Daynote - Mon 23 Feb 2026
Back to town again.
I'm away into Edinburgh again today, this time for dayjob stuff, so no early morning walk for me (unless I count walking to and from railway stations), but a solid morning nonetheless, writing-wise. And the skies are clear properly for the first time in weeks, which is a mood lifter and a half.
ON DECK: A very creditable 1,405 words this morning in my usual writing session. The scenes are coming together very nicely now as I tip over the invisible line into the part of the book where all the various plot threads start coming together. It's not the climax, per se, but it's definitely the lead up to it. Unfortunately I still don't precisely know what that climax is going to look like, but I'll keep rumbling forward and see what presents itself.
LISTENING: I really enjoyed this look at the TV show KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS by the history podcast Gone Medieval, which includes a great interview with the historical consultant who worked on the show.
WATCHING: Didn't watch much over the weekend, I was too busy reading for most of it. A bit of GLADIATORS on Saturday, but otherwise I was in my armchair reading or hanging out with family. I did enjoy this short film made entirely in the game ARC RAIDERS, though. Quite an achievement.
READING: I finished off THE DARK HEART (Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon) by Neil Lancaster in a couple of days (which is blazingly fast for me) and it is an excellent, propulsive crime novel. More of a crime/espionage hybrid, to be honest, which is perhaps why I inhaled it so fast. Cracking stuff. I'm looking forward to speaking with Neil about this book on March 10th. Grab yourself a ticket if you're in or near Edinburgh.
LINK: I've no idea where I came across this essay called How To Make A Living As An Artist, but it's a fascinating glimpse into the art world from a working visual artist who sells a lot of work. I'm always interested in how other disciplines mix the business side with the art side.
UP NEXT: A fairly relaxed week on the writing front, just pushing the story forward. I've got a recording with the Binge Reading Book Club tomorrow night, but aside from that no promo on the books aside from the drumbeat towards release of SOLITARY AGENTS in three and a half months. Expect to see me posting about that a lot more in the near future.
Onwards!