I have been writing a novel for nearly four years. It’s finished now. I’ve called it Enormity. It’s a sprawling, surreal story that spans a number of genres – satire, horror, science fiction, erotica, comedy. I had originally planned to tell the tale of a fictional world-famous musician who decides to return to his hometown to take a break from his opulent, manic lifestyle. He wants to disappear into a small suburb and “find himself” again.

That simple idea morphed into the story of a man in the distant future, who dreams of being a famous musician. He is talented, but leaves it all behind to join the airforce. Eventually the man is recruited by NASA for a deep space mission. He travels years into the unknown and crash lands on a distant planet that is inhabited by a race of humans that have evolved almost in parallel to those on Earth. On this planet he realises his dream – but there are consequences.

Here is an excerpt:

The yacht rounds the heads and we leave the bosom of the harbour. The vessel is only at a canter. The sails are down and a long, naked mast points skyward to the canopy of stars. The hum of the motor makes the deck beneath me vibrate, as I sit on the farthest point of the opulent vessel’s nose. A driver, a hired hand that I don’t know, tall and lean, sits in front of a set of controls, positioned above the cabin. He eyes the ocean quietly, not responding to the activity around him. Invisible.

I’m on my own, watching the black ink water part for the yacht, rippling along the ribs of the hull. I try to enjoy this moment’s peace, though it’s hard to distinguish. My band are partying behind me, celebrating our freshly signed contract with Endurance Records. Our signatures are barely dry. There’s about twenty people on the boat. Maybe thirty. They’re strangers to me.

I am about to start sending the book to publishers. I will update this blog with my progress and drip feed more excerpts.