Happy Birthday Shadow of the Hidden, Ask Me Anything, and a 1-week discount

What is time?! I’ve checked this several times to make sure I’m not going bonkers, but yes, today really is the first anniversary of the release of my debut novel Shadow of the Hidden. Since then, of course, it’s been my fastest selling book, it’s won the Independent Press Award for Horror, and it’s about 95% of the way to being my first commissioned audiobook.

So, how to celebrate this milestone? Well, funny you should ask, I’m about to tell you. This coming Saturday, 22nd March, I’m doing an Ask Me Anything or #AMA as the cool kids may or may not be saying these days. That means that any questions I receive between now and then, I will answer in a live video on YouTube. You can also join the live and ask questions in the comments box on the day, if you prefer. Every person who asks a question will be entered into a prize draw to win a signed copy of Shadow of the Hidden, wherever you may be in the world (if you’re in space, I’m sorry, but the postage is too pricey).

You can ask your questions by replying to this email directly, emailing me here, leaving comments on this post on Instagram, this post on Bluesky, this post on TikTok, or this post on Xitter. As I mentioned in this video on TikTok, you really can ask about anything. It can be about the book. About my next book, Pyres, my previous books, writing routine, living in different countries, or whatever. I’ll answer anything (the clue is in the title, right?). I’ll share the video here in next month’s newsletter, or you can watch it live (or afterwards) on my YouTube channel.

Just a final word on Shadow of the Hidden. It’s on promotion this week in eBook, wherever you buy your books for just $1.99/£1.55. That’s the cheapest it’s been since September, and it’ll be rocketing back up to $5.49/£4.99 next week, so get it cheap while you can.

A little update on my next novel, Pyres. I’m preparing to dig back into it in the next week or so, making changes recommended by my fabulous beta readers. So far, there haven’t been enormous things to change. A tweak to clarify the ending and a few other bits and pieces. I’m looking forward to getting that done and firing it over to my editor to get it fully shipshape and ready for release. Then, I’ll be in talks with the mighty Paul Stephenson to get a cover done. Paul has done all his own covers, as well as Dan Howarth’s brilliantly eye catching recent release, Last Night of Freedom, a book I’ve recommended in these pages of late. Paul has a very unique style, harking back to classic genre paperback covers, as you can see from one of his latest books, Walker, below. I look forward to seeing what he cooks up for my fiery novel.

The plan is to release Pyres in September, and so far, that is looking very much doable. I’m very excited to share this story with you. Watch out for more info, blurbs and all that good stuff, in the coming months in this newsletter.

As for what I’m working on right now, I’m editing down the story I’ve written for the third and final season of Bleakwood. It weighed in at over 4,000 words in first draft format and it’s just too long for the show, so I’m paring it back where I can, before submitting it. After that, I’ll be adding more to my murder-comedy corporate fiction book, which is as yet untitled. This is a book I’ve been writing piecemeal over a number of years. One thing I really enjoy about it is the number of events in it which occurred in real life in office jobs I’ve worked in, and the fact that I’m quite certain readers will never guess which ones.

Recommendations

Reading - Dead Folk by Katherine Silva

You may remember in the middle of last year that I recommended a fabulous, grief-soaked post-apocalyptic novella, called Undead Folk, by this same author. Dead Folk picks up where the first book left off. Here though, with the world building already established, we are straight into Janet’s struggle to right the wrongs of selfish people at the end of the world. This quest for revenge and justice is really the heart of this book and, though short, Silva once again combines genuinely moving emotion, alongside the violence and ruin. I’m eager to get to the third part soon. In the meantime, you can check this one out here. 

Listening - The Father of Make Believe by Coheed and Cambria

I first heard Coheed and Cambria while living with my sister in London between 2005 and 2007. She and her then boyfriend, now husband, Alex, absolutely loved them. I liked elements of what they were doing, but could never really get past the quite unusual timbre of Claudio Paul Sanchez III’s vocals (despite his excellent name). Over the years, I’ve learned not only to appreciate his singing, but also to recognise the constant evolution of the song writing and musicianship of the band and when this new album dropped last week … well … suffice to say it’s been played a lot. Give it a listen on your chosen streaming service, here.

Watching - Paradise - Disney+

We’ve been watching this the old fashioned way - one episode a week - with Ana’s sister, and I’ve really enjoyed it. Set in a fictional world where (minor spoiler from episode one!) everyone is living inside a giant cave within a mountain after a disaster has befallen the earth, the drama kicks in when Agent Collins (Sterling K. Brown) finds the president dead in his home. What begins with the obvious investigation into the murder grows into a wider story of how people came to be in that place, their stories, etc. It’s in no way a horror story, but there’s some great writing and performances here, as well as an interesting study of human action at the end of the world and in this incredibly confined environment. I’ve got a couple episodes left to watch, but take a look at the trailer, here and see if it might be for you.

Bargains and Freebies

Maniac on the Loose author Steve Hudgins has once again pullled together a list of fifty free books of horror for your delectation. You can check out the full list and grab a free spooky read here.

Eric Williford from Def Pix has set up this promo with almost forty dicounted books of dark fiction, including my own novella, Below, as well as work from author/editor Robin Knabel, James Alexander and others. You can view the full list here.

These two promos from last month are still running for a few more days, by the way, so feel free to have another look and grab something while you can.

That’s it from me for March. I hope to see some of you at the Ask Me Anything on Saturday, and do check it out after the event if you miss it. Don’t forget to send those questions in for a chance to win a paperback of Shadow of the Hidden, too.

We’ve been constantly battered by ocean storms for the past month, so if you’re equally plagued by dark skies, blustery winds and driving rain, you’ve my sympathies. I’m hoping to see some sunshine soon.

Also, for my better half’s fortieth birthday, I’m taking her to Switzerland to ride a panoramic train through the mountains next week. If you want to take a peek, there’ll doubtless be some photos shared on Instagram at the end of the month.

Anyway, enough blathering. Take care of yourselves, hang in there if things are difficult at your end, and keep reading the dark stuff.

Kev