2023 was the first year for a long time that I haven’t written a novel. There’s one simple and very special reason for that: my partner and I had a baby! But despite not having the time for a new manuscript between changing nappies, preparing feeds, broken sleep, and lots of daddy day care, quite a bit still happened in my writing.
For the first few months of the year, I worked with my editor at Headline Wildfire, Jack Butler, and Russel McLean, to edit and proofread a thriller I had already written: Committed. It was my first high-octane / espionage thriller, my first book set in the US, and my first deal with an advance and a print run. The novel got fantastic praise from giants of the genre, like David Baldacci, Anthony Horowitz, Charles Cumming, and Ava Glass. But that wasn’t all.
Once the book came out in August and October (staggered digital / print releases) I experienced another first, thanks to Headline’s publicity head, Rosie Margesson – national press coverage in The Sun and The Financial Times (fortunately, both pieces were very positive!). I’m really grateful to all the reviewers and bloggers who posted about Committed, and in particular to Donna Morfett and Alex Hawley for hosting me live on their platforms to talk about it around the August release.
I also took part in several festivals this year, running a ‘Trauma in fiction’ workshop with crime writer and former detective Graham Bartlett as part of Harrogate’s Creative Thursday, interviewing spy writers Charles Cumming and Jim Naughtie at Bloody Scotland (the less said about the Scotland vs England crime writers’ football match, though, the better…), and teaming up with Jacky Collins (aka Dr Noir), Mick Finlay, and Robert Craven to talk about spooks and sleuths at Newcastle Noir. I also chatted live online with William Shaw and Claire Seeber about writers’ mental health and wellbeing for the Crime Writers’ Association, which I joined for the first time this year, and contributed to a piece for the BPS’s The Psychologist magazine on psychologists who write crime fiction.
Another highlight came towards the end of the year when I signed with literary agent David Headley at DHH Literary Agency. David and I had been in contact for a year or more and, following the release of Committed, we agreed to start working together on a high-octane, international thriller – which we hope will be the start of a great series. I can’t say any more about it for now, but with my son at nursery and a few more hours available every day, that’s what I’m planning to write in 2024. Watch this space!
Thank you for your support to my novels, and I hope the new year brings you enjoyment and success in your own projects, whatever those may be.