September has seen a few big things for me. Firstly, it’s seen the return of my writing mojo, which you can find out more about below. I enjoyed some frankly fantastic live comedy in a city that I love to visit. And most recently, my wife and I enjoyed a short break in the beautiful city of Bergen in Norway. It was a trip filled with food, sights and stunning fjords and mountains. The only downer on the month has been picking up Covid for a second time.

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The mojo is back, despite coming down with COVID for a second time in the latter stages of this month. So what have I achieved this month? Well, I’ll start by saying that I’ve not been working on Hush. Not because I don’t want to, but because of a prolonged lack of drive, it felt the wrong project to focus on just yet.

I’ve written the three outstanding festive drabbles for Stocking Stuffers to give me the 31 I had in mind. I’ve had the feedback I mentioned last month for the short story, and it was really positive. So I’m done? No. With the return of the writing mojo, so too did more writing ideas. I’d put together a selection of possible ideas to explore, and one really came to the fore as a good candidate to develop. It’s more than halfway done, so I am hoping this will be done very soon. With that in mind, I will be on to edits, which, given the nature of drabbles, shouldn’t take me too long, and I hope to get it live for pre-orders on Amazon really soon!

And now for a word on Medium. I mentioned my thoughts and feelings on the platform last month. Well, I can now say I’ve made the decision to step away from the platform. I was pressuring myself to write something every day, or at least five days a week. For so little return and a loss of enjoyment, the time came to say enough. With that in mind, I will create eBooks of my existing drabbles. I’m still leaning toward collections of 100, but that’s one for the future. The fact that my decision to leave Medium and the return of my writing mojo have coincided is not lost on me.

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The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

Another audiobook ticked off this month, the second book in the Mistborn series. This second outing sees the events after the rebellion, leading to the overthrow of the Lord Ruler. Things haven’t gone so smoothly, and it has led to a lot of political intrigue and infighting. While there is a lot less action the second time out compared to the first novel, it’s no less fascinating a story. With plots and plans and a constant threat, it made for a brilliant second entry into the series.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Having just watched the film on Netflix, I decided it was time for me to sit down and read the books. The first book certainly lived up to my hopes. It had all of the elements that made the film so good and more. It went to show that, in my opinion, the casting was spot on. The only one slightly off is Pierce Brosnan – Gary Oldman or Ray Winstone would have certainly fit the role much better. Nothing feels better than enjoying a book and knowing you already have more to read.

The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman

Unsurprisingly, given how much I enjoyed the first book in the series, I moved straight onto the next. This one follows the same format as our beloved Thursday Murder Club comes together to solve cases. And once again, they find themselves tied up in another series of dangerous messes with Elizabeth’s ex-husband in the middle of it all. Much like the first book, it’s got tension and drama, action and plenty of cosy humour. Onwards to book three!

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Wednesday (Season 2)

I was a little bit late to the party with the first season for reasons unknown, but when I did watch it, I loved every minute of it. So I had high expectations for the second season of Tim Burton’s latest series. And it did not disappoint. Even darker than the first, the season was just brilliant. It followed the first perfectly, while building its own narrative. The core cast is brilliant, and the characters continue to be wonderful. Some amazing cameos, including Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper and the iconic Christopher Lloyd, made for an unmissable second season that leaves me excited once more for season three.

High Potential (Season 1)

While on holiday, we binge-watched this in the evenings and thoroughly enjoyed it. It follows Morgan, a cleaner for the local police department, who ends up hired as a consultant thanks to her higher-than-average intellect and ability to piece together puzzles. She helps the police solve a variety of cases while seeking answers to the disappearance of her husband 15 years before. The first season ends on a cliffhanger with the team trying to crack the case of a kidnapper who loves to play games. It makes for a fantastic series.

The Midwitch Cuckoos

I’ve never read the John Wyndham novel that inspired this 2022 series, but the premise really intrigued me. The cast was brilliant, headed by Keeley Hawes, but the true stars, in my opinion, were the children. Every one of them carried off the menace and threat I’d expect from the premise of the story. It worked well as a short series, and the ending left me wanting more, with a few things I wanted answers to in the best possible way.

Slow Horses (Season 1)

Another series I’ve slept on a bit for some reason. Several people have been recommending both the series and the books to me lately, so it seemed the right time to give it a go. Wow! What a first season. With strong showings from Kristin Scott Thomas and Gary Oldman, along with the supporting cast, it made for an epic, fast-paced series. The brevity – only six episodes a season – really increases the tension and pace. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative, and the twists thrown in only enhanced it. I’ll be binge-watching the next season in short order, I think!

Lilo and Stitch (2025)

I’ve been waiting for this one to appear on Disney + for a while now. I finally got the chance to sit down and watch it, and was glad I did. It didn’t entirely have all of the charm of the original animated film, and the casting changes, while perfectly decent, weren’t quite the same as the original. But it does have plenty of the elements that made the original: Lilo’s enduring love for Stitch, and her love for Elvis music, Nani’s drive to make the best life for them and the overriding need for family togetherness. All in all, it felt like a brilliant live-action adaptation of an animated classic.

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No Man’s Sky

This is a game I’ve returned to many times since its initial release. It certainly had its issues from the outset. A highly ambitious premise, it did fall short at launch. Since then, however, the developers have done a fantastic job of enhancing and improving the game over the years. Their most recent update continued this trend, bringing in the option to create customisable corvette spacecraft. It’s a fantastic addition to the game that certainly gave it a resurgence for me.

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Greg Davies – Full Fat Legend (Portsmouth Guildhall)

I’ve been a big fan of Greg Davies for many years, particularly for his roles in The Cleaner and Taskmaster. When we say he was heading out on tour again, and was going to be at one of our favourite places, my wife and I took the chance for a brief break.

And he did not disappoint. He tackled all of the joys of getting older in his signature style with plenty of self-deprecation along the way.

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Things are slowly returning to normal with a return of my desire to write. It feels good to be back, and I hope to have more epic news to share with you all next month!

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