If you had told the thirteen-year-old version of me (BMX and Sony Walkman – think Stranger Things) that one day I would be able to store tons of music on a tiny device I would have laughed in your face.

That was the iPod and it was just the beginning… I wouldn’t have been able to even comprehend that all the music in the world would one day be available to me at all times on any device. Modern life is crazy.

Apart from my writing software, Spotify is the app I would hate to be without. It’s basically amazing. I have a family account, which if I deleted would be the end of the world!

I used it extensively during the writing of Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter. As the book progressed and I hit my stride something wonderful happened. A creative tug of war. My writing inspired song choices and newly discovered songs informed plot and characters.

One song, in particular, was eerily reminiscent of the entire second section of the book! Take a listen to Frankie’s Gun and you might get shivers….

Here is the official Downstream Book 2 playlist!

(Vinny would approve I think).

http://smarturl.it/ds2playlist

They say music is the soundtrack to our lives. This one is mine and by default, Joe’s. (The track listing can also be found below).

Alfie Update

He had a tooth out – bless him, and how seems quite happy crunching his food with his gums. Nice.

He was very happy in this year’s heatwave but not so much now the cold weather is slowly creeping back into our lives here in the U.K.

Blankets at the ready.

The interesting thing about movie trailers…

Did you know, the people who make the movie DON’T make the trailer? Ever heard the term sixty voices rising? Nope, nor me… Like them or loathe them (for me, it depends if they spoil the story) this short insight into the movie trailer industry is fascinating.

You will never watch a trailer the same way again…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_jjzzgLARQ&feature=youtu.be

That’s it for this month, hope life is good with you. For all those nice people who asked… Book 3 planning is going well.

Speak soon,

Nick

   

 

---

Downstream Book 2 – PLAYLIST

The Beatles – Baby, You’re A Rich Man – Remastered
Talking Heads – Once In A Lifetime – 2005 Remastered Version
The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour – Remastered
Billy Idol – White Wedding
Destiny’s Child – Say My Name
Cher – If I Could Turn Back Time
Del Shannon – Runaway
The Beatles – Help! – Remastered
Coldplay – Yellow
Coldplay – The Scientist
Jilted John – Jilted John – Single version
Jamie Lawson – Wasn’t Expecting That
KT Tunstall – Under The Weather
George Michael – I Can’t Make You Love Me
Rufus Wainwright – One Man Guy
First Aid Kit – A Long Time Ago
The Beatles – With A Little Help From My Friends – Remastered
Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman!
Neil Young – A Man Needs A Maid
LAISH – Time Elastic
Keane – Everybody’s Changing
The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Remastered
The Walker Brothers – The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore – Mono Version
ABBA – Mamma Mia
Ritchie Valens – La Bamba
Bobby Vee – Take Good Care Of My Baby
Dion – The Wanderer
Steppenwolf – Born To Be Wild
The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset – Mono Version
Radiohead – High And Dry
Coldplay – Fix You
The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love – Remastered
Coldplay – Square One
George Michael – Careless Whisper
The Beatles – I Should Have Known Better – Remastered
Bill Haley & His Comets – Rock Around The Clock
Alanis Morissette – Ironic – 2015 Remaster
The Beatles – Don’t Let Me Down – Remastered
Cherry Ghost – 4 am
Bill Conti – Gonna Fly Now – Theme From “Rocky”
Europe – The Final Countdown
The Beatles – Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds – Remastered
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – December 1963 (Oh, What A Night)
The Felice Brothers – Frankie’s Gun!
The Stone Roses – I Am the Resurrection – Remastered
Guns N’ Roses – Sweet Child O’ Mine
John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over – 2010 Digital Remaster
The Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want
The National TV And Radio US Archives – The A-Team
TV Themes – Knight Rider
Tangerine Dream – Le Parc
Alexander Courage – Star Trek: Main Theme – From “Star Trek”
The Rembrandts – I’ll Be There For You
Mark Snow – Materia Primoris: The X-Files Theme (Main Title)
Ron Grainer – Doctor Who 1980 (Closing Titles)

Sneak peak of the first two chapters of the new book, Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter, Book 2 in the Downstream Diaries. Hope you like…

 

Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter

PART 1 – Baby You’re A Rich Man

1.

 

Welcome back to this week’s thrilling episode of Keeping up with the Bridgemans. After persuading the sexiest woman ever to NOT have sex with me, I didn’t think my day could get much worse.

I was wrong.

A cold bead of sweat trickles down my spine. Thunderstorms and I have a history. I’m not feeling a huge urge to head downstairs, but like in the movies, the story doesn’t work if the hero stays put.

Hmm. I may be the hero, but I’m far from heroic.

Slowly, I descend the stairs, fingers creeping along the wall, eyes adjusting to the gloom. The last step is confirmed by repeatedly tapping my toes on the floor. Cartoon style.

By day, Bridgeman Antiques is a warm, welcoming place. Tonight, it’s Stephen King’s favourite shop of horrors.

The wind howls, shaking the front door like an angry ghost. Rain hammers the huge bay windows. A streetlight bathes the shop in a sick, aqua light, transforming channels of rain into swaying seaweed, dancing playfully over dark, ominous shapes.

It’s mesmerising and also spooky as hell.

I fumble for the light switch, click it up and down a few times and sigh. Nothing.

Dubious shadows reach out like broken fingers waiting to drag me into the darkness. It’s crazy how quickly your mind goes into creative-destruct mode, filling in the gaps with demons and monsters.

Right, come on… fuse box.

A weird light flickers near the front of the shop, like static on an old television. I hear the strangest sound too, buzzing, like overhead electric cables, crackling with power.

‘Is there someone there?’ I call out, voice weak and trembling. ‘Joe?’

I know it sounds nuts but once you’ve time travelled, you half expect to meet yourself in situations like this.

Thunder booms, threatening to blow the front door off its hinges. Lightning flashes on its tail, burning orange shapes onto my retina. It strikes again, illuminating a grizzly bear with jagged teeth like deadly knives.

‘Yaaaaaarrr!’ I shriek, which is embarrassing.

The bear isn’t real of course. Along with a suit of armour, it’s one of the creepier pieces in my shop and an ideal candidate for an episode of Scooby Doo. Fresh sweat races down my spine. My heart returns from the ceiling. I blame W.P. Brown for all of this. He properly freaked me out this morning, with all his talk of time-travelling adventures and – what did he call it again? Oh, yeah – ‘The Untethering’.

Pah! Makes me sound like a goat!

Time travel, the last bloody thing I want to do. And anyway, it doesn’t matter.

I’m retired.

The wind howls an ominous warning as distant thunder attacks Cheltenham like a bombing raid. ‘Come on, Joe,’ I say, ‘it’s just a storm, the fuse has tripped, no big deal.’

My heart stops as I realise the flickering is coming from one of my display cabinets. Cabinet 22, the one Bill found so fascinating. It was closed, but it’s open now, glowing white and surrounded by swirling dry ice.

I’m not kidding.

Dry flipping ice!

It plumes out, like a scene from a crap Eighties pop video. I can just imagine Cher, prancing around, performing air-grabs and belting out the chorus of, ‘If I could turn back time’.

Mental note: I must at some point phone the Eighties and ask for my soul back.

Static electricity ripples over my skin as though the mysterious Cabinet 22 is conducting the storm, using its power to lure me in.

‘Bollocks’, I tell the room. ‘There is a perfectly rational explanation for all of this.’

The Cabinet probably blew the fuse and the stuff that looks like dry ice is actually smoke. On cue, lightning banishes the dark. It helps me trace the power lead from the back of Cabinet 22, along the floor, to an upturned plug, metres from the wall.

Oh.

It isn’t plugged in.

I wonder – not for the first time – if someone spiked my drink. The light emanating from the Zoltar machine (from ‘Big’) is remarkably pretty. The objects displayed on the glass shelves within glow like pearls.

I’m drawn to it.

The sound of the storm fades and what I thought was static becomes a tuning sound, the whistle and whine of a radio, scanning the airwaves.

That’s when I notice it. A Roberts radio. Cherry red and brand new, the round dials white and gleaming, the grill polished, the waveband display, clear and well-lit. And how it glows! Vibrant and rich in colour. All the other items in the cabinet dull in comparison.

I glide towards it like a man in a dream, obeying its undeniable allure. My mouth hangs open, my head leans to one side. It’s not a good look but I can’t help it. My focus is on the radio. Then, if this wasn’t peculiar enough already, the dial begins to turn, all by itself.

‘Jeez Louise,’ I murmur, unable to tear my gaze away. ‘Definitely something in that drink…’

The ghostly dial locks onto a strong signal and the whole world fills with the sound of deafening rock and roll. A fast tremolo guitar riff. A minor into a G, a progression I recognise instantly.

Runaway, by Del Shannon.

Now, I love Sixties music (massive Beatles fan), and Runaway is a great pop song, but mix Paranormal Activity with Close Encounters and turn it up to eleven? Not so much.

Del croons out in his famous falsetto…’Why?’ He wails over and over again before he wonders if ‘…she will stay-ay, my little runaway. My run, run… run, run, run, runaway.’

The keyboard solo rips through the air, the song is getting louder, building to an almighty crescendo.

I reach for the volume dial and then pause, raw power crackling between my fingers and the radio. It’s deafening now, I have to stop it.

As my finger connects with the dial, there is a loud, shattering pop, like a room of lightbulbs blowing in unison. The world becomes a blinding, all-encompassing ball of light and Bridgeman Antiques is no more.

 

 

 

 

2.

 

Earlier that day…

W.P. Brown admires a cabinet filled with ornate, glass objects like he has all the time in the world. The mysterious time traveller arrived in my shop this morning. I’m wary because he’s been following me through time, and because he’s the only one – apart from Amy – who knows what really happened.

I clear my throat. ‘Mr Brown, when you said –’

‘Please! My friends call me Bill.’

‘Okay – er, Bill. What did you mean when you asked if I was ready for the Magical Mystery tour?’

W.P. Brown pulls his pocket watch out of his waistcoat and flips it open. ‘Mmm-hmm,’ he murmurs to himself and smiles back at me with easy confidence. ‘I’m here to teach you, Joseph. I am your mentor!’

I think this is the part where I’m supposed to hear a rousing crescendo of strings and we chest bump or high-five or something. But I don’t feel anything, other than slightly embarrassed. I’m British, which means I find enthusiasm a little awkward, something to be avoided at all costs.

‘Er, my mentor?’ I reply, tone flat. ‘For what?’

Bill pulls a small meerschaum pipe from his jacket pocket and lights up. He puffs on the mouthpiece, encouraging the dried leaves to singe and char, and a comforting waft of cherry tobacco reaches my nostrils.

‘Sorry, but I don’t think you can smoke in here,’ I tell him. I don’t know why I’m apologising – he’s the one polluting my shop. Although to be fair, I’m not sure about the rules, because it’s not really my shop. It belongs to a previous version of me, one I replaced. Let’s call him ‘Previous Joe’ because it sounds so much better than ‘the bloke I unintentionally murdered last week’.

W.P. waves his pipe at me cheerily and leans towards me. ‘Do you know how many people actually succeed in using time travel to change something in their own lives, like you did?’

I shake my head. ‘No. I don’t.’

I’ve always been a bit of a hermit and it didn’t occur to me that other people might be able to time travel too. All I cared about was saving my sister, Amy. She was seven when she died but I changed that. I went back to 1992 and saved her. Bill was there during some of my jumps, seemed to be following me and now, three days after I get home, he turns up again. It’s why I’m nervous of him. What does he want?

‘Only 6% of those who try actually manage to change their past.’ he says, ‘That already makes you special.’

‘Er, thank you,’ I reply, trying to be polite.

He scrutinises me with such intensity, I feel as though he’s trying to look through my eyes and into my soul. ‘You, Joseph Bridgeman, completed a double-jump. That’s very rare indeed. Ingenious, in fact,’ he breathes, eyes burning bright.

‘Right. Thanks…’

‘And now, here we are, The Magical Mystery Tour begins, my boy! As your mentor, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know to become a fully-fledged time traveller.’ He beams at me.

I don’t know what to say, so I don’t say anything. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room is the clocks on the wall ticking out of rhythm with one another.

Bill has an undeniable charisma, and I like him. But this is bonkers. There’s no question that time travel is cool, and the idea of learning how to do it properly, maybe travelling further back in time… it’s tempting. But right now? After everything I’ve just been through? It’s the last thing I want to do.

Bill has wandered away and is admiring a cabinet in the corner of the shop. All the cabinets in my shop are numbered, and this one is marked 22. It’s slim and around six feet tall, its glass chipped here and there, bronze edges rounded with age. It houses the most peculiar collection of items.

Bill turns back and looks at me, seems hopeful, excited even. ‘Fascinating,’ he murmurs.

I’m usually a good judge of character, and I get the feeling he’s not threatening. Weird, yes, but dangerous? Nope, I don’t think so. I might just need to let him down gently.

I move over to the door and turn the sign on the door of Bridgeman Antiques to CLOSED.

‘I’m sorry, Bill, but I’m done with time travelling.’

He nods, patiently.

‘What?’ I frown. ‘You don’t believe me?’

‘Well, I’ve been in a similar situation. I understand how you feel.’

‘And how’s that?’ I ask.

‘The life of a time traveller is tough, and the challenges upon your return can be difficult to surmount,’ he says knowingly. He walks back towards me and leans against the desk. He’s been sucking on the empty pipe; he starts to fill it with fresh tobacco. ‘And now, you’re home. You have things just how you want them. Hoping for a quiet life. Am I right?’

‘Well, something like that,’ I admit.

I’m not so much after a quiet life; I had one of those, and it was rubbish. (Unlike Previous Joe’s life, which seemed to be much happier and way more successful than mine, until I vaporised him of course.)

Now I’m back, I have stuff to work on, specifically: getting to know my sister, building bridges with my family and persuading Alexia to fall in love with me again. To cut a long story short, I need to be here, in the present.

I notice I’ve crossed both my arms. My whole body is screaming ‘no’.

‘You have much to learn, Joseph, but you don’t need to face the untethering alone,’ Bill continues, apparently unaware of my body language.

‘The untethering?’ I ask, despite myself.

‘Indeed,’ he says. ‘Yes. Like all Travellers, your first jump was tethered, restricted by your own timeline. There was only so far you could jump. But when you saved Amy, you broke free of the bonds of time. Now, you are untethered, which means, for a start that you can travel much, much further…’

Further?! My stomach clenches at the thought. 1992 was quite far enough, and that nearly killed me. The last thing I need is Obi-Wan dragging me off on adventures into the distant past.

‘It doesn’t make any difference Bill… I’m not going to travel again. I mean, why would I?’ I say.

Bill carries on. ‘The untethering comes with new rules though, some of which are beneficial. Objects, including your clothes, won’t disappear any more, I’m sure you’ll be relieved to hear.’

‘Bill, listen, please,’ I implore him. ‘What you don’t seem to be getting is that I belong here, in the present. I am totally done with time travel.’

He points his pipe at me. ‘That’s as maybe, Joseph. But what you don’t seem to be getting is that time travel is not done with you.’

At this, I start to feel the tiniest bit uncomfortable.

He fixes me with his wild eyes and when he speaks his voice is deep, confident and laced with excitement. ‘You are a time traveller, my boy,’ he says, pausing just long enough to grin, ‘and saving Amy was just the beginning.’

 

 

 

For the last three weeks, I’ve been hard at work, editing Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter. It’s been a slog, but I am really happy with how the book is shaping up. It went out to beta readers and also my editor yesterday. Once I incorporate their feedback, it will go for proofreading and finally out into the world. It’s interesting, I’ve already learned so much from this new process of sharing my work early.

It is scary (feedback on rough drafts can hurt), but in my experience, that’s when you learn the most.

Now, it feels like a Downstream Book, now it feels like Joe.

The current launch date is mid-September.

I cannot wait to share it with you. I’m thinking next month I will share a sample chapter or two…

What I’m reading

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1)

Well-written Sci-fi and genuinely funny in places. The hero dies at the beginning (not really a spoiler, it’s in the blurb!) and his head is cryogenically frozen. He wakes up in the future, the property of a political faction and is subsequently sent off into space. It’s as mad as it sounds and the author really has flow in his writing. Loving it so far… Jumping between the audio and Kindle version – I love modern technology.

Talking of Audiobooks…

I am very excited to announce the launch of ‘The Unexpected Gift of Joseph Bridgeman’ Audiobook!

David Thorpe has done an amazing job of bringing Joe to life. Great energy. Now, it just needs to find it’s listeners. I know a bit about marketing e-books but marketing an audiobook is different (hard). I’m crossing everything that Podium manages it and finds an audience out there in audio-land.

I’ve signed a deal with Podium to produce all the Downstream Diaries books as I release them. Book 1 available now and book 2 will follow early next year I hope.

Non-Fiction

With the impending launch of a new book, I’m also knee-deep in non-fiction, switching hats between author and head of marketing. It’s tough to keep up with all the changes and the biggest challenge for any author these days is visibility. I enjoy it though and it’s a real buzz to find an angle that helps with sales.

Films

COCO: It’s important for me to continue to fill the mental inkwell with good content. Often, if I’m feeling tired or stale it’s because I haven’t been reading enough, watching enough or generally just putting good quality fiction into my brain. Imagination in = imagination out. Simple really.

And so, watching Coco was a layered experience.

Pixar is an inspiration in so many ways, but perhaps for me, the biggest lesson is how they deliver a story that is bang on formula, yet still feels fresh. As a punter, I got swept along, enjoyed every minute and would highly recommend it. As an author, I enjoyed delving into the tight framework and formula-rich storytelling. Occasionally, I watch the credits roll on a film, marvelling at how many brains were involved, how much sweat, tears and energy went into producing something that in the end just feels right. Solid storytelling, good pacing and hard work.

A fun game in the Jones household is pausing our films at the mid-point and guessing the final act.

Oh yes, living with me is just endless fun 🙂

Cool thing this month

My Portable Espresso maker! The key is decent coffee (obv) and the right amount of pressure. This bad boy can do 116 psi! You don’t need electricity or batteries. Just add hot water, pump it (like a bike tyre) and enjoy beautiful espresso. It’s all part of my plan to become good-coffee-self-sufficient, wherever I am in the world.

It’s made by wacaco. Check them out if you’re interested. I’m not a reseller and this not an affiliate link. I just think it’s cool 😉

Alfie Update

He’s taken to howling at night again. Separation anxiety apparently. So, I purchased a puppy toy with a fake heartbeat (worked for 3 days, then Alfie threw it out). Oh, and a new, luxury snuggle bed, which is like a fluffy postage bag. It sort of works but isn’t quite right… (like me, after four hours sleep a night.) Thanks, Alf.

And his face swelled up. So, it was off to the vets on the hottest weekend of the year. Insect bite apparently. At least the anaesthetic enabled a good nights sleep. (He had the anaesthetic, not me… sadly)

Italian Greyhounds are the gift that keeps on giving.

Nick

PS. Thank you all for your lovely emails of encouragement recently. I’m sorry I can’t always reply. I do read them though and they help spur me along, especially on the days when the mountain feels just a little steeper than usual.

 

 

The first draft of Downstream Book 2 has finally gone out to my Alpha readers this week. It’s rough, the roughest I’ve ever let out of my clutches but I’m excited to try out this new process of sharing early. The launch is still scheduled for the end of September/early October. I will keep you posted.

And, I’m excited to finally announce the book’s title and reveal the cover.

The Downstream Diaries Book 2 will be called, “Joseph Bridgeman and the Silver Hunter”. Here’s the cover, which ties into the first book in the series but also moves things on a little. I hope you like it.

The life of a writer
I absolutely love my job but at times it can be tough working alone and hard to stay motivated. For example, editing an entire novel in five weeks requires a fair amount of discipline. So, I added two new things to my arsenal of life-hacks. A rebounder, which is basically a tiny trampoline. It’s amazing, after editing a chapter I crank up some high-energy music and bounce for the duration of the song. Think that sounds bonkers. IT IS! And I would highly recommend it to anyone. Not only is it fun, it’s good for the lymphatic system, which is a good thing, apparently…

The other thing is Brain.fm, an app that combines music, sounds and mystical technology for focus, meditation and sleep. Yes, I believed the hype and gave this a go. I have to say, so far I’m sold. When I need to lock in it helps me to dive deep into concentration then surface two hours later wondering what the hell happened! Combined with noise cancelling headphones it’s my version of an isolation chamber. Ideal.

Stuff I’m reading
Just finished World War Z, I was late to the party on this one but it’s a cracking read. Also, I can’t get enough of self-help books on the craft of writing. It’s one of the things I love about being a writer… the journey never ends.

Audiobooks
Currently listening to Big Magic, by Liz Gilbert. She is famous for writing Eat, Pray, Love. And almost as famous again as a public speaker, discussing what it’s like to have written such a huge, breakout novel. Everyone thinks the pressure comes from trying to find success but sometimes the pressure comes afterwards. Liz is a cool character and her insights into the creative process are fascinating. She narrates the audiobook, which adds about another 50% of genius on top. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the art of creativity.

Also, downloaded the latest Stephen King, The Insider. Sounds classic King, looking forward to that one.

Stuff I’m watching
Obviously, saw Deadpool 2 on opening night. Absolutely loved the first one and this was a worthy sequel. As all the reviews will tell you, they upped the gore but managed to keep the comedy at a consistent level. Ryan Reynolds has done an amazing job bringing that character to life.

Have been fighting my inner demons about whether to watch Solo. It’s difficult being a Star Wars fan these days, I can’t help but feel a constant sense of diminishing returns. Apparently, Solo is okay and does a perfectly good job of telling a heist story, but did we need this film? This might be one to watch at home, which says it all really.

My to watch list is totally out of hand now, but any recommendations, ping them over. Still need to watch Avengers, Infinity War. Like I said, the list is long…

Alfie update
There was an incident… Alfie was bitten by another dog. We spent our bank holiday Monday at the vets. Much howling and three stitches later we luckily managed to avoid the cone of shame. Instead, Alfie was given a rather fetching, Lycra sports coat with studded poppers. Alfie seems happier with it on. He doesn’t have fur, so it’s kind of understandable. He is off on his holidays, going to his auntie’s for his summer break. I’m sure he will be relieved, I think brain.fm was doing strange things to him, perhaps making him more intelligent, which sounds like a good short story to me…