And so am I.
Let’s start with this weeks headlines; Beyonce’s new album has dropped; Will Smith is still apologising; Prince Will is alleged to enjoy having his back doors blown out; the Premier League kicks off next week; and the TV show Neighbours has ended after 37 years.
What a weeks it’s been.
Outside of entertainment; war still rages in Europe; a global energy and grain shortage has triggered a cost of living crisis; and the Tories have spent all month arguing with each other about who wears the cheapest clothes, so they can decide who’s better between a robot and a slap-stick comedian.
And my garden. Oh, how long has it been neglected. So much time has been sunk into the re-edit of The Shelter and the production of upcoming Mika Ito that I’ve started to feel guilty. And I haven’t blogged in weeks. Well, it’s time to right those wrongs: I’ve started the clean up operation on the garden, and now I’m writing a post. The train is back on the tracks.
So hi. And welcome to the new subscribers, thank you for joining me. I have questions, which I’ll get to in a moment. First, let me tell you what I’ve learnt from marketing The Shelter’s re-edit this last few weeks. I’ve come to understand that I don’t fit into the mainstream thriller crowd, which is no great surprise. I am not David Baldacci, despite comparisons made by my previous publisher, and I never thought I was. I’m more at home with the action adventure crowd, or even with the miscellaneous crew, and I’m happy with that. It makes me difficult to market, but the only alternative is to ‘write for the market’, and that idea makes me ill.
If you’re reading this (here come the questions), I’d really like to know what you’re favorite writers are (and which books you prefer by them). Do you prefer reading a series or standalone titles? Let me know, it might just help me know myself better as a writer, and it might also influence what I do next…
What’s currently next on the agenda (and this may change), is a to write the follow up to Mika Ito (it may well turn into a series), but a surprising idea for a sequel to The Shelter looms over me, and I’d really like to get to it but I also want to return to something I started in January – an unabashed, unashamed, male-character driven murder mystery set in rural England. A story of righting wrongs. The working title is I Didn’t Kill Polly Slocombe, but that will certainly change before publication. If you’re interested in any of this, do let me know.
Well, that’s the week, folks. Until next time, take care. I’ll sign off with this from @BashoSociety on twitter:
‘With a whisper, a flock of birds burst into flight.’
See you next time. PF 13:06 30/07/22
Thirsty
A bass guitar noodles through the loudspeakers as Tuesday Tony sets up a sound desk on the Thirsty Scholar’s stage. Only there is no bass guitar, or noodles in the air, just a memory of mine playing back in high-def and mixing with the present. The old photograph is still on the back wall, the…
Launch Day
It’s been 18 months in the making, but the day has finally come. Today, I’m launching Mika Ito. It’s now available on amazon in kindle, paperback and hardcover formats. Find it here. It’s the story of Dylan Solly, a British journalist trapped in Japan on the day of the Fukushima disaster. When Dylan collapses, local…
The Parakeets of Kensington Gardens
The Queen’s coffin began it’s journey to Edinburgh today, and massive earthquakes have hit Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. It’s also the anniversary of 9/11. It certainly seems like a day to reflect. Me and Helen were walking our dogs when the Queen died. Helen checked her phone when we got home and…
Peter Foley Official 