Hello from self isolation on the Isle of Wight. What a strange experience this is, although my son tells me I spend most of my life in self isolation, hidden away in my home, beevering away at my writing. I must say that living in my own private fictional world has been good training for shutting myself away from others. However I am still making sure I get out for my hour´s walk every day (weather permitting) along the miles of beautiful footpaths which still seem to be empty of people. Here it is possible to enjoy the spring flowers bursting out of the hedgerows and hear the birdsong and enjoy the views. Here you can forget about Covid19.

Writing is also a wonderful means of escape from the misery of the television news. At present I am working on the final read-through of my novel “The Discovery of Franco´s Bankroll”. This is set in the region of Spain where I lived for the best part of fifteen years, so it is based on personal experience of the country. However the story is entirely fictional and the characters are my own inventions. I hope therefore that the reader will enjoy an authentic taste of what it is like to live in Spain.

I am waiting for the cover design to come through and I hope to be publishing this novel in the next few weeks. I will be interested to hear readers´ reactions to my first book from that country which, as I write, is in lock-down.

Best wishes to you all. I hope you come through this difficult time with a minimum of problems. Remember that escaping into the imaginary world created by a good book is a wonderful way to keep your spirits up.