It’s been a little over a month since the second book in my KESTREL action-thriller series, entitled TOLL, was released. Lots of emotions are involved when a new book comes out: primarily relief that it’s done, but also some fear. Will people like it? Is it as good as the first one? Does it hold up as a story on its own, and not lean too heavily on the previous book?

I’m glad to say that the reviews are in, and TOLL has been very positively received so far. To those who left ratings or reviews, thank you. I’ve learned some interesting things from those comments, which I’ll mention below.

A month or two ago, I took delivery of something I’ve periodically had my eye on for several years now: a big, chunky mechanical keyboard. It’s the more modern and practical equivalent of a typewriter, and is absolutely an object of desire for writers (or programmers) of a certain vintage — so I had to have it.

I’m thrilled to announce that TOLL, the second book in the KESTREL action-technothriller series, is out now!

Elite EU special forces team KESTREL is back, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance once again. With fast-paced action, beautiful locations across Europe and beyond, and the series’ trademark blend of adventure, conspiracy, and fringe science, TOLL has already been gaining rave reviews:

“A masterclass in storytelling” — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Vivid, harrowing and relentlessly taut” — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Fast-paced action keeps you glued to the book” — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Riveting and thrilling” — ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can buy it right here, in the format/platform of your choice:

• Amazon.com 🇺🇸
• Amazon UK 🇬🇧
• Apple Books 
• Autographed ebook ✍️📱
• Paperback 📖
• Autographed Paperback ✍️📖

And plenty of other places too:

• Amazon Canada 🇨🇦
• Amazon Australia 🇦🇺
• Amazon France 🇦🇺
• Amazon Germany 🇦🇺
• Amazon Italy 🇦🇺
• Amazon Spain 🇦🇺
• Kobo 📕
• Nook 📗
• ePub 📱

Here’s the description from the back cover:

THE PERFECT WEAPON LAY BURIED FOR 70 YEARS. NOW ITS DEADLY POWER HAS BEEN UNLEASHED.

The Norwegian Sea: a group of eco-activists disappear from their vessel. Only their dental fillings remain.

Owl Mountains, Poland: a wealthy environmentalist resurrects a secret experiment forgotten since the close of the Second World War, determined to heal our ravaged planet.

When a dossier finds its way to the desk of Dr. Neil Aldridge, the elite EU special forces team codenamed KESTREL is drawn into a dangerous pursuit across Europe and beyond, to prevent a cull of Earth’s greatest threat: humanity.

As the final countdown begins, Captain Jessica Greenwood faces the ultimate choice: fight to prevent the dark future ahead, or help make it happen…

To find out more, read a preview, or buy it (yay), go here immediately!

This article is part of a series on going iPad-only.

Within the next week, the second novel in my KESTREL thrillers series, entitled TOLL, will be released. I wrote it entirely in Ulysses, and I’d like to share my method for creating beautiful epub ebooks of novels using Ulysses itself.

This article is part of a series on going iPad-only.

I recently wrote about how I’m offering autographed ebook versions of my novels, alongside autographed paperbacks and of course the regular retail editions in both print and digital formats. In this article, I’ll briefly describe my iPad-based workflow for making those bespoke ebooks.

This article is part of a series on going iPad-only.

The second book in my KESTREL action-thriller series, TOLL, will be released on 5th December. I think it’s a worthy sequel to CHANGER, and I very much hope you’ll read and enjoy it.

I’ve always offered autographed paperback copies of CHANGER, and you can now also pre-order autographed paperbacks of TOLL too, but lots of people prefer the convenience of ebooks these days — and we certainly love our Kindles here.

Since I self-publish my novels, and I work full-time on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil, I’m excited to announce that I can now offer the best of both worlds for those who want a personalised keepsake in digital format: autographed ebooks!

This article is part of a series on going iPad-only.

Last week, I upgraded to the new Face ID-equipped iPad Pro, choosing the larger 12.9” screen this time around. Here are a few thoughts on the device.

This isn’t a review, and it’s entirely about me. If you discover that we’re similar, then this’ll be useful to you. Otherwise, it’ll be more of a curiosity. That’s fine. Any review is ultimately like that; I’m just not going to pretend otherwise.

I’ve upgraded to a 12.9” iPad Pro, so I’m selling my 10.5” model (256 GB, wifi, gold). It’s only seven months old, and in absolutely mint condition. It includes an Apple Pencil (also mint condition), and a Magic Keyboard in perfect working order. All three items are boxed, and include everything they originally came with. The iPad has a UK-style plug, and the Magic Keyboard is the UK ISO layout.

Additionally, I’m including a Studio Neat Canopy stand, three different cases/covers, an Apple Pencil stand, and a case for the Pencil (both accessories can charge the Pencil).

All the details are below.

Version 13 of Ulysses was released today, and alongside other enhancements, it includes a feature I’ve wanted since I switched to the app for all my writing: coloured keywords.

Ulysses lets you assign keywords to each “sheet” (document, whether it’s a scene, chapter, or anything else), and you can also choose to display those keywords in the sheet list panel. Now that each keyword can have a colour assigned to it, there are lots of useful things you can do to get an overview of various aspects of your story. My favourite is tracking points of view: the character whose perspective a scene is written from.

It’s Europe Day, in commemoration of the 1950 Schuman declaration, so I’d like to extend my best wishes to all of our sisters and brothers in the European Union.

The EU is very dear to me, and is the natural setting for my KESTREL series of thriller novels, including CHANGER and the upcoming next book, TOLL.

I believe that the EU represents the best spirit of cooperation, collaboration, and mutual protection within a democratic framework. I very much identify as a European citizen, and that’s why I chose to create the KESTREL series of adventures, featuring an elite EU special forces team, tasked with dangerous missions that are a little out of the ordinary.