Couple of news items

I have an interview with Hawkwind's Alan Davey available in the latest edition of Aural Innovations, available here and promoting Alan's new solo album..

I'm also scheduled to appear on BBC Radio Scotland's Radio Cafe programme sometime after 1.15pm on Tuesday 1st May to talk about Strange Boat. Aside from being broadcast across Scotland, it'll be on-line and on 'listen again' for the following week.

Human on the Outside, with a Wooden Heart

Sometimes it's like the postman never stops stuffing parcels through the letterbox - and very welcome these deliveries are as well!

I was delighted to receive a package from Hawkwind's Alan Davey containing not only a copy of his wonderful new solo album, Human on the Outside, but also his Bedouin side-project's studio album As Above, So Below and Voiceprint Records' recent release of the Bedouin live album Extremely Live - 2003. It's really great to see so much of Alan's solo work being made available at the moment. Aside from the live Bedouin, Voiceprint have also reissued his earlier solo offerings Captured Rotation and Bedouin - but the icing on the cake is really the new album, which Alan has taken the plunge and released himself. It's an extremely well-presented fold-out package, with suitably psychedelic by long-time Hawkwind fan Kevin Sommers and the music contain within is some of Alan's finest work. In fact, it's not unfair to say that this album has really elevated his work to a new standard - a wide ranging vista of spacerock and cinematic boldness that is imaginative and intentive. I talked to Alan recently for an interview for the excellent website Aural Innovations which principally focused on his work outside of Hawkwind, and hopefully this'll be appearing sometime in May.

Next postal visit and I was chuffed to have been sent a copy of my old mate Martin Day's latest Doctor Who novel, Wooden Heart. I've really loved his earlier Who work, his novels with Keith Topping (Devil Goblins from Neptune and Hollow Men) and his solo books, particularly Bunker Soldiers from a few years back and I'd love to be able to comment right now on his new one. Unfortunately, unlike the old days when Doctor Who was, let's be honest, a little bit of a joke to the public en-masse, Who is everyone's favourite show and my three boys are absolutely no exception ... so as far as Marty's book, and anything else Who related, is concerned, it's take a ticket and await your turn. So I'm fourth in the queue and cannot possibly pass on my own comments on the text just yet!

On the writing front, I was really pleased to hear from my colleague Jon at work (where I continue to beaver away in the 9-5 until 31st August, but that's another story) that his partner Lisa Glass has just sold her first novel, Prince Rupert's Teardrop. It's described as a striking piece of literary fiction telling the story of a damaged middle-aged woman's troubled relationship with her mother, a nonagernerian Armenian haunted by the genocide of the Christians by the Turkish army early in the 20th Century. Lisa's posted an extract of this beautifully written work on her website as a taster of the finished novel and has another work-in-progress in hand.

On the Waterboys front, I've been provisionally asked to appear on BBC Radio Scotland's afternoon arts programme Radio Cafe, on Tuesday 1st May sometime between 13.15pm and 2pm for about 10 - 12 minutes, subject to Radio Scotland booking studio time with Radio Cornwall. And it's live this time. Yikes!

Strange Boat Now On Sale

Three cartons of books arrived on Wednesday containing copies of Strange Boat - Mike Scott & The Waterboys and so this weekend is at least partly dedicated to parcelling up complimentary copies and purchases from my own on-line sale of the book which can be found on the Ian @ Ebay sidebar link.

SAF have done their usual terrific job on presentation, a really well presented trade paperback edition that looks a substantial package for the £12.99 price point - I'm delighted with the work they've done on this. They also have it available on their new website www.safpublishing.co.uk with a nice introductory discount applicable to all their catalogue.

It's been over two years since the publication of Sonic Assassins, so whilst I'm pleased to have moved on from having just one book published (once is a nice fluke, but surely twice is the modest start of a career!). I'm very conscious that I must get another placed and in progress early, with a target of having two on contract before the year is over.

People who know me, know that change is afoot in the 9-5 life with, shall we say, a more flexible lifestyle looming and so it's the perfect opportunity to stretch my creative legs and get projects circulating and underway. I'm particularly enthusiastic about the Festivals book being planned with Bridget Wishart, as we've got some great pledges of cooperation on this one and the proposal for it looks good.

I've also very much enjoyed recent work on the PR front with Alan Davey, publicising his new CD and writing his press release - there's an area where I'd like to do more work and I'll be seeking out record labels that might subcontract copywriting to freelancers and working hard to develop this area of writing.

Exciting times ahead, I predict!