I haven’t gone mad – just hear me out

Like many people these days, I have a financial advisor. Unlike most people however, my financial advisor is a man called Roddy. Roddy’s great; he’s reliable, he’s knowledgeable and he has the patience of a dead saint. But right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s propping up a bar somewhere, annoying everyone who makes the mistake of wandering into his orbit by ranting over his latest woe.

For you see, his one and only client author has decided to stop trying to make money from his creative works. And that author is me.

From the beginning, I’ve been committed to writing the best stories I’m capable of, not necessarily the most popular. If I wanted to be rich from my creative works, I’d have done nothing but write short erotica and stick female pseudonyms on the books’ front covers. The idea of creating novels with the intention of second guessing what the market might want doesn’t enter my head – I’ve been there, I’ve dabbled in it, and it blew up in my face long ago. The only way I’ve been able to keep writing is by coming up with stories that interest me, stories that I would pay for if they landed on a bookstore’s shelf. To my fellow writers – lose that authentic drive at your peril.

Anyway, Christmas has come and gone, and the new year flew by just as fast. Unfortunately I blinked and missed most of it. But I also reflected on the past year, the things I’d achieved, the things I’d let slip, and those horrible giant monsters I keep holding at bay instead of dealing with as they eat more and more, and get bigger and bigger.

I’ve steeled myself to slay one of those monsters at last, and it’s the reason I’ve come to the decision to freely share my work (although copyright laws still apply according to my legal advice). You see, it’s not so much about money as taking control of my own intellectual property. The big marketplaces (looking at you, Amazon) take a lot of that control away – they have a big hand in setting the price, they determine the amount and frequency of discounts or promotional offers. They even put many barriers up if you ever decide to just put your work out there for free (they can’t make money off it, you see).

By formatting my Ebooks myself, I’ve wrestled control of the content and design. As a result, I’m trialling a number of methods to freely distribute one of my books; The Air Between Us. Once the trial is done and I’ve decided on the final method of free distribution, I’ll keep ensuring it generates money for my chosen charity by donating an amount per download (or something very similar). Until then, I’ve taken it down from the Amazon Marketplace as I migrate it to a new, permanent home.

2022 was one of the toughest years of my life, and seeing how 2023 is going to be even harder with the stupid amount of workload I’ve already taken on, I’ve come up with a revised road map for my upcoming books.

First, and most important; The Blackchapel Chronicles. Work continues apace on Book Two, and I’m really excited for how its shaping out. I can’t wait to share it with the world when it’s ready, and as soon as I can pin down a definite date, I’ll plaster it all over this website (along with the book blurb)

Second, The Ninth Quran. This is the most controversial work I’ll ever write, and as a result, I’m finding myself trampling all over a worldwide religion in the name of great fiction, blithely ignoring all the very real pitfalls on either side of me. 2022 was the year Salman Rushdie somehow escaped death after being viciously stabbed onstage in the US, and it hasn’t escaped my attention that feelings often run hot when some observations are made towards Islam. I’m not being controversial for its own sake – my book is based on the latest academic & archaeological findings, and I’ve even pushed back its release date to perform a re-write where I wasn’t happy with a small but important plot point that wasn’t accurate enough.

On top of these two books for 2023, I’m also looking to get my existing works out in paperback for the very first time, There’ll be limited print runs and free copies will be available to order via this website only. Make sure you check back often for the latest updates.

Finally, I wish you all a very happy new year. Don’t give up on your dreams and smash your goals through 2023.