On 26th October 2014, I published my short story collection, Breadcrumbs.
In honour of the little fella reaching two years of age (the terrible twos!) here is a look at all things Breadcrumbs.
What is Breadcrumbs? A collection of 21 short stories, ranging from horrors to fairy tales, flash fiction to novellas, and three comic rhyming poems.
When were the stories written? Between Autumn 2011 and Autumn 2014. Nearly every story was presented to the Birmingham Writers' Group, which I joined at the same time.
Why Breadcrumbs? I spent ages agonising over the title. How do you summarise 21 very different stories? In the end, I chose Breadcrumbs because most have a fantastical element and Breadcrumbs reminded me of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.
And the front cover? I have 21 icons, one for each story, which join together to form the overall gingerbread man shape. I came up with the concept but my illustrator Matt Miles brought it to life with his mad skills.
Which story did you write first? Nine Eleven Five, the story about 9/11. This was my first story after nearly a decade away from writing fiction and the last thing I expected to write about. But when inspiration hits, you have to go for it!
Which story did you write last? Little Girl Lost, my spin-off from The Sheriff. I mostly wrote this novella to bulk out the collection, otherwise the printed version would have been very slim. I was determined to have the collection out before Halloween and happily I caught a cold for two days, so I lay in bed, blowing my nose and hammering the keys of my laptop!
Which is your favourite story? Tricky. I love Crispin the Crooked. I am proud of the rhyming and the chilling ending. I also love The Queen of Hearts, which was performed live on Brum Radio very recently. You can listen to the performance on Mixcloud.
Which is your least favourite story? Not my least favourite exactly but I always feel a bit worried about The Monster That Stares Back. The twist is very unpleasant (I was going through a Stephen King phase!) and I do feel obliged to warn Breadcrumbs readers that there are dark stories inside.
How many copies have you sold? People love asking this. Kindle Direct Publishing don't make this easy to calculate and I can only track back 12 months. Basically, not a lot. I have probably made less than £50 profit. But we're not in this for the money!
In honour of the little fella reaching two years of age (the terrible twos!) here is a look at all things Breadcrumbs.
What is Breadcrumbs? A collection of 21 short stories, ranging from horrors to fairy tales, flash fiction to novellas, and three comic rhyming poems.
When were the stories written? Between Autumn 2011 and Autumn 2014. Nearly every story was presented to the Birmingham Writers' Group, which I joined at the same time.
Why Breadcrumbs? I spent ages agonising over the title. How do you summarise 21 very different stories? In the end, I chose Breadcrumbs because most have a fantastical element and Breadcrumbs reminded me of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.
And the front cover? I have 21 icons, one for each story, which join together to form the overall gingerbread man shape. I came up with the concept but my illustrator Matt Miles brought it to life with his mad skills.
Which story did you write first? Nine Eleven Five, the story about 9/11. This was my first story after nearly a decade away from writing fiction and the last thing I expected to write about. But when inspiration hits, you have to go for it!
Which story did you write last? Little Girl Lost, my spin-off from The Sheriff. I mostly wrote this novella to bulk out the collection, otherwise the printed version would have been very slim. I was determined to have the collection out before Halloween and happily I caught a cold for two days, so I lay in bed, blowing my nose and hammering the keys of my laptop!
Which is your favourite story? Tricky. I love Crispin the Crooked. I am proud of the rhyming and the chilling ending. I also love The Queen of Hearts, which was performed live on Brum Radio very recently. You can listen to the performance on Mixcloud.
Which is your least favourite story? Not my least favourite exactly but I always feel a bit worried about The Monster That Stares Back. The twist is very unpleasant (I was going through a Stephen King phase!) and I do feel obliged to warn Breadcrumbs readers that there are dark stories inside.
How many copies have you sold? People love asking this. Kindle Direct Publishing don't make this easy to calculate and I can only track back 12 months. Basically, not a lot. I have probably made less than £50 profit. But we're not in this for the money!