I hope 2022 is treating you well so far. For me, it’s been a strange start to the year as I found myself centre spread in the Camden New Journal, having got papped swimming at the ponds on Xmas day. The resulting photo appeared on page 3 with yours-truly semi-naked covering my nips (in an attempt to channel my inner Gregory’s Girl). Suffice to say; there has been a fair bit of ‘tittering’ at my expense on a couple of Whatsapp groups. And some friends have been quite unsettled – Jamie found the image ‘sickening’, and Ross said, ‘his retinas would never be the same again.’
But I can’t deny I’ve enjoyed being at the centre of this media hurricane. Plus, I can tick becoming a glamour model from the bucket list. The said photo appears at the bottom of this email, but I would advise against anyone with a nervous disposition scrolling down. Some things are best left unseen.
In the meantime, on with this Dec/Jan Anointy Newsletter missive # 8…
TWO NEW STORIES
First up, I recently finished a couple of stories, so I thought I would share them with you for your reading pleasure. They take about 16 minutes to read and each wee tale has its own snazzy cover, too, courtesy of designer Matt Law which I bloody love.
I’m hoping they will be part of a collection out later this year. So think of them as an amuse-bouche to hopefully whet your appetite for more. Anyway, here they are. I hope you enjoy them if you decide to dive in.
The Quilt
Dave Quilty is a builder who loves playing his guitar. The trouble is that no one wants to listen, and he can’t get a gig anywhere. But when he unexpectedly finds a captive audience, he has a final chance to prove the doubters wrong. And maybe reveal a hidden side too.
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A Night in Dieppe
A wannabe pop star, a sharp-suited businessman and a revolutionary communist are brought together at a ferry terminal and lock horns over life’s big unanswerable questions until they have to put their money where their mouths are. For anyone who has ever missed the last ferry home.
 Click on image to read |
ANOINT MY HEAD FOLLOW UP
In other news, I am making good progress with the follow up to Anoint My Head. It’s taken about a year to suss the first three chapters, but I now know my direction of travel. I think I even know the ending. I might even know the last sentence. Without wanting to give too much away, the very last word of the last sentence is armpit. So make of that what you will. It’s just a question of writing towards the armpit now. Plus, I have a title. I think sussing the opening, the ending and the title are the hardest bits, apart from the middle bit. That’s even harder. Anyway, I am hoping it will be out later this year.
ROCK N ROLL BOOK CLUB
For those who bought tickets for the Anoint My Head live special at the Dublin Castle Rock N Roll book club, the date has been rescheduled for Thursday, 21 April. All tickets sold are valid. I shall start banging on about this in Feb/March, assuming we are the other side of omnibollocks, but in the meantime, the promoters have put a few more tickets on sale here. I will be doing some other live stuff throughout the year. More news on this soon.
HOW DID THE TRAIL GO WARM?
Pointy Birds tunes will soon be available on a streaming platform of your choice via an ill-advised best-of album. The warts-and-all collection entitled How Did The Trail Go Warm? features 11 never-before-released-for-
Here is a sneak preview of the cover:
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Some other musical projects will be seeing the light of day soon. More on that soon.
BUY DIRECT FROM ME….
Lastly, you can now get my books and stories direct from me via Payhip. There are signed paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks. Some items have a fixed price, some are free, and some you can pay what you want. To give you an idea of some of the delights in store….
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Aint they lovely? So if you want to cut Jeff Bezos out of the equation, then have a gander and fill your basket right here.
I think that’s it for now. 2021 was hard and sad, but there was also some good stuff. In no particular order The White Lotus, the War on Drugs album, Landscapers, Antonio Conte, swimming in the lido, getting vaccine 1, Wet Leg, getting vaccine 2, Matt Hancock scandal, Sticky Buns FC nearly doing a Leceister, discovering the laksa soup at the Mosaic cafe, Yard Act, North Shropshire by-election, Euro 2020, getting the booster…
But the highlight for me was getting my book Anoint My Head out there. I thought I would sell 25 copies to reluctant friends and family, but sales and reviews continue to exceed all expectations, so thanks so much if you bought/read/enjoyed/reviewed. A total silver lining.
Ok, that’s definitely it for now, apart from that pond photo. Avert your eyes now…
I’m warning you…..
Don’t say I didn’t warn you…..
This is your last chance…
Now or never…
You can not un-see this…
Ok, you asked for it…
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Told you.
Until next time
Andy