‘When are you going to release your next book?’

I get asked that a lot.

Well, I’m pleased – no, delighted! – to announce the release of a new book in the Hollow series. It’s a prequel that tells the story of how Vester, a human and one of the main antagonists in book one and two, came to be in Hollow and how he rose to the position of Head of the Imperial Department of Intelligence.

When we first met him in Flight of the Gazebo he was 350 years old. Nobody lives that long – right? – and enough readers were intrigued enough to ask me about him which prompted me to write and publish The Persistence of Poison.

The story starts in London in 1715 and a young Vester is just starting out on an unsavoury career as a witch-finder. At this stage of his life he’s not yet developed the raw cunning and ruthlessness we know him for, but he’s well on his way. He’s commissioned to arrest a self-styled sorcerer called Masbic who turns out to be a little more tricky than any of his previous targets. Through a treachery and an untested portal they end up in Hollow together where they are forced, somewhat reluctantly, to join forces in order to survive.

Do they trust one another? Do they heck!

It’s available to buy in all good online book stores right now but, if you’d like to read it for free, then go ahead and sign up to my email list (see the form at the top of this page). You’ll get a link to a free download of The Persistence of Poison and, as an exclusive member of my email list, news about upcoming releases of more books in the Hollow series plus the occasional Hollow related special offer. Don’t worry, I won’t fill your inbox with spam and you can unsubscribe at any time.