Peter Foley's Blog: Tales From The Typewriter

the-warehouse-by-peter-foleyDownload

JOIN MY BOOK CLUB FOR A FREE COPY OF RED SHIFT

SEND IT

Sign up for access to the newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Processing… Thank You. You're on the list. Please click your email (there might be a small delay before it arrives and please don't forget to check your junk folder). Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

A bass guitar noodles through the loudspeakers as Tuesday Tony sets up a sound desk on the Thirsty Scholar’s stage. Only there is no bass guitar, or noodles in the air, just a memory of mine playing back in high-def and mixing with the present.

The old photograph is still on the back wall, the one Helen took 12 years ago, and it makes me happy. It’s shot from the stage and it captures a gallery of familiar faces dotted around the pub; Glenn, wearing his scuba gear; Elina, dressed like she’s at a 1920s jazz party. Mike’s there too, wearing a tiger’s head like a hat, and in the back Helen and Dave are posing in a way that makes me think of Fleetwood Mac. I’m in the pic too, in the top left corner just a little way back from Ant, who’s wearing what looks like a furry leopard print overcoat and a large hat (the kind pimps wear). A Boy Called Doris is spelled out in bunting that spans across the room, and on stage, dressed like a ring master, is Tuesday Tony – the man responsible for many great nights here at the Thirsty Scholar over the last 22 years.

‘Tony!’ I say, turning to the actual stage and talking to the actual man.

‘Pete! And Helen!’ he says, and we hug.

‘I was thinking you should do the reading upstairs,’ he says, gesturing to the Zombie Shack, a Tiki bar-come-comedy club that sits above the Thirsty. I hadn’t prepared for this. I’d done all my prep visualizing reading Mika Ito aloud in public (for the first time) in the familiar territory of the Thirsty.

Me and Helen follow Tony upstairs and he shows me the Zombie Shack’s cosy live space. I go on stage before anyone else arrives, to get a feel for it. We talk as I awkwardly fumble with the mic stand and notice all seats are set out in rows. I get nervous, but I know I’m in safe hands. The rhythmic clack of a train passing overhead pulls my attention to the ceiling. The Thirsty/ Zombie Shack is situated under a railway bridge.

‘You’re being heckled by the 8:15 from Manchester to Leeds,’ Tony jokes.

The crowd filter in and I go on first. There’s around 20 people in the audience, mostly stand-up comedians here to try out their act. They’ll do five minutes each in between the compère, Sarah. There’s also a local band, Quinn Eno, in the back row. What can go wrong?

While I’m doing my thing, Helen takes photos of me on stage and I feel like I slip into a low-level trance, interspersed with jolts of ‘oh shit, I’ve no idea what I’m talking about’. But I seem to get away with it so I thank the crowd and take a seat to watch the comedians. One says, ‘That book bit was like the Audible commercial before your YouTube video plays.’

‘You picked just the right outfit for, Ant. He would have loved that,’ Tony says later, as we sit by the photograph, drink non-alcoholic beer and reminisce about our friend who sadly passed some years ago.

‘I thought you picked it,’ I say.

Quinn Eno is getting ready for his set, and me and Tony pledge to do this again. So, if you’re ever in or around Oxford Road in Manchester on a Tuesday, go check out the Scholar. As Tony might tell you, it’s ‘The best, most value for money live music and comedy experience you can possibly find anywhere… on a Tuesday.’        

Oh, and it’s Mika Ito’s one month anniversary today… Wow.

PF. 22.10.22

JOIN THE MAILING LIST

SEND IT

You can unsubscribe at any time.

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

My New Book

It’s been 18 months in the making, but the day has finally come. Today, I’m launching Mika Ito. It’s now available on amazon in kindle, paperback and hardcover formats. Find it here.

Buy Your Copy Now

It’s the story of Dylan Solly, a British journalist trapped in Japan on the day of the Fukushima disaster. When Dylan collapses, local school teacher, Mika Ito, comes to his aid and together they navigate the danger zone. But it’s Mika’s past that holds the real threat, and as Dylan and Mika’s relationship develops he will learn things about her that will endanger his very existence. Let me introduce you to the main characters:

This is Dylan. He’s in his 30s, from London, and the odds are stacked against him. He’s in Japan to cover the trial of the Notorious Three; kingpins of the Yakuza crime world.

This is Mika Ito. She’s an English teacher in Tomioka. She see’s Dylan collapse in Yonomori Park and comes to his aid. Moments later, disaster strikes.

Meet Shinsuke. He’s the leader of the Notorious Three. His and Dylan’s future are intertwined, whether Dylan likes it or not.

This is Mika Ito’s mother. She lives in Cape Sōya, situated in Japan’s northern most island, over 1,200km away from her daughter. The distance between her and her only child is a constant source of worry.

I’ve attached an audio clip from chapter one below. Let me know what you think, and if you buy a copy, thank you, and please consider leaving a review. 5-star reviews really help, especially self-publishers like me. Wish me luck for the launch again, here’s the book listing on Amazon. Please check it out.

Order Your Copy Now

Pete. 22.09.22. Launch Day.

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

The Queen’s coffin began it’s journey to Edinburgh today, and massive earthquakes have hit Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. It’s also the anniversary of 9/11. It certainly seems like a day to reflect.

Me and Helen were walking our dogs when the Queen died. Helen checked her phone when we got home and told me the news. Only a few days prior, we’d been in London and visited Buckingham Palace. We were in London to see the Taylor Hawkins tribute show at Wembley Stadium, which was a solemn yet celebratory event, featuring rock and pop legends like Paul McCartney, Nile Rogers, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and many more. The show was amazing. It was as if Dave Grohl was trying to invoke the spirit of Taylor Hawkins with the aid of 90,000 fans in order to hold onto it long enough for Taylor to know how much he was loved. And when it was over, the grief poured out of Wembley.

The next day, me and Helen took a walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to admire the parakeets. While there we found a lost dog called Hoover and reunited him with his owners, so it’s been quite a week. I think September will live long in the memory. And now it’s a peaceful Sunday afternoon. This weekends football games have been postponed out of respect for the Queen, and there is calm in the environment around me, so I’m about to take the rest of the day off and pick up my copy of Dark Is The Grave by TG Reid. I highly recommend it.

Peace and Love.

Pete

14:04, September 11th, 2022.

SEND IT

Sign up for access to the newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Processing… Thank You. You're on the list. Please click your email (there might be a small delay before it arrives and please don't forget to check your junk folder). Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

The Queen’s coffin began it’s journey to Edinburgh today, and massive earthquakes have hit Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia. It’s also the anniversary of 9/11. It certainly seems like a day to reflect.

Me and Helen were walking our dogs when the Queen died. Helen checked her phone when we got home and told me the news. Only a few days prior, we’d been in London and visited Buckingham Palace. We were in London to see the Taylor Hawkins tribute show at Wembley Stadium, which was a solemn yet celebratory event, featuring rock and pop legends like Paul McCartney, Nile Rogers, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and many more. The show was amazing. It was as if Dave Grohl was trying to invoke the spirit of Taylor Hawkins with the aid of 90,000 fans in order to hold onto it long enough for Taylor to know how much he was loved. And when it was over, the grief poured out of Wembley.

The next day, me and Helen took a walk around Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens to admire the parakeets. While there we found a lost dog called Hoover and reunited him with his owners, so it’s been quite a week. I think September will live long in the memory. And now it’s a peaceful Sunday afternoon. This weekends football games have been postponed out of respect for the Queen, and there is calm in the environment around me, so I’m about to take the rest of the day off and pick up my copy of Dark Is The Grave by TG Reid. I highly recommend it.

Peace and Love.

Pete

14:04, September 11th, 2022.

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

Every mistake is a lesson. I had to hold on to that thought this week as someone made me feel bad for a typo I made on my last post. He wasn’t trying to make me feel bad on purpose, I just really hate typos. It’s the writers curse. Never can you write something casually, you must call up the proofreader at 9am on a Sunday and ask them to take your money and look over the little blog post you put out there for fun.

Fuck that.

Every novel is checked over by a proofreader. My blog is not. Let us be at peace with that.

The Mika Ito launch is looming and it’s making me nervous, twitchy (does it show?). Four weeks to go and so much to do. The final edits are done, the copy writing is complete, proofreading nailed, ad artwork made. Also, blurb written, bloggers working on reviews. But what of the ARCs reviews? The website re-shuffle? The launch day program? Too much, all of it, too much.

If you want to be part of my ARCs team, let me know. Basically, you get a free digital copy of my book before it’s launched. Catch is, you need to leave a review by September 20th. Let me know.

I’ll sign off with some wisdom from Ice-T:

‘If you’re trying to make BIG moves, you can’t get distracted by SMALL things.’

Here’s another:

‘If we don’t inspire, motivate or support one another, we have no business being in contact.’

He’s a great twitter follow. Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m keeping it brief as time is running short. Speek spoon.

Petr Folly.

Sunday August 21st. 18:38.

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

My hands are beaten, scratched, and sore. That’s what I get for tackling the overgrown tree in the back garden. The bugger was big, and it still is. It has been pruned, but it put up a hell of a fight. The plumbs on the other tree are rich red and overripe. This years fruit-picking season should probably have started last week, so I better get moving on it because I’m keen to make some more plumb gin.

Boy, it’s still hot here in the UK. 34 degrees where I am, which is not usual, but I’m enjoying it. The cats, however, have melted. And while Helen is paddle boarding, I’m drinking a beer and sitting in front of this typewriter as the blue sky looms large in front of me.

I’ve had a few people ask me for writing advice this week. These are people who are starting their literary journey. I’m no expert, but I have experience and I’m always happy to offer advice, or even read some material and give feedback when possible. Friends who do this are rare in the lit industry, so I’m more than happy to encourage the trend of helping out, if I can.

The number one question I’m asked is, what does it take to write a full length novel. It’s a good question.

Fiction is strange. You’d think you can let your imagination run riot, but that’s not necessarily the case. Each genre is couched in reader expectations (conscious or otherwise). There are certain genre tropes with must be included, even if you subvert them, they have to be there. In a western, the cowboys have to ride along the prairie, there must be a sheriff, a whore-house and a gun fight. police procedurals, cozy mysteries, techno-spy-urban, all genres have their own tropes.

Maybe you’ve studied your genre and mapped it out already. What’s next? What goes into actually producing the book? Using Mika Ito as a case study, I’ll walk you through my experience. Mika Ito is my latest work and it drops on the 22nd of September (it was going to be August, but I’ve pushed the date).

Work began on Mika Ito in April 2021. I put in around 3-4 hours writing Mon-Fri. I’d get up at 6am and write before I went off to my 9-5 job. Then, once back home, I’d work on it for a few more hours. On weekends, I’d work 6-8 hour shifts. When the first draft was finished, it was on to draft two. Many, many drafts later, I begin to edit. Come December, I had something to show an editor. Up until that point, it was nine months of writing, drafting, editing, and many sleepless nights figuring out key plot points. The editor worked on the MS, then it was my turn to work through the changes. Then off to the typesetter, and the proofreader. After that, I worked through the changes again. Ultimately, the buck stops with me, the writer, and it’s up to me to go through the manuscript with a fine-tooth comb and sign it off. This is exhausting, and it requires reading and re-reading the entire manuscript many times. Now it’s August 2022, and I’m putting together marketing materials and planning the launch.

Yep, it’s a lot of work. And expense – editors, cover designers, typesetter, proofreaders all cost real money. And you can buy 17 months of work, including the collective expertise of five industry professionals for just 0.99p at launch. The price point seems criminal, but that’s what the market demands, thanks to Amazon. Don’t be surprised to see me raise the price a month after launch, after all I need to pay for the social media ads somehow. So, get it early and get it cheap, would be my advice.

And that’s what it takes for me to produce a book. Some writers can knock out a book in a few months, but not me.

Anyway, enjoy the sun, you sunny people, and stay cool. Don’t forget to check in on the older folks, and the very young, and the animals. And why not leave a bowl of water out in your garden? The hedgehogs suffer in this heat without something to drink, so be kind to them and leave a little water where they can get to it.

That’s it from me. Until next time, take it easy.

Pete

13/08/22. 17:17pm

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

And so am I.

Let’s start with this weeks headlines; Beyonce’s new album has dropped; Will Smith is still apologising; Prince Will is alleged to enjoy having his back doors blown out; the Premier League kicks off next week; and the TV show Neighbours has ended after 37 years.

What a weeks it’s been.

Outside of entertainment; war still rages in Europe; a global energy and grain shortage has triggered a cost of living crisis; and the Tories have spent all month arguing with each other about who wears the cheapest clothes, so they can decide who’s better between a robot and a slap-stick comedian.

And my garden. Oh, how long has it been neglected. So much time has been sunk into the re-edit of The Shelter and the production of upcoming Mika Ito that I’ve started to feel guilty. And I haven’t blogged in weeks. Well, it’s time to right those wrongs: I’ve started the clean up operation on the garden, and now I’m writing a post. The train is back on the tracks.

So hi. And welcome to the new subscribers, thank you for joining me. I have questions, which I’ll get to in a moment. First, let me tell you what I’ve learnt from marketing The Shelter’s re-edit this last few weeks. I’ve come to understand that I don’t fit into the mainstream thriller crowd, which is no great surprise. I am not David Baldacci, despite comparisons made by my previous publisher, and I never thought I was. I’m more at home with the action adventure crowd, or even with the miscellaneous crew, and I’m happy with that. It makes me difficult to market, but the only alternative is to ‘write for the market’, and that idea makes me ill.

If you’re reading this (here come the questions), I’d really like to know what you’re favorite writers are (and which books you prefer by them). Do you prefer reading a series or standalone titles? Let me know, it might just help me know myself better as a writer, and it might also influence what I do next…

What’s currently next on the agenda (and this may change), is a to write the follow up to Mika Ito (it may well turn into a series), but a surprising idea for a sequel to The Shelter looms over me, and I’d really like to get to it but I also want to return to something I started in January – an unabashed, unashamed, male-character driven murder mystery set in rural England. A story of righting wrongs. The working title is I Didn’t Kill Polly Slocombe, but that will certainly change before publication. If you’re interested in any of this, do let me know.

Well, that’s the week, folks. Until next time, take care. I’ll sign off with this from @BashoSociety on twitter:

‘With a whisper, a flock of birds burst into flight.’

See you next time. PF 13:06 30/07/22

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

This week has been a memorable one. The summer solstice happened, Paul McCartney headlined Glasto, the build up to Wimbledon began, the England’s lionesses beat the Netherlands 5-1 in a warm up-game for the Euro 2022, and I’ve been wearing shorts all week. Summer is certainly here.

I’ll probably remember this week mostly for the secret re-launch of The Shelter. The Kindle version is on Amazon right now, but I’m not telling anyone just yet. I’m waiting for the Amazon people to merge the current listing with the original one, thereby reinstating all the previous reviews for the book. Admittedly, the reviews are for the old version, and this edit is an improvement on the original – however, the reviews offer a degree of ‘Social Proof’ that is helpful in the over-crowded pulp-thriller marketplace.

The paperback will be available next weekend, but the Kindle version is out now so check it out here, if you like: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shelter-Completely-Gripping-Psychological-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0B53N2F4N

The genesis for the book was one question; imagine stumbling into the People’s Temple cult in 1978, just a few days before they went full blown death-cult.

There you have it. I’ve beaten that particular drum enough for one day, especially for a book I’ve not officially launched yet. It does feel good to get that project over the line, as if everything has fallen into place. You may now be wondering, so Pete, what you going to spend the millions on, now the book is out in the world. Well, here’s a list:

Frying panA silver dollarA set of massive laddersWiper blades

What I plan to do with these things is my own business. In all seriousness, if I break even with the project, I’ll be thrilled. As I’ve said before – there really isn’t much money in books, unless you’re already a made-man.

I have a few weeks before Mika Ito is back from the typesetters and proofreader, so I can afford to relax and enjoy peak summer. Alfie has also just parked his bum on my typewriter, so I guess that’s a hint to stop this madness and enjoy the rest of the day.

Before I go, here’s The Shelter’s book blurb:

Chilling
Didn’t want to put it down
Great Book!!
It’s terrifying, and it could happen in today’s world!

You think you’re safe. You’re wrong.

When an unusual category five hurricane threatens to devastate California, it forces five strangers to seek shelter inside a woodland bunker. But the bunker is already occupied.

Pastor Quincy Gordon has claimed it as a sanctuary for his church. He welcomes the visitors, but as the storm rages, he locks the entrance, trapping everyone inside.

Soon, the five will wish they’d taken their chances outside with Mother Nature, because what lurks within the shelter is far more sinister…

The Shelter is a tense and completely gripping thriller. It’s the perfect read for fans of authors like T.M. Logan, David Baldacci and Alex Marwood.


“This was a book that you can’t put down. You have to keep reading to see what comes next”


“This was a very chilling book. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the book.”


“I encourage you to read a thoroughly clever story, that kept me gripped until the very last word.“

PF. Sunday 26th July. 14:36

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.

I got the print proof of the Author’s Edit of The Shelter from Amazon. Looks good. I need to run through it in detail, and that will be the final sign off before it’s re-publication. Phew. We’re finally there, on the home straight. I can’t say it’s been easy, and I can’t say it’s been fun, but I think it will be all worth it when you read it. So, let me know about the re-edit. I think it’s a killer.

So, on to Mika Ito. The editor has done a wonderful job with it and I’m really excited for it to see the light of day. It’s with the typesetters, then off to the proofreader, then it’s on to you. Stand by, and be on guard… it’s coming.

So thank you. Thank you to the playstation 5 I had to sell to finance the project. Thank you to the 6am starts and to the overtime on Saturdays to raise the extra money to pay for all the expense that occur when self-publishing. And thank you to Amazon for removing all the print copes of the old version of The Shelter (even though I had to threaten legal action for you to do it). Thanks to the painful mistakes that I’ll never make again, and cheers too the painful feedback and the moments of not knowing how to proceed – you’ve made me stronger and wiser. The sleepless nights, I don’t thank you, you guys can fuck off.

Whether these books are good or bad, thank you for reading them. I really tried and no matter what they’ll be an immortal tribute to my dedication to writing to my willingness to grow and for my ability to learn. So fuck it. Two books coming your way within the next three months, plus a secret third book, which I’ll keep up my sleeve for now. Wait and see…

Well, that’s another Sunday, and another case of beers. Time to relax and to feel the sun on my face for a few hours before we begin another week, and before we win the new battles that lie in wait in our future.

Mahalo.

PF. Sunday 19th, June. 20:05.

Sign Up To My Blog

You can unsubscribe at any time

Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.