The Troubles.’ There are many other great writers from this part of the world, but this list is specifically relating to the sectarian divide that has plagued Northern Ireland and my personal favourite novels relating to it. To name a few other brilliant writers from here that aren’t on this list would include Steve Cavanagh, Claire McGowan, James Murphy, Jan Carson, Paul Waters etc. etc. etc. There are so many great writers...
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ADORN THE PRESENT- A 'Prisoner' / 'Walker' Short Story

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  I first got into The Prisoner when I was around 10. I was on a family holiday to Wales and we stayed a few nights in a cottage in Portmeirion. Each night at '6', an episode was shown. I was immediately hooked.  For years I hunted out VHS copies until I finally had all of the episodes. I joined the Six of One fan club, searched for everything Patrick McGoohan had ever done & have been pretty obsessed ever since. So, for the heck of it, here's a Prisoner inspired short story, featuring my series character, Mick Walker.  Be Seeing You. Adorn The Present By Simon Maltman     Walker comes to with a start. He is lying on an empty beach, turquoise sea stretching out ahead of him. He scrambles to his feet. The sun is rising above the vast ocean. Walker spins around, completely disorientated.    Where am I?    Behind him on the cliff above is the outline of a beautiful Italianate village. Coloured in pastels of yellow, orange a...
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HUNTING For A Story

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HUNTED begins with a rare copy of the ‘Proclamation of the Irish Republic’ being stolen. The whole book is about the past. I had always avoided writing about ‘The Troubles,’ but in this book, here it is- front and centre. But not completely, the story is set just afterwards. I needed there to be some distance for the story, and for me. The book is set in 1999 and the characters are looking back at their recent past. In the same way, the reader is looking back at our recent past from the vantage point of 2024. I say recent- 1999 seems not so long ago to me.  This is my eighth novel and the first one introducing these characters.  Walker has a lot about him that I can relate to and a lot that I don’t. That’s half the fun. He’s a contradiction, a n  anti-hero. But he has a lot to admire, amidst his flaws and questionable choices.  Of course  there’s some of myself in there- good and bad. There  has to  be. Not all though. He was in the IRA, then he was an...
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