martindukes2 days ago1 minThe lure of ZanzibarZanzibar, a sun-drenched archipelago off the east coast of Arica has long held a fascination for travellers. Its history is an...
martindukesMay 131 minWorm Winds is coming!Things are getting moving now as we approach publication day for the second in Alex Trueman’s adventures, ‘Worm Winds of Zanzibar.’ In...
martindukesMay 31 minBook Review: Waterspell Book 3 by Deborah J LightfootThe second book of Deborah J Lightfoot’s Waterspell Series left me enthralled by its dramatic climax and eager to read more. Nor was I to...
martindukesApr 61 minBook Review: Waterspell Book 2 by Deborah J LightfootI very much enjoyed The Warlock, the first in Deborah J Lightfoot’s Waterspell quadrology so I was really looking forward to reading the...
martindukesMar 73 minMemories are made of thisI joined Ancestry.com last week. I think my reason for doing this was a desire to place myself in an historical context, to see my life...
martindukesFeb 241 minBook Review: Waterspell Book 1 by Deborah J LightfootThere is an impressively immersive quality in Deborah J Lightfoot's, writing which draws you in and keeps you there as the pages turn....
martindukesFeb 143 minCover storyReading is an intensely visual experience. On first impression, one might conclude that looking at a cartoon strip or a picture book is...
martindukesFeb 82 minI 'heart' Art I always loved English and History at school but I guess my favourite class was Art. Drawing was something that always came easy to me...
martindukesFeb 31 minMermaid and DragonThis is an image I made to illustrate a children's story I wrote, entitled 'Rebecca and the Dark Horse. I tried various illustrational...
martindukesFeb 21 min"Shroom" for improvementThis, my friends, is a ‘mushroom’ and always will be, so why have I noticed it increasingly being referred to as a ‘shroom’ on the menus...
martindukesJan 291 minTotally Taken by TolkienI was growing up in the sixties and seventies and the first book I can remember being totally bowled over by was The Hobbit. This book...
martindukesJan 192 minBook Review- The Remains of the Day by Kazuo IshiguroI suppose one shouldn’t be surprised to find that a book which won the Booker Prize is really rather good, and so I was reassuringly...
martindukesJan 173 minIf my book was made into a movie (well, I can dream!)My first reaction, upon being offered a contract proposing to make a movie of my book, would be delight. How could it not be? In my...
martindukesDec 28, 20213 minCaught in a momentThere’s something infinitely fascinating about Time. I know I’m not the only one to think so, given the large number of books and movies...
martindukesDec 13, 20213 minIf I had a superpowerI’m sure that one reason for the success of Marvel and DC comics is that they tap into a deep vein of human aspiration, the desire to be...
martindukesDec 1, 20213 minWhere do ideas come from?The way in which our brain generates ideas is one thing that sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom, although I think animals...
martindukesNov 22, 20211 minMy first blog tourWell, this is exciting! Today is the first stop on my blog tour, organised by Goddess Fish Promotions. During the course of the next two...
martindukesNov 16, 20213 minAn introduction to ToxandriaMy Toxandria map emerged from a fantasy game called Khan, that I developed in my teenage years. It was essentially a strategy game, in...
martindukesNov 2, 20212 minThe Song of Ohbrid (Part Three)This are the last words in my WiP ('That which the deep heart knows'). The theme is of life, death and renewal, describing the...
martindukesOct 26, 20212 minCushionsHas a man ever bought a cushion? I’m not talking about the purchase of such an item as a gift. Doubtless, such occasions have arisen....