One Knock on a Door — and the Next 35 Years

It could have gone either way.

I was fresh out of school and away from home for the first time in my life.

It was 1990 and I was a naïve, shy teenager navigating university life, looking forward to all the opportunities it would bring.

I'd only been there for a few days when I walked past a door left ajar in my halls of residence.

Inside, someone was playing one of my favourite bands – The Sisters of Mercy (yeah, I was a bit of a miserable Goth back in the day 😂)

This was clearly someone with great taste. Someone with a shared interest, potentially.

I took a deep breath and hesitated.

Knocking on a stranger's door was definitely well out of my comfort zone.

Then I thought, what do I have to lose? (Apart from my dignity and my self-respect, of course…)

The guy in that room was Mark.

And we've been friends ever since.

This weekend, more than 35 years later, he and his wife are coming to stay.

It'll be a chance to eat, drink and catch up on old memories.

And to think it might never have happened, but for that one moment when I took a risk and knocked at his door.

That brief moment in history has shaped my life over almost four decades – but I had no idea in that moment when I paused at the door with my fist raised.

Take Callum and Jade in my book, The Lottery Winners.

At the start of the story – as you might guess – they hit the jackpot on the lottery and win more money than they know what to do with.

Any lottery winner will tell you that the downside of winning big is the begging letters.

But for Callum and Jade, it throws up a particularly difficult decision.

A widower pleading for help to right a terrible injustice after his wife was knocked off her bike and killed by a van driver.

It's a binary choice.

Do they agree to help, even though what this stranger is asking is far from legal?

Or do they turn their backs on him and live with the guilt?

You'll have to read it if you haven't already to see what ramifications their decision has on the rest of their lives.

Like all of my novels, it's free if you're a Kindle Unlimited subscriber.

The Thriller Couple

Speaking about decisions, after telling you our elder son, Oliver, had moved back home a few weeks ago, he's now moving out again!

And today will mostly be spent helping him lug his furniture to his new flat.

I'm pleased for him – but I really wish he'd make up his mind where he's living 😂

Meanwhile, Amanda and I are in full panic mode.

Next Saturday, we're due to be holding a workshop on how to self-publish for beginners at the Maidstone LitFest.

I thought knocking on Mark's door all those years ago was brave, but this is going to take some steel.

I'm sure it'll be fine. We just need to decide who's going to talk about which section… and remember not to argue in front of everyone!

If you're in the area and you fancy learning more about the mechanics of self-publishing your own book, you can grab a ticket here.