On this page you can see the progress of James’ writing, from when he first had the ideas for the Intervention series, to launching his Facebook page and this website and all the way through to writing his most current book. As you will notice, progress varies over time depending upon James’ commitments to his day job and family.
Further detail will be added as it occurs and when time permits.
Chronology of James' Writing
Ideas Start Flowing
With the family all unwell while on holiday, there was little for James to do when not caring for them. He read and watched the news, read books and watched a lot of drama on TV. That was when the ideas for the Intervention series of books started to flow.
Building The Ideas
Once the high-level ideas were sketched out, James started developing the ideas for the first book.
Start Writing Book 1 – Intervention: The King Pin
Having noted down lots of ideas, James started writing his first book in the series, Intervention: The King Pin. Thoroughly engrossed in the characters and the plot, the writing flowed.
Draft Manuscript Completed for Intervention: The King Pin
With a final push, James completed the draft manuscript for Intervention: The King Pin and asked some friends to proof read and review the first draft.
Start Writing Book 2 – Intervention: Eavesdroppers
Full of ideas for Rob Krane’s next challenge and adventures, James was planning book two even before he had finished writing the manuscript for Intervention: The King Pin. It therefore wasn’t long before James had structured those ideas and started writing.
Facebook Page Launched
In August 2013, to support readers’ curiosity, James launched his author Facebook page. James uses his Facebook page to update his followers on progress towards the publication of his books, as well as his observations and experiences that relate to his writing.
Book Signing at Canary Wharf
James was thrilled to be invited to Canary Wharf in east London for his first book signing. Having people line up to buy Intervention: The King Pin and have their copy signed was such a special experience. James therefore remembers 29 November 2013 with great fondness.
Draft Manuscript Completed for Intervention: Eavesdroppers
James was buzzing as he finished book 2 – Intervention: Eavesdropper on 21 June 2014. He was so excited about the unusual plot and encouraged by all those interested people constantly asking when the next book would be published. Proof reading by James’ volunteers started almost immediately but it would be quite some time before James was able to arrange professional editing and publication.
Start Writing Intervention: Murky Depths
Brimming with ideas and his research well underway, James started writing book 3 in August 2014. Excited by the completely different main and sub-plots and the new countries that Rob Krane was due to visit, James’ imagination was flying. However, writing slowed as James’ day job started to fill his mind and time during a very busy couple of years at the office.
Publication of Intervention: Eavesdoppers
On 18 July 2015 James was thrilled to announce the publication of Intervention: Eavesdroppers. As the second book in the Intervention series, Rob Krane and his companions visited new countries and became entangled in more mystery and intrigue. At times, they risked losing sight of their key objectives!
Website is Launched
After trialling a lot of different designs and ideas, James launched his website on 12 November 2016. The purpose of the website is to support his writing by informing visitors about the Intervention series of books, the characters and himself. James intends the website to evolve over time and have regular updates, supporting and complimenting his Facebook page.
Draft Manuscript Completed for Intervention: Murky Depths
After a couple of extremely busy years at James’ day job, the draft manuscript for book 3 was eventually finished on 18 November 2016. Thinking about the plots, researching them and encouragement from readers kept James going – as did his own excitement at the prospect of just how Rob Krane and his companions faced up to the many challenges that came at them from all angles, often at the same time!
Start Writing Book 4 (title to be announced)
With new countries to visit and another terrifying plot to challenge Rob and his companions, James was keen to start writing book 4 as soon as he could – a mere 12 days after completing book 3. Knowing that the Christmas and New Year holiday was looming spurred him on. Notes and ideas for book 4 had been waiting for too long and Rob’s natural inquisitiveness meant he could not sit still!
Decision Point for James
After many months seeking a suitable and mutually acceptable literary agent or publisher to support James’ efforts to have his books published, James decided to self-publish once more. Undeterred by the challenges of the publishing industry, James therefore today started looking for a new route to self-publish his books.
Contract Signed with a new Publisher
Having spent too long fruitlessly trying to engage with elusive literary agents, James decided to continue with self-publishing. This day marked his commitment with a new company, Matador, which is a part of Troubador Publishing Ltd. As part of this new arrangement, James decided to re-publish the first two books in the series prior to the publication of Rob Krane’s subsequent adventures.
Draft Manuscript Completed for Book 4 (title to be announced)
The completion of Rob Krane’s fourth, action-packed adventure is marked with exhaustion for both Laura Harding and himself. At the outset of this adventure, Rob and Laura were on separate holidays. By the end, both Laura and he are in real need of another holiday! James’ ideas for where that holiday could be and what may transpire are flowing … !
Start Writing Book 5 (title to be announced)
Having completed the high-octane action of book 4 barely two weeks earlier, James’ imagination was flying. Rob Krane, Laura Harding needed a relaxing holiday, but James has other plans for them! The ideas are vivid and flowing, but with a lot on coupled with wanting to re-edit his earlier books and have them re-published James’ writing of book 5 has been slower than he would like.
Start writing Intervention: Short Stories
Even as I started writing the fifth manuscript, I was thinking about what the main characters were doing before they all met. Those thoughts soon generated the idea for a series of stories charting their separate lives. I have therefore started writing some short stories covering different and exciting periods of their lives. Watch this space for how and when these are to be published.
Re-Launch of Intervention: The King Pin
I am delighted that Intervention: The King Pin has been relaunched with the new and improved cover design; all with the support of Matador Publishing who are set to publish the subsequent two titles as well early in 2019. I am now working through the draft of book 4 and feedback received from my proof readers to forward that to the publisher as well. That is all alongside writing book 5 and the short stories for the lives of the main characters before they all met. So there remains much more to come. Thank you for your continued support.