Hostel California closes

As I drove along Lincoln Boulevard in Los Angeles earlier this month I was looking forward to catching a glimpse of my favourite hostel 'Hostel California' which, from 1997 to 2008, was a yearly vacation destination for me during many stays in the west coast metropolis.

It was a shock to see it clad in wooden hoardings (and a little bit of graffiti), and the shock was compounded when I discovered on closer inspection that the villa-style building was being gutted and renovated into offices. Originally built to house international athletes for the 1984 Olympic Games, the property went on to become a two-floor hostel. In the many years that I stayed there - and sometimes it was more than once a year - it was run by Klaus, of German descent. Hostel California was a second home for me - an escape from my everyday life back home where I could unwind and enjoy the freedom of mixing with strangers and travellers as I had when I was younger and exploring Australia.

And I made many friends at the hostel - some who, like me, made return visits that allowed us to reunite unexpectedly.

The easy-going, unstressed atmosphere of the hostel was what made it so appealing. It also had great retro decor, including old Beatles posters, a white, funky bass guitar hanging on a wall, a small fish tank, full size billards table and the biggest picture of a space shuttle I've ever seen.

I wrote about the the hostel and what it meant to me in a chapter about LA in my 2008 book Eating Clouds:

HOSTEL CALIFORNIA

As a seasoned backpacker and making a living in the relatively poorly paid world of journalism (at the time earning little more than £10,000 – or $20,000 – on a provincial English newspaper), such hotel luxury was out of the question. Seated on a plane from London to LA and flicking through a guide book, I came across a bargain price establishment, the Hostel California, and decided to head for it. It was an on-the-hoof decision which would shape, in a remarkable way, my enjoyment of the city for the next decade and beyond.

The social environment that comes from staying in a hostel is a world away from that of a hotel. A hotel offers protective sterility and the feeling of being a transient visitor, whereas a hostel dweller enters the local environment at street level – quite literally stepping onto the sidewalk without a doorman in sight to instantly blend in as an anonymous identity amongst the background ‘static’ of the locale.

This unheralded hostel on Lincoln Boulevard, very near to the junction with Venice Boulevard has, over the space of more than a decade of regular vacations, become a personal touchstone place. If LA is like a home-from-home – a bolt hole to escape from the other world of my life – then Hostel California is the cosy fireplace armchair within that home-from-home. Like an old glove or sock, its worn but comfy familiarity seeps through. Some of the mainstay staff at the hostel, including the owner Klaus, have been welcoming old friends across all those years.

There is no soluberant luxury here, but it is adequately maintained. The sound of traffic from the six-lanes of Lincoln Boulevard outside is only slightly muffled by the balcony terrace. The rise and fall of the traffic noise acts as a comforting reminder of the city beyond, from the relative peace of night to the wakening hum of the morning rush hour. Fading posters of The Beatles still stare out from above the purple-clothed pool table in the common area today as they did almost a decade-and-a-half ago on my very first visit. And then there is the location; a mere mile or so walk from the arty, unusual streets of Venice Main Street and Abbott Kinney.

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So, it is hard to put into words how I feel now that I see my favourite hostel is no longer. At least the distinctive building will remain, albeit with a new interior and usage. The happy memories of sunny vacations stretching out for more than a decade will stay with me, as too will the images of some of the good people I meet there - Klaus and Swedish Karen to name two.

The Eagles' song 'Hotel California' could quite easily be applied to the Hostel California ... "You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave".

All things must pass, as George Harrison once sang, and so it is that I say farewell and thank you for all the good times, Hostel California.

The new Star Wars film

After Disney bought Lucasfilm - including the Star Wars film franchise - it was no surprise to learn a new movie in the series is planned. It will follow on from the original trilogy and therefore will be episode seven.

There has been plenty of trepidation from online commentators about what Disney might do to the beloved film franchise, and most of it is fearful although also recognising it would be hard for Disney to do a worse job than George Lucas did with the prequels.

As a big fan of the original trilogy I was disappointed by the prequels, so much so that after the first two I gave up and, to this day, have never seen Episode III.

News was released at the weekend the Michael Arndt has been chosen to write the screenplay for the next film. That's encouraging. Arndt wrote the screenplays for Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, both highly regarded movies.

I strongly feel something good will come about from his involvement and, with Lucas now on the sidelines, we might see the true potential of the magical franchise renewed. Fingers crossed.

Rumours circulating say that original stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) will reprise their roles as the same characters, although aged - as they have in real life since the first film was released 35 years ago. Even if they are only minor additions to the movie, I welcome the idea.

I have long wondered what it would be like to recreate a famous show or film with the same original youthful cast approaching old age. If I had the studio cash I'd do such a remake of Space 1999, with the old characters back and living their lives on the still wandering Moonbase Alpha. Even at almost 40 years distance, most of the key actors are still around, so the Space 1999 remake is still possible if someone has the ability to make it happen. But with Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) and Dr Russell (Barbara Bain) now in their 80s, time is running out.

Who is going to direct the new Star Wars film has yet to be announced. A few names are being banded about. If Disney are as thoughtful with their selection as they have been with choosing Arndt, then I have high hopes something special will emerge when the film arrives. And if they go easy on the computer generated images (CGIs) then all the better.

Today there was even a report that Darth Vader might return, even though he ended his days in Return of the Jedi in 1983. Now that would be a big ask.

Roll on 2015.

Listen. Time Passes. Listen

The winds of change are blowing this evening. The actual wind I hear is the farthest fringes of the monster hurricane Sandy, which even at 500 miles distance is making its presence felt.

The 'winds of change', on the other hand, have been making their presence felt for some time. At work I have seen some long-standing colleagues leave, and soon another will be departing - the editor.

Nothing stays the same forever. As the years have flown I've witnessed good people move through the 'in-and-out door' of my life. There's always some sadness when they leave, particularly now that I've experienced enough of life to know that most will now be gone from my life and exist only as memories.

I've looked back on the past 30 years through old photographs and been reminded of the many friends, colleagues and acquaintances that have brightened my days but now exist only as faces in old pictures or recollections from passed chapters in my life.

It serves as a reminder that today's joys and tribulations will one day be another past chapter to look back on. Many of the friends and colleagues I know now will join the faces shining in my mind's eye once in a while on dusky evenings as I sit and recall life's journey.

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans. Appreciate those who are in your life this moment. Appreciate what your life is today, in all its intricate details and nuances, for these will one day be the days you yearn to revisit and re-experience.

Listen. Time passes. Listen.

Positive comments to book

A month has almost passed since the Lennon Bermuda book was launched and the reaction has been very encouraging. In the first few days I received positive comments in person and through phone calls and e-mails from people telling me how they had enjoyed reading the 120-page story.

The gentle manner in which it was written, and the descriptive Bermuda passages all helped. One of the island commentators said she was struck particularly by the many references to people and places on the island - a rarity for Bermuda to have a book so deeply focused on itself.

Now the work begins to spread the book far and wide. It is already available online, but the prohibitive shipping costs for anyone outside the USA is a stumbling block (at least one potential reader in Japan is waiting instead for it to be more readily available with lower postage attached).

Preparations are underway for a UK launch in early 2013, while I am doing my bit to seek out a publishing/marketing outlet with a greater global reach. I've no doubt that the potential interest in the book - and the CD box set version - could add up to many tens of thousands of people if we can get the word out through the right channels.

At the same time as all this I am focusing on my own future writing projects, which immediately involve wrapping up Dolphin Girl and then doing an outline treatment for a new novel.

Chalking up another year

As another birthday was chalked up at the weekend I took time out to sit at my favourite spot, on a grassy hillside overlooking the calm north shore of Bermuda.

Sitting there reminded me of my birthday 24 years ago, when I was a carefree, wandering young man with a backpack hitch-hiking around West Australia. On that birthday morning I ended up sitting atop Wave Rock, an impressive natural granite feature on the edge of the remote outback near the town of Hyden.

There was no-one much around, so I could actually sit with my feet dangling over the edge, and enjoy my breakfast. I recall clearly the morning and that breakfast as I had a mini pack of Weetabix and a carton of milk - but no bowl. I had to pop some Weetabix in my mouth then drink a little milk and eat it that way, one of the many innovative adaptions that came along with life on the road.

As I sat on Wave Rock I listened to the spellbinding near silence of the Australian outback, and felt at peace and happy that I was there living life in an adventurous way and experiencing something that many may not get the chance too. I also knew, even at that moment, that I would forever recall the experience as I celebrated my 22nd birthday at an unusual spot with an unusual style of breakfast.

It doesn't seem that long ago. The memory is fresh and vivid still, yet it is just one year shy of a quarter of a century ago. Where does the time go?

Projecting an equal distance of time into the future, I see I will be 70. Now, that makes me appreciate how life's 'chunks' soon pass by - and why it is important to make the most of the time you have and not miss out on experiences and opportunities that may never come again.

New Lennon book

The 'Lennon Bermuda' book I wrote earlier this year went on sale this week.

It was a labour of love to write about John Lennon and his two-month stay in Bermuda during the summer of 1980.

Although, as the author, it probably isn't my place to say so, I do feel the 120-page book is the definitive account of Lennon's sailing trip to the island and his subsequent encounters with people in Bermuda where he enjoyed relative anonymity during his stay.

Writing the book was an experience too, as I was brought into the project at a late stage, which meant speed interviewing and writing everything in a 20-day window. That was a formidable challenge because I was also doing my regular full-time job (there was no time to schedule any vacation days).

However, I didn't mind the pressure. Writing about one of my musical favourites, and getting to speak to so many of the cast of characters that encountered the singer-songwriter during those sunny months of 1980, was quite uplifting. By the time I'd finished I had spoken with twelve people who had direct contact with Lennon during his Bermuda sojourn. It felt as though I'd lived through the whole event, albeit concertinaed into such a tight time-frame.

The proofs of the book I've seen, but not yet the finished product. That I look forward to next Friday at the John Lennon tribute concert in the Botanical Gardens when it is officially launched.

Readers can purchase it online, where postage for US customers is only $5. That's reasonable, unlike the rest of the world postage which weighs in at $45 (more than the book itself). Hopefully that changes when the book is made available through more mainstream channels. For now, if you're in the US and you're interested in John Lennon - or my writing - I'd recommend checking it out. It contains stories and pictures that have not been heard or seen before.

Buy the book online HERE

Murray wins US Open Tennis

Andy Murray has won the US Open Tennis Championships. It was a memorable, near five-hour match.

I had not intended to spend my whole evening lying on the sofa watching the action. However, once I switched on the live link I was soon caught up in the drama of the finely balanced duel between Murray and defending champ Novak Djokovic.

It was on this very same day, September 10, in 1933 that Fred Perry, the last British man to win the US championships, won the first of his three titles - so there was a touching piece of synchronicity. Murray also becomes the first Brit since 1936 to win a Grand Slam title anywhere in the world.

Like the Olympics earlier this summer, I don't feel guilty about having been distracted away from my writing - at least for a evening of sporting magic, which I witnessed tonight. There seems to be a poetry of the human spirit on show in these titanic sporting duels. Murray the underdog finally showed he could come good. I hope he has many more successes, though it is hard to imagine a more enthralling victory than the one that ended at Flushing Meadows, New York, less than two hours ago.

I have to catch up on my writing, yes. But for now I'm uplifted by a great sporting moment.

Good Guy Eddie

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" - wrote John Lennon in the song 'Beautiful Boy'. Much truth exists in that little bit of philosophy.

That was brought home to me again this week as I reflected on my workplace friendship with Eddie, our office cleaner.

Over the past seven years he has been a constant presence in my work orbit. Each time we met we'd exchange greetings and small talk as we went about our routines. And on countless Saturday mornings we sat in front of the office TV to watch whatever English Premier league football game was being shown - chatting and commenting on the match as we unwound at the end of the working week.

Those mornings were nothing spectacular, they just seemed one of life's little routines. But now Eddie has finished up at work and that caused me to reflect on our friendship and our Saturdays watching the football. The games were secondary, we'd watch whatever match was being shown. We shared the moment, and the friendship, through weeks and months of autumn, winter and spring.

Sometimes we'd talk about the Azores, where his elderly mother still lives and where I visited last year. I could try out words of Portuguese with Eddie, a fluent speaker.

At times you take things for granted and only see the true value and preciousness of something when it is no longer there. That's how I feel about the long-standing acquaintance I've been fortunate to have had with Eddie.

Those countless Saturday mornings sipping gas station coffee in front of the office TV, watching a game with Eddie, never seemed particularly special at the time. They certainly do now.

Good luck, Good Guy Eddie, in the long years ahead. Thank you for your friendship.

A spotted eagle ray

There's a tropical storm on the horizon, which in all likelihood will be a hurricane by the time it visits Bermuda this coming weekend. The storm is called 'Leslie', and while that name did not strike terror in anyone when it was assigned to this weather system, the storm is too big to ignore. The winds reach out some 200 miles from its centre and it might be a Category 2 hurricane by the time it reaches Bermuda.

Hurricanes are rated 1 to 5, with Cat 1 being the weakest and Cat 5 the most powerful. A Cat 2 will be the highest rated to have reached Bermuda since I came to live on the island.

While that remains in the background for the time being, the weather here is benign and calm. Perfect conditions, in fact, for viewing the many types of fish that abound in the semi-tropical ocean around the shore.

Two days ago, while I sat admiring the view from my favourite spot in the shade cast by a small olivewood tree on a grassy hillside by the ocean, I spied a spotted eagle ray jump out of the water. It rose maybe two feet then flopped back into the sea. It was probably hunting small fry fish - an abundant food source at this time of year. It is only the second time I've seen a ray leap from the ocean, so it was a privilege and a tad lucky on my part to have been there at the right moment early on a Saturday morning.

This weekend I sat down twice to compose three pages of the final chapter of Dolphin Girl. I'm pleased with how it is shaping up. At this stage it is all about getting ideas, story and dialogue down onto the paper. I can improve on it once it is in rough form. Doing it this way also avoids self-censorship, where I might be put off and beat myself up thinking what I've written isn't good enough. It's far easier to improve something that exists than it is to improve a blank piece of paper.

Should Tropical Storm Leslie, or should I say Hurricane Leslie, visit these shores, there will no doubt be more golden time to write away.

The missing chapter

As I set to work on the final chapter of Dolphin Girl I noticed something about the story. When I wrote it for the original edition of Eating Clouds in 2008 I chose to tell in the present tense.

Having read parts of it again to refresh myself before creating the 'missing' last chapter, I was struck that the tense was unusual and almost jarring. It would be perfect for a film screenplay treatment, but in a book the more natural choice past tense.

Now, as I begin the writing of the last chapter (of which 250 words today), I am using the past tense and will rework the rest of the novel accordingly. Reworking also gives me an opportunity to sharpen things up.

The initial reaction I received to Dolphin Girl in 2008 and 2009 was favourable - more than I had hoped - which gives me added faith in the story and the way it is written. The abrupt ending always seemed a bit of a cop-out. The new ending will tie things together, and that is what has been taxing my mind for the past few months as I've juggled scenarios.

Once written and re-worked I shall approach suitable agencies, while also keeping an eye on the possibility of making it a trial e-book release, having read much about the success of a number of others who have blazed that particular trail.

Returning to Dolphin Girl some four years after it was completed is an interesting experience, and one where I have had to revive my knowledge of the characters and their mannerisms - in actions and words.

Two hundred and fifty words done, and there is a long weekend stretching ahead to add to that total.

Farewell, Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, died at the weekend aged 82. He was the Columbus of our time.

During the weekend I also finished reading the biography of George Mackay Brown. Inspired by the creativity of expression he achieved through his writing - even in letters to friends - I applied some of that to this epitaph to Neil Armstrong:

The night galleon sails through the darkness and gazes upon Earth's gardens, sighing, no longer able to see the gentle ambassador who was the first to visit.

There is magic in the way Mackay Brown weaved and juxtaposed words and images to create vivid, memorable imagery and moods.

From the biography I take many things, not just the fascinating tale of the poet-writer's life in the remote Orkney islands but also his methods and the way he set his working schedule whereby he would write for a given time each day (three or four hours after breakfast in the morning). His words were shaped and immersed in the surroundings he loved, treasured and rarely left. Also, when he was not writing, he would read regularly.

I shall apply these lessons to my own writing as I polish up, and complete, Dolphin Girl.

Today is also a special day, being the 32nd anniversary of my first recorded training run in 1980. Beneath the blazing August sun I ran along the trailway by the aquamarine and turquoise waters of the north shore, flushing countless buckeye butterflies from the grassy path near Bailey's Bay as I sweated out six miles in the 30C (85F) heat.

Running is both exercise and thinking time when I often explore story ideas, dreaming up plots and dialogue. My mind now is on Dolphin Girl.

George Mackay Brown - island poet

Throughout his life he rarely left his island home. His poems and books were reflections of the place that he called home - the remote Orkney islands to the north east of Scotland.

George Mackay Brown's connection with the place where he was born, and which he left only for the briefest of spells, is something remarkable as I discovered while reading a biography of his life, written by Maggie Fergusson.

Many years ago it was by chance that I picked up one of Mackay Brown's books 'Time in a Red Coat'. Since then I have always been curious about who this seemingly hermit-like writer and poet was.

In Fergusson's biography there is a richness of unexpected depth and insight. More than just a story of a gifted writer and poet, it traces a life filled with joy, tragedy, love and heartbreak and a cast of fascinating characters who wandered in and out of Mackay Brown's own quiet and mostly island-centric life.

"The best biography of a poet I have ever read" says A.N. Wilson by way of a recommendation on the cover of the book, and his words echo my own thoughts.

The story is told in a thoughtful and detailed way. It is interspersed with pieces of Mackay Brown's own writing and verse, and lines and chunks of private letters both send and received. How he worked, what he loved and cherished, and the way he processed the world around him - which was predominately the Orkney islands - provides much to ponder and appreciate.

At the same time, the quality of his writing and the way he sculpted his thoughts is a lesson in the craft of writing.

As important as it is to write, it is equally important for writers to step back and immerse themselves on occasion in the works of others. 'George Mackay Brown - The Life' is a truly inspiring read.

'A crofter at early light

Found an empty boat stuttering on the rocks...'

- Thorfinn (by George Mackay Brown)

UPDATE (31 August 2012): My review of the book on Amazon is HERE

Tony Scott dies

Today as I switched on my computer I was shocked by the news of Tony Scott's death in Los Angeles, where he reportedly jumped from a bridge. He and his fellow film director brother Ridley Scott have always figured in my mind as amongst the best in the business.

When I imagine which film makers I might one day seek out to dramatise one of my novels (even the ones as yet unwritten but sketched out inside my head), the Scott brothers are right there, along with Mike Leigh, David Lynch, Walter Hill and Richard Curtis.

Of the two brothers, Ridley made the films that I most admire (Alien, Legend, Bladerunner and Thelma an Louise), but there is no denying that Tony was an accomplished director too, with Top Gun and True Romance among his most well-known works.

Who knows what the story behind this tragedy is. I'm sure it will become clearer in the weeks to come. At the moment I feel shock and sadness that a great moviemaker is no longer with us. Farewell, Mr Scott.

A man who played with the Beatles

Even though it was my day off, I switched into journalism mode today and interviewed a man who once played with The Beatles before they were superstars.

Roy Young was fairly well-known in England in the early 1960s and was in demand on the booming rock and roll scene in Hamburg, Germany. It was there he shared the stage with the young Beatles before they had even secured a record contract.

Roy is coming to Bermuda to play at the John Lennon tribute event on September 21, hence my reason for doing a phone interview for the newspaper.

Having watched films like 'Backbeat' and 'Nowhere Boy', which detail those early years of the Beatles story, I can only imagine what it was like to have actually been there and been friends with the group. Roy has that story, and I felt it was a privilege to hear him talk about it.

Here is some of what Roy had to say: "John (Lennon) was really the funny guy, you really had to watch your step with him because he would do some strange things. He was my favourite friend. He was a good guy to be around. He was a lot of laughs. He just had that sort of magic about him. It was nice to be in his company. I found him to be an absolute gentleman, as much as he was fooling around.

"John was always chewing gum when he was singing. I don't know how he could sing and chew gum. And of course he and I were always on the same microphone and one night he was chewing this gum, he must have thought about it and he spat it out and it hit me on the nose and stuck there. I looked like Pinocchio. John started laughing when he saw it stuck there. Paul and George looked over and John pointed at my face, I had left it there because I could see the funny side of it. Paul and George fell on the floor."

It was a toss up whether to seek out this interview or spend time on Dolphin Girl. I'm glad I did reach out to Roy. It was an enlightening and engaging hour on the phone.

It also gives me a little more time to consider a shift in Dolphin Girl, from present tense to past tense presentation; a debate of which I shall write more very shortly.

UPDATE (24 August 2012): Link to interview with Roy Young CLICK HERE

The lights of the Olympics go out

Finally the London Olympics are over.

It have been great, but also a great big distraction that has kept me from writing. I had anticipated that would be the case, particularly as the Games were taking place in the UK - my far off home.

If I couldn't be there, the next best thing was to immerse myself in the experience through online live broadcasts - which I did, without regret.

The closing ceremony included a video of John Lennon singing 'Imagine' - a song that more than ever is recognised the world over for its peaceful sentiments.

Imagine a world where we all get along happily, with shared experiences of an uplifting nature like those provided in abundance by these Olympic Games.

Farewell Olympics 2012 - it was a great journey.

Tom Newton Dunn, political editor at The Sun newspaper, captures something poignant with these few words: "The lights are going out all over East London, we will not see them lit again. But we will always remember the greatest ever Olympics."

And now my focus returns to that final chapter of Dolphin Girl.

1980s music at the Olympics

In between writing the final chapter of Dolphin Girl, I have been catching up on the London Olympics. I've been struck by how much of the incidental music - the tunes played between the action - comes from the 1980s.

Today, for example, I heard 'You Spin My Round' by Dead or Alive, and 'This Charming Man' by The Smiths.

Not that I'm complaining. I love it. It's the music I remember from my youth. Could it be that these are the songs the organisers feel the general audience will most readily identify with, even if much of the music harks back almost 30 years old?

I'm sure it wasn't like this when I was growing up. If, as a youngster watching the 1980 or 1984 Olympics, the interlude music was from the 1950s, I'd have been miffed.

Perhaps the music of that era (and the late 70s) is better loved generally. Who knows. I enjoy it even if it, and the Olympics coverage, distracts me from writing at times.

So, why blog?

So, why blog?

To say a few things about my writing. To say where I am at the moment, and where I'm heading to.

It is four years since I brought out Eating Clouds, a collection of life stories and journalism that had amassed in my life. That was a print-on-demand release.

Next month will see the publication of my non-fiction book on John Lennon, which is being handled by a publishing house, and of which I shall write more in September.

Currently, I'm working on the final chapter of Dolphin Girl. The novel debuted as the anchor to the original edition of Eating Clouds. As rounded as I felt the story was when I finished it, on reflection it needs a final chapter to tie up things and give it a less abrupt conclusion.

Dolphin Girl may become my first foray in the world of e-books. In the past two years there have been a number of notable success stories about writers who have broken with tradition and gone on to achieve wide acclaims and readership as e-book authors. One of the most celebrated being Amanda Hocking. The freedom and leveling of the playing field which e-book publishing offers is exciting and refreshing.

Genre writing seems to be the real forte for the successful e-book authors. That said, I do wonder if Dolphin Girl, with its sprinkled use of Scottish lexicon and its real world setting, can capture a ready audience, for it doesn't fall neatly into any given genre.

Time will provide the answers. For now, if I can drag myself away from checking on the Olympics medal table, I must write and complete the Dolphin Girl tale.