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birthday-cake-380178_1920This month I turned 50 years old. In truth it doesn’t feel any different to being 49, and it doesn’t feel any different to being 36 either. Remember in The Matrix how Neo discovered his Residual Self Image (the way you think of yourself, and probably the way you’ll look and behave if you ever come back to haunt the living)? Well mine is a slightly scruffy 36 year-old arsehole. So despite climbing inside another decade, I still look at the holes in my jeans and smile.matrix

When I was a nipper, I contracted arthritis (I was bored one weekend and thought, why not?), but luckily it burned itself out, leaving a bit of a twisted body, and a very humble mind. But only last week I learned it’s on its way back, so I’m in for a bit of a ride but I know I’m in good hands thanks to wonderful staff of the NHS – they are all superstars!

The Third Rule got another great review, taking the tally to a mind-blowing 43. TTR1spine3.6.16I know, steady yourselves! I suppose that sounds like sarcasm masking disappointment, but actually I am thrilled. 41 of those ratings are solid 4 and 5 star reviews. Gotta be happy about that.

And while on the subject of stats – something I don’t spend a lot of time analysing (okay, I don’t spend any time analysing them), I’m one rating away from 400 on Goodreads! That’s overwhelming you stop and think about, and something I feel quite proud of. And my average is still 4.29, which is quite good – squeak!

This month also saw the 4000th visitor to my humble website. I’m not a technical expert, and this thing is slightly creaky around the edges and I guess it’ll never win Website of the Year, but I enjoy tinkering with it every now and then, and I really enjoy the comments that my mumblings occasionally get. If you’re reading this, I sincerely thank you for indulging me.

Last month, I finished creating the new covers for my back-catalogue, and enjoyed the experience overall. I say overall because I did pull BBRspineout rather a lot of hair during the process. But never mind, they’re done, and I think they look far more startling than the old covers, and have already attracted many more sales than in previous months, so that’s good!

TheLiftFrontCover27.5.16 (Medium)And lastly, before you nod off, I’m putting the finishing touches to a brand new Eddie Collins short story. The working title is The Note and it’s another first person adventure, seeing as that format in The Lift went down rather well. I think I’ll keep this format too for any future short stories – I kind of like the foray from third person, feels more immediate, and lets us crawl through Eddie’s mind and find out what makes him tick. notes-514998_1920In The Note we find out that he’s not as brave as you might think. I’m not saying he’s a wimp, but he’s definitely no superhero!