This page on my website will act as a report of my writing progress, and at what stage my various horror books are in production. The plan is to try to keep it updated at least once a month.
Writing is still a part-time pastime for me currently. I still need the day job (civil engineer – highways) to put bread on my table and scatter rat food on the floor.
My current writing strategy is to work on 3 horror books at once. This might not be a smart strategy, but it’s the one I’m adopting as current practice. (Update 14th May 2025 – have decided 2 rather than 3 longform books at once works better, but with maybe a short story or reader magnet also being worked on instead of the 3rd novel. Three is too much!
The first book worked on is at the 1st draft stage; the second, at the 2nd or more draft (pre-editing); the third, completed and being reworked after a development editor has read it (post-editing).
I don’t currently use beta readers, but if anyone reading this who has subscribed to my mailing list would like to beta read for me, please drop me a line.
So, here’s the current state of play: (14th May 2025):
1st draft novel – The Rats of the Isle – this is another rat horror book, but not related otherwise to Ratstrike (for which I’d still like to write a sequel). It’s also a novella.
(Update 14th April 2024: I think this will be a novel.) Currently, the first draft stands at around 27,000 words.
(Update 12th May 2024: 36,000 words) It’s written in first person. Renamed Queen of the Rats.
(Update 14th May 2025: Beginning 2nd draft of what’s now a 75,000 word novel)
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2nd draft+ novel (pre-editing) – Dolls at your Throat (working title only)
(Update 14th April 2024: new title The Old Doll Factory). Another novella, this time about a creepy doll factory. It’s quite a long one at about 38,000 words. I’m currently working through the second draft.
(Update 12th May 2024: about to begin 3rd draft.)
(Update 14th May 2025: new title Do I Look Plastic To You? ) Currently going through post-editing. Should be out by summer 2025. Likely a 46,000 word, which makes it a novel rather than a novella (but a short one).
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Post-edited novel – Catz of the Undead. This is a full novel, around 88,000 words. I’m working through my editor’s revisions. It’s witchy, but with zombie cats! Hopefully out this summer. Stay tuned.
(Update 14th May 2025: COTU finally came out in March 2025 at 90,000 words. It’s the longest novel I’ve written.) Finishing off a short story reader magnet related to it called Catzapped that should be included in the next newsletter as a free download.
I also commissioned (yet) another cover for Ratstrike.