Foresters Miniseries - The Bottle Episode

"Just tell us how you came to be in possession of all that money” Goddard tried. 
“Go fuck yourself”  Rank Cynrid’s witty rejoinder. 
 She could see that this line of questioning wasn't going anywhere and tried a different tactic: 
“Be reasonable; tell us where you got the money Cynrid” Goddard asked in as diplomatic a tone as she could manage, “you cunt”. 
That ruined it.

So here's another episode of my nasty, irreverent, stupid medieval cop-show: 'Foresters'
It continues to follow three Lawmen as they go running after scum in Norman-Era Nottingham. 

I've always wanted to write a 'bottle episode' - you know; where the characters are stuck in one location, they can't leave and tempers are running high. It happens often enough in real policing; just ask any custody Sgt.

I hope you'll find it as big and brash and dumb as the previous one, and it may feature at least one of the characters getting chewed out by their superior: the Reeve of Nottingham.

Oh, and for the record; I've never just found a finger in a custody suite.

Episode 1 can be found in 'Sample Scribbles' over on the right.

Click here for episode 2 and enjoy, share, comment.

 -Tom

photo by Roy Smallpage

Foresters Miniseries - Pilot episode

"Goddard leapt the ale barrels without breaking stride, vaulted the first table, dodged a chair in her path and slammed a drunk out of her way. 
‘Foresters’ she shouted, as if the mail and the harness didn’t give it away. She received a growl from the assembled, but no one blocked her. They knew better, spilt beer or no. She was the fucking law"

You'll recall that I was kicking off a new project - a bit of fun I'm calling 'Foresters'.
It's an episodic miniseries featuring a grubby trio of Nottingham lawmen, working one of England's most dangerous beats in 1191AD.

The Extract is the slightly longer-than-usual pilot episode to introduce a few recurrent characters.
It's big and brash and stupid but hopefully you'll agree that it's also a lot of fun.

It's a lot more 'police' than my Novel about Robin Hood, and this makes it a little more fantasy, a little less history, but think 'medieval cop-show' and you've nailed it.

As before, I feel the sudden need to mention that it is in no way a thinly veiled ramble through some of my own police experiences, seen through a flimsy historical filter (no, wait, that's exactly what it is).

Click here for Extract and enjoy, share, comment.
-Tom

photo by Roy Smallpage

Editing: Time at the Coalface

I actually like editing. There, I said it.
Most people hate chopping and thrashing through the process, not me; I actually like taking the hatchet to the text
I've spent a disproportionate amount of time editing over the last week, and those of you who follow me on twitter will have seen the result: a pale, shadow of a guy with a weird, haunted look who mumbles to himself about oxford commas and character progression.
By doing this I've hammered the first chunk of Cutthroat into a really neat self contained extract, and I'm actually rather proud of the result.
I'm also going to make sure there's a bit of the edited extract up here and getting it done means that I can get Foresters up on the blog this week as another fun read for fans of grim medieval fantasy.

In the mean time, I'll be at my keyboard.
-Tom

Foresters miniseries

I'll  be breaking ground on a new project - a bit of fun I'm calling 'Foresters' while I'm hunting for a literary agent.
It's an episodic miniseries featuring a grubby trio of Nottingham lawmen, working one of Norman England's most dangerous beats.

I feel the sudden need to mention that it is in no way a thinly veiled ramble through some of my own police experiences, seen through a flimsy historical filter (no, wait, that's exactly what it is).

coming soon.
-Tom