What's New?

2019 has already been a heck of a year, with lots of changes taking place - I mean, this new-look website is just one example! And I also have exciting plans for my writing this year.

Lately, I've been working on a brand new series of novels, with a working title of Shadow Six. I started the first book around October last year and it has already passed the 50 000 word mark. Not bad going, right?
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The best way I can describe Shadow Six is Supernatural  (one of my favourite TV shows FYI) meets Hunger Games, meets spy thriller. And that's all I'll say without giving away too many spoilers! But I will add that I'm hopeful the first book will come out this year, all being well. 
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Then there's my poetry. While I've been working on Shadow Six, I've also been focusing on writing two new collections. Yes, that's right, two! 
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The first one, Fallen Utopia, discusses the environment and the pressures we're putting on our planet. Having always loved animals, especially tigers and leopards, I felt that I had to give them a voice. Hence, Fallen Utopia came into being.

I've been working on this collection since I released Dark Nights into Brighter Days but now it's firmly in my writing plans for this year, and I reckon it's only a few poems shy of being written. Wow, that's scary now I've actually said it!   

​But my focus for the last few weeks has been on the second poetry collection, examining the complex relationship between dreams and reality. I've written the poems in pairs - one 'dream' poem and the 'reality' that goes with it. And it's been a really interesting experience, bringing up a lot of emotions (some of them, I'll admit, have been difficult) and thoughts about the world, or should I say worlds, we live in.
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I'm going to be submitting this particular collection for a competition (eek!) but regardless of whether I'm successful or not, I've enjoyed writing it so I'm confident it'll be released in some form, and sooner rather than later. 
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Oh and not forgetting my performances! I've been lucky enough to have a headline set already this year, in Stoke-on-Trent, and a pretty exciting event lined up for August (sshh!) as well as my open mic performances at Dear Listener and SpeakEasy, my two favourite events in Worcester. 

But as part of my ambitions for this year, I'm hoping to get to events in other parts of the country, so any recommendations, send my way!
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On top of all that (I do stop for breath, promise!), I'm also making a conscious commitment to put out more articles - at least two a month. So you've got plenty more of my ramblings to look forward to over the coming weeks!

I'll be covering a wide scope of topics, both on my writing process and updates, and other general ones on the issues which resonate with me the most.
But I'm always open to ideas, so if you want me to cover something in particular, ping me a message!  

On a slightly different note, this year of change of transition has seen me start a new career. Those of you who know me, or have read my previous blog, will know that up until February of this year, I was working as a freelance copy editor and writer. Being honest, I fell out of love with being freelance, but I'm happy to say I've found a great job as a Senior PR Account Executive (sounds fancy, right?!) at a company in Cheltenham, and looking forward to where this new venture takes me.   ​

And breathe, Dan, breathe! Having plenty of new activities in the pipeline is both exciting and, at times, a bit daunting, I'll admit. But for the most part, I'm enjoying the ride!

Keep watching this space for more updates and posts coming soon. Oh and I hope you like the snippets of my new work below!