horror

Into the Wild – It’s Alive!!!

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Happy Publication Day everyone!!!

Yes, it’s finally here; the long-awaited new Joe Wilkie novel, Beastie, is here. It’s published today via Amazon and you can buy it right now at these links:

Kindle Version (£2.99)

Paperback Version (£9.99)

Aren’t those prices just the most ridiculously low you ever saw. Come on, you get a hugely funny and farcical novel, set in the English countryside and featuring not only a host of familiar characters but also some wacky new ones and an antagonist like Joe Wilkie has never encountered before for a mere lousy tenner. What’s not to like about that?

Plus, if you get the paperback, just think how handsome that’s going to look on your bookshelf along with the other four previous Blessham Books:

Ah Boy!

The Pheasants Revolt

Hot Eire

Medicine Show

Everyone loves a series and a good binge so why not get them all.

WARNING: Reading any of these books could cause severe facial and rib pain from too much laughter.

Beastie is Joe’s fifth outing and is something of a comedy suspense novel. I wouldn’t go as far as saying comedy horror because that’s not what it is. What it really is, is a fast-paced laugh out loud return to the village of Blessham where something dark and mysterious is roaming the woods and by ‘eck Joe Wilkie has had the wind put up him by it.

Of course, Joe being Joe, he gets fully enmeshed in the attempts to capture this unknown thing and bring back a bit of sanity to the village, which has gone berserk trying to profiteer off it. Lady Stark-Raven looms larger than ever in this tale and one begins to wonder which is worse for Joe – Her Ladyship or The Beast!

There’s enough suspense, thrills, chills and a massive heap of outrageous comedy sequences to entertain even the dourest of souls.

You’ll gasp in terror as Joe confronts his new nemesis.

You’ll keep the lights on as you read of the creature in the woods.

You’ll shake with fear as Lady Stark-Raven goes berserk.

Actually, the worst that will happen is that you might wet your pants from uncontrollable laughter so my advice would be to go for one before you start reading.

Oh, and don’t forget to leave me a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or Facebook.

Thank you x

Nearer and Nearer

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It’s coming, bear with me, it’s definitely getting nearer and nearer. So close I can almost feel it. No, not Christmas, I mean my next novel.

So, here’s how the land lies. I’ve finished the second read through and edit and am now plunged well into the third. There’ll be a fourth and then a final spelling and grammar check and one last proofread but then it shall be ready to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Ok, a bit dramatic perhaps, but I felt like that because there is a lot of suspenseful drama in this one alongside all the calamitous comedy escapades that Joe Wilkie has become synonymous with over the last few years.

I’ve mentioned before that the fabulous cover is finished, thanks to my wonderful granddaughter, Erin, so really it’s just a case of getting the text done and dusted and we’re good to go.

As for the drama that I mentioned, I think it wouldn’t be fair of me to whet your whistle like that without going into just a teensy bit more detail. This is Joe’s horror story and also, perhaps, something of a detective fiction as well. It’s not supernatural horror; I don’t do that kind of stuff; it’s a farcical, knockabout comedy horror – think Carry on Screaming or What a Carve Up! and you’ll be in the right ballpark.

During the second edit I often found myself having to stop reading due to being incapacitated by uncontrollable laughter. I think some of the scenes and dialogue in this one are amongst the very best that I’ve written for Joe yet. I know that self-praise is no recommendation but if the writer finds it arse-clenchingly funny then that can’t be a bad thing, can it? I figure that if it makes me laugh then hopefully it will make you laugh too.

All your favourite characters are present in this one including Lady Stark-Raven (and her erstwhile staff) who finds herself embroiled in the thrill of the chase. There are local ne’er-do-wells and perhaps the strangest antagonist Joe has ever had to face.

The police are involved and the whole village is financially on the make. Sex sells they say, but then again, so does horror and the Blesshamites take full advantage of the situation. There’s a couple of new female additions to the village one of which has Joe going “gaa gaa, goo goo” whenever he sees her and another female that just sends him completely ga-ga whenever he sees her! Intriguing, isn’t it?

Joe is in deep in this one, in many ways, but, thanks to his ever-optimistic outlook and his wonderfully refreshing naivety, he wins the day (of course he does).

So that’s what I’ve been up to since the last blog post two weeks ago. I’ve reached that stage that all writers reach where you just want it finished and out there to be read. And I sincerely hope this one will be widely read and possibly give my novels the shot in the arm (or kick up the arse) that they need. If it rekindles interest in my work then it will be a job well done. And as far as plot lines go I think there’s only The Pheasants Revolt that comes close to this one.

I do believe in this little book. I’ve really poured my heart and soul into it and I hope that will show in the end product. It’s been a long time coming and I’m looking forward to that wonderful feeling of receiving the email that says, “Congratulations, your book is published.”

I’ll post further updates as and when.