The blog in hibernation

I'm shocked how long the blog has been in hibernation over the past few months, whilst book finishing goes on. I have, at last, a finished, edited manuscript, I also have a title - 'Conquerors: How Portugal seized the Indian Ocean and forged the First Global Empire' - perhaps slightly different in the US, and I have a publication date, at least in the UK - for September.

Early starts have given me the chance to see the winter dawn coming up over the frosty Gloucestershire hills...I'm very much a morning writer, hopeless at night:

And I managed an interview with Shanghai Review of Books (in English I hasten to add), as my books have been translated into Chinese recently. In the process they reproduced my photo in flatteringly remastered form and looking mysteriously benign - though I'm not sure about the plastic silver wig.

And I hope to crank the blog up properly again soon. Happy New Year.