Why I refuse to buy $0.99 books
A while ago, I finally organised the sea of books in my Kindle library into their respective genres. And let me tell you, it was SWIMMING with 'em. All said and done, it took me the best part of an hour to complete, and I swore after closing my Kindle and tossing it across my […]
Last Monday was a day to forget
Lady Laura and I took the boys down to our favourite little holiday spot — only about 40 minutes down the road. Nothing exotic; just a reliable little escape to unwind and let off a little steam. And all things considered, it started well. We had green lights the whole way, and traffic parted like […]
I refuse to be that author
Lords and ladies, may I have your attention, please. Since we're making good inroads into Book 6 of TDR and I want to get the sequel into your sticky hands as quickly as possible, I've decided to scale back emailing to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for this week and next. It could be extended. It […]
The greatest author grift in town?
The Authors Guild is rolling out a "Human Authored" stamp for $10 that authors can use inside their book or on the cover. First, I'm not knocking the intent. Despite being quite AI-forward myself, I know there's a growing sect of readers who genuinely want to know a human was behind the stories they read, […]
The strangest place on Earth
It's that time of year when people start gearing up to jet off on holiday, and inevitably, a lot of them will be flying. (Assuming jet fuel doesn't cost you both kidneys.) And it got me ruminating on how strange airports are. Think about it: On one piece of levelled land, you've got […]
Oi, lurker
I like to think we've got a special thing going on here, you and me. I entertain you… You hurl praise and coin my way… Everyone's happy. However, more often than not, it's the comments right here in the Legion that get my heart pumping. Not a day goes by that seasoned and […]
What GPS did to London cabbies
Back in the day, London cabbies had to commit every street and landmark to memory in order to acquire their licence. This was — and still is — known as The Knowledge. And in case you're not from this wet part of the world… There are 25,000 streets in London. But that's what cabbies […]
Something weird happened on May 10th
Not only does May 10th mark my mother's birthday, but it also belongs to our eldest, Master Liam, who just turned two. I know. God is quite the jester. But the birthday itself isn't what I'm here to report. What I am here to report is what happened to Liam the moment midnight struck. It's […]
And… It’s a wrap
If you're reading this, it's already too late. Yesterday, I made a very quick and brief offer that was teased in Wednesday's email, offering 20 Legionnaires the chance to get their hands on Book 6's outline of The Divided Region, as well as the rough draft of Chapter 1 and a few other bonuses. But […]
[⏰24H] I’m about to do something I’ve never done before
I will preface this broadcast with the following: A lot of you have waited quite some time for this sequel, and given how this is the year we wrap up The Divided Region, I figured I'd give 20 people the rare opportunity to snag an offer I will most certainly not repeat again for Book […]
A quick n’ dirty book update
I promised I wouldn't keep you in the lurch, so let's do a quick 'n dirty TDR Book 6 update: • We've officially crossed over into Act 3. Only single-digit chapters remain. • The outlining is paying off immensely. The clarity and focus it gave me were simply AWOL when I attempted it without one. […]
Westrun has a real-world address
Ask any author absurd enough to make a living out of fabricating things, and most will tell you the same thing: The worlds, the cities, the characters — they don't exist in a vacuum. They come from lived experience, and The Divided Region is no different. On Saturday just gone, we took Master Liam to […]
You’ve spoken, I’ve listened
Last Friday's email generated quite the buzz. And I'll be honest, the replies threw me for a loop. In case you're new around here and haven't got the foggiest clue what I'm waffling on about, I sent an email last Friday asking readers of The Divided Region whether they'd prefer to: – Wait a little […]
A question that could change everything
I hinted yesterday that I've already started outlining Book 7 of The Divided Region, which is true for the most part. While I'm not over-outlining it, as things can change rapidly in fiction, the basic framework of the finale is starting to take shape. I genuinely believe Book 7 will take a fraction of the […]
I can now reveal the body count
On Monday, I announced a purge, and the response has been nothing short of overwhelming. Legionnaires far and wide clicked and replied (sometimes multiple times) to secure their place in this dingy asylum of ours. Some even had the audacity to write in asking why such drastic measures were taking place, but if they had […]
My test results have come back positive
For months, Lady Laura has begged me to send off a swab to MyHeritage for a reason I'll get to in a second. And for months, I've put it off for two genuine reasons: I've been bloody busy with Book 6 of The Divided Region (which is speeding along now that I've reverted to my […]
[⏰] You have exactly 24 hours
Yesterday, I regretfully informed you that my Email Service Provider deems you inactive. I say "regretfully" because these tech platforms tend to get it wrong more than they get it right, and on this particular occasion, they’ve deemed you… COLD 🥶 If they’ve got it wrong, now’s the time to stick two fingers […]
Hello, Traitor
My email service provider has alerted me that they deem you a traitor "Cold." By that, you haven't engaged in any of my emails for the past 90 days, which means, by the time you read this… YOU ARE NO LONGER A MEMBER OF THE LEGION. Yep, you've been banished forever— Oh wait… […]
YOU’RE A TRAITOR
Alright, maybe ‘traitor’ is a little harsh, but I had to grab your attention some way. (Hence the all-caps, too.) The reason for this ‘dazzling spectacle’ of a subject line? My email service provider has alerted me that they deem you to be… COLD 🥶 By that, you haven't supposedly opened, clicked, or […]
Let the Purge begin
Tomorrow I'll be contacting "Cold Subscribers" that my email service provider has flagged up on my system. These are Legionnaires who have supposedly not opened or clicked any of my emails in the last several weeks. In other words… TRAITORS. (I jest… sort of.) Usually, I don't trust these metrics as far as […]