Secret Paths

23/11/2023

Imagine you discover you’re a character in a story and your life is contained in a book. You’d surely be panicked if not terrified. Now meet Bea who stumbles on the ability to dive into and change stories whether in books or life. While Bea hones her power, a shady group covets her abilities as they seek to control the stories people live. Join Bea in the world of The Boy in the Book where thoughts risk to rewrite reality and any mistake could be disastrous.

The Boy in the Book is now available. Get your copy: https://author.secret-paths.com/the-boy-in-the-book/

16/09/2023

Here’s an article about me in the local press. I’ve included a translation into English.

An article published in the Bulcom announcing the coming exhibition of Alan McCluskey's work in Saint-Blaise.

15/09/2023

The beginning of a discussion about sexual transition, or rather the wider topic of gender identity when it doesn’t adhere to dominant binary norms. https://author.secret-paths.com/sexual-transition/

13/09/2023

A chance to see what was till now a private exhibition…. September 23rd, 2-6pm, Mureta 2, CH-2072 Saint-Blaise.

05/09/2023

Had a short pause in writing my latest novel to prepare this exhibition. Here are some photos from the exhibition to celebrate my 75 years… https://author.secret-paths.com/exhibition-75/

10/08/2023

Trying to capture something of the tranquillity of the early morning. It’s not easy.

09/08/2023

New image in the home page of Author’s Notes: https://author.secret-paths.com/

21/07/2023

While ChatGPT could constitute a serious threat, it could also prove a useful tool. In an experiment, I found the chatbot could successfully be used as an aid to writing, in which the writer remains in control and retains her creative role. Below is a link to the resulting text which in turn links to notes on the use of ChatGPT including a couple of recommendations.

A talk given at an international congress on major advances in cosmology, part of preparation of the novel The In-Between.

20/07/2023

A new short story on Secret Paths.

A short story about a man who loves to go rowing, but has to move on to a more risky but lucrative business.

28/06/2023

New cover for the Secret Paths Author’s notes site. https://author.secret-paths.com/

19/06/2023

See my new article entitled: Storytelling: How far to the story horizon? Where does the horizon of your story lie? When it is far off that can be reassuring, but the closer it comes the more the doubts form… See: https://author.secret-paths.com/storytelling-how-far-to-the-story-horizon/

28/05/2023

Just published a short text about the new novel I’m working on, The In-Between. https://author.secret-paths.com/books/the-in-between/

06/03/2023

Just passed the 100,000 word mark with four more chapters to go. Don’t tell anyone, but I still don’t know how it is going to end! The Boy in the Book, the battle of a girl and her friends against the story-mongers who spread rogue stories to manipulate the world. https://author.secret-paths.com/the-boy-in-the-book/

18/12/2022

Stories are our way of making sense of a senseless world. As such, they are a great strength, making thought and action meaningful. But they are also our greatest weakness, because we blindly believe them to be true. Click to read more.

Stories make sense of a senseless world. As such they are a great strength, but they are also a great weakness because we believe them.

18/11/2022

New cover photo for Author’s notes on Secret Paths. https://author.secret-paths.com

14/09/2022

Why not a bit of laughter or possible teeth gnashing. Inspired by the construction of an incongruous object, this fable explores the arcane workings of imaginary local politics. https://author.secret-paths.com/fun-with-local-politics/

06/09/2022

The follow on from my earlier post about Future Stories. Based on my own novels, some elements of a possible framework for writing aimed at sparking future narratives in readers. Read more: https://author.secret-paths.com/a-possible-framework-for-writing-that-sparks-future-narratives/

06/09/2022

Stories for the future, the first of two publications. Carefully crafted stories can help stave off anxiety due to uncertainty about the future by inspiring individual narratives of ways forward. Read more. https://author.secret-paths.com/stories-for-the-future/

04/09/2022

Feeling challenged by the rapid transformations of society, especially in relation to gender and the role of the young? My novels offer not only an enjoyable read but also a stimulating chance to explore alternative avenues and possible futures within the relative safety of a story. https://author.secret-paths.com/alan-mccluskeys-novels/

31/08/2022

A new article and extract on Secret Paths. Many people believe the division between boy and girl is immutable. Yet, in the rigid adherence to their erroneous beliefs such people can inflict great harm as this extract from Colourful People illustrates.

The boy/girl division is not immutable. Yet, in believing it is, people can inflict serious harm, as in this extract from Colourful People.

29/08/2022

The September issue of the Secret Paths newsletter is out. See it in the archive at the link below and if you’re interested, don’t hesitate to sign up.

This has been a busy writing time, culminating in the last four days during which I wrote over 12,000 words (if the figure means nothing to you, let me just say it’s a heck of a lot! I was in a bit of a writing daze.) and completed the first draft of Colourful People, the fourth book in the Boy & ...

27/08/2022

I’ve just changed the cover picture on my Author site on Secret Paths. This evocative object was displayed in front of the one time ‘Little Cellar’ that was both a personal gallery and a place for tasting wine from their vineyards. https://author.secret-paths.com

26/08/2022

I am winding up the first draft of Colourful People, the fourth book of the Boy & Girl Saga. I’ve written over 100,000 words and have only a couple more chapters to write (out of fifty-two). Today was a busy writing day, I wrote over 4,000 words. For comparison, I generally write less than 1,000 a day.

A boy who dresses as a girl is confronted with a boisterous crowd of transgender youth in a desperate search for a safe haven.

12/11/2021

My latest novel, Bursting with Life! is now available. https://author.secret-paths.com/books/bursting-with-life/
The story:
Young Vint is bursting with life. So much so the world around him ripples with energy. His parents and carers have convinced him he’s mad, repression being their sole remedy. He becomes a willing prisoner of a grey world, stripped of friends, colour, movement and music… Only when he escapes with Tara does he realise his so-called madness may be a gift. All would be well, were it not for his carers who seek to get him back and exploit his abilities…

11/10/2021

Secret Paths Editions vient de publier le premier livre d’Huguette McCluskey-Cavin, Chroniques Congolaises. Pour en savoir plus sur l’auteure et son livre et pour avoir des liens pour procurer ce livre cliquer ici: https://author.secret-paths.com/huguette-mccluskey/

Présentant Huguette McCluskey, sociologue, sculptrice et coach en Abondance, et son premier livre, Chroniques Congolaises.

06/09/2021

Just finished the draft of Bursting with Life! Bringing me up to 2 million words in my novels. Should be published before Christmas. https://author.secret-paths.com/two-million-words-leading-to-a-question/

23/08/2021

Here’s an interview of me about ‘The Boy in the Book’, the novel destined to follow ‘Bursting with Life!’. https://author.secret-paths.com/the-boy-in-the-book-an-interview/

15/08/2021

A new gallery on Secret Paths Artworks.

Have you ever found the marks on the floor or the stains on the walls more interesting than the paintings or other artworks on display?

12/04/2021

The challenges of talking to someone from another world. An extract from The Cloud Catcher.

Imagine talking to a girl from another world... Many aspects of life we take for granted are challenged. Extract from The Cloud Catcher.

11/04/2021

Read the back cover text about The Cloud Catcher...

Fran’s father was a monster. What 18-year-old Fran didn’t know was that she was adopted... Learn more about the new novel.