
Photo by Aron Van de Pol on Unsplash
Last year, I went through a pretty tumultuous time, wherein I left the place I’d worked for the best part of a decade, had to pick my family up and move them 250 miles away for the next job. That’s the modern way, though, right? You go where the work is. I wish I could say that my books brought in enough income for me to be able to provide for my family and allow me the luscious and luxuriant life that befits a full-time author, but the truth is that’s a very long way away. Possibly ‘infinity’ away.
So, I took a new job with a global brand, moved my family to the other side of the country, and settled in. It was a pretty big upheaval, but we’ve managed it pretty well. Kids settling in their new schools. Nice new house. Pretty town to live in. We managed it.
Or at least, we were, until last week, on the first day of a well-earned week off (mainly to be filled with writing and designing the cover to my next book) I got a phone call.
‘Check the news.’
The closure of my new company’s factory, my new place of employment, was front page news. It folded nicely in with the day’s Brexit narratives, after all. The news broke before anyone at work knew anything about it, and I spent the best part of two days in long-distance conversations with my new friends and colleagues, some of whom have been there for over two decades. Conversations filled with stunned silences and gallows humour.
I have no idea what happens next. I could be out of a job within weeks, or be safe for years. I don’t really know. What I do know was that this was a bloody weird week to take off work.
So, if you were ever wondering if you might like one of my books, now might not be the worst idea to check them out.
Blood on the Motorway: An apocalyptic trilogy of murder and stale sandwiches is out now in ebook and print from Amazon and all other good bookstores. You can get the first book free by joining my mailing list or read along at Wattpad. Oh, and I’ve got a Patreon. Sign up for free books, a free weekly short story, and much more.
It’s okay to let a little hope in