The Dust Lounge

Tag: Grind Spark

  • Free e-book for your pre-apocalyptic tastes

    Free e-book for your pre-apocalyptic tastes

    Times are worrying. Why not soothe these worries with some pre-apocalyptic dystopian fiction?

    Life is uncertain, it’s easy to panic, you’re cancelling plans, the guidance is unclear, you can’t get any toilet roll.

    So to help send out some good vibes and contribute to the growing lists of things you can do without leaving the house, Grind Spark, my pre-apocalyptic novel is free this weekend. Don’t worry, it is about the end of the world, but viruses do not play centre stage here.

    Longlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2014, Grind Spark is a near-future dystopian novel about growing up in the years leading up to the end of the world. It’s about pretending to be the perfect family. It’s about deciding whether you want to survive.

    Some Amazon and Goodreads reviewers suggested it was:

    “unsettling and totally gripping”

    “a cutting satire of the current, selfie-obsessed, social-media-entrenched generation”

    “Adrian Mole for Black Mirror fans”

    “an exhilarating Ultra HD ride into a near, pre-apocalyptic future”

    Also, my Mom liked it.

    Here’s hoping you enjoy it too – if you do, then I’d absolutely love to hear from you. Reviews (along with coffee, wine and cheese) absolutely make this writer tick.

    Get Grind Spark for free this weekend (UK)
    Get Grind Spark for free this weekend (US)

  • News Bash

    Today I return to the Dust Lounge to move some dust around, and generally bash your eyes with NEWS, sweet NEWS. And this news doesn’t involve any voting, politics or fact-checking so y’all can relax.

    Ripley and Diesel

    NEWS 1 – the Dust Lounge is now populated with AN EXTRA KITTEN. Diesel needed some company, so Ripley has joined us. She’s a proper fiend – loves climbing legs and sneaking around, dive-bombing anything and everything. She’s an independent lady (much like her Alien character namesake), and certainly gives Diesel a run for his money. It won’t be long before she’s operating heavy machinery and kicking ass.

    NEWS 2 – I have made the (possibly rash, and certainly interesting) decision to start officially studying again. It seems that after a 13 year break from using my brain for serious stuff, come September I’ll be starting an MSc Psychology. Learning about the mind, man. This is most exciting. Also, kind of nerve-racking.

    NEWS 3 – This means that I won’t have long before I’m proper busy attempting to study, pay the bills and sleep, so I hereby declare that I need to finish one of my various writing projects before September. That seems like ages away, but it ain’t. It’ll fly by. And I’m saying it here because now you’re my witnesses and so it’s got to happen. It might be a novella, it might be (one of) the novels lurking away on my computer, or it might be something brand new. But whatever it is, it will be done by September.

    NEWS 4 – As I have largely been neglecting the Dust Lounge and the ol’ social networks of late, I’m apologising by putting the e-book of Grind Spark out there for free this weekend! Grab yourself some HAPPY PRE-APOCALYPSE FUN* to cheer yourself up after the general election.

    Hope y’all been doing well and surviving the twitter storms and political fires that are raging out there.

    Until next time, fiends.

    *’happy’ may not strictly be the right word.

  • Official Belated Grind Spark Book Launch day

    Howdy fiends.

    Aaaannnnd, after an impromptu hiatus, I’m back, in a slightly quieter Dust Lounge.

    But not for too much longer, as soon enough we’ll be finding some new fur-babies to chase away the emptiness.

    But, in the meantime, you’re stuck with me and my harmonicas. And we are back in business.

    So, HAPPY LAUNCH OF GRIND SPARK TO ME.

    Yes, I basically missed my own launch party. Call it fashionably late. Call it leaves on the tracks. Call it too sad to talk to anybody.

    But today, I’m calling it Official Belated Grind Spark Book Launch day. Yes, Grind Spark is here, and it wants you to read it.

    It really does.

    It’s had some damn fine reviews from some damn fine people, and thanks to everyone who’s talked about it, mentioned it, read it, enjoyed it. There is nothing better than hearing from readers who have enjoyed reading your book as much as you have writing it.

    So, thanks to you guys.

    And y’all can get it now in paperback and e-book from Amazon.

    Plus, because I just have so much love to give, you can be in with a chance to win a signed copy if you head on over to Goodreads.

    2016 ain’t going so great – we’ve got Brexit, we’ve got Trump – so using the term Dystopian Fiction almost seems a bit redundant. But, if you like near future fiction that might have been dystopian if you hadn’t already watched the news, then Grind Spark is the book for you.

    If you do like it, I’d love to hear from you.

     

    “Forget the well-trodden paths of post-apocalypse humanity and welcome in a world of genetic engineering, anything-goes governance, religious zeal and apathetic clock-watchers.” – Goodreads reviewer

     

    “…as with all good Sci-Fi, it’s not where we could end up that makes the book scary, but how it shows us that the seeds for such failures already exist in the real world.” – Goodreads reviewer

     

    “Deek herself is a wonderful narrator; sardonic, old before her time, painfully clear-sighted. She gives the book a brilliantly grim, dark humour.” – Amazon reviewer

     

    “The characters live on the page, walk out of it and get under your skin.They are totally, and in some examples sadly, convincing.” – Amazon reviewer

    IMG_20161022_103501

  • Win a signed proof copy of Grind Spark!

    With less than two weeks to go until we hit Halloween, it’s getting closer to the official launch of Grind Spark!

    You can already pre-order an ebook copy, but if you want to get your hands on an early paper copy, then here’s your chance. Just enter the giveaway below to win a signed, proof paperback copy of Grind Spark.

    The competition closes at 12am on 25th October, then one lucky winner will be chosen at random.

    Good luck!

    a Rafflecopter giveaway
    https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

    Grind Spark is a dystopian fiction novel about growing up in the years leading up to the end of the world. It’s about pretending to be the perfect family. It’s about whether you want to survive.

    Grind-Spark-Paperbacks

    The competition is open to all residents of US, CA, UK and AU, and closes on 25th October 2016, 12:00am. The winner will be selected at random and contacted to confirm where the proof copy should be sent. In the event the winner does not respond within 48 hours of being notified, the prize will be awarded to another entrant chosen at random.

  • Grind Spark – Cover reveal

    It’s here, it’s here! The cover is done (after much fiddling) and the ebook version of Grind Spark is now LIVE FOR PRE-ORDER at the introductory price of 99p.

    Longlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2014, Grind Spark is a near-future dystopian novel about growing up in the years leading up to the end of the world. It’s about pretending to be the perfect family. It’s about whether you want to survive.

    If that sounds like your cup of tea or favourite beverage, then head over and pre-order your copy now.

    If you prefer a real-life paper copy (because real books smell great, right?) then don’t worry, there will be a paperback version available when Grind Spark officially launches on 31st October.

    Grind-Spark-Kindle-Cover-Web

    Read more about Grind Spark here.

  • Grind Spark News – Release Imminent

    But you said it would be in the Summer?!

    What heinous lies you tell!

    I know, I apologise – to be fair it has still been quite hot here, so it’s kind of summer in spirit. Also, life has a way of getting in the way and things happen and then months have gone shooting by along with your deadlines.

    So here we are, eagerly anticipating the onset of autumn, and it brings with it GRIND SPARK LAUNCH NEWS.

    Here ye, here ye!

    *Leaves rustle*

    Grind Spark be on its way!

    *Bells ring out*

    And it shall be released from its shackles!

    *Kicks leaves about, feels something soft and sticky underneath the tree finger corpses, pretends that never happened*

    And the day shall be October 31st of this fine year of 2016!

    Yes, fiends, it shall be the very day that Halloween is to occur on.

    There you have it.

    It’s set.

    Mark your diaries.

    But what is Grind Spark?

    Longlisted for the Bath Novel Award 2014, Grind Spark is a near-future dystopian novel about growing up in the years leading up to the end of the world. It’s about pretending to be the perfect family. It’s about whether you want to survive.

    COMMENCE BLURBAGE:

    What do you do when the earth is dying?

    You party like it’s the end of the world.

    Deek never had any choice; designed and born in a lab and bought by the Prefin family, her job is to be the perfect daughter.

    And in eight years she is going to die.

    Along with the rest of the human race.

    Bound by contract, Deek must spend the few years she has playing at happy families, while her mother treats her as an accessory, her brother hates her and her grandmother uses her to score social media points.

    And as the Prefins disintegrate under the pressures to enjoy life before the scheduled apocalypse, and their selfishness and cruelty become more extreme, Deek finds support in an online friend. But can he show her what it’s like to care, what it’s like to hope?

    If you see the darkest sides of the human family, would you want to survive the end of the world?

     

  • Creative Input: the weird and the blues

    First up – there’s still time to enter my giveaway to win a signed print copy of Double Vision. You’ve got ‘til Monday 2nd May at 5pm BST and all you’ve gotta do is follow me on Twitter and retweet the below tweet.

    Easy, right?

    But right now it’s time for some creative input. I feel like I’ve been talking a lot about me recently (apologies) so time for a refreshing break into cool stuff made by cool people. Here’s what’s making my brain coils party at the moment.

    Reading: Currently reading David Wong’s John Dies at the End. So far, a lot of fun. A lot of weird-ass fun. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked this up (not seen the film, or read any other of Wong’s books). And so far, I’m still not sure what to expect, and that’s very much a good thing.

    Watching: Z Nation is my current televisual vibe. Ok, so I’ve finished watching The Walking Dead – I’m not sure what I thought about it yet – I mean, it was good, but I feel like there is something more about it I need to process, something I’ll probably write a blog post about soon. But in the meantime, Z Nation is full of some badly needed lighter-hearted zombie relief. (And, noticeably improving with each episode).

    Listening: I’m very much back on my blues harmonica fix at the moment – a surefire way to cheer up after a long day at work, listening to Muddy Waters Sings Delta Blues and dreaming that I’m in a whole different place and a much better harmonica player.

    What about you? I’m off to sort out my to-be-read pile – if you don’t hear from me for a while I might be buried in books. Put out a search party and bring coffee.

  • If you were a book pusher what book would you push?

    Did I mention that Double Vision is out on Saturday? Did I mention that it’s only bloody well available for pre-order now? Yes? Maybe once or twice?

    Well, in an unscheduled interlude to the Double Vision public service announcements, and a possible break (but no guarantees) from cat pictures, let’s talk about books.

    Ah, them damn fine lovely booky smelling books.

    Mmmm.

    MMMM.

    Ah, riffle the pages, smell them fine booky smells.

    *Ahhhh*

    Hang on – you want more book talk? More serious book talk?

    Sheesh, if you insist.

    So, it was World Book Night in the weekend, and hey, World Book Night works – it gets people into reading that maybe weren’t so into reading before. It takes great books, gives them to people, and infects them with reading fever.

    Forget buying classics and pretending to like them so you can look ‘cool’ and ‘intelligent’ in front of your ‘friends.’ I’m not entirely sure who actually would do that, but apparently some people do.

    It’s about enjoying the wordage, getting sucked into the story, laughing or crying or hiding under the duvet.

    So, in the spirit of sharing the fun – what one book would you give to someone to get them into reading? It might not be your all-time favourite book. It might not be a recent read. What’s that book you always have in the back of your mind when someone says they’re not that into reading and your brain is screaming READ THIS, READ THIS GODDAMN YOU, HOW COULD YOU NOT JUST LOVE THIS BOOK?

    *ahem*

    It’s taken me a while to land on just one, and it surely changes day to day, but I’m gonna throw The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes down. Spanning the crime, thriller and supernatural genres with a few things in between, there’s a bit of something for everyone. I love Beukes’s writing, fast paced and hard hitting. My favourite book (although hard to pick) by Beukes would probably be Moxyland, but The Shining Girls would be the one I’d champion for the new-to-reading-reader.

    So what’s your pick? What book would you give that’s gonna give people the reading bug? Share in the comments or over in Twitter-land.

    And did I say I wouldn’t mention anything about cats? I might have lied about that…

    Pixel100

  • Double Vision – available to pre-order now

    I’m just dropping by the dust lounge, casually leaving this link here for y’all.

    When I say ‘casually’, I mean I’m basically falling over my own feet and my head feels like it’s got a party of drunk squirrels inside it but I’m just gonna play it cool because if I let them out they might just run riot and throw some tellies out of some windows and that’s gonna really piss the neighbours off.

    But, I mean, this crazy squirrel buzz is because DOUBLE VISION – COLLECTED SHORT STORIES is now available to pre-order (!) – yes, there’s this listing on amazon and it’s got my words all over it and damn did I make a mess. Hopefully a good mess. Hopefully a mess you might enjoy.

    Should you feel so inclined you can mosey on over and click that pre-order button and then you’ll get yourselves a nice shiny e-book into your e-reader of choice come the end of the month.

    But what are you getting? What exactly is your hard earned 99 pence gonna put back in your pocket?

    Here’s the lowdown:

    Double Vision

    Take a trip through the darker side of our human condition. Travel through near futures where computers are alive, entertainment is ruthless, and our moral lines are blurred.

    DOUBLE VISION is a short collection of shorter stories and flash fiction. Some you’ll have seen in the wild, others are brand new to this book and eager for your eyes. Featuring sixteen tales knitting together 16,000 words, there’s lunch-time length nuggets of horror, science fiction and the occasional side-order of humour.

    DOUBLE VISION also includes an exclusive extract from GRIND SPARK, a near future dystopian novel coming summer 2016.

    Pre-order now, release date 30th April 2016: Amazon UK | Amazon US

        “A sinister commentary on how we have submitted our personal lives as candidates for observation – frequently quite voluntarily and happily – by persons unknown.” – Alice LaPlante on Digital Eyes

    The collection includes:

    Kicking up dust
    Remember Me
    Goodbye, Luscious Pretty
    Job Hunting
    Cold Calls and Roses
    Digital Eyes
    Channel 52
    HTTP ERROR
    Double Vision
    Seventh Floor Consulting
    When the sun falls in streamers
    Straw Man
    Push
    Blood stains grouting
    Lost in Rorschach
    Apocalypsia
    Exclusive Extract – Grind Spark

  • Your indie book shout outs

    Double Vision

    First things first – you lot are bloody lovely you are.

    It’s true.

    Since my last post where I shared the news about venturing into the lands of self publishing, I’ve had so many kind messages offering support, advice and general all round fuzziness it nearly made me emoticon everywhere. It means a lot to hear from you.

    In order to avoid criminal emoticonage, I hereby present to you this video to express my fuzzy gratitude.

     

    Since then, things have been steadily progressing (my face mostly looking like one big question mark during the whole process) but Double Vision – Collected Short Stories is coming together. Formatting checks and preview copies are under way, which leaves a decision to be made; RELEASE DATE(!) So right now I’m aiming for 30th April. Yep, deadlines is deadlines and targets is targets and that’s where I’m gonna aim for, and writing it down in this here internet land means I’m just gonna have to do that now, right?

    But, enough about me.

    Stepping into the self publishing world is scary, it’s daunting, and it’s so bloody large and I can’t swim and bloody hell these arm-bands have a hole in and… glug…sputter….

    So to help me tread water, I want to hear your best indie published reading suggestions to add to my reading list. I want to know the self published books that make you laugh or make you cry or just make you feel weird and slightly disorientated.

    To kick us off, I’m going to say that The Gantean by the wonderfully talented wordsmith Emily June Street is already on my reading list, along with Head Traumas by the surreal bird king James Knight, and The Secret Notebook of Sherlock Holmes by the ever lovely Liz Hedgecock.

    So, over to you – shout out in the comments or over on Twitter.

    I’m off to finalise some edits. ‘Til next time, fiends.