I don't know how many times I've read CRY HAVOC. Too many times if I'm honest. Not enough judging by the typos that escaped the earliest versions I released! (Hopefully I've got them all now). But this is a story I know inside out. However today it feels brand new again.

I received the audio recording of the book and I've spent the morning listening to it. Read by the incredible Simon Vance, it's brilliant. I almost don't recognise the book I wrote. It gives it a whole new dimension, a freshness that I couldn't imagine possible. It's a real "pinch me, I'm dreaming" moment.

The guys at Podium Publishing have done an amazing job. I'm so happy.

Really excited to announce that the audio book of CRY HAVOC will be out on 19th December narrated by the amazing SIMON VANCE. He narrates Brent Weeks' books, Stieg Larsson's, Guy Gavriel Kay's, Richard Morgan's, Brian Steevely's and many more. I can't wait to hear what he's done with the book.

CRY FEAR is coming along well after losing a month or so through illness. I'm way behind on schedule though which is a bit disappointing for me (and everyone else waiting for it.) I must admit I'm feeling a bit of pressure with this one as well as I want it to be be the best thing I've done. I'll probably post the first chapter with next month's newsletter. I also need to relook at the cover as I'm going off slightly what I'd done originally for it. It was going to be another imag eof Jack but now I'm thinking it might juts need to be a Nostros... it is called CRY FEAR after all so it should be a little scary...

Still feeling pretty sick but not quite on death's door as I was a week ago. I've actually managed to get some writing done and made good progress again on Cry Fear. It's also very strange writing a sequel to a book that so many people have read and who are looking forward to the next installment. I've never written a book before knowing anyone would ever read it past immediate family (and sometimes not even then). It's a whole new experience!

HE  WHO FIGHTS is doing very well in the UK and Australia. It went as high as no 2 yesterday in Oz and is no 12 in the UK charts as I write this. It's not taken off in the States yet but I still have hopes for it there too.

I also passed my 10,000th download this week of my books. 10,000 books in essentially 4 months! It's a crazy number. I look back at the launch of Cry Havoc and was excited when I'd sold 8 copies in one week. The average indie book on Amazon sells about 250 copies. (Switchblade has sold about 200 copies in nine months.) But Cry Havoc is at 8500 copies and HWF is at 1500. Crazy. I am so lucky that my books have found an audience that enjoys what I write.

Thank you to all of you for making this journey possible.

It's been a strange couple of weeks since I last posted. I went down with a nasty case of flu which wiped me out and spent the day yesterday being tested for pneumonia. Hopefully the results will come back negative but even so I've fallen behind on my schedule because of it.

HE WHO FIGHTS continues to do well. The book has reached no 18 in the UK Low Fantasy charts and no 4 in Australia. Traction has been a bit slower in the the US which is interesting as it was the complete opposite with CRY HAVOC.  It's just so exciting for me to see my book in the same charts as heavy weights like Peter Brett and Mark Lawrence and a certain GRRM.

There have been some lovely reviews too. A couple have compared HWF to David Gemmell and that's a massive compliment as I love his work. Legend got me back into reading fantasy again in my early 20's. I picked up a three book collection that had Legend, Waylander and The King Beyond The Gate. I still have it now even though it's battered and brown with age (and a bit stinky).

CRY HAVOC now has over 200 ratings on Goodreads with a 96% approval and 73 reviews on Amazon of which over 50% are 5 stars. I think I will always be surprised at how well received the book has been. I look back now at some old blog posts and I was so excited when it had sold 3 or 4 copies and now it's passed the 8,000 download mark. I can't thank everyone enough for their support.

Now on with CRY FEAR and apologies for the coughing.