(It's cold out, so Wilson has had to take drastic steps with the tumble-drier)
Be amazed, because here comes the second newsletter in under a month. I’ve even set reminders to make sure I don’t make this slip. Once this settles down, I think one a month is probably about right, as Dawson v2.0 rockets into the New Year.
So, SLATER’S PIT has been out for a few weeks now, and I’m starting to get a bit of feedback come in. So far, it seems that people are enjoying it – certainly the people who have been kind enough to speak to me about it – but, as I think I have done with all of my books, I’m going to ask a favour. If you have been kind enough to read it, it would mean a lot to me if you could leave a review or a rating, as these are the things that can really make a massive difference to how well a book does.
I’ve also got to update you all on a new initiative Amazon are introducing for negative reviews – apparently, they are still delighted for readers to leave positive reviews in the usual way, on their website, but for negative reviews, they are now asking readers to carve these on stone and then bury them in their garden, under a full moon, never to be spoken of again. Far be it for me to question their practices, so I guess we’re just going to have to put up with it.
It’s winter, and we are heading towards that time of year when ghost stories seem to come into their own, as the nights draw in, and the fire gets a little higher. I absolutely adore the GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS films that the BBC put out in the ‘70s, resurrected relatively recently by Mark Gatiss, mostly sourced from the stories of M.R. James. SLATER’S PIT is my first attempt at something that might fit nicely on the shelf next to that old master. Dare to dream…
I’m also heading into the home straight on the third GRACE book. I’ll keep my powder dry on that one for a little bit, but suffice it to say, that the story all started when I was asked “so, what did happen to them in London?” Particularly cruel, if you ask me, because as soon as I was asked that, I then had to have a good, long think about it, until an idea percolated in my sub-strata.
I’m also going to just mention the incredibly sad passing of Mimi Parker from LOW. Her voice has been a part of my life for over twenty years, since their Christmas EP was glued to the stereo in the record shop I was working at at the time. I was lucky to see them play at Manchester Cathedral a good few years back, and it was as hypnotically beautiful as I could ever have hoped. So, in memory of Mimi, I’ll leave you with this – possibly the first thing I heard by them.
See you in the New Year…
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