Welcome!
Why don’t you write a book?
They said…
It’ll be fun!
They said… So, here we are; over two and a half years later, on the verge of self-publishing my first book. What started as a germ of an idea, has grown into, not one story, but the first part of a trilogy. So how did we get here… Read on
In June 2019, Comic-Con came to MCM Manchester and my wife and I decided to join the hoards of fans, cosplayers and curious for a fun day out. Little did I know, but that day was to be the start of my creative writing journey and, by a maybe not-so-strange coincidence, the iconic venue became an integral part of my Steampunk world re-imagination.
Walking around the exhibition centre under its striking arched roof, I was in my element amongst the cosplayers, merchandise stalls and creators, particularly those with a Steampunk theme. We wandered into an area filled with stunning Steampunk panoramas printed on aluminium and met their creator, Gary Nicholls, who graciously took the time to explain his work. In 2016 he had published the first part of his fine art trilogy, The Imaginarium - Eva’s Story, and we were fortunate to buy one of the limited edition, signed books.
That book, together with a rekindled interest in the classic science fiction of H G Wells and Jules Verne, and the darker themes of H P Lovecraft, resulted in researching Victorian Manchester; opening up a vista of possibilities. By March 2020, I was six months into my brainstorming and initial plotting.
Then the pandemic hit…
…and I became a social recluse, beavering away on my plot and, eventually, writing my first draft. As any author will tell you, the first draft of any work of fiction is the writer telling himself the story. That draft was completed in November 2020 and by the time the fifth draft was completed in September 2021, the novel had its third, and final, soon-to-be-revealed title.
As I sit writing this blog, my editor is carrying out a final copyedit and proofread of the eighth draft, whilst my cover designer is working on designs, which I hope to see in early May 2022.
Within the next few weeks, I will decide on a release date… and that’s when the fun really starts!