Monday 15 June 2009

The Beauty in Middle Age

She had a face like a car crash
Laughter that sounded like broken glass thrown down a drain
Her desires and her skin were wasted
Dried up by too much booze and hours spent in the sun
Her clothes were expensive but from another time
Her smile was smeared with lipstick
And her hairstyle was a shade of bottle red that screamed defiance
She was smoking, languid on a bar stool, alone and aloof
The painted eyes a window to a history of violence
Yet she was gorgeous
She was unique
Calm and totally at ease
She was comfortable in her own skin

Sunday 14 June 2009

Return of the Quiet - A Novel

Brief Synopsis by James Deegan


Jason Harper grew up on a council estate in the north west of England, but fifteen years later he is now a successful photographer in London. The new life he has forged is suddenly shattered when he hears about the freak death of his mother in a fire at the house of his wayward brother, Spence.

Returning home Jason soon realises that the fire was no accident. With the help of his girlfriend, and a few remaining friends in the north, Jason sets out to find the truth. He soon becomes embroiled in the Liverpool drug underworld, and comes up against an old adversary in the form of violent nightclub boss, Jimmy Gardner, whose own ambitions have led to success in a very different area.

Return of the Quiet is a novel about family, friendship and the fact that with the passage of time people and places can change beyond all recognition.

Tales From The North and Songs From The South

A collection of short stories by James Deegan

Whether to remain king of Castle Towers on a council estate in Merseyside, or head for the bright lights and late nights of London, is just one of the dilemmas faced by the characters in ‘Tales From The North and Songs From The South’. A homicidal scriptwriter, a fallen angel and a flood damaged tea towel salesmen are just a few of the characters who appear in this collection of stories about a group of friends from the same estate in Birkenhead, half of which have gone south for the winter.

It doesn’t matter if you read a tabloid or write poetry in the smallest room in the house, you can’t deny your roots.

James Deegan

I first worked as a professional photographer and filmaker for fifteen years in London, then became a teacher of Art and Design. I have recently moved back to my hometown in Merseyside to teach and continue with my own photography, painting and writing.

The writing started as an extension of my own work, writing short film scripts and stories. This has developed over the years into a real passion. I am currently putting the finishing touches to a collection of short stories called 'Tales From the North, Songs fron the South', and I am hard at work on the second draft of a novel 'The Return of the Quiet'.

Full art work, sample stories and chapters to follow.