John McKenzie

During the ten years I was interested in writing drama, I had eight plays produced on radio and on stage, but I was always more interested in writing prose. I've had two novels published by three publishers, but I have eight unpublished novels. All ten books are now available on Kindle.This blog was set up to give me an internet presence and help to promote these ebooks. So I'm a writer and playwright who lives in Edinburgh.

Monday, 4 August 2025

Monkfish

I was looking at the blog yesterday, which I don't often do, and found out that I was getting comments I di...

Tuesday, 24 June 2025

A teaching in the Jardin

Ringu Tulku was here for two days over the weekend to give teachings on The Heart Sutra, which is just about my favouri...

Friday, 13 June 2025

Jardins de Meditations de Samye

This is where I'll be staying for the next couple of weeks, in the home of my mentor, Lama Rinchen Palmo....

Wednesday, 16 April 2025

Here comes the heat!

If the heat is coming, it's not here yet! But yesterday when I sat down for the first meditation and soon took a...

Thursday, 12 December 2024

Three Day Fast

Someone I know was told a hospice place awaited, and she said she wasn't ready for the hopice yet. Well, I realised...

Friday, 25 October 2024

Something moved...

I thought I should come here to say that something interesting happened when I was meditating yes...

Sunday, 14 July 2024

My Old Man is the one on the right. No one is bigger than 5 ft 5ins.

Of course, everything started to deteriorate once I stopped meditating so much and started back on the evening doing...

Sunday, 26 May 2024

Brussels, vase breathing, the bliss and that jazz

Sometimes you might think this is the most significant time in your life, but you may be getting a little carr...

Wednesday, 22 May 2024

Brussels Dzong

I was down at the Samye Ling last week for the Kagyu Monlam, which is a prayer festival. Great to see Ani L...

Tuesday, 2 April 2024

Cold Killing and the juju.

I was away from here from Thursday night till Sunday night so I couldn't meditate as much as u...

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

Cold Killing is published on Kindle

Seems somehow unexpected, but I put Cold Killing, a crime book sequel to Remote Control, on Kindle today. ...

Tuesday, 12 March 2024

Found a "slush" pile

` Luath Press don't want submissions by email. They want three chapters in hard copy. This is the first publisher ...

Saturday, 17 February 2024

Samye Ling Makahala Prayers

I visited the Samye Ling last week for the Makahala Prayers, which is traditionally one o...

Tuesday, 30 January 2024

Bye, Bye Kate

Kate Nixon passed away the night before last in St Margaret's Care Home. I've been visiting Kate in care homes for at l...

Friday, 12 January 2024

Here comes the heat!

I was delighted on Sunday when I found out that Lama Rinchen was going to the Samye Ling for a week of Makahala Pra...

Thursday, 28 December 2023

Bye, bye Hughie

My wonderful big brother, Hughie, was cremated a couple of weeks ago. I can't really do justice to him here, but he w...

Sunday, 10 December 2023

Another no progress report on literary agents

The photie was picked at random. It's from New York in a budget hotel around nine years ago. ...

Saturday, 4 November 2023

No Progress Report on Agents

I sent the first emails to London agents on the 7th of October. That might be four weeks ago. Must have sent maybe twelve emai...

Saturday, 7 October 2023

First Emails to London agents

About three months after finishing The Buddha, The Dakini, and The Dirty Old Man, I finally got around to sendi...

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Three Day Fast

I weighed in at nearly thirteen stone and that is one fat basturn, so I went on a three day water fast last w...

Monday, 11 September 2023

Letter to a publisher

I gave Stan from the North till Friday and I still haven't had any word from him about The Buddha, The Dakini,...

Monday, 21 August 2023

Someone who visits this blog sent me a very nice review although I only sent her three quarters of the book. This i...

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About Me

John McKenzie: I stopped doing a job share as a school librarian in Edinburgh in 2011. All my books (two previously published) will soon be on Kindle. I was born in 1951 and have been meditating for about 26 years, practicing vajranyana buddhist meditations since 2003.

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