I have a BIG announcement this quarter!
But firstly, hello and welcome back to my quarterly update email (and welcome if you’re new—I’ve noticed I have a lot of new subscribers all of a sudden, so thank you very much!)
It is now spring in the southern hemisphere, which also means it’s my busiest time of the year as far as writing-related activities go.
For once, I actually have something pretty substantial to report, so let’s eschew the long introduction and dive right in...
I HAVE A NEW BOOK COMING OUT!
Just in case you haven’t already heard on my rarely-updated social media pages, I have a new book coming out in December!
My second novel, Then Came the Night of the First Missile will be released on December 1st and you can pre-order the book now! (And if you do pre-order, there will be a small discount compared to the post-release price!)
Here’s what the cover looks like. So if you happen see a book with this cover, then it means the words in between are mine*, and you should buy it or read it:
*Well, when I say the words are “mine”, that’s technically not 100% true... I actually stole most of the words from another book called “The Dictionary”... but it was me who chose which words to steal, and what order to put them in!
So yeah, that’s by far the biggest piece of news this quarter!
I’ve been trying to get this book published since 2024, editing it has been an absolutely nightmarish process, but things have suddenly all fallen into place and now the book comes out in December. (It even got moved forward from its original planned release date of April 2027!)
The book is an absurdist political satire about New Zealand being the last country on earth to survive a nuclear apocalypse, and things go less than perfectly...
I would describe the book as “Catch-22” meets “On the Beach” with a little bit of “Yes, Minister” and “Dr. Strangelove” sprinkled in too.
If you’re interested, you can read the first two chapters for free on my website.
WHAT IS ALEX WORKING ON?
Here are my progress bars, as of me writing this newsletter:
 |
Obviously, I’ve finished the final draft and final proofread of Then Came the Night of the First Missile (not withstanding possible last minute tweaks between now and December.)
Meanwhile, The Monadic Broadcast remains at Draft 2.0 as I haven’t had time to start the 3.0 draft—but I have now received some editorial feedback for that book, so I do know precisely what changes need to be made in the next draft. However this won’t be happening until the southern hemisphere autumn of 2027 as I just have too much else on my plate right now.
Oh and, ugh... I’m writing a new book.
On my website it’s listed as "Untitled New Novel", but seeing as you’ve been kind enough to subscribe I will reveal to you that the current working title is
I'm sorry, this section is only for people who signed up to my mailing list!
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
WANNA BE AN ARC READER? OR A BETA READER?
As always, I am looking for beta readers for my in-progress works. And with Then Came the Night of the First Missile coming soon, I’m also looking for potential ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) Readers, so if you want a free book in exchange for an honest review, all you need to do is apply on my website!
To be an ARC reader you’ll need to have or create an account on Goodreads (possibly Amazon too), so if you’re interested, let me know.
Obviously, having some interest in the subject material would be appreciated, so if you like dark comedy that satirises both sides of politics while also occasionally going on long philosophical tangents, then who knows, you might like it?
WHAT'S NEXT?
I really have my work cut out for me for the rest of 2026.
My immediate goal is to finish the first draft of my new project, which should be done by mid-October at the absolute latest.
After that, I’ll be gearing up for the launch of Then Came the Night of the First Missile, which may or may not involve me having to be slightly more active on social media for a few weeks. (Though believe me, if I can find a way to worm my way out of that, I will take it!)
There’s probably a whole lot of other stuff that I’ve forgotten too. Generally I’ve found it’s best to concentrate on one thing at a time and try not to think about your four-page to-do list, or else you’ll be horribly overwhelmed. And yes, I really do have a four page to-do list!
Keep your eyes on my social media feeds (Facebook and Xwitter are the main ones I use) and/or my website for future updates and announcements.
In the meantime... I need to get back to work, because I have a LOT to do!
Be bad, and stay dangerous,
-AEW