Twitter

I've started doing Twitter, since I got my iphone. I asked two friends what they thought about it and they both said it was a waste of time.

Are they right?

Have look at @tompalmerauthor

And be honest. Please.

Football's Back

Tomorrow I am going to Elland Road to watch Leeds play Wolves in a pre-season friendly.

I can't wait. After the disappointment of the World Cup (except the final, which I loved, for all the wrong reasons) it will be great to get back to Leeds United.

We've a few new players. It'll be good to see how they fit in. But most off all I want to shout. It's been several weeks since I've shouted and the football is one of the few places where it is socially acceptable to shout.

I was at the San Siro last week. A bit different to Elland Road, but not much...

Celebrity in the Bear

I did my 2000 words in The Bear this morning. I was very happy with it - which could be a bad sign...

This is a photo of the table where I typed. As you can see I have a laptop, some notes (made in Italy last week) and a large cappuccino.

It was a bit harder to concentrate today because at the next table the mother-in-law of a major political figure of the last decade was having an interesting conversation about Gordon Brown. You can see her jacket draped over the chair on the left.

I did have my new iphone with me and could have taken pictures and recorded what she said. But that would probably get me into trouble, so I didn't. But you do get to see her jacket.

Then I went home, gave my wife and daughter and lift to the cinema to see some dancing film, came home again, ate some reaheated pizza from last night and started to read the Young Sherlock novel by Andrew Lane. It's very good.

Later I am going to take my daughter cycling.

Lake Como

I am just back from Milan and Lake Como, where I was researching the fifth Foul Play book, Off Side. The story is about an Italian football club owner who also owns lots of TV channels. An entirely fictional character who Danny Harte has to come up against.

My family took a boat up the lake, searching for a good house this evil villain could live in. And this is the one we chose. We took lots of photos and I made some notes.

Imagine Danny is being chased across this outcrop. He reaches the statues you can see on the edge of the grounds. If he doesn't jump he's dead. So he jumps...

Now I just have to write it. I made a good start today in Todmorden's Bear Cafe, where I'll be every morning in the summer, writing. I did 2000 words.

Milan

I'm off to Milan next week to research Own Goal, the fifth Foul Play book. I need to go to the San Siro and some city centre sites for settings.

I am also going to Lake Como where my villain will live in a villa on an island. It'll be nice to go back there with my wife, seeing as this is where we went on our honeymoon nine years ago. Good to take our daughter there too.

In the book Danny is going to have to swim off the island across half a mile of lake. I like to do as much research as I can, so I'm planning to do the same. Just so I can get my facts right.

* * *

Leeds lost a friendly to Bury last night. 4-0.

Tickets

I've just ordered tickets for some pre-season friendlies and later games featuring Leeds United. Bury away. Wolves at home. Derby at home. Lincoln at home. The last one is a cup match in the evening and I'll be taking my daughter.

I love taking her to the football. She is six. She's been to Burnley away (age one), Cheltenham at home (age 5) and Blackburn at home (age 6).

The first game was probably a mistake. She was more into the Burnley mascot that the Leeds players and I was worried she might form an attachment.

She has a good record. Two wins and a draw.

But my wife has a great record: ten games, ten wins.

My record is probably something like: 700 games, 400 wins. But who knows?