If all goes well then I plan to issue the first edition of Window on the Workshop on Thursday/Friday 31st July/1st August. This first issue is kind of experiemental.

If you haven't already done so, please sign for regular updates on the various projects, news and events, offers and stories/poems which will not be available elsewhere.

Here's the link to the sign up form
Click here for email updates and your copy of Window on the Workshop.

Thanks,

Alp
xx

Just some ideas which we are kicking around about what to include in the readers' digest and newsletter which we are referring to as Window On The Workshop for the time being:

• Poetry
  
• Very short stories
  
• Longer stories in serialised form
  
• News about Alp/Chambers/Carter/Hollie
  
• Competitions and offers
  
• Reviews/Ratings
• Recommendations
  
• New Releases/future projects
  

Which is pretty standard stuff and we would like to know what you think. What would you like to see in this eZine and what would you most definitely not want to see? A few of you have already fed-back and the jury seems to be split on whether to include advertisements.

What would be really cool is if we can get artists, designers and authors (well, just about anybody) to collaborate within the Workshop. So, for example, In The Helios Protocol which is currently being written, Alfred (the young dashing and very cute Inspector) writes a poem. That poem would in due course be featured in the eZine; but then, to have the poem illustrated by someone would be amazing; literally within the Workshop, a totally free and unencumbered process (and I have a feeling, that a much, much , much more experienced and creative website designer is going to have to be recruited pretty early on in the process).

Please feed back ideas and suggestions on what you would like/not like.

Thank you
Alp
xx

Hopefully you've read Chambers's blog post about The Carter Seagrove Project so you'll you know already that we're ploughing on with the series. Stradler's Game is in review and we've started The Helios Protocol. Stradler's Game should make it to the shelf by the end of July.

I thought you might be interested to  know more about our writing process; especially as this Inspector Fenchurch series is a bit experimental. When we wrote Dust Jacket, being self-contained, it was easier in some respects because we had a finish post to aim for. I would write a section, Chambers would review it and add something; and we kinda of flip-flopped our way through it; each of us had characters we were sort of responsible for. The series is different because it is on-going and we're discussing the plot and ideas a lot more before either of us puts pen to paper. It makes it harder because things change rapidly as a new idea comes to the fore; so a lot of re-working has been required. In some respects we're writing it as readers and not as authors. And unlike when we wrote, Dust Jacket, we're at the same laptop this time, which saves heaps of time because basically we're writing it side-by-side.

In terms of the plot, we've deliberately chosen not to reveal too much at a time in case it precludes something later; it's the joy (and pain) of writing without a plan (which neither us does anyway). That hopefully means that the plot stays fresh and exciting; if a little crazy at times. Stradler's Game is slightly longer than Black Veil; and we suspect that The Helios Protocol will be a little bit longer as well.


Research has been fun because the series so far has been set in 1935. I guess we have erred on the side of caution and not included a whole load of stuff that would attempt to make it sound and feel truly authentic; there are some key things which do date the story and that's fine but we didn't want to alienate any particular potential reader. The plot line is really quite timeless, and the love between Alfred and Adam certainly is! I re-read a whole load of Agatha Christie short stories and game to the conclusion that we shouldn't try to emulate the sound of the language too much because it would probably sound a little strange.

We're at the stage of reviewing Stradler's Game and that also allows us to tweak the plot for The Helios Protocol to a degree, but pretty soon, Stradler's Game will be fixed, and that will define a certain outcome for the next story as far as it goes.

Having fun trying to find images for the cover of Stradler's Game; feedback we've had suggests that you like the plain black backgrounds and the simple motifs; will keep looking for the motif which sums up Stradler's Game.

Alp
xx