Tag Archives: E-book

Semblance of Storms Publishing November 1st

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Semblance of Storms will be published in Kindle and Paperback format on 1st November via Amazon

Formally called Written I made a last minute change of title and associated cover – so here it is…

Semblance Storms Cover

All that is required, by his publishers is to write a fourth book, not like the flop that was his third. His successful first two books bought him fame, some fortune and disputes with his terminally ill father. He wants his son to help with his half-sister. If only her mom, wouldn’t give confusing messages on what she wants; possibly him. A family friend and lawyer will help, as he always has done but there are secrets in his past too.


His new book will be a tale of boy meets girl in his usual elaborate and descriptive style. His agent, wants him to produce it soon but he has his own pressures from his new investors. There might be a movie deal to be negotiated. The new investor is represented by an attractive woman who is infamous for other reasons.


His editor, wants him to finish the book so she can stop his publisher asking for the advance back. She hopes he has written something as good as his first published book. He does too. He needs to concentrate on writing this book not drafting anything else. Old lost, and possible new loves and lusts, keep distracting him. The idle beach lifestyle diverts him as do post pandemic visitors.


Just when he begins to make progress on the last chapters a hurricane approaches his home in North Carolina. If he goes to visit his father, another storm may await in Houston. His neighbor and that family add further complications and secrets that need to be hidden or avoided, especially from the FBI.

WIPs – The Trials and Tribulations of Works In Progress

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WIPs are works in progress otherwise known as the trials and tribulations of writing.This is the never ending search for the next book to read. Reading requires authors to write stories, meaning me, in this case. I look with envy at other writers with seemingly endless series that all seem to sell well, judging from the number of reviews they receive. My only criticism is the formulaic nature of the stories; however, it’s a formula that sells.

I’ve been wading through several linked series by Mark Dawson covering the John Milton character and two spin off stories with their own series – over thirty books I think. I’ve also been enjoying Mick Herron’s Slough House series. It is a recent Apple TV+ drama, renamed as Slow Horses from the title of the first book in the series. Having read that, I must congratulate the TV makers in their adherence to the story.

Progress

My own progress has been slow in completing my Coming Soon list. This remains a longer list on the dedicated page on this site. It also includes additions to one series. Except my sci-fi Space Opera The Observers, none of my books set out to be series.

As long as we don’t define soon, as anytime this decade, the tales may appear! It is high time I updated the list on the main page. Perhaps, it might lead to more focus on the actual writing. If I list what I have actually been working on rather than hoping to work on, progress may be inspired.

Showing some possible cover choices too. The other coming soon books have not gone away in terms of I have not thrown the files away. The list below is in closest to publication order but this of course can change.

Other books remain as WIP, including the third part of The Observers story. That has stalled. The never-ending search for the sequel to To The Survivors continues. It gets occasional single line updates.

Written

Written
A Novel of storms, secrets and relationships

Editors Note – Now renamed and published 1st November 2022 as Semblance of Storms

A novel of writing, lust, storms, secrets and relationships – A major effort and close to completion. It’s huge (for me). I have also tried to release it (so far unsuccessfully) via a formal route with literary agents etc. The draft blurb is below and will be on the dedicated page for Written when it is published

All that is required, by his publishers is to write a fourth book, not like the flop that was his third. His successful first two books bought him fame, some fortune and disputes with his terminally ill father. He wants his son to help with his half-sister. If only her mom, wouldn’t give confusing messages on what she wants; possibly him. A family friend and lawyer will help, as he always has done but there are secrets in his past too.


His new book will be a tale of boy meets girl in his usual elaborate and descriptive style. His agent, wants him to produce it soon but he has his own pressures from his new investors. There might be a movie deal to be negotiated. The new investor is represented by an attractive woman who is infamous for other reasons.


His editor, wants him to finish the book so she can stop his publisher asking for the advance back. She hopes he has written something as good as his first published book. He does too. He needs to concentrate on writing this book not drafting anything else. Old lost, and possible new loves and lusts, keep distracting him. The idle beach lifestyle diverts him as do post pandemic visitors.


Just when he begins to make progress on the last chapters a hurricane approaches his home in North Carolina. If he goes to visit his father, another storm may await in Houston. His neighbor and that family add further complications and there are more secrets to hide or avoid, especially from the FBI.

Sails

Sails Cover

The third part of the Sailing series with Sailing Clear and Sail Chains already out. The first chapters have been completed. The plot is outlined and progressing.

Recount

A follow up to Counter – first chapters completed Ben and Helen return a few years after the events in Counter.

Lines

A time travel sci-fi – first chapters written

Harvest Girl

Harvest Girl

A short story which is almost finished

Others

  • Three Parts Broken – Half dozen chapters
  • Last Cruise – First chapter
  • Help Me! – First two chapters
  • No Luck – Brief outline
  • I’m Dead – First few chapters
  • Salad Dressing – First two chapters
  • Saviour – First few chapters

Translations – languages not English

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Lots of updates on translations of my books with dedicated pages created for Spansih, Portuguese, French and Italian copies. This includes links to the various translators via BabelCube, You can find the pages here

Span FlagPort Flag 2French FlagItaly Flag

More translations are in the works.. The current list is here.

Translated versions are available on multiple platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books and Google Play as well as other platforms. These are all as e-books.

The Longer View

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We need to sometimes take a longer view. The media (social and mainstream) would lead most people to believe that the world has never been so dangerous or that governments have never been so incompetent or evil. Whether its the latest news on Brexit, Trump’s Tweets, Putin’s evil intent or the chaos that is Syria and Yemen. There appears to be a tendency to ignore even recent history.

It seems apt that I take a personal perspective. This year marks the 40th year (in August) since I entered full time employment. I left school at 17 (Much to my parents annoyance) half way through my A Levels. It was unusual then to even take A Levels. University was for less that 20% of the population. I was in the vast majority. The UK was a very different place. A Labour Government was in charge under Jim Callaghan as Prime Minister and his infamous ‘Winter of Discontent’ was to follow that winter.

I had dreams of being a rock star (don’t laugh) instead, I became an Electronics Technician earning (via a weekly brown envelope holding the cash) £29 per week. Equivalent to about £160 in today’s inflation affected money. The inflation rate was 7.8%. It would rise higher along with interest rates.

The UK was known as the sick man of Europe which was the trading block known as the EEC or Common Market as it was commonly known. The UK had joined the EEC with Denmark and Ireland in 1973 – there was no referendum. It did have a referendum to remain in 1975.

The troubles were 10 years old in Northern Ireland, and that year 82 deaths were attributed to the conflict. The next year would be worse. The UK was still supporting the new Oman regime but elsewhere was not directly militarily involved, except of course the day to day cold war with the Soviet Union. To give some context to Middle East troubles including Oman this is a handy reference – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_conflicts_in_the_Middle_East

Jimmy Carter was US President having beaten Gerald Ford in 1976. Ford of course had become President after Nixon resigned in August 1974. (pence for Trump?) The Iranian revolution would follow in 1979, with all the troubles that caused Carter. Brezhnev was the leader of the Soviet Union and would be until Nov 1982. He would be in charge when the Soviet Union entered Afghanistan in 1979 – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War.

It took the Soviet Union nearly 10 years to ‘get out’ of Afghanistan. The US supported the Mujahideen including Bin Laden with advisors and weapons. The US Ambassador to Afghanistan was murdered in 1979 initially blamed on a communist group. The US, UK and others still have troops there since the October 2001 invasion, and in Iraq since March 2003. How long will it be until we completely leave both countries.

In 1978, Germany was split East and West with Berlin a split city in the East. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, were still joined. Solidarity in Poland was still a couple of years off. The KGB was the security apparatus of the Soviet Union supporting the vassal states in the Warsaw Pact. A Bulgarian exile, Georgi Markov was murdered on a London Street by a poisoned umbrella pellet in Sept 1978. Odd murders by security services are not new.

The World Wide Web would not be invented until 1989 and have little relevance until the late 1990s. There were 16 million users world wide in 1995 when I was a military officer on an Exchange post in the USA. Now. there are over 4 Billion. The Internet of course existed in Military and scientific fields before that.

Writing this is has reminded me how much has changed personally and how little has changed world wide. Yes, names have changed and regimes have changed, but global politics is as messy as ever. We still have Middle East conflict, US Presidential politics, and rows about Europe. We can add in the mix a rising China and risk of trade wars, climate changes, and the risks from population growth. Despite the current issues it still feels a better world than watching uncollected rubbish pile on the streets whilst walking to work because of yet another strike.

Not Too Much – Out Today

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Not Too Much is out today

Alex has everything. He’s one of the most eligible bachelors in the world. He’s chased by the Paparazzi and once went out with a communist. Now he hides from publicity whilst trying to find a soul mate.

Victoria is a struggling waitress in a London restaurant. She shares a flat with Sophie an aspiring actress whilst trying not to give up a dream of making a success.

They meet and try to make it work in this contemporary romance

Where Did 4 Years Go?

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It’s 4 years today since my first book came out.

Hard to understand where the time has gone. Of course a lot has happened since then. More books written, some have even sold! The original An Agent’s Demise was followed by two sequels and a combined trilogy. Yet my writing went in other directions. The excitement of hitting lofty heights of number 1 in the charts for a day with Demise has not been repeated.

Web2

I have had (and still have one) two different day jobs since then.

Four years ago my children were still students now they are both post degree and working.

If someone knows where the time went please let me know – I think it’s with the odd socks and pens in my home. Perhaps it’s just the extra wrinkles on my face. Not a good trade.

Now I need Book 10 to get finished.