We had some good weather today so I ended up writing in a cafe on the lakes here in Copenhagen. To the left, the inner city. To the right, the neighbourhoods. Hope my Twitter writer pals got some work done today.

Well, I just received my annual royalties for a short story - Fox - that I had published back in 2021 by Short Édition. Click link to read. short-edition.com/en/story/sho...

Christopher Walken in New Rose Hotel (98).

Gerda Maurus in Spies (G. 28. Lang). A silent film I re-watched yesterday. Maybe one of Lang's best German films.

In the lit stakes, I'm currently reading: The Lost Musicians (50). Heinesen was a Faroese writer who wrote in Danish. However, I'm not reading this in Danish, but in an English translation. Plot concerns some musicians up on the islands at the beg. of the twentieth century.

... is watching Late Autumn (Jap. 60. Ozu).

Well, 11th September and I can still go down to the park café and set up my office! Did a spot of reading and writing, after having spent part of the morning editing at home on the old PC. Hope my Bluesky writer pals are getting some work done.

In the non-fiction stakes, I'm moving from The Contemporary Cinema (63) - yes, I'm right up-to-date on contemporary cinema, any questions, fire away! - to We Have Received a Complaint (2024), which looks into the pros and cons of workplace investigations.

Managed to put THE END on a writing project that has been taking too long (a short story that morphed into a 25,000 word novella). Now I can get down to some serious editing of a more serious piece of writing. Hope my Blue Sky writer pals have a better grip on things!

Been watching Mother Joan of the Angels (Poland. 61. Jerzy Kawalerowicz). Excellent film about the possession of a group of nuns at Loudun. Beautifully shot. The film centres around a theologian's attempt to cure the Mother Superior of her possession by eight demons.

Looks like a magazine will do a review of my 61 page novelette. I've sent them a PDF. If you are a magazine, a blogger or a Cornflake packet and would like to review it, then send me a message and I'll send you a PDF.

Not often that I come to the end of three books at about the same time. Just finished one, have about a page and a half of another. And the third one has only 68 pages to go (out of 298).

Seems to be a pattern that I keep getting stuck writing longer short stories that morph into novellas. This takes up too much of my time. Anyway, getting to the end of this one now, then down to some overdue editing. Hope my fellow Twitter writers have a better grip on things!

About to settle down for a re-watch of:

Just add pen and paper and ready to write. My 'office' down the local park café.

Me (spoken in my very best used-car-salesman voice): "Looking for car accessories? Look no further. The Cripple Club. Every car should have one. Fits snug as a bug in your glove compartment, or my name isn't Benny the Kangaroo."

Forget the cookbooks, today I'm cooking with Cecilia Bartoli.

Just got back from the cinema after watching a doc from last year about the director Jacques Demy. Quite a good gallop through his films, but I wish there had been a critical cinéaste on board the project.

Re-watching Providence (Fr-Swiss. 77. Resnais). Polish poster by Andrzej Klimowski.

Well, we got the Opera Festival in town, almost. I think it officially starts on the 16th. But, anyway, me and my better half are off to catch one this evening. Ekko by Josefine Opsahl. Should be about Echo and Narcissus. We'll see. Got the old opera glasses handy.

In them Ancient texts stakes, moving on from a re-read of Antigone (prob. read it at least 7 times) and onto a re-read of The Epic of Gilgamesh.

I had a perfect room with a view during my recent holiday, but got hardly anything written! I seem to work better in noisy cafés!!!

City boy spotted escaping into countryside despite criticizing countryside every single opportunity he gets!

I have a dark romance, The Problem with Cruises, under my Anita Kane pen name in this one. Look forward to reading my fellow contributors. Thanks, as always, to The Alien Buddha Press.

In the supernatural charlatan genre (if there is such a genre), I'm moving on from Coy Hall's Switchblade Svengali (Shotgun Honey; 24) to The Devil's Paintbrush by Jake Arnott (Sceptre; 09). @coyhall.bsky.social - @sceptrebooks.bsky.social

... is re-watching Hitchcock's Sabotage (GB. 1936). Based on Joseph Conrad's novel, The Secret Agent (1907).

Just caught a film based on Stefan Zweig's novel, Beware of Pity (39). The film, British, is from 1946 directed by Maurice Elvey. I've read the novel, which I love, and I think this film is a pretty fair stab at the novel, though it differs in a number of ways. (Polish poster).

Took far too many books on my week's holiday. Managed to almost finish re-reading Dr. No, and got about ten pages into re-reading my fav. Sophocles (though in a translation I haven't read before - I have about 7 in the house!).

Just got back from the Faroe Islands were, for a brief week, I transformed from a metropolitan type into a genuine country person!

Well, that's the last time I take Cthulhu down to the beach. Got a right nasty sting by a jellyfish!

Well, working on some promo ideas with my publisher for my novelette, so had the court photographer (also known as my youngest son), take a few snaps around the apartment. Amazingly enough, there are still some copies available down your local Amazon store and - if you're in Copenhagen - chez moi.

Well, I've read the book, I've seen the original film version, so now I'm finally getting around to watching Guillermo del Toro's take. He's not my fav. director, but we'll see how I get on with it.

Just got back from the cinema after seeing Lotte in Wiemar (DDR. 75. Egon Günther). Based on a novel by Thomas Mann. Very hard to know what to make of this film. I quite enjoyed it, that's for sure, but it is one of those films which I kind of find hard to rate. (Polish poster).

In the past couple of weeks, I've managed to send out 16 submissions (two rejections already). Hope my Bluesky writer pals are getting stuff outta da house.

Well, one of the youngest kid's - he's 22 - old school pals wants to buy my book! Wonders never cease. Who knows, maybe I got a hidden market there, right on me doorstep!

Currently re-watching an old favourite from 74, directed by Sam Peckinpah.

NIGHT TERRORS! A copy of the anthology I'm in has arrived in the house and I look forward to getting stuck in and reading all my fellow writers' stories. If interested, you can pick up your copy direct from the publisher here: acidbathpublishing.com/product/nigh...

Finally got around to writing to my local library asking if they want to stock my novelette and a couple of anthologies I've been published in this year. Photo shows me in front of the library after having picked up a slim volume of poetry.

Just put an order in for ( @russellthayer10.bsky.social‬ & ‪@meproctor.bsky.social‬ ):

A reference to Hello Dolly in a film group had me reaching for my fav. The Residents track, Hello Skinny (78). www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvJi...

Haven't sent anything out in ages, but this morning just sent off two short stories (one lit, one crime). Hope my Bluesky writer pals and other creatives are getting stuff out of the house! Now, I'm going to get myself out of the house and do some writing. Image: Paul Blow.

Next up, a Turkish film from 68. Gonna fasten my seat-belt for this one.

Managed to finish some donkey work, going through 8 notebooks and picking out notes relevant to the WIP I've just finished a rough draft of (thus creating a new notebook). Now lined up for a serious edit. Hope my fellow Bluesky creatives are moving forward with their WIPs.

In the 'crime' stakes, finished Coy Hall's - @coyhall.bsky.social -The Switchblade Svengali (rec), then went back to a Crimeucopia anthology (which contains one of my stories) and finished that off, made it half-way through a legal thriller, and am now maybe 50 pages into my second Bond novel.

Very funny story, Anthony!

Been stuck at 1 hr and 19 mins with this film now in I don't know how long. I think this evening, I will make a final decision whether to get through the last half hour or press the eject button on this stinker.

In the lit stakes, have started in on (from 2025):

Just started in on a Shakespeare I've not read or seen before. The last time I tried this was with Pericles, which almost killed me. Anyway, let's go!

The exhibition on Symbolism in paintings closes today, so yesterday I went up to the gallery to give it a second time over. Then ended up in the swamp, as one does. Whether that's supposed to signify something symbolically or is just meant as a metaphor for my life, who can say?

Was down the local art gallery last night for a closing (first closing I've ever been to, I think. Is this a new thing?) The artist talked about the eight-month project he has just finished and got some pretty good feedback from the punters, I'd say.