🎵”BLESS MY COTTON SOCKS I’M IN THE NEWS”🎵
When I was a kid I used to trundle about the streets delivering the KENT MESSANGER newspaper from a bashed up granny shopping trolly and now over three decades later I’m in it!
Thrilled to see the support for BITE BACK from the Kent media. 💖
The Kindle Number 1 comedy horror smash 🧛BITE BACK❗️🧛🦇🩸 is available for your reading pleasure here:
Grab a FREE DOWNLOAD of 
BITE BACK
the thrilling new vampire novel by Phoenix Phil Morley. Offer available for 5 days only (starting 19/08/2024).
U.K. 
READERS CLICK HERE : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D129T8KX
AUSTRALIAN 
READERS CLICK HERE: https://amzn.asia/d/crZ3yoX
USA 
and the rest of the world CLICK HERE: https://a.co/d/eOjsp6B
It’s already off to a FIVE STAR 
on AMAZON…
“WHAT A CRACKER! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, the characters really came alive for me and I was transported back to the 90’s in a heartbeat.
Well rounded and an interesting take on the vampire story line, with some excellent “nods” back to when music was still awesome! (I may be giving away my age!) Read it!”
FANCY THE BLURB?
Despite his pale skin and fangs, teenager Benjamin Cooper doesn’t want to be a goth, let alone a vampire. However, one fateful night in the summer of 1995 he catches the eye of Christine, a blood-drinker returning to town having left under a cloud several years previously.
She needs Benjamin for protection. He needs Christine to drag him from the malaise of his stalling, small-town life. They both have a thirst for vengeance leading to a partnership bonded by blood. As the body count rises and enemies multiply, Benjamin and Christine are cast into an escalating spiral of revenge that they may not escape from.BITE BACKis a darkly comedic, lewd and violent teen horror story set in Sittingbourne during the Summer of Britpop, seasoned with suburban drama and offbeat characters.
As we eagerly tumble towards the release of your soon-to-be adored darkly comedic 90’s-flavored teen horror novel, allow me to spill the beans on its creation.
BRACE YOURSELVES, WE’RE GOING BACK TO EARTH WITH A BITE!
So, after the publication of my debut novel Survive the Universe, I was hesitant about diving into its sprawling sequel. I mean, STU took ages to finish! Though to be fair, it was a side project while juggling umpteen other things, but still, it was a mammoth task. So I was a little hesitant to plunge into writing its sequel, which was likely to be another hefty 33-chapter tome.
During the STU saga, I started nurturing a bunch of ideas for other stories set in modern times or recent history. One of these ideas was just a vague sketch of an opening scene – a teenage boy peering out of his window and making eye contact with a vampire girl passing by. I also fancied the notion of crafting a vampire bloke who wasn’t the classic rich, charming type. These two ideas began to merge.
Oh, and then I reminisced about watching the Twilight movie and realized it was nothing like any teenage experience I’d been near (seriously, Edward and his crew wouldn’t have lasted a day at my school).
To speed up the writing process this time, I decided to set the story in my hometown of Sittingbourne, smack dab in the scorching summer of 1995. It was a period I’d been itching to write about, and this was the perfect opportunity. While I drew a lot from my daily routine and hangouts at the time (taking the train to college, evenings at the Ypres Tavern pub, you know the drill), this tale is definitely not autobiographical. Plot-wise, I only had the beginning and the end in mind when I started writing, which actually felt liberating after STU, where I had to follow a pre-written synopsis.
The goal was to get it written and out into the wild within ten months, which, let’s be real, was probably a tad overambitious for me. Some personal stuff popped up, and there were a few months where very little progress was made, but I kept chipping away. With the unwavering support and help from my beloved wife, Laura, I managed to finish it and get it ready roughly fourteen months after starting it.
Music was always going to play a large part in the book and as such I compiled a playlist-cum-soundtrack for the story as I went along with each chapter taking each title from the lyrics of the songs included (see if you can guess the songs by the lyrics). And then I created an additional in-narrative mix tape playlist to really focus in on and celebrate the 1994/1995 Britpop bloom.
And now, it’s hurtling its way to you, dear readers! Eighteen glorious GORY chapters, a little over 80k FANG-tatsic words. May everyone relish reading it as much as I relished writing it!
A wide range of clothing and homeware is now available by clicking here.
As you can see there’s plenty to treat yourself to – T-SHIRTS, LEGGINGS, MUGS, even a SHOWER CURTAIN! So tuck in and say goodbye to Summer and hello to AUTUMN wrapped in BITE BACK! glory.
Now all I need is someone who can sort out lunchboxes and action figures.
HAPPY SHOPPING,
PXPL
| Your new favourite darkly comedic, 90’s flavoured horror novel is nearly here! |
| My next novel BITE BACK! is now available for PRE-ORDER through AMAZON in Kindle ebook, paperback and hardback. BITE BACK! will also be available in paperback on the high street, in book boutiques and lovely libraries in September. Fancy the blurb? If so… “Despite his pale skin and fangs, teenager Benjamin Cooper doesn’t want to be a goth, let alone a vampire. However, one fateful night in the summer of 1995 he catches the eye of Christine, a blood-drinker returning to town having left under a cloud several years previously. She needs Benjamin for protection. He needs Christine to drag him out of the malaise of his stalling, small-town life. They both have a thirst for vengeance leading to a partnership bonded by blood. As the body count rises and enemies multiply, Benjamin and Christine are cast into an escalating spiral of revenge that they may not escape from. BITE BACK! is a darkly comedic, lewd and violent teen horror story set in Sittingbourne during the Summer of Britpop, seasoned with suburban drama and offbeat characters.” PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON HERE! |
CHILDREN OF THE TIDE REJOICE! Yes indeed, your new favourite space opera is now available in paperback form through bookstores and online. If your nearest and dearest bookstore hasnt got a copy readily available they will be able to order one for via the catelogue number ISBN: 9781068648601
The original Amazon published paperback will remain available too should you prefer to get your STU kicks from them.
Blessing you. x
GOODBYE 2023!
On a personal level 2023 was a bit of an odd one. Nothing too nasty but an odd, topsy turvsey, twisty wisty one. A running between spinning plates (some expected, others not so) year, a hard to make plans and stick to them kinda year. A very TRANSISTIONAL YEAR I feel which (as I think about isn’t that much of a surprise – all of my *3 years in previous decades have been transitional, hard to wrangle eras that have ultimately lead to unexpectedly better things). So while I face a 2024 that feels a little daunting and challenging in some respects, I am going to approach the next 12 months as if they a fire to forge a stronger blade, one that I will hold aloft in glory when more certain days arrive. Yes, I have been on the Amaretto tonight. Apologies.
On a creative level, 2023 was also a transitional one but in a splendid way. My first novel SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE escaped what is known in the trade as the ’30 Day Cliff Drop’ and went off into the world to have a relatively successful year – certainly WAY more successful than I could have presumed. I expected only a handful of people I knew to give it a go but it’s thrilling to see a year later that it’s had hundreds of readers (nearing a thousand!). I know this is small fry compared to the sales many authors achieve but this has happened without marketing budgets, an established readership, connections in the blog world or the kinda of face that’s appealing on TikTok so I’m chuffed! And then there are the FIVE STAR reviews, kind messages and wonderful advice I’ve received from those already in the Independent Author biz. I couldn’t be more grateful and happy with how things have gone.
HELLO 2024!
So what’s next? WELL…
There are a few rods already in the fire regarding SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE and how to take it to the next level. The first of these is to rectify the branding and the titles of the book(s). When I launched the novel, my initial plan was that it was going to be a series of three volumes with each novel consisting of two books. I have no idea why I decided to do it that way (probably influenced by Lord Of The Rings) but as soon as it was out there in the Kindle charts I had a gut feeling that I had got it wrong. This was backed up by some advice that indirectly made me consider how books are consumed these days and also made me ponder just how long it might take me to get the next book out if it’s a two parts in one 140,000 epic. So instead of publishing the Survive The Universe books in batches of two as planned they will now be written and released singularly. This means I can get the next part of the story to you lovely readers quicker and for those who love physical copies it means you wont have to carry a book-brick in your back pack next time.
In a month or two’s time, the original Survive The Universe will get a bit of formatting upgrade and a second pressing re-launch. For those of you who’ve mentioned to me that you want a copy of the book but want to use a retail outlet other than Amazon there’s a rod in the fire for that. For those of you into audiobooks there’s a rod in the fire for that. Like I say, there’s lots of rods in various fires but I’m just waiting for the prefect time to line them all up for a good thorough re-launch. To clarify the new branding, the first two books will be still be available in one novel but the two parts will be officially re-titled:
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 1: Distracted In Vastrid
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 2: The New Sentry
So when’s SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE – Book 3: The Reality Race out? Not for while BUT to satisfy STU fans I’ve been working on a Novella to satisfy those eagerly awaiting the further adventures of the crew of the Salvatore that will be FREE to everyone on my mailing list and at a reasonable price for those that aren’t. Stay tuned for more details on that.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL, those that follow my updates on social media will know that the main reason STU Book 3 isn’t on the way yet is because I’ve been writing a 90’s Darkly Comedic Teen Horror book thing! It’s nostalgic. It’s bloody. It’s funny. It’s violent. It’s lewd. It’s a little odd in places. It’s nearly done, just a few chapters left. I love it to death, and think many other people will too, early buzz and interest is good too – there’s already talk about a band writing a song for it (maybe even a concept album!). I was hoping to get it done and out by Halloween but a few life admin delays knocked me off course a little – no matter the story is set during the Spring/Summer so maybe that’d be a better time to share it anyhow. I’d love to tell you all so much about it but I also want to appear from nowhere so I’ll keep you hanging for a while longer I think.
So all things being well, I should have two books ready for release sometime soon ready for your reading pleasure.
I hope all of you lovely people have had a happy and restful holiday and wish you all the most splendid 2024.
Much love,
Phoenix Phil Morley
SURVIVE THE UNIVERSE is available here:
Phoenix Phil Morley - author 