Update
News for Bob’s followers: Skinner 28, officially titled ‘State Secrets’, with thanks to Marion Donaldson, my brilliant editor, is scheduled for publication on October 19. Meanwhile the paperback edition of Game Over is due in bookshops on September 7.
For those who can’t wait and like ebooks, there’s also the reincarnation of Oz Blackstone, in two short stories on Amazon, Born to be Wild, and The Last Chickenpig, to be followed next Thursday, by a third, The Quasimodo Trunk.
Categories: General
Quintin Jardine's blog 
Great news re the new Skinner book – one of my very favourite series, have been reading them from the first title. I really enjoy how they are sequential, and I can follow the characters.
One thing This Aussie would really like is to have an index where the correct pronunciation for names/place names was shown. Maybe something you could consider for the future? Please…
Both pre-ordered but I was given 7 September as release date for State Secrets on Kindle. Has there been a change to release date. Hope not, going on holiday 7 Sept and was counting on this as primary reading material. Might have to read a Val McD as an alternative. She won’t be happy with yesterday’s election results.
Great news indeed (and I loved your “Driftwood Lounge” photo – says it all in that context, nuff said; naw, ever heard of the Grateful Dead? ). In response to Jill’s post (Hi Oz): phonetics helps but you have to know how to read it and it often looks like algorithms. However, that may not help much at all because you have to be able to pronounce it as well. It turns out that us Scots (and you might very well be one as well) are equipped with all the sounds from birth; you might laugh but we do have it all; the French can’t do “th” as in “thing” (sing), unless they come from the south, they can’t roll ‘rs” and nobody can do the “jota” – as in “Och aye or Auchertmuchty” The English can’t do any of that either. The Spanish can’t do “th” or an “r” without rolling it…. and the list goes on, it’s very interesting. My mum was a phonetician and she said “it’s all about where you put your tongue inside your mouth, you can make any sound you like if it’s in the right place.” We get it for free, some have to pay for lessons….! Best regards to everybody.
Hi Fergus…thanks for your input. As far as I know, my fathers heritage is from close to the Scots border, but this was about five generations back, so I doubt I have your ear. (They came out to Australia as free settlers, and my mothers family came out under the auspices of the constabulary, and the courts!).
However, I do enjoy phonetics, and I love listening to the speech of people from other areas/countries. I find dialects and accents fascinating, so maybe, with practice, I could get the hang of the pronunciation, but I also accept that various regions would sound very different. When I read books set in other countries I actually hear the speech in what I would like to believe it would sound in real life.
Just wanted to say how much I enjoy your books.I randomly bought Dead and Buried and Fatal Last Words and was so hooked I started at the begining with Skinners Rules and read the whole lot, including those I had previously read. I only have 3 more in the Skinner series left to go and am tryng to force myself to read more slowly (hoping you will write more quickly) because I don’t want to reach the end and have to wait for new publications. Actually I may start at the begining again. Love the characters, which I feel I know, love the plots and hope you will continue with Skinner for many more years while I catch up with Oz and Primavera
Thanks Lynn and welcome to the blog.