The Long Game

Started on the Arcade machine this week... The ZX Spectrum Arcade Cocktail Cabinet.

What I’m doing is refurbishing an old ‘Moon Base’ cab, putting in a PC, slapping on a mame frontend and have it solely for ZX Spectrum games. Okay, so there are a lot of arcade restoration enthusiasts out there that will now be burning effigies of me for doing this… well, I make no apologies. I’ve spent two years trying to get a working Moon Base gameboard and failed. I’ve gone as far as I can with trying to restore it, so now I’m going to rebuilt it… so that’s that. I’m going to do something with it that will make me happy.

This is going to be a very, very long project, but it will be fun. Now I’ve got the mame frontend working nicely with ZX Spin ( THANX DUNNY! ) I’ve started work on the ZX Spectrum Frontend. This will be a photo of a speccy wired into a 1983 14” tv ( That I’m picking up this weekend )

It will display screenshots of the games in the list as you scroll down, plus a 3D covershot ( that’s the test shot above ) along with other basic info like the ‘Crash Smash’ logo ect. on relevant games.

My goal is to have it finished for the 30th anniversary of the Speccy. So I have a few years.

More info to follow.

Whirled Announced

Well, the clock is now well and truly ticking. I’ve gone and mentioned on the World of Spectrum forums that the ‘Whirled of Spectrum’ novel is now complete… and that I may put a sample chapter up online for the big ZXMass that NickH is organizing.

Bit upset about it, only got myself to blame but though… I really wanted it to be finished finished before mentioning it… at the mo it is being very slowly proof read by Mr Christopher… There is a lot of laughing coming from these sessions… hope that’s a good sign and he’s not just laughing at my atrocious grammar.

Hope it doesn’t need too much work done on it, I so want to get it available on Lulu before Christmas.

Missing Retro Reunited and Staying Home

Well. It’s been a total washout of a weekend. Been looking forward to it for AGES! The big Retro Reunited weekend in Huddersfield and I didn’t get to go.

Did a serious amount of sulking yesterday, that’s for sure. Hope everyone had a good time thought.



This weekend after sorting out some shed stuff I wasted the rest of my time on playstation Home. If you’ve not heard of playstation home yet it’s like a social networking thing on the PS3 that lets you talk to people from all over Europe in different 3D environments.

This weekend though I thought I’d do something a tad different and opened up an American account on my PS3, just to see what would happen. Nice surprise, I got into the American Home.

It’s got a lot more area’s than our one... and most upsetting is they have a Namco museum, full of arcade games and cocktail cabinets...

Anyhoo, that was my weekend, wondering around the American home, then telling everyone about it on the Europe one... and sulking over the fact I missed Retro Reunited as Chris had to work.

Witchfest next, he better not say he’ll work that one as well otherwise there will be trouble!!

ZXBeccy’s Avatar.

If you fancy having a chat on Home, come and find me, my User ID is ‘ZX Beccy and I usually look like this.

Happy Holidaze

Another week done, that went quick. Started my Staycation on Thursday with a trip to the hospital, went about as well as I expected it to... I’m overweight and unfit, naturally therefore it’s all in my fault... Jeeze, good job I don’t smoke or drink!

SO, I have to now got on even more painkillers and see a physiotherapist. Ho hum.

Productive couple of days, ‘Whirled of Spectrum’ has now crossed the two hundred page mark. Hopefully I will have the first draft done by the end of this holiday, then some proof reading and then onto the printers. Seriously need to get my finger out as if it’s not out by mid November it’s all over for another year. Has to come out before Christmas ( as the story takes place over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday )

So far I have two educated proof readers lined up to give it a read through and two tweenagers who are rather keen. Don’t have anyone ‘Sinclair’ educated lined up to read it yet though... So that’s a bridge to be crossed later.

Hope it’s worth all this effort.

Weekend Musings

Right, well, back to work tomorrow... Thank the Goddess.

It’s been a rough few days but crazy as it may sound I think my back pain may have ‘broke’ for want of a better word like a bad cold. Been feeling pretty damn good today. Had a hobble round town yesterday looking for a back support. Failed. No biggie, hopefully get some joy Thursday.

Today I managed the morning on the computer, got to lunchtime and had to lie down for a bit, not a problem though, my chair at work is so much better than my one at home... and its cooler their too...

Dammit... all this waffling about my back, that’s not why I started this blog! So, writing stuff.

I’ve started researching yet another book. Oh yes, that will be number five on the go, those being,

Zombie Project – First started and around 90% of the first draft Complete.

ZX Spectrum Project – Second started and around 80% first draft Complete.

Video Arcade Project – Third started, about 35 / 40% first draft Complete.

Faerie Project – Fourth story - Treatment Complete

That brings us to the new project, a love story... Bit of a departure from my usual stuff and naturally will not be on the same shelf as the others. Bit darker, bit deeper, set one hundred percent in the real world and will deal heavily with religions.

So this weekend I worked out the idea for the plot, created a few key characters, found a location in America and created a fictitious town.

Seriously now, if your into writing I would highly recommend looking at Google earth, its great for working out locations for your stories. I took some bits from here and there and photo shopped up an original town to work from. Great fun and a really useful document for the writing process.

If I get time this week I might pop some doodles up on here.

We’ll see.

Now, I’m off to bed. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep tonight.

Just when you think things can't get any worse

Just when you think things can’t get any worse.

Chris had a bad night last night, a very bad night... So, at around 4:30 am he starts getting angry with his night terrors, I chose to ignore him so he punched me as hard has he could in the back...

Needless to say I screamed the flat down.

Oh I can’t blame him, and he was very apologetic... and now he can’t remember a thing...

Wish I could say the same.

Still.... One week until I see the specialist.

Things that go bump in the night

I feel like crap.

Serious crap.

Apart from the fact I went back to work today, apart from the fact I’m in serious pain... I am now also completely sleep deprived.

I make no conclusions, I make no comparisons. I’m just saying what happened.

At 1:29 am my fiancé and I were woken up by a loud knocking on the wall, or from the loft, like someone was knocking really hard over and over and over again.

It wouldn’t stop, it sounded like it was coming from the wall behind the wardrobe which is an outside wall.

Seriously scarred shitless. Didn’t sleep a wink after and I’m dreading going to bed tonight.

Like I said, I have no idea what it was...

Not a happy bunny.

Nothing to see here.

Not much to say. Crap week. Crap weekend. Back hurts like hell but I’m still going back to work tomorrow as it’s just too damn hot in this flat... I’ve had a headache for three days... sure I’m getting heat stroke. Ho hum.

The morning after...

More moaning I’m afraid. Did fifteen on the TENS machine now my blasted back is even worse than it was yesterday, BUT, going to be positive, need to be back at work for Friday. No real reason, just my personal goal.

I’m currently psyching myself up to walk into town this afternoon. Seen some rather fantastic back supports online and hopefully will be able to pick one up. Crazy isn’t it, I wanted this blog to be all about my bookies but instead it’s turning into a rant about my flaming back.

Ho hum.

Other looming problem is the Shed. Issue two is due out first Friday in August and it’s impossible to get any work on it done. I’ll be as sick as a dog if we don’t meet the deadline.

I’m sure I’ll work something out.

Need a cuppa tea badly.

Also need to work out how to get the time stamp right... it's on USA time or something.

ZX Becky

A couple of the final final versions of ZX Becky. I always said I'd find a new home for my arty stuff after removing it all from Facebook... so here it now lives. more to follow as and when I get time.

My back's still a pain in the arse

So here we go again. More time off work thanks to that weasely, weak, pathetic collection of bones that has the audacity to call itself my spine.

Went back to work yesterday, managed to get through the full eight hours and crashed flat out as soon as I got home. Today, well, the damage has been done and by lunchtime I was relieved of my command and sent home... again.

I am in that respect very, very lucky. My work colleagues are a very caring bunch who really look out for each other... or they’re just sick and tired of watching me writhe around in pain moaning, groaning and complaining all day long. Anyhoo, I’m seriously lucky to work for such a caring bunch of people, I really couldn’t handle the hassles and worries other peoples employers seem to pile on whenever they sneeze... Hope they know how grateful I am.

So, back at home, back on the bed, back staring at the ceiling with the fan on full as the flat is like a sauna thanks to his nibs and his hydroponic malarkey.

That’s pretty much it. Can’t spend more than ten minutes sitting at the pooter, can’t get comfey enough in bed to use the laptop.

Can’t do anything.

Gawd I’m rubbish.

I really wanted to have Whirled finished by the end of August so I could get it released on the 16th of October... Can’t see it happening anymore.

Ho hum.

Blog Begins

Welcome to my new bloggy... thing. This site will pretty much be littered with my personal musing, thoughts and rants. It will also be a place where you can find out about all the latest titbits’ on the upcoming ‘Whirled of Spectrum’ and ‘Zombie’ novels, art and other titles that currently clutter up my creative trunk.

Well... that’s the obligatory welcome done. Enjoy.