Don't be a one book wonder

One of the things I take into account when deciding whether I want to buy a book is whether the author has written more than one. It may not be fair but it's hard to escape the logic that if the first one was popular they will have written another.

I have wanted to make this post for ages but my second... and third only came out yesterday. I hope you will take a look - they are both available at Amazon. Thai Kiss is also available on Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Thai Kiss - a novel

Paul Murphy desperately wants to be a big shot but the pursuit of fortune often comes with a heavy price. For Paul, it was the life of his best friend and partner, Tommy, apparently murdered for encroaching on a local drug gang's turf. Paul, a lowly hospital porter, fearful that he'll be next, flees to Thailand to lay low while reconnecting with Tommy's supplier in Pattaya. He meets the enchanting Yim and, veering from his intended plan, starts to rebuild his life running a chain of bars. Sonthi, a local heavy, offers protection for a price and the corrupt Mongkut ensures that the police will always turn a blind eye. So many want a share of Paul's success, but when greed prevails and they get tired of sharing, it's Paul's liberty and life itself that are on the line. 

Something Must Be Done - a short story

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

Seeing it in print - your first book.

It was a real thrill to get a small third party publisher interested in my manuscript. They definitely gave the book a polish that I could never have achieved on my own. To be fair they also pointed out some plot inconsistencies and timing issues that I couldn't see any more. I'd just got too close to the story.

The only downside was that they only wanted to do an e-book launch until we could prove that the book had a market. It took four months before we finally agreed that the e-book had sold enough to demonstrate that a print run would be worth the effort.

It was amazing to see my first book on Amazon when it was only available as a download. When you finally get a professionally printed book in your hands you start to believe that you are in the foothills, at least, of being an author.

Some friends were kind enough to buy the first few copies, then a bookshop in Thailand agreed to stock it. We are miles away from seeing it in high street bookshops but its still a great feeling to see your work on a bookshelf instead of just a screen.

If you've self published an e-book and are trying to make up your mind, you really have to go for it. There are plenty of small printing firms that specialise in short run prints - we used a company called Russell Press in the UK. I am now seeing copies of the paperback notching up sales through Amazon and it feels a little more real than all the e-book sales that preceded it.

If you are thinking of doing a print run, do it.

Mine is here - Thai Lottery - paperback version