With its latest release the Harvey Duckman series has reached a landmark of over fifty new and established indie writers spread across nine books, with more to come. It is a project I was lucky enough to be involved in from the very beginning, in a writers meet up in a pub one summer evening back in 2018 when the idea of putting together an anthology of new scifi, horror, fantasy and steampunk stories was first touted.

I half suspect steampunk only got included in that list because I was there and working on the first Hannibal stories at the time. But I am glad it was because we have had some great steampunk stories from other writers over the course of the series.

There have been trials and tribulations along the way, no project as diverse and encouraging of new writers is ever going to go without the occasional pothole along the way. Writers can be an ornery bunch, and at times they pull in opposing directions. There have been moments of wondering if it was all worth it. There have been moments when it seemed like it wasn’t. There has been more than one moment when bottles of rum and cathartic sharing of rage was required. But there has also been the joy of new writers being published for the first time, a big moment for any writer, and more established writers exploring new characters and ideas.

More than one writer who first found an out let in Harvey going to have their first novels come out this year. While more establish writers have found a new audience for there stories and novels between the the pages of Harvey Duckman. But that’s what Harvey does (and by Harvey I actually mean the wonderful CG Hatton and her equally wonderful supportive husband Andy. Because while there are others involved, including me, in the whole Harvey experience without them there would be no Harvey and the world would be a poorer place.

But more importantly than giving a voice to over fifty writers, Harvey has also unleashed over 135 (its actually closer to 140 I think) unique fun interesting and often remarkably thought inducing stories upon a world that otherwise readers might never have gotten to read. Great stories remain at the heart of every Harvey, the quality and breath of these tales always takes the breath of this jaded old hack away. I can never recommend them to readers enough, for within the pages of every copy of Harvey you will find you next favourite author just waiting to be discover (as well as stories by this jade old hack…)

My own offering this time out is a return to my favourite (and sadly least successful) novel The Passing Place and a couple of minor characters who lived in my head for the five years I spent living in Esquiths Piano bar and Grill, because there are always more stories to tell of the inhabitants of that most singular of bars. there are also a few minor clues as to eth sequel that will eventually come to that novel. But if that is not enough to wet your appetite, there are 14 other wonderful stories in HDP7 waiting to be discovered.

So if you have yet to delve into the pages of a Harvey, or have done so in the past and want to reacquaint yourself with the latest book click on the link below, and ‘Welcome to our worlds’