Update Winter 2023

Writing update:

I’m continuing work on the next Isabelle Cannon mystery, working title is Death at Rhydsbury Hall, I thought I would be further along than I am but music has definitely eaten into my writing time. Having said that, I’m still looking at a 2024 release for it and going over what I’ve written so far, I’m really pleased with it in the direction, pace and style. Hopefully, this Christmas I can get a couple of days to back to it after the all the hullaballoo has died down. 

What is exciting, well, it excites me at least, is I’ve started to plan out the next two Isabelle Cannon mysteries after Death at Rhydsbury Hall. I have ideas for both of them and have already written the opening chapter to the third book. I think there’s potential to make it a long running series and, with the amazing feedback I received for The Montgomery Canal Murder, I think people will like what I have planned. 

Lastly, as I realise I can’t always write about Isabelle Cannon’s adventures, I have started another horror/sci fi thriller based in the Shimmer universe and carries on after the event in The Shimmer at Fog Cottage. I’m only 7k words into it so far but I’m happy with how it’s going. I have no solid ending yet so I want to get that in stone first before I commit to writing any more. 

Yes, a tip for any writers, make sure you know your ending so you know what you’re writing towards.

Music Update:

My band released it’s latest album, The Ashen Child, in the summer and it’s been a relative success. Our streams are up by 1500% and we’ve done a lot more press this time around which has hampered my ability to find time to write. I think I must have done about 30 interviews in the past 4 months. It seems to be paying dividends though. With gaining some momentum, we’ve gone straight into recording the next album, working title The Devil’s Whisper, and at the moment, Consta is recording the drums. Everyone else is on board. It’ll be eight or nine brand new tracks with blistering fast numbers, moody slow ones and one that grooves a little. If you want to check out The Ashen Child, then click on the links below.

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/album/62W6pwqHsPQIKMH4nbYo6b

Bandcamp

https://thespectrebeneath.bandcamp.com/album/the-ashen-child

Track Listing:

1- Forsaken…We All Fall 6:44

2- Time Dilation 6:45

3- Refuse of the Past 6:38

4- As far as the eye can see 4:44

5- The Ashen Child: New Home 6:12

6- The Ashen Child: Falling off the World 5:22

Total: 36:25

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2024.

Update Summer 2023

It’s been mainly music at the moment rather than writing. My band, The Spectre Beneath, have just released their new album, The Ashen Child. It came out on July 14th and is available right now on all good streaming services. Links below to a few. 

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/album/62W6pwqHsPQIKMH4nbYo6b

Bandcamp

https://thespectrebeneath.bandcamp.com/album/the-ashen-child

Track Listing:

1- Forsaken…We All Fall 6:44

2- Time Dilation 6:45

3- Refuse of the Past 6:38

4- As far as the eye can see 4:44

5- The Ashen Child: New Home 6:12

6- The Ashen Child: Falling off the World 5:22

Total: 36:25

Stevie – vocals

Pete Worrall – guitar/bass/piano

Consta Taylor – drums

Katy Lennon – backing Vocals

Vini Assis – Solos on ‘Forsaken…We All Fall’ & ‘Time Dilation’

Tasos Lazaris – Solos on ‘Refuse of the Past’ & ‘The Ashen Child: Falling off the World’

Paul Dutton – Solo on ‘As Far As The Eye Can See’

All songs written by Pete Worrall and Katy Lennon except ‘Forsaken…We All Fall’ written by Pete Worrall, Katy Lennon and Silvija Bogojevic and ‘As far as they eye can see’ written by Pete Worrall and Paul Dutton.

It’s been a tough project to complete and has left little time for the new book, but I began work on it again a couple of weeks ago. The only problem with coming back to a project is getting back into the story, finding that mindset of writing again and remembering where I was up to. I’ve managed to breach that wall and I’m really pleased with what I’ve done so far, more pleased than I’ve ever been with a rough first go. I’m about a quarter of the way through the book, it’s certainly not going to be as long as Montgomery Canal as I wanted to write a more concise whodunit.

I’ve also started to shape another idea for a book and I REALLY like where it’s going. It’s a return to the horror/thriller style and I have some cool ideas for it but I’m not happy with all the characters yet, so I’m still working on it. I feel it could be epic but it needs a lot of work as I don’t really have a full structure yet. My primary goal is the new book and the two more I have planned after that.

Update Autumn 2022

The last throes of Summer means it's the perfect time to do a little bit of research for the new book. With the hot summer this year, getting out to get a flavour of the locations planned for the new book has been difficult, my dog, Marley, cannot take the heat very well. However, we managed to take a brief tour of Montgomery, Church Stoke and Bishop's Castle before Marley himself became quite poorly. This could be from the farmers fields we crossed as we had a walk around Montgomery, who knows. What a lovely part of the country though, picturesque, quiet, a world apart from life back home.

We had a trip to Montgomery Castle (picture above), a nice little place which very little standing but enough to make it worth the visit. I am definitely planning to include the castle at some point in the new novel. Bishop's Castle surprised me, what a gorgeous little town with perfect Upton Waters vibes to it. I was not planning to include Bishops Castle in the new book, but having visited the place because it was one of the few towns in the area, I think I should be able to squeeze it in. It's for reasons like this I always like to visit the areas I'm planning to include, not only to get a feel of the places but also to stimulate ideas...which they have. 

Talking of the new book. I'm approximately 20,000 words into it and all is going well. I have a tough chapter to do next where I'll get into the meat and potatoes of the plot, chapters like this often require a little more thinking time. The working title is still, 'Death at Rhydsbury Hall' and I hope to get some words done during the long weekend. 

So far, my alpha readers have been very complimentary of the first 4 chapters but there's still a long way to go but I'm feeling very positive about it.

Update Summer 2022

The feedback for The Montgomery Canal Murder has exceeded my expectations. After worrying for a couple of years about whether I could write a convincing whodunit, the wonderful reviews I've received and also widened readership have fueled my enthusiasm for the next book. A few snapshots from people's comments:

"The story unearths the dark underbelly of what appears to be a sleepy northern town, to show it is actually hiding many secrets. All the while Detective Cannon is rekindling her mojo after a series of personal set backs, really loved following her journey alongside the detective work. It's also worth noting the characters in this book are laugh out loud funny, with many hilarious one liners that will keep you chuckling towards the end"

"Excellent read and a must for all lovers of the whodunnit genre."

"Another amazing novel from Pete! I don’t read a lot these days due to time constraints but the Montgomery Canal Murder had me gripped from the word go, just couldn’t put it down."

"This book is an outstanding piece of writing, a great murder mystery story, great ideas and exquisite execution, all of his work is phenomenal."

"It's also worth noting the characters in this book are laugh out loud funny, with many hilarious one liners that will keep you chuckling towards the end."

The last one is my favourite as you don't realise the work it takes to get some zingers organically into the prose. My initial goal was to create a dark but whimsical whodunit and I think I've achieved that. Thank you to everyone who has given me their support for The Montgomery Canal Murder. 

Here's to the next one, 'Death Comes To Rhydsbury Hall'. (working title). More updates when I have them.

Update February 11th 2022

It is RELEASE DAY! Whoop!

The Montgomery Canal Murder is OUT NOW!

It is a murder mystery/whodunit and sees the return of the much loved Isabelle Cannon from The Eyes Trilogy.

You can grab it from:

Paperback & Hardback from my webshop.

https://peteworrall.my-online.store/

Kindle & Paperback from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09QQJ8MF4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Hopefully, all those who pre-ordered it on kindle have had it unlocked and all those who pre-ordered from my web shop have had yours delivered or will get it delivered today. 

It's always an exciting yet nerve wracking time because this type of day comes round very rarely and when it does I'm excited for people to read the new story especially as I think it's my best effort to date, but also nervous because I never know how people are going to react to it. I think it's reat and I hope everyone else does as well.

Chapter 1 is here if you want to have a quick read.

https://www.peteworrall.com/the-montgomery-canal-murder

Thank you for all your support and happy reading.

As an aside, I've kick started my blog again which I had put on hold to complete the book. I'm planning to watch Shut In which I've heard can be streamed on YouTube for free. I feel it could be an important film in the grand scheme of things as it has been produced by independent film makers and not the Hollywood machine which seems to be getting increasingly worse. If I can find it, I'll throw my thoughts into the ring.

Update January 2022 Extra Plus:

STOCK

The stock has arrived. As you can see in the picture, the softbacks and the hardbacks have arrived and the ones who have pre-ordered through the web shop will have their orders prepped and shipped on Monday 7th February. The Hardbacks are great, an excellent product from my suppliers. A big thank you to all of you who have pre-ordered, it makes me feel loved (awwww). You can go to the web shop by clicking on this link: https://peteworrall.my-online.store/

AMAZON

The Kindle version of The Montgomery Canal Murder went available for pre-order last Wednesday (19th). It’s always a bugger to format the book for Kindle but I think I’m getting  the hang of it now as it only took 2 hours instead of half a day. The link is here.  https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09QQJ8MF4/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

Also, Amazon have given me the option to create a paperback directly from them which I’ve taken them up on so you can buy paperbacks directly from Amazon now. They’ve a touch more expensive than the web shop but the option is there if anyone wishes to buy one. I have purchased one to check the quality and they’re ok and not too dissimilar to the ones from my suppliers.

Only 19 days to go until release date, I am really looking forward to hearing what people think of this new book, whether I have a future genre hopping to crime/mystery/whodunit or sticking with the horror/thriller vibe. We’ll see. The PR company i've hired to do a 3 month PR run start on 7th February so I'll be watching with interest to see it pulls in any new readers, I hope so as I think a crime novel is an easier sell than my previous works. Fingers Crossed. Either way, I've started plotting the next book, haha, yes, any creative knows you never really have a break just moments when you don't have time to sit down and do anything.

Update January 2022 Extra:

The Montgomery Canal Murder is up for pre-order on the webshop. You can access this webshop either by click on BOOKSHOP across the top of the page or via this link:  https://peteworrall.my-online.store

The paperback is £10 and the hardback is £17. The Hardbacks are very expensive to have produced but they look the business, they really do.

If you do pre-order, you can use the code PREMONTY15 at the checkout to bag yourself a cheeky 15% off the price of the book, so please order early to both pick up a discount and make sure you have your copy set aside should I get a rush on them. You can also pick up a special off with money off The Devil’s Accompanist paperback, The Unforeseen Children of Olive Shipley paperback and The Brazen Suite parts 1&2 paperback.

In amusing news, I’ve engaged a PR company to spread the word of The Montgomery Canal Murder because I do genuinely believe this is a strong effort. Not only will they send out PR to the UK but worldwide as well, so fingers crossed it can pique the interest of some new readers. If Chris’s stunning and striking artwork doesn’t turn a few heads, I don’t know what will. The opening to the press release makes me sound great! Which I guess is the whole point. Ha!

The Montgomery Canal Murder:  Much-loved Inspector Isabelle Cannon returns in slick cold case whodunnit

UNITED KINGDOM – This latest novel from Pete Worrall sees the welcome return of his much-loved character, Inspector Isabelle Cannon. The Montgomery Canal Murder is a page-turning cold case mystery that oozes British backwater whimsy, but which also contains some profanity and adult themes.

Known more for horror/thriller novels, the author slips with ease into the whodunnit genre, this story is set seventeen years prior to those events in which readers first met the Inspector,

A thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end, fans of Pete Worrall will happily devour this latest work, and those that have not read his work previously will be inspired to read more from this hugely talented British writer.

Update: January 2022

Only 37 days to go until the release of The Montgomery Canal Murder. The test prints arrived just before the festive break and I have to say, the paperback is smart, but the hardback looks amazing, a credit to not only the printers but also Chris Linaker who provided an excellent piece of artwork. The final read through over Christmas has enabled me to tighten it up in a couple of areas before sending it to the printers. I’m very excited as I felt it read very well with a few lines making my laugh out loud even though I knew what was coming.

No Launch Event

Due to the uncertainties of covid and the logistics and cost of putting on a launch event, I’ve sadly had to cancel the plans. The Montgomery Canal Murder will still be release on February 11th via physical and electronic outlets but there will be no launch party, it’s just not been possible…shame.

On a more positive note, my online webshop has had an overhaul. You can visit it from the link at the top or from this link: SHOP

Apart from being more aesthetically appealing, it has enabled me to put The Spectre Beneath CDs on there and will, in the future, enable me to offer discount codes and run special offers, something I’ve not been able to do in the past.

Update: November 2021

Isabelle Cannon Returns!

I love these types of posts. They are rare but ever so satisfying because I can finally say the new book is done. Over three years after The Devil’s Accompanist, I’ve finally completed my latest book. I’m excited because I feel it’s my best piece of work date in plotting, style, characterisation and mystery. A crime thriller it maybe but when I started I wanted to write a whodunit (or a who has done this?) because I’m an Agatha Christie fan. Being a fan of Fleming as well, I wanted to mix the two elements, the twee and the grit, the whimsy and the action with a little my own voice and humour sprinkled over the top.

The Montgomery Canal Murder is finished and will be released via physical copy on Friday 11th February and via Amazon Kindle on Friday 18th February. 

August 27th 1982. 

By the sleepy town of Upton Waters lies a disused and overgrown section of the Montgomery Canal. It's stagnant water hides a grim secret. During summer’s heatwave, the water level drops to expose the body of a strangled, naked woman caged in an upturned shopping trolley. 

New Year’s Eve 1990. 

The bullish Inspector Isabelle Cannon is transferred to Upton Waters Police Station as part of a disciplinary procedure. In an effort to keep her out his way, Sergeant Williams gives her the unsolved murder of the woman dragged from the Montgomery Canal in 1982. 

Expecting to only be posted to Upton Waters for a couple of weeks, Isabelle is reluctant to invest in the cold case, yet, her interest is piqued when she learns the dead woman remains unidentified. Who is she, why was she murdered and is the killer still living in Upton Waters? 

A huge thank you to my Alphas, Martin Worrall and Faye Boyland as well as my Betas, Barbara Worrall, Claudine Hamblet and Terry Broadhurst. A huge thank you to my copy editor, Eileen Draycott as well as Chris Linaker who created the beautiful artwork.

More release news as I have it.

Book news first as this is site is meant for all my writing shenanigans, the new book is coming along slowly but surely. Once again, music has taken up a lot of my time for the reasons I’ll get to and I’m sure you’ll understand why. But, I’m beyond 100k now and my two alpha readers have given me great feedback both on the actual story and quality of it, but also pulling me up on things which do not scan or do not sit right. Some of these things can be fixed immediately, but anything plot wise needs a little more thought as it’s like pulling on a thread of a tapestry, you don’t know what may unravel if you make changes without thinking about them. My new goal is to finish the first draft by 13th June giving me a month to get it done. Once May is out of the way, I think I’ll be able to settle down to finish off the book…still no title yet.

The reason why music has taken over is my band The Spectre Beneath has been signed to a label and the album, The New Identity of Sidney Stone will be released worldwide on 28th May. Yes, my lil ole music project, The Spectre Beneath, has signed to WormHoleDeath Records. They’re an Italian label but genre specific and I’m super chuffed to be able to get my music out to the masses. While that’s happening, we’re still putting together the next album as well so as you can tell, things have been very busy on the music front. 

Release Trailer

You can watch the video from the lead song, ‘Clockwork Heart’ here.

Update April 2021

Suffice to say, my plan was to have reached the end game with the new book by the end of Easter, but, once again, music has hindered my progress as I got 40+ vocal stems for the next The Spectre Beneath album from L and spent several days trying to sort them out and mix them into the new songs. All was not lost, however, as I managed to hit 100k words and only 9 chapters from the end. I consider the end game the final 3 chapters so I'm not too far away.  Either way, I'm making progress. No title as of yet, though. I'm up to date with my editing though with is great news, it means once I've finished, the laborious task of editing is lessened somewhat. phew! 

I had a trip to the Eyes in Warrington over Easter and where the main growth of hogweed was is not just mud as the whole area has been flattened (see pic). Hogweed is still around the eyes, but the company who own the land have wiped most of it out. I don't know what they're planning, if anything, but it was odd to see after many years of seeing an area out of control in regards to nature.

The new The Spectre Beneath Album, ‘The New Identity of Sidney Stone’ has gone down well with some great feedback coming from review outlets and listeners. You can buy the physical copy at the Bandcamp page or grab the electronic version from any digital outlet including Bandcamp, Amazon, Google, iTunes etc… You can also stream it on Spotify.

You can watch the video from the lead song, ‘Clockwork Heart’ here.

Album number three, Forsaken,  is already in the recording process and I hope to have that completed by the end of june.

Update March 2021

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster since the last update. In book terms, I’ve passed two thirds of the way through, 87,000 words in the bank and some great feedback from my Alpha reader. I’ve had a good couple of sessions planning out the rest of the book about what goes where, it just needs me to settle down and write it. The good news is, I have another week off in a couple of weeks where I hope to sink my teeth in to the final third and really make some traction on completing the first draft.

I’ve been quite rigorous in my editing this time. Usually,  I wait until I’ve completed the book before going back to the start, however, this time I’ve write about 5000 words and then go over it, send it to my alpha reader who suggests changes and notices errors, sends it back and I make amendments. This method really alleviates the long, arduous editing process at the end of the first draft because it’s more than just a first draft. The edit can be really soul destroying so any method which will soften this is welcome.

The interesting news which has prevented me from making the required headway into the book is I’m in negotiations with a record label over my The Spectre Beneath music. This is all very exciting and has taken up a lot of my spare time over the past four weeks. I received an email from the host of a French radio show who suggested I send it to a chap at this label, which I do, and four days later I received an email back saying they were interested in working with The Spectre Beneath.  This is great news and will make the next couple of months very interesting indeed. More updates when I get them. 

The new The Spectre Beneath Album, ‘The New Identity of Sidney Stone’ has gone down well with some great feedback coming from review outlets and listeners. You can buy the physical copy at the Bandcamp page or grab the electronic version from any digital outlet including Bandcamp, Amazon, Google, iTunes etc… You can also stream it on Spotify.

You can watch the video from the lead song, ‘Clockwork Heart’ here.

Album number three, Forsaken,  is already in the recording process and I hope to have that completed by the end of june.

Update February 2021

After spending a over a week in isolation, even more isolation than normal during lockdown, I've managed to hit 70,000 words today (7th Feb) for the new, as yet, untitled book. It's working title is Canal, but it will not be this at the end. There is still lots of work still to do. My soft-target is to have it written by Easter, that might be pushing it because the last third is going to be tough and complex as I try and bring this whodunit together, but at least it's a target.

I have been given a belated Christmas Present of 34 Hammer Horror films and The Exorcist III, that should a/ keep me quiet for a bit and b/ get the creative juices flowing even more as I find older films to be filled with really cool ideas as they don't seem to be as formulaic as modern cinema. That's my perception anyway. Granted, 60s and 70s cinema may be just as formulaic but I find it a little more unpredicatble. 

50s cinema is something I just can't get along with though. I watched The Quatarmass Experiment the other day and I really enjoyed the story and some of the ideas. The presenation from the wooden acting, the machine gun dialogue left me cold and un-invested. Still, each to their own, but I think cinema took a giant leap and probably came of age in the 60s and 70s.z

The new The Spectre Beneath Album, ‘The New Identity of Sidney Stone’ has gone down well with some great feedback coming from review outlets and listeners. You can buy the physical copy at the Bandcamp page or grab the electronic version from any digital outlet including Bandcamp, Amazon, Google, iTunes etc… You can also stream it on Spotify.

You can watch the video from the lead song, ‘Clockwork Heart’ here.

Album number three, Forsaken,  is already in the recording process and I hope to have that completed by the end of May.

Update January 2021

Happy New Year, I hope you are keeping well amidst this lockdown. It can be difficult both mentally and physically so keep yourself healthy, safe and look out for each other.

One of the positive aspects of Lockdown is it have given me time to crack on with the new book. A lot of 2020 was spent on the new The Spectre Beneath album and when that was completed, I took a month to promote that before sitting down and carrying on with ‘Canal’. But, another 10k words are in the bag over the Christmas period, and I’m making good on the momentum and keeping it going into the new year. I’m really enjoying getting back into it and I hope that comes out in the writing itself.

I have a title in mind, but I'll keep that under wraps for now, I just want to get further into the story which seems to becoming increasingly complex by the day. 

The new The Spectre Beneath Album, ‘The New Identity of Sidney Stone’ has gone down well with some great feedback coming from review outlets and listeners. The album was out on 27th November and you can buy the physical copy at the Bandcamp page or grab the electronic version from any digital outlet including Bandcamp, Amazon, Google, iTunes etc… You can also stream it on Spotify.

You can watch the video from the lead song, ‘Clockwork Heart’ here.

Here’s to album number three.

Update July/August 2020

Hello everyone, work on the book continues, slower than I would like but these things take time.

The good news is I've been getting feedback 5000 words at a time and so far it's been really good and I'm having a blast writing it, so, please have patience with me, I'm getting there, it will be worth it, I promise. 

In the meantime, I've been busy with the new The Spectre Beneath album. It is called The New Identity of Sidney Stone and I'm just awaiting 1 guest guitar solo and then it's off to be mixed and mastered. I'm hoping for a release date in November/December 2020. 

Track Listing:

1. Clockwork Heart

2. Voice in the Static

3. Broken

4. Have you waited for the World to Change?

5. 20 Shillings a Town

6. Last Light in the House

7. The Criminal: Sidney Stone

8. The Funeral of Sidney Stone

9. The Premature Burial of Sidney Stone

10. The Phone Call to Sidney Stone

11. The Exhumation of Sidney Stone 

Line up:

Vocals: L Lockser

Guitars: Pete 'Paz' Worrall

Drums: Consta Taylor

Update May/June 2020

Hello everyone, this update is a long time coming. I apologise. I decided to take a break from the writing and concentrate on music and released two albums in 2019 (details below). I’m only producing one album this year which has freed up some time to write the next book and progress is going well. It’s still the whodunit, but I have some good momentum. The working title is still ‘The Canal’ but this will change and I think I have a suitable title for it, I just want to stew on it for a little while. 

More updates when I have them.

In 2019 I released two albums:

The Downfall of Judith King by The Spectre Beneath.

Line up:

Vocals: L Lockser

Guitars/Piano: Pete 'Paz' Worrall

Drums: Consta Taylor

The Downfall of Judith King CD is available from bandcamp. https://thespectrebeneath.bandcamp.com

The digital download is available from Amazon, Google, iTunes etc...

https://www.facebook.com/TheSpectreBeneath

Children of the Myths by Plague and the Decay 

Line up:

Vocals: Raphael Gazal

Guitars: Pete 'Paz' Worrall

Drums: Constan Taylor

Grab it from https://plagueandthedecay.bandcamp.com/

or

Amazon

Update 5/01/2019

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you all had a good festive season and smashing new year. I’m hoping to crack on with The Canal this weekend. I always take a break over the festive period because I find my mind is never truly on the script and writing when distracted will hurt the story. Plus, with lots happening, settling down for three to four hours at a time is rare over Christmas and New Year so I came to the conclusion a few years ago that it is best to leave it all and pick it up when the world returns to normal. However, I’ve managed to keep the blog ticking over and I have a stack of films to get through. Keep an eye out for Psycho 2 and The Blob.

A big thank you to anyone who bought any of my books for Christmas, your support means the world to me and give me the impetus to keep going. 

Analysing The Canal’s story suggests is going to be a lot more complex than I had envisaged, still, I’ve got to take on these challenges otherwise how does one progress.

More news as it comes

Update 27/10/2018

In case you missed it or had technical issues trying to access the station, my guest appearance on Radio Warrington's Culture is now available to listen to right here. Just either click HERE or on the picture or on the LISTEN option along the top of the screen. This will take you to all things audio.

A huge thank you to Andy Green and Brian Spooner for not only inviting me onto their show but also making me feel very welcome because, if I'm being honest, I don't think they get many horror writing metal heads on their show. They said they'd like to get me on when I finish the next one.

We discussed many things including Doctor Who, Hammer, influences, using Warrington as a back drop to The Eyes and The Devil's Accompanist amongst many other things. 

Another big thank you to Chris Linaker who recorded the show and Andy Green who sent me the MP3s, both versions made editing it into one abridged piece very useful.

Lastly, thank you to everyone who tuned in and showed their support on Facebook and Twitter. I tried to get a few shout-outs in but I must try harder I think.

Due to copyright, I've had to edit out the music. I've also taken out the News, ads, what's on and the quiz (sorry Brian), but, even with all that removed, it's still almost an hour long. Have fun listening while I get on with The Canal.

Update 21/10/2018

The lovely people at Radio Warrington have asked me to be their guest on their Arts and Culture program to talk about my work as an author, my books and what I’m currently working on. Who knows, I might even drop some surprises about what I’ve got planned.

The show is on 8pm-10pm on Thursday 25th October. You can listen live on Thursday by either tuning into 1332AM or directly from their website: www.radiowarrington.co.uk (click on the link or the picture to go directly there.)

I’ve been asked for 6 songs so they can intersperse them throughout the show. Anyone who knows my musical taste will know that might be a bit tricky considering the middle of the road audience. Why not tune in on Thursday to find out which ones make the show.

My go to Channel on the television, unsurprisingly, is the Horror Channel and they are running a Hammer Classics season from November 3rd. At present, I don’t know what films they’re planning to show but my guess is Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing will be in most of them. I can see it as a perfect time to kick start my blog where I’ve been revisiting some of the old horror films, (The Crimson Cult, The Gorgon etc...), and I’m looking forward to watching some of the classics with fresh eyes.

In regards to The Canal, I’ve written myself into a corner I was not expecting to find myself. This happens sometimes, but is nothing to worry about, or at least it’s something you become accustomed to. It occasionally happens when you’ve not planned a scene properly, but it also happens when a scene or a chapter grows beyond what you actually intended. As a writer you have to be flexible because you get ideas as you go along and, for me, it’s a good sign because it means my brain is ticking over, musing the characters and plot and adding more detail. As we all know, the devil is in the detail and this has to be a good thing. 

For more details on The Canal, listen to Radio Warrington on Thursday 8pm-10pm 1332AM or directly from their website: www.radiowarrington.co.uk.

Pete

Update 30/09/2018

My friend Lee Mountford has just released his new book, ‘The Mark’. The Mark is a terrifying standalone horror novel. If you like mysterious depraved forces, tales of the occult, and stories that will have you looking under the bed, then you’ll love Lee Mountford’s gripping tale!

A Satanic cult. A woman's brutal assault. Can she face her darkest fear before a demon is unleashed from hell?

Kirsty Thompson is no stranger to trauma. But when a vicious attack leaves her drugged and disoriented, she never expected to wake up to a permanent scar. She starts having demonic visions, all linked to the ancient symbol carved deep into her back…

With the help of her best friend Amanda, Kirsty discovers that the mark originates from The Devil's Bible and forges a connection between her and a terrifying creature. As they track the man who assaulted her to a satanic cult, the beast hunts them from the shadows. Can Kirsty escape the devil worshippers and her bond with the heinous creature to save herself from eternal damnation?

You can buy the Kindle and Paperback version on Amazon now. Just click  HERE.

Click HERE to visit Mark’s Amazon author page.

In other news, progress is being made on The Canal (working title) and I’m having lots of fun writing it which is the main thing. Because it’s a whodunit, planting seeds and red herrings and making sure it all fits together is quite tricky, but I guess it all boils down to how much detail a writer wishes to put in. I promise lots of tea will be drunk as per usual. I’ll be on a research trip to Maesbury Marsh today, 30th September, to see if there are any landmarks worth including etc… The book is not set in Maesbury Marsh but it could get a mention.

A friend of mine and his family went to visit Hilbre Island the other week. He gave his son The Shimmer at Fog Cottage to read after their visit. I believe he enjoyed the novella but did say he noticed how graphic the violence was, at least more graphic than Harry Potter. This was interesting feedback as I had not considered the levels of detail for action and violence, as a writer, I simply write whatever I think is best as should every writer or creative person.  Also, my friend is struggling to finish The Devil’s Composer because he is finding it an uncomfortable read. This is great news as it means at least my work is having an effect on someone.

Back to The Canal, see you in the next update.

Pete

Update 06/09/2018

It's been a rollercoaster of a month. As soon as The Devil's Accompanist was released, I got a new job. Sadly, writing doesn't make me a lot of money. Like most writers, we write for the love of it and not for any sort of fiscal gain, although, deep down, this would be the ultimate goal. I guess doing their hobby for a job would be everyone's ultimate goal, not just for a writer. As you can imagine, my time has been taken up with other things of late and finding a few hours to catch up on writing has been a luxury, but things are settling down which has given me a chance to type this update.

Response to The Devil's Accompanist has been positive with the first Amazon review stating, "Pete's books are on par with Steven King novels, a range of stories within a main story. You will not be disappointed with this book, every turn of the page leaves you wanting more."

The great news is, my online book shop is doing free delivery on all my books for the next few weeks, so now is the time to pick up either a paperback or a hardback.

Progress on The Canal stalled with the new job. The one thing about writing, and this is purely from a personal point of view, is you have to be in the correct frame of mind to do it. If you're not focused on it or in 'the zone', then the writing can feel forced and a tedious process. I felt I wasn't focused on it enough so I took a break from it. The good news is, I've started cracking on Chapter 4 and enjoying the process once again.

As well at The Canal, I've been gathering ideas for another story about a chap just back from travelling and goes to his friend's 30th surprise birthday party only for his friend not to show up. What does show up is...I'd love to tell you more, but...spoilers. 

That's it for now. Keep reading and any feedback you may have will help and improve future projects.

Update 03/08/2018

Release date is here, The Brazen Suite Part 2: The Devil’s Accompanist is available now from Amazon Kindle, my online bookshop or directly from myself. Here are the links:

Amazon Kindle

Online Bookshop

The release of The Devil’s Accompanist signals the end of a long journey which began in late 2014. Part 1, The Devil’s Composer, was just a short story and it wasn’t until I went to film school and submitted my synopsis for its screenplay to my tutor that I started to expand on the initial idea. My tutor said my synopsis only had enough in it for fifty minutes to an hour, certainly not enough to stretch to a full length film. I already had an idea of what would happen next in the story and where I thought it should go, so I updated the synopsis combining the extra ideas with The Devil’s Composer to which my tutor approved.

However, the idea was The Devil’s Composer with parts of part 2 melded together and, in the end, did not resemble the original source material. When my course finished, I decided to put the screenplay on hold and write a follow on to The Devil’s Composer. Although planned as another short story, it didn’t take long to realise there were enough ideas floating round to produce a full length novel.

My day job was a rollercoaster so it was difficult to sit down and concentrate on it but every day the frustration of not getting on with it began to weigh heavily. I even wrote The Shimmer at Fog Cottage as a break from The Devil’s Accompanist and it wasn’t until my day job ended did I have a chance to settle down and complete it. It’s taken three and a half years to reach this point but I finally got there and I’m pleased with the result….Now that’s over, next challenge.

01/08/2018

The books have arrived and I'm really pleased with them, especially the hardbacks, what a buzz. If you have pre-ordered any of The Brazen Suite from my online shop, they will be posted out today. You may even get it a day early, it all depends on Royal Mail. 

To grab The Devil's Accompanist in either paperback, hardback or the combined version with The Devil's Composer in either paperback or hardback, you can either grab one direclty from me or visit my online bookshop by clicking HERE.

You can also grab it on Amazon Kindle as well by visiting my author page HERE.

Another thrill is finally having The Eyes story released in hardback. It's taken a while to reformat them but they are now available now via myself or my online bookshop. 

As previously mentioned, The Shimmer at Fog Cottage is also finally available both from myself and my online bookshop.

I'm a week behind on my blog but I have five more movies to write up. Once Friday's release date is out of the way, I can catch up on them.

My Alpha reader from The Devil's Accompaist has agreed to Alpha read The Canal (working title), which is great news as it really helps focus the writing process. I would love to get it all written, done and dusted in time for Christmas...I love a challenge.

I hope you all enjoy The Devil's Accompanist. Happy reading.

Pete

Update 29/06/2018

Here is the artwork for the paperback version of the combined The Devil’s Composer and The Devil’s Accompanist. The other covers were the for kindle versions for each release. I am not planning to release either book as a standalone paperback, this is due to The Devil’s Composer only being a fifth of the length and thus would not actually make a paperback. I hope you like it.

The beta notes finally turned up a week and a half late but at least they arrived. The latest version of The Devil’s Accompanist is being proofread as I type this so things are moving along nicely now. 

Exciting news for The Canal (working title). I’ve completed the planning (it’s been complex) for the next book and I’m ready to go. I think it’s going to be a tough one to write, but then again, all books are. As this one will be a whodunit, the process of planning it has been slightly different as I’ve basically come at it from back to front. I’ve also set myself a writing challenge starting from 1st July where I have to write 15,000 words a week for 5 weeks. I think The Canal will benefit from momentum and continuous writing rather than taking 3 years to complete (cough cough The Devil’s Accompanist). I’m excited with what I’ll come up with.

That’s all for now. Please check out The Blog of the Hollow and sign up to my newsletter.

Cheers

Pete

Update 17/06/2018

Bad news has hit the release of The Devil’s Accompanist. I was planning for a July release but the Post Office has lost the notes from one of my Beta readers. Even though it was recorded delivery, it’s still not turned up and I can’t declare it as lost for 2 weeks after the due date which is 3 working days, which means, the post office will not start looking for it for almost 3 weeks which really impacts my schedule. This is very frustrating because the post office had one job to do…just one. Of course, if I complain they’ll advise me it should’ve gone via special delivery, but what the hell are 1st class, 2nd class, recorded for? What’s the point of that service if this is the case? As for a revised release for The Devil’s Accompanist…your guess is as good as mine.

As frustrating as it is, it’s enabled me to crack on with finishing up the artwork for the planned re-release of The Devil’s Composer as well as The Brazen Suite Anthology and a big thank you to Chris Linaker once again for his efforts as I think the art looks fabby.

Chris has also helped with tweaking the artwork for the re-release of The Eyes. This artwork is for Kindle only and more details on this re-release will be forthcoming. However, I’ll just mention the 8 year wait to revisit the first few chapters has been done and I’m much happier than before. I was never satisfied with some of the clunky narrative, telling rather than showing and clichéd interplay between the characters. I've learnt a lot since I first wrote that book. It’s all fixed now.

Cheers

Pete

Update 08/06/2018

Most of this week has been spent on cover art for the new book and the re-releases. It’s a process I both love and loathe. I love it because when its finished it’s a snapshot, a negative, a frame of my imagination captured in full glossy colour, and knowing this will be the end result is motivation in itself to push for the best cover I’m able to produce at the time. I loathe process because it’s a tedious, frustrating and long winded process that takes seven times longer than it should do. I might write a blog about the whole process more as a cathartic piece than anything else. 

But this final art for The Devil's Accompanist and I'm really pleased with the result. I don't have a release date yet but I'm hoping for the middle of July. I'll keep you updated.

I've also been sorting the artwork for the re-release of The Eyes series. There's not much to change as the books will still be grouped in their original releases so only a small aspect will change from each release. 

That's it for now, see you next week.

Cheers

Pete

Update 23/05/2018

There are lots of shenanigans going on behind the scenes at the moment, all good I'll have you know. It's all about repositioning, re-issuing, targeting and the best way forward. As well as all that, work has begun on the cover art for the new book and, as a sneak peak, I've posted up a thumnail of the unfinished artwork. It gives you a flavour of it and so far, I'm really pleased. It's being done, as ever, in conjunction with good friend Chris Linaker.

You may notice it says, Brazen Suite Part 3, this is because I am thinking about splitting it in two with the short story being part one. This is not concrete yet, it's just an idea I'm musing over. Nothing is final yet, I just thought i'd share where everything is up to. The new book is still with my lovely beta readers.

As you can see on the left, Isabelle Cannon's twitter feed is live again, please follow her for inspirational messages and her own unique insights. 

Please try the 'They Grow Upon The Eyes' quiz. Just click on 'Activites'  on the menu bar or scroll further down.

Cheers

Pete