(pigeons have been joined by three green parakeets, but they are a longstanding local anomaly!)

i've got two kissing cuddling pigeons outside my window. very sweet, but i'm not sure they should be feeling it's *spring* quite yet?! problem, houston. it's absurdly mild in london? xx

Soft proofs approved, cover and text! Phew! PARTISAN is at the printer's, finally :)

@bigjosh84.bsky.social Thx for the follow!

On the train, little wintry scattering of yesterday snow as we come down between Chablis & Chalons

it's been ages since i was here, that's books for you!

@doorisajarmag.bsky.social thx for the follow back :)

@akscotland.bsky.social thx for the follow back!

#windows is such a #dogsbreakfast of an OS but i'm quite fond of it these days despite myself

@beckettreading.bsky.social fab, thx for the follow!!

Travelling

Should read "dead or injured"

50,000 dead Palestinian children. The equivalent of every child in the Haringey triangle. Imagine that #stopthegenocide

#haringey #now

@miverraswriter.bsky.social Thx for the follow!

@litficandromance.bsky.social @birdwriterwrites.bsky.social 6 hits on bsky for hashtag #litfic. 1 null, 1 clearly not, 1 dormant but doubtful, 1 didn't seem to be about books, which leaves two!! hope springs eternal :)

@barcelonacodeschool.com thx for the follow back!

@marjoleinrotsteeg.bsky.social Thx for the follow back. Wow for the haiku :)

@barcelonacodeschool.com thx for the like :)

Gaza's Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has surpassed 59,000.

@nylarene.bsky.social This is one of my OC's :) My skills are basic & my tools trad, but I have fun anyway! He's the Englishman, from my novel:

@nylarene.bsky.social and your model & anim stuff is #unrealengine ?

@nylarene.bsky.social love the portfolio!

#Pavese (left) - Leone #Ginzburg - Franco #Antonicelli, first to publish Primo #Levi in an edition of 2500 copies, some of which sold - Carlo #Frassinelli - editors, publishers, writers in the days before publishing became just another content business. From Vento di guerra sulle Langhe

@emmadmiller.bsky.social Hey Emma, thx for the follow! Writing, tough gig!!

@vintageobscura.net Thx for the like :)

@wendysacksjones.bsky.social Thx for the follow back :)

It really is the LAST DAY of the crowdfunder for my novel, Partisan, which weaves together a #war-story, a #coming-of-age story, and a #mid-years-of-our-lives story, unfolding together against the backdrop of these wild hills in the north of Italy. #partisan2025 #storytelling

Cockerel woke me this morning from a #royalist dream, not my usual thing. Young #King of #England with a baby in a bicycle cot. I was raving about people who cut down trees. He fell asleep. The King was very clearly the young #HughGrant. What can you do?

And we're fast approaching your last chance to see your name in print, in the book, in the rollcall of honour, listed in the BIG BIG thankyou to supporters :) #partisan2025 There's just a day to go. If would be fab if you took the plunge www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/partisan2025

That next reading from Partisan. I do hope some of you are enjoying these! 4 mins of your time if you'd like to listen :) This is Crabbe, the Englishman and #SOE agent, boarding the submarine which will land him on his mission. #warstories #worldwar2 #partisan2025 And obvs, crowdfunder, blah blah

You know you exist when you show up in searches :) Partisan is making its way into the world:

@aillume.bsky.social Hey thx for the follow!

@propcazhpm.bsky.social Aw, thx :)

Nice message from an editor who read Partisan two years ago: I remember it well and some of the passages in the novel were so beautifully written that I still think about them now. #partisan2025 #writers #writingcraft #writinglife

If you've got 5 mins you might enjoy this intro to my novel Partisan and a short (first) extract. There'll be another extract going up today :) #warstories #worldwar2 #italianhistory

And we're into the LAST DAYS of the crowdfunder if you fancy reading more! Pre-order a copy to help the whole project along :) #warstories #lovestories #comingofagestories #worldwar2

#BeppeFenoglio was the other wartime writer and partisan famous in these hills. His stories are full of these places - Cascina Langa, Sant' Elena - the valley behind us, where wolves are still sighted in the winter, soft footed - the towns of Alba, Mango, the hamlets of Manera and Campetto.

And we're into the LAST DAYS of the crowdfunder if you fancy reading more! Pre-order a copy to help the whole project along :)

If you've got 5 mins you might enjoy this intro to my novel Partisan and a short (first) extract. There'll be another extract going up today :)

@lothlorienpoetryj.bsky.social Thx for the follow back!

@mikhaeleveron.bsky.socialThx for the follow back!

Heinrich Böll on Nazi times - A paralysing pessimism lay over everything. (What's to become of the boy?) So let's refuse pessimism, cynicism, don't care, can't stop it,"realism". Acceptance. Defeat.

Which books will stand out on the bookshop table?

Almost last update is now live on the crowdfunder with a Soundcloud link to the first of my readings! www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/partisan2025 We're into the last couple of days, so if you want to pre-order a copy now's your chance. First readers have enjoyed it. Some have loved it. You might too.

@littleoldladywho1.bsky.social @littleoldladywho1.bsky.social Thx for the follow back! De-influencer, I like it :)

Up here on my hillside it's #Pavese country, he was born nearby in Santo Stefano Belbo, a town which devotes a lot of effort to curating his memory. I came across this rather sad quote yesterday (my translation so possibly wrong in detail!) -

@judecook.bsky.social Hey, thx for the follow!

Think I'm finally grasping how hard it is to persuade people to buy books!

Could you hold up a sign that said "I resolutely state:- I am not a member of a terrorist group 'proscribed' or not. I AM against genocide in all its forms, anywhere in the world. Genocide is currently being carried out in Palestine" How would the Govt make an offence of that? #showyourhands