Getting a wiggle on

 GETTING A WIGGLE ON

Bait digger - low tide, Winchelsea Beach

No, I'm not going to talk about lugworms or ragworms or those hardy souls who go down to the beach at low tide to dig for bait. Much as I realise this could be suitable topic for a blogpost, I'll leave it for another day. No, this is more about me getting a wiggle on.

Ornamental Egyptian scarab

On checking back, I discovered that I started my current work in progress, back in November 2022. Normally I aim to finish writing a book in about a year and all six previous ones have followed this pattern. I have no real excuse for why this one has taken 16 months already and I'm still only a third of the way through. I could make excuses - well I will.

Pectoral brooch

The working title is 'Blood on the Nile and the initial theme for the story was the illegal import of artifacts, possibly looted from the tombs in Egypt. Superintendent Stout put Sonny Russell on the case saying 'you were out in the East during the war'. Although the DI pointed out he was actually in south-east Asia, not North Africa, Stout dismissed his protest. In order to make sure I know what I'm talking about I've planned for some time to visit the Egyptian Galleries in the British Museum. I'm still waiting to go so this may be a reason for my slowness.

Sanatorium

As my readers are aware I always include more than one story line, and try to weave the different themes together until finally bringing them to a satisfactory climax. This book is to be no different and I've introduced a mysterious sanatorium and a body found on the beach. I'll say no more - I think I've given enough away already. I'll leave you with this image of a hidden camp in the woods and let you guess why.

Just one more thing. In all my books I start each chapter with a definition, or explanation, of something that appears a few pages on. I really enjoy the research involved and hope it adds to the book. But I'd be interested to hear what those of you have read any of the books think about me continuing it.

CHARCOAL & PLAGIARISM.

 CHARCOAL & PLAGIARISM

Burning charcoal

Why the strange dual title you may ask? Let me explain. In my current work in progress, BLOOD ON THE DUNES, the main character, a runaway from a children's home, is hiding in the woods. He has a copy of Baden Powell's Scouting for Boys which he's read from cover to cover and is skilled in woodmanship and all manner of outdoor skills. So he plans to build a shelter, a bivouac, so he can stay concealed. He pushes deeper into the woods and is delighted to discover a readymade shelter. He doesn't realise that's it's an abandoned Charcoal burner's hut.

Construction of a charcoal burner's hut

Charcoal burning is an ancient tradition going back over 3,000 years. It was discovered that charcoal provided sufficient heat for iron-smelting, glass-making and working with precious metals. It was the discovery that charcoal could be used to smelt tin and copper together, hence the Bronze Age, which lasted from c3,500-800 BC. It continued to be used into the Iron Age although as this required much higher temperatures, coal and coke rapidly replaced it from about 1700 onwards. The production of charcoal then went into decline and almost died out until a revival during WW1 when it was used extensively as a filter in gas masks. Again, the craft faded away until a brief revival for the same purpose in WW2. Nowadays production is limited to the use on barbecues and in some incenses.

A charcoal burner's hut

So much for the history lesson, now to plagiarism. I wrote about a couple of  felons who took shelter in a charcoal burner's hut after a train robbery in BLOOD ON THE SHRINE, but didn't go into much detail. But, I went back to that book and 'borrowed' some of what I'd written for inclusion in the new book. I must stress that I haven't copied it verbatim, just used some of the ideas I'd written down. It also sent me down a research rabbit hole looking into the ancient craft. Here's a link if you'd like to know more. 

New Forest Charcoal Burners - Real New Forest Guide