In the same way that hob-based kettles scream for your attention after being left alone for a while, I’ve noticed that the best time to write an update here is when lots of people start asking me “Have you forgotten about that book you were supposed to be writing?”

So… Hello! The Paradox Paradox is still marching slowly towards it’s goal of being a finished book. The plot and planning are done, and now I’m just writing the fucking thing. I’m still aiming for this year, but thanks to the whole global everything, who knows when you’ll have it sitting on that small, strange set of drawers next to your toilet. 

Since the last update, a whole bunch of words have been added, deleted, removed, set on fire, re-added, regenerated, and flipped upside down and inside out. The post-it notes that covered every wall of my house like particularly sticky cheese slices have been cleaned away, and now every single note is in a (heavily backed up) Paradox Paradox bible. Seventy Five pages listing every plot point, every character beat, and every spec of detail on the universe I’ve created. If I need to know a characters eye colour, what time of day chapter 30 is set during, or the exact origins of one of my alien races, it’s all in there. One problem though. I think it’s starting to gain sentience…

Additionally, we’ve got the first cover designs floating around, (PHWOAR!) and some very early plans for the interior art. We’re playing it subtly this time around, so don’t expect a glowing yellow “fuck” on the front, unless the reviewer at the Guardian particularly likes it. It’s starting to feel like a real book, which is always a harrowing moment. I’ve even switched my working file to a serif font. That’s how serious it’s getting.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I shall return when I have more to share, or a finished book, or when I give up on the whole thing and move to Ibiza (Unlikely). 

Stay safe, wear a mask, rubber up.

Daniel x

(Sunday Times Bestselling Author, Actor, Good at Making Chutney.)