South African author
A celebratory journey, and a surprise The journey Cathy asked me what I wanted to do for my 80th birthday. Did I want a party? I said I wanted to spend three weeks travelling around this wonderful country of ours. And so we did. Three weeks, 21 days, 4200 kms in our reliable truck-like Isuzu…
Celebrating 130 years of life. The celebration was for my son, Andrew’s 50th birthday in January of this year and my upcoming 80th towards the end of the year. The prize was Namibia. A short trip: the dunes of the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world, then Swakopmund, and finally the north, Damaraland,…
This picture is a candidate for the cover of Peter Cleary’s latest novel, “FATHERS AND SONS”. The photograph was taken by the author on a road trip to the Cape in 2017. The new novel is going through the final editing phases and should be published in print and e-book form shortly. The following are…
I have generally not suffered from the inertia that they label ‘writer’s block’. There have been times when I have had to search for a character or revise a plot but usually a solution comes, even if I have to modify it later. But my latest book, with the working title, Fathers and Sons. The…
The books you have on your shelves reveal your interests, or sometimes, what you want others to think of you. A poseur. Old books show your long-standing passions. Not something you’d keep for show. More of a reminder of an age, a chapter of your life. Recently I did a blog called Zane Grey Country…
The reaction to Thunder in the Distance has been extremely positive, helped in no small measure by the claim by Dave Savides (who reviewed the book) that it is the best I have written, and that it could hold its own in the world of fiction. But a friend of mine, whose opinion I value,…
I was thinking about Jack McCall, the main character of my novel ‘Nowhere Man’, wondering if I could resuscitate a defeated man in his mid-40’s. Find a happier path for him. Obviously this was in consideration of a subject for my next story. That led me to thinking about Plumtree School which Jack attended and…
“Thunder” is my 20th book, a milestone never contemplated when I was writing the autobiography “Run Run As Fast As You Can”, learning a new skill, and trying to find a way to have it published, eventually succeeding through an American publisher, Trafford, in 2009. Baby steps. And now there is a process and key…
The title of my new book comes from the “Belfast Revival”, a song by Robin Mark. It has the following verse; I can hear the thunder in the distance Like a train on the edge of town I can feel the brooding of your spirit Lay your burdens down This is the text of the…
Here is a sample of the what you can expect from the novel I am presently writing. It is the thirteenth chapter of Part One of the Novel, sub-titled, The Sniper. —————————– On the second of July, 1900, on the fifth day out from Bloemfontein, Fynn Armstrong killed a man. That afternoon, reeling in the…
