Hi everybody, and welcome to the July (July! Can you believe it?) edition of the newsletter. I hope you're all doing well, and if you have kids at school, I hope you're looking forward to the summer holidays (or not, as the case may be). For our part, Jo and I are planning a trip around Europe with nothing but a car and a tent. Wish us luck.
June was a mammoth month for gigs and general mayhem. We spent a long weekend in a field in Castle Donington (queue pic above of me with our two wonderful children), a fantastic night at Wembley watching Green Day, and an equally great night at the same venue watching the mighty AC/DC. At the Download festival, the highlights for me were Limp Bizkit, Queens of the Stone Age, The Offspring and Enter Shikari. The festival never disappoints, If you haven't been, and you like good rock and metal music in all its many flavours, I thoroughly recommend it. It's much better organised than most festivals, and for the most part, the people there are some of the best you'll ever meet. Rock on to next year.
On the writing front, I'm really happy to say the seventh and final draft of my next book, 'What Doesn't Cure You', is finished, meaning the manuscript is ready for the next phase - ie. the dreaded third party edit.
Here's my thoughts on working with an editor - it's like getting ready for a party, feeling as though you look pretty damn good, like you're going to be the best looking guy or girl in the whole place, only for your partner to say to you, "you're not wearing that are you?" It's embarrassing, it cuts you to the core, but it's a necessary truth. Cue the editor. When I initially get the edited manuscript back, I read through the suggestions, the red-lines, the critical comments etc. with one eye closed. Then I go off and have a sulk, probably for a whole day. Eventually, I come back and read it again, have another minor sulk, maybe a coffee, almost certainly a beer, and eventually start to come round to the editor's way of thinking. Not for everything of course - that would be far too submissive - but on most things. Almost.
In terms of the book itself, it's the type of sci fi horror that would sit nicely next to The Thing, Aliens, The Descent, At The Mountains of Madness, and possibly even The Fly. I wanted to write a story that would be scientifically intriguing, but also a terrifying, thrill-fest of a rollercoaster ride. I think I've done that, but of course, only you guys can be the judges. I'm really excited to get it out there. I'll keep you posted.
I've had a lot of people asking me about the third instalment of the Raven series. I've kind of been putting it off, waiting for the right time to bring those characters out of the box again. The story is brewing in my head like a strong cup of tea. I know where it starts, and I'm pretty sure I know how it ends, but the middle? Ah, now that's where the difficult territory lies. I haven't yet decided whether it will be the next book after this book's release, or whether I'll write something else first. As ever, I'm open to suggestions/convincing. If you have a view either way, just drop me a line through this webpage or through my social media accounts. For those of you who are already on my mailing list, you can just email me.
Now for some audio book news. The very exciting update is IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!! I have to apologise for how long it took (it's about five months later than I'd hoped), but between myself and the very talented voice actor, Charles Robert Fox, we finally got there. If you go to my webpage (which I assume is how you got here in the first place) you'll notice a new tab, simply entitled 'Audio Books'. On there, you'll find the Audible links to both Pale Face and The Raven (which has been out for some time), and The Faraway People, which came out last month. If you like your stories to come at you through your smart speaker, car speaker, ear buds, etc. then I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
In terms of appearances, I will be at the Bristol Comic and Gaming Convention on the 27th of this month. If you're in the area, please pop over and say hi. I'll have all my books with me, my signing pen and free sweets (anything to pull the punters in). It would be great to see you.
On the reading front, I finished Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison last month, which is a really cool, cult/demonology story. Rachel is one of those authors who is able to write dialogue so naturally, you can almost hear the characters speaking to you. I loved it. I'm now half way through The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson. This is my first book of Andy's, and while it's a little slower than the kind of books I usually read, Andy is an excellent author and really knows how to build up the tension. I recommend both.
I think that's about as long as a blog should be before the reader falls asleep, loses interest or throws their phone across the room, so I'll end it there.
Enjoy the rest of the month, and I'll update you again in a few weeks.
Happy reading.
SD
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