2022 | Guy Portman's Blog

My Tour of Antigua

Dec 17 2022

It’s been a long time since I wrote a blog post. As of late I’ve been suffering from WordPress nostalgia, so I have returned to my old haunt. Last month, I visited the tropical island paradise that is Antigua. It proved to be a relaxing break for the most part.

There is something cathartic about a sunset.

I assumed clouds would diminish the spectacle. I was mistaken.

These super yachts aren’t mine unfortunately. The black one belongs to a Russian oligarch. It will be moored here until sanctions are lifted. The crew have been living on it since February’s invasion.

I very much doubt the Russian oligarch is familiar with this establishment.

Dinner time. It had been a while since I had sushi.

This is the cathedral in the capital St. John’s. It could do with some serious renovation. Note the vegetation growing out of the tower on the right.

English Harbour’s Dockyard Museum proved to be a hive of interesting exhibits and information. Admiral Nelson spent time here. In the harbour, not the museum.

The Atlantic side of the island is much more rugged than the tranquil Caribbean coast. It’s where I would want to be if I was based here.

Not all of Antigua is scenic.

It’s not a holiday without a visit to a cemetery.

If you followed this blog back when I was posting weekly, you’ll know I love to gloat. Here is a picture of me holding the giant wahoo I somehow managed to reel in. Relentlessly circling a shoal for eight hours straight under a searing sun was not without its challenges. But this leviathan made it all worthwhile.

The Necropolis Series (Launch: Tuesday Aug. 30)

Aug 26 2022

There are only four days to go until the relaunch of the Necropolis Series. #1 Necropolis is being released as a new title. #2 Sepultura and #3 Golgotha have been revamped with new blurbs and brightly coloured covers, which will appeal to aficionados of darkly humorous crime fiction.

Necropolis – Public sector worker Dyson Devereux has just discovered there is a large reward for the capture of a genocidal fugitive. And Dyson knows where to find him..

Sepultura – Dyson’s personal and professional lives are spiralling out of control. It is only a matter of time until the suave public sector employee explodes.

Golgotha – Dyson is in an Italian prison awaiting trial for murder. All he wants is to be back in the UK with his treasured mementos.

‘A veritable masterclass in darkly satirical sociopathic black comedy’ – DLS Reviews

‘… a mordant delight’ – Adam Riley, Comedian

‘I love this type of crime novel where you get to spend quality time inside the head of a killer’ – Felcherman Reviews

Click here to see the 102 ratings and reviews (4.15/5) for #2 in the Necropolis Series on Goodreads. #1 Necropolis will have a new Goodreads page when it is released next week. Have a great weekend.

Guy

The Necropolis Series – A Mix Between The Office & American Psycho

Aug 17 2022

It’s been the best part of a year since I last wrote a blog post. The time has just flown by. That’s me aboard my new wheels. As you can probably guess from the ride-on mower, I reside in the countryside. But I used to live in London.

At some point in all our lives, an experience has led to us embarking on a new path. The Necropolis Series (Aug. 30) has its origins in my young adulthood. At the time, I was getting into darkly humorous Transgressive Fiction (e.g. American Psycho, Fight Club). As luck would have it, my reading matter coincided with a stint working in the public sector for a local council. The insipid work and uninspiring environment contrasted markedly with my burgeoning reading habit. This fed into my innate sardonic nature.

Years later, when I moved to the country and started writing in earnest, this indelible period was to manifest itself in the creation of the Necropolis Series’ protagonist – cultured council worker and compulsive murderer, Dyson Devereux. He’s sort of my alter-ego. Only I’m not as sociopathic, or suave.

In #1 Necropolis our anti-hero is running the Burials and Cemeteries department at Newton Council, a less than salubrious fictional borough in Greater London that is a world away from Knightsbridge. He revels in his caustic observations levelled at his mundane colleagues, who are oblivious to his dark past.

#1 Necropolis, #2 Sepultura, #3 Golgotha (Relaunching on Aug. 30)

#4 Emergence is being unleashed later this year.

Click here to join me on Facebook. Hope to see you over there. Enjoy the rest of your week.

Guy