For some, the zombies are a good thing
It’s been a long time coming but I’m finally ready to announce my new horror series – Serial Killer Z. I’ve always had a soft spot for zombies. Return of the Living Dead is one of my favorite movies, and The Walking Dead is one of the few TV shows on my “must see” list. But other than a couple of very short stories, I’d always shied away from writing about them. Zombies are extraordinarily popular, but it’s hard to bring something new to the genre without losing the elements that make zombies so much fun. Even when the idea of throwing a serial killer into the zombie apocalypse came to me (in the gym of all places), I resisted. But the idea just wouldn’t let go. Pretty quickly that basic premise had grown into a series of books and, eventually, I gave in. I’m glad I did. It turns out writing about a serial killer and zombies is a lot of fun. I’m four books into the series so far, and I’m really enjoying putting my serial killer through hell. Of course, writing a book is only the first step in the journey to publication. It’s been three and a … Read More
Hey, It’s Saturday
We interrupt my regularly scheduled absence with a quick update. The box set of The Leah King Trilogy launched on Wednesday and its going extremely well. Far better than I hoped. Thanks to everyone who’s bought the book so far. If you haven’t, you can get your copy from Amazon right now by clicking HERE. I’m pushing on with the first draft of Zombie Book 3 (working title). It’s going very well and I’m racing toward the big finale which is always the bit I enjoy most. When I’m not writing or refreshing the Amazon sales dashboard, I’m getting in some reading. At the moment I’m in the middle of Clara Coulson’s Soul Breaker, the first in the City of Crows series. The books center around the Department of Supernatural Investigations and their fight against the various supernatural nasties that have a habit of popping up to cause mayhem. I’m enjoying it so far and there’s a few other books in the series that I’ve already picked up. I’ve also been gradually getting back to running after a disastrous BMO Half Marathon at the beginning of the month. Everything was going well and I was on track for a … Read More
Out Now – The Leah King Trilogy
It’s launch day! I’ve created a box set of all three of my Leah King ebooks (The Girl in the City, The Girl in the Wilderness, and The Girl in the Machine). Yes, they don’t really come in a box but you know what I mean. I tried to up the stakes and the action with each successive book, and I’m very pleased with how the trilogy turned out. More importantly, readers seem to agree. Feedback on all three books has been excellent. The normal price for the set will be $5.99 but for a short time I’m offering the complete set for the ridiculous price of 99c/99p. That’s over 500 pages of dystopian cyberpunky science fiction goodness for less than a dollar/pound/whatever the equivalent is in your country. Or to put it another way, about $6 less than the books cost individually. So, if you haven’t read any of these, or you’ve read the first one or two, now is the time to pick it up. You can get your copy from Amazon right now by clicking HERE. With the oppressive Transport Authority controlling every aspect of their existence, Leah and her father do what they can to carve out a … Read More
A Quick Update on The Girl in the Machine
Things are getting hectic here at the Solitary Mindset offices (our spare room). UnCommon Minds is getting rave reviews, The Jurassic Chronicles is just around the corner and The Girl in the Machine is about to head into its final proofread. (Once I write the damn book description). I got some unsolicited feedback from two of my proofreaders today and it was just too good not to share. “Fans of sci-fi and dystopias will enjoy this tale of a girl named Leah, who, along with her associates, fights a ruling company through both military tactics and virtual reality.” – Susie D., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing “With young women driving the plot and nonstop action—including plenty in cyberspace—this book reads like the love child of Neuromancer and The Hunger Games.” – Kim H., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing “the love child of Neuromancer and The Hunger Games”? I’ll take that. The Girl in the Machine will be on the virtual shelves in 2-3 weeks, but if you haven’t started the Leah King trilogy then the first book, The Girl in the City, is available on Kindle for just 99c/99p or free if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited. You can get your copy right here. Sign up for my … Read More
Looking Forward, 2017
After posting my belated end of year wrap up, I figured I’d better also look forward to what’s ahead in 2017… I talked about setting goals on New Year’s Day and mentioned my big personal goal – running a marathon in under four hours. That goal has actually been in the back of my mind for a few years but 2017 is the year I’m really going to focus on my speed and fitness (and weight) and try to hit that. My wife and I recently worked out which races we’re going to take part in this year and it’s a fairly long list, but a lot of them will be used as training runs for my main goal of that sub-four hour marathon. Time will tell whether it will pan out but I’m looking forward to trying. I’ll probably make the odd post here about my progress for those who are interested in how a moderately unfit, middle aged guy prepares for a marathon. I also mentioned my eight book publishing schedule. That’s pretty aggressive, even though I have a couple of the books complete and two more in draft form. I’ve laid out the schedule for the first half of the year and this is what it … Read More
Farewell, 2016
Continuing my tradition of posting end of year wrap ups late… 2016 was a mixed year for me, personally. We lost a lot of great people including some of my idols (I’m listening to David Bowie’s new EP right now) and people close to me. The internet seems to be getting more and more toxic by the day, and the less said about Brexit and the US election the better. But there was plenty of ups to offset the downs. I moved into a new apartment that doesn’t turn into an oven in the summer, and a new role on a very exciting project in my day job. It means I’ll be busier than I’ve been recently, but the work will be much more fulfilling. My writing went very well, too. I hit 282,441 words over the whole year which is a new record (I wrote 275,872 words in 2014 and 255,470 in 2015). There was plenty of editing in there as well so I’m happy with that. I’ve got ambitious plans for this year, so I’m hoping to break 300,000 words. We’ll see. I worked on several new projects during that time including the second and third Leah King books, The … Read More
Cover Reveal – The Girl in the Machine
With the manuscript for The Girl in the Machine sitting with my editor, now seems like a good time to post the cover for the third and final Leah King book. Drum roll, please… Ain’t it cool? As always, a big thank you to Adam at Around the Pages for putting together another fantastic cover. I’m really pleased with how this one came out and it reflects the cyberpunky feel that the third book has very nicely. The Girl in the Machine will be released in the next couple of months. I’m really looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of the finale. Of course, I’m also a little bit nervous but hey, that’s the author’s life for you. If you haven’t started the Leah King trilogy, the first book, The Girl in the City, is available on Kindle for just 99c/99p or free if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited. You can get your copy right here. Sign up for my newsletter and get four free ebooks. CLICK HERE to get started. [Cover Reveal – The Girl in the Machine by Philip Harris first appeared on Solitary Mindset on 5th December 2016]
Time is Running Out
Just a quick Public Service Announcement – There’s now less than 48 hours to go before The Girl in the City goes back up to its normal price. And of course, for a limited time, The Girl in the Wilderness is available for 99c/99p (or the lowest price I can set in other countries) so you can get both for less than the price of something from the dollar store. Sign up for my newsletter and get a year of stories, completely free. CLICK HERE to get started. [Time is Running Out by Philip Harris first appeared on Solitary Mindset on 7th October 2016]