Merrywhile Series

Dean's got a bit of a problem.   Just three days into his stint minding the family shop and already there's a jagged hole in the wall where the new smart-drugs vending machine used to be, courtesy of the local psychopathic heavy. But as the clock ticks down on his father's return, hope appears in the guise of an enigmatic beauty, a girl stepped straight out of Dean's dreams, proposing a wild and improbable plan that could just change all their lives – maybe even for the better.   Pale Kings is a sharp-witted and comical journey into the crazy world of contemporary fine art, the illicit potential of virtual reality gaming, and the neurotic susceptibilities of robotic guard dogs. This novella is a prequel to MUNKi, the first of the Merrywhile books. Set in the near-future, this is an ongoing series of sci-fi stories – novellas, short stories and full length novels – with a loose chronology, but which can be read in any order. They involve various characters and their dealings with Merrywhile Industries, a giant tech company with ambitions to take humanity to the next level – whether it wants to go there or not.

10 years after he died, Cari's grandfather is back. Or at least, his memories are. Stolen and repackaged by tech giant Merrywhile Industries into a corporate video to promote their latest project – digital immortality. When no one believes her, Cari's search for proof drives her into a lawless virtual underworld of hackers-for-hire where anything is for sale – and payment isn't always in cryptocurrency. But global megacorporations don't take well to scrutiny. As Cari looks into Merrywhile, Merrywhile also looks into her. And as she realises there's more to the grandfather she loved and thought she knew, his secrets make her a target for shadowy players in a game with stakes much higher than data theft. ------- What readers are saying: "A romp through technologies current and imminent in a search for what humanity is going to become when it grows up... It would make a great movie." – Big Al's Books and Pals "MUNKi is as good as any popular sci-fi I've read... Blake Crouch is the name that comes to mind… I could see this working very well as a film or TV series: the visuals are stunning" – Orchid's Lantern, Independent Press and Book Review Blog "A brilliant book. I was gripped from the start … full of twists and turns, grounded by well drawn, authentic characters." – Amazon UK reviewer "Beautifully, eloquently written … particularly appealing for those who enjoy philosophy" – Amazon Australia reviewer "A fully immersive read … loved the settings, characters, complexity and speeding pace … and most unexpectedly, I was very moved by it." – Amazon UK reviewer "A clever and at times unsettling cyberpunk story … some of the phrasing is quite sublime … an intelligent, believable plot and a quite compelling read." – Goodreads Reviewer "Deeply Brilliant … full of love and humanity, greed and death, robots and monsters." – Amazon UK reviewer "SF meets philosophy meets pop culture … Wonderful blend of up to the minute SF themes and philosophical ideas" – Amazon UK reviewer "Complex compelling plot ... Very well done, with meaningful social commentary well hidden beneath the action." – Amazon US reviewer ------- For those who love clever, twisty, character-driven sci fi, MUNKi is a near-future mystery, complete with robots, virtual reality, rogue AI and people swearing in Welsh.

His memory is not what it was. Whose is? Sometimes, it's true, he forgets things. But writing a whole book? Who would forget that?   But there are even reviews of it. In fact, three of them. And no one –not the bookstores, not his publisher, nor even his wife – seems in the least bit concerned. Does this mean he's going crazy?   But the next one is already overdue, and though each day the screen stares blankly back at him, he must push on. For it's not like this book is going to write itself – is it?   Set in the near future, Content Provider is a satirical insight into the life of the jobbing writer, the enduring mysteries of married life, and what happens to our thoughts when there's no one there to think them.

Merrywhile is dead. Long live Merrywhile!   With the company in crisis and her boss absconded, Dr Geraldine Andersen struggles to get Project MUNKi back on track. But while her efforts to build the world's most advanced toy robot flounder, she is approached by an old friend in need of a favour. A friend whose paralysed, locked-in son is being charged with murder – of his own father. Can Gerry help prove his innocence?   But the deeper she digs, the more puzzling things become. For all families have secrets – and this one most of all.   Mr Wolf is a near-future sci-fi whodunnit, an insight into the politics of Italian refuse collection, and a cautionary tale about the lengths to which we will go to protect the things we love.