This Book Did Not Exist Last Week

Like, not even in idea form

On Tuesday of last week, I couldn’t sleep. This is quite unusual for me, because I always considered sleeping to be my number two skill. If you’re interested in how the top three rounds out, it’s this:

1. Putting things on high shelves

2. Sleeping

3. TBD

In fact, I often say, ‘No problem, it’s the one thing in life I’m genuinely good at,’ to old ladies when they ask me to get things off high shelves for them in supermarkets.

Then, I look them in the eye and say, ‘Except for making sweet, sweet love.’ Which is why I am no longer allowed in supermarkets.

But, I digress.

Last Tuesday night, I couldn’t sleep. The reason for my inability to sleep was that I have literally five hundred thousand tasks to complete over the next few months*.

My mind was racing, thinking about all the projects I’ve committed to, how badly I’ve stretched myself thin, and all the people I would let down if I didn’t deliver everything on time. I was really stressing about it all.

And then, I thought, ‘Fuck it, why not just write a 36,000 word novella about Tyler Neish’s first week on the job?’

So, I did that.

Here are ten facts about it to whet your appetite:

1. It’s a 36,000 word long novella.

2. It’s about the then Constable Tyler Neish’s first ever case.

3. There are lots of Easter Eggs for fans of the Loganverse.

4. It introduces several new characters.

5. It features several existing characters from the series, only slightly younger and probably with more hair.

6. Tyler, at this point in his career, has not nearly been hit by a train.

7. It was the most fun I had writing anything in ages.

8. It took me four days.

9. It is both not quite the Tyler you know and love, but also the purest form of that character I think I’ve ever written. If you love Tyler already, I think you’ll love him more. If you hate him, you’re dead to me.

10. It’s available on Amazon Kindle right now. It’ll also be on paperback via Amazon in the next 12-24 hours, and an audio version will be out later in January.

So, there you go. Sometimes, you just gotta do what your heart tells you to do, and in this instance it told me to write a 36,000 word novella about the early days of Tyler Neish. And also to stop eating so many biscuits. ‘Please, God,’ it said. ‘Enough with the biscuits. And would it kill you to exercise once in a while?’ It also said that.

But mostly, it said the Tyler thing.

Now, before you go running off, I want to ask you a favour, and it speaks volumes about how real to me the characters I write about are.

Several DCI Logan books have hit #1 in the UK Amazon Kindle charts over the years, and I’m extremely grateful for that.

The Hoon books have never hit #1 (although they did win an award that Logan failed to win twice.)

It amuses me no end to think how furious Hoon would be if Boyband got to #1 before he did. He’d burst a blood vessel.

So, if you have any plans to buy the Kindle edition of this book in the future, or to read it on Kindle Unlimited, and you are able to do so right now, please grab it. If enough people do that, it’ll shoot up the charts, claim the top spot, and Tyler will forever have bragging rights over poor old Bob.

If it manages to top the charts, I will write the scene where Hoon and Tyler ‘discuss’ this development, which will require the invention of several all-new, never before heard swear words.

So, if any or all of the above floats your boat, click the big button below and grab your copy now!

Enjoy, and if I don’t speak to you before then, have a fab Christmas!

Best wishes,

JD

*not literally literally.