Announcements

Where has the Summer gone. I’m sitting at my computer watching the falling leaves dancing in the sudden downpour. It’s Autumn and it’s six months since my last blog post. So, an update is long overdue.

The ABC Chronicles

Polishing and editing the final instalment of the trilogy has taken up most of the Summer and I’m delighted to announce the manuscript is finished and has been copyedited and proofread by Aime Sund of Red Leaf Word Services. Julia of Evenstar Books once again has kindly agreed to format the interior and we are planning something very special to celebrate the conclusion of the trilogy.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances the publication date has been revised to the second quarter 2026. But, my loyal readers, I promise the explosive climax to the trilogy is worth the wait.

Other projects

While the pre-publication finishing touches are being applied to the third book, I have commenced work on my next two projects, both set in my reimagined Victorian north west of England.

The first is a collection of short stories set during the years before The Connickle Conundrum and centres around a new character. I plan to release this anthology late in the second quarter of 2026.

The second collection of stories continues the adventures of the police detectives introduced in The Brunswick Brawler, who feature heavily in the final part of the trilogy. Whilst there is no publication date set for this project, I am aiming for fourth quarter of 2026.

I am also brainstorming and researching another main character for a third project set in my Victorian landscape after the events of the trilogy. This novella ventures in a new direction.

All three projects continue my exploration of speculative fiction and I am excited to stretch the boundaries of my nineteenth century alternative history.

More news…

I am happy to announce that I have joined The British Fantasy Society. To find out more about this organisation please click here.

Also, after discussions with local community radio presenter Ruth O’Reilly of AllFM96.9, she has kindly agreed to read my Christmas ghost story set in Regency Manchester during her broadcast in December. Set locally in 1811, this weird, gothic story is told from the point-of-view of a feisty nineteen-year-old young lady, so we both felt Ruth’s voice would bring her life for the radio audience.

As a taster, here is the eerie tale’s beginning…

Talleyrand

24 December 1811

Nine days have passed since the unsettling affair on the Sunday e’en of the new moon. Only now am I recovered sufficiently to write of the sorry tale before my memory or sanity fails. Why, oh why, did I not heed my aunt’s warnings and trust my heart? Oh, how I wish I could reverse the sands of time and return to my state of blissful anticipation.

Today, I was to marry my beloved Humphrey, eldest son of the renowned Forsythe family of Stockport. When he proposed, professing his eternal love, he took my breath away. I could barely believe my good fortune. He is such a handsome man of great stature, both physical and intellectual. On his broad shoulders he could carry a downed elk, and his sharp wit could render any debating opponent speechless. When we are alone, in his gentle gaze, his undying devotion to me is splendid to behold.

Our hearts beat as one.

Whilst I love my Aunt Venice, to whom I shall be forever in debt for becoming my guardian when my parents passed twelve years ago last Michaelmas, lately her overbearance has forced this feisty nineteen-year-old to bite her tongue lest I appear ungrateful. My move from her cosy house on Stockport Road to a lavish residence on the Forsythe estate could not come soon enough.

But twelve days ago, whilst sitting in the window seat in my aunt’s modest library, I was contemplating my upcoming nuptials when I selected a book to pass the time. I know not what guided my hand to that accursed tome, but now, in hindsight, I believe it was a malignant force bent on my downfall.

© Drew Halfpenny 2025

Watch out for excerpts from the final part of the trilogy in the coming months. Do you know why the trilogy is called the ABC Chronicles? The clues are in the books, but if you haven’t worked out the solution, you’ll have to wait until the secret is revealed in the final instalment…