What horror awaits in 2023?

2023 will see the conclusion of my 'Old Monsters' trio of novels, started in 2019 with the publication of my werewolf tale, Berserk! 

Cold Comfort, my take on the zombie genre, tells the tale of resurrected murder victims of a devil-worshipping serial killer. The first draft of this book was actually written in 1998 but was left in a drawer to ferment for a quarter of a century before finally being delivered to the publisher. 

One Night Buried concludes the series with a modern-day tale of inner-city vampires and follows the trials and tribulations of a recently converted misogynistic vampire in a world of empowered feminism. 

As well as being published individually in paperback and Kindle formats, these three novels will also be published as a single collector's edition hardback book in time for the Christmas 2023 market. 

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On top of these horror novels, I will also add to my Explore Gower series of guides with a study of the World War II buildings that can still be explored on the Gower Peninsula. 

So, along with my online projects, Explore Swansea and Magickal Gardening, 2023 looks like being a very busy year indeed?

Berserk! Mission Accomplished!

Buy now! A heavy metal band travels north to explore a seemingly uninhabited island, hoping for some atmospheric locations for their next album's photo-shoot. Made infamous after the Vikings marooned their most vicious Berserker warrior there, the band soon discover the truth behind the island's dark reputation as being a place to shun and fear...

Berserk! Off to be published!

After 9 month's hard work, my 5th novel (and 6th book) has been submitted for publication :) For those interested, it should be available for purchase in both paperback and ebook formats by the end of the week :)

Typing Up Edits

Typing up the edits of Chapter 3 of Berserk! with this one:

The Saboteur

Thwarted

I had been planning to make a start on typing up the final draft of Berserk tonight. But this attention seeker put a stop to that:

Berserk! Final Draft Complete :)

The third and final draft of my next novel is now complete. 😊 I just have to type the whole thing up again now, typeset it and get the book cover formatted. The New Year deadline for getting this beast published is looking promising 👌

Berserk! Final Draft. Chapter 12.

Berserk! Final Draft. Chapter 10 Completed.

Ever vigilant of the impending deadline for the completion of Berkerk!, I awoke early whilst on holiday in North Wales to crack on with the final draft of Chapter 10:

Pre-dawn writing

As dawn broke over our holiday cottage, the rising sun startled me as it blazed directly through the kitchen window!

I think this must have been the first time in my life
that sunrise has actually made me jump

After a couple of hours of writing, I completed the chapter just as my wife awoke and came downstairs, in time for her promised breakfast :)

Berserk! Final Draft. Chapter 10.

Berserk! Final Draft. Chapter 9.

Berserk! Chapter 8. Final Draft.

Berserk! Chapter 7. Final Draft.

Berserk! Continuing Work on Chapter 6. Final Draft.

Berserk! Starting Chapter Six. Final Draft.

Berserk! Completing Chapter 5. Final Draft.

Berserk! Final Draft. Continuing Work on Chapter 5.

Berserk! Draft 3. Chapter 5.

Commencing work on the the final draft of Chapter Five...

Berserk! Chapter Four. Draft 3.

Woke early to make the most of my last few hours in our weekend holiday retreat and used the time to start the third draft of Chapter 4 of Berserk!

Berserk! Chapter 3. Draft 3 Completed.

Writing as my son plays his Nintendo Switch

Completed the third draft of Chapter 3 of Berserk!

During my stay at our weekend retreat at Hakin (you can book the cottage for yourself here if you fancy it yourself), I was particularly fond of sitting on the large windowsill looking out over the northern aspect of the sea. Writing in this spot was a difficult endeavour however, given the dramatic view that demanded my attention of the opposite side of the window pane: