Hey there, and Happy June to you. 
It’s been a while since I checked in, but I wouldn’t want you to think I’ve been sitting around doing nothing. Au contraire my lovely friends. I’ve been writing and plotting and, well, the fruits of all that labour are about to land, so we’d better get straight to it…

First off, a couple of years ago those lovely people at Fahrenheit 69 asked me if I fancied writing a Novella for them. I’m not sure what they were expecting but I came up with Death of a Sinner, a novella that puts Danny, Caz and the gang from the Marq into the world of Reality TV and features Cartier Cobb, one of my favourite creations ever. 
For various logistical reasons, the book went out of print not long after it was published, and has been one of those things that Danny fans and collectors have asked me about again and again. 
Well, the good news is that the beauties at Fahrenheit Press have decided to republish it as a beautiful shiny limited edition to celebrate Pride 2021. Profits from this edition will be going to Giveout , a wonderful charity who support LGBTQI  organisations around the world, ensuring that they have more of the resources they need to defend their communities and campaign for equality.
I’m told that the book will only be available til the end of the month so if you’re one of the people who has sobbed on my shoulder at various bars and bookshops about the fact you didn’t buy Sinner last time it was a available then this is your chance to grab a short funny twisty read and help your fellow humans.  You can get it from Amazon or direct from Fahrenheit Press.

Next month I’ll be releasing the fifth Danny Bird Novel – Death at Dukes Halt. Well I say “I”: My publishers do all the editing and cover design and postage and packaging. All I do is write the bloody things. And writing this one was an absolute blast (but more about that next month). I’m not allowed to give too much away about this one yet. Fahrenheit have sent a dead canary in a box every time I’ve accidentally disclosed something they were deliberately holding back and I’m running out of places to store the boxes, but I can say that the early readers have loved the book, which has been described as “Like Agatha Christie, Noel Coward and David Sedaris having tea together.” The book is up on pre-order at the moment at the publisher’s website at a special pre-publication price, and I’m genuinely super proud of this one. To pre-order it, click HERE.

Ahead of publication I’ll be appearing at the Blood Bros Big Book Blowout talking about Dark Laughter on a panel with some amazing crime writers. The tickets for this brilliant festival are entirely free and available from here.

And if you want to see what Simon Bewick thought of the book (hint: he compared it favourably to the work of Lawrence Block, a personal hero of mine) and see me reading a little of the book (and earning one of those canaries from my publisher) you can pop over to the Bay Tales website and check out this brilliant event: Bay Tales Live #6

What else? Oh, June 10th is the first birthday of the Noir From The Bar anthology. This brilliant collection of stories features work from some of the luminaries of British crime fiction, all profits go to NHS charities and my story The Return, about a  gangster who returns from the dead to get his revenge on the person who grassed him up all those years ago. The book’s still available and the stories are all perfect for sitting in the garden sipping a G&T ( though other beverages are both available acceptable). 

Then just this week another dream came true. Years ago, I used to read Writers Magazine every month and dream of one day being a writer. I still read it today, so you can imagine my pleasure when the lovely people at that august journal messaged and asked if I’d like to write a piece for them. I did, and it’s up on their website along with some of my top tips for writers. You can read it by clicking here.

That’s about it for now. I’ll write more next month and also give details of a competition to celebrate the release of Death at Dukes Halt. 

For now, whatever you’re doing, be well, be safe, and know that you are loved. 

Reading:
Pure by Jo Perry is an amazing novel. Part crime story, part ghost story, part meditation on the nature of grief and guilt. I devoured it and I think you’ll love it too. Out July from Fahrenheit Press. 

No Quarter Given by Neil Broadfoot. The Connor Fraser novels just keep getting better, and this one – out later this year – is jaw-droppingly good. Dark as f*ck. Unbelievably tense. And twistier than an Irish dancers ringlets. Highly recommended. 

Watching
Husband and I have spent the past few weeks watching Game of Thrones from episode one to the very end. We tried watching it first time round but the red wedding upset me so much I couldn’t get past it. This time, we powered through and we absolutely adored it. 

Went to see the new Angelina Jolie movie Those who Wish me Dead. The plot had more holes than a golf course, and the whole thing was a bit Hallmark-does-thriller, but oh my God how wonderful was it to be back in the cinema?

Listening 
They’re almost a year now but not a day goes by without me blasting Kylies Disco album, Melanie C’s Mel C (and especially the Todd Terry mixes of Overload) and Gaga’s Chromatica.