where was i in 2019 ...

It's been over a year since my last blog update. Nearly two years since the last Jack Frey book came out into the world. It's as if I've disappeared.

The truth is I've been working bloody hard and life's been happening too.

In January 2018, I signed a three book deal with the best sci-fi fantasy publisher in the UK, Gollancz. The first book, WE ARE THE DEAD, came out in August this year. At the time, I foolishly believed that I would have the second written by the end of 2018, and then write the next Nathaniel Rane and Jack Frey books before writing the third Gollancz book.

How wrong I was. The second book, A FOOL'S HOPE, was the toughest thing I've ever written. I abandoned two drafts at 65,000 words before I finally finished it in June 2019. It was 230,000 words long. Then I had rewrites to do.

In the end, last year, I think I wrote about 500,000 words for one book. That's the equivalent of 5 Jack Frey books.

Because AFH took so long, I'm now behind schedule in writing the third book in the series, so I've started that and Jack and Nathaniel will have to wait a bit longer to find out what happens to them.

There was also life stuff happening. I now live in Vancouver with my family and work full-time in a day job in advertising again so writing time is even more precious/limited.

But all these are great problems to have. Canada is an amazing place to live, my family are happy and healthy and I get to write books. It just takes longer than I'd hoped.

Anyways, check out WE ARE THE DEAD by Mike Shackle. If you like my books, you like his!

I also did some very cool things this year - like appear at a book festival with other Gollancz authors and yes, that is me on stage with Tom Lloyd, Vic James, Joe Abercrombie and Garth Nix. Surreal.

Thanks for sticking with me. And I promise Mike Morris will be back in 2020. Have a great year.