One of the features I like in Storygraph since resurrecting my account is the addition of monthly wrap-ups. The image is my cover collage for last month (Feb 2026). I read 12 books this month, which is about average. I'm working my way through all of the Maigret
Now that the new year has started, many readers will be in the business of setting reading goals for themselves on various apps. It's a practice that seems to excite a lot of strong views.
Today sees the publication of my first novel, The Recluse Rules. It's a literary/psychological horror set in Wales, if that's your bag. Having written 6 academic books previously I wondered what it would be like to write fiction. And the answer is very different, but
For my upcoming novel, I could budget for paying for a person to copyedit or design the cover. I opted for splashing out for the cover, and doing copyediting myself (with the use of a few tools and friendly readers). Having worked at the Open University producing course content for
I’ve set the publication date for my novel, The Recluse Rules, for 27th October (just in time for Halloween, obviously). I hired a designer for the cover through Reedsy, a very useful marketplace site. I’ll blog in another post the value of human vs AI design, but for
One of the themes of The Recluse Rules is cultural appropriation, and also the colonial attitude towards artefacts of the colonised. The reason often given for the British Museum to hold on to artefacts is that they have the expertise in caring for them, and sure, once the original owners
The Recluse Rules, due to be published in October 2025: John has built a fortress out of solitude. After years of careful refinement, his seven Recluse Rules keep him safe: don’t go out, keep neat, maintain routine. Friends Gwen and Emma-Beth accept his hermit habits, and life inside his