Hello everybody! If you're a new subscriber, welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay. If you've been here a while, you may notice that my emails look slightly different. No need to adjust your browser; I've just switched to a different mailing service.

Things have been quiet around here recently, but no longer, because there's exciting news to be shared!

My first novel, The Word, will be published by New Welsh Rarebyte on October 28th. We'll be launching the book in collaboration with Griffin Books of Penarth on the 28th at 8 PM BST. Tickets for the online launch are available here -- they cost £2, but are redeemable against the cost of the book if you buy from Griffin. (Which I encourage you to do, if you're interested -- go indie!) I'll be reading from the book and talking to Gwen Davies of New Welsh Review.The Word was a winner of the New Welsh Writing Awards in 2019, and is a dystopian novel set in a near-future fortress Britain. Read on for details...

One idea can jinx a whole country in less than a lifetime…Rhydian is one of five teenagers born into his generation with the Word — a preternatural power that enables them to compel other people to obey. Along with his best friend Jonno, almost-grown-up Rachel, and Cadi, he is studied and experimented on in a facility called the Centre. When they learn that the Centre’s purpose is to turn them into weapons of war, the teens go on the run.How did this brutal fortress Britain emerge? Here, babies are stolen from mothers whose identities are stripped away at will. Protesting crowds are mesmerised, and children who disobey are killed in cold blood.Exploring themes of coercive control, disinformation and fundamentalism, The Word shows how kindness can emerge when we resist power, practise resistance, and show vulnerability. Combining speculative elements and emotional truths, it is essentially a coming-of-age story, in which brave young individuals fight to keep hold of who they are in a dehumanising world.

"I am reminded of Kathy Acker, Huxley and of course Atwood. The best dystopian fiction crisscrosses time and makes us reflect upon our present... Jessica George is a vital new voice in Welsh literature fusing flashes of poetic beauty with naturalistic dialogue set in a futuristic landscape that could be today... could well encapsulate the post truth world we find ourselves in 2021."

Patrick Jones, Everything Must Go

“This is a brutal environment, where children who disobey are killed in cold blood… a satire about the brutalities of war… a dystopia about a new religious cult… The Word is a fascinating read"

Cathryn Summerhayes, literary agent at Curtis Brown

“A pacey novella which balances big concepts such as ethics, language, propaganda and control with a human story of flight and finding love and trust where you can…”

Gwen Davies

"Has the vibe of a cult late 70s British sci-fi TV show – one of those clever, bleak, violent ones where you wonder how they slipped it past the higher ups. It explores its fantastical premise thoughtfully – ruminating on the ways in which language can be both a force for liberation and for oppression. Plus there is a charming will-they-won’t-they gay teen love triangle at the centre of it all anchoring its weighty themes."

Lloyd Markham, Bad Ideas\Chemicals

The Word

is available for pre-order now -- and if you'd like to support your friendly local fiction-monkey, adding and reviewing it on Goodreads is also a great way to do so!