Who, me?

Somewhat geeky father of two beautiful cats, but also… Improviser, compere, quintarch & graphic designer at MissImp: Improv Comedy Theatre Nottingham. Creative mentor – using improv and writing to bring out the best in people. Proofreader and master of ebook conversion. Storyteller, and occasional scribbler of words about beers, whisky, books, films, Lego, Transformers (and other things made of plastic). Publishing Coordinator at a fancy new secret book job…

Captain Pigheart’s Pirate Stories

Ahar! My name is Captain Ignatius Pigheart and I welcome ye to me tales of misadventure, mirth and piracy on the high seas. Perhaps ye likes pirate stories of the beasts of the sea, or romance midst the ocean’s spume. Mayhap tis yarns o’ family and the bonds twixt one…Continue reading “Captain Pigheart’s Pirate Stories”

4Dec 201516 Aug 2017

Watchers – Read The Thing

Winter Time And The Living Is Easy I have been taking it nice and easy since completing my NaNoWriMo novella…

29Oct 201316 Aug 2017

In Memory: Sadness and Laughter

Funeral Review? Well, the funeral and memorial service for my uncle, Colin Barnfather went well last week. It’s a strange…

18Jul 200629 Aug 2017

Captain Pigheart’s Mermaid Adventure

Gaargh, me britches’re stained with the love juice of an impudent mermaid. ‘Twas but four moons ago. We were sailin’…

Testimonials

Refreshing, and wide-eyed Nick Tyler is an energetic and uplifting compere who ensures that the pace never slackens.

Three Weeks @ EdFringe

Waiting for Silence – Part 2 (NaNoWriMo 2018)

8 Nov 20188 Nov 2018

Part Two Sleep ends abruptly. On this occasion I’m jerked out of sleep by a rattling that passes through the room. The shuddering shake of objects – bottles, boxes, cases…

Waiting for Silence – Part 1 (NaNoWriMo 2018)

5 Nov 20185 Nov 2018

Part One I have said goodbye many times. Each time feels like the last, that I will leave and not return. And yet, I do. I’m drawn back to this…

Nanowrimo 2018

3 Nov 201813 Feb 2019

Well, I've been a bit busy, so I haven't quite gotten round to thinking properly about this! In the last three weeks we've celebrated MissImp: Improv Comedy Theatre Nottingham's twentieth anniversary (I'm pretty chuffed…

Assorted Ramblings…

Improv Comedy Pop Up Workshops in Little Ed, Derby 21 April 2018

This weekend Derby is deluged with delightful activity in Furthest From the Sea's Little Ed event - a mini Fringe festival, showcasing the best and brightest of local performance. It's going to…

Assorted Ramblings…

Improv Comedy Workshops at Follycon 2018

So I'm off to Follycon tomorrow with Angry Robot. It's the 2018 edition of Eastercon - the finest annual SFF convention in the UK. This year we're in Harrogate, 30 March…

An Even Shorter Pirate Christmas Tale

24 Dec 201723 Dec 2017

Gaaargh, it was the night before Christmas and was all peaceful, quieter than a mouse… Too quiet, so we turned our cannons to the sky and blasted away to celebrate…

Assorted Ramblings

Captain Pigheart on Notts TV 1 December 2017

23 Dec 201723 Dec 2017

Well gosh, I'm in danger of becoming semi-regular guest on Notts TV. I was very happy to be invited back to babble about the royal engagement, judge some pirates and…

After the Dark – Read the Whole Thing (NaNoWriMo 2017)

11 Dec 201710 Dec 2017

Should You Wish To Read It... I'm very grateful to everyone who read, commented and liked bits of my Nanowrimo story through November - it's the kind of support that…

Assorted Ramblings

Lost At Sea on Notts TV – 13 October 2017

8 Dec 20179 Dec 2017

They had me back! To my amazement, I have been asked back onto our local digital TV channel Notts TV, to spout whatever comes into my head, and share a pirate…

After the Dark – Part 25 – The End (NaNoWriMo 2017)

Part Twenty-Five It took the allforest hours to wind its way all the way inside the strangers’ last colony ship. The huge forested vessel squatted on top of the Menortha…

After the Dark – Part 24 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

4 Dec 20174 Dec 2017

Part Twenty-Four The mind interface with the allforest bleeds both ways. Unlike the interface in the underground forest, the intensity of their scrutiny pushed images and flickers of thought into…

Assorted Ramblings…

MetaNaNoWriMo – a few thoughts on NaNo2017

2 Dec 20171 Dec 2017

Phew. It's over! I successfully completed my Nano novella After the Dark on Thursday night - I am a winner at 63,846 words. Pretty cool huh? By the end, I think the story even made…

After the Dark – Part 23 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

1 Dec 201730 Nov 2017

Part Twenty-Three The sharp blackness of space emerged from a sea of fire, and the pressure on our bodies and crash chairs lessened. I was intensely grateful for that, as…

After the Dark – Part 22 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

30 Nov 201729 Nov 2017

Part Twenty-Two We staggered back, as the rift in the ground widened, sending the remains of the archive crashing into the depths far below. The shuddering earth distracted Miqual, so…

After the Dark – Part 21 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

29 Nov 201728 Nov 2017

Part Twenty-One When we climbed out from under the mess of clothes we’d scattered across the abandoned living room, sun had reached what passed for midday brightness. It had not…

After the Dark – Part 20 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

28 Nov 201727 Nov 2017

Part Twenty The sparkling forest faded around us, and I felt the woodgrain sliding across my skin, releasing us from the interface pillar. We were no longer in the underground…

After the Dark – Part 19 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

27 Nov 201725 Nov 2017

Part Nineteen Hand in hand, we descended into the allforest. The slope was steep, and we had to stagger between tree trunks, catching each other as we slipped. The scent…

After the Dark – Part 18 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

24 Nov 201724 Nov 2017

Part Eighteen We maintained a vicious assault on the homeworld’s colony ships and frigates. Rumala and Eleran adapted our escape pods into biological weapons, filled with the monsters we’d bred…

After the Dark – Part 17 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

23 Nov 201722 Nov 2017

Part Seventeen I staggered on the brink of the allforest. The vast terrarium forest spun before me, a whirling vision of red and green foliage below and the glowing sky…

After the Dark – Part 16 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

22 Nov 201722 Nov 2017

Part Sixteen The world ground around me, nauseatingly loud, as my coffin of roots corkscrewed me away from the fire, away from the mine. Away from Miqual, the man I’d…

After the Dark – Part 15 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

21 Nov 201720 Nov 2017

Part Fifteen I hastily slapped at the burning paper sticking to my boots and legs for fear I’d go up with it. Since I clutched an extremely flammable paper folder…

After the Dark – Part 14 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

20 Nov 201719 Nov 2017

Part Fourteen The mineshaft I followed was taking me deeper underground. I felt that it might be roughly parallel to the entranceway, but I had no way to determine if…

After the Dark – Part 13 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

17 Nov 201717 Nov 2017

Part Thirteen Previous episodes here The darkness never ended. I’d tripped and fallen, pitching forwards into space. Still surrounded by the hallucinatory patina of roots and stars, I fell forever.…

After the Dark – Part 12 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

Part Twelve Previous episodes here Calia’s lacklustre trail had shimmered away into nothing once Talens disappeared over the horizon. A few hours later the sun would return light to the…

After the Dark – Part 11 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

15 Nov 201714 Nov 2017

Part Eleven Previous episodes here We drove for the whole day. Away from the charring chassis of the two autos that had been blasted off the road, away from the…

After the Dark – Part 10 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

14 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Ten Previous episodes here As the auto in the lead cartwheeled across the road and into our path, fire splashing off it like water, Feryon yanked the wheel hard…

After the Dark – Part 9 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

13 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Nine I woke up, convinced that I was back in the chalet, wrapped up tight in a heavy blanket. I drew their folds even tighter around me, intent on…

After the Dark – Part 8 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

10 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Eight The transition from the void of unconsciousness to awareness was slow, a string of sensations that gradually accumulated, physical processes steadily kicking into action; my heartbeat intruded upon…

After the Dark – Part 7 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

9 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Seven I have a memory of catching fire. Sudden, unbearable heat all over my head and arms which instantly reaches a peak, and my skin ignites, flaring in the…

After the Dark – Part 6 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

7 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Six Miqual took our automotive off the main road, within moments we were hidden under the allforest canopy. Waves of dappled green light washed over us – the last…

Assorted Ramblings

Gig Alert: Pub Poetry – Open Mic Comic Lit – Tonight!

6 Nov 20175 Nov 2017

Pub Poetry: Open Mic Comic Lit - Nottingham Comedy Festival Monday 6th November, 8pm, FREE This is one my favourite things to run, even if we only do it once a…

After the Dark – Part 5 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

6 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Five A cool wind blew through the open window, keeping me focussed. I was running late for meeting the others, and it would take time to transfer my belongings…

After the Dark – Part 4 (NaNoWriMo 2017)

5 Nov 201713 Nov 2017

Part Four The journey back to Brisingham took a couple of hours, a time filled with fidgeting and too little space. The back was filled to overflowing with boxes and…

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