I wrote a pretty epic report on how I rewrote Saint Justice back in Sept 2023 – a process which has since continued as I have rewritten books 2 and 3, No Mercy and Make Them Pay – ultimately by much more than I’d expected. I’m doing this for multiple reasons, primarily because I think the books have weaknesses and can be better and get better readthrough – and I’m doing it now because the series is getting re-recorded by WF Howes using Jeff Harding as narrator, and we have a launch schedule to meet. First, though, a report on …
Thriller #2 second ironing pass finished!
After I finish a book, I get to ironing. Typically I do three passes. I call them ironing, because at this stage all the plot engine stuff and moving parts are on the page, but maybe not in the exact right places, so I have to smoothe out wrinkles. Some sections will be boggy or slow. I often get caught up in a moment and stretch it out, when it needs to be faster. So the first ironing pass catches the worst of this. Usually I’m aware of it going in. As I write chapters, I’ll leave notes on the …
The Lies – Last Mayor 8
The Lies is Book 8 in the Last Mayor series. 7 billion dead. 1 truth. The apocalypse killed almost everyone on Earth. Only 700 out of 7 billion people survived. It began with love, and loss, and lies. It will end in blood. The end is coming. The TV show ‘LOST’ hammers into the end times in this unrelenting thriller, oozing dystopian pseudoscience and blood-soaked punishment for the wicked. A tale of post-apocalyptic survival mystery that brings the Last Mayor series up to the precipice, to be completed in the final Book 9. Burning questions will be raised and answered, …
Zombie Ocean Book 4 – Speculation
What do you think will happen in the upcoming book 4 of the Zombie Ocean, THE LOSS? What do you hope to see? Which characters are we going to focus on? What will be on the cover? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Paper Eagle
In class the other day I had my 19-year-old pre-uni students make a paper eagle as part of a teamwork exercise. This is it- Inspiring. Its name was Lily, like the Danish Girl *shrugs*
Kingkiller & Holly Lolly
I just finished book 2 of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss- proper review forthcoming- and now I need something similar to read. All I want is more Kvothe! There is none though, the third book in the trilogy has been expected for at least 4 years, and still no sign of it coming. What is Rothfuss playing at? Whatever. But, three cheers for reading!! Other news We had Theodora come round today to design our garden. It’s gonna have red leaf trees from Japan, nice wide borders, and a ton of interesting plants. She trimmed our holly bush to …
Kindle Publishers Meetup Group
Last night I went to Canteen in Spitalfields market to join the Kindle Publishers Meetup group, hoping for a good discussion about self-publishing and book marketing with fellow authors. To some extent I got it, from a very friendly and welcoming bunch, with a very friendly and cheerful leader, Sharif. The discussion was maybe not all I’d hoped for- though that is no real fault of anyone involved- we’re simply at different levels in the process. I am by no means a black belt in self-pub, but I’m on the belt system. Most of the people last night had yet …