New Novels
It’s been awhile since I’ve provided an update. Circumstances have changed and I find myself retired from the frontline of cyber security, and attempting to adjust to life with the possibility of time to write on a regular basis. Many folk have noted before, that the reality once it comes around, is never what you imagine it to be. A writing routine is difficult to establish and maintain, and I’ve done so on numerous occasions, managing to keep the habit of sitting down each morning for the time it has taken me to write a novel. Then the habit slips, which is okay as a reset is often required after a sustained period of effort, and then attempts are made to get back into the routine again for the next project. The routine, of course, was slotted around the day job. With the day job now a disappearing memory, the challenge of a new routine is proving daunting.
My plan is to release two new novels this summer. The first of these is called The Kill Ward, and is the sequel to The Kill Chain. It’s a contemporary cybercrime thriller set in a hospital which experiences a cyber attack. It’s take awhile, mainly because after writing the draft I couldn’t face going back through it, and when I eventually did, the plot didn’t quite hang together. A classic case of a decent enough plot, it’s just the execution and fine detail were lacking to lift the story into something more substantial and worthwhile. Fortunately, the effort was found and I’m more than pleased with the result. I’m very impatient when it comes to writing. I would love to be able to nail early drafts and not have to face the work involved in realising the final version. I suspect many writers feel the same.
The second novel has received many rewrites and again the effort has been worth it. Originally, called The Canongate Containment, the present title is Deflection Point. At this moment, this is subject to change. I’ve stressed a great deal over this and suspect I will revert to the original one. This is a detective story set in an imagined future Edinburgh, a dystopian crime thriller if you like, with the city being familiar while tweaks have been made that make this society a little different and edgy to what you may think contemporary Edinburgh is. I’m unclear as to my motivation here, other than realising there are so many fictional Scottish detectives running around solving crimes, I chose to twist my view of a near future Scotland towards a darker, more dystopian perspective. This is not science fiction, and the use of technology featured in the novel is based on present capabilities. I have over thought the novel at times, and debated a rewrite to bring it back to the present day, but have chosen to hold the line and put it out the way it is. I did have fun writing it and the sequel is two thirds complete so it is what it is.
As both books have been proofread and formatted the only thing now is to source their covers. This is challenging and as someone who much prefers a limited choice of anything, this is not going to be easy. I also intend to give The Kill Chain a new cover so I’m going to be busy.
The third book in what is now going to be known as the Kill series, is called The Kill Trick. This has been drafted and is undergoing a rewrite. I have a short non-fiction book called The Kill Files, which provides factual detail to the Kill series and will be given out for free to subscribers, once The Kill Ward is ready for publication. This book has a subtitle of Facts Behind the Fiction. My intention is then to update this with new material whenever a new novel in the Kill series is completed. I can see from the above I have a great deal to be getting on with. I’m hoping I can establish enough of a routine to complete before the summer is out.
The Fiction Factory 