I’ve wanted to write a novel all my life and have made good starts on four or five major writing projects since I was in my early twenties, but each time my attention petered out. Writing and performing comedy scratched that itch for a long time and I enjoyed the challenge of regularly writing new material and weaving it together into longer and longer sets. I have also written poetry and even a screenplay over the years, as part of my passion for writing.
The first Covid-19 lockdown provided an incentive and an opportunity to write a project I had been toying with for a little while, a HP Lovecraft style novella set in a British village in the late 1980s/early 1990s. I chose this setting because I felt the story was best served pre-dating certain technological innovations such as the internet and mobile phones, as it feels impossible to write in a modern context without making references to these devices. There is also an element of nostalgia that I wanted to include, as yearning for a past that never was is something of a theme in the story.
Writing something inspired by HP Lovecraft was something I had done before; with some short stories I wrote many years ago and posted online. Although Lovecraft is problematic, in the sense that he held some very unpleasant views on race that unfortunately permeate into his work, his writing style is captivating as are the themes of chaos, cults and unspeakable horrors. I wanted to begin a series that would explore these ideas in a more (though not entirely) modern context, without the problematic worldviews.
I settled into some nice routines whilst furloughed during the first lockdown, being fortunate enough to find satisfaction in spending significant amounts of time writing and working on my allotment. I was able to produce a first draft of The Monksford Incident during that lockdown and, following advice I was given many years ago, I put it to one side with a view to returning to it later, to look upon it with fresh eyes.
When the time came to review and edit, I enjoyed what I had written, made notes and extensive changes and put it aside again. I have repeated this process several times before I sent copies to trusted friends for their opinions. I made further tweaks and began the difficult quest of seeking publication.
I have had offers from publishers but due to the short nature of this work (around 25,000 words) and the niche subject matter, there are limited avenues for publication. The offers I had did not suit the direction I wanted to take this in and after much thought, I made the decision to self-publish on this occasion. As a result, The Monksford Incident, will be made available on Kindle over the coming week with a print run to follow.
I am hugely grateful to all the support I have received whilst working on this project and am excited to be sharing it with my friends, followers and the world in general. I will be promoting this work on my website and on social media over the coming weeks and months.
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