What's the weather doing on your planet today?
Being a late to bed and late riser, I am sat here watching my T.V at 2 a.m. in the U.K. (GMT) having just watched episode 5 of a sub-titled German thriller called 8 Days which is being shown on the Sky Atlantic channel. I didn’t use to watch sub-titled programmes as I often semi-watch, by which I mean read something else at the same time or wander out of the room without pausing the show. However, the rise of Scandi-Noir has converted me and I have now watched numerous such shows from different corners of Europe. Still having a bit of a problem maintaining my concentration, probably just demonstrates my laziness as a native English speaker, (despite having learnt Danish as a child, and promptly lost it when I left, plus my mother having been fluent in four languages).
The show centres on a wider German family in the last days before an asteroid is due to hit Europe. It is a clever play on the migration crisis as people pour out of central Europe and the rest of the world limit immigration. The authorities do have some bunkers ready, but without spoilers, the plot revolves around the politics and morality of who gets a place. a bit slow to start with but really picks up as the story develops although I haven’t got to the end yet, I would be interested in other opinions and envisage an English language version in due course.
HERE [away from it all] by Polly Hope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A fantasy book set on a Mediterranean island where, after some cataclysmic event, locals revert to ancient beliefs to the detriment of tourists trapped there. I actually first read this book many years ago as a young man when I found it in the library of an oil tanker I was working on. It has always remained in my memory as I found it uplifting in a thoroughly depressing way. You keep expecting some rescue to arrive and turn things round but, just like real life often is, the tide never turns, until in the final pages all hope is lost. A very brave non-engineered conclusion written at a time when such things were rare in popular fiction. I believe, but can’t be sure that this may be one of only a small number of works published by this author.
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Good question. I am a man in his sixties, living in the English East Midlands between Nottingham of Robin Hood fame and Derby, the home of Rolls Royce aviation engines. I have worked in a number of jobs over the years, from being a trainee navigating officer in the early seventies, on oil tankers and dry cargo ships, going through both the Panama and Suez canals and visiting a number of countries including Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
I have also, amongst other jobs worked as a trainer and teacher over the years, most recently teaching psychology and humanities at a local school and sociology at a college, plus training software systems, numeracy and various other subjects to adults. I now do supply work at schools when I have the inclination and indulge myself in my first passion, writing.
I also try and go swimming four times a week which is why, as a late bird I appreciate the freedom of being able to write when it suits me.
Welcome!
This is the first post on my blog as a self-publishing author. Thanks for visiting (apologies for the photo, unfortunately I’ve never been very photogenic).
My name is Denis Scott although I publish under the name of E.D. Robson. I have chosen to do this as I am currently writing fantasy novels but may choose to add other forms of fiction or even non-fiction in the future under my real, or another name.
I will be using this site to include information about my writing, such as ideas, progress and giveaways plus anything else that catches my attention. I welcome your questions and responses (although talking to myself is not a new experience to me).