The writing of Book 5…

… has finished.

Now, I realise that anyone following this blog might feel a bit short-changed by this as a summary of the novel-writing process. And I apologise, I really do. Partly I’ll plead that this has been a bit of a whirlwind of a year, from a trip to the Caribbean to getting our visa for France, from trips to places like Toulouse, Collioure, Orange and San Sebastian to seeing old friends in Spain. I’ve managed to keep the novel-writing going, but the more peripheral aspects of being an author – i.e. this blog – have suffered.

But that’s only part of the reason. The rest of it is that, for whatever reason, this particular story seemed to take a lot of writing. I’ve hit obstacles in all my novels, phases where all my efforts seem to be going into research or tinkering with the plot to make it work better. Or chapters where the words just don’t seem to want to come. But always in the past I’ve reached a tipping point, a stage where the hard work feels to be behind me and the book starts to write itself.

Not so with Book 5. It feels like it has been a battle throughout. Now that the first draft is finished, I suppose I feel a bit more achieved than I have in the past. But also I find myself worrying if the hard slog of writing this book will make it a hard slog to read.

Ah well. Past experience has told me not to come to any conclusions about my novels just after finishing them. I’ll need some mental distance from Book 5 before I can make that sort of judgement. I’m going to put the damn thing aside for a few weeks and do other stuff. Like maybe update this blog, that sort of thing.

So, do check back. There will be more to read here, honest. And all sorts of reveals like the title, book cover and publication date. See you soon!

And so, onto Book 5

Well, Falls the Darkness has been out for about a month now and has had some very nice reviews. I was planning to take a bit of a break before Book 5… but you know how it is, sometimes the ideas flood in when you least expect them. So, I’m starting to work out the basics of a plot and do some early research. As a possible clue for what the book MIGHT include (but might not!), here’s a poster for a business that starts up in 1924… the march of progress means that Jack might have some faster options for getting to Darkisle!

A sneak peek at Darkisle Book 4

Following the events of December 1922, both Josine and I were in sore need of a quiet start to the New Year. We had witnessed a good few deaths during that awful prelude to Christmas; two of them had hit us hard, though in very different ways.

The loss of Dr James Hardy had been a blow to me. Partly because I had grown fond of the man in the brief time I had known him, partly because it had brought back some bad memories from the Great War. I must confess that my sleep suffered through much of the rest of that winter.

As for Josine, the fiery demise of Martin Grant had robbed her of a sworn enemy. Her revenge on the murderer of her sister left her unusually subdued – and occasionally a little irritable – throughout much of January.

Of course, we had other things weighing on our minds. Our last trip to Darkisle had only added to the catalogue of horrors that had been opened since our introduction to the island. There were certainly times when I regretted not walking away from both that first Darkisle case and Darkisle itself. I had done neither and now found myself living in a world of dire magic, ungodly monsters and murderous cultists.

But, as I reminded myself, ignorance would not be bliss. Even if I chose to stick my head in the sand, the threats that menaced humanity would still be there. At least – involved as I was – I had the opportunity to do something about them. The chance to fight back against the darkness. Or so I thought at the time.

It has been quite a while since my last update! In my defence, I have been hard at work on the latest Darkisle novel. Happily, after a very slow start, I have managed to finish the first draft! Above are the opening words of the Prologue (as they stand at the moment, that is!). More news on the title, cover art and launch date will follow!

A podcast appearance

I’ve just realised that I have been most remiss and not linked to a podcast appearance I made back at the start of June. I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Katherine Troyer for her excellent Such a Nightmare podcast.

It was great to talk with Katherine in some depth about my writing, my inspirations and horror in general. Please do check the interview out (and have a look at some other episodes while you’re at it, too!).

You can find these podcasts here or watch the interview on YouTube.

In other news… yes my last trip to France yielded a chapter! And progress has continued since then, albeit it slowly.

Holiday writing

In the past, I’ve found that a break usually inspires me to write. A week of so away from it all usually results in one or two – occasionally even three – new chapters. I had hoped the same would happen for my current stay near Carcassonne in France, but with less than a week left I’m afraid that isn’t the case.

In my defence, we’ve had family with us up until today – including a very energetic granddaughter! Also, the weather has been exhaustingly hot, leaving my mind craving a quiet glass of wine in the cool of the evening rather than scribbling in a notebook. And finally, does it even really count as a holiday when it’s our own house and and we’re here at least four months a year?

Excuses apart, I have five days left to deliver my traditional holiday chapter/s. Family have departed, the heat is (as I type) breaking into a summer storm and some of the finer points of Book 4’s plot are starting to work themselves out in my mind.

Wish me luck!

The Long and the Short of It (Part 2)

So, Shattered Shards of Darkness has been published and promoted and it’s time to get back to Jack Glennison! It was fun to revisit short story writing for a few months, but now it’s time to get back into novel-writing mode.

I have no name for it as yet – beyond Book 4 – and the plot needs some more work, but I’m not too far from putting pen to paper. Watch this space for updates!

Announcing my new short story collection

Well, the short story collection is just about ready! Just a few final checks and tweaks to make and then I’ll unleash it in the world! The publication date will be Wednesday 18th January 2023. Put the date in your diary!

The collection’s name will be (as you can see from above) Shards of Shattered Darkness. It features 18 short stories, 12 of which have never been published anywhere before.

As the book includes some past free ‘reader magnet’ stories, I’ll be writing a new one to replace them – more news on this when it’s ready!