Over the last few weeks I’ve been a bit quiet. That’s because I had a lot going on. I’ve been working with Maria Mavridou to get her debut book, OF SHADOWS, DEMONS, AND LOST BROTHERS out in print (under Halfplanet Press) and I’ve been privately chiselling away at a number of other things I’ll mention after the big news.
I HAVE JUST FINISHED TWO POETRY COLLECTIONS!
It feels peculiar publishing two at the same time, but as with WBTH, I had a specific vision for these books that required a weird execution. The idea is that apart, they are averagely sized poetry collections about isolation and being an alien on your home planet, but that together they form a cosmic narrative that swings from reality to fiction without much warning, that together they are a larger beast that creates an encoded dialogue between itself and the reader.
They are full of cosmic metaphors and existentialist lyrics. Some of the poems would work just as well as DarkWave synth songs, which they might turn into once I do the audiobook thing.
FALSE VACUUM is the blue shift of the collection, meaning its stars are hurtling towards the observer. It is more grounded in reality, more based on real life than fiction. For that reason it has some locations that old friends might recognise, all of which have been encrypted into spacey poems.
BRANCH DENSITY is the red shift of the collection. This is the one which leans more into fiction. It brings back popular characters from WHO BUILT THE HUMANS? and even presents poems that the characters might have written themselves. I’m still in this collection, but I am fading from view in favour of Stephanie, Lax, and LP. This is another chapter in my growing multiverse of stories, and as any fans will know, it isn’t just stories. If an idea would work best as a poem or a stage play, then it will become a poem or a stage play.
I am heavily inspired by David Bowie, whose lyrics still feel underrated despite his millions of fans, so I have slipped in the odd reference here and there, as a thanks to his literary influence.
You can order the eBook for False Vacuum here.
You can order the eBook for Branch Density here.
(ignore the placeholder covers on the Amazon page, the covers below are the final ones)
So that’s about it for the poems. I am of course writing a funny collection or two, and a third thing that conceptually sits between FV and BD, but for now I think I have done enough poetry publishing. I am moving into performance.
I’m also moving into clothing design. I have one working Facebook advert that is actually slightly profitable for WBTH, but I realised this won’t last forever. What I should be doing is advertising my clothes and services. So here’s a list of cool stuff I am doing, which I hope makes up for my absence.
I am designing new scifi/comedy shirts, mugs, and tote bags. If you don’t want to just throw coins at me, you can support me by buying one of these (I think I get about £7 out of every shirt) CLICK HERE to check out my favourite design that definitely isn’t a sex joke about aliens
I have re-opened my Patreon, and shall be posting new chapters of upcoming projects on there. I am also putting Halfplanet’s horror creative writing book, 52 weeks of horror, on there as a freebie, for a limited time. CLICK HERE to see the Patreon
I have opened commissions for comedic poetry and speeches for weddings, birthdays, and other events. If you have a family member you’d like to insult in rhyme, and want to hire a professional poet, I am your man. It’s £60 for the first ten customers. I already have two people interested. And I can consider going to your event and performing itself too, provided I am fed and watered. CLICK HERE to book a poem
So yeah, been a weird few weeks.