After the boys of summer have gone
Shadows & Ink 2025-06-22
Actually should probably use that title in late September, but anyway – happy Summer. Whether you danced around the stones at Stonehenge yesterday or just swore at how hot and humid it was, I hope it was a joyous summer solstice.
#Music
Anyway, as much as I despise the Eagles, I love this tune:
Anyway, enough of that nonsense.
#Marshall 8 is done
Yes! I just sent it off to copy edit.
How was writing it, you ask? Because that's the most important question, after all. Well, it was actually very pleasant. Nothing to do with editing four Police Scotland books around this, plus a mysterious book, making writing something new all the sweeter... Put it this way, it's made me itch to get working on the next book, called Cuts Both Ways, so that's got to be good, right? My only regret is I haven't been publishing these books quickly enough or writing them, but having a break has maybe reminded me how much I enjoy writing Marshall.
And the second-most important one… Aiming to get it out on 31st August – watch this space for preorder links... And I hope you enjoy it when it comes out.
It’s called Our Debts to the Past. Scott’s View!
#Stab in the Dark updated now
Last week, I updated the new version of the old book, the final of the four I've edited this week. I've requested that Amazon contact readers who've previously bought it, just like they so helpfully did for books 1-4 so you should get some emails soon, hopefully.
Two other things on this:
First, I'll be putting the new print editions live on Grey Dog Books and Amazon this week (it's a royal pain as I basically have to redo the covers from scratch).
Second, I'll be updating the boxed sets this week too. Previously, I had them grouped into two Cullens, then a Hunter then the Cullen & Bain ones, but it's all out whack chronologically, like a mess in a monkey shop. So I'll be unpublishing those – if you bought them, you won't lose the old files, but it's too complicated to update these. So new versions will be launched this week, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, then you'll have to buy the last two books in the series.
#The Lost Souls won't be written
I made the executive decision to not expand the wee novella beastie Cuddly Toy into something new, i.e. book 11 in the series. Why? Because it's too much hassle and too confusing and I can’t be bothered. If you haven't read Cuddly Toy, then give me a shout – you need to be on the main mailing list to get it.
#Other stuff
But the upsot means I can have some time off, which means a lot of gardening, a bit of admin and a lot of thinking about what the hell I’m going to do in the second half of the year.
Been a crazy six months and I’ve had to work very hard to get all these projects done, but I’m glad/relieved to be at the other side of all that. right now, I feel like Salieri at the end of Amadeus, forcing poor Angus King to narrate yet another audiobook of mine. He’s done 10 of mine in the last twelve months, or so we think. It’s probably more. In fact, it surely must be. Actually, it might be ten in six months.
But is the actual truth that he’s Salieri and I’m Mozart?
No, I didn’t say that I’m a generational genius – you just thought it.
I can take the second half of the year at my own speed. Feels like it'll be two Marshall books and two DI Sam Winter books; but the definition of his or her series is going to be the focus of all that thinking and it feeds into Marshall 9 as he or she will appear in that. And obviously I really should decide whether Sam is a Samuel or a Samantha. Who knows?
Anyway. Deep breath. And enjoy summer – go on, listen to that song again.
Cheers,
Ed