GOM in Training: It's finally here ...

When I sat on a plane heading from JFK to Long Beach sometime in 2002/03, I didn't expect that the two chapters of Dignity that I wrote on that flight would sit in a draw for the best part of two decades before I got around to fishing them out.

It was the first book I turned my attention to when I decided to focus full time on writing, completing the remainder of the initial draft between 16 March and 20 August 2019, before once more leaving it to gather enough dust to cause a sneezing fit while I wrote my debut novel, A Little Something to Hide.

I always knew I'd come back to Dignity, it's a story with which I've maintained a sustained fondness. The inspiration came from the Deacon Blue song of the same name, which tells the story of Bogie, a binman who saves his money to buy a boat.

When I paid attention to the lyrics, I was reminded of a man from my hometown who kept our streets clean, very much keeping to himself. I wondered what happened to him and before I knew it, I was conflating the song and his life and inventing his story; telling it through the eyes of a pre-teen boy who befriended him.

It's a tale of friendship, overcoming adversity, and staying true to oneself - I hope you'll enjoy it. It's set in the New Zealand of my youth, which you'll find woven into the fabric of the book. As I wrote it, I was transported to another age, as vivid and alive to me today as it was when I was a child. I hope you'll find it as fresh and as vibrant on the pages of the book as it is in my mind.

An unlikely friendship; an incredible bond

When Bogie's ambition to escape his daily drudgery burns in the November night sky, a pre-teen boy becomes an improbable hero by rekindling the older man's dream.

A click on the image above will take you to Amazon's US site, where the book is available as a paperback, eBook, or on the Kindle Unlimited platform.

If you prefer your shopping from somewhere other than the Kingdom of Bezos, you can get it here or if you're reading this in the States and you want to support your favorite independent bookstore, you can order through bookshop.org. There are also numerous links to Amazon's country specific sites on my website, craigbrownauthor.com.

In getting Dignity ready for publication, I've had a bit of fun with the marketing of the book. I posted this picture of our Maisie demonstrating zero interest and a complete lack of support for my work. A couple of friends who were early readers decided to share further canine raptures and sent photos of their faithful friends with copies of my book, and #DogsWithDignity was born.

In the gallery below, you'll find LEWIS, MONTY, WREN, GERTY and CHESTER, who have all joined MAISIE in the pack and you'd thrill me no end if your pampered pups joined the party.

If you've added Dignity to your TBR pile and you have a dog, I'd love to see how they're tackling my latest novel. Send a picture to me at craig@craigbrownauthor.com so that I can caption it and add it to my socials. It's just a bit of fun and I hope you'll join in. Note well - this is strictly an AI free zone and don't forget to tell me your dog's name.

Canine capers aside, I have another ask, and this matters more than you might think. If you enjoyed Dignity please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads - a few words is perfect. Discovery of us indie-authors is greatly improved by that small act of kindness.

It's been a busy few months getting to this point and not many original words have landed on the page. I'm very much looking forward to getting back to creating something new. I've got a couple of short stories bubbling away, which I'm keen to finish and a couple of novels that need editing.

In the meantime, thanks for your support and your continued readership.

That's it from me, cheerio for now and let me know what you think of the new book.

Cheers

Craig

I give you, your #DogsWithDignity catalogue.