Progress report #6

Unstable Orbits

To coincide with the completion of the audiobook (see below) I’ve revised the blurb/description. Here’s the new text (the email version of this progress report omits everything but the tagline, so you’ll have to open the post in a browser to read it – sorry, I don’t think it’s my fault):

Repeating Year 13 was supposed to fix everything.
It did not fix everything.
But supernovas create as well as destroy.

The short version: Nate + Luke = Nuke = BOOM! A-level exams ruined, and school suggesting we rewind and try again.

It’s a simple experiment in theory: change the inputs, get better outputs. Luke had shifted from constant to unknown, a glittery question mark. Was he the change I needed to make?

Enter Preston, with his velvety calm and his don’t-say-adorable ears and his own complications. Someone from his past unable to let go. Another variable to manage, somehow.

Some orbits, it turns out, are unstable. Apply the right forces in the right places, and you can fix them. But if you get it wrong, you can blow everything apart.

Unstable Orbits is a queer coming-of-age comedy-drama about love, found family and mental health. It’s packed with sharp humour and heartfelt moments, plus a little light physics. Perfect for fans of Adam Silvera and Simon James Green, and for everyone who loved Heartstopper and Sex Education.

“The best YA novel I read this year”
“Nate is one of the most relatable characters that I’ve personally read”
“This is an amazing book … I fell in love with so many of the characters”
“I didn’t want the story to come to an end”

The book page now includes the FAQ section from the start of the book and the Acknowledgements from the end. I’ve added these as they’re not part of the audiobook and some listeners might like to read them.

Audiobook

The audiobook is complete and in review. Within the next few days it should appear on sale with Audible, Amazon and Apple Books, and I’ll update the Unstable Orbits book page with the links. Other sites may follow.

Total length: 10h 49m 26s.

As expected, on the second editing pass I re-recorded many scenes from the first half of the book to be more tonally consistent with the second half. Most of the second half just needed tweaks and improved edits.

I’ve proof-listened to the entire book with final processing applied — noise reduction, compression, and so on. Of course there are still things I could tweak; as is the way with any creative endeavour, you can tinker forever. At some point you have to let it go.

I’m working on promotional materials now. You may have seen a blog post where I placed some icons in the public domain. Here are a couple of graphics using these new icons:

AXIS book 1

I’ve settled on a title (again — I changed my mind) and I have a cover design I like a great deal. I also have a tagline and a series title.

The text is not final yet: it needs at least one more pass. Meanwhile I’ve been making tiny tweaks as I perform the rewrite revision of book 2.

If all goes well, AXIS 1 will be released in the autumn. Expect some kind of promotion to start in the next few weeks. I need to write the blurb first, which is always tricky because I’m far too close to the story. I think I’m going to write the blurb in first person, as the main character. This means it’ll be in dialect, like the book: a strong, unique voice that I hope will intrigue and attract readers.

AXIS book 2

For AXIS 2, I’m closing in on the end of the rewrite revision. Just the sharp end to do: the final clutch of scenes up to the climax and beyond.

It’s 73K words at the moment, up about 15K versus draft 1 at the same point in the story. This is on track for the 80K target; it’ll end up a bit long but that’s fine.