Hello, 

I just wanted to tell you that A Murder Of Crows has now been longlisted for the Guardian's Not The Booker Prize! This came as a complete surprise to me when it was announced yesterday and I am thrilled to say the least.

The vote is now open to the public and it would be wonderful if our book could make it into the shortlist. In order to vote simply click on this link:

https://amp.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/jul/31/not-the-booker-prize-2017-please-vote-on-the-long-long-longlist

Please note that both authors you choose must be from different publishers and you also must do a short review of at least one of the books. If any of this is not carried out then your vote will be disqualified. That's it in a nutshell. The deadline is August 7th.

Other news: I have also contributed a short story to a forthcoming anthology entitled Borrowed. The book features several stories by different authors all centering around a fictional library in a fictional town. Some of the stories are eerie (mine is characteristically dark) and others are hilarious. I hope there is something for everyone in there. We are raising funds in order to publish the book in much the same way as funds were raised for A Murder Of Crows. This is the link:

https://unbound.com/books/borrowed

Once our book is funded all the proceeds will go to the World Literacy Foundation so please consider pledging your support.

Future Plans: At the end of this month I will be doing a public reading of A Murder Of Crows for the West Dunbartonshire Carer's Group. In September I will be appearing on stage with crime writer Alex Gray in the Bloody Scotland festival, and in October I will be appearing in the Clydesider magazine being interviewed about the trials and tribulations of being a writer. So, plenty to look forward to. 

If any of you would be interested in attending any of the above then please don't hesitate to get in touch. Tickets for Bloody Scotland are selling fast though, so be quick.

Thanks again for all your support.

Best Wishes,

Ian.