Write & Draw

Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist, illustrator and film director has said that: “ Images are a way of writing. When you have the talent to be able to write and draw, it seems a shame to choose one. I think it's better to do both.” I agree and that is why Left Field will include photos. It is also why I am delighted that Russell Mills will be designing the book's cover. His images are his way of writing and what a great writer he is. I am proud to join him as co-author. Well known for his record / CD / album covers, he is also a major book cover designer. You can see his work here. His authors include Ian McEwan & Milan Kundera, Don Delillo & Jayne Anne Phillips. Thank you, Russell. And for these words about 'Left Field'. “You’ve done so much, achieved so much, that is for the good, the right, the just, that to be asked to undertake the cover design for you, which may be considered a minor thing in the great scheme of things, is for me a bloody major thing”. 

'Left Field', to be published by Unbound, is now fully funded, so be sure to order your copy and have your name printed in the book. 

Dogs are our link to paradise

I am excited that Russell Mills will design the book cover for 'Left Field'. He is well known for his record covers - Michael Nyman, Peter Gabriel, Brian Eno, Nine Inch Nails amongst many others. His book covers include Milan Kundera's 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Samuel Beckett and Don DeLillo. I like this from DeLillo: “I think it's only in a crisis that Americans see other people. It has to be an American crisis, of course. If two countries fight that do not supply the Americans with some precious commodity, then the education of the public does not take place. But when the dictator falls, when the oil is threatened, then you turn on the television and they tell you where the country is, what the language is, how to pronounce the names of the leaders, what the religion is all about, and maybe you can cut out recipes in the newspaper of Persian dishes. There's always a period of curious fear between the first sweet-smelling breeze and the time when the rain comes cracking down. I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.” I try to follow Becket's, “Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” But having just written a new chapter for my book on the dogs of war, I love this from Milan Kundera: “Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing is not boring--it is peace.” Watch this space for news on Left Field's progress to publication and buy the book here