Category - Promotion

1
Another Week Bites The Dust
2
Golgotha Cover Reveal
3
Sepultura Has A New Blurb
4
The Necropolis Trilogy And More Besides
5
A Free Book & An Update
6
A Summer Freebie & A Big Announcement
7
7 Transgressive Fiction Reading Recommendations
8
Torrential Rain, Black Comedy & Comfort Food
9
English Summers, Black Comedy & A Reading Bender
10
Cakes, Beer & The Great Outdoors

Another Week Bites The Dust

It’s Friday again. They sure come around fast. Last week I unveiled the front cover for Golgotha (release: early Dec) the final instalment in my black comedy Necropolis Trilogy. If you missed it, here it is again.

On another subject, today I came across these three Roe deer on my morning walk.

They didn’t seem too alarmed by my dog and I. Evidently they were not aware of how keen on venison we are. Trigga was fixated on this tree in my garden for ages yesterday. Likelihood is a squirrel had gone up it, or it contains a late season pigeon nest.

The garden is still growing pretty quick, and having ignored it for a few weeks, the time has come to get back to work.

What with all the dog walking and gardening, I have been losing weight. So, it’s out with the healthy stuff …

And in with the high calorie fare. You can’t beat vegetable samosas and onion bhajis.

Three chocolate brownies down; two to go.

A book delivery arrived yesterday. It’s a good feeling receiving new books; if you’re a bibliophile like me that is. For the most part, my reading matter currently comprises the genres I write in; namely dark humour and Transgressive Fiction. While Dark Places doesn’t fit into those categories, it is dark fiction. I will be reviewing them here and on Goodreads in due course. All I need now is some bookshelves to store this ever-expanding reading matter.

A reminder that Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future is free at all retailers. My satirical book of vignettes finally received a decent batch of reviews on Amazon US this week. It appears my book is a bit like Marmite. People either love it or hate it.

And that’s it for this week. Have a good weekend. And if your nation is playing in the Rugby World Cup, I wish you the best of luck, unless your from Tonga that is.

Golgotha Cover Reveal

Today, I am pleased to unveil the front cover for my forthcoming black comedy, Golgotha (release date: early December).

I am impressed with the design the team at Ebook Launch came up with. It captures the book’s tone perfectly. Golgotha is the final instalment in the popular Necropolis Trilogy. It will see the return of darkly humorous sociopath Dyson Devereux. I look forward to revealing the blurb and more besides in due course. 

The first two instalments in the trilogy are #1 Necropolis & #2 Sepultura
 

800 Ratings and Reviews on Goodreads 

‘The book (#1) is full of razor-sharp satire’ – Crime Fiction Lover

‘… a magnificent foray into the mind of a sociopath’ – DLS Reviews

‘… a mix between The Office and American Psycho’ – Amazon Reviewer

If you like dark humour you’ll love the Necropolis Trilogy

Retailer Links (eBook & paperback) Amazon US Amazon UK Kobo US Kobo UK Kobo CA Barnes & Noble Smashwords

Have a good weekend.

Sepultura Has A New Blurb

As many of you are aware, the third instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy will be unleished on the world late this year (date to follow). The darkly humorous Golgotha will see the return of sociopath Dyson Devereux. I look forward to releasing more information in due course.

Today, I am pleased to unveil the new blurb for the second part in the trilogy. Those who have helped me modify the blurb for Sepultura are of the opinion that the new version better describes the book, particularly the conflict which lurks at the heart of it. And I agree with them. Here it is.

A sociopath’s work is never done.

Dyson Devereux is a busy man, with a challenging new job in the council’s Burials and Cemeteries department and a young son. Life should be fine.

But amid the mindless minutiae of his workplace, Dyson is fast losing patience with his crass colleagues and their contemptible clothes. Something’s got to give, and it’s not going to be Dyson.

Because unbeknown to those around him, beneath Dyson’s charming, Italian-delicacy-consuming veneer lurks something sinister. As his personal and professional lives threaten to spiral out of control, how long can Dyson keep his true nature under wraps?   

Sepultura is a hilarious black comedy exposing the banality of public-sector bureaucracy.  

“Hysterical. Takes dark humour to a whole new level” — Martin Allen, Author of Weed.

“A satirical gem” — Adam Riley, Comedian

Necropolis Trilogy retailer links Amazon US, Amazon UK, Kobo US, Kobo UK, Kobo Ca

I know comments and likes aren’t functioning properly on this blog presently. I plan to rectify this soon. Have a good weekend.

The Necropolis Trilogy And More Besides

Golgotha, the final instalment in my Necropolis Trilogy, is nearing completion. I am currently working on a blurb, which I look forward to sharing with you in due course. If you haven’t done so already, why not check out the first two darkly humorous offerings in the trilogy? Click here to see my books on Amazon.

What is a sociopath to do?

A sociopath’s work is never done.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed your summer (Northern Hemisphere) visitors. What with all the sun and rain, I have been besieged with gardening. It is now complete; that is until it grows again. This lawn was landscaped a few months back hence why it looks a bit patchy in places. But it’s coming along well, and I look forward to the day when it will be a pristine bowling green.

In other news, I have just finished my thirteenth book of the year – Papillon. The 600 page tome is about a man sentenced to life imprisonment in a penal colony in French Guiana. Review to follow. Perhaps you’ve read it or watched the film it inspired. Next up will be some dark humour. A batch of books are on their way.

My blog’s comments and likes etc. are still not working properly, which is annoying. But I will be migrating to a new website at some point in the not too distant future, so I am not going to try and rectify this fiddly issue for now.

Have a good weekend.

A Free Book & An Update

Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future is now FREE on all retailer sites. Well, I should say permafree – as it’s going to be free for quite some time I suspect. Maybe semipermafree would be the correct term. I digress. For those who don’t know, Tomorrow’s World is a satirical book of vignettes about the future, which will appeal to all dark fiction aficionados. You can download a copy using the link below (Mobi/ePub/PDF). No email is required. Otherwise visit your retailer of choice. Tomorrow’s World is also available as a paperback, but not for free.

Click here to claim your FREE copy of Tomorrow’s World

My forthcoming book, Golgotha, is coming along well. Golgotha is the third instalment in The Necropolis Trilogy. I am currently giving some thought to the blurb.

I am also going to be bringing out a new blurb for part 2 – Sepultura, as it could be improved upon. It is strange how we can be content with something, only at a later date to revisit it and be left with a different impression.

Thank you to those who have been in touch to tell me that my blog is not working properly. Namely, that posts cannot be liked or shared. The reason is the PHP is out of date. I am not going to try and fix it, as this blog will be migrating to a different platform as I mentioned previously. But it is going to take some time for it is a complex procedure, and one that I am incapable of doing on my own. Have a good weekend.

A Summer Freebie & A Big Announcement

In today’s post, I will be reiterating what I told my newsletter subscribers on Wednesday. First up, it’s the big announcement. My forthcoming black comedy, Golgotha, will be released in the late autumn now, and not this summer as originally planned. This is because I have had a lot on my plate of late. The good news is that Dyson’s return will be well worth the wait. Golgotha is the final instalment in my darkly humorous Necropolis Trilogy. I look forward to showing you the front cover, blurb and more very soon. 

And the good news doesn’t end there. I have a FREE book for you. It’s Tomorrow’s World: Darkly Humorous Tales From The Future. Click on the link below to download your FREE copy of my satirical book of vignettes (Mobi/ePub/PDF).

Click here to claim your FREE copy of Tomorrow’s World

Tomorrow’s World will soon be available for free on retailer sites, but this is your chance to get it before the rush. Have a good weekend. Happy reading.

7 Transgressive Fiction Reading Recommendations

It’s been a while since I wrote a Transgressive Fiction related post. Here are seven works of Transgressive Fiction that I have read. Click on the links to read the reviews.

Definition: Transgressive Fiction is a genre that focuses on characters who feel confined by the norms and expectations of society and who break free of those confines in unusual and/or illicit ways.

In Wolves’ Clothing by Greg Levin

This first-person transgressive work features a troubled member of an anti child trafficking organisation.

My Review: Zero Slade is a member of an anti-child sex trafficking organisation. The role entails infiltrating the industry by masquerading as
high-rolling sex …(more)

Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh

This is an inventive book, boasting parallel stories and different levels of awareness.

My Review: Roy Strang narrates this story from the hospital in which he is lying in a coma. It begins in South Africa, where he and his friend Sandy Jamieson are hunting the …(more)

Between the Shadow and Lo by Lauren Sapala

This first-person work of Transgressive Fiction is written by a female author, and it boasts an alcoholic female protagonist.

Review: Twenty-something Seattleite Leah is an emotionally damaged alcoholic with a penchant for drugs, sleeping around and books. She has an alter ego, a dark …(more)

Women by Charles Bukowski

The story follows the exploits of ageing lowlife and Bukowski alter ego, Henry Chinaski.

My Review: Fat, ugly fifty-something Henry Chinaski is a degenerate drinker, gambler and womaniser residing in downtrodden East Hollywood.
After a lifetime spent toiling in …(more)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22

Based on Heller’s own experiences as a bombardier in WWII, this satirical anti-war novel is brimming with absurdist humour.

My Review: Set on the Mediterranean island of Pianosa during WWII, Catch-22 is about the exploits of the fictitious 256th Squadron. We follow protagonist Yossarian and his comrades’ farcical attempts to …(more)

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

Child of God is a tautly written and concise work of ‘country noir’. Themes include loneliness and necrophilia.

My Review: Having been dispossessed of his land, Lester Ballard is now homeless and eking out an existence in the backwoods of Sevier County, East Tennessee. For food, he steals and forages. For …(more)

The Blade Artist by Irvine Welsh

The complex and manipulative protagonist, sordid characters and squalid descriptions will appeal to fans of the Transgressive genre.

My Review: Reformed Scottish ex-con Jim Francis (formerly Franco Begbie) is now a successful sculptor living the dream in sunny California with his former prison art therapist now trophy wife …(more)

Torrential Rain, Black Comedy & Comfort Food

The UK has been deluged with torrential rain for the best part of the last two weeks. We needed it I am told, as the ground was very dry. The good news for me is that with all the rain my lawn has finally started growing, the bad news is that it resembles a swamp.

Due to the wet conditions Trigga has been spending much of his time on the sofa. But now with dryer weather forecast, he will be able to while away his days in the garden once more.

As for me, I have been dealing with the monsoon by eating a lot of comfort food including a substantial amount of salted fudge aka ‘Dentist’s Nightmare’.

I have also been watching some of the latest episodes of Black Mirror on Netflix. I am flattered that some readers have compared the show to my darkly humorous book of snippets about the future – Tomorrow’s World.

The unremitting deluge has done wonders for my reading. Next Friday I will be sharing the reviews of the books I have read thus far this year. Perhaps you will discover something that interests you.

I am currently polishing off the third draft of Golgotha, the third instalment in the Necropolis Trilogy. The books feature darkly humorous sociopath and sometime public sector worker Dyson Devereux. This is the ad on BookBub for Part 1. It has proven appealing to potential readers.

Have a good weekend.

A sociopath can only keep up a façade for so long.

English Summers, Black Comedy & A Reading Bender

I woke up today to the wettest and most miserable June morning in living memory. To compound matters I was suffering from a wretched hangover. Having downed two Nurofen I headed out with my dog for our customary morning walk. No sooner had I exited my garden than I came across this deer with her two fawns.

When I got back I ate ‘The Breakfast of Kings’ otherwise known as a Bakewell Tart. It was the only readily eatable item in the house.

Now, partially recuperated I slumped down in front of my computer and commenced my working day. Meanwhile, Trigga took a morning nap.

My email was the bearer of good news. The last of my beta readers had got back to me. The feedback on Golgotha, the final instalment in The Necropolis Trilogy, is very promising. The black comedy series features sociopath and sometime public sector worker, Dyson Devereux. I will be releasing more information about Golgotha in due course.

While I was waiting for my beta readers to send me their reports, I indulged in a reading frenzy consisting of 7 books. They were good, bad and ugly. These were the good ones. Click on the links to read my reviews. The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami, The Road by Cormac McCarthy & Women by Charles Bukowski.

I’m not sure if any of you are MMA fans. If you are then you might be interested in these short pieces I was commissioned to write in the build-up to the big UFC event in Chicago on Saturday.

Five Things You Might Not Know About Tony Ferguson, Jessica Eye and Tatiana Suarez.

Have a good weekend.

Cakes, Beer & The Great Outdoors

Currently, I am having work done to my roof. Due to the noise, I escaped to The Fens for a while. The waterway on the right is the Relief Channel. It was constructed in the 50s to take excess water from the Great Ouse river as and when necessary. For whatever reason few people venture out here, which makes it an ideal place for reclusive creatures such as myself.

After a two-hour walk along the Relief Channel we were feeling thirsty. My dog opted for water, me for lager.

I strongly recommend trying Moretti if you haven’t already. Italy might be better known for its wine, but the country produces great lager too.

They say variety is the spice of life. With that in mind I decided to forego my customary chocolate cake in order to try something different. The below is a coconut and lemon cake. It was good.

I didn’t forego my chocolate fix though. This is the chocolate brownie I had for dinner that night.

There is a famous butcher which I frequent whenever I go to Norfolk. It serves delicious, non-pretentious meat at reasonable prices. Vegetarians please avert your gaze.

I recently finished the second draft of my new novel, Golgotha. It will be the final instalment in my black comedy trilogy, Necropolis. I am taking a short break from writing before considering my beta readers’ comments and embarking on a third draft. Here are the books that I will be reading during my hiatus.

This is an ad I just had designed for Necropolis to go on BookBub. Necropolis is the first instalment in the black comedy trilogy of the same name featuring sociopath Dyson Devereux.

Have a good weekend.

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