Edinburgh Futures Institute I’ve attended two cyber security in-person conferences this summer as part of my day job. It’s always good to get away from my desk and hear what is current in the industry. Even better when I’m an attendee and not a presenter. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy presenting, but it … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 159
Croatia I took time out to head over to Croatia, staying in a small place called Mlini. It’s a beautiful place on the coast and a half hour boat ride from Dubrovnik, which was my main reason for the trip. The television series Game of Thrones used Dubrovnik as the main filming location for King’s … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 158
In Between The Gaps I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this new novel by T.L. Dyer. These ARC’s feature towards the end of the writing process, shortly before the novel is due for publication. They act as a final sanity-check for the author before the public at large can … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 157
Canine Connection I often cut through the grounds of St Cuthbert’s Parish Church while out and about during my lunch hour. Aside from being a useful shortcut from the bottom of Lothian Road into Princess Street Gardens, it’s a picturesque and fascinating corner of historical Edinburgh and well worth a visit. One feature to keep … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 156
Linlithgow Palace Revisited I’ve renewed my membership for Historic Scotland which means I now have free entry into Linlithgow Palace. When I visited last year I walked around the grounds which is free, but this time I took the car all the way in and parked up in the grounds and spent time wandering around … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 155
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society This was a real treat for me. I had never been inside this establishment in the New Town in Edinburgh, though I had passed by it during my walks around the city. I have a novel almost ready to publish, which features a dystopian take on the city, and has … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 154
Wemyss Bay On the way back from Largs I stopped off at Wemyss Bay. This was a quick visit simply to see the train station. I have spent decades commuting by train and have written millions of words while travelling, so it’s a fair question to ask why would I spend time at a station … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 153
Isle of Cumbrae Great Cumbrae (Scottish Gaelic: Cumaradh Mòr) is the larger of the two islands known as The Cumbraes in the lower Firth of Clyde in western Scotland. The island is sometimes called Millport, which is the name of its main town. You can hop aboard, or even take your car, onto the Caledonian … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 152
Largs On the West coast in North Ayrshire, overlooking the Firth of Clyde is a small town called Largs. The original name comes from the Scottish Gaelic (An Leargaidh) which means, the slopes. Popular with tourists, it is a busy place especially when the weather is nice. Scotland is experiencing one of its driest spells … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 151
Newark Castle Heading out to the West coast, I stopped off at Newark Castle. A little confused at first when I entered the details into Google maps as there are in fact two castles in Scotland with the name Newark. One in Fife, overlooking the Firth of Forth, the other in Port Glasgow, next to … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 150
The Fiction Factory 