Awards eligibility post for 2019
We’re getting towards the pointy end of the year again (honestly, time is fleeting!) and it’s about now that I like to look back on published work for the year. It serves two purposes – one is a reminder for myself of what I’ve accomplished in a year, because it can be easy to forget how far I’ve come. Even when not much has happened in any given year, it’s worth celebrating what *has* happened. The second purpose is to remind folx what’s out there and eligible for awards, as it’s easy to forget that stuff too. I always appreciate these posts from other writers, so I make sure I do one. If anything I’ve had published this year rocked your world enough for you to consider it award-worthy, I would be eternally grateful for your vote!
Things like the Aurealis Awards and Australian Shadows Awards are jury voted, so I’ll be sure that I or my publishers enter my work in those. But things like the Ditmar Awards and Bram Stoker Awards are fan-voted, so it’s really great if you guys can get involved and vote for stuff (or recommend it, in the case of the Stokers). Remember, the more you get involved with fan-voted stuff, the more it represents the view of fandom as a whole rather than a focussed subset of active people.
For reference, here are the links to various awards rules and entries:
As for my own work, that being the real point of this post, here’s the stuff I had published in 2019 and what category it’s eligible for:
Served Cold (published September 2019, Grey Matter Press) is eligible for Best Collection in all Awards.
Original stories this year:
“Yellowheart” (originally published in Served Cold) is eligible in the Novelette/Long Fiction category of all awards.
and then the following stories are all eligible in the Short Fiction category of all awards:
“Exquisite” (originally published in Served Cold)
“The Ocean Hushed The Stones” (originally published in Served Cold)
“Jeremiah’s Puzzle” – Prehistoric anthology (ed. S J Larsson, Severed Press, July 2019)
The next two stories aren’t out yet, but they will be out this year and eligible, so look out for them!
“A Star Has Died” (A Silhouette Story) – Side Quests (OZTober, November 2019)
“The Throat” – SNAFU: Last Stand, (ed. AJ Spedding & Matthew Summers) Cohesion Press, due Nov 2019.
Should any of these be worthy, in your opinion, of an award nomination, I can’t thank you enough.
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Interviews in text and podcast and video oh my.
One of the things about being a writer is that people often want to interview you, to ask about your life and work. This is a great thing, and I’m always happy to get involved wherever I can. But interviews come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes, people have a small following and they want the author to boost their listenership. Sometimes, they already have a big and engaged audience and the interview is excellent value for us, the authors, as it gets our name and work further out there. In most cases, the whole thing is symbiotic – we bring readers to their site/podcast/what-have-you, and they bring listeners to our books. One thing that I often think though, is how much do people out there really give a shit?
I can only base it on my opinion, and I often enjoy listening to or reading interviews, particularly with authors who’s work I admire. And especially if it’s with an interviewer who has done their homework, and asks interesting and thought-provoking things. Something I’ve noticed after a few years of doing this is that often someone will ask me for an interview and then when they get me on the mic or send me the questions, it’s clear they’ve done no research at all. There’s not a single question that couldn’t be answered from my Wikipedia page or by simply Googling “Alan Baxter” “interview” – seriously, do that and you’ll see how many of these things I’ve done.
Now there’s obviously going to be a lot of overlap. I’m only so interesting and I’ve only written so many books, and that’s okay, because each place will have a different audience. It’s all about reaching readersbut there’s a really noticeable difference between an interviewer who is keen and has done some homework compared to one literally just phoning it in. Anyway, I’ll rarely say no to interviews, because I’m small fry and I’m always keen to increase my readership. But when people get deep into things, I genuinely enjoy it. For me, the most fun interviews are usually podcasts. No typing and just talking shit for however long you want me. I’m good at that. I’ve made a whole list of links here with some of the most fun I’ve had with interviews over recent years (podcast, text and video). I’ll add to this as any more come along, and as I track down some others I couldn’t find right away. Enjoy! (And hey, if you’re new to the interviewing game and you’re thinking of asking me to do an interview with you, maybe look over one or two of these first!)
Podcasts:
This Is Horror – Always an absolute blast, and I’m always happy to go back.
TIH 174: Alan Baxter on Confronting Mortality, Starting Out Writing, and Early Life Lessons – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-174-alan-baxter-on-confronting-mortality-starting-out-writing-and-early-life-lessons/
TIH 175: Alan Baxter on Writing for Video Games, The Book Club, and Crow Shine – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-175-alan-baxter-on-writing-for-video-games-the-book-club-and-crow-shine/
TIH 176: Alan Baxter on Relocating to Australia, Writing Fight Scenes, and Martial Arts – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-176-alan-baxter-on-relocating-to-australia-writing-fight-scenes-and-martial-arts/
TIH 246: Alan Baxter on Devouring Dark, the Worst Flight Ever, and Releasing Four Books in One Year – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-246-alan-baxter-on-devouring-dark-the-worst-flight-ever-and-releasing-four-books-in-one-year/
TIH 247: Alan Baxter on Horror as a Dirty Word, The Master of Dark Fantasy, and the Supernatural – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/tih-247-alan-baxter-on-horror-as-a-dirty-word-the-master-of-dark-fantasy-and-the-supernatural/
Write Through the Roof – On @ApplePodcasts – https://buff.ly/2mitUos or On @Stitcher – https://buff.ly/2mNZGdj
Conversations with Writers – this one got really deep and personal, almost as if he’d done too much research! 🙂 – https://alanbaxter.com.au/personal-deep-interview-writing-fighting/
Text Interviews:
This Is Horror – Why I Wrote Devouring Dark – https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/why-i-wrote-devouring-dark-by-alan-baxter/
Sci-Fi & Scary – https://www.scifiandscary.com/alan-baxter-interview/?fbclid=IwAR3Z30570avD5N6iBOb3N388UV9GBTSFRyQ9aD39TISmvzneie8Fp6kev6Q
Fantasy Focus (podcast) – http://fantasy-focus.com/2019/08/writing-short-fiction-and-dark-fantasy-novels-with-alan-baxter/?fbclid=IwAR0OQUZRdy-r53FmaTTIEP6QWCwHkZX9o4Ch0SHNjbbHqADSbr0oJaq0SKU
Kendall Reviews (interviewed by the whole review team!) – http://kendallreviews.com/feature-interview-kendall-reviews-vs-alan-baxter/
GeyserCon – http://www.geysercon.nz/updates/interviewwithalanbaxter
Authors Interviews – https://authorsinterviews.wordpress.com/2019/07/03/here-is-my-interview-with-alan-baxter/
CSFG – https://csfg.org.au/news/interview-with-alan-baxter/
More 2 Read – https://more2read.com/review/interview-with-alan-baxter/
Fantasy Faction (2014) – http://fantasy-faction.com/2014/alan-baxter-interview
Video:
Lovecraft eZine (although I’m voice only due to connection issues) – https://youtu.be/4FIC3zO31tI
Geekish at Supanova – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPvIWWWevIw
E G Stone – https://youtu.be/ftlTjiyAaV8
Creative Penn – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXeqOlKJpWs
Creative Penn – How to write short stories that sell – https://youtu.be/KcVLs4cHkUE
Creative Penn – How to write fight scenes – https://youtu.be/iEvXaNbMH4Q
Fantasy Fiends (video but again, I’m voice-only) – https://youtu.be/cuFRMGbIPQ0
When you realise your book is broken.
This is a strange revelation to have on the day my latest book came out (thanks to everyone getting behind it, you people rock!), but here it is: The current novel I’m working on, that I’m about 62k words into (so maybe 3/4 or so done) is broken. And I mean really busted. The central premise for one major part of the story is so flawed the whole book falls down around it. It’s like playing Jenga, and you pull out the wrong block so the whole tower crashes down. I’m 62k words into this damn thing and just realised I pulled out the wrong block right near the start. The whole thing has been teetering on bloody-mindedness for weeks but I can’t bring the book home, because as soon as I take my hand off the tower, the whole thing collapses.
I can fix it, I think. Well, I’m sure. The major bones of the novel are salvageable, but… ugh.
I’ve been languishing in the third act now for a while, trying to figure out why I’m reluctant to keep writing. And I keep saying to myself, “Don’t overthink it! Trust in the story! It’s always worked before!” And it’s true, that has always worked before. But I often wondered if there would come a time when it didn’t work. Hello, this fucking book. It’s not working. The reason I’ve been so sluggish at moving on? It’s because I’ve realised what I’ve done so far is wrong. It took until now to really figure that out, but right from the start I was coming at this thing from the wrong angle.
The premise is sound. There are two primary threads that crash together to make the book, and those fundamental ideas are good. One of them works pretty much flawlessly. But the other one has a fatal flaw. A really brutal fuckedness that upsets the whole damn thing. How much that will pull the other thread out of true remains to be seen. So what now?
Like I said, I can fix it, but that requires a lot of thinking to restructure the whole core thread that isn’t working. And restructuring that thread means completely re-imagining the major supernatural threat of this novel. It can’t be what I thought it was. At least, not in the form it took throughout the writing so far. It has to be different for the story to work. But different how? Have you noticed yet that this blog post is as much me having a conversation with myself as it is telling you what’s happening?
Let me go on a tangent here. I met a mate of mine for breakfast a while ago. She said, “I have this major problem with the current book and maybe you can nut it out with me?” Of course, I was happy to. What happened is I sat there eating breakfast nodding and mm-hmming while she went through all that was wrong with the book and how it needed to be fixed. By the end she had her answers and I hadn’t said a word. That’s how writers work – we solve problems with words. She and I had breakfast. You and me? We’re hanging out in a blog post together, because no one was available for breakfast. Then again, I still don’t have answers, so maybe this blog post is only me realising I need to catch up with a mate and blather at them for a while.
So yeah, I need to completely re-imagine the Big Bad in this novel and let that foment in my braimneats. And then I have to go back to the start of the book and rewrite the whole damn thing. But doing it right this time.That’s okay, you know. I mean, it sucks massive hairy balls, but it’s okay. That’s the job. We get shit wrong sometimes. The book will no doubt turn out great and I’ll look like a genius or something, but these things are always born from me floundering away at the keyboard, with no idea what I’m doing. None of us really know what we’re doing. We pound on the word-making slab until a book is born.
But it’s important to recognise these revelations for what they are. It’s important to admit when things aren’t working, and then figure out how to fix them. I certainly don’t want to push on with a flawed book and then try to send it out for publication. We all know how that would end.
Regardless, first I need to get my head around how to change things so the story works. Perhaps I need to catch up with some folks for breakfast. I haven’t decided yet whether it means I take a while off to think, or shelve the whole book for an indefinite period and let it percolate, and work on something else in the meantime. I suppose I’ll wait and see. Now I’ve had this bolt of understanding, answers might come to me quickly. Or they might… not. I’ll let it simmer for a few days while I enjoy the launch of the new collection. Then I’m off to Comic-Con next weekend, so that takes some focus. I’ll let things rest until then, and see where I am. Maybe I’ll write a short story or two in the meantime, to keep the old creative juices warm and bubbly, while my hindbrain chews on this particular conundrum. Meanwhile, I do have a very big new project in mind that I was saving until after this book was written. Maybe that needs to move up the agenda. I won’t be doing anything until after Comic-Con.
Whatever happens, I’ll move on in one way or another because I’m a fucking professional. Shit, eh?
If you like what I do, the best way to support my work is buy my books, and share the word about them. Alternatively, you can also buy me a coffee at my KoFi page. Thanks!
I got my #1 Best Seller!
After I wrote this blog post: The day I didn’t get to #1, and why, it seems kinda ironic and cool to be writing this one immediately afterwards. (And you just wait until you see the next post after this one.) But, for now I’m celebrating. HUGE thanks to everyone who got behind Served Cold on launch day yesterday. We had an epic day, and I landed that sweet #1 Best Seller tag after all. You can see all the launch shenanigans (including an excerpt from every story in the book) archived on the Facebook Event page here. Meanwhile, I’ll bask in these screenshots (click on them for a better resolution):
You’ll notice I held #1 and #8 in the Hot New Releases chart there, being for Kindle and paperback respectively. All this at the Australian store, of course. I’m still not a big enough hitter to smash these numbers at the US store, but one day I sure hope to be. So again, thank you to everyone for getting behind this book. I really hope you enjoy it if you bought it, and that you’ll give it a go if you haven’t grabbed it yet. If you do enjoy it, please tell your friends!
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The day I didn’t get to #1, and why.
I’m writing this because I think it’s an interesting experience that others might find enlightening. But I’m going to start with a caveat. I have nothing against Raymond E Feist at all. He’s a good guy, and this is entirely beyond his control. What happened is totally down to his publisher and Amazon, so no yelling at Ray, please. Look, here’s he and I on tour together at Supanova a couple of years ago:
(Click on any image in this post for a clearer look.) We had a good time then and I’ve nothing against him now. I greatly admire his body of work. Okay, so with that established, what happened?
Well, last Friday I very nearly hit my first number 1 bestseller spot on an Amazon list with paperback pre-orders of my new short story collection, Served Cold. But it didn’t happen. I stalled out at #2, which is a fantastic result and THANK YOU so much to everyone who kicked in, but you don’t get that sweet Bestseller badge for #2. Now obviously, an Amazon Australia sub-category is not the NYT Bestseller list by long way, but I’m not a big seller. I love my job and I do okay, but I’m no bestseller. I’ve topped a few bookstore charts and things when I’ve had events and signings, but I don’t shift a lot of weight, as they say in publishing. Which means I don’t sell heaps of books. So a bestseller badge on Amazon would mean a lot to me. It would be something I haven’t achieved before and every little step up like that is valuable in a career like this. And it has real value – a book that’s hot, gets hotter. People see a bestseller tag and give a book a go when they might have looked past it before. It gets the book added to bestseller lists that are presented when people search. That’s why such things exist. Building a career in writing is about getting hot and staying hot, otherwise it’s easy to languish and never sell much. So let’s break down what happened on Friday.
Served Cold went up for pre-order at the start of last week. On Friday I saw a sudden spike in the sales rank on Amazon Australia for the paperback pre-order. One of the things I saw was that not only was the book up to #86 in the overall store (a fabulous result already!) but it was at #2 in Horror Anthologies. I got excited, as I was obviously close to one of those #1 bestseller tags. So I put the word out on social media and asked people if they could help. I said that if they were thinking of getting the paperback, pre-ordering that day while the rank was hot might push me over the line to #1 in Horror Anthologies. And thank you so much to every one who jumped in to help – this community is fantastic and I can’t express how much I appreciate you all.
I watched the rank increase. It went up to #57 in the overall store, but still #2 in Horror Anthologies. Come on, I thought. I must be close. Then it got to #36 in the overall store, then #27, then #23. Holy crap! An amazing result. But still #2 in Horror Anthologies:
What’s going on? So I clicked through to see which book was holding me out of that #1 spot. Turns out it was a box set of Raymond E Feist fantasy novels. Holding #1 in Horror Anthologies.
That day I beat out actual horror short story collections by Stephen King and H P Lovecraft (holy shit, right?) but I can’t beat a box set of Feist novels. Here it is, with that orange #1 Bestseller badge that could have helped me out so much:
That badge is what I was after. What I thought I was so close to getting. But remember, I’m not a big seller. Even when I’m doing well, I can’t outsell Ray’s novels, especially with a collection of horror short stories. I especially can’t outsell a boxed set of the complete Serpentwar Saga. But what’s that doing listed as a Horror Anthology anyway? It’s dark in places, sure, but they’re fantasy novels. This highlights something publishers do to raise a book’s profile. Where do you think it’s easier to hit #1? In fantasy novels or horror anthologies? Even under Fantasy Anthologies this same box set is sitting at #8, not #1, because fantasy sells more than horror. Publishers know that. And while it’s a set of four books, it’s not really an anthology. But the publishers know a #1 bestseller tag is valuable, so they list books in sub-categories where competition is lesser, and then they can swiftly outrank the stuff that does actually fit that category. Which is good for them, but bad for the others. Bad for folks like me. Like I said at the top, I bear absolutely no ill-will to Ray Feist. He’s a great author and he sells heaps of books for good reason, and he had nothing to do with where the publisher listed his books. But I do get pissed off with publishers gaming the sub-categories like this, when I could have topped the Australian Amazon store, which would have been a career first for me, but this stopped it. Kinda bites the big one. You get no fancy badge and increased exposure for #2.
Oh well, that’s what happened and that’s the business. It is what it is, right? I topped out at #23 in the overall store, and that’s amazing. So a huge thank you to everyone who stepped up to pre-order their books and give me a shot at this. I appreciate you all so much, and I really hope you love the book. If you do, be sure to tell people, as word of mouth about books is ultimately more valuable than that orange badge I missed out on. Meanwhile, I’ll be over here writing more books. Maybe I’ll get that badge one day. Maybe I’ll sell as many books as Ray Feist one day. I’ll certainly keep trying. Meanwhile, Served Cold is still up for pre-order. It comes out on the 17th of September, so not long to wait.
Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter/dp/1950569047/
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter-ebook/dp/B07WVS9Y45/
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter/dp/1950569047/
Are you ready to be Served?
Hey witches and warlocks, my next collection, Served Cold, is out on Tuesday, but pre-orders are up now. And pre-orders REALLY help, especially on Amazon AU where it’s easier to hit a bestseller list. I’m sure you’ll dig this collection of 16 chilling tales, 3 of them brand new for this book. If you’re keen to give it a go, please pre-order! (Amazon AU are doing free shipping on orders over $39, so if you get SERVED COLD and something else, you don’t pay postage. Or you could buy 2 copies of SERVED COLD and gift one to a friend, and get free shipping that way.) Are you ready to be served?
Amazon AU – https://www.amazon.com.au/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter/dp/1950569047/
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter-ebook/dp/B07WVS9Y45/
Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Served-Cold-Alan-Baxter/dp/1950569047/
“In SERVED COLD Alan Baxter shows off his impressive versatility and range with a host of stories that mix old school terrors with very now concerns. At turns creepy and visceral, Baxter delivers the horror goods.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World
“Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you. He writes with the grace, precision, and swift brutality of a prizefighter. SERVED COLD is a stellar showcase for his talents. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading him yet, start here!”
– Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat and The Pandora Room
“Alan Baxter is one of the best horror writers in the business, and this is an exceptional collection. You’ll think of these stories every time you’re alone and the shadows don’t behave, but by then, it’ll already be too late.” – Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Turtle Boy, Kin, and Sour Candy
“SERVED COLD is a powerful collection of Alan Baxter’s writing at its best. These stories never shy from the darkness or the weird and yet are, at their core, deeply human. As readers, we identify with his characters even – or maybe especially – when we would rather not. Be it twisted desires or impossible choices, the harshest of consequences or the depths of despair, in these stories Baxter shines a light into the darker corners of what it means to be human.” – Joanne Anderton, award-winning author of The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories
SERVED COLD is coming!
I’m excited that my second collection of short fiction, Served Cold, is coming out in two weeks! And today, the pre-order link went live at Amazon for the ebook and paperback, and the cover was revealed by the amazing Mother Horror, Sadie Hartmann. The pictures here are her wonderful setups, that you can find at her Facebook and Twitter pages, and of course at her incredible Instagram account.
The pre-order for both Kindle and paperback link is here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WVS9Y45/ and the book is on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48071290-served-cold
I absolutely love how Grey Matter Press have echoed back to my first collection, Crow Shine, with this cover and yet at the same time made it something unique and perfect for the stories in this second volume. You can see the comparison in Sadie’s pic below.
Served Cold has 16 stories, three of them entirely new for this book, and a couple that were published in rather obscure places that makes them almost as new as the unpublished work. I’ve had some incredible early feedback on Served Cold from people I respect enormously. To have them say such wonderful things is truly humbling. Look!
“In Served Cold Alan Baxter shows off his impressive versatility and range with a host of stories that mix old school terrors with very now concerns. At turns creepy and visceral, Baxter delivers the horror goods.” – Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and The Cabin at the End of the World
“Step into the ring with Alan Baxter, I dare you. He writes with the grace, precision, and swift brutality of a prizefighter. Served Cold is a stellar showcase for his talents. If you haven’t had the pleasure of reading him yet, start here!”
– Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of ARARAT and THE PANDORA ROOM
“Served Cold is a powerful collection of Alan Baxter’s writing at its best. These stories never shy from the darkness or the weird and yet are, at their core, deeply human. As readers, we identify with his characters even – or maybe especially – when we would rather not. Be it twisted desires or impossible choices, the harshest of consequences or the depths of despair, in these stories Baxter shines a light into the darker corners of what it means to be human.” – Joanne Anderton, award-winning author of The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories
I really hope you’ll give this book a go and, if you do, I hope you enjoy it! You can pre-order, or look out for the ebook or paperback wherever books are sold on release day, September 17th. That’s only two weeks away.
If you like what I do, the best way to support my work is buy my books, and share the word about them. Alternatively, you can also buy me a coffee at my KoFi page. Thanks!
Oz Comic-Con Sydney September 28 and 29
I’m super excited that I’ll be a guest again at Oz Comic-Con in Sydney, on September 28th and 29th. Comic-Con is always an absolute blast. It’s out at the Sydney Showground at Olympic park this time, so it’ll be interesting to see how the change in venue affects things. No doubt it’ll still be epic. I’ll have loads of books available, all at a discount. All three Alex Caine books, Devouring Dark, Hidden City, Manifest Recall, Crow Shine, and for the first time, copies of my new short story collection, Served Cold. I should be able to reveal the cover for that soon, and let me tell you, it’s awesome.
I’ll also have a handful of other books (a few of Primordial, Overlord, The Book Club, etc.) if you’re quick. I’ve managed to arrange all my books at special Comic-Con prices, so everything is $20 each or 3 for $50, and that applies to any combo of books you fancy. The only exception is Manifest Recall, which is a novella and only $15, but you can still include that in a three for $50 deal and be $5 better off.
Of course, I’ll sign anything you buy for free, and love to have a chat about stuff. And there are some limited edition Devouring Dark enamel pins left, which are $5 each if you want to buy one, but they’re free with any book purchase, until they run out. So come along and say hi. And please tell your friends. Anyone who can get along will have a sweet time at Comic-Con. You can check all the details and guest announcements here.
Penry
My dog is gone. Penry, my best friend for over a decade, died in my hands.
He was diagnosed with incurable cancer in December last year. They gave him 3 to 6 months. We could have tried major surgery, but the specialist said there wasn’t any way to get all of the tumour. It might buy him another 6 months, she said. Maybe more. Maybe less. But there wasn’t any guarantee the cancer hadn’t already metastasised (into lungs, liver, elsewhere), and there was a risk of fecal incontinence from the surgery. Not to mention months of chemotherapy post-op. There was no dignity in that, no way we’d put him through such significant physical invasion with those risks and outcomes, for a possible 6 months extension. Maybe more, but the risks were too high. I’ve seen cancer too many times. I’ve seen the futility of intervention at certain advanced stages. No, we wouldn’t put him through that. We’d give him the best 3 to 6 months we could. He made it 7 months before we saw a rapid change and the first signs of distress. There were lots of things to deal with along the way, but we managed. He trusted us. It wasn’t pleasant at times, but it was okay. He was still happy and energetic and living his life.
We said from the outset that we wouldn’t let him suffer. As soon as pain or distress presented itself, we would make that hardest decision of all and call the vet. That day came. It was the right thing. The right time. We had a good last day with him, all of us together in the garden. It was bright, the sky clear blue. Penry managed to play a little, he enjoyed lying in the sunshine. He was with his people and content. At the end of the day, the vet came. I held Penry. It was peaceful and calm.
But still I’m broken. I don’t know how to be without my Penry. He was part of me, part of my identity. His loss is an abyss.
The morning after he died, the garbage was collected. The silence as the big green monster lifted the bins was deafening. No matter how much we told Penry not to bark at the garbage truck, he couldn’t help himself. He was protecting us. That’s what he did. He was PC Penry, policing the things that needed his attention.
When Rufus came along two years ago, Penry taught him everything. He had a new lease on life with that crazy brown puppy around. They were instantly best buddies. Rufus will have some adjusting to do now, and we’ll all help each other through this.
I will never be okay with it. All dogs are good, they’re all special. But I’ve known a lot of dogs in my life and Penry was something more. He had a dignity and rare individuality. Penry was his own dog. He was pragmatic. Things were done a certain way and any deviation from the norm was met with disdain. We share that trait, he and I. He was also exuberant, his happiness with life infectious. When people saw him in the street, they smiled. There really will never be another like him. He had a presence far bigger than the physical space he occupied. He was kind and sweet and gentle, especially around kids and babies, and other small animals. He once tried to play with a frog. I loved him, and I respected him. I’ll never be the same without him. This is the price we pay for such total, unconditional love.
Penry loved everybody. The more people around, the better, as far as he was concerned. He would play in the garden for hours. He loved to swim. Sticks were great for chasing or chomping up. He learned so many tricks like shaking paws, roll over, play dead, and more. He enjoyed playing with other dogs, so much biteyface, and he and Rufus would play chase and tug in the garden for ages. But nothing was better than people throwing a ball. He would fetch a ball (or a rope or a rubber bone or anything else) all day long, 100% focus.
Aside from all that, Penry enjoyed nothing more than being with his family somewhere out in nature. Somewhere no cars would come and he could run and sniff and be free. Chasing a ball at the beach was his nirvana. That’s where we’ll scatter his ashes soon.
We had so many good times together, so many holidays with him. As long as we were all together, that’s all that mattered. We’re not together any more. He should have had years longer, but cancer is an evil thief that robs us all.
I don’t know how to be without Penry. He was my best mate and we did everything together. He was always a part of me. Now his absence will always be part of me. Notwithstanding the end, he had the best life. I’ll be forever grateful for the time we shared. I’ll have to learn to live with this hole in my life, as I’ve learned to live with others. But this one is hard. This one cuts so far, to the core of me. This pain is deeper than my bones. I have a beautiful family and we’ll hold each other up through this.
He was the best boy. I love you, Penry.
This is the last photo taken of Penry alive, on the last day we had together.
(Click on any of the pics in this post for a bigger version.)
REVENANT: Jake Crowley 3 is alive!
For any of you out there who enjoy the books I co-write with David Wood, I have some good news. The third Jake Crowley book is up for pre-order now. It’s called REVENANT. After the events of Anubis Key, Jake and Rose Black decide to take their time heading back to England, and have a road trip ending up in New York City to visit Jake’s Great Aunt. But we all know that Jake and Rose can’t stay out of trouble for long. Here’s the official blurb:
Archaeologists excavating a mass grave in a historic New York City cemetery make a gruesome discovery: stacked like cord wood are skeletal remains going back decades, but all have one thing in common. Each skull bears a hole in the exact same location. When their friend is murdered investigating this bizarre discovery, Jake Crowley and Rose Black set off in search of the killer. Their path will take them to abandoned hospitals, hidden chambers, and into the depths of the strange world that lies beneath New York City in search of Edgar Allan Poe’s secret journal.
An occult murder mystery wrapped in an action-packed thriller!
We had a lot of fun writing this book and it was cool to have a whole story set in the one city. For all the years that Dave and I have been working together, we’d never actually met in the flesh. Until last year when we hung out together for a while in New York City and researched the locations for this story. Pre-orders really help a book gain momentum on release, so please do jump on if you’re keen. The official release is only 5 days away on the 15th July, so you don’t have long to wait. All the various stores can be found here.
We’ve also had the jackets tweaked to make a fine looking matching set now there’s three books in the series. (They look great, huh? Click for a bigger picture.)
And there will be more Jake Crowley, but I think we’re going to work on a new Sam Aston book next. And don’t forget, my second collection of short stories, SERVED COLD, is out in September, so I’m staying busy.
If you like what I do, the best way to support my work is buy my books, and share the word about them. Alternatively, you can also buy me a coffee at my KoFi page. Thanks!