Spruce is a coniferous tree of the genus Picea, the wood from such a tree and a type of beer flavoured with its needles and twigs. I knew that. It’s not the stuff in retsina, that comes from pine trees, but there is a tree known as a spruce pine.

Spruce can also mean neat or smart in appearance. I knew that too. Don’t think I’ve ever heard a person actually use the word spruce on it’s own in that way, but ‘getting spruced up‘ is a fairly common expression round these here parts.

Apparently spruce is also slang for lying, malingering, evading a duty or to practise deception. I’d be sprucing if I said I knew that before I looked it up.

A review of my latest novel.

I expect you know what a swan is and can probably see where the term swan necked comes from. The birds’ graceful progress across the water would account for the phrase swanning about too (I swan about a fair bit, though not usually in a graceful manner. )

Frangible means brittle or liable to break. To me it sounds like one of those flaky pastry things which shatter as you bite into them, but not until after they’ve squidged a dollop of cream down whatever you were wearing.

It could also apply to that little burst of confidence that allows us to submit our work and which cracks at the mere thought of a ‘thanks but no thanks’ by return of post. Still if you want to be published you have to risk that.

I’m pleased to have a short story in the current (5th February)issue of The People’s Friend. 

I’ll be signing copies of my romantic murder mystery Acting Like A Killer this Saturday at The Bookshop Lee-on-the-Solent. If you’re in the area do come in and say hello. If you get there before they all run out, I’ll give you one of the lead character’s favourite sweets!

Two of my short stories are now available as free downloads onto a range of e-readers. There’s Waving Goodbye and Private and Confidential. Some of my full length books are also available in this way and I’ll be added the rest over the next couple of months – and offering more free short stories.

To excogitate means to think out or contrive. When I write these posts I excogitate the possibility of convincing you that one of my travel photos is relevant.

Here I am doing just that…

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