Fiction
Let me tell you a story…
Nothing To See Here
In April 2024, I published my first collection of short stories. They cover a variety of genres and styles, from comedy to tragedy, horror, sci-fi and fantasy.
An immortal mourns his lost opportunities…
A supervillain’s henchman loses his job…
A rock star’s son becomes an art fraudster…
A biker inherits a very old cat…
A dying millionaire faces down a hit man…
After thirty-plus years of writing corporate stuff, I finally decided to start writing things that were just for me. I originally intended to write a novel, but I realized that I had so many ideas for stories that I couldn’t commit to just one for a whole year or more. So I took the wise advice of Neil Gaiman, who suggested that short stories are a great way for writers to find their voice: try lots of different things, see what works, and don’t worry if it’s terrible. It’s all good learning.
After writing a whole bunch of terrible, derivative, cliché-ridden stories (which will, I promise you, never, ever see the light of day), I finally found the storytelling style I was grasping for. I realized that I wanted to write stories that were intended to be listened to, narrated in the first person, as if someone was sitting by a fire or in a pub, telling you about their life. It’s a style unashamedly lifted from old-style children’s books, or modern fabulists like Salman Rushdie where the reader (or listener) is part of the story.
Mrs Patel and the Secret Agent
The hunt for an international terrorist leaves devastation in its wake. For poor Mrs Patel, Mumbai street seller, it's the start of a Kafkaesque journey to make things right and get her granddaughter's wedding back on track.
If you've ever watched a James Bond movie and wondered what happens to the bystanders, this one's for you.
This one popped into my mind over 20 years ago while watching Octopussy. I started thinking about how rough it must be for the bystanders caught up in the mayhem. We see the chaos, but we pass over it - all that matters in that moment is whether our hero catches the bad guy or escapes. More than that, we relish it: it's exciting, and we get a thrill out of seeing things destroyed. And if nobody gets hurt, what's the harm in it?
Available now in e-book
Coming soon-ish (maybe)
I’m currently working on several other books, as well as several short stories. I’m hoping some of these will be released some time in 2024 - though it’s probably a little ambitious to hope that I’ll finish them all.
The Thousandth Night
It’s sort of 1001 Nights, but from a very different perspective. It’s currently a novelette, but it’s probably going to turn into a novella. Or maybe it’ll get expanded into a full-length novel - I haven’t decided yet.
The Yellow Flowers
YA fantasy for grownups, aimed at people who liked Stephen King’s The Eyes of the Dragon, which he wrote for his kids in 1984. It’s nothing like anything else he’s written, and I’ve always thought it was one of King’s best.
Nothing To See Here (audiobook)
These stories were written to be read aloud. So obviously, that’s what I should do. I’m still toying with whether to release them as a collection, or piecemeal as a series of podcasts.
A Taste of Power
A fantasy epic set in a world where food is literally magical, and every sorcerer needs a good chef.