Tobey Alexander's Blog

Real life!

Again the absences come and there are many reasons/excuses for this which include the following in summary……I am being assessed for Autism Spectrum Condition (formerly Aspergers), my oldest son has a low-end muscle issue where they are affecting his joints and showing raised levels of enzymes indicating they are degrading slightly, my youngest son is also in the process of being assessed for ASC Aspergers, home has been turbulent and my wife has breast cancer. So you’ll have to excuse the up and down nature of my writing, posts and interactions.

Back to the lighter side of things.

I am aware my advertising attempts have been shocking and while all this has been happening most of you will have missed the fact I have released a new book in my MAGDON SERIES and also the fact I have started writing a new addition to the world I created in BLACKOUT.

Onto that project, it is tentatively entitled COLLAPSE and brings back the same characters (plus new ones of course) and can be seen as an addition but read aside of BLACKOUT if needed. I expect a late 2019/early 2020 release all being well. I’ve had to shelve REAPER’S JOURNEY as it felt a little macabre writing about Death and the Grim Reaper considering my wife’s diagnosis and fight ahead of her. The second in that series is 40,000+ words in so it’s over halfway but it’s just not right at the moment hence the shift to COLLAPSE.

Well, with the whole world created for BLACKOUT being based on the local landmark of the Kimberley Water Tower it felt fitting to keep the local feel for the continuation. Instead of subversively using the influence of something local I have actually based a section of the book at a site that I discovered on one of my “escape from life” bike rides last summer. It is simply the remains of a castle in the middle of a field surrounded by an abandoned farmhouse and farm. The perfect setting it would seem to fit into one of my stories. As a result, I have explicitly used and named the site and aim to bring it alive in COLLAPSE.

So I introduce to you the setting for the opening (at least) of Collapse in the form of Codnor Castle, a place that has stolen my imagination on my rides and I often find myself just having a timeout there. I am hoping to bring the heritage trust on-board as and when the project is finished. But you can find out more on their website link below and also see my pictures and how/why it has stolen my imagination so much.

CODNOR CASTLE OFFICIAL WEBSITE

BLACKOUT AMAZON LINKS

UK AMAZON

INTERNATIONAL AMAZON

My (c) photographs of my inspiration:

570!

Sometimes in conversation I may say random numbers, it isn’t the fact I am reciting your phone number, it’s usually how many words I’ve written that day or in a given situation. Five-hundred-and-seventy is how this New Year has started. It marks the beginning of BOOK II in the REAPER’S JOURNEY SERIES and I was thrilled to drop back into my world of Death and the afterlife. I mean, don’t get me wrong, 570 words is hardly a novel but it’s a foundation.

Since Christmas, it has been a very odd week and a bit for me, I won’t lie and there’s stuff going on that has dragged me from writing and out into the countryside. Normally people around me can tell when I need to re-centre myself or clear my head as I tend to disappear on a bike ride or walk in the countryside. I am still trying to work out a load of stuff that keeps throwing me akilter but I’m sure I’ll get there and when I do I expect I will inarticulately try and explain what’s going on.

In fairness, I expect it will probably put some explanation behind some of the ideas that tend to tumble from my imagination.

I am looking forward to writing (working title) Enchanted Souls and haven’t really set myself any real targets. I know the book has to be ready for Halloween 2019 as per my promise to delivery them once a year (yes I know I should have written all three then gone back-to-back with releases but if I don’t release fairly close to when I’ve finished it I may just shelve the project and never finish it. I’ve spent too many years wasting countless hours of work only to shelve, delete and forget many projects along the way.

I know I can be cryptic on occasion but that’s just the way I have to work sometimes.

Anyway, I need to add to my 570 words and get building the next instalment.

Rolling with it

Being a (wannabe) author…..OK someone is already telling me off for saying that I know…..can be a turbulent and unpredictable ride. One minute you can have all the faith in the world and the next day the rug is pulled from under you. It’s never easy to know what the day will bring in respect of writing and seeing as this is not my full-time profession there are many external factors that “interfere” along the way too.

At the moment, however, I am on a bit of a roll. As of Christmas Eve I managed to put the final elements of the next Magdon novel in position so I have a basic edited manuscript that I will now shelve until the end of January when I will resurrect it for a full edit. Since arriving home from my course I have managed to muster together some 15,000+ words to finish the story I started in June!

I am very happy with how it has panned out and I think it is another worthy addition to the mythology of my monsters, adding new elements and firming up things already set in the first. The hardest part was the end and at the moment that has two possibilities…….I have written both and will decide when it feels right as to how the story will in fact end.

Since finishing (working title) Into The Dark 2 I have allowed myself to reconnect with Christian Thomas to add book 2 to the Reaper’s Journey series. I’ve got my little notebook out and am scribbling away ideas which fills me with confidence. I want this series to be something special and am enjoying the hard work of creating something new from the depths of my head. I have whole worlds and places to create which makes this an even bigger challenge for me.

On a side note over the last 4 days I have seen some brilliant take-up from INTO THE DARK and ASCENDING BEYOND which, thanks to you readers, has seen me sitting in the Amazon Top 100 (as high as #13 in one category) so thank you from the very depths of my heart. I only hope that those who have downloaded the book actually read it and if you do enjoy it then consider leaving a review.

I know I keep going on about reviews but they are so so so so so important in encouraging people to trust me. I know I am an unknown entity and it’s hard to stand out from the crowd if people don’t commit to page their thoughts on the stories I write. For those that do I am eternally grateful.

But alas I had better get back to brainstorming and see where the next adventure is going to take us.

Smiles all.

T.A.

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Leading up to the Holidays

I’m managing to get a fair bit done both in real life and in respect of my writing projects. I’m drawing nearer to completing the first full draft of my new #TheMagdon novel, the sequel to INTO THE DARK. It is slow progress at the moment as I am trying to make sure I jjtie all aspects I’ve introduced together without missing characters or storylines.

As for the build-up to Christmas I’ve decided to allow ASCENDING BEYOND to be available as a free eBook between now and the 26th December so if you haven’t yet downloaded the get your copy on the links below (and please feel free to leave a review once you’re done on Goodreads, Amazon or if you’re feeling super-nice both!)

The above links are for both the UK and INTERNATIONAL Amazon sites in case people get sent to the wrong one.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the story and while it isn’t a Christmas related story that doesn’t change the fact it’s an adventure you can enjoy any time in the year.

It was only a quick hello to say I’m Free for a little bit.

Return to writing

Since coming back from my course in the West Midlands I have reconnected with the continuation of my #TheMagdon series and added over 8,000 words to the story. I am well into the final scenes of the story and am still as yet undecided how I am going to end the story. I have two or three different endings planned out but I find my way of writing makes it very much a natural progression at the time.

Don’t get me wrong I still use my notebooks and jot down ideas as I go along but I never seem to “formally” plan my chapters out before I write them. I have my idea how the overarching story will progress but when I sit down to write I watch as I go and that’s how I do a big bulk of my editing.

For me, I am a heavily visual writer in the fact that I see what I am writing in my head like a miniature film. That is probably why I choose actors/actresses for my characters so I can at least pretend I am watching a real version of my story on the screen. This way helps me a lot as I am able to see what does and doesn’t work and only when I’m happy with it do I translate it into words (well at least I hope they translate to words).

For example, Chapter 34 in the sequel to Into The Dark is titled “To The Top” and I had no idea it would end up being such a pivotal scene. Being so far into the story I have had the path of certain characters set for quite some time. That said, however, when I sat down to write this chapter something happened with one character that I hadn’t planned to happen for a little bit more time. That worried me at first but as I wrote it I felt it was happening at the right time and ultimately in the right way. I suppose you could say I’m surprising myself with my own story which seems an utterly ludicrous idea when you think about it!

When I do write I love to listen to music, orchestral or film score music as I love the emotion within what I hear. Today I had Hans Zimmer’s music from Gladiator playing and that cemented the emotion of what I was trying to get across in Chapters 34 and 35.

I genuinely love my Magdon world. I know I am biased and am fed by the fact it has actually been part of my family for so long but it has evolved from a simple story for a three-year-old to an entire legacy of monster and secret societies that seems to be entertaining people around the world. That isn’t to say I love any of my other stories any less but The Magdon is oddly part of my entire family and I hold it very close because of that.

I can’t wait to release the next in the series (title and cover to be revealed in the New Year) as it has allowed me to reconnect with the legacy and add a whole new dimension.

Right, I’ve waffled enough about what I’ve been up to and suppose I should decide if I’m going to write another chapter as Mrs T.A. is on a girly night out tonight and the kids will be in bed asleep…..

If you do want to find out more you can visit my official website at http://tobeyalexander.com or else my Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/tobeyalexanderauthor

I will be offering people the chance to be Beta readers for the next Magdon novel in the new year so keep your eyes peeled.

Thanks everyone

T. A.

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What has been 2018?

This will be long and no doubt most of you won’t read much beyond the first few paragraphs I know but I feel there’s a need to share my year that has been 2018. It has been an extremely different year with a lot changing and moving in so many senses, a lot of which I have ironically kept to myself along the way. Very few people have been given permission to know more but as the year has gone on I’ve realised that being a little more open can be helpful, with some of the things from this year it’s become a motivation for what I aim to do with myself going forward.

GENETICS

As I have eluded to in previous posts my oldest son suffered from a bout of Henoch-Schonlein Purpura (HSP) in 2016 which had him hospitalised and extremely ill. Since then he has suffered from a number of different ailments which we have been back and forth to the doctors with. In the last 8 months, we have had him undergo a number of tests which have all left us still none the wiser about what is going on with his body.

In September this year, we were hit with the news that a blood test had revealed a partial deletion on one of his chromosomes. Of course, when I received the letter I did the usual thing of Googling the associated disorders and felt the world crumble around me. To make it even harder both his mum and I were referred for our own screening to see if we had the same deletion as the chances are it is hereditary. At the time of wirting, we are still yet to get the results considering we had the test in September.

Being told that there is something invisible and missing from your child is heartbreaking but when we look at others with a Chromosome 12 deletion we realise at this point we are relatively lucky. That’s not to say that his journey is over and we continue to see him suffer from ailments including joint issues, weight issues, mobility, coordination amongst many other small symptoms that as he grows up begin to make bigger issues. We have no idea what lies ahead but we know that he’s still our boy and I have still climbed mountains with him and intend to continue to.

With this discovery comes the looming possibility that this may be an issue for one of us (his parents) but also potentially my other two children too.

Considering he wanted to have lots of children and climb mountains and be a Police Officer it seems the world is continually throwing new obstacles the way of his dreams. I take it as my job to achieve what he wants and show him, leading from the front, we can get there.

Which leads onto…

DIFFERENT LIKE HIS DAD

As part of the genetics issue there are links to ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) and earlier in the year, we referred our middle son for assessment over his on-going behaviour. With him, you have never met such a loving, caring, amazing and gentle boy as my youngest son. He has never been one to fit in and we have had our fair share of horrible experiences with other children and parents at school making his journey through life all the more difficult.

We began to notice an element of withdrawal, anxiety and little behaviours that led us to think that perhaps there was an underlying and unidentified issue at play. So yet again we referred to the doctor (we do like to keep the NHS working clearly). That whole experience was painful from start to finish if I am totally honest! My youngest son is the reason I decided to publish my books as I always want to show him that his imagination (that he gets alienated for) is a bloody wonderful thing and should be celebrated not mocked.

The assessment phase was going steadily, albeit with regular reminders to those assessing him but it all came to a stumble when school really didn’t help with the assessment. Having compiled heartbreakingly honest accounts of his behaviours and actions, allowing him to be assessed in school and opening up the family for scrutiny I was mortified to find the only thing school could offer was a single line per behaviour which basically said “reads at a normal level,” “writes at a normal level,”, “communicates at a normal level.” All this did to me was to highlight the fact that the school had no idea what or who my son was. Needless to say, he moved classes in September and already his new teacher has noticed he is emotional, needs comfort and routine and seems far more in tune with him.

Alas with the ASD links to the genetics identified in my oldest we have to wait to see if it is isolated to him or potentially something the youngest has too which may help in redressing the abandoned attempts to identify any ASD in him.

With my youngest, he has had a difficult ride in school and has been alienated by pretty much all the boys because he is different. This year, although he is only eight, we decided to attend Pride to show him that no matter what, being different is something to be celebrated and worn not hidden and boxed away. We don’t know where he lies in that sense as he is only young but I don’t want him feeling being different in any way is something he should be made to feel bad about.

We have a long way to go with both the boys and we haven’t even started with my daughter yet……so far so good with her (other than being a girl and I really don’t know how to deal with her!)

WORK RELATED

The year started on a massively turbulent ride because of incidents at work that I have to keep separate from my writing persona. Needless to say, I was forced to assess my own wellbeing when two incidents brought me into the limelight for external investigations. Neither came to anything but for the time that was taking place I think my stress levels sky-rocketed and left me feeling very much alone as I try to not bring work home due to the nature of my work.

For the start of the year I spent 3 weeks taking myself off active duty to make sure everything about the investigation into me was clean. When I got signed off with nothing to answer it was like a massive relief and I was able to move on from what turned out to be the most horrendous January and February I’d had in a long time.

Later in the year I went on to fail a promotion process but instead passed an internal job upskill which led to a stressful November-December where I was staying away from home (which I haven’t done since having kids). This was the second hardest course I’ve done at work (the first being the 12-week course to work in the arena I work now). Stress as a word doesn’t even describe how I felt but I’ve also realised I underestimate myself a lot.

BE HERE NOW AND RAVENS

With all that happened this year I made a transition and had my moto BE HERE NOW tattooed on my forearm. A few months later, with the help of my imagination and the amazing skills of my tattooist, we created The Raven’s Journey which I now proudly have on my right upper arm. Having never thought about it before everything was aligned and it felt right so I followed my heart with that.

Some people don’t get the design and wonder why I didn’t go for a traditional sleeve design but that’s because I’m not “normal” and then whatever I had wouldn’t have been me. What I have is a very personal piece of artwork that tells a whole story and if people ask I will share it with them. When I had the second sitting it was the day after I found out about my oldest son’s chromosome deletion and I had the number 12 (the specific deletion zone) added to the design. It felt right and again solidifies my journey all the more.

2018 has been an odd journey, I’ve made new friends along my turbulent ride who have perhaps taken the time to see behind the masks I put on for public show. It’s a defence mechanism I know I have to wear a mask for the most part and appear witty, confident, cocky, playful when sometimes all I want to do is just be away from everything which is where my journeys to the hills, mountains and countryside come in. With Archy (my dog) we can disappear a lot and when I’m allowed to be alone my head can often declutter. I’m probably the most introvert-extrovert you’ve ever met. Lots of people think they know me and how I am but very few actually bother to find out who is behind the mask.

Moving forward I have managed to vent a lot of the year’s frustrations into my stories and characters which is where I suppose I am lucky. Where most benefit from talking or close friends, I can expel a lot of things vicariously in my books which can be a very useful outlet.

For the future, there still remains a lot of uncertainty and I can honestly say this year has changed me. The family have all faced new challenges, each reacting in our own way and will continue to do so for a long time yet to come. I have my mountain bikes, my walks, my books and my friends I choose to let in. I’ve never been one for talking, I know I carry more than I need to a lot of the time and am incredibly hard on myself but that’s kind of who I am.

I’m not saying my life is any harder than yours, any worse than anyone else’s but sometimes when you see my vacant stare it’s not because I’m bored it’s just my way of being sometimes. I don’t tend to share very often but on my course I found myself talking to some of the guys on the course and found people were actually surprised by how much I did keep to myself. I also found that there are people out there with problems similar to or even worse than mine.

For 2019 I intend on allowing myself to inspire my children, showing them what can be done. I will also continue to write no matter the feedback (although that seems to be predominantly good and/or constructive so I need to chill out with that a bit). I need to stop trying to keep the whole world happy at the expense of me and only ever want to be an inspiration.

For 2020 my plan is to finally take a photo of Everest that my oldest can have and say “my dad took that.” I remember when he was ill with HSP and all he asked was if he could walk Snowdon again (he has twice climbed it since then). We watched Everest then an both said when he’s old enough we will go together and while we may never be able to afford to summit we can at least stand in the shadow and say we’ve made it that far. I want to do it before to show him yes we can achieve many things no matter the hurdles along the way.

I’m sure there should be more but even no I doubt many will read to here.

That’s me being open, sharing some of this year and how it has motivated me to, as my arm now says……BE HERE NOW.

[image error]Three little words seem to cement what I need to remember


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Newly qualified (non-author)

Well, I have been massively absent for some time and even more so in the last 7 weeks as I have been on a residential course and away from the family Mon-Fri. It’s work related and I’ve now got a Threshold Licence to Teach and a whole new qualification and role at work.

That’s no excuse though for being so absent so thought I should get back to blogging, even if it’s just little additions here goes….

Plans for 2018/19/20

The sequel for Into The Dark (#TheMagdon series) is almost finished so before New Year I want to finish draft 1
2019 will focus on writing the sequel to Ascending Beyond (Reaper’s Journey Series) which should be release Halloween 2019
I will continue with micro-writes and creating sporadic short stories inspired by my real-life wanderings:

Rescue Me – inspired by the view from my hotel for the last 4 weeks of my course (thriller)
Ruins – inspired by an abandoned farm I have found as part of my Urban Exploring


Plan for a trekking trip to the Everest Region with a mate from work for 2020

As you can see I’m really not intending on pulling back and intend on making myself even bigger and more noticeable so, hopefully, I can be more visible.

Sorry for my absences but that should improve.

The first book in an amazing new trilogy is available……NOW!

There have been many versions of and beliefs about what lies beyond death, many ideas and fantasies that until now were the norm. In Reaper’s Journey Series it is time to fully understand the complexities of life after death in a gripping and action-packed fantasy adventure series.

Christian Thomas is in the throes of depression, consumed by his grief at the loss of his partner Ash, life has become empty and hollow. In an attempt to reconnect with himself and Ash’s family Christian returns to Mount Shasta, a place close to his heart. On an ill-fated hike, Christian finds himself stranded and alone, snowed in by a vicious snowstorm.

As the storm passes and Christian emerges from the cave he does so in the company of Azrael. He emerges not to return to his life, but to embrace the fact his time is done and now judgement awaits.

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REVIEW REQUEST

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A while back I offered the chance for people to download a copy of ASCENDING BEYOND prior to release. Now the book is available for general sale I’m hoping those that took part may be happy enough to leave me a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. Only with support from readers can I ever hope to get others to trust me with their imaginations. Even if it’s just one line I will forever be grateful (and there will be offers of future ARCs as I write them).

AMAZON.COM

AMAZON.CO.UK

Be Here Now – changes and a view of me

Ok, I have tried to keep my two lives distinctly separate. Mainly due to the fact that as oart of my work agreement to let me publish my books I don’t openly mix my real persona and my writing persona. Interestingly enough there are others who I work with who publish books and use their real name and delve more into a genre closely linked to my work (aka Crime Thrillers…..use your imagination).

Well, to that end it has been a balancing act of Tobey Alexander vs Real me. Those who follow my Instagram account or are fans of my Facebook Pages will see some crossover of posts but nothing too strong as I even keep my work-life out of my personal stuff.

So I have decided it is time to blur the lines a little bit and give some explanation as to what motivates me and drives me in the hope it gives a little foundation to the worlds I am creating and the stories I am trying to tell.

I shall begin here…

[image error]My reasons to “Be Here Now” at my favourite place Mount Snowdon

I have never been one for ink, tattoos, body-art but recently things have changed and I have seen a big self-reflection which brought me full-circle to this tattoo and in the essence of opening myself up (it does tie into my life taking the step to publish as an author so bear with me!)

BE HERE NOW

In 2011/12 I watched Spartacus the TV series with Andy Whitfield. As a result I went on a massive fitness regime which became a massive focus of my life. At around the same time I decided I wanted to write my book which had been a WIP (work in progress) for a while. I concentrated and both things developed very well.

Needless to say, I was shocked when I found out Andy Whitfield died of cancer (I was late starting the TV series). While I was doing my fitness routines research (and obsessing over how ripped him and the whole cast were) I found out they had made a documentary about the last year or so of his life which was a Kickstarter campaign. As soon as I found out I had already missed the boat but managed to make contact with them and donate to the cause. It isn’t very often I donate to charities specifically but this one seemed to touch me for a number of reasons.

Time passed and I applied for a new job at work (a role that would change me as a person from the very core ultimately). At the time I found out I had passed a very rigorous pre-selection internally I had a package arrive through the door. It was a leather bracelet with the name of the documentary BE HERE NOW embossed on it. That reflected a tattoo Andy had on his inner forearm which reminded him to enjoy the moment.

So around the time I got the new job I got the bracelet and it became synonymous with a mantra I would sometimes forget.

As I progressed through my training the following year it was the single most challenging experience of my life. It was an absolute rollercoaster of ups and downs that ultimately left me succeeding but at the same time being extremely stressed I found myself having a little “dip” when I first became operational.

Now I recall, before this “dip” I was on a job at work and lost my bracelet. Through my course I hadn’t been wearing it for fear of losing or breaking it but once out and about it was back on in an instant. Losing it really annoyed me as it meant so much to me and I remember the next training session was when I let my head get the better of me and instead of adhering to the idea of BE HERE NOW I was too busy being a million miles away on any of a number of train tracks that run through my head at any one time.

So, I dipped and I ended up making very good friends with someone who helped me through it.

It wasn’t a skill thing, I had allowed my busy head to fill me with self-doubt and get the better of me. Once we found out what was getting on top of me we found a way of getting around it and ultimately I remember my bracelet.

But it was gone! What could I do?

I researched and couldn’t get a replacement…..so I designed my own. I had a custom made one that tied in the original with my work (it had a thin blue line in it and was made of paracord). It arrived and I felt whole again in a way until the embossed labelling began to peel and I realised I had chosen the wrong design.

Around the same time my oldest son A fell ill with HSP and was hospitalised. Anyone who has experienced the illness of their child will know that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when it feels like your world is being ripped apart and you would do anything to accept the pain on behalf of your child.

All I wanted to do was take it for him but I couldn’t. All he wanted to do was climb Snowdon again. In the meantime, I had released Footprints On The Other Side and was trying to make a go of that. I remembered then the broken bracelet and let him have it, I explained the meaning of those three words and told A not to worry about tomorrow, next week or next year and BE HERE NOW.

He made a recovery, to this day we still have residual effects but we adapt and overcome, and the bracelet took a place in his bedroom that he refers to occasionally.

Telling him reminded me of my need to BE HERE NOW too so I ordered a new replacement. I ended up getting sent two as one got lost in the post, much more hardwearing and robust and it became my stable for a long time.

And then on a job my arm got caught on a piece of fencing as I was on a job and it hooked on the bracelet. It was that good and strong I was stuck and could have really hurt myself.

So now what? My own bracelet had betrayed me in a way but I couldn’t part with my reminder to BE HERE NOW.

Wearing it allowed me to build everything in my writing worlds. Every time I tried to plan too far ahead in my books and stories I got lost and then come back to the here and now and start again. I am a sod for getting carried away and I would need that reminder to keep me centred.

Now back to the origins……the Be Here Now Documentary had been available for some time but I hadn’t watched it. Why? Because I didn’t want to cry! Since donating I had been on my own roller coasters and it had made me avoid dealing with sad things a little and become what’s referred to as “INTENSE” by my friends and peers.

Earlier this year I decided the time was right and sat watching the documentary a few weeks after I caught my arm on the fence. It’s funny how your subconscious comes into play I suppose because I watched the documentary and through teary eyes couldn’t stop thinking I needed to replace my bracelet.

Having sobbed and felt the full impact of the documentary I remembered when I had first seen his tattoo on the Kickstarter campaign.

It all made sense and fell into place for me.

No bracelet, no replacement….why not follow his sentiment and show myself a permanent reminder of a phrase that effectively transitioned me through so many things over the last few years.

Within a month I made my appointment and allowed the three little words that had been my influence to take pride of place on my arm.

Sure there were those around me who disapproved “you do surprise me” was one phrase but when I pointed out the reasoning, explained it to them it made sense. It had become something that meant more than just the words but had been my anchor and my guiding settler to bring me back when I allowed my head and life to get the better of me.

So ironically I am in the process of designing another tattoo that explains my writing personality. A Raven, compass, sword, three smaller ravens all leading to an open book….all things growing from the page. In another post I will explain the meaning behind it all in another open post to give you an idea about me.

Some of you may have made it this far through the blog post, some may not. Because, in the end, who am I to people other than a name on the front cover of a book or two. But the reason I ever dared to release and even write my books were for these three words….BE HERE NOW.

Having written my stories I was happy to let them fester and disappear yet how could I motivate my children to embrace the moment, grab it and run with it if I didn’t do it myself? The only way was to BE HERE NOW. Not to worry if people think my books are crap, yes some people will, but what does that matter to the NOW? That’s possibly in the future so for me I now write when the moment takes me. My style is to plan an idea, plot and then open Word and just write. I don’t micro-plan chapters I have a rough idea and just let the moment be when I decide to write. I find that my story flows much more naturally this way.

But in the end this will probably not get you to buy one of my books, it may be nothing more than a read to drum some interest in me as a person I do not know.

But it was me…

Being open…

Explaining some things as both Tobey Alexander and “The Other Guy” (so many clues in the text to say who I am and what I am).

MY BOOKS ON AMAZON.CO.UK

MY BOOKS ON AMAZON.COM

I hope you do take some time to Be Here Now with me, in my books.

Thank you

Absences explained

Hello all! My sincerest apologies for the absence I have had from a lot of media forms, especially the old Blog here. There are some very valid reasons of which I do not intend on boring you with all of the details but needless to say sometimes life throws a few obstacles in your way and there are, sadly, only so many hours in the day.

Rest assured however the fact I haven’t been updating here does not reflect a period of inactivity in my writing world…far from it.

Since my last entry (sometime in January (oh my life I didn’t realise how long I hadn’t blogged for) I have released BLACKOUT and am pleased to say it is doing well. Steady page reads on Kindle Unlimited and purchases through Kindle keep me going and encourage me that I am not an entirely terrible storyteller.

I have also been brewing a series of two/three books called REAPER’S JOURNEY which is a story I came up with way back in about 2003/2004 but never did anything with. When I finished INTO THE DARK, the last entry in my Magdon Series I promised that I would spread my wings into new areas of storytelling so I decided to literally resurrect the REAPER story I came up with so long ago. As a matter of fact, I’m just hovering at around 56,000 words at the moment in Book I in the series which is good considering I’ve still got a good chunk of story left to tell in that story.

Speaking of Magdon’s I have had a pique in interest recently for the original series so have decided to start toying with ideas the last few days for the next story in the series. This morning I spent the whole morning walking with my Archy (dog named after the main character from the original Origins Of The Magdon stories). We stumbled across an abandoned theme park I used to go to as a kid. With one of Hans Zimmer’s scores playing in my ears I wandered around the piles of rubble and came up with a lot of ideas.

To that end, I decided to script an entry on the blog and use my new fandangled computer program to brainstorm various aspects of the story. All I need now is a title as I like to mentally develop a cover and title early on in the creative process as it gives me something to aim for. Invariably the covers go through a lot of changes and modifications but having the idea of a cover gives me some subtle motivation.

I am off to visit Wales and, of course, Snowdon in the coming weeks so am sure my brain will quite literally explode with ideas. With work demands and other things my creativity has been somewhat single-tracked on the REAPER story but lately, I feel I am able to juggle train lines and get various ideas brewing.

Here are some pictures from my little sneaky walk and trust me INTO THE DARK 2 (it’s not going to be called that don’t worry) is set to have foundations in Nottingham as its predecessor did along with some other places around the UK and the World to keep the new adventure rolling along.

Feel free to get yourself reading either INTO THE DARK or my completely unrelated sci-fi time-travel thriller BLACKOUT which you can get on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited or if you’re old school then Paperback instead.