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Hectic… hmmm that just isn’t the word

Well, it seems ages since I managed to make it to this blog and catch up. A lot has happened since last week. So where do I start… Urm.. work I suppose…

Well, I’ve just had the edits back on the two games I’ve co-authored with Paul Fairhall, so they’re pending formatting and activation – a job for next week. I’ve got a new Oscars themed game roughed out and on the way for the clue based section, and RHG has been keeping me busy with printed orders, which are coming in regularly.

Added to all that I volunteered (got flattered into) being membership coordinator for the BNI group I joined in August, and my first week in the hot-seat was this Wednesday. (It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting – thankfully!)

On the unpaid-work front:

Igloo Films wanted a new revision on the “With Jane in Mind” script – so that got revised over the weekend and so far I haven’t had any feedback one way or the other. They wanted the fish removing… shucks!

Keeping to the fishy theme, I was rejected for the “Northern Writers” competition last Friday so I revised Deep Rising a little and resubmitted that to the writersroom at the start of the week. Obviously it wasn’t the drama idea Northern Writers were looking for, but it didn’t make it a badly written screenplay so I figured – what the heck – it just needs to land on the right person’s desk. Someone somewhere must like fish…

And other than that, it’s just been the usual family, friends, and generally frenetic week.

Oddly, despite having Tristan at pre-school every morning I still don’t seem to have much more time…

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Newspaper article.


Unfortunately I missed the Compass FM interview yesterday, however the Grimsby Telegraph have run a repeat article in the what’s on section today about our Charity Bond night. You can find the details below:

The Game’s Bond

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And the work continues…

It’s been a busy few days. In the last week I’ve added the editing to “Halloween Hotel Horror” and listed it for sale on RHG, completed “Another one bites the dust” – a joint project with Paul Fairhall, and formatted two other games ready for sale when the voice over recordings arrive.

I’ve also been busy networking thanks to the BNI. It goes without saying that there are a lot of interesting people out there – but now, at last, I’m getting to meet them all! I seem to be stretching out in all directions. (I just hope my elastic holds!)

And in between doing all of that I’m busy promoting the Charity Murder Mystery at the Oaklands Hotel at the start of October. It started off with some mailshots of past customers, and then progressed to the newspaper article (see posts below this one), then I threatened the BNI with a silenced gun last week, and since then have progressed to putting a banner (an enormous banner thanks to Jeff at HDB signs) on Lovelane corner – you can’t miss it – it’s 2.5 metres by 1.5 metres, ringing around the local radio stations, emailing colleges, social groups and just today I’ve been sticking leaflets through people’s mail boxes…

Needless to say I’ve got a bit of a headache right now – it’s been a frantic few days. I think I deserve a nice relaxing soak in the tub.

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Grimsby telegraph – article now in.

Many thanks to the Grimsby Telegraph for finally putting an article in the paper about the upcoming murder mystery game on the 2nd October – it’s great to have some local support for the event and we hope to sell out the tickets and have a full house

Everything is just about set to go for the evening, with the usual last minute acting hitches (presently I’m 1 male down) but that will resolve nearer the time as I’m sure I can find someone to put on a russian accent at short notice.

The telegraph titled the article “The game’s Bond” which I thought was kind of catchy… I think I’ll use that in my next 60 second BNI speech.

Here is a photo of everyone involved in the evening including Emma Fairhall and Ann and Stan Hunter.

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talk over – phew.

Well, thankfully, that’s the women’s fellowship talk finished and concluded, though it seems I might have another booking in the new year to do it again so I’ve kept everything together.

So – the question you probably want to ask is: Did it go well? The answer to that I think is “yes” – certainly they all seemed to enjoy themselves even though some didn’t catch most of my words.

Did I talk fast then? Hmmm… let’s just say that one of the ladies asked if I was asthmatic as I seemed to struggle to breathe between sentences!! Shame on me!

However I think I have a few interested in the murder mystery games and who knows, perhaps some will join us at the Oaklands in a month’s time, where hopefully I won’t be speaking… as if I do get drafted in to cover a part at short notice I think they will probably wave off!!

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Current project

Red Herring Events has had a new commision for a murder mystery performance on the 31st october, Halloween themed, so I am now smack bang in the middle of writing a new game so I can get it to the cast as soon as possible!

The current game is titled “The Transylvanian Trap” for the hotel, but as I already have a game called that on RHG I will be renaming it for general release. My only problem is what do I call it?

Halloween Horror? Dead on arrival? Transylvanian Terror/trouble? Hallo-scream? Horrible happenings at Halloween? Done in at Dunnem Inn? Any preferences???

Oddly, because it’s a commission I’ve actually written the blurb for the game first (as they needed it for the hotel website ASAP) so to give you a flavour of the game, this is what is to come…

Set attractively in the Transylvanian hills of Romania, Dunnem Inn is a grand and elegant hotel with stunning medieval architecture

Sited centrally for the most important cultural attractions, Dunnem Inn is the perfect choice for tourists wishing to make the most of their stay in Romania.

With regular coach tours departing from the hotel every day and themed murder mystery evenings every weekend, Dunnem Inn aims to make any visit to Romania both comfortable and unforgettable.

Guests are always encouraged to join in with the festivities of Halloween during their stay at Dunnem Inn and this evening is no exception. Surrounded by ghosts, vampires, witches and zombies the staff hope to engage you in a lively Halloween themed murder mystery.

The problem is, tonight it’s a REAL body they discover; that of Seymour Vistas, one of the visiting guests.

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Back from hols and back to work!

Arrived home yesterday from a “nearly” two week break to see our folks back home. Had a wonderfully relaxing time away from work, recharged the old batteries and rested up, and have now come back raring to go. – Which is just as well really, as I’ve returned to a complicated customisation order on Red Herring Games and two other contacts to follow up over the next week.

This week also sees me launch the marketing in earnest for “the Spy Who Killed Me” which is running in aid of the MS society on the 2nd October.

As well as joining BNI and getting involved in the whole “Give as Gain” ethos of that.

Of course, on top of all that, I’ve still got “Deep rising” to finish, a project deadline for that having been fixed as 20th August as that is the deadline for Northern Voices entries and although I am not, as yet, sure if I qualify for that scheme, I might as well aim for that until I hear otherwise. Either way the fish need to get their own back before I begin eating and sleeping them…

I also can’t wait to catch up with Kerry Dewery this week to find out how she got on at the BBC masterclass. She’s been away on holiday the same time as me, but boy is she going to be snowploughed with questions the minute I see her on Thursday!

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The problem with a creative (overactive) mind…

My problem (if you can call it that) is that my brain just won’t stop thinking about ideas. This morning, it’s reverted back to my novel “Sinus Rhythm”. I’m now considering yet another major redraft, but this one, I feel sure, will give it “that thing” it seems to be missing. I mean, it has story and plot, which means what it lacks is that immediate tug thing it needs for the agents to select it.

The question is – when will I actually get time to write it? Any ideas anyone….?

Meanwhile the fish continue to lurk in the background, I’m sure they would be calling to me if they could…

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Progress (or lack of) update.

I’ll start by saying the formatting is NEARLY complete. It’s all sat there just waiting to PDF, (except the recipes which sometimes take me an evening to find just the right ones….).

However I did manage to edit, format and list a new game on RHG this week too, so I’m not a total time waster!

Next job is co-authoring a couple of murder mystery games with Paul Fairhall. He’s given me everything required (character backgrounds and inspector parts and plot) – now it’s up to me to make it into two coherant mystery games.

And after that, it’s back to the blogging mystery unless something else crops up.

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So much for that idea…

Oh well, so much for clearing the decks with formatting. I still haven’t managed it yet. With the voice overs still a week a way at least before they get back to me, I just don’t have that sense of urgency required, which means I do other things…

In this case I tinkered around a little more with the RHG site adding a few more info pages and pictures, completed a children’s book and this morning made a carrot and courgette cake for toddler group!

That said however – now I really have NO excuse! Finishing the formatting MUST be the next job on my “to-do” list.

On another note, the closing date for the CBBC script competition was two days ago. I’m not expecting to get anywhere, but it’s another iron in the fire, and good practise for deadlines.