I have reached another milestone in my life as an author – I am at the midpoint of writing the first draft for my next novel, which will be a completely different bend of genres, themes and tropes from my previous two novels, The Flower Bed and Two Minutes. I do not write series in my novels, as my protagonists’ lives are overflowing with the complex vicissitudes of life, which consequently constrain them to a single plot. Such is the rich blend of genres and tropes that I weave in every novel that I write, which does not lend itself to serialising the characters. Indeed, my mind does not operate within a bubble of just one universe, for it overflows with symbols and imagery of a multiverse, in which each story emanates from a new dimension of my imagination, and neither time nor space can draw me back to the previous universe from which the last story emerged.

Although I am always reluctant to tell my audience too much about my next novel, the details I can reveal at this time to satiate your reading desire are that the novel explores the tropes of power, obsession, oppression, technological control, societal and environmental degradation, and, as always, this universe is observed through the complex existence of an anti-hero protagonist. Additionally, I am once again also blending genres that will be universally appealing to both genders of the reading public.

While I am writing my third novel, I am still marketing my first two novels, which means, along with a busy work and family life, I continue to search for valuable time to write my third novel. I am conscious of Michael Robotham’s sagacious advice, which I received again from him last week: Keep finding the time to write. Too many writers fail to finish writing a novel because they procrastinate. Even if there is a window in your day of one hour in which to write, for the love of Apollo, seize the moment and write. Instead of scrolling through pictures of people’s food on Facebook for an hour at night, put the device down, pick up the pen or sit at your keyboard, and write. Last Saturday, I had a three-hour window to immerse myself in the universe of my third novel, and I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I did not stop to worry about spelling and grammar. Instead, I just belted my new keyboard until my fever-pitch typing partially obliterated the letter ‘a’, and two further chapters were the product.

Finally, regarding marketing, this morning I was interviewed by another book podcaster based in the United States. There is an element of luck to becoming a best-selling author, and those odds can be favourably reduced if you participate in podcasts. “Arc of the Bard” is the podcast, and when my interview is released in the next few days, I will share the link so you can listen. Podcasting is a whole new world for you to explore.

And so, I must sign off on this little expression of self-indulgence, as I must step through the doors of another world in which I exist. Yet, do not fret, for tomorrow I shall publish another edition of my free arts newsletter for you to escape to a universe where there is beauty in its tranquillity – that is the wonderful universe of the arts.