A.B. Finlayson's Blog, page 3

What it’s all about…

A little bit more info about Rock Zombie. To start with, here’s every author’s worst nightmare… the blurb… Hey, you painstakingly wrote, edited, polished, cried, and bled over 60k words… now summarise it in 50! “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be… Kurt Cobain!” Robbie Neville’s big break on Stars in Their Eyes was supposed to launch himContinue reading "What it’s all about…"

Rock Zombie – COVER REVEAL!

“Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be… Kurt Cobain!” Robbie Neville’s big break on Stars in Their Eyes was supposed to launch him into rock stardom. Instead, it launched him into the afterlife. Rob is dead. But his body didn’t get the memo. Now he’s spending Saturday night trying to stop his reanimated corpse from kickstarting a zombieContinue reading "Rock Zombie – COVER REVEAL!"

Cover Reveal – Tomorrow

Hi folks, Tomorrow is Friday 13th, and the day I’ll finally be showing the full cover of Rock Zombie. The art was designed by the exceptional Laura of @Hello_Moon_Creative. She’s a tattoo artist based in Redcar and an absolute legend. More about her tomorrow. The rest of it was put together by me and aboutContinue reading "Cover Reveal – Tomorrow"

Parklife – setting a story in your home town

Many of Stephen King’s books are based in Maine, the state in which he was born, and the small town setting works really well to give the reader a visualisation of the story. If you can picture yourself in the midst of the action, then it’s all the more effective. I’ve gone for that withContinue reading "Parklife – setting a story in your home town"

Cover Reveal – Sign-Up

Hi folks, On Friday 13th, I’ll be revealing the cover and the blurb of Rock Zombie, along with the release date. I’d love it if as many people as possible could be involved please. If you’re a bookstagrammer, a TikToker, a podcaster, reviewer, blogger, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy… or anything to do with the bookContinue reading "Cover Reveal – Sign-Up"

So, what’s happening?

I’m self-publishing my ’90s comedy/horror novel… Rock Zombie! Over the last week, I have posted a number of different bits and bobs over social media… a few songs on TikTok, Reels, and Instagram/Facebook stories, plus some seemingly random posts about characters, and a couple of quotes… and then this… a 90s-themed MySpace page, which IContinue reading "So, what’s happening?"

Easter eggs and clues and things…

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K! Or, more accurately, I’m up to something. If you see a little red-headed blue fella anywhere on my website, he’s worth a poke. If you do happen to give him a nudge, you’ll find yourself magically transported back in time (or to another page, but what isContinue reading "Easter eggs and clues and things…"

Amanda Palmer and the Art of Asking

I really like Amanda Palmer. She appears both genuine and nuts in equal measure, which is a superb combination. I first came across her on Twitter (before it became a cesspit of hate and ignorance) and I was really drawn by her TED Talk called ‘The Art of Asking’. Being British, I’m not exactly tip-topContinue reading "Amanda Palmer and the Art of Asking"

Living the dream

It’s an interesting saying, ‘living the dream.’ Sometimes, I feel it gets bandied around with the reckless abandon of a teenager in 2010 saying ‘YOLO’ … for absolutely everything. There’s a lovely bloke at work who says it whenever I ask how he’s doing. ‘Living the dream,’ he reckons. I admire his optimism, but we’reContinue reading "Living the dream"

Book release, book shops, book launch, and talking bollocks – my week after publication

Well, what a week it has been! My second novel, The Sword and the Hounds, was published on the 23rd of July and got shared around a bit on social media by some amazing and lovely people, though from my end, it wasn’t quite the all-singing, all-dancing affair I had in mind… largely due toContinue reading "Book release, book shops, book launch, and talking bollocks – my week after publication"