From the Grave of the Gods turns One!

It’s 1st November, and that means it’s the turn of From the Grave of the Gods to have its book birthday!

Two book birthdays in a year? Surely not! Now I’m just hogging all the celebrations. But it is true, From the Grave of the Gods, my first ever full-length novel made its way into the world one year ago today. It’s hard to believe. So much has happened since, and so many of you have welcomed my humble series starter with open arms, following along with Commander James Fowler’s remarkable journey. I’m honestly blown away by the reception.

Looking at the stats, since launch, From the Grave of the Gods has sold 143 copies and had the equivalent of a further 82 books’ worth of page reads on Kindle Unlimited. That makes a massive 225! In that time, I ran my very first giveaway where five readers won a paperback copy each at launch, I’ve been involved in both the #IndieApril and #IndieAugust Narratess sales, and entered the novel in the 2022 Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC 2) where it is currently awaiting judgment in round one of the contest which ends in January 2023. In addition, From the Grave of the Gods has gained 27 ratings on Amazon, most of which are 4 and 5 stars. It also gained me my very first 1 star review! Now I know I’m a real author haha. All jokes aside, I am eternally grateful to all of you dear readers for the kind words and amazing reviews I’ve received so far. It remains the longest piece of fiction I’ve ever written, but The Shadow of Arcadia will be hot on its heels!

I’ve also recently taken part in my first ever arts & crafts fair at the Fairkytes Arts Centre in Hornchurch. It was a very interesting experience, and I’ll be putting up a full retrospective on it soon. It suffices to say that though I didn’t make back the cost of my stall, it’s something I’m keen to try again, especially as it gets closer to Christmas. I really want to put myself and my books out there more in my local area. To this end I’m also hoping Rainham Library will be able to give my author talk another go at this year’s Literary Festival.

That’s all from me for now. I wish James, Angela, Austin and the gang a very happy book birthday, and I’m excited to see your reaction to what comes next!