About this site
My name's Jonathan Pinnock. I lead a dual life. In one half of this, I run a software development company called Jonathan Pinnock and Associates. If you've come here looking for that, here's where you need to go.However, if you've come here to find out about the other half of my life, as a writer of fiction and non-fiction, you've come to the right place.
If, on the other hand, you've arrived here by accident whilst searching for Japanese Tentacle Porn, I suggest you try using a different search engine.
If you'd like to contact me, my e-mail address is jon AT jpassoc DOT co DOT uk.
Aug
16
SPARKS: The Flyer!
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Gosh, that looks fun – think I might get on Thameslink, zip down to Brighton and go.
Had a certain amount of fun trying to post this on Twitter on Friday night. I noticed a tweet from Jo Mortimer who runs Sparks asking for help in posting it, so I suggested TwitPic.
Then I thought I might as well do it myself and took the image from Facebook. Unfortunately, I took the thumbnail, rather than the full image, with the result that what I posted looked like this.
I think that’s what’s usually referred to as a Spinal Tap moment.
Aug
14
Mrs Darcy, Episode Sixty-Nine
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It struck me that we hadn’t had any aliens for a few episodes, so here’s a quick interlude featuring Lady Catherine and her opposite number on Mars. Probably the last time I can get away with this particular gag, so enjoy it while you can.
Incidentally, it struck me whilst I was writing this episode that there’s probably an opening for an automatic alien anatomy generator. All you need is something that will come up with one of each of the following:
location | function | structure
Which is basically how I came up with “perianal thrust bladder”. Another writing tip there from JP. I should be charging for this stuff, you know.
Aug
11
The Radio Times
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Aug
11
Mrs Darcy, Episode Sixty-Eight
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The story takes another turn into the meta today, as Elizabeth and Wickham make their way to the Jane Austen Emporium in search of the Great Author’s autograph. No idea if this bit’s working or not – I just fancied following the idea to see where it went. Normal service will be etc. etc. etc.
Aug
10
That Trapezemag Piece
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… went up today. Here’s a link to it. Enjoy.
[UPDATE: Oscar Windsor-Smith has just suggested the title "Better Than One". Excellent!]
Aug
9
Oh, How She Changed!
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This odd little piece went up on Everyday Weirdness today – my first appearance there. Not much to say about it really, apart from mentioning that the names of the characters are significant. But you probably spotted that already. If you did, here’s another question for you: which 70s folk-rock band provided the title? No Googling …
Aug
7
Mrs Darcy, Episode Sixty-Seven
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In today’s episode we learn more about Mr Wickham’s unhealthy interest in the works of that “well-known writer of cheap, tawdry zombie stories” known as Jane Austen. We’ll get back to the main plot once this bit’s over, but I thought I’d have a bit of fun trashing JA’s reputation whilst I had the opportunity. It gets worse in the next couple of episodes, by the way …
Aug
7
Sparks Night Again
Filed Under Acceptances, Performances | 4 Comments
Just realised that I haven’t mentioned this before. I’m going to be performing at SPARKS 10 on September 7th, along with my VWC mate Oscar Windsor-Smith, as well as Vanessa Gebbie, Tom Vowler, Sam Mead, Naomi Foyle, Jac Cattaneo and Paul Toth. Vanessa Gebbie should need no introduction and Tom Vowler was one of the winners of last year’s Scott Prize. So no pressure, then …
I’m now thinking that maybe I should have chosen a slightly more profound piece than “‘Ello, ‘Ello, What’s All This Ear, Then?” I will have to do voices as well. This is not necessarily a good thing.
Still, if you fancy coming along (for the other star acts, if not for me), the venue is Upstairs at Three and Ten, Brighton, at 7:30PM on Tuesday, September 7th. Last time, I had a ball – a wonderful evening all round.
Aug
5
Mrs Darcy, Episode Sixty-Six (and a pin-up for you to cut out and keep)
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In this episode, we find out what’s happening with all those zombies, and we meet a couple of old friends once more.
Bath undergoes a kind of collective madness during the Jane Austen festival, where some people do indeed adopt Regency costume for the entire time they are there – which of course means having several outfits, depending on the time of day.
When Mrs P and I went a couple of years ago, we made the cardinal error of turning up in our normal clothes for an event one evening, and it was just like being the only two people at a fancy-dress party who’d failed to make the effort. Although, as I wrote on this very blog, finding the right accoutrements can take you to some unlikely places. This, incidentally, is the only post on this blog that you can find using the search term “Ann Summers butt plug”. And, yes, someone has.
Now for that pin-up. My Mrs Darcy T-Shirt arrived today, and here I am, modelling it. As it happens, I was hoping to get Naomi Campbell to do the job, but it turned out she had a prior engagement. So you’ll have to make do with yours truly. You can buy one for yourself here, incidentally.
Aug
4
BBC Update
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I think I warned you that I might go on about this a bit. My family are already bored with me saying things like “Hey! I’m going to be in next week’s!” when the Radio Times drops through the letterbox.
Anyway, this week’s news is that I have made it as far as the Press Office part of the BBC website (I’m about 2/3rds of the way down). And I still haven’t been found out. However, I did have the most classic dream the other day. I’d been called in to the BBC to discuss some changes they were going to have to make and which were going to mean re-recording some of the story. When I looked at the script, almost every single line had been crossed out crudely in black ink. Confident? Yep, that’s me.
There was more excitement today when the CD arrived. My story is introduced by an extract from a Tom Waits track – how cool is that? I did suggest Richard Thompson’s “The Great Valerio” to the producer (because that was probably in my mind when I was writing it), but it’s much more appropriate to use a track by an American and I think it sets the scene perfectly.
Two weeks to go!
[EDIT: I've just identified the Tom Waits track - "Dave the Butcher" from "Swordfishtrombones". Which is, oddly, the only Tom Waits CD I own. Probably should get some more, actually.]