The current situation facing us all recently got me thinking just how many people are at home perfecting a new hobby or learning a new craft? With all of the extra time we supposedly have at our disposal, you'd think that we were all squirreling ourselves away working busily at a new project.
My wife and I are both considered to be key workers - she for the NHS and myself for the postal/delivery service - so we would beg to differ. As well as still trying to fulfill our professional duties to the best of our abilities, we are also having to try and cram him a little bit of home-schooling, the usual domestic duties as well as finding time for each other.
So seeing as we are both also creatively-minded, we have been finding it increasingly frustrating to not be amongst the numbers who are able to use their lockdown time for the better.
But over the course of this week, a few things have fallen into place to make me appreciate that our creative talents can find a way of coming forward, and all within the comfort of our own four walls.
Publishing
As many of you may know, as well as having books published by established publishing houses Britain's Next Bestseller and Cranthorpe Millner, I also founded my own company last year by the name of Dead Men's Tales Publishing. My plan was to use this as a banner under which I would release my future self-published projects.
I am slowly turning my attention towards further establishing Dead Men's Tales as a brand (more on that a little later), and I have recently decided to release my next Wildermoor series, The Wildermoor Resurrection,
under this banner. What's more, rather than leave the already-written half of the first book, Poison In The Well, to languish on my laptop, I have decided to release it as a series of novellas rather than a trilogy of full-length novels.
Over the last few weeks, I have been editing and sprucing up the first part and revealed just before the weekend that Poison In the Well: Part One will be released on Friday 29th May.
For the first few months, it will be available exclusively for Kindle and you can pre-order your copy now here.
Podcasting
I have been hinting over the last few weeks that I would be venturing into the world of podcasting, and thanks to an absolutely amazing display of generosity and kindness, through my author friend Jacky Rom and an anonymous donor, I was actually gifted a good-as-new PC to be able to start recording my very own series!
Formal details have not yet been released and I am eagerly awaiting being able to record my first episode (owing to a frustrating last-minute technical error with some mic equipment!), but I can confirm that it will be called Dead Men Talk, and will centre around my horror writing.
I have mapped out a loose structure to the series, with ideas for the first twelve-to-fifteen weeks' worth of shows scribbled down. The main body of the podcast will take the form of 'deep dive' episodes where I discuss the ideas/stories behind my stories, events, or people that inspired plot twists or characters, that sort of thing.
I will also be planning to have special interview guest episodes, with three guests already locked in!
I am looking forward to being able to share further news on this new venture very shortly.
And finally...
Something a little different for me - I'd like to share with you an inspired little recipe to make your own dandelion honey which my wife spotted on one of the Facebook groups she is a member of.
Thanks to the guys over at Tinder Sticks CIC, our family walk yesterday from our house to Bradley Woods in Newton Abbot was given new purpose as we searched for and collected a hatful of dandelion heads and gave us all a new fun thing to do as a family (as well as something mega-tasty for them to enjoy on their pancakes this morning).
I highly recommend this to any parents looking for something new and free (bar the price of the sugar you need to add) to do during lockdown!
You can check out the recipe for yourselves on Tinder Sticks' Facebook page here, and whilst you are there why not pop a Like on their page!
Until next time folks, stay safe!