It’s fair to say that life has been somewhat disorganised in the last few months, so I’ve not been particularly active here for a while. However, there has been some positive activity in spite of that. Although I can’t confirm a date yet, it’s safe to say that my next book, Renegade, will be published in the next month or so.

The manuscript has been edited to within an inch of its life, some very kind authors have already provided positive feedback and quotes, and I’m now just going through the final stages of getting it ready for release.

In the background, my delightful cover designer has been hard at work, so it’d be remiss of me to not provide a reveal…

Isn’t it brilliant? (Well, I think so, anyway…)

Of course, there will be quotes added to the cover before publication, and then there’s the blurb. Some of you might recall that, in advance of releasing Borderline last year, I put a few variations of that blurb out for feedback. That helped enormously, so it’s a no-brainer to do it again for Renegade.

With Borderline, I was starting with a blank sheet, so there were several variations in the format. Renegade is the second in the series, so this time I’m sticking with the format that was settled on for Borderline, which means there is a degree of similarity. Anyway, I’ve listed six options below. So, let me know your thoughts.

Blurb 1

When you don’t trust the police, should you trust a Cowboy?

When Rand Scott’s past comes calling, it couldn’t be worse timing

A police investigation is going nowhere and a grieving wife wants answers

It should be a straightforward job, but life isn’t as simple as that.

Animal rights activists and farmers are a bad combination at the best of times

And farms aren’t the only places to keep livestock

Blurb 2

If the past is a foreign country, the present is a rogue state

There’s never a good time for bad news and Rand Scott isn’t a happy bunny

An old flame, a dead animal rights activist and a half-hearted police investigation are just the start

Then there are the people he thought he’d never see again – and they have questions

But words aren’t the only things that are brutal

And farms aren’t the only places to keep livestock

Blurb 3

If you don’t trust the police, there’s only one place to go

The death of an old acquaintance drags Rand Scott back to a life he left behind a long time ago.

A police investigation is going nowhere and a grieving wife wants answers

Putting minds at rest should be easy and it gets him away from the city

But factory farms and animal rights activists can be a sensitive combination

And Rand soon discovers a world where violence is the only common language

Blurb 4

When you don’t believe the police, turn to the Cowboy

 When Rand Scott’s past comes calling, it couldn’t come at a worse time

An old flame is looking for help, and he’s not the only one that thinks it’s a bad idea

Still, it gets him away from the city for a while

But factory farms and animal rights activists are a bad combination at the best of times

And Rand soon discovers just how brutal life in the country can be

Blurb 5

When the past comes calling, it’s the present that suffers

An old flame, a dead animal rights activist and a half-hearted police investigation are not what Rand Scott was looking for

But they’re enough to take him away from the city and back to a life he’d left behind

A chance to put right his wrongs

As he starts to poke around, though, he uncovers a lot more than he expected

And soon finds out just how brutal life in the country can be

Blurb 6

When the past comes calling, it’s the present that suffers

When Rand Scott gets an opportunity to drop even further off the radar, he gets more than he bargained for

An old flame, a dead animal rights activist and a half-hearted police investigation are just the start

Then there are the people he thought he’d never see again – and they have questions

This rural idyll can be brutal

Especially when Rand discovers farms aren’t the only places to keep livestock

Last year I ended up taking elements from more than one of the suggested blurbs and merging them together – so if you feel there are lines from different options make more of an impact, feel free to tell me.

I’ve already said that I’m aiming to get this published in the next few weeks, so this does mean I don’t have a lot of time to get this together for my cover designer. With that in mind, I’ll use the feedback given to make a decision on Monday 23rd March. Any comments or suggestions after Sunday 22nd (GMT) will sadly be too late for me to consider.

Finally, as ever, any feedback you provide is appreciated. And, in recognition of this, for those responding by the 22nd, I will be happy to send you a copy of the eBook for either Renegade or Borderline (if you haven’t already had it) as a thank you.