Morning, As mentioned I thought it'd be cool to mark three months since release by answering a few of your questions. Thanks to those of you who submitted one. I'm sticking to my word and capping it at the first 5.So, without further ado, here we go...1. I hope the map of the Monkey State would not be too precise/rigid, treeper paths whilst interesting, should be left to the readers imagination should they not ?A very astute question. One that the mapmaker & I are conscious of. The way I see...
8 days ago • 3 min read
Easter Sunday (20 April) will mark three months since the monkeys were released into the wild 🎉🐒I'll therefore be writing/sending a special edition of this newsletter on the day.It'll be a Q&A format of the first 5 questions I get asked.About the book or process that is. Not general life aha. So if you're intrigued about anything from The Monkey State — Characters origins, sales, worldbuilding, KU page reads, imposter syndrome, royalties, challenges, would I recommend writing a book etc. —...
14 days ago • 1 min read
I had a funny one on Monday last week—where off the back of a review—one chap asked for a bit of careers advice. He's thoroughly fed up in his line of work, and despite it being pretty lucrative, wants to make a change.It made me chuckle because my first thought was The Monkey State is a work of fiction! My second thought was, 'Who am I to offer advice on careers?' And yet, I did work for 3 years at Escape the City. A company built on the topic. I've also had a handful of job pivots in my...
21 days ago • 2 min read
I'm checking in from the (slightly less glamorous) Membury Motorway Services this Sunday. Nursing a slight hangover so wanted to run with something a tad different. It's been incredible getting feedback on The Monkey State so far. I had no idea if anyone would finish it, let alone enjoy it. Imposter syndrome is real. Obviously feedback can be positive or negative.I've yet to have anything to really test me on the negative front... But several readers have mentioned words along the lines of...
28 days ago • 7 min read
Greetings from sunny Cyprus & welcome to a few new subscribers. I've got 10 minutes to write this off-the-cuff so forgive any typos.So, sometimes life seems to hint at lessons for how things work. Other times it whacks you round with them.On Thursday am, as we sat on the runway at Gatwick, our chirpy pilot said there would be a slight delay due to a software issue. Cue groans and babies crying. How a baby knows a flight is delayed, I don't know... Maybe they can sense it from the parents....
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
In the autumn of 2013 I got rejected for a training contract at Ropes & Gray LLP. I was still working for the firm but knew there was no future. There were still potential options within Corporate Law... But part of the reason I did get rejected was that my heart wasn't 100% in it. They told me there were people who would chop an arm off for one of the £40k a year spots. That I was a good lad around the office but didn't have that desire (or ability to 'play the game' as the effervescent...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
I don't know about you but there are just some days, weekends or weeks that don't quite go to plan. It can be disheartening when the grand to do list you've written out barely gets a dent in it. That ONE thing you'd picked out on your must do list, doesn't get finished (or started!) Even your want to do list gets neglected in lieu of detours and distractions. An inability to appropriately manage your supposed priorities. Leaving a sense of 'I should have done more'...The book process has been...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
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...
about 2 months 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...
2 months ago • 2 min read