Ransom

Well, the novel is finally seeing the light of day. We have done the final cut as it were and Leggy has to do the final publishing. It will be available on Amazon and other outlets. Given that it’s been twenty years in the making, I’m rather happy at finally seeing it published. Things have changed somewhat in the past couple of decades. When I first wrote this story, I managed to obtain the services of an agent who thought it worth publishing. Unfortunately, she was unable to persuade the gatekeepers of the publishing industry who were – and still are – reluctant to take a risk on new writers. The Internet has made those gatekeepers redundant, for anyone can now set up as a publisher and bypass them with minimal financial risk. Of course, it may well mean that the quality is compromised, but some of the stuff mainstream publishers put out leads me to think that maybe that isn’t such a huge risk.

I make no claims to literary greatness here – it’s a lightweight thriller that is designed to amuse, nothing more. I’ve updated it to take into account changes in technology over the past twenty years and there have been a few slight plot tweaks, but otherwise, it is the same story I originally wrote.

Buoyed by this, I am making a start on another novel. As it involves some serious research, being historical, it’ll take a while. In the meantime, my short story anthology, Blackjack, is in Leggy’s to do pile. He is also producing another Underdog Anthology with an Easter theme. Several of my stories will be appearing in this collection as well. Interestingly, I found myself tapping into a hitherto unknown element of my creativity – I discovered that if I put my mind to it, I can write fiction to order and to a deadline. I am also somewhat better at deadlines than Leggy – but don’t tell him I said so…

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