Daynote - Mon 4 May 2026

A very happy Bank Holiday Monday to you. And if it's not a bank holiday where you are, sorry!

Today also marks exactly one month until SOLITARY AGENTS comes out, which is just flat wild to think about. Launch day feels like it will simultaneously never arrive and like it's bearing down on me in a very runaway train type fashion. I am, however, feeling much less anxious about it all than I did with my first novel, at least in part because the initial reviews have been very positive and I'm starting to do interviews and podcasts with people who clearly enjoyed reading it. Phew, what a relief!

The other day I also got this cracking blurb from Jack Carr, former Navy SEAL and now NYT bestselling thriller novelist.

Publishing your second book is always going to be a bit nerve wracking precisely because you've set a bar with the first book and you're hoping to at least clear it. I was lucky that I wrote this book before any of the really exciting awards stuff last year, so I didn't psyche myself out worrying too much about how it would compare. But it's a different matter now! Thankfully it seems to be going pretty well.

So, just 31 days left! You can pre-order and book launch event tickets on my Links page.

ON DECK: It's a holiday, so I won't be spending the whole day writing, but I do want to make a bit of progress before I get on with more traditional bank holiday activities like finally trimming my garden hedges (and perhaps weeding the patio of I can be bothered and the rain holds off). So I'm aiming to get around 90 minutes of edits done, right after I publish this.

LISTENING: Loved this episode of The Incident Room podcast featuring Bonnie Burke-Patel (who I was shortlisted with for the McDermid Debut Award) and Rebecca Hannigan. A really in-depth and interesting chat about many different aspects of craft, character and writing routines.

WATCHING: We're closing in on the end of RESIDENT ALIEN and still absolutely loving it. Just two episodes left. Always a bit sad when you get to the end of a show you know hasn't been renewed.

READING: Absolutely flying through CHILDREN OF STRIFE by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Bookshop, Waterstones, Amazon) now - the narrative threads are beginning to entwine in a deeply satisfying way.

LINK: The older I get and the more different kinds of work I do, the more I think that multi-tasking is a myth (and kind of a dangerous one for those who sometimes struggle to focus, like me). This excellent article in the Atlantic on 'mono-tasking' is a very good example of why.

UP NEXT: Back to the regular routine tomorrow and a week clear of events and interviews, which is very welcome because, hoo boy, I have a lot of editing to do. I'm hoping to catch PROJECT HAIL MARY at the cinema with a friend though, if we can get our evening schedules to line up. Looking forward to it.

Onward!