If they were boxers they'd certainly be in different weight categories. And yet I’ve watched them both in the past few weeks. So let’s let them fight it out. Analysis below. Now I’m definitely biased. My dad sneaked me into the cinema for the first Gladiator back in the year 2000. I was absolutely mesmerised and have rewatched on many occasions. It’s in my Top 5 for sure. Which is why I'm surprised to say I much preferred Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. I guess I did spend my teenage years...
10 days ago • 2 min read
Life still feels like it’s a little on 2.0x speed, so I thought I’d have a bit of fun with today's email. Apologies to the non-footy fans here, but you probably still know of 6ft 7in Mr. Crouch. Run with me on this one if you can… Liv & I are suckers for sports documentaries. Some of our favourites: • 6 Nations• Drive to Survive• Full Swing• The Last Dance (Michael Jordan)• Welcome to Wrexham This week, we watched That Peter Crouch Film—over two sittings—in our prime pre-bed TV slot. It was...
17 days ago • 2 min read
It feels like the dust has barely settled on the book launch for me. It was a 20 Jan release so still under a calendar month. And yet, I’m casting my Eyes back Forward… To Book 2 in the Monkey State series. In Search of Maya. There was a little monkey wrench in the works this week however. I can’t remember if it was my idea or Kathy’s but we’ve floated turning Book 2 into two books. Obviously no spoilers for those still working their way through the jungle of Book 1. But basically the middle...
24 days ago • 1 min read
If AI wrote the next Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Richard Osman cosy murder —would you read it? Would you recommend it? Could you fall in love with it?I've been thinking about these questions this week. On Monday my editor, Kathy, alerted me to some potentially exciting news... Sam & Pam had featured me on their New Book Radar: Cue immediate dopamine rush. I then listened to hear quite extraordinary insights from The Monkey State which ran over 16 minutes. They ranged from:> "The Bird...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Good afternoon and a warm welcome to a few new readers.One has already even petitioned to label this the 'Monkey Output Maximisation' newsletter...It's been passed to Claude for review. A shorter email blast today. I've just got back home to Bristol after a delightful trip away and a fair few hours on the road. Most of this email wrote itself (in my head) on the M4 back. Those who have an eye on social media may have spotted a bit of news from my world...After smuggling in a load of Percy...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
I'm writing to you today from sunny Yorkshire.It's been a bit of a whirlwind week. The book release on Monday + full-time work + normal life + dipping toes back on some social media I'd almost abandoned. I've felt [excited, thrilled, vulnerable, anxious, overwhelmed, knackered, full of beans, grateful] and everything in between. It's made me think of how we can all ride the rollercoaster of life (inside our own heads) on a given week. Or day. The Gap and the Gain by psychologist Dr Benjamin...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey all,Hope you're having a good (blue) Monday so far. A massive thank you for all the kind messages, orders and shows of support already. A few of you have outdone yourselves. Woah. After a half-day of the proper job, I went for a nice stroll and ended up scribbling a long off-the-cuff ramble which I've posted on social media. I won't regale that here but depending on your social media tipple of choice you can read if you'd like on: Twitter / XLinkedInInstagram - TBCFacebook - I don't have...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Good afternoon, 5+ years in the making > 1 day to go. Get your bananas ready. The monkeys are ready to be let loose. Book one of the trilogy at least. Nerves are definitely fluttering a little... But given the ebook and paperback are both locked in there’s not much I can do now. A strange sense of calm has descended, ’What will be will be’. Bizarrely, The Monkey State ebook is in a running battle with Animal Farm in the Amazon New Release charts. Not what I expected. Especially before the...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Afternoon readers, A warm welcome to my new subscribers. Though I’m not sure that's the right term. Today, I want to talk about what the book is about... In some ways, this should be the easiest question to answer. In many ways, it’s the hardest. So I’m going to try in a few ways because I find that different things resonate with different people. The book is not for everyone. Yet, I also don’t want to pigeonhole it into just one genre. Possible Elevator Pitches (off-the-cuff today): It’s...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read