Phil Simpkin - Author

Hi friends and readers; I have now added another page to my blog, which is displayed on the right hand side of the blog, and is titled 'Short stories by this author'. The short stories are then listed as separate pages in a sub-index thereafter. They are a little different from 'The Borough Boys' and 'The thin red line' - which I am currently working on. They will all, hopefully, appear in an anthology, sometime later in 2013. I hope you enjoy, and I would be grateful for any feedback!

A much simpler and specific crime this week, which brought out quite a bit more about the troubled DS Bennett Drake (Jerome Flynn). Following the skilled killing of a horse, clearly by a skilled marksman, in order to allow a team of criminals to blow open the safe in a security wagon, with clear Military precision, Drake encounters his former Colonel, Madoc Faulkner (Iain Glenn). I am always disappointed when TV companies cast 'bad guys' as bad guys - it somewhat gives away too much, too early. Why can't we have some bumbling comic or romantic surprise us all with a villainous role BBC? Knowledgeable of Drake's demons, and aware of his current weaknesses - Rose (Charlene McKenna) - one of Long Susan's top 'toffers', Faulkner looks to tempt Drake into becoming part of his merry band of Robbers, and 'do his duty' to put up two fingers to ' the bitch Queen '. Faulkner has clearly been stalking Drake and has the initial edge. I was not aw

We are now four episodes into Ripper Street, and it is nice to see how Police are being portrayed as of circa1889, some forty years after my first novel 'The Borough Boys' is set. In 1889, significant development had been made in terms of the role and responsibilities of Police Officers.  Laws were being created that targeted the most common, persistent or repugnant of crimes. There was a defined rank structure and chains of command, and an established Detective career path was evolving in some forces. Officers were becoming more well equipped, with better uniform, handcuffs, whistles, the first 'Black Mariahs' were available. In some force areas proper mortuary facilities were created for the Police, and dedicated Police Surgeons conducted structured post-mortem examinations and had bodies and crime scenes photographed. Galton's use of fingerprint identification was now being utilized and recognised as both a proof and at the same time a safeguard. The po

Hi folks; As I suggested last week, the series, in my humble opinion, continues to improve, episode by episode, even allowing for a residue of strange language. This week yet again adds far more to the depth of the characters, and we are now starting to see relationships bloom. 'The good of the City' sees a prominent Industrialist Stanley Bone (Paul McGann) exposed as a good guy on the face of things, but a troubled and manipulated 'Frankenstein'   at heart, 'engineered' in his epileptic treatments by a cold and clinical psychiatrist Dr Karl Crabbe (Anton Lesser). An imaginative and simple multiple murder scenario, exposed a former 'Toffer' - Lucy Eames (Emma Rigby)  - as a lost and confused epileptic, used and abused in so many ways, and a real 'victim' of 19th century England; the mother of Bone's children, introduced to Bones by their common ailment. As 'Long Susan' (MyAnna Buring), her former 'Abbess', rescues he

I get really nervous about the novel that I now have sat waiting, either for potential agents, competition deadlines, or the possibility of self-publishing. As you may have seen from my other blog entries, I am an avid viewer of BBCs 'Ripper Street' series, set in 1889 Whitechapel. I know that the 19th century had limited opportunities for hobbies and interests, but during the first episode, I noted that DS Drake was an accomplished Pugilist, as is my own main character! In yesterday's episode, during the arrest and interview of a suspect, the man had his arm broken during the arrest, and then during interview the arm was used to 'lever' the confession from him that the Police required... In Chapter eleven of 'The Borough Boys' a similar event occurs with one of my suspects, but purely during the arrest. My novel's progression is captured by a file full of version specific drafts, each dated, and I can show that on 1st November 2012 my chapters

Hoorah! I feel like the series has finally come to life... Episode 3 saw the fear of the return of the King (Cholera) which had affected England so badly, previously, and spread through infected water from the conduits...and which had, ironically, been the catalyst for its discovery in Bow, In 1854, during the 'Broad Street' epidemic. For some bizarre reason, Leicester had escaped the woes of the epidemic that had killed 50,000 nationally in 1848/9, even though its own water supplies were suspect! It left the population in fear of its return, as this episode clearly portrayed. The interaction between the three main characters came across as much more 'joined up' and interaction with the other constables ditto. A great side line regarding the conflict between the Met Police and City of London, and the introduction of the pompous Insp. Ressler (played by Patrick Baladi), who I warmed to as the programme developed, and whose eyes opened wide and in admiration at th

A strange week has elapsed in the writer's studio! Only one week ago, I was enjoying the positive feedback and constructive criticism of early readers of my first novel 'The Borough Boys '. Yesterday, I finished a comprehensive edit of the work in progress, having taken into account ideas that had been raised by some of those who had helped by responding to the preview or rough draft, and some tweaks gained from published articles, particularly the 'does' and 'do nots'  of completing your first novel. Last night I printed off the latest version, and was amazed at how much more I began to see that could be improved, or that no longer sounded as effective. Also, the number of typos and basic errors that again had slipped through the net. As such I went mad, yet again, with my trusty red pen. I had heard people say 'read and re-edit', 'read again and re-edit', yet I could not have imagined how much more I could find with each subsequent

Well folks, the second episode has been and gone. I am still a little confused about how the series has been written, and starting to feel a bit like I did when I watched Hamlet set in the twentieth century - or in this case Shakespearean language with 19th century imagery. Is that the writers' intention? I do not see it as either a classical or cultural programme...but it could do with Sub-titles at times! More than a hint of Dickens, yet again, as you would probably expect, mixed in with the opium culture exposed by Conan Doyle. Dicken's Fagin - in this case a Scouser named Carmichael, played by Joe Gilgun, the sinister head of a gang of boys who were covered in tattoos - each of which was a 'badge of honour' for each type of crime they had committed, tearing up H Division of Whitechapel under the noses of the Metropolitan Police.  Gilgun's was the Monster figure - fearless of the law and of the consequences - great - and probably a fair portrayal of some vi

For your delectation, I have started a new page, which can be accessed from the menu on the right of this blog. The new page is dedicated to my central character, Samson Shepherd, and will be kept up to date as his character grows. Please click on the page link to find out more.