Tag Archives: fiction

November 16, 2025 · 4:00 pm

Book Review – Stage 3 by Ken Stark

Firstly, I know it’s been a while since my last post! Non-author life has got in the way in well, lots of different ways, but even though I’ve not been writing as much as I’d like of late, I have been continuing reading some amazing books by a variety of indie authors!

Now, what’s the point of reviewing an indie book from 2016, you may ask? Well, I admit, I’m posting this because I haven’t posted for a while but also to prove the point that indie books can be around for years before they pick up readers. That’s something that’s important to know for any indie author – your books can find their audience years after they are published and can certainly have a (book)shelf life longer than that coffee that keeps so many of us going!

So here I go, lurching along with the zombie hordes of Stage 3 by Ken Stark

Though I’m not zombie-mad, I’m a fan of the genre, playing Resident Evil doggedly over the years and keeping up with The Walking Dead and its various spin-offs. With that in mind, I wasn’t sure how a zombie novel would come across, having never read one before.

Stark throws the reader straight into the action but in an original way, which got me intrigued right from the start. Rather than going all-guns-blazing action from page one, which would be the tempting thing to do, he pulls the reader in, as the apocalypse begins and the world starts to unravel around our protagonist.

Speaking of which, he and the other characters are vivid, believable and human, as Stark expertly weaves their backstories and current narrative into some seriously bone-crunching action, through numerous set pieces that took me right back to my survival horror sofa days, game controller in hand, from tense, hand-to-hand alleyway encounters to multi-zombie vehicle mow-downs. Of course, not everything is back and white in post-apocalyptic San Francisco, and there’s also some less than scrupulous survivors that our protagonists Mace and Mac meet along the way.

Without giving too much away, Stark leaves us with a number of unanswered questions which set everything up neatly for book 2 which I’m really looking forward to reading!

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, horror, Novel, self-publishing

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

July 19, 2025 · 1:47 pm

Grab a free summer read!

Ah, the summer. Lazy days languishing poolside, drink in one hand, book in the other…OK if you’re in England like me, that could well involve a thunderstorm or three and an alternative indoor location, but what the hey!! Wherever you are or are going to be, there’s nothing like knowing that you’ve set aside some time to relax with a book.

Whisper War is a Kindle-only publication, which means providing you have your Kindle with you or even the app on your phone, the wartime adventures of Eddie Bleakledge will always be at your fingertips! Eddie is mentioned in passing in my debut novella Whisper Wood and Whisper War is designed to work as a standalone story but there is something sinister linking the stories together…

Want to find out more? Well Whisper War will be available for free between August 1st and August 3rd right here, so make a note, or bookmark this blog and get on to some free book download joy in the middle of the holiday season!

After you’ve read Whisper War (and maybe even Whisper Wood too!) I’d be really grateful of your reviews, as they really do help self-published authors like me to get our stories out there.

Anyway, take care and have a sizzling summer!

Leave a comment

Filed under Books, free books, Science Fiction, self-publishing, war, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

April 10, 2025 · 7:37 pm

Indie April is upon us!

Now, I’ve got a confession to make. I didn’t realise that Indie April was a thing until this year.

Yeah I know.

That’s not to say I hadn’t probably seen things about it before in previous years, but it just didn’t register with me. In fact, it was a newsletter by the incredibly hard-working indie author Lee Hall that got me thinking. He’s always been (and continues to be) very supportive of fellow indie authors and makes it his business to read and review as many indie authors as he can.

In my own small way, Since last year, I’ve started to consciously read more stuff by fellow indie authors too, by dedicating my lunch break read on my phone to solely self-published books. As well as this being something relevant to say for Indie April, it also gives me a chance to shout out to some of the awesome indie authors who have been supportive of me – either by writing cool stuff for me to read, beta reading my work, reviewing it or by sharing posts like these.

So first of all thanks to Lee Hall. Thanks for keeping my lunches lively (and vampy!) with the excellent Darke books – I’m looking forward to reading more of your work soon!

That’s right after I finish the excellent Echo books by the dirty sci-fi budda himself, Kent Wayne – some mind-bending science fiction going on here, as well as bucketloads of action to boot!

My first actual indie read was probably the Tabitha books by Andrew Hall – a superbly written and realised sci-fi trilogy brimming with imagination, humour and killer characters.

And then there’s the tireless Stephen William Hannah, who seemingly reads more books than any man alive, which means I’m even more grateful that he managed to find time to read and review mine!

So there you have it – my little mention of a few authors who have been kind enough to give me the time of day. I urge you to follow then, subscribe to newsletters and check out their work.

Keep writing, keep reading, keep kind!

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, Novel, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

February 4, 2025 · 11:36 am

Marketing misery in a changing world

There’s been so much talk recently about how the social media platform X is no longer a valid marketing tool for self-published authors like myself. Talk of changing algorithms, link bans and hash tags becoming a no-no. So many authors are saying their followers have dropped off a cliff, they’re getting zero engagements and they getting followed by the dreaded author-bots.

So much to consider and so much to unpack. Back when I started using Twitter, it was a very different place. It felt special and something removed from the regular trolling and keyboard warrior antics you’d see elsewhere. Now it’s anything but and it’s only sheer bloodymindedness that keeps me on the platform. If I were to follow what my morals tell me, I’d leave it today. I’m sick and tired of the tirade of US politics and hateful propaganda that I’m forced to see. And yes, I know I could tell it to not show me certain posts with certain words, but I’m sure Elon would find a way round.

I stay because there are a handful of people on the platform I’ve made genuine connections with, and also a little out of morbid curiosity – it’s interesting if nothing else. I never really used the platform successfully to market my books. Even when it was a very different place, I felt like I was shouting into the void. I’m glad I didn’t spend hours curating tweets, only to have the rug pulled from under me years and thousands of followers later. If you’re one of those people, I really do feel for you.

But what of other platforms? Facebook has just had its 20th anniversary as I write, and already it’s regarded as the preserve of ‘old people’ and behind the times. Other social media platforms shift and change at a rapid rate and it’s become apparent to me that they only way to keep up is to invest time that I just haven’t got. Instead, I’ll keep writing this blog and update my own website, because that’s something I do have control of.

So to end on a positive – lets subscribe to each other’s blogs and sign up to each other’s newsletters. We’re stronger together.

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

January 7, 2025 · 4:51 pm

New year, new newsletter!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you enjoyed the festive season and built in plenty of reading (and even writing) time too!

If you’re already a subscriber to this blog, you may have noticed an extra email in your inbox from myself, explaining my intrusion and also talking a bit about what I have planned for 2025. That mainly amounts to working away at book three of my ‘Whisper’ trilogy, as well as trying my best to market my existing books without spending a small fortune on advertising!

And that’s where you come in! Liking and sharing this blog really does help me spread the word and by signing up to my newsletter, you’ll be the first to hear about everything that’s going on in the world of whispers and also when my next promo is coming up. That’s when I give my existing books away for free, just for a limited time.

I’ll also be sharing other relevant content, like free fiction on my website, reading recommendations and author tips. So come on, unsubscribe to that marketing email you know you’ll never read, and let mine take it’s place! (No-one will ever know).

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, Novel, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , ,

December 27, 2024 · 11:13 am

No Christmas books? Grab mine for free!

I know, I know, it happens to the best of us. That glossy-covered hardback you’ve been craving but could never justify treating yourself to – ‘I’ll put it on the Christmas list!’ you said. Sadly, no dice. Sure you got lots of other cool stuff, and though you’d never buy those slippers yourself, they do make your feet nice and warm and look damn fine to boot!

Anyway, back to the books. Picture the scene. You’re stuck at the in-laws’. You forgot to pack your current read. You need something snappy to send you off to sleep and take your mind off those stomach cramps brought on by over-indulgence of the festive kind. That’s where my first book, Whisper Wood comes in. Why I hear you ask? Well, it’s totally free on Kindle today. So head on over and grab yourself a copy!

And if you can’t wait to find out what happens next, the sequel Whisper War is available for less than a pound, or a dollar, depending on your geographical persuasion.

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, Christmas

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

October 31, 2024 · 9:00 am

Halloween Whispers – for free!

Yes, it’s that time of year where your inbox, social media feeds and pretty much everything else are filled with talk of the spooky season, whether that be ‘spook-tacular deals’ or ‘frightfully good reads’. And while I’ve not yet written a horror story of such, there’s plenty of unsettling secrets to discover within the pages of Whisper Wood, which is why I’m giving it away for free from Halloween through to the following weekend!

If you’ve not yet read this tale of life, loss, regret and erm, grisly murders, what the devil are you waiting for! Head on over to Amazon and download it to your kindle or whichever device you use for your e-reading and get stuck in! I also have a couple of unsettling fiction shorts on this very website which you can also have a read of.

And, if you enjoy Whisper Wood, you can jump straight into the action of its sequel, Whisper War, currently available for 99p (or dollar equivalent) on Amazon as well.

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself some free Halloween reading today!

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, halloween, horror, self-publishing, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

August 16, 2024 · 10:00 am

Grab a free holiday read!

Who doesn’t love a holiday read? Although we’re officially in late summer, there’s still plenty of time to get stuck in, especially if you’ve booked a getaway at the end of August. Even if you haven’t, heading off to the beach, a local park or even your own garden if you’re fortunate enough to have one, is a simple pleasure and a great way to escape.

Let’s go with the late summer holiday scenario. You’re thinking seriously about which books to pack to keep the weight of your case down, lest you fall victim of those pesky airline rules.

“A-ha!” I hear you cry. “One step ahead of you there, my friend, for I have my trusty Kindle app!”

Of course you do, you’re savvy. You’re my kind of people! I know you’ll have every book you could ever want potentially at your fingertips, which is why novellas are great for holidays! Morning by the pool? Job done. Beach break before lunch? Perfect.

I recently launched Whisper War, book 2 in my whisper trilogy, and it’s available for the very affable sum of 99p. Because I’d love it if you’d read it, I’m offering book one, Whisper Wood, totally for free this weekend – Friday 16th-Sunday 18th August inclusive! That’s potentially two great reads for 99p, or one for absolutely nothing!

So go on, do yourself a favour and grab a nice novella or two for your holiday, with no worries about luggage allowance!

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, Holidays, war, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , ,

June 30, 2024 · 11:22 am

Simon says… rename your site!

Well, yes. I love a bit of alliteration, so thought I’d incorporate it in a bit of a website refresh. So what’s going to be new around here?

Well, whether you want to hear about it or not, I’m going to be sharing updates on how the third book in the Whisper Trilogy is going, as well as observations on other things literary and arts-related. That means I can talk about books, movies and music, which gives me a little more scope when I’m stuck for ideas!

If you’re new to my site, welcome and please do have a look around! You can find out more about my books, read what others thought of them and also have a read of some free fiction as well.

Was that enough site links for the time being? No well, you can always follow me on X or on Goodreads, if either of those is in your bookish little wheelhouse!

Bye for now!

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

April 26, 2024 · 12:53 pm

Whisper War is here!

Whisper War is here!

If you read my last post, you’ll remember that Whisper War, the second part of my genre-hopping trilogy of novellas, was soon to be released. Well, now that it’s out and available on Amazon kindle I thought I’d tell you a little more about a man called Eddie Bleakledge.

He’s the protagonist of Whisper War, and if you’ve read Whisper Wood, you’ll have heard a certain Rose Constantine speak his name. He’s her older brother, and as we found out while following the life of that book’s main protagonist Frank, she spent most of her troubled days in Sunnyvale either wondering about his whereabouts or believing that one of her fellow residents was Eddie.

Well, it turns out that maybe Rose did know something we didn’t. We learned in Whisper Wood that Eddie went to war, but what exactly happened to him? And how does all this link up with those mysterious voices that we also heard from in Whisper Wood?

The story of the voices continues to unfold, and this latest chapter is filled with wartime drama and action as well as a generous helping of paranormal mystery. We join Eddie as he lives through devastating conflict, both on the battlefield and in his mind, and learns more about his purpose.

Leave a comment

Filed under Authors, Books, self-publishing, war, Writing

Tagged as , , , , , ,