Welcome to my site.
I am a self-employed writer,which means I’m working for an idiot who doesn’t pay me enough – but the holidays are great.
I’m ex many occupations,from the respectable ‘career-ladder’ to disreputable “somebody’s- got-to-do-it”. All a good way of seeing someone else’s point-of-view. Best job,apart from writing, was dispatch-riding on a motorcycle in the 70’s,though I’ve also enjoyed teaching,librarianship,counselling and helping to run a community-centre. Sometimes I’ve looked respectable in a suit,other times a bit more wild and woolly ( though still stylish ) as a biker. It’s strange how differently people treat you,depending on what you’re wearing. A suit means I’m sometimes addressed as ‘sir’,but in motorcycle leathers I’m always referred to as ‘mate.’
In America
Rumours that I’m a Christmas super-hero may well be true,though it was a salutary reminder of the passing of time to realise that I was aged enough,and sufficiently portly and trustworthy to play the role.
R
The worst job that I’ve done ? You really don’t want to know,but it was in a processed food manufacturer’s factory – put me off bacon,sausages and quiches for a long time,and made me look at pet food in a new way. I’m very glad that I don’t have any pictures.
I’ve been writing since I was eight,when I penned a story about a desert island and attempted to compile a dictionary – as Clarissa does in my short story ‘The Moon Is Out Tonight’. I’ve written for magazines under a variety of pen-names,ghost-written a couple of biographies and had a column in a local newspaper..
I used to concentrate on non-fiction of an informative,how-to instructional nature,as I’m a firm believer in the dissemination of knowledge to enable people to do things for themselves. Knowledge is power,and in these troubled times of economic downturn and increased intrusion into our lives by government agencies,its vital to know how to get through.
My fictional stories also show people coping and finding ways to survive.
I’m based in a Celtic nation,the county of Cornwall or Kernow. I’ve been here for twenty years,and have lived all over the country,as well as abroad in France,Germany,Switzerland,Spain and the U.S.A.
Cornwall
Almost like the Mediterranean
Explore some of my popular content :
paulpens 
Paul – I love your background and the countries you have experienced. I hope to enjoy future posts from your worldview 🙂
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Thanks for the feedback,John. Your blog is informative and wise – and,believe me,I know how tough the getting of wisdom can be. I’ve been on the promotional trail for the last four months,which feels a bit like throwing paper aeroplanes out of the window,as I blog and post on the social media. I’ve also been chasing literary agents and publishers in the UK,though that amounts to time travelling as some are nineteenth century in their approach to business. One encouraging sign that I’ve noticed recently,is that more publishers are trying out open submissions,even if it’s only for a few weeks. I submitted to Tinder Press a couple of weeks ago ( http://tinderpress.co.uk/2015/01/tinder-press-open-submission/ ).
Tor Books ( http://www.torbooks.co.uk/ )have an upcoming opportunity for writers to submit novellas – one of the hardest formats,along with poetry,to sell to publishers. I’m guessing that the poor economy is forcing book firms to do their own work,as they’ve not been getting enough referrals through from their gatekeepers,the literary agents. Onwards – and who knows where ?
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