short stories

This has been the first year since 2012 that I haven’t published a new book. I have produced Codename: Foxglove, and Military Matters: An Anthology of Poetry as paperbacks, but both were already available in eBook format.

Did the lack of new titles affect my sales performance?

I would say, no, and without paid promotion, or excessive exposure on social media, my work is still being picked up, mainly digitally, but occasionally, physically.

The five books that make up the series, A Life of Choice show sales almost daily, and without promotion, all five books are creeping up the charts. At first, it was ex-service, and serving personnel who were the main readership, but it seems that the fact-based-fiction series also appeals to those who have never donned a military uniform.

My crime thrillers, and the Light at The End trilogy have continued to achieve regular sales over the past twelve months. Once again, my royalties on sales have been easily surpassed by the royalties from KENP, the Amazon ‘page reads’ system.

Strong female lead characters are popular, and none more so than any story featuring ‘a girl with a gun’. I create such protagonists to satisfy my readership, but also because they are enjoyable to bring to life. This is reflected in reviews, and in the balance of my projects.

Crusader is my main Work in Progress, and is on schedule for publication in March 2023. As I write the story I’ve been fitting in snippets of information which will be ‘removed’ to help create the sequel, Constance.

Did I publish or have success apart from my main brand?

Yes, I did, but under another name. The erotica I write using a female pseudonym has continued to be successful, and this year saw the publication of four novellas and an anthology of six short stories. My ‘secret‘ erotica brand has been in existence for three years, and has demonstrated stamina (appropriately), and achieved a steady growth.

It may seem that there is a continual stream of titles, but that’s because the stories are created piecemeal and it may take many months before an individual title is completed.

Will I continue to work with two brands?

Yes, while my alternative brand has its own Work in Progress, and there is a demand, I’ll happily cater to those readers. Some of the naughty tales may be slightly shorter (novella), but I don’t cut corners with them. They are stories first, and erotica second.

I’d like to wish you all the very best for the upcoming festive season, whatever your religious persuasion.

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*Remember, books are not just for Christmas. 😀

Of course, the twenties were incredible, the thirties and forties were fantastic, and the fifties were pretty good.

With effect from 7th November, I’ll embrace the Seventies.

It was 53 years ago that I joined the British Army, leaving home, and Scotland for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history.

I may have tackled my literary ambitions later in life than some authors, but I’m satisfied with what I’ve achieved thus far.

I first tried my hand at creative writing in 1996, a few years after completing my military service in 1992. I wanted to record as much information as possible about my career, transcribing from notebooks, diaries, and official documents. I refreshed myself on how to touch-type, a skill I learned in the military. I produced countless pages of information, and tried over a short period to make it an autobiography, but the writing was awful for so many reasons.

As my next career (Retail Management) was taking off, I got back into reading, and some years later, in 2007, I bought books and magazines to study writing. I also joined websites that facilitated posting poetry, short stories, reading, and reviewing by all members. I next got underway with letters to magazines, and entering short story competitions. Success, apart from publication, included cash, book prizes, and inclusion in anthologies.

Since 2012, I’ve published novels, novellas, anthologies of short stories, and poetry collections. Between 2018, and the present day, with the exception of erotica, I’ve converted all of my work into paperback. My output was increased when my retail career ended after 25 years. I had reached official retirement age (65) in 2017.

As seen in the graphic above, I eventually completed what had started out as an autobiography. I amended the story to be fact-based-fiction, changing names and so on, which removes any worry of legal action. Instead of cutting out large segments of the story, I concentrated on making it an easy-to-follow, cohesive read by creating five logical phases to cover the time period. I then spent a year fine-tuning the end product one part at a time. The eBooks were published over 2016 and 2017. I returned to the manuscript, and, once again using logical phases, produced a paperback trilogy so that in either option, the story is the same, word-for-word. I’m delighted to report that they are among my top-selling titles.

What are my intention for the future?

My Work in Progress consists of four more crime thrillers, a sci-fi fantasy, and another anthology of short stories. When all of those have been published I may cease to produce new work.

I’m a firm believer that as authors, even after that final edit, and a book has been on sale for a while, we know there will be an urge to return to it. I’ve learned so much as time has passed, and my writing and style have improved. I’ve already revised most of my titles, but when the final one is published, I intend to reread each of my books, and improve them wherever possible.

Click here or on the banner to visit my author website.

There are so many things said about age, like it being, ‘but a number’, ‘sixty is the new forty’, and so forth, but for me as an author, each year creates another level of life experience, appreciation of all things, and a deep desire to improve, and entertain with my writing.

Updates here will keep readers in the loop regarding my progress. At some point while reading my catalogue, I may dream up another literary offering, but we’ll see.

Once again, I thank all of you who have helped make my lifelong writing dream a success.

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