Alex Leslie – Author

Hi Everyone!

So I thought I should do a bit of an update on the state of things regarding my various writing projects. I have several in development, some more developed than others, along with lots of nebulous ideas which I’ll keep to myself for the moment.

For the moment, here are some of the projects that I am actively working on at the moment.

The Nolan Family – Book 2 (My Big Gay Family Christmas Fiasco sequel)

This one is about 90% complete. I’ve been working on it, on and off, for around two years. It took me a while to come up with a suitable idea for a sequel to what has unexpectedly become my most well-received book. Fleshing out the details took ages, but once I had put together a detailed chapter outline, everything started falling into place nicely. My recent burst of creativity has pushed this one close to within spitting distance of the finish line.

I have about two chapters left before I can start polishing and editing, but so far I’m very happy with how this one has turned out. I already organised the cover design about a year ago. It’s by the same artist and beautifully compliments the first book’s cover.

I should hopefully have the pre-order up and running soon for a likely December 2024 release. (Exact release dates TBC)

Untitled Novella / Novel

This one is a story about how you’re never too old to fall in love. I started working on this idea about two years ago, and it’s about an elderly widower who is forced to move into a retirement home after a minor fall. The eccentric residents and a new love interest help to show him that love and found family can find you at any point in your life.

This project is on hold for the moment. Given the subject matter rather closely resembles recents events from my real life (which is a bit spooky given I came up with this idea and started writing it long before everything with my Dad happened) I need a little time to process my feelings before I dive back into this one.

I haven’t decided if this will be a short story, a novella or a full length novel at this point. I’ve written about four or five chapters so far, but I’m kind of freestyling it with no chapter outline (which I don’t usually do) so I have no idea where this one is going at this point. Stay tuned for updates in the future.

Untitled Sci-Fi / Mystery / Romance Novel

Once again, this project is me experimenting with freestyle writing rather than sticking to a specific chapter-by-chapter plan. I have already mentally mapped out this story and where I want it to go, I just need to physically connect the dots into a cohesive story that flows nicely and makes some kind of sense.

The idea revolves around a small group of friends who live on a little purple spaceship, ferrying passengers and cargo while exploring the galaxy and enjoying their freedom away from a normal planet-side or space station-based life. Think queer misfits in space with a mystery plot and a slow burn romantic subplot for two of the characters (although I’m still in two minds about the romantic angle – I might drop this element if it doesn’t feel right or makes the story too messy.)

In my usual disorganised style, I’ve already started thinking about a sequel to this story, despite having only written about 10,000 words of an ever so slightly disjointed story. This project is on the back burner while I finish The Nolan Family Book 2, but is next cab off the rank for me to focus on.

Other News

• I want to get back into book reviews, although I think I might change the format from previous blog entries. Rather than doing multiple reviews in a single monthly post (which I must admit I found difficult to keep on top of and maintain a regular schedule) I think doing individual review posts, focusing on a single book, and posting them irregularly (but with the hope of doing around one per week) when I have time.

• Also, I’m considering taking my books out of Kindle Unlimited and returning them to wide distribution. For the last year, my KU page reads and earnings have been virtually non-existent. And while I don’t do writing to become a multi-millionaire (although that would be lovely) I can’t help but feel keeping my books exclusive to KU is rather pointless if it’s not doing me any good. I would still keep all titles available on Amazon, just not on KU. This would allow me to sell my ebooks on other digital platforms for the first time in years. I will give this some thought and let you all know my decision in due course.

Well, that’s all from me for the moment. Keep an eye out for upcoming book reviews, release news and more by following my blog and my social media.

Be good, or good at it!

Lots of Love

Alex Leslie