My Second Book Baby is Crowning!

If you follow me on any of the other social media platforms (Threads, Twitter shut up I will call it that until I die, Insta, Facebook, oh god there are so many of them I hate it) you might already know this.

I've been working on a second book, and IT'S DONE!

The official release date is 1st July, but pre-orders are open as we speak.

You are a bunch of gorgeous, misbegotten, disobedient SCOUNDRELS and I love you for it

Now, here is the thing. Lots of you bought my first book baby, despite my firm insistence to the contrary.

I'll be forever grateful for your support and encouragement, but I couldn't help feeling guilty. After all, many of those stories were born right here, and you probably saw several of them for free. What's the point in paying full whack for a book of stories you've already read by a nobody who doesn't even live close enough to you to buy you a drink for your trouble?

This time, to assuage my guilt, the price will drop, on the release date, to 99p for the Kindle version. It'll shift back to regular pricing after about 24 hours or so. But this means I am free to say yes, please do buy my book! After all, it's only 99p, right?

GROWTH, baby

I had several reviews last time, and they were all pretty good. I got one bit of feedback, which was, well, not bad or negative in anyway. But it was definitely thoughtful and engaging.

Somebody (really sorry, can't remember who!) pointed out that Glass Dolls doesn't really have a theme. It wasn't "a collection of scifi stories", or "stories about parenthood", or "stories about time-travelling cyberpunk lesbian pirate rebels*" or "comic fantasy" or or or...

It was just bits of my brain scooped out on to the page. It would look messy to anyone who didn't know me really well.

This time, I was determined for the book to feel more cohesive. It grew organically around the title, Summer Leaves. Summer Leaves is also the title of the first piece. That's right, this collection of short fiction kicks off with a wanky poem. Bold move, yes?

Summer leaves as in, the vibrant green leaves of Summer, pulsing with life... but also it leaves. It's all the better for it, because we don't appreciate what lasts indefinitely. There's beauty in brevity, in frailty. Something to celebrate in the Autumn of things.

Summer Leaves set the tone I wanted for this collection. A reflection on change. Whether we celebrate it, embrace it, rage against it, reject it, or try to control it. The way we hold on to our shit, and the way we let it go. There are themes of transformation in there. Metamorphosis. There's bad changes. Brave goodbyes, facing new chapters. All that schtick.

Stories: ASSEMBLE. With intention.

I got a sense of how a musician feels when he puts together tracks for an album, or a set-list for a concert. I'll grant you, some of the manufactured stuff is probably thrown together with little more thought or depth than how radio friendly each one is.

But an artist doesn't approach it that way. He cares. Maybe too much. He will craft that album as if every listener is going to experience it, fully. On vinyl, probably. Preparing for a gig, I'd guess he has a very specific reason why that number needs to be early in the set, and this one can't go after that one, and this one is the one he wants to go out on...

George Lucas, I imagine, has his own idea of which order his films should disappoint you in.

These stories were all put together very deliberately. With care, and intention. Much more so than my previous outing.

For that reason, I can say, with no shame whatsoever, please do buy my book.

Sure, you've likely already read some of them. But there's a specific reason why this one is sandwiched between this one and that one. Why I started there, and ended like that. There is an experience I hope for you to have, and it's miles away from reading them, spread out, in a random order, on here (much as I love this online space).

It's only 99p, right? You can't even buy a 99p flake for 99p these days.

Advanced Reader Copies

If you have already ordered an ARC, bear with me! The test copy I ordered wasn't up to a standard I was happy with, and unfortunately, life decided to go ahead and happen. I was in and out of hospital a lot (not for myself) and it all threw a bit of a spanner in the works. Please know your copy will arrive... only it will be more of an RC, with less of the A. Your feedback and reviews etc are still greatly appreciated.

Paid Subscribers

I'm more than happy to send a copy to you guys as well. Either ahead of release, or not. (Please do leave a review either way.) Once the book shifts to its "normal" price, it's more expensive than a month's subscription, so there's that.

The Favour

As any go-it-alone author probably knows, on release, I need a core group of hardcore elite intellectuals as my boots on the ground. I am inviting you to be my A-Team. My X-Men.

These are people who have agreed to buy the book, leave a review, ask their local bookshop for a copy, talk about it on their social media, recommend it to a friend etc.

Now you have to picture me sweeping everything off the table and unrolling The Plan...

(I've always wanted to do that.)

Level 0 - Have no interest in getting a copy or leaving a review and will leave the comment section full of nought but tumbleweed. This is a completely fine option, we've all got busy lives. Go in peace, I shan't scrub your name off my Christmas Card List too viciously. ❤️

Level 1: Absolutely A-OK with getting a copy and leaving a review. ALSO, if possible, follow me on socials, and engage with posts as they go up. A cheeky like and comment never hurt anyone.

Level 2: As above, but will also recommend it to a friend AND share content from the page.

Level 3: As above (both level 1 and 2) but will also pop into/email local libraries or bookshops and ask for a copy.

As ever, and I mean this with all sincerity... THANK YOU for reading.

*Is anyone working on this?