I'm watching For All Mankind on Apple TV and really enjoying it, but it begs one question:

Why on earth are we still, in the year 2026, portraying America as the good guys?

"The writing, suspense, character driven focus are exceptional."

THE ONES WE FEAR is out next week!

📸 Instagram: bookish_gabby

Publishing NEXT Tuesday 👀

4.5 Stars- The Ones We Fear is one of those quietly chilling reads that really creeps up on you. It's not super fast or slow, more slice-of-life, but that's what makes it feel so real. You're following Alex, a teenage boy just trying to figure himself out, school, girls, fitting in... and then everything shifts when he starts liking someone the town has already decided is "a wierdo." What really stood out to me is how quickly people judge. How easily a group can turn, label someone, and almost demonise them. There's a clear thread back to historical witch trials, that same fear and mob mentality, just in a modern setting. It genuinely made me stop for a minute and think... I hope I'm kind and thoughtful, and not just one of the crowd. It's quite dark and emotional, but not heavy in a draining way. More in a...this feels a bit too real...kind of way. The writing is descriptive, and I found myself just needing to keep reading. A slow burn that really makes you think. Quietly unsettling and very human

"A slow burn that really makes you think. Quietly unsettling and very human."

"One of those quietly chilling reads that really creeps up on you."

4.5 stars from this reader!

The Ones We Fear comes out in 6 days.

@srlpublishing.bsky.social

srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-...

It's a sad state of affairs when I find a new band I like, who are relatively new themselves, and I have to ask:

Are they real or AI?

Regular reminder that if a writer uses AI for their book cover, people will assume they use it to write as well, and said writer doesn’t really have a leg to stand on in terms of argument.

When a child goes missing, accusing fingers fall on Janet, the school weirdo, and her mother

Alex doesn't believe the accusations and is desperate to protect Janet. But Alex doesn't know who Janet really is.

THE ONES WE FEAR, publishes NEXT WEEK

books_my_cats_stole ARC Review for @srlpublishing Release date: 28/04/2026 A witchy horror that will make your skin crawl! Schoolboy Alex doesn't like the reclusive school outcast Janet, a poor girl from the edge of town who wears old scraggy clothes & has leaves in her hair. After watching Janet being relentless physically & mentally bullied by the popular kids for the umpteenth time, Alex can no longer hold his tongue and starts to speak up for her at great cost to himself. Things turn for the worst when a horrific incident in the village is blamed on Janet. Alex finds himself torn between feelings of revulsion & and unexpected lure drawing him towards Janet & wanting to protect her from further attacks. However, Janet & her equally strange mother are rumoured to be witches, do they really need Alex's help to protect themselves? Creepy & unpredictable, this will keep you guessing & makes you think!

"A witchy horror that will make your skin crawl!"

Love this review of The Ones We Fear from Instagram.

Coming 28 April (8 days from now!) from @srlpublishing.bsky.social:

srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-...

A tortoise shell cat laying on a white basket with its claws out, with strands from a yellow basket draped across its head.

I can't decide if Sylvia loves or hates baskets.

Here she is destroying one whilst draped in the remains of the previous.

Publishing NEXT week 👀

THE ONES WE FEAR

'Not to be missed.'
'A witchy horror that will make your skin crawl!'

A yellow background with the cover of The Ones We Fear by Robert Welbourn and the wording: I was hooked from the beginning. A witch story told amazingly.

THE ONES WE FEAR PUBLISHES IN ONE WEEK.

THAT'S SEVEN DAYS.

THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-...

@srlpublishing.bsky.social

They've actually just announced they're going to euthanise the hippos 😔

The Ones We Fear We always want to protect the ones we love. They don’t …

Just hit double figures for ratings for The Ones We Fear!

www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

The Ones We Fear We always want to protect the ones we love. They don’t …

Just hit double figures for ratings for The Ones We Fear!

www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

Same! And know I can open it and, even if I see some bad, it'll be vastly outweighed by the good.

Bluesky is very much a welcome reprieve from the usual social media nonsense.

books_my_cats_stole ARC Review for @srlpublishing Release date: 28/04/2026 A witchy horror that will make your skin crawl! Schoolboy Alex doesn't like the reclusive school outcast Janet, a poor girl from the edge of town who wears old scraggy clothes & has leaves in her hair. After watching Janet being relentless physically & mentally bullied by the popular kids for the umpteenth time, Alex can no longer hold his tongue and starts to speak up for her at great cost to himself. Things turn for the worst when a horrific incident in the village is blamed on Janet. Alex finds himself torn between feelings of revulsion & and unexpected lure drawing him towards Janet & wanting to protect her from further attacks. However, Janet & her equally strange mother are rumoured to be witches, do they really need Alex's help to protect themselves? Creepy & unpredictable, this will keep you guessing & makes you think!

"A witchy horror that will make your skin crawl!"

Love this review of The Ones We Fear from Instagram.

Coming 28 April (8 days from now!) from @srlpublishing.bsky.social:

srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-...

This is incredible!

What next? A computer that can do maths faster than a person? A machine that can make products faster?

Life is about to change forever!

Dear IMBD,

I will literally never create an account. Please, please stop asking.

Sincerely

The Ones We Fear We always want to protect the ones we love. They don’t …

Reviews coming in thick and fast for The Ones We Fear and people are liking it!

www.goodreads.com/book/show/24...

I don't know what annoys me about UK tax season more:

- how unnecessarily difficult it is to file
- how my calculation is completely wrong and they think I owe twice what I actually do
- that what little tax I do owe will be used to blow up innocent people in Gaza and Iran and everywhere else

We are all we have. No one will remember your clothes or your accessories, but they will always remember who you are.

Lovely day for it though, nice to spend a few hours in the sunshine.

A reminder we all must touch grass every once in a while.

Not the pitch though, obviously.

A football game at the MKM Stadium in Hull; Hull City in amber and Birmingham in white on a green pitch beneath a beautiful blue sky.

Disappointing 1-1 with Birmingham to make it 4 wins in our last 15 games. If Hull make it to the playoffs it'll be by sheer dumb luck.

Still, the first time I've seen Hull score a goal in person since 2022 - lots of 0-0 draws and 0-1 and 0-2 defeats in my last many visits.

My horror novel comes out in 11 days.

Cool.

I have many feelings about Leeds Literature Festival but because publishing is the most infuriatingly fake nice industry I can't say anything.

Literature festivals should have an Introducing stage like music festivals do.

The cover of The Ones We Fear with the wording: Perfectly paced, hugely enjoyable, and not to be missed Gemma Fairclough, author of Bear Season

It's April, which means The Ones We Fear is published this month!

A tale of witchcraft, feminism, and everyday monsters, TOWF is “character-led horror that leaves you feeling unsettled long after the final page.”

Coming 28 April from @srlpublishing.bsky.social.

srlpublishing.co.uk/product/the-...

Looking forward to this!

So brilliant I wrote brilliant twice.

Bloody brilliant.