This year I will concentrate on two stories; McLENNAN and SELENA: SEA NYMPH, which, unsurprisingly, are poles apart in content.

McLENNAN features a male vigilante, and was inspired by my short story, Resettlement. Fellow crime thriller writer, Barbara Speake suggested that the idea in the short story could be expanded. That tale can be read by clicking on the title or it can be found in my anthology, Shadow: and Other Stories. Research into locations and certain areas of society will keep me occupied when I’m not actively writing the story.

SELENA: SEA NYMPH will be my other main task. It has been a work in progress over the past couple of years, but I’m confident that I’ll finish the job this year.

As a non-swimmer and, therefore, someone who’s never been keen on waterspouts or travel by boat, I will be literally out of my depth in some parts of the story. In my favour, many years ago I tried my hand at canoeing, and I attended a two-week swimming course, so I’m not without experience when it comes to spending time underwater. My imagination, coupled with a lifelong interest in natural history and a nod to conservation, will play their parts in the storytelling.

In the background, I’ll work on A Life of Choice: The Retail Years when the other two stories are resting between drafts. This story stems from the idea that we relate anecdotes and say things like, ‘I could write a book about it.’ It was as recently as November 2024 when I decided I’d aim to do just that. I chose the title to fit with A Life of Choice, my five-eBook series loosely based on my military career. As with my military memoirs, I’ll be in no rush with this story, but I foresee it being a single volume and written in a different format. When I eventually have something to offer for feedback, I’ll post it here.

I will, of course, be reading a lot, beta reading for fellow authors, and I’ll continue to produce short stories for submission to the amazing quarterly Connections e-Magazine produced by fellow indie author, Melanie P. Smith.

I sincerely thank my regular readers for choosing and supporting my brand. If you’re new to my writing, I hope you’ll soon become one of my valued readers.