New years resolutions are always an exercise in futility and is 2020 taught us anything, its that all plans for a year are built on foundations of sand.

This time last year I wrote that I hoped to write four novels, The three ‘ballad of maybes’ books, starting with Maybe, that was released on the ids of March a few days before apocalypse Corvid really struck. The fourth book I planned to write last year was the third Hannibal Smyth novel ‘A squid on the shoulder’. Needless to say only one of these books was written, and I, like many other writers and creatives, struggled to get words on the page.

In the end I did release two books in 2020, the second of which was acanthology of collected stories, meant to replace ‘A Scar of Avarice’ but that was merely a convergence of events and a response to the general malaise that last year was. However I did write plenty of words, all be it most of then were rejected and ground away at. Belligerent words that form working drafts of Squid and the second maybe novel, both of which are somewhere close to half complete. I also stumbled into the world of non-fiction with my guide to the writings of HP Lovecraft, which is also close to complete.

With all that in mind, over the course of this coming year I can say with a bit of confidence I will be releasing three new books. Which is an excite prospect for me, if not for anyone else. There is a lot of work to do before these hit the metaphorical shelves, but its the goal.

Of course, that’s if we don’t get invaded by Aliens, Corvid doesn’t mutate into a zombie virus, and/or there is a second coming of Odin. Or i just get distracted by life.

But my hopes for the year as a writer aside, let me take this moment to wish all my readers, and friends a better year than the last. May the world get back to something approaching normal, or at least a little less crappy in general. May we all smile more, love each other more and find time to dance on the shores of midnight…

And Finally…

The astute among you may also notice the name of the second ‘A Ballard of Maybes’ novel is not as previously advertised. What can I say, but I feel this is a better title and more in keeping with the original. The really astute who have read ‘Maybe’ may have noticed something else about that title…