Steven Mace

Update on writing: Copper Moon rewrite is going well, might even finish it in the next three months. Several other projects are in progression: another novel, two novellas and several short stories. I'd expect most of these to be finished by the end of January. I'm going to see 'Avatar' on Thursday at IMAX and I'm hoping that it lives up to the hype!

Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen in 'Twilight' Whatever happened to Nosferatu with his sinister glide and oversized fangs? Or even Dracula, blood dripping from his gaping jaws as he infects another victim with vampiric poison... The vampires of today look like they've stepped out of a Levi jeans advert. Robert Pattinson flicks his tousled hair and gives his moodiest piercing glance to send shivers of a different kind down the spines of his female fans. I blame Buffy, a friend of mine blames Anne Rice. Whoever is to blame, there can be no doubt that the modern vampire has been de-fanged. No longer a figure to provoke revulsion and intense fear, the vampire is now pin-up material, a rock star, a teen idol. Popular culture has sunk to new lows. The shadow of Nosferatu

About three weeks ago, I accepted an invitation from a volunteer who helps me with Italian football research to join a website called 'A Small World'. ASW is a social networking website, very similar to Facebook with one major difference - it's invitation only. Once you join, you have access to all features of the site. However, despite gaining access you don't immediately have the means to send out invitations to others. ASW say that "Trusted and loyal ASW members who meet certain criteria have the privilege of inviting a limited number of their friends." As yet, I do not have the power to invite others to join. It's the highbrow Facebook, basically. Tiger Woods is a member, along with numerous other celebrities. However there are strict controls on who you can contact and what kind of things you can post in discussion forums and the 'events' areas of the website. ASW also has this to say about itself to potential advertisers: "An inte...

Here I am in front of the church of St Lazarus (Ayios Lazarus) in Larnaca. The (second) tomb of Lazarus, who Jesus famously raised from the dead, is here. I went down into the crypt, close to the tomb, and there was definitely an eerie atmosphere down there. Perhaps that was due to a lone woman clasping a piece of paper or a photograph to her face, and silently praying.

This is the castle at Paphos. It was originally built as a Byzantine fort to protect the harbour. It was then rebuilt by the Lusignans in the thirteenth century after being destroyed in the earthquake of 1222. In 1570 it was dismantled by the Venetians. After capturing the island, the Ottomans restored and strengthened it.It has served as a fortress, a prison and even a warehouse for salt during the British occupation of the island.

This is an image of St George slaying the dragon from the nunnery of St.George of Alamanos.

In Cyprus, I visited the neolithic village of Choirokoitia. It was in 9000 BC that settlers apparently arrived here, to an island that was previously uninhabited. It is the earliest evidence of civilisation on Cyprus.

Arriving in Cyprus, the weather was as I expected- 20 degrees at midnight! Although it is a Cypriot autumn, it feels like an english summer. Today however, I stepped on to the balcony at my friend's apartment and was greeted by dark grey clouds- am I back in England???? I hope that it won't rain! I have had a very pleasant weekend (more on my adventures later) and today we shall explore Nicosia - or is it Leftkosia?

Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. The blank canvas can be intimidating or it can be viewed as the beginning of a fresh opportunity. My blog starts here: I intend to post my fiction, my football reports and anything else I feel is of interest when I have the opportunity!