Michael Jecks's Blog, page 9
April 2, 2019
Book reviews
I made it a firm policy many years ago that I would not give a bad review to someone else’s work.
[image error]A book I really did like – review tomorrow on WriterlyWitterings, YouTube
It’s not because I am a particularly kind person. I have most definitely read several books that truly did not deserve those hours of my life. Those are hours I could have spent with the kids, with the dogs, or just walking on Dartmoor. Or, better, writing my own books so I can buy another camera. There is little excuse for writing reviews that slag off other people for no reason, other than either showing what a clever fellow I am. Some novelists do just that – and it doesn’t make that look very bright.
Seriously, what is the point? I have read a number of superbly written, engaging and inventive books – one such, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, is going to be reviewed on my YouTube channel tomorrow evening – and I have damaged my eyes trying to read some which were dire, some which were fatuous, and others which were just plain appalling. And by that, I mean appallingly badly plotted, appallingly badly written, or just appallingly bad, revolting subjects. One or two managed to hit all three, but they were few and far between.
Books I have hated have been those written by some of the world’s very top authors. But I took the decision not to review books I hate because, apart from anything else, reading a book is an entirely subjective occupation. I may hate them, but if, say, I detest a book by a million-selling author, what exactly is the point of saying so? A form of snobbishness, where I show off my greater knowledge of a specific subject? Perhaps it would be trying to justify my own lack of comparative sales? In which case I would either sound like a plain moron or a jealous moron, neither of which particularly appeals to me.
And if I am writing about a book which other people adore – what purpose would that serve, other than to alienate millions of book buyers?
So, I have generally not reviewed books negatively. I have reviewed the books I enjoyed, and not talked about the ones I didn’t like.
But now I’m gradually coming to the view that maybe I should speak my mind about books that don’t appeal. Perhaps it is only fair to describe what I don’t like as well as what I find good?
I would have to be careful in how I presented such reviews. “I didn’t like his use of language,” or “The way he set up that scene was atrocious,” are not really suitable. And when it is a book like the one which I did throw away in disgust, having reached my usual boundary-marker of page 100 (if I cannot find anything redeeming in the book by then, I might as well throw the damn thing away), perhaps it does deserve a comment or two.
[image error]When there are so many excellent books, why waste time with drivel?
The problem often is, and you can see this in almost every famous author’s work, that when they have reached a certain level of advance, they become inviolate. Their words are to be treated as pristine at all times. No copy editor who wants to retain her contract can possibly touch a glowing line. No, she must pull away and treat the work with the reverence it deserves. Suddenly writers who were economical with their words send off manuscripts bloated with adjectives, plots that were always tight become sloppy, and when 130,000 words was always enough for a final copy, suddenly the authors begin to spread themselves, and their books gain weight alarmingly, rising to 150,000 or 160,000 words.
Many a dreadful book has been ruined by agents, editors and copy editors not daring to upset the genius. And that is how their reputations become diminished.
So, what do you think? I have been asked for reviews on books I have truly hated. There are quite a few that would fall into that category. But is it time to throw off the shackles of my critical inhibitions, or should I wait a bit longer.
I don’t know.
April 1, 2019
Weed clearing
Years ago, when the children were small, I ordered a tonne of rubber chippings.
We had a small area that was difficult to incorporate into the main garden, so my wife had the brilliant idea of converting it into a play area for the children. There was a high wall on two sides, and although there was a drop on one side, I soon built a fence and rope barrier. There was no fourth side – this was a triangular area.
A friend had a climbing frame which, since his children were in their twenties, was unlikely to be wanted. We bought that, and soon had it installed. The rubber chips, all shredded from car tyres, but with the metal wires removed, were spread about the area liberally to save limbs from falls, and then we had a marvellous play area.
Until …
I introduced my daughter to the pleasures of gardening a little before this, when she was only three years old. One one day she and I (mostly I) dug over a patch, weeded, and prepared it for sowing. Next morning, we hurried up, and, armed with a collection of chitted potatoes, we began planting. It didn’t last long. My daughter had scooped aside only her third handful of soil to discover what cats do in freshly dug soil. It put her off gardening for life.
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Likewise, apparently, cats like rubber. It didn’t matter what I did, erecting fencing, spreading foul-smelling skunk odours, allowing the dogs free rein, still the cats returned. In the end, the kids stopped using the climbing frame – they didn’t want to stand or sit in the cat’s deposits – and the area was left alone.
We have sold off the climbing frame, and now we’re returning the place to its original concrete glory. I have started pulling up all the weeds that have made the place their home, and we’ve started scratching at the rubber chippings. The idea was, that we would gather it all up and sell it. It was good for our children (until the cats found it), and would likewise be good for other children. Except the cats are continuing to use it as their private toilet, so we can’t sell it for other kids. What we can do with it, I don’t know.
However, I have discovered something that might make the area more pleasant. If we can kill off the weeds remaining, and drive the ruddy cats away, it will become a usable space again, and I think I have found the ideal method.
Apparently a concentrated (20%) solution of acetic acid spread over plants will kill off the vegetation. If it is repeated whenever the plants show new growth, it will kill off the weeds. At the same time, the smell of the acid will drive cats away to find a less odorous environment for their ablutions.
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So, today I have put in an order for five litres of 80% concentrated acetic acid. In a couple of days, hopefully, I’ll be able to go back to the children’s ex-play area, and begin to wash it in acid, and with luck, that will start to deter the cats too.
And for those who might be concerned, no, it’s an organic solution to my twin problems. And it washes away in the rain, too. Plus I have a driveway that is getting smothered in grass and weeds, and it should clear that too, without endangering the dogs who like to chew on the odd mouthful of greenery.
It is a lot safer than spreading carcinogenic chemicals.
And so to a new week. In the next few days I have to finish two copy edits, and then return to my next book. Lots to do before my concentrated vinegar arrives!
March 29, 2019
Nothing Succeeds Like Failure
This title appealed to me for two reasons today.
The first is, yesterday I put up a video that demonstrated my utter incompetence with technology. I had tried to make a video recording of opening a parcel. Not, you would think, the hardest thing to do.
However, the camera decided to go into a bit of a sulk; the audio system didn’t play ball; the loose nut in front of the camera forgot his script, didn’t check settings, and mucked it all up.
So, being sensible, I gave up on that, brought the system into my office and tried to record again … but without realising that certain elements weren’t functioning. Such as the sound. I had forgotten to turn on the microphone, so after another 40 minutes of work, I had precisely nothing to show for it.
I would just say, that if I had a more modern set up (mine is a good 10 years old), I would have been able to see what I was recording, and could have seen that the sound was not working. But I have an old system, so I wasted a lot of time.
Some aspects could be rescued, which were what I put on the video (it’s here, in case you want a laugh: https://youtu.be/UpZITkWqmnY ), but it was gutting to lose several hours of work when I really didn’t have the time to waste.
And yet, this is where the title comes in – it got the fastest number of hits from people watching it, and easily the largest number of comments. Probably, naturally, most of them were people sympathising and trying to calm the gormless author who’d messed things up so badly.
[image error]Here you go: an early proof of the latest cover.
The second success born of failure? My next book. I’m currently editing book four in my Jack Blackjack/Bloody Mary Tudor series for Severn House, which should be out in June.
Jack is a totally incompetent hero. He is a failed pickpocket, and now has the enviable position of official assassin to Master Blount, but suffers from a perfectly logical fear of blood – especially his own. This makes him more than a little incompetent at his job.
However, it does lead to a lot of humour – and his failures are a joy to me. Last night I was editing through to midnight, and even though I have read this specific book several times already, it still made me laugh aloud on occasion.
Maybe I ought to stick to writing, and give up on YouTube!
March 28, 2019
Why Are Books Good?
We are blessed with another splendid day. It’s confusing, though, to be sitting indoors, huddled in warm clothes, and then, on wandering outdoors, to find that it’s too hot for anything other than shirtsleeves.
Today started very well, thanks to a delightful teacher called Mark, who wrote to thank me for my notes on writing.
Mark is not an English teacher. He is a chemist, but he made use of my “planning tricks to create a new world” for his students to learn in. He explained it was “a place where (they) can explore chemistry without them thinking it’s boring”. He took his students there, using his new world to explain theories and concepts in a different way, and from all he said, it is working well. Which is really great for an author to hear!
Of course I have had many people write to me over the years. I well remember the couple who wrote about one book, Outlaws of Ennor, because the woman in the marriage didn’t think Baldwin would do such a thing (many women told me that – most men thought he would, but that’s a different story). It’s always good to know that my characters feel so “real” to readers that they feel they can comment on the behaviour of Baldwin or Simon.
[image error]Blossom’s out in force now
However, the lady gave the book to her husband to see what he felt. But when she saw him with the book, she noticed that he was stuck on a page. He would read it, turn the page, and then turn back again and reread it.
She asked him what was happening, and he finally explained. He was reading a scene in which a man-at-arms had been involved in a battle, and in the midst of it, he had committed a dreadful atrocity. He kept trying to get past that section, but every time he had to go back and reread it, because he had been a soldier in Vietnam, and as a veteran, that situation struck a terrible chord. He could empathise with my man-at-arms on a level that went much deeper than the usual response to an act of savagery in a crime novel.
And as a result, the couple began to discuss their experiences for the first time: he explaining about his experiences, she telling him about her feelings of loss when she, as a young bride, waved him off. It was the first time that they had been able to discuss their feelings since that terrible war. This was some thirty years after it ended.
And that, I think, is one reason why books are important. They are not merely a form of escapism, a way to forget the grinding reality of work and politics, they can also help us to work through problems or horrors. Novels are important, not just as entertainment. They put us into the minds of other people and allow us to see how they view the world.
In a fractured world, that has to be a good thing.
March 27, 2019
Working Wednesday
This is the first day which I’ve been able to sit outside. The sun is beaming down, and sitting indoors in my office is freezing, so instead I am sitting in the back yard, typing on my Astrohaus Freewrite.
Many people have said to me that the Freewrite is a ludicrous extravagance, that it’s a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a computer that will not allow you to edit, will not allow you to use the internet for emails or surfing – that doesn’t even have a colour screen, only a Kindle-esque e-ink screen in black on white. What possible reason would persuade anyone to buy a machine like a Freewrite?
My answer is, those people are absolutely right. If they want a computer to edit on, or a system to surf the web, or something with advances graphics and colour, they would be mad to buy a Freewrite.
God knows, there are enough machines out there to do those jobs. Personally I would recommend Apple devices, just because of their looks, but my daughter, who’s studying Architecture at university, bought herself a Hewlett Packard, with a touch screen, that was astonishingly powerful, and ideal for her needs. A Freewrite would not have suited her at all.
In my own case, I have bought several Apple laptops. The last one was a MacBook Air, which is a fabulously powerful device, with wonderful colour resolution, marvellous software that allows me to integrate it with my iMac in my office, and which looks divine.
[image error]I love the iMac looks – but it is nothing like so comfortable, effective or relaxing to type on.
And yes, looks matter. I am currently in the interesting position of needing a second camera. There’s nothing wrong with my Nikon D7100 (apart from the auto focus when recording video), but it’s just so big! When I’m out and about I really want a camera I can stick in my pocket. Fuji has a delightful range of cameras, but the ones I really like the look of are the X100 range. The latest, the X100F, is way out of my price range, but a second hand X100, which is now quite an old device, would serve me very well, I think. Yes, it’s only some 12 MPixels, rather than my Nikon’s 24, but it is much more convenient to carry. I’d be more likely to have it with me. And the best camera you can have is the one you have with you.
But there is more to the X100. It looks beautiful. It’s got the range finder appearance that people used to love in the 1960s and 70s. It has actual dials on top, so I can set shutter speed and aperture with knobs, rather than scrolling down some menu or other. And it does what I would want: take beautiful photos. No need for video, I want something that will do good pictures. Plus, it’s a device I will enjoy using.
The Freewrite is pretty much the same. It has lots of things missing that are there on my MacBook Air: the web browsing ability, twitter, colour screen, email – but that is exactly why I bought it: because it is designed to do one thing exceptionally well: it is designed to help me write without distractions. And that is why I’ve taken only fifteen minutes to type 514 words.
Yes, I could have walked out here with the MacBook Air. I could have set it on my lap – although not easily. It never seems to balance. But then I would have quickly glanced at emails, perhaps nipped over to check on a website or two, or …
And I would not have got this much typed.
This is why I bought my Freewrite: for days like today, when I just wanted to sit outside while typing. It’s better for me than a MacBook Air or Hewlett Packard. It does the job I need it to.
Oh, and it may sound like a lot of money (about £500 now, I think), but let’s put it into perspective: that’s only a quarter of the sum you would spend on an iMac. And it does my job far better. That, I think, is pretty good value.
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The dogs think so too.
March 26, 2019
Tuesday, it’s Spring, and I’m stuck in the office typing!
There really doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Spring is here. The crocuses and snowdrops have died, and even the daffodils are disappearing. In their place celandines are appearing, the bluebells are about to pop, and the fields have taken on a brighter hue.
Which is frustrating as hell, since I’m sitting in my office, staring out at it through my window!
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Yes, I walk the dogs every morning. It’s my one exercise, and I try to make sure I cover as close to five miles every day as possible. Sometimes it’s a little more, often a bit less, but I do my best. I need the exercise – it’s the problem with a highly sedentary job.
But once the dogs are back on their bed and snoring gently, all I can do is sit here and type or edit, gazing longingly out through the window. The temptation to turn off the computer and drive to the beach, or wander up onto the moors with a backpack and camping stove is horribly appealing.
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It’s at times like this that willpower appears to be in short supply. But at least writing a blog means that I can get the fingers back into action!
Still, at least I have stories to occupy me. I’m editing the latest Jack Blackjack/Bloody Mary story for the next few days. It’s a good plot, but I’m not convinced about the humour. I think it needs a little more, so I’m looking at how to add a couple of little elements – not new scenes (I’ve already been told off for making the story a lot longer), but just making the existing scenes more concentrated. That is one of the hardest elements of writing: reworking each paragraph to get the maximum effect from it. I know all writing is rewriting, but it does get harder after the fifteenth or twentieth rewrite.
Still, the main thing is, at least I really like my characters. They appeal to me. Of course, it is not the same as having contact with real human beings – that is what I really miss about writing and not having an office job any more. Now my human contact tends to be limited to an occasional chat with the postman, or getting grumpy with a cold caller just as I’ve got into the zone and am ready to write a staggeringly good piece – there’s always a berk from Porlock who wants to call at those moments and ensure that the best section of the book is lost forever.
But at least I am lucky enough to live in the country.
Have a happy Tuesday. If you’re interested, there’s a video going up tonight on my YouTube channel, writerlywitterings, where I talk about another book I’ve just read. Hope you like it!
March 25, 2019
Monday Means Better Hearing
One of the worst things about getting older is the gradual decline of the body. The bits and bobs one used to be able to rely on suddenly prove themselves utterly unreliable, and it comes as an unpleasant surprise. Some muscles stop working as efficiently (as does the brain), while other senses and organs slide more slowly towards decrepitude, but the overall impression given is one of collapse.
Some functions come with remedies. Eyesight can be rectified with relevant lumps of plastic in frames or held on the eyeball; old hips can be replaced with space-age metal; ears can be …
Ah, yes, Ears.
I lost most of the hearing in my right ear practically overnight. It was literally that fast. I went to sleep with pretty much perfect hearing, and when I woke up, it was as if my ear had water in it. You know that dullness when you have been in a swimming pool, and you have to tilt your head to get the water out before you can hear properly? That is how it sounded.
The worst thing about having never really suffered from anything, is the disbelief that anything could have gone that wrong. I assumed it was some kind of fault that would soon go away, and that my hearing would return. I waited, and then a month went by, and a couple more, and my quality of life wasn’t really impeded, and besides, I was busy, so it was probably a year or so later that I wondered whether I should see a doctor.
I did. And learned that my hearing was severely degraded in that ear. The audiologists told me there was nothing to worry about, and suggested some tests. First of these was a visit to a claustrophobia-inducing MRI scanner, which desperately hunted for a still-functioning brain cell (I don’t think it did very well). The consultant was glad to tell me that there was no sign of a brain tumour – which was a relief. Especially since no one had told me they were looking for one.
[image error]So I’m deaf – whereas this mutt has selective hearing.
So, since then, about nine years ago, I have had to get used to wearing a hearing aid, until this year. Now I have progressed to the stage where the first ear is more than “profoundly” deaf – it is basically non-functioning. At the same time, the other ear has lost higher frequencies, and is beginning to grow ineffective. So the audiologists have put me onto a “cross-over” aid system. This means a hearing aid on one side for the ear that is losing its function, and a second aid on the duff ear that doesn’t try to get that ear to work, but instead sends a signal via Bluetooth (or something similar) to the good ear. It doesn’t bring back stereo hearing, but does at least mean I can hear simple sounds no matter from where they emanate.
But, since I’m an old codger, when I’m in a meeting and there is a lot of noise going on around me, I’m effectively deaf. I can’t hear the person right in front of me, if there’s background chat. Which is rather difficult in business.
So I was delighted to hear of the “Access To Work” project with the Department of Work and Pensions. Under this, disabled people who need help with their jobs can claim for a lump sum equivalent to the number of days worked. You work five days a week? You can claim 5/7ths of the cost of a tool to help you with work. You still have to pay the remainder, since that will be yours to use in leisure hours, but the majority of the sum will be paid.
Since I am self-employed, the DWP accepts I work six days a week. I have spoken to Chime, the NHS audiologists who deal with my area, and a magical pen-microphone is now ordered.
With luck, on Friday week I will be able to start using a new device that will make listening to conversations an awful lot easier. I cannot wait. Seriously. sitting with three or four people and not being able to follow any conversation, sitting in a meeting and not hearing what is being discussed, or even sitting in my kitchen and not being able to follow what is on the radio, is horrible. I feel divorced from family and friends.
So, if you discover that your hearing suddenly decays – don’t hesitate. Go straight to your doctor and insist on seeing an ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat) consultant. A sudden loss of hearing can often be partly or largely recovered, apparently, with a steroid treatment. If you’re lucky, you may not suffer the catastrophic loss that I experienced.
Enough on hearing. In case you’re interested, I’ve been working on one book, while cracking on with the copyedit of Jack Blackjack/Bloody Mary 4 – and soon I’ll have to start writing book 5 in the series, since it’s been commissioned now. And in spare moments, I’ve been working on videos on my YouTube channel, also called “writerly witterings”, where I am reviewing books and talking about writers – as well as looking at keyboards, pens, inks and papers. I hope to see you over there soon!
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March 22, 2019
Friday Working
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For the last couple of weeks I’ve been running short lucky draws for a few items. Last week it was a pocket notepad and pen, which were soon snapped up. There were some 120 people who asked for that. This week it’s been busier – The Keyboard Company had given me a Filco Majestouch Minila keyboard to giveaway, and that generated a lot of interest, with almost 200 entries.
In the past, when I’ve run similar competitions, I’ve taken the names of the entrants, allocated each a number, printed them on squares of paper, and pulled one out of a hat – literally. I usually make use of my Morris dancing top hat for this function.
However, I am going to have to figure out a different approach, I think. The main thing for me is that the draw should be utterly fair, and that means I cannot simply pull names from Twitter. Although it’s easy to run through my feed, I’m petrified that there will be duplicates or I will miss one or two out. With that fear comes problems, because I have to do my best to ensure that the names are checked. And when I also have to look at Instagram and Facebook to see how many times people have entered, it gets more difficult and very time-consuming.
Still, it’s done now, and the winner’s been notified.
Today is a bit of a strange one. It’s the 90th anniversary of my mother’s birth. Dear old Beryl died in 2015, and she’s hugely missed. It seems odd not to be able to phone her up. We used to speak most days, and I loved letting her know what was happening to us down here in Devon. Worst of all, she never met our dogs. She was too frail when our Dalmatian arrived, and the Ridgeback only came to us in 2017.
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My mother was mad about her dogs. All her married life, she had a pack of four or five – and even at the end she still had a black labrador. Once she told me that she had calculated how many dogs she had owned, and reached some 40 animals, which isn’t bad. I expect my wife and I will not reach 10!
However, although there is a slightly melancholy aspect to the day, it has not been a bad one. I’ve finished a book, which I intend to review soon on YouTube, I have had confirmation from the Department for Work and Pensions that I am eligible for a grant to give me better hearing systems for when I attend meetings, and I have had a wonderful idea for the first line of a new book I’m writing.
Just now I have one edit which I must finish this weekend, a copy edit which has come back to me, and which I have ten days to work on before I have to get it back, and then I can work on the rewrite of another story. That has to be completed as soon as possible, because then I have to write the next Jack Blackjack/Bloody Mary Tudor story. That has a hard deadline which I cannot miss!
So, as you can see, I have enough work to keep me busy for a while!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
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March 21, 2019
Reporting Hatred
This morning I received an email. It came through at 08.40, and was long. Very long. Ten pages long.
I won’t put up the bile-infected rant; there is no way I want to promote his lunatic theories. Suffice it to say, every terrorist attack, every rape and murder, pretty much, is entirely the responsibility of muslims. He has clearly not heard of the two world wars, the Chinese and Russian genocides, the American (I am guessing he comes from the US) slaughter of the Native Americans, the Australian killing of the Bushmen and their culture, the South African genocide of the Hottentots and … I digress.
The point is, I spend a good half hour trying to find somewhere on Google where I could report this man and his rant. And I could find nothing. The internet is a great resource for many things, but there is nothing so secret as a group of company employees who want to remain hidden. If you have an issue with a website, I daresay you can easily contact someone – but when it’s an individual (presumably) who is sending vile emails, that’s a lot more difficult.
In the end I took the easy approach, and sent copies to my MP and the Police. With luck one or the other of them (probably not the MP, since they seem a little tied up with their own incompetence these days) will find a contact at Google, who will no doubt tell them that this kind of email is only a matter of freedom of speech, and nothing to be worried about.
But it is. I do not know who the man is who sent his badly-spelled and largely ignorant rant. I have never asked for him to contact me with his foul ravings. How many people is he writing to? How many of them are as impressionable or dim as to believe that all Muslims are evil? It is as moronic as those who think that the Jews intend world domination – which, if it’s true, shows that they are singularly incompetent, after two thousand years or more.
What is really offensive is that the moron decided to write his email after the appalling tragedy in New Zealand. He apparently wasn’t aware that it was not Muslims attacking supremacists. It was families of pious New Zealanders attending worship who were murdered by a white supremacist.
It sickens me that such intolerance and ignorance still exists, and is actively promoted by the internet.
March 20, 2019
Wednesday 20th
I have loved decent keyboards for many years. It’s a natural affiliation for someone who uses them every single day, really. If you go and see this video, you can win this very keyboard: https://youtu.be/k_gb9g26hcw (after 5.00 PM).
Back in the 1980s, when I was a callow computer salesman, I grew to know and love good quality keyboards. Originally, I worked with Apple IIe machines, but progressed quickly to the ACT Sirius, and from there I started working on the Olympia range and others.
When I started working for Wordplex, I loved the smooth feel of their keys; at Wang Laboratories, I liked the low, minimalist appearance of the 4200 range. But then, when I started working with IBM machines, I grew to adore the IBM “click” as the key registered. It meant that I could type faster, knowing exactly when I had pressed down far enough. I could tell even before I had heard the key; it was a tactile delight.
Over the years, I have had a lot of keyboards. From my IBM PS2 (which I kept hold of from my last employer, since they forgot to pay me my last monthly salary payment), and then I had an AST (I think) laptop, and soon had to buy an external keyboard for it; then a Toshiba, which also wore out and I had to buy another keyboard; then my first Apple, a beautiful iMac with anglepoise-attached screen, which eventually had a total of four separate keyboards; my first iMac, with another two keyboards, and finally this iMac, which is so far on its second keyboard.
Keyboards come and go, but it is very noticeable to me how the different types of technology have impacted keyboards. In the 80s, all used individually sprung keys. That meant they had a spring, made of metal, and the key slid up and down in its own little channel. They were reliable, and the only way to tell how they had been used (and abused) was by the way that the letters began to wear off.
But as time moved on, and laptops became more popular, keyboards became cheaper; there was a drive to manufacture them at a lower cost, but also to provide keyboards that would be thinner, so that slimline laptops or metal keyboards would look more elegant.
The problem is, for fast typists, this meant all the benefits of real, sprung keys were lost.
A couple of years is all a standard keyboard would ever last with me. The keycaps wore off, and Apple worn keycaps look and feel horrible. But it wasn’t easy to find a firm that sold keyboards that would suit me, and I had pretty much given up over time – but then I bought an Astrohaus Freewrite, and discovered that some people were still making real keyboards that were suitable for writers like me. Searching on the web brought me to The Keyboard Company, and while chatting, I learned that they had been the supplier of keyboards to the late (very great) Terry Pratchett. I was hooked. It cost me quite a few pounds, but the keyboard I bought at the time – a Filco Majestouch, is still working well for me. It is reliable, makes a satisfying rattle as I type, and the individual keys have that satisfying little click as I type.
And The Keyboard Company have some spare Minila keyboards. These don’t have the click in the keys, but are all individually sprung for the best typing experience.
[image error]The Filco Majestouch Minila – unused!
They have given me one to give away – so, if you would like a Filco Majestouch Minila keyboard, all you have to do is, go to Twitter, retweet the tweet there, and follow me @MichaelJecks, @KeyboardCo and @FilcoUK. If you would like to visit our Facebook pages at http://www.facebook.com/keyboardco/ and http://www.facebook.com/Michael.Jecks.author or my Instagram account at @MichaelJecks, it won’t hurt, as will subscribing to my YouTube channel at WriterlyWitterings.
The names from all accounts will be pulled from a hat (probably literally) on Friday March 22nd, and the winner contacted that afternoon. An announcement will be made at 5 pm.
So, if you fancy a new keyboard, if you want to have a good, strong, old-fashioned keyboard, or just a smaller one that’s better for typing, go and follow The Keyboard Company and me!
Best of luck!
