The Mijas Cowboy

(Note: This Blog Post contains an affiliate link) Writing is a force to be reckoned with—one that can heal, inspire, challenge, and entertain. But for every word we put…

It’s been ten days since The Mijas Cowboy was published and the response has been everything I hoped for and more. Three five star reviews in the first ten days — from…

The Mijas Cowboy is out in paperback (and I’m in Mijas to celebrate) Today The Mijas Cowboy arrives in paperback, and I’m writing this from Mijas Pueblo, a few streets…

After months of writing, editing, rewriting, proofing, formatting, cover designing and more cups of tea than I care to count, The Mijas Cowboy is published today —…

Add Halloween Queen, the new single from Breezbear, to your Halloween playlist! Like this? Please share! #halloweensongs #halloweenmusic #halloweenpartyideas…

Five days to go.... People keep asking me what The Mijas Cowboy is about. Its about four Cardiff men in their eighties who travel to Mijas in southern Spain to confront…

I started writing The Mijas Cowboy at a table in Cardiff Bay earlier this year. A notebook, a pen and four old men who wouldn't leave me alone until I told their story.…

New track from BreezBear Music - Birds Fall From the Sky - available on all the usual platforms (Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify etc) - Like, share, follow or not -…

They call him The Don. The planner. The one who never misses a day at the café. For forty-five years he's kept ten thousand pounds in a biscuit tin and a secret he's…

Eeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!! Proof copy of The Mijas Cowboy has landed today - Cover edits needed but otherwise I think its looking good! #TheMijasCowboy…

He's carried the same photograph for forty years. Five men outside a Cardiff pub in 1985, all of them young, all of them certain the world was still ahead of them. He…

Cooler than a polar bear's toenails. Not bad for eighty-one. Ronnie Foster never stopped chasing the feeling he found at a punk gig in 1977 — wireless headphones now…

New Breezbear Music! Out now on the usual platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube - Grenache or Love. Featuring our new Singer Ally - Listen, like and…

The Proofreader's report on The Mijas Cowboy landed this week. After months of writing, editing, beta reading and revising, these were the words I needed to read. "What…

Another milestone reached. The Mijas Cowboy has gone to the proofreader. Prior to this, the manuscript went to a trusted beta reader. The feedback was everything a…

There's a particular feeling that comes when you finally put the pencil down on a manuscript. Not quite relief, not quite satisfaction. Something in between. Something…

New Breezbear Music! Out now on the usual platforms including Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube. Inspired by our visit to the fantastic Hay festival last year, here's…

"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." - Terry Pratchett Now it's time to tell it to everyone else. SECOND DRAFT BEGINS 📝.....AND SO DOES THE REAL…

A village. A whisper. A mystery... By nine-thirty on a Tuesday morning, Sal Mansi was dead. At least, that was how the villagers of Pennycross Bridge understood it. No…

I did it! 🎉 THE MIJAS COWBOY - first draft complete in 51 days! When four octogenarians discover where their fifth man has been hiding for twenty-six years, they follow…

So you’ve overcome writer’s block; in fact, you may have completely vanquished the foe that it is, but now there is potentially another obstacle. Your own stories. For…

The wires may be sleeping, but the whispers grow The bank of old TV monitors flickered with grubby angles of a world slick but crumbling. Sleek systems rusted beneath…

Some places keep you safe… for a while The rooftop held court to the gathering. It belonged to Apartment Block D-9. Elias lodged his creaky body into a broken deckchair.…

The ticket was never the destination. Eli perched himself on the splintered bench. The bus stop was deserted. Flowers poked their dying heads out of a rubbish bin,…

When the lights flicker, and the cards fall, what will you remember? ‘No buy-ins tonight, only what’s left in your head will be accepted.’ Cassie dealt the cards with an…

Flash Fiction by Michael J Phillips The porcelain cup was matched in saucer and steeped in peace. The golden liquid was poured from the cracked spout of the old teapot.…

A Short Story Well, this was a fine state of affairs. I’d seen a few in my time, but none to top this one. I looked at Jasper in despair, words failed me. “What are you…

Flash Fiction by Michael J Phillips She found the note folded in his jacket pocket. It was sharply creased and folded with care. All it contained was an address written…

I have been working on a music project with an old friend of mine and yesterday saw the release of our first single on various streaming platforms. BreezBear are: David…

By a chronically overthinking, emotionally allergic aspiring writer I have a folder on my laptop titled “writing”. Hardly an original title, in fact I honestly think it…

It’s 2:17 AM. I’ve just spent an hour swiping through TikTok. My eyes are burning, my mind buzzing, digital overload. My brain feels like scrambled eggs. I’ve laughed,…

On June 22nd 1979, Neil Young gifted the world with “Rust Never Sleeps,” an album that was not merely a collection of songs but a cornerstone in the chronicles of rock.…

The Stone Roses’ eponymous debut album is a definitive landmark in alternative and indie rock. Released on May 2, 1989, this seminal work of musical artistry captivated…

I could tell the stranger had been on some journey to get here. He slurped at his beer, clearly a man in need. I stroked at the condensation on my ice-cold glass with my…

Today sees the 45th Anniversary of the release of the first Public Image Ltd (PiL) album titled "First Issue". The band was formed by former Sex Pistol John Lydon. The…

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - A Journey Through the Streets of Asbury Park In the arena of American rock 'n' roll, few artists have left as indelible a mark as…

Celebrating 45 Years Introduction The Clash were one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time. In fact, they are often referred to as ‘the only band that…

In the pantheon of rock 'n' roll legends, few bands have achieved the enduring cultural significance of The Who. Known for their explosive live performances and timeless…

...and the sun's zooming in! Yeah, that's right, the Clash's finest moment, London Calling, is 43 years old today. And it's aging beautifully. The album marked a shift…

In 2016 my friend Danny Bushell and I self-published Chasing Tigers on Amazon as an e-book. It is a story of one man's journey from a quiet life, working in a Betting…

OK, not many people like the timing, but the FIFA World Cup Finals 2022 start today in Qatar. A dubious and debatable venue, but it's beyond the control of us mere…

After much toing and froing, it's on its way! The sequel to 2016's Chasing Tigers by myself and Danny Bushell, Broken Cages sees our intrepid hero Nicky Bown facing…

When Bruce Springsteen began recording home demos on a 4-track recorder fourty years ago, he surely never expected the songs to become the finished album Nebraska. The…

'Brandii’s day was getting worse as it went on. Her hairdryer had burnt out, she had stubbed her toe on the leg of the bed, and now the batteries had gone in her…

Love them or hate them Rock stars are always good for copy. Some of us hang on their every word, their every lyric even. They're just people though, like you and me.…

When fledgling Punk band Johnny and the Self Abusers played their first gig in Glasgow in April 1977, they could never have imagined they would one day go on to write…