For 6+ years, I’ve been working on a novel called UNDERDOGS. It's about a father, a son & the gamble of their lives.
I’m delighted to say that UNDERDOGS will be published by JM Originals @johnmurrays.bsky.social on 2 July 2026!
You can read the opening on p. 33:
www.hachette.co.uk/wp-content/u...

So pleased to have reached the 20,000 word mark of a new project. Lots of exploratory work around character & setting in there, so I’d be surprised if 5,000 appear in the polished draft – but the thought & the spirit behind those words will underpin the whole piece. #amwriting

Over the past few days, I’ve appreciated having time to not just stop & look at the flowers, but at my writing career. The stories I’ve told, the ones I’m telling, & the ones I need to tell. Where to concentrate my energy so that those seeds of ideas grow into golden blooms...

During a Bank Holiday Monday sort-out, it was lovely to be reminded of these beautiful photos of greyhound racing, & the inspiration they've given me as I work on my flapping novel. They were posted to me without details of the photographer, but I wish I knew who they were so I could thank them!

Really pleased to have finished a round of edits on a project which means a lot to me. Loved working with notes to improve the story as well as my craft! #amwriting

1st May marks 6 years since I became a published writer, with a memoir about flapping at Easington Greyhound Stadium. That piece has taken - and continues to take - me to writing places I never dreamt possible. Forever grateful to be one of @kitdewaal.bsky.social's #CommonPeople!

I'm elbow-deep in edits for a writing project that I've been working on for a very long time; one very close to my heart. Really enjoying working through the notes I've been given, strengthening the story - & using the nice pens! Edited in longhand, as it was written #amediting

In an infringement of copyright & a total disregard for my livelihood, my academic & creative publications have been taken without my consent to train AI. I stand with the
@societyofauthors.bsky.social's Day of Action & have signed this petition to protect authors' rights: chng.it/hYknZdPyfq

So grateful for all of the support shown over the last 6 weeks for the #ACESupported COAL FACE Exhibition at Sunderland Museum. Thank you to our brilliant participants, funders, project partners, visitors & those who spread the word. Here's hoping there are more chances to hear those stories...

Just over a week away from the launch of the #ACESupported COAL FACE exhibition, the butterflies are fluttering! It tells the stories of its 60 remarkable participants through @martintype.bsky.social's stunning photography & 15 verbatim dialect poems I wove together from 32+ hours of interviews.

Spent Sunday morning listening back to drafts of the first full #ACESupported COAL FACE podcast series. I wrote & narrated the 3 x 25 minute episodes, which showcase the stories of 15 people with Washington mining heritage & are beautifully edited by Nick John Williams. Excited to share them soon!

Happy to have done the last proofread of my series of 15 sonnets, free verse & haiku poems for the #ACESupported COAL FACE Exhibition at Sunderland Museum. Woven from over 32 hours of interviews, it'll be exhibited alongside @martintype.bsky.social's stunning portrait photography from 1st February!

It feels very apt that this is the first image I share on Bluesky, as I find myself looking for familiar faces. I hope they channel the greyhound in the photo & come bursting into the picture, as I've really missed seeing their posts!