Well, it's out there.

Well, it's out there and to a mixed response.

In Britain it seems to be doing well, selling steadily and collecting reviews, (18 as of today). Two 4 star reviews and the rest 5 star, which is satisfying to say the least, (I hope I don't sound smug there?). I'm really happy that some people from my home town have read it and made comments about the references to the country side. I think I'll definitely do another story set in North Wales again, it just felt right.

HOWEVER, on the other side of the pond all is not well. Sales are subterranean and the reviews faltering, two 5 star write ups and one 3 star; in which the reader complained about the ending being too abrupt. Well, I shouldn't complain, at least he/she made an effort to put down some feedback, right?

I wonder how I can push it out more Stateside? "Division" picked up nicely there and though Britain outstrips it in sales, the difference isn't as big as with "House". Whatever, it's early days yet.

As for what I'm doing now, well it's complicated.

I started on the sequel to "Division". I have the plot down, some great biblical/Sumerian background mythology and, (I think) some interesting characters to add to the original crew. However... again, that word, I can't seem to find the inspiration to set about it. It'll come, but when exactly I don't know.

I toyed with the idea about writing a story about Cthulhu, the fictional cosmic entity who first appeared in H. P. Lovecraft's short story "The Call of Cthulhu". I had a great idea about the captain of a Whaler in the 19th Century being caught up in the cult of Cthulhu and bringing his crew into danger. My main protagonist was going to be a young lad, and I wanted him to be the only survivor. The thing is though, if I wanted to use the character of Cthulhu, I'd have to ask permission from Lovecraft's estate, who would naturally want money for it. So the idea gasped its first breath and promptly passed away, to be flushed into the sewer of inspirations past.

Never the less, I liked the idea of a 19th Century Whaler in the south Pacific seas, sailing the loneliest oceans of the world, making landfall on remote, exotic islands habituated by natives who follow strange, menacing dogmas. I won't go into what I have, but I'm thinking whale cults, far-flung islands, insane Whaler captains, an impressionable young crew member as a hero and lots of horror. Moby Dick meets Rapa Nui meets Pocahontas, (I bet that last one threw you).

I've also thought a lot more about my dinosaurs meets War and Peace story. Inspired as I am by The Game of Thrones, I've decided the story needs to be broadened; it has to have more background and characters. I have a few ideas floating around, nothing on paper though. I'll definitely get back to it sometime, the idea is far too good to let rot.

Right, so that's it. I have no idea when my anthology with Paul Rudd is coming out, there's been a cloak of silence about it. However, I've done a bit of research on the matter, and it seems anthologies don't sell all that well, so perhaps the publishers are hoping the idea will go to sleep somewhere and not wake up, lol.

OK, I'm off to Berlin all weekend, all the best people, have a nice weekend and thanks for any support you've given me these last couple of weeks.

I do appreciate it.

Reg :-)