One week after launch

So, my debut novel, Shadow of the Hidden, came out one week ago yesterday.

How time flies, right?

It felt like forever, that long period between finishing the post-beta edits on the book in mid-2022. Then it went on submission to a series of publishers, before finding its happy, eventual home with Brigids Gate Press.

The early reviews have been better than I could ever have hoped, with all 4 and 5-star ratings and some lovely comments from pre-release readers and early buyers, alike. It also managed to creep into the best sellers list on Amazon for a couple days.

In many of the early reviews, I’ve been happy to see readers have really understood what the novel is and what it isn’t. It’s not a gory slaughterfest – that’s really not the kind of horror I write, in general. But it is an adventure, spanning continents, as Seb, Oz and Deniz search for the answers they need to break the djinn curse.

Readers have really latched on to this element of the journey, the painting of different locations and the way they’re brought to life through sights, smells, and flavours. And they’ve also longed for a map to see the places where the three friends go, so, with a mild spoiler warning as this will tell you the places they visit before you know why, here’s a map of the main locations of Shadow of the Hidden.

As you can see, it’s a lot of miles Seb and his friends cover. So, if you find yourself reading along and wondering where they are, you can use this as your guide.

Over on my YouTube channel, I’ve done a short reading from the first chapter of Shadow of the Hidden to give you a flavour of the story, and so you can see where things start to take a mysterious turn. Please be aware that there is strong language and some description of the after effects of animal harm, so if this type of content is difficult for you, think twice before watching. If you’re still keen to watch, check it out here:

And finally, if you have read the book (or any of my books) and enjoyed it (or not enjoyed it, for that matter), please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub or wherever you found the book. It can be the difference between algorithms suggesting my book to a reader who may enjoy it and burying it forever with the long forgotten curses.