Synchronicity is a wonderful thing. About a week or more ago I at last laid hands on a copy of the extended DVD of Return of the King - it is just astonishing, and the extended version really makes for an excellent, inspiring experience. And since then I`ve been sampling some of the documentaries on the appendix disk, fascinating and also inspiring to see. This afternoon, in the midst of this, I paused for a cup of tea and went through to see what afternoon tat was on the TV. Switched on to a prog called Loose Women whose last guest was non other than John Rhys Davies, the actor who played Gimli the Dwarf in the LOTR movies (and who played the character Sala in the Indiana Jones movies). Very entertaining he was too.

So back to the movie - in one of the documentaries Peter Jackson mentioned the conceptual discussion over whether Aragorn should go mano-a-mano with Sauron at the climax of the movie (which was decided against eventually), mainly since it was felt that Sauron`s presence had been minimal through the 3 movies. Now, I have a theory about this, namely that Sauron`s presence is there throughout, and overtly too, in the form of - Gollum. Because, you see, Gollum represents Sauron`s lust and desperate need for the Ring; its mentioned in the movies, and clearly so in the books, that part of Sauron`s essence is bound up in the Ring, and when it is destroyed so is he....and Gollum. Thus Sauron = Gollum, QED!

Just got my author copies of Shadowmasque, and damn fine they look too. To reiterate upcoming events of note, publication day is June 6th, and I have a launch do at Ottakars in Glasgow on June 16th at 6.30pm. There will also be a signing session at Borders at the Fort in Easterhouse on the south side of Glasgow on June 25th at 3pm. My publicist informs me that numerous review copies have winged their way forth, hither and yon, to every newspaper of not in the land....so with any luck I`ll get reviewed by the West Country Pig Breeder Gazette.... arf, arf, just kidding, ye ken!