So much has happened since the last blog I wrote in November 2019. Writing for my latest book, #TheRhyniePoisoningCase, a sequel to #TheSecretArtofPoisoning, has been slow and the last time I worked on it was over 2 months ago in February 2020: it seems to have been stuck at ‘half way through’ for a while. My writing has been mainly focused on my journal. But since it is a cold, windy and wet autumn night under #COVID19 restrictions, I thought it would be a good time to write

Harry Butler presentations Lots has happened since my last blog in August. It was a busy week this week of 10 November, with Wednesday night Les Parsons and I presenting on 'The Red Devil: The story of South Australian aviation pioneer Captain Harry Butler' at the City of Charles Sturt, Henley Beach Library. The next talk on Harry Butler I will be doing solo at the Adelaide Planetarium Supernova group, Mawson Lakes on the 18th December at 7.30pm. More details on the event can

Back on the 23rd May, the #Melbourne launch of #TheSecretArtofPoisoning was supported by #SistersinCrime Australia with #crimewriter #DrLucySussex the launcher, and was held at #ReadingsStKilda and went very well. The book is now available in a number of Melbourne bookshops including Dymocks (Collins St & Richmond), Readings St Kilda, Avenue Bookstore Richmond, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria and the #OldMelbourneGaol. #MarthaNeedle is one subject for the current #

The launch of the Secret Art of Poisoning: The True Crimes of Martha Needle, The Richmond Poisoner was a fun event, with around 110 people attending in the beautiful setting at Carclew on Sunday 28th April 2019 - as part of the SA History Festival. Dr Malcolm Riley was the MC, with Moira Were (Chooks SA) giving her response to the book , myself doing a reading, and Jessie Byrne from Sisters in Crime interviewing me on the book. This was following by champagne. Thanks again la

I had a good chat with Nathan Davies at the Sunday Mail about #TheSecretArtofPoisoning book and the tragic tale of #MarthaNeedle a couple of weeks ago. This story appeared last Sunday, 3rd March 2019 and well summarises the book. I mention that the case is not 'cut and dried' and Martha Needle was considered a 'psychological enigma' at the time . The handling of evidence in the case also left much to be desired and the judicial processes of the 19thC were interesting and very

I have finally #published my #truecrime book #TheSecretArtofPoisoning The #MarthaNeedle book is available both as an ebook (see books2read.com/secretartofpoisoning) and paperback from many sources (e.g. Booktopia, Amazon, Kobo, Google, Applebooks). It would be great if you could provide a review from where you purchase or on Goodreads! I am taking questions about the book on #Goodreads over the next week. For more information, also please listen to my podcast on the book at

Welcome to my #newwebsite which I have established in the lead up to the publication of two non-fiction historical books I have been working on: #TheSecretArtofPoisoning and #TheRedDevil (with Les Parsons). These are very different tales: one about an anti-heroine from the #19thCentury and one about a #heroic #PioneerAviator from the #WW1 era. I came to the first book to be published via the second. When researching pioneer aviator #HarryButler, I came across a tragic #truecr