David J Rodger Secret Window

David J Rodger ¦ Secret Window

2007 - within the Sky Bunker (Cosy Castle) - Nice Guy Tony

September: This guy is so important in my life. Like Kelvin, like Simon, and Matthias. Archetypes of nostalia and deep felt emotional bonds.

Nice Guy Tony. Man, I was 25 when I met him and he was only 18. Now I'm 37...and he's 30...heheheehe.

I gave him a job in the Agency around 2002... I left the Agency in 2005 and he clung on, tenacious S-O-B.

He's quite an understated friend. I mean, you don't see much of him here do you. But, the guy is an awesome human being.

Abruptly, Yellow Dawn picks up a new pace. I finished writing the 2nd edition back in the middle of June and the next day was in Newcastle...for 6 weeks and not wanting to even think about that friggin' game system...but now the sessions were being booked, the scenarios played and the whole thing was feeling very potent. My God... Yellow Dawn... this is my Middle Earth...this is my Dune... this is such a massive aspect of fictional creation. Tony starts coming round on half-days from work, or in the evenings mid-week after work, to help me play-test.

And do you know what it feels like? It feels like those nostalgic days of 1995 to 2000, those much remembered and missed freedoms...of being able to simply pull together a session and spend a few hours in another reality... a freedom that was lost (it seemed) when life became so serious...it feels like those amazing days are back. And I'm loving it.

2007 - Bristol - near the Cosy Castle & Secret Pubs

September: Simon P has a friend who's bought a pub, somewhere along the river. There is mention of the Conham Ferry, which makes me chuckle and remember the first days I moved to Cosy Castle.

Jo and I parked the car by the river and started following the numerous tracks leading into the forest. We actually found ourselves slightly lost. There was a labyrinth of tracks leading through a variety of scenery. I quite enjoyed it.

2007 - Bristol (The Conham Ferry) - Nice Guy Tony

September: Nice Guy Tony gives a wave. This was an iconic moment for me. It was my final weekend of freedom (so I thought) before I started a new job... well, started the training for a new job

Life went through some sudden twists and turns the past couple weeks. After a couple of unsuccessful weeks looking for work at the start of August (then a week in South of France, a week in Newcastle, and a week of manic socialising during the convergence of friends from around the world) I grabbed the option of a "low pay - long hours" security role that had come my way through Jo's brother; mid-September I started the week long training course, and took two exams which I passed. However, at the end of that week, I recieved a phone call from two recruitment agents offering the kind of corporate/creative roles I was looking for. One, Mr Awesome CV Man, came round to my house that afternoon and got me to totally overhaul my CV into a sparkling diamond. Big learning curve and I was arbuptly very confident about finding a role equal to my skillset.

I was in a dilemna, I was supposed to be starting the security job on Monday, three days away...but I couldn't ignore these great opportunities. I talked it through with Jo's brother and he was happy to "hold onto" the role until I knew what was happening. Phew. Monday came round, and I spoke to the 2nd agent, called ALEX. He had a dream-role in a publishing company in Bath , a company I'd been hearing about for a while now... I said "here's my shiny new CV, put me forward for the role".

I uploaded the CV and started getting several phone calls from agents over the next few days; all with great jobs on their books. It was a wonderful feeling. But of course, there was no garuantee I would get any of them, and by delaying the security role, I was delaying any real income. My money had run out back in July, and I was now living on a credit card, tax rebate and royalties from my books. So things were...getting tense.

It boiled down to a situation where Jo's brother said, "I can't hold this job for you much longer, I need to know by Wednesday, otherwise you've lost it." And I had an interview with the publishing company that Tuesday. It was make or break. I knew that I would HAVE to take the security role on Wednesday.

To make matters even more intense, the publishing job wasn't just any job, I didn't want it just for the sake of having a job. I REALLY wanted it. I wanted to be part of that company, and I wanted that role. Creative dress code. An easy commute between Bristol and Bath . A presence in Bath that puts me in proximity to Matthias, and new things to explore. And the money was what I was used to earning at the Agency. Getting the job would tick so many boxes, and it would mean me reconnecting with my career track at a level I wanted to be at.

Tuesday arrived and I headed into Bath , using the bus that departs 2 minutes from my house, goes through amazing open countryside and only takes 30 minutes or so. Did the interview. It went well but they couldn't give me an immediate answer, and they still had more people to see. I was sure the answer would be no. So Tuesday night I told Jo's brother, "I'll be coming in with my paperwork tomorrow morning to start the ball rolling."

The other risk was, if I started the security role but then left within the first 12 months, I'd have to pay back £350 for the license. Grrrr.

Wedneday morning I was about to head out to the security company when Alex rang me. "You're on a short-list. You'll know by the end of today."

Arrrrrghh! If I waited until the end of the day and the answer was No, I would have also lost the security role and be in a serious financial situation.

I waited. Wednesday afternoon arrived...swept by and then Alex rang me. "COngratulations, you've got the job."

Wow. What a feeling. Tony was there in the Sky Bunker at the time, having a half day of Yellow Dawn. I was whooping with joy, and then shaking like crazy with adrenaline. What a risk. What a gamble. And what a fantastic end to a huge chunk of creative-freedom / financial risk that began in July 2005 and ends in October 2007.

2007 - Bristol - x, Dan B

October : It was my final weekend before starting the new job, and I was more excited than nervous. Amon and Christian (who run a pub) were doing a pork-spit-roast in the beer garden...so I invited a few people along. Dan came, which was nice, but he brought a couple of miserable / rude people who really spoiled the atmosphere for me. But, that's the basic risk of bringing disparate groups of people together.

Dan meanwhile has fulfilled the statement he made to me several months ago, "Dave, I'm bored living in my house... I'm going to sell up, buy a warehouse, so I can drive my V-Dub into my lounge."

And he's been true to his word. I popped round the other night, drank beer sitting on a sofa, in front of a TV, with the wheel arch of a V-dub to my left, the sound of the engine ticking as it cooled down and the subtle aroma of fuel; tres cool, the man is a cyberpunk. We watched some utterly bizarre Japanese film, a sequel to a bunch of kids on an Island, wearing explosive collars and shooting the shit out of each other.

2007 - Bristol - Mark (Eric)

October : Mark is the most recent addition to the Game group (playing Yellow Dawn).

Yellow Dawn is back into full-swing, with sessions occurring every 3 weeks and the system is working brilliantly.

2007 - Westonburt Arboretum

October : What a difference a year makes. This is the 3rd year in a row I've come here with Jo to catch the autumn colours. The 1st year was in later 2005, a few months after I've left the Agency; the 2nd year (last year) was deep into that period of creative drift, I was feeling a little bit lost, unsure of where I wanted to be, unsure of what I was going to be...my dad was gravely ill, none of my books had been published, my money was dwindling and Yellow Dawn only existed as a PDF 1st Edition.

2007 - Westonburt Arboretum - Oj

October : My best friend... who's stood by me through a couple of very difficult years.

2007 - Westonburt Arboretum

2007 - Westonburt Arboretum - Djr

October: A couple weeks into the new phase of my life, working as a Project Manager for a major publishing company, loving it, and enjoying the inbound flow of funds again.

2007 - Work (Bath) - Steven, Jason, Stu (boss)

October: I love going into work. Great company, great people. I love the bus ride in; instead of a sluggish commute into the congested centre of Bristol, my bus blasts out of Bristol along a winding country road, along the edge of high hills, with views of fields and forests and early morning mist. I love my workstation, the ambience and buzz of the people there, my current daily devotion to sushi for most lunchtimes. My boss is a dude and great to work for. It all adds up to a wonderful flavour in my life right now.

2007 - Work (Bath) - Richard R (far left)

October: This is my workstation.

2007 - Bristol - view from spare room (cosy castle)

October: Work hasn't affected my writing or creativity. I wake up naturally most mornings around 4 A.M...if I need more sleep my body keeps me asleep... and I'm loving it, my brain snapping alert, feeling refreshed and energised, I pad downstairs, brew a mug of tea, then ascend into the snug confines of the Sky Bunker...soft lighting from occaisional lamps and my lava lamp, the laptop plugged into the stereo. Current soundtrack to the era is HYBRID "I choose noise" and UNKLE "War Stories."

The shadowy blue smudge in the far horizon isn't clouds, but is the massive bulk of Dundry hill, rising up over the city like a sleeping sentinel. This is the view I sit and admire with a mug of tea when the sun starts to rise.

2007 - Bristol - Start of God Seed

October: I took a trip into the city centre one weekend, went for a walk about, and came past a place I had more-or-less forgotten about...near to where I used to live for four years back in 1991 - 1995, in Hotwells, and is the location I used at the start of God Seed so has a lot of sentimental connection... there's a lot of redevelopment construction work taking place along the riverside...mainly apartments, and I'm hoping this section of wall survives to ensure the validity of the novel *smiles*. We'll see.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Late Autumn

November: I was back in Newcastle. Caught a late flight on a Wednesday night, got home around 11 pm. Great to see mum, and Sid & Bob the cats. Up early the next day, left the house and headed down into Jesmond Dene. I headed down one steep slope and then ascended the far side, walked along the high ridge and came to my old friend, a huge tree I used to sit next to in the rain when I was 16, and have come back to time and again thereafter. I saw the tree and literally hurried over to it and threw my arms around it, grinning with delight and hugging it tight. This thing has "known" me through so many good times and bad.

Then up to Acorn Road and Kitsch'n Cafe... saw Sam, she was on fine form, and commented how long it seemed since she'd seen me. I agreed. It had been over 2 months. The last time I was in Newcastle was late August, after a 6 week summer there, a short time in the South of France with another week in Newcastle straight after. Sam said she had been close to texting me; grinning, she directed my attention to the cafe's menu board. I frowned, not sure what I was supposed to be seeing, and then I read the magic words: "PIEMINSTER PIES". I laughed out loud with delight. Truly the best pies in the world and a local creation from Bristol...I'd raved about them to Sam back in August and she'd translated my enthusiasm into ordering them in for the cafe to sell in Newcastle.

I set up my laptop, ordered in one of Kitsch'n cafes fantastic coffee's, and got onto with my stuff: onto 2nd stage of editorial on Yellow Dawn rulebooks, and writing up Shadows of Quantinex. Shadows of the Quantinex has been a little difficult, as I've had to pick up the threads I left dangling when I stopped writing it (around the time Dad died).

The next couple of days saw an interesting development. I missed my world in Bristol (Jo, the Sky Bunker, my job in Bath), and I grew irritated by the "Jesmond Village". All my happiness and delight evaporated in the negative-energy and cynicism of certain people here. It didn't ruin my trip to Newcastle -I have the wonderful world of mum's place, and I have Jesmond Dene. So I spent most of my time on my own, or with mum.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Late Autumn

I was in Jesmond Dene before the sun had risen; this picture shows the first rays catching the tips of the trees.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Late Autumn

If you look into the centre field of this image you can see a wonderful, low horse-shoe shaped bridge and its reflection in the river.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Bob & Sid

November: I really adore these cats. They're such a couple of characters, two brothers.

2007 - Jesus Mound - Bob & Sid

November: it was my last day in Newcastle; my flight wasn't until that evening so I had a whole day to enjoy the place. Another long walk down Jesmond Dene.

2007 - Jesus Mound - the Horse-Shoe Bridge

2007 - Jesus Mound

November