2021 | Guy Portman's Blog

Time For A Change.

Oct 22 2021

I started this blog on March 12th, 2012. The first ever post was about my recent trip to Miami – Miami: Day One. For the past nine-and-a-half years, I have written a blog post every Friday without fail, with the exception of one occasion due to technical issues.

The plan was to keep blogging until the end of my days. However, this week I made the decision to take a break. I’ve just had enough. The thing feels stale, stagnant, listless, and of little use in promoting my titles. I have no inclination to try and increase my presence on WordPress, as I feel that my energies could be put to better use elsewhere.

The blog will still be online. As for the book reviews section, I will continue to update this with reviews of books I’ve read. There are currently over 130 reviews. But, until I have a change of heart, or big news to bring you, I will not be writing blog posts.

The plan is get on with other stuff. I have written two books this year. Both of which need editing, and won’t be released for quite some time yet. In other news, The Necropolis Trilogy is poised to be remastered. #1 Necropolis will be removed from sale, rewritten and then put back up as a new title. A new cover may be necessary and a reworded blurb too. Hopefully, parts #2 and #3 just need a bit of work and won’t require uploading as new books. This way, I can keep the sterling reviews, which #1 Necropolis never achieved. Perhaps this was inevitable, as it was only the second book I ever wrote.

This is what I tell myself every morning when I wake up – The world will embrace the new and improved Dyson Devereux. Readers will be engrossed from the beginning and eager to read the entire trilogy.

It’s called positive visualisation. OIympic athletes do it all the time. And I’m talking about the successful ones, not Eddie The Eagle, or that swimmer from The Guinea.

I also have plans to write another two books in the near future. By this time next year, I aim to have twelve books out.

It is time for a reset. I will still be visiting your blogs; the few of you who still visit mine regularly that is.

Have a good weekend.

Another Week Bites The Dust

Oct 15 2021

This week’s blog post is being written in a frantic rush. Storm clouds are gathering and I need to get substantial cutting done in the garden before the ground is deluged. I might not get another chance for quite some time. To compound matters, I have pulled or possibly severed the muscle on the inside of my thigh. It’s the abductor magnus I believe. Things like this never used to happen when I was young.

It’s been a few weeks since I posted a picture of a deer. Here is one I took a few days back.

Here is Trigga at a small pond we stumbled across the other day.

Another week; another kebab.

I had Indian last week. Vegetable samosas are one of my favourites.

The drink is a King Cobra. Standard Cobra is a great beer to have with curry, due to it not being fizzy. However, King Cobra is another matter. This beer/champagne hybrid is pretentious plonk. I will not be consuming it again.

It’s a dog’s life.

That rain could be on the way, and there’s the darkness too. It’s that time of year. So, I better run. Have a good weekend.

Squid, Siamese, Sweets, Staropramen & Swifts.

Oct 08 2021

I do like alliteration, at least when it comes to blog posts. The Squid in the title refers to the Korean Netflix series ‘Squid Game’. Half the world is watching the show at present, as am I. The most memorable part for me was the cookie cutting game. Never would have thought cookie cutting could be so fraught.

‘Siamese Twins’ is the book I am poised to start, but just haven’t quite got around to yet. 2021 has not been a prolific reading year thus far.

Now for the sweets. Are you a fan of cheesecake? For some reason I was under the impression I couldn’t stand the stuff. That all changed when I tucked into this specimen complete with icing.

Starting the day with a nougat pastry is not the norm. However, last Saturday was an exception.

Staropramen is a Czech beer, which is often sold quite cheaply in the supermarket despite it being what could be described as a premium beer. You’ve probably had it before. It’s pretty good.

Time for the swifts. These swifts stopped off by my house on their migration south. At least I think they are swifts, they’re not swallows. They were here last year too. It surprises me that they spend so much time flying about. One would have thought they’d use the time to rest, unless of course they are training for the long journey ahead.

Have a good weekend.

A Trip Away

Oct 01 2021

Last week I went to Norfolk for three nights. Little did I know on departing that a national petrol crisis was poised to begin. Fortunately, I was able to secure enough petrol to make the 150+ mile trip home. Not planning to go anywhere until the petrol fiasco ends. That may not be happening anytime soon despite the government’s claims to the contrary. Anyway, back to the trip.

New location; same animals. Captured these roe in a fen field first thing in the morning.

Trigga and a female viszla we came across on a walk.

A mute swan.

Time for a swim.

Back in the day whale bones, bones from slaughterhouses, and even human bones were ground down into bonemeal at the Narborough Bone Mill. The bonemeal was used for fertiliser.

Don’t believe me. You can read all about it here.

A mediaeval church in Narborough.

You can’t beat meat from the butcher, especially not this butcher.

Burgers from the butcher.

I wasn’t the only who tucked in.

If you come across any petrol let me know, I’ve only got eight miles left. For those of you who use the metric system, that’s not a lot. Have a great weekend.

3 Good Books I Read Recently

Sep 24 2021

I am away this Friday, so I have scheduled this book-related post in my absence. Here are three good books that I have read recently. Click on the links to read my reviews. While these are all very different books, they all contain dark themes.

The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy

This poignant, compelling and depressing bildungsroman-type novel is imbibed with an apocalyptic tone. The Crossing is the second instalment in The Border Trilogy.

My Review: Billy is a hardy sixteen-year-old living in rural New Mexico. One day he finds a she wolf caught in a snare. Having opted against shooting it, he attempts to return the animal to her …(More)

Dead Men’s Trousers by Irvine Welsh

Themes include drugs, sex, drinking and music. The familiar band of reprobates, hilarious antics and incisive Leith vernacular more than compensate for the dearth of plot.

My Review: The Trainspotting crew are back for another adventure. These days Mark Renton is a successful manager of DJs. Begbie is a famous artist, living the dream in California. Sick Boy hasn’t changed much …(More)

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

This fast-paced and suspenseful book adeptly weaves the oft-told Central American migrant tale with human interest, in the form of a mother and son.

My Review: When Lydia’s journalist husband and family are murdered by a cartel, she and her eight-year-old son are forced to flee Acapulco. The pair embark on an epic journey north to the US, where the …(More)

Feasts, Fiction, Fall & Football.

Sep 17 2021

What with the endless Covid-19 related restrictions, I hadn’t eaten out in ages. That all changed this past week. I have eaten out twice. Both meals were of a similar ilk. Here are the pictures. As you can see, I am a carnivore at heart. Vegetarians, please avert your gaze.

I also went into London for the first time since 2019. The place was inundated with people. I sought refuge in a bookshop.

Here’s another bookshop I came across. It was a throwback to the bookstores of yesteryear.

The first football match in a long time. Chelsea vs Aston Villa.

Beers drunk after the game.

Autumn has arrived.

The grass is still growing and there is a lot of gardening to catch up on.

Hope you have been reading some good books. Here are two books that I read recently. American Dirt and The Crossing. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Have a good weekend.

It’s That Friday Feeling

Sep 10 2021

The week has flown by, can’t believe it is the weekend already. We’ve had something of an Indian summer here in southern England. It’s over now, but was nice while it lasted.

With the lack of rain, my pond has become covered in toxic green coloured algae again. Looks like something out of Ghost Busters.

Trigga waiting for his afternoon walk.

Another day, another green tea served in my Italian 90′ Panini mug.

I am still reading Razor Girl. Looking forward to finishing it and moving on to my next read, which will be this.

Wednesday was the final day of the Indian summer. It seemed the perfect time to sweat off the cornettos and Haagen-Dazs I’ve been consuming of late. So we went for a run.

I was recently given this piece of gym equipment. It fits perfectly in the corner of the garage.

In other news, I have a new headline for my book, Tomorrow’s World.

The Future Is Here. And It’s Absurd.

Links: Amazon US, Amazon UK.

Have a good weekend

Misanthropic Ramblings

Sep 03 2021

If I had as many interactions with people as I do deer, I would be considered a sociable creature. Take this morning for instance. Was barely out my garden when I stumbled across these three. Fortunately, deer don’t comment on the weather or I’d be sick to death of them by now.

And here are yesterday’s.

And Wednesday’s.

You get the point. Admittedly, some of them are no doubt the same deer. My dog doesn’t chase these deer (roe) if I tell him not to. The muntjack (little deer – invasive species from the Far East) are a different story. Muntjack are like a red flag to a bull for Trigga.

Here is an arboretum I visited last weekend. Note the fencing around the trees. It’s to stop the deer eating them.

Here is a shot of my desk. My summerhouse cum office is proving to be a tranquil working environment. I have written 1.5 books so far this year. Of course rewriting may be necessary.

Currently, I am reading a crime caper by Carl Hiassen, the famous humour author. It is proving to be something of a revelation, having never read any of his books. I think I prefer more subtle humour. It’s laid on a bit thick for me, though I appreciate how easy to read his writing is, and the pacing is impeccable.

Have a good weekend.

Photos, Promotions & Purchases

Aug 27 2021

It’s been a few weeks since I posted photographs of deer. Three roe deer have been making regular appearances near my house of late. Here are two of them.

The buck.

All three together.

It seems that much of the world has been afflicted by extreme heat this summer. However, the UK has escaped this trend for the most part. It has been a disappointing summer in terms of weather, but it has been sunny of late.

What a treat.

I finally took the plunge and purchased a new ironing board cover. Voilà.

Recently, there have been promotions for two of my books. From my experience BookBub is the only worthwhile place to run a promotion with. I had an International (non US) promotion with them for Tomorrow’s World, which went quite well. The other outfits reaped lacklustre results.

BookBub is the gold standard of book promotion. But that doesn’t make their competitors silver and bronze; rather cardboard and asbestos. Perhaps other authors have different experiences. I hear ENT are quite good, and no doubt some of the others are too.

6 Irvine Welsh Novels Reviewed

Aug 20 2021

It has been a non-eventful week, so I’m reverting to my trusted subject that is books. I am an avid fan of Scottish transgressive author Irvine Welsh. Here are 6 Irvine Welsh books that I have read. Click on the links to read my reviews.

Skagboys

Skagboys is a work of Transgressive Fiction whose main focus is many of its characters increasing obsession with heroin.

My Review: Skagboys is the prequel to Trainspotting. Its colourful, mostly young characters hail from the Edinburgh port suburb of Leith. There is the bookish, unambitious …(more)

Glue

Set in the author’s customary stomping ground, this episodic tome (556 pages) is in essence about growing up.

My Review: Glue is about four friends who hail from Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh. It begins with them as infants in the 1970s, and ends at the dawn of the new …(more)

Marabou Stork Nightmares

This is an inventive book, boasting parallel stories and different levels of awareness. It is peppered with stylistic idiosyncrasies.

My Review: Roy Strang narrates this story from the hospital in which he is lying in a coma. It begins in South Africa, where he and his friend Sandy Jamieson are hunting the …(more)

Dead Men’s Trousers

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This work of transgressive fiction is infused with humour. The action takes place in Scotland and America.

My Review: The Trainspotting crew are back for another adventure. These days Mark Renton is a successful manager of DJs. Begbie is a famous artist, living the dream in California …(more)

The Blade Artist

The complex and manipulative protagonist, sordid characters and squalid descriptions will appeal to fans of the transgressive genre.

My Review: Reformed Scottish ex-con Jim Francis (formerly Franco Begbie) is now a successful sculptor living the dream in sunny California with his former prison art therapist …(more)

A Decent Ride

This is one of Welsh’s lighter books. Its seediness, humour and bawdy Leith vernacular will appeal to many.

My Review: Terry ‘Juice’ Lawson is an Edinburgh taxi driver who moonlights as a porn actor and drug fixer. Since losing his virginity at the age ofeleven, he has been obsessed with …(more)

Archive - 2021

Time For A Change.

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Another Week Bites The Dust

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Squid, Siamese, Sweets, Staropramen & Swifts.

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A Trip Away

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3 Good Books I Read Recently

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Feasts, Fiction, Fall & Football.

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It’s That Friday Feeling

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Misanthropic Ramblings

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Photos, Promotions & Purchases

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6 Irvine Welsh Novels Reviewed

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Archive - 2021

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