Today is the cover reveal for New York Minute. It will be published on October 1st 2024.

The idea for New York Minute came to me a few years ago and it would not leave me alone. I was busy with other books, so I ignored it, but it kept nagging at me. Going in, I knew that this story didn’t fit into a neat genre box, so that would make it difficult to sell. Nevertheless, I had to write it and exorcise it from my head.

Once it was drafted, I realised that because New York Minute was a novella, that was another barrier for most publishers. So, I sat on the book for a while (not literally). I edited it some more. I fiddled with the story a bit. I thought about if there was a way to make it into a novel. Eventually, I realised that the answer was no. I read it a few more times and I still liked it. I didn’t want to just leave it on a shelf. ​Given all of that, I realised that self publishing the story was going to be the best approach, but having been with my agent since 2013, and traditionally published since 2015, what did I know about self publishing? The answer was, not a lot. ​

Over the years, I have spoken to a lot of self published authors, and interviewed a few on my YouTube channel, but there’s a world of difference between talking to someone about it, and going through the process yourself. So I called on some experts to help me who had done it, many times before.

The result is a brand new book and I am enormously proud of it. It will be published on October 1st 2024.

You can pre-order it now on Amazon in ebook and paperback

What is it about?

A noir story, set in an alternate New York City

After years of being a cop, and now a private investigator, there’s little that surprises Cole Blackstone. But when someone working for Karl Dolman, the most notorious crime boss in the city asks for his help, Cole is caught off guard, and more than a little afraid.

Dolman’s daughter, Selina, has  gone missing. To prevent a gang war that will tear the city apart, Cole must find her. But the job is being made more difficult as everyone is interfering, cops and criminals, and no one wants him to succeed.

Together with his childhood friend, Bracken Hart, the two men must navigate the depths of the city’s underworld for answers. In a race against the clock, Cole needs to find out what happened to Selina, and who is responsible, before the streets run red.

You can pre-order New York Minute now on Amazon in ebook and paperback

What are people saying about it?

I asked some authors to read advanced copies of the novella and they had the following to say about it.

‘New York Minute splashes onto the indie scene with all the well-loved hallmarks, tones, and tropes of noir crime fiction, but with a fresh new voice and speculative fiction elements that make them all feel new again. A fun-house-mirror alternate, electricity-free New York City sets the stage for a page-turning mystery, rough-but-lovable characters, and an exploration of what it means to be “good” in a world so filled with evil.’

MJ Kuhn

‘New York Minute proves that, given time, societies can shift, places can change, and people can grow. With sharp prose and a jaded PI protagonist, this novella packs a bare-knuckled punch of worldbuilding and character within its noir-soaked pages.‘

Adrian m. gibson

‘Gaslamp Noir Gangs of New York with swords, I loved it!’

Peter mClean

‘New York Minute is a fast-paced crime story with fantasy set dressing, imagining a world where New York is unrecognizable, with magic beasts we only catch a glimpse of, sword fights in alleys that we can’t get enough of, and a whole ocean of blood spilled in the pursuit of the truth.’

krystle matar

Is this a standalone story?

New York Minute is the first novella set in this new world – and it is not connected to any of my other books or series. However, the good news is I am already working on the second novella, and I am roughly (don’t quote me) planning to publish it around April or May in 2025.

The second novella picks up moments after the first one ended and once you’ve read it, you will be able to guess where the story is going.

You can pre-order it now on Amazon in ebook and paperback