The Awkward Squad
A Readers' Group by Michael Campling
Hello
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
― Ray Bradbury
Thank you to Sean for that quote. I believe I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of Bradbury. I think it goes back to my early experiences of his stories, when he showed me a strange world of the unexpected in The Illustrated Man.
It strikes me that we can also destroy a culture by stopping writing the books in the first place. Okay, it's not a likely scenario, but we now live in a world where artificial intelligence is being offered as a tool for creative writing. Will we hand that gift over to our computers?
I hope not.
To my mind, it has become even more important to hold on to the very special world of books and plays. In my book, if you'll pardon the pun, original work is the only kind of writing worth pursuing. I won't be using AI to 'help' in my books, and I'm not impressed by those who are. I'm a fan of tech, but I don't want a machine to make life easier for me. I face the highs and the lows when I sit at my keyboard, and I work through them. At the end of the process, I hope to become a better writer.
Give me a pencil and a piece of paper and I'll make something for you. It's that simple.
I'm hopping down off my soapbox now, but while I'm still thinking about writing, you won't be surprised to hear that another writer who left his mark on my imagination was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I've long been a fan of the original Holmes and Watson stories. For me, many of the films and spin-offs don't quite capture the spirit of the originals, but I do enjoy the BBC radio plays in which Clive Merrison and the late Michael Williams became the only pair of actors ever to perform the entire canon of Holmes' adventures.
When a production of Sherlock Holmes: The Valley of Fear came to Exeter’s Northcott Theatre, not with Merrison but with a troupe of fresh-faced young actors, I jumped at the chance to see it.
It was a wonderful night, with the audience on the edges of our seats. In the photos section there's a snap of me standing in front of the stage, and you can see the atmospheric set, in which the actors moved the props around to show all manner of different settings, from stagecoaches, to trains, to towns, to houses. Very clever.
We had great seats and I loved every minute. And yes, if you’re wondering, the title of my book, Valley of Lies, is an homage to that story.
As always, there are some photos below, but first, here are some words of thanks:
Cheers!
A huge thank you to these kind people who have sent me a mug of tea
via ko-fi.com. I'm raising a mug of English Breakfast in honour of these recent supporters:
Tami
Jill
Jules
Tamara
and regular supporters: Lara, Cynthia, Lynn.
Thank you all for your encouragement and support.
Want to join them?
Featured Photos
Me at 221B Baker Street, as recreated at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter.
Mysterious March
Sometimes the Devonshire Landscape can be sunlit and inviting, at other times it can be mean, moody and mysterious, as seen in these pictures of the Teign Valley in March. Spring was ready to start, but the winter wasn’t quite ready to let go. Cue, the wettest March since the eighties, and for England, that’s really saying something.
I hope you can imagine Dan and Alan battening down the hatches or retreating to the Wild Boar for a pint of Jail Ale by the roaring fire.
There are more photos on the site, especially if you take a minute to register as a member (which is free):
NB: If you don't see a confirmation email after signing up, please check your junk and spam folders, and if you still can't find it, please drop me a line and I'll fix it as soon as I can.
Book News
Kobo are bringing their subscription service, Kobo+ to the UK and the USA. For a monthly fee you can read as many ebooks as you like. There's also a plan that includes audiobooks, and a plan that covers both audio and ebooks. My books are opted in, so they should be available to you if you join. Look for kobo.com for more details.
Kobo are also having a VIP sale in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and the US from April 10 to 14, and if you're a VIP customer (which is a cheap annual fee) you can get Murder Between the Tides at a discount. I can't provide a link as the promo hasn't started at the time of writing.
What's Next?
I am a little behind on my correspondence so if you're waiting for a reply, I apologise. I will get to you. I've been concentrating on getting the next Devonshire Mystery finished. I know this book has taken a while, and I thank you for being so patient, kind and supportive.
I have a wordcount target for the book, and I keep adding to it and adding to it as I realise I have more story to tell. I am closing in on the end though, and I had a breakthrough today when I realised I could throw Dan a clue that would set him firmly on the trail.
Let's just say that if Dan were Sherlock Holmes, at this point he'd be crying, "Come on, Watson. The game's afoot!"
So I'd better get back to the chaps and help them along. No AI involved, just me and my imagination, and the restless tap, tap, tapping of my fingers on the keys.
Happy reading and take care.
All the best,
Mikey C
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