Authorised April 2004

- Bill's Monthly Column -

Tunisia

It’s been an interesting month. Visited Tunisia and liked it enormously. The people were friendly, the food was fine. Saw the ruins of Carthage and some wonderful mosaics and statues in the National Museum, including the head of a statue of Neptune that was about the size of my living room. It must have been very impressive indeed when it was complete. Oddly the thing that impressed me most was seeing some coins from the late Roman Republic. It’s a strange thing to think, my god, those were in circulation when Julius Caesar was still alive. It’s not like I haven’t seen such things before. They had some Roman coins in the museum in Stranraer when I was a boy. It's just they affected me more this time. I think I am feeling my age. There are some pictures below - click thumbnails for larger images.

*

Floods, Banks & Plague...

It’s been one of those months were things just keep going wrong. We all have them. Returned from holiday to discover the flat was partially flooded. The bank messed up the transfer of funds from the UK. I have a strangely persistent cold that leaves me coughing up nasty green slime all the time. I feel a bit like John Hurt in Alien. 

New Book...

Despite all this, work on the new books proceeds apace. I am now heading towards 90,000 words so the end is in sight-quite literally in the case of some of the characters. It’s one of those stories where the participants have taken on a life of their own and the story has completely parted company from the outline. The ending and the way the action has played out has come as a surprise to me. It’s always nice when that happens. 

Spirited Away

Also on the plus side, I acquired a DVD of Hiyao Mayazaki’s beautiful fairy tale Spirited Away. Miyazaki is responsible for my all time favourite ever anime, Laputa, the Flying Island, and this one does not disappoint either. Enigmatic and visually stunning, it reminded me in a strange way of another movie, Angel’s Egg, although its considerably more accessible. 

Anyway, it’s the Eastercon in Blackpool next. Of which more hopefully, next month…

All the best

Bill

[ Top ]  [ Un-Authorised ]