Author Archives

James is a full-time writer.

• Stuck for ideas?

  By James Ellis on November 22, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  Brighten up a book lover’s stocking this Christmas… Available here.

• It was a dark and stormy night…

  By James Ellis on November 11, 2018 • ( 0 )

  As the old joke goes: ‘There are three rules to writing novels. Unfortunately nobody knows what they are.’ I like that. Recently, I was a guest speaker at a writers’ workshop and I was asked what rules I follow. I paraphrased Elmore… Read More ›

• Remember Remember…

  By James Ellis on November 1, 2018 • ( 0 )

  With Bonfire Night just around the corner – well, in a few days, I don’t think time goes round corners does it, or does it? Tricky thing time. I remember when I was young the summers seemed – anyway, yes,… Read More ›

• Exploring the real world… the ark

  By James Ellis on October 31, 2018 • ( 0 )

  October, 2018 I’ve had a cold recently and I haven’t been exploring the real world as much as usual. Just hanging around the house drinking lemon and honey and cough medicine. Colds are boring and doing nothing started me thinking… Read More ›

• Exploring the real world… and preserving it

  By James Ellis on October 31, 2018 • ( 0 )

  September, 2018 An English teacher once handed back an essay I’d written by scrunching it into a ball and throwing it at my head. When I unscrunched it (the essay not my head) every page was criss-crossed with creases. I… Read More ›

• Exploring the real world… divine inspiration

  By James Ellis on September 25, 2018 • ( 0 )

  August, 2018 As I sit down in my garden preparing to write this month’s article for The Gudgeon, I can hear a Sunday morning church congregation. Their collective larynx rises in adoration and prayer, and I’m reminded that the human… Read More ›

• Running up that hill

  By James Ellis on August 8, 2018 • ( 0 )

  

  An Other’s Look is now 75% funded. If we were on the London-to-Brighton bike ride we would now be seeing signs for Ditchling Beacon… which means the last push will be hard and I might fall off. So with just… Read More ›

• Exploring the real world… station therapy

  By James Ellis on August 7, 2018 • ( 0 )

  July, 2018 Nature hurts and nature heals – that’s my observation. Take stinging nettles. Whenever Sally and I walk along a country path a group of stinging nettles will look up, notice I’m wearing shorts, nudge each other and lean… Read More ›

• Cartoons

  By James Ellis on July 27, 2018 • ( 1 )

  Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s of the last century (oh that feels bad) I had a brief but rewarding period drawing cartoons for a magazine called the Freelance Informer. Sadly, that fine magazine for the IT contracting industry… Read More ›

• Exploring the real world… our three twins

  By James Ellis on July 3, 2018 • ( 0 )

  June, 2018 As usual, we’ve left it late to book our summer holiday. Every year Sally and I promise ourselves that next year we’ll be more organised; that in February we’ll do some research, make decisions and get everything booked… Read More ›