Envisage International Film Festival is now open for submissions. The science fiction and fantasy festival will be running in 2027 alongside its sister festival which focuses on horror and all things terrifying. 

And along with a veritable feast of fantastic films, visitors can also browse a large hall filled with traders of all things horror and sci-fi. 

Filmmakers please submit your film via Film Freeway. Traders get in touch via info@birminghamhorrorfilmfestival.com.

 

FILM FREEWAY - Pay attention

Hello all you filmmakers, directors, producers and writers out there. Listen up, because this is for YOU. 

You might already know that I run several film festivals; Stratford on Avon Film Festival, Birmingham Horror Film Festival and Convention, and Envisage International Film Festival - and if you didn't, well now you do. 

The vast majority of films we receive as submissions are great, BUT and it's in capitals for a reason - there are many that come into each of the festivals  under the wrong category. Now we are fair and honest people, so when that happens (and because we have the luxury of running three different festivals) we try to contact the filmmaker, offer a free code to transfer their film to the correct festival and out of the one they have incorrectly sent it to. But this is time consuming for both parties and may mean that a film misses a deadline for submission. 

So this is a plea to all filmmakers out there. CHECK the criteria for the festival you intend to submit to. I can't tell you how many family dramas Envisage gets, even though it is clearly marked as a sci-fi and fantasy film festival. And if you don't, and the festival will not transfer the film (unlike us) the reality is that you are likely wasting your money.  So beware!

Thanks!

Earlybird submissions still open

Love science fiction and fantasy? So do we! 

That's why we run Envisage International Film Festival - a WHOLE FESTIVAL dedicated to the very best independent science fiction and fantasy films. Hosted in the amazing Millennium Point, it's set to be a festival that will thrill and delight audiences. 

So if you have a feature, short or micro short, submit it now. Earlybird submissions are still open and you might just end up being the proud owner of one of these...

And don't forget we also have a horror festival and convention, Birmingham Horror Film Festival and the all genre festival, Stratford on Avon Film Festival. 

So get submitting now!

Thanks to Solihull College and University Centre

A couple of days ago I did a talk at Solihull College and University Centre to a group of young filmmakers. Talking with them, their grasp of the industry was clear as was their enthusiasm, and I believe that their futures are bright. 

But there is no denying that this is a tough industry to crack. That's why our team at  Envisage International Film Festival, Birmingham Horror Film Festival and Stratford-upon-Avon Film Festival are so keen to promote student films and indie filmmakers. 

Keep your eyes peeled for our big news coming soon. 

Envisage International Film Festival

Two days ago I pressed a button which set a chain of events into motion. Perhaps you'll remember that I said I had 5 big announcements to make? Well this is the first of them. 

Envisage International Film Festival is dedicated to showcasing all independent productions of a science fiction or fantasy nature. If you've never really thought about those genres then let me be more specific. This includes space opera (think Star Wars and Star Trek, A Space Odessy, etc), dystopian works (the likes of The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games) and so on. 

As a writer of science fiction it's always fascinated me when people tell me they don't like science fiction or fantasy genres... and then tell me the films and TV shows they do like, such as Avatar, Fantastic Beasts and Stranger Things. Because guess what? Those things exactly fit the genres I love so much. 

So back to Envisage. It's brand new and brought to you by the team behind Stratford On Avon Film Festival and Birmingham Horror Film Festival. It's going to debut at the amazing Millennium Point in Birmingham, and its entry fees are super affordable, starting at £5 for a micro short submission. 

So what are you waiting for? Get submitting. Click here to read more about the festival. 

A little snippet

 

 “We have lived in fear and sorrow for many, many years. And believe me when I say that I do not go lightly into war. But there is no bargain to be struck, no words of wisdom that will make everything okay, no way for reparations to be made. Evil is a mould that grows on the face of the discontented. We must eradicate it before it infects others. For once, and for all.”  

Brave words, but just who is speaking them, and why? 

Get ready because the end is near -  The Owners Volume IX.

The Pros and Cons Of Being A Writer - Part One

The reality of being a writer is usually far from what people expect.

Generally, people assume that it's a glamorous job, that my days are filled with excitement, my evenings star-studded. 

It's seldom like that. For me, anyway.

The path to being published or produced is a hard and rocky one. There is more rejection than acceptance, and there are times when you will want to quit, and times when the idea of quitting seems impossible. The publishing industry is a hard nut to crack and the TV and film industry is a daunting thing to attempt to infiltrate.

And I choose my words carefully. There are helpful people in  these industries but there are also many who will rip you or your idea off, at the slightest opportunity. 

Most days, you will tread the slim line between quitting and persevering at least forty or fifty times... depending on what your latest review has come back saying; whether your agent is free to take your call or not; and generally, whichever way the wind is blowing...

From this, I think you will get my point. In an up and down world, being a writer is one of the most fragile of mindsets you can possible hold and not go totally insane (if you're lucky, and if you have people at your side to hold your feet on the ground).

So let's take each point one at a time. 

DREAM  - well you'll have plenty of those. Both in the sense of actual sleeping dreams and hopes and aspirations. 

Of the actual sleeping dreams, expect these to be peppered with all your fears and anxieties, not only about your own life, but about everything and everyone you encountered that particular day. 

My dreams are so vivid that often I wake up, convinced that the world really has been taken over by aliens; that I can fly; that I did win the lottery; that I've entered another reality… etcetera, etcetera...

These dreams have to be taken with a pinch of salt, and unfortunately, although they might have seemed riveting when your unconscious brain was rolling them out on the widescreen of your sleeping inner mind, they will be so riddled with plot holes and weird inconsistencies, that there's no way they will make interesting books or films. 

So dreams are not the lazy way into writing. 

As for the sorts of dreams that are hopes and aspirations… well these can also be problematic. 

It's possible that you will be  a billionaire upon the launch of your first book. Possible - but highly unlikely. 

What you might be, is a few pounds better or worse off, depending on your publishing situation. 

Readers will not flock to your door, demanding more of the same... indeed your readers many not even leave you a review, even if they loved your book. 

That is of course, assuming that any readers manage to stumble upon your book in the first place. There are now millions of books for sale on Amazon, with the growing popularity of the idea  that everyone has at least one book in them. 

You can call me a pessimist if you like, but I stand by my belief that there are many people who don't even have one book in them, let alone more. 

And why should they? We are all different and  our experiences within life are all different, ergo why should we all  have the same story telling skill?

So when it comes to hopes and aspirations, being grounded is the key. 

If you want to write, you must ask yourself why. And you must be truthful in your answer. 

If it's to get famous, then forget it. If it's to give yourself enjoyment and perhaps spread that enjoyment to others, then maybe test the waters. But don't ask your family's opinion of anything you write. They love you, so can't be objective. 

If, on the other hand, stories and characters burn bright inside your mind, then you really have no choice but to write and let them out. 

So, before you put pen to paper, think hard - it may just save your sanity!

Next time we'll cover Not A Real Job, and Connecting With Others. 

Happy reading! x

Another great review!

You can see all my reviews by going to the REVIEWS page on this blog. Just scroll down and you'll find it on the right hand side of the page.

In the meantime, here is the latest review for Ascension which has been posted on Amazon.

"4 and a half stars

This is the first book that I have read by the author and I found it both page-turning and thought-provoking, which played on my emotions. I enjoy dystopian novels and in Ascension Carmen Capuano has written a worthy heroine in Jessica, as she delves into her own abilities and unearths some sordid truths about the society she lives in.

Written in the first person POV, the narrative has an immediacy about it that pulled me into the story, as Jessica gives her all to solve the mystery of the whereabouts of the man who fathered Sarah’s unborn child. The consequences for an unmarried woman giving birth in the dystopian society of

Ascension have grave and life changing implications for both mother and baby, implications which are especially brutal for the mother.

It has a number of themes which have resonance for me – the control of society through the rule of doctrine and law; the treatment and control of women in a patriarchal society, particularly their sexual freedoms (or rather lack of); whether we are born good or evil and whether we have any choice in what we become. We are also left to ponder whether or not we should tolerate some evil is to exist for the greater good to prevail.

The main character’s ability to sense the colour of people’s souls is key to the plot. Jessica has hitherto kept this a secret, but in order to help her friend Sarah, she will have to learn to use and exploit it to its full potential, a potential she has yet to explore. This could put her at grave risk as her path exposes truths about the society she lives in.

I won’t reveal anything about the intricacies of the plot as it would spoil the read, but I will say that I enjoyed it immensely. It will appeal to readers of dystopian novels, particularly those who enjoy coming of age stories.

Please note, a copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of  a fair and honest review."

My thanks to the reviewer, Tina Williams.

Amazon.co

Work has never felt so good.

The last few days I have been inundated with information about my latest writing project, a very gritty, contemporary screenplay. So much so, that it's been hard to concentrate on anything else.

Working on something that demands so much of my conscious mind, as well as the entirety of my subconscious mind [or so it seems] can be hard, demanding work. Luckily I love what I do.

So apologies if you don't hear from me much over the coming weeks, as I'll be fully immersed in the dialog and unfurling plot, but I will try to keep you updated with snippets as always.

Until then, happy reading! x

Review of The Owners: Alone and The Owners: Storm Clouds by the esteemed Gary Longden.

With grateful thanks to the esteemed Gary Longden, Staffordshire Poet Laureate 2014-15.

A new review

Here is the first review for Ascension.

https://echoesinanemptyroom.com/2017/07/24/ascension-by-carmen-capuano/

Taken with kind permission from the blog of Uncial Press, publishers of Ascension.

There are some fascinating novels based on a single action changing history. No, we aren’t talking about time travel, but about speculative stories that look at a single event and postulate what might have happened if the outcome had been different. One term for it is “alternate history.”
Alternate history is usually classed as science fiction, and we can’t argue with that, even though often there’s no science in it. Some the oldies we remember are Ward Moore’s Bring the Jubilee, The Gate of Worlds by Robert Silverberg, and Tunnel Through the Deeps by Harry Harrison. Personally, our favorite is A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson; an original hardcover edition still resides on Jude’s bookshelves.

Sometimes a story isn’t strictly “alternate history” because the event that changed history isn’t part of it. Is that really important? Perhaps we can apply the theory that each decision creates a new possibility and myriad almost-parallel worlds lies side by side, but isolated from each other. And if you can accept that, it’s easy to accept stories that take place on Earth, but a different Earth from the one we currently exist on. After all, isn’t all fiction more or less like that? There are far more dukes in Regency romances than ever existed in the real England, nowhere near as many serial killers (thank goodness) in our world as in the many thrillers and mysteries about them, and not a whole lot of vampires walking the streets of our hometowns. Yet we accept all those alternate views of reality because they are entertaining, interesting, gripping.

Where are we going with this? As a matter of fact, this month’s release started us thinking about alternate history and alternate worlds, mostly because we couldn’t figure out quite what to call it. As far as we know, there is no place on our Earth with a society like it describes, but there could have been. Oh, yes, there could have been, for nothing is impossible.


In Ascension, Carmen Capuano describes a believable society with a structure of law intended to protect its citizens from the wages of sin and chaos. Everyone accepts the societal definitions of right and wrong until Jessica, a young woman with the unusual ability to see the color of people’s souls, realizes that a friend’s life will be destroyed by blind obedience to the law. With that realization comes questions, and those questions lead her on a quest. What she finds may threaten the whole fabric of society. The choice she makes could destroy her world. (Ascension, $6.99. ISBN 978-1-60174-2255-4).

We love mystery-thrillers, particularly those with just a touch of romance. Our March release fits that description nicely. Al Haggerty’s debut book, The Failover File, has industrial sabotage, plane crashes, billionaire industrialists, and a couple of federal agents who can’t be bought. What more does one need for a satisfying read? Oh, yes, there’s romance in there too.
And remember, we’ve always got a bunch of good (Uncial Press) ebooks for you to read. Stay tuned…

Star & Jude

Snippet of current book...

Morning readers, and isn't it a lovely one?

Below, you will find a snippet of the book I am currently editing.

If you want to see more excepts of my writing style, just type the word 'snippets' into the search box on the right of here and you will be presented with a whole host of posts with little tasters of all of my books, [some not yet published].

You will find the link to my books on Amazon etc, also on the right.

PLEASE NOTE : THE FOLLOWING EXTRACT IS UNSUITABLE FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18.

For a while pessimism is my constant, albeit unwelcome, friend. I spend a long time wondering what it is that Matt actually sees in me. I am uncool, unbrave, uneverything. Perhaps Phat would be a better match for him after all… I try to shake the feeling off but it’s persistent. Dwelling on my problems isn’t helping them be solved, instead it’s feeding my insecurities.

I spend some time helping Charlie with his maths. We make some progress and I think that he’s finally starting to grasp some of the techniques that have been evading him until now. I only wish the rest of life was so simple to sort.

Dinner for me is a makeshift affair – a bacon and egg sandwich. Mum doesn’t even raise an eyebrow when I tell her I won’t be eating with the rest of the family - just carries on peeling potatoes and chopping carrots like she’s robot who has been programmed to do only this task and make no response to anything else.

I wonder if she’s noticed that I am wearing one of her tops and whether she’s noticed the other one I put in the wash after wearing. If she has, she doesn’t comment on it. Neither does Dad. But then perhaps he no longer knows what’s hers or mine anymore, now that his attention seems to be permanently focused elsewhere.

“Where are you off to?” he asks, not bothering to look up from his newspaper at me, when I go to the lounge to say goodbye to Charlie.

“Just out to catch up with Millie,” I lie, and because I can, without either him or Charlie who is watching TV again, noticing, I stick two fingers up as I answer. ‘That’s for actually not giving a shit in truth,’ I think at him.

He nods as if the universe is colluding with me. “Have fun!”

Fun? Really? I want to slap him. How the fuck does he think I can just dismiss everything that’s happened, that’s still happening? Can he? Has he?

“I have a project to do in history, I thought maybe you could help me with it later tonight?” I don’t, but perhaps it will make him wake up, make him take notice of what’s going on around him.

Silver linings and all that...

I'm so sorry - you're all going to hate me for this, but I'm loving the fact that it's raining.

The ground was so hard - the grass beginning to dry and shrivel up - and I knew exactly how it felt.

A short, sharp burst of heavy rain is exactly what we need right now.

So come on, dust off those wellies and umbrellas and dance in the rain. It will be hot and sunny again tomorrow and everything will grow and bloom just because of the little wet interlude we've had.

Remember - every silver lining starts with a cloud. 

Happy reading!

Which author[s] am I like?

I took a little bit of The Owners Volume I : Alone and input it into this analysing tool and according to this I write like H.P. Lovecraft.

This was the section I used :

The harsh sunlight, which pierced the window in its strong and direct glare, was now mellowed and softened in the burnished reflections of the polished wooden walls. The knots and imperfections of the wood resembling tiny worlds of intricacies, too complex to be fully understood.

In passing, he glanced through the window to find the view as breathtakingly beautiful as ever. An amazing variety of trees stood like proud sentinels around a spectacular natural lake. Trees stretched on into infinity in every direction – luscious light-green foliage appearing to vie with emerald and jade for the eye’s attention. Yet the trees also seemed to be collaborating with one another, joining forces in an attempt to outdo the drama of the brilliant blue sky reflected in the shimmering perfection of the silvery lake.

This scene, with its myriad colours and composition was so intense and so contrastingly stunning, it almost made San’s eyes hurt. Each tree was unique, either in size or shape or shade to its neighbour, just as the houses lodged within the heart of the tree, sitting snug amongst its highest branches were different. There were large tree houses and small ones, round ones and rectangular ones and even some which didn’t fit any one particular shape but instead were a weird blend of curves and angles.

Similarly the colours of the houses were all different. No, actually he thought, that’s not true. The colour was all the same – green – it was the sheer variety of shades of green which made them seem so dramatically different. Yet what struck San at that precise moment, was how each tree house conformed to and in fact complimented, the size and shape of the tree it was lodged in. It was almost as if each house had merged and blended with the branches to become a living part of its tree.  


Here it is http://iwl.me/s/147eabd8


Then I took this except from The Owners Volume III : Dark Side of The Sun and performed the same analysis :

Jack stepped into the darkness. Even in the seconds that his eyes took to adjust to the lack of light, he was aware that he stood next to Seth once more. There was a musty smell in the room. Dank and with the sharp acrid stench of urine, it was all he could do not to heave. Whoever was in the building had clearly given up all pretence of civilisation.

And they were aware of his and Seth’s presence. There was a vague sound of susurration, as if the person was making soft whisperings to themselves or another but it was too indistinct for him to make out its source or what was said.

“Step back slowly. Do not turn around,” Seth told him without moving.

“Why?” He knew he should probably just do as Seth suggested but having come this far, he wanted to know what they had found.

The susurration seemed to increase in response to his words, as if the person or persons were becoming agitated at the thought of them leaving. “This is why,” Seth slowly pulled a torch from his pocket and flicking it on, levelled it at the darkest corner of the room.

Hair tangled and knotted, what was left of the scalp hung down in front of the skeleton’s face. Whilst not strictly a skeleton, it was how Jack had to think of the body which was even now being hungrily devoured by the biggest pack of coyotes Jack had ever seen.  Bigger than the average dog, their normally lean bodies seemed fuller and longer than normal.


And this was the analysis  http://iwl.me/s/147eabd8



So far, so consistent. Now the biggie. What happened when I put in a section from Split Decision?

Here is the excerpt I used :

The atmosphere in the car was suddenly thick with sexual tension. I could feel all of them straining to hear my answer, listening with their groins rather than their brains.

A primitive fear coursed through me riding a tidal wave of doom. There was no right answer here, only a series of wrong answers. My heart pounded at the steel cage it was entrapped within, banged itself into the padded walls around it and no-one heard it scream. No-one but me. Whatever I answered, I was damned if I did and damned if I didn’t! It was a circular route to Hell.

And the result? This time I wrote like James Joyce apparently!  http://iwl.me/s/d760c1b4



Then this excerpt from my current work in progress, The Plan :


Suzie regarded her companion with wide eyes. None of her friends spoke like this, it was not the type of conversation she was used to having but she liked the honesty of it, the cut and dried truthfulness.

And you will never guess who came out this time! Leo Tolstoy!

And the proof is here  http://iwl.me/s/698342ba

Does that mean I am split personality???

[I wonder what would have happened if I had cut and pasted all the different excerpts into one analysis...perhaps I would have blown the software to smithereens!]

I gave up running the analysis on the other books I have written. They are all diverse - just like me.

So who do I write like? Well I write like me, of course!

Happy Reading. 

But you see, you do already know me...

Think you've never really read anything I've written? I'm willing to bet that you're wrong... because I'm the hidden face behind lots of articles and advertising copy in a variety of places, many of which would surprise you.

So if you haven't done so already, now that you've discovered you know me so well, it's time to pick up one of my books.

Happy Reading!

So Christmas is looming - which means of course that we have been in this house for almost a year. One whole year and I'm still referring to it as the new house. It's not that I haven't settled in, because I have, or that it doesn't feel like home, because it does. So what is it then?

I actually think it's a state of mind. This past year has gone in such a flurry of activity, and I've been such a hive of industry, I almost haven't allowed myself to believe that a year has passed. I've written two whole books and made inroads into a third, decorated, weeded and done all the normal household stuff and yet I'm still wondering if I could have done more, been more industrious...

So on that note, I am making a plan. You know how I love a plan. Next year I will write Volume VIII of the Owners before I write any other books. This is a pivotal volume, for it starts to bring the story back to San and Loni and all the other characters we left in Volume I, because they still have so much to say, so much to do.

In Volume VIII therefore, we will see how Sophia became the leader of her people - what particular things happened in her life to bring her to the exact point at which she meets Little and Loni. We will find out about the tragedies that drive her forward and the challenges she has had to face.

Similarly, we will find out more about Rian, about his unhappy early life and how all that happens then, puts him on the very path that will one day ensure that he meets San.

This will be an emotional book; powerful and strong, full of resolve and purpose, just like its main characters, and I can't wait to start it. Both Rian and Sophia have been patient with me. They have waited in the back of my head for their time to emerge fully into the light. Next year will be their time.

And writing their tales will be no easy task. It will be draining and emotional, but I hope that it will be cathartic both for me, and for its readers. If nothing else, it will give Rian and Sophia the freedom they deserve.

So until then, and just in case I get caught up in Christmas and New Year and don't have a minute to blog again, let me say,

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR, READERS!

I hope 2016 has been great for you and that 2017 will be wonderful!

And if you get one of my books as a stocking filler, I hope you enjoy it. X

New reviews for my books.

Here are some more reviews for my books on Amazon.

About the Owners Volume I. Pretty good for a first novel - and my daughter liked it a lot.

Confess I'm not a teen reader but there's enough of interest here to make me think Carmen Capuano can write and one day she'll pen a great novel. Till then this is enjoyable fare and might just turn into a favourite series for my daughter to enjoy. - Andrew.

Read it! Couldn't put it down.  - Peter Teale.

Thank you guys!

About the Owners Volume II

"Teenagers should love this.

Like the ideas and the way she reinvents the future disaster story. Also better edited than the first in her Owners series so it doesn't suffer from to the same extent from incorrectly typos." - Andrew.


On the Owners III -

"Like Owners II a big improvement on Owners I.

Continuing the story of Dan Ryan from Owners II and pretty well, what I said positive about that applies here to. A good read for any teenager but I am a sucker for disaster survival stories." - Andrew.

Split Decision

"Snappy dialogue and excellent writing- worth trying!"

Looking at this because I like Carmen's 'The Owners' series. Not sure whether it'll appeal to male readers as much as female but she can write and her dialogue is spot on - she makes her conversations sound real and for that reason I'll persevere. The only reservation is about pricing - even for a 400'page novel £11 plus is going to deter many potential readers." - Andrew.

On the Owners IV

"Excellent continuation of the series.

More of Jack Ryan's story from Owners II and III. Excellent continuation of the series." - Andrew. 

Many, many thanks for your honest reviews guys! x

Restaurant review

Yesterday evening I was treated to an Indian dining experience which went beyond anything I have previously encountered.

Located in Harborne, Umami is blessed with a great location which allows for a small outside seating area when the weather is fine, and large plate glass windows through which you can watch the world go by.

From the first sight of its chic decor, which fuses elements of modern and traditional design to create a lasting impression of serenity and elegance, it is obvious that Umami is different to other Indian establishments. Even the air seems to be more subtly aromatic than is the norm, redolent with aromas which evoke thoughts of long, balmy Indian evenings and fragrant nights.  

And Umami certainly lives up to its name, providing a fifth element of taste that is less definable than the traditionally agreed sweet, salty, bitter and sour, in its rounded, rich savoury dishes.  

Greeted by an elegantly bedecked hostess, we were ushered into a lounge area and presented with an extensive drinks menu which had everything I had ever heard of and more. Cocktails with exotic names and even more exotic ingredients, champagnes and spirits, soft drinks and wines to suit every budget and palate.

My companion chose a Cheeky Monkey, which was pleasingly strong and an excellent choice for the discerning whiskey drinker, whilst I chose a Rise of Umami, a soft and fruity concoction, which was both refreshing and delicious. We sipped on these whilst we took our time to consider the unique and innovative menu with a good selection of starters, mains and desserts, as well as three set-price menus, which each have a selection of starters and mains to share, and which can be replenished on request.

It was one of these set menus which we chose, the Royal Prix Fixe, whilst our drinks orders were replenished with yet another cocktail, this time an Old Fashioned, smooth and full bodied, and a glass of Cotes de Provence Rose, refreshingly chilled and light.

Suitably relaxed,  we were led through a very stylish contemporary bar area to the dining room, which exuded effortless class from its delightful soft furnishings to the semi-private dining booth, easily able to accommodate up to six diners.

What was apparent by this stage was the sumptuous attention to detail which was obvious throughout, both in the exceptionally well-appointed restaurant and in the attentive yet discreet service from the waiters. And we were clearly not alone in our opinion, for every table was filled with diners who radiated a sense of contentedness, lending the whole place an excellent ambiance.

But it was when the food emerged that an even greater meticulous care was evident. The three starters of tandooried king prawns, chargrilled chicken tikka and Welsh lamb chops were so well-executed that they seemed to melt on the tongue. Each mouthful was tender and succulent, with just the right bite to it.

Likewise the four main courses were exquisite. Each dish seemed to challenge the next to be even better; the fish simmered in coconut milk and mango curry was smooth and light, the Palak Paneer was delightfully moreish, the Welsh lamb was fragrant and piquant and the butter chicken was so sweet and juicy that it immediately became my new favourite. So much so, that I just had to ask what it was that made this dish so different from its counterparts across the country.

I learned that unlike most other restaurants, the chef at Umami uses pulled chicken in this dish and he considers it to be one of his finest specialities. Having tasted it, I had to concur, whilst my dining companion voted for the Welsh lamb with its subtle coriander and cumin flavours.

Somehow by sheer force of will, we managed to leave just enough room for dessert, ordering carrot pudding encased in a crispy samosa pastry and Hagen-Daz, which was served in a brandy basket with a fruit coulis. Both were delicious.

I have to say, we left with reluctance, and only once our plates were completely clean. But I don’t think it will be too long before we make another visit to this fantastic restaurant, to sample once more the banquet truly fit for a Maharaja.  

Coming up next...

Today I'm writing about death and destruction. It's just as well I can separate fact from fiction, truth from lies.

There is a book coming up, based very much on a true-life story told to me. It is one of deceit, betrayal and a crippling injustice perpetrated. Will justice finally prevail? If I have anything to do with it, it will...

Oh and if I'm feeling particularly generous, I might even change the names of the villains. Then again, maybe not. :)

Happy Reading!