Cover reveal ! The Imperfection of Us, out 21st July 2023.

I’m thrilled to be able to reveal the cover of my upcoming novel, The Imperfection of Us, which will be published on the 21st July 2023 by my exciting new publisher Storm. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Dawn and Rob were never meant to be together.

It’s the summer of 1990 and seventeen-year-old Dawn is infatuated with Billy. He’s cool, in a band and the opposite of her other besotted admirer: gentle electrician Rob. 

But then Billy disappears, and Rob is still around. He’s there when Dawn falls pregnant and he’s there for the sleepless nights. And though Dawn and Rob were never destined to be together, suddenly they’re married. 

This real-life relationship involves arguing about who loads the dishwasher, cosy nights in while not having sex (and not missing it) and dragging kids to violin classes (even though they’re terrible). 

Decades have flown by since Dawn last saw Billy, and her once glossy blonde hair is now silvery grey, yet she can still remember exactly how he made her feel. But is now-famous Billy worthy of her thirty-year obsession? And how dangerous would it be for her marriage if she decided to find out?

From the number one multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Photographer’s Wife and The Other Son comes a story that will move you to laughter, tears, and everything in between. The Imperfection of Us is an emotional journey through the ups and downs of married life, the difficulties of letting go of the past and a heartfelt reminder that our imperfections are what make us human.

You can pre-order The Imperfection of Us here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C37CFKMF


A new year, a new publisher, a new novel !

It’s with great pleasure that I’m able to announce I’ve been signed by Storm Publishing for my next novel.

Storm Publishing is an exciting new publishing startup created by Oliver Rhodes – the man who created Bookouture.

I’m thrilled to be one of the first authors Storm will publish. They are right at the cutting edge of the publishing industry, and their team is young and vibrant but also reassuringly experienced. I think the journey we’re about to embark upon together will be really exciting.

“Nick is an incredibly talented writer who crafts unique and highly engaging stories that have captivated readers all around the world,’ said Claire Bord, deputy managing director at Storm. ‘In The Imperfection of Us, Nick has created a heartfelt and intimate portrayal of a marriage, and in Dawn and Rob, readers will find two very relatable and down-to-earth characters. It’s a compelling, honest, and refreshing read, and I can’t wait to publish The Imperfection of Us at Storm.”

The Imperfection of Us will be published in July 2023 in ebook, audio, and paperback.

To learn more about Storm Publishing, please click here: https://stormpublishing.co/

Out July 26th: Perfectly Ordinary People

It’s always so scary releasing a new novel. You work for a year creating a new baby and then release it into the wild, to be loved, or to be hated. And my 18th novel is out on the 26th July 2022.

Still, some of the advance reviews of Perfectly Ordinary People are in, and it looks like it might all be OK after all 🙂

Here are a few excerpts. I do hope you enjoy it!

Every chapter left its mark on me. Nick’s writing took me to the edge one minute with all the tragedy and heartache but then pulled me back with wonderful comedy moments. And, always simmering away, is the greatest love story just waiting to be told.”

Nick Alexander’s sympathy and respect for his characters shine through every page making this book feel like a true labour of love. I have read all of this author’s books, but this epic tale of love and war is far and away his best yet.

I was drawn to this book as I am dropbox set in WWII however, I have never read about the LGBTQIA experiences during ww2. The historical content is hard to read, the descriptions of how gays and Jewish people in particular, were treated in the war was incredibly harrowing. However, this is a must-read that will stay with you for a long time. Highly recommended!”

A really enjoyable read that deals with family history and dynamics. It is a daul timeline of present day and World War Two. This was a compelling read that I couldn’t put down. You should definitely read this book.”

This is my first time reading anything from this author, but I will absolutely be going back for more! I read a ton of historical fiction and never have a read about the LGBTQIA experiences during ww2. The format felt a bit clunky at the beginning, but once I got used to it, I could not put this book down. I will absolutely tell everyone I know about this extraordinary story!”


Available for pre-order on Amazon at a reduced pre-order price.
Release date: 26th July 2022.

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Perfectly-Ordinary-People-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B09MVQT4NH/

Amazon USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Ordinary-People-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B09MVQT4NH/

Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Perfectly-Ordinary-People-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B09MVQT4NH/

Perfectly Ordinary People – Competition

OK my lovelies. It cometh but once a year, but it’s COMPETITION TIME.

I’ve got 10 of these lovelies (books, not feet) to give away (signed and dedicated, obvs), so here’s how to enter:

1. Take the best photo you can of your pet (or someone else’s pet) “reading” a book or an e-reader.

2. Post it on your timeline on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the caption:

<Insert pet name here> would like to win a copy of Nick Alexander’s new novel #PerfectlyOrdinaryPeople because <insert the funniest reason you can think of here>.

3. Make sure you tag me in your post AND use the hashtag as shown otherwise I won’t see it and won’t be able to consider your entry.

4. You can enter as many times as you wish to increase your chances but only one prize will be given per entrant.

5. Competition closes on the 30 June whereupon the ten best photos (as decided by ME!) will receive a signed dedicated copy of Perfectly Ordinary People.

6. The 3 best entries will also receive a signed dedicated copy of From Something Old AND the best overall entry will get a bottle of Champagne as well!

7. Book prizes will be sent by unregistered snail mail which may (post Brexshit) take up to 1 month to arrive.

GO! GO! GO!

A new novel!

Hi Friends.
Well, what a year it’s been. Horrific, huh?

I do hope you and yours got through it all OK, and a huge hug from me if times have been bad.

There’s not much that’s good to be said about 2020 (and 2021 so far!) but I did at least manage to write a new novel!

In fact, From Something Old is the novel I wrote during the first lockdown here in France. And the one I edited during the second lockdown. And the one I proofed during the third lockdown.

Perhaps that’s why I chose to set much of it in sunny Spain. Because that’s where we all want to be, isn’t it?
So hopefully it will enable you to slip away to the sunshine for a few hours too.

Anyway, here are a few early reviews to get your juices flowing.

"Once again, Nick has written a beautifully crafted, well researched  book that makes you want to turn off your phone, get a coffee, ignore the world and read it in one sitting! As with all his novels, I was hooked from page one. The main characters are between them, charming, endearing, frustrating and rather unpleasant in equal measure but weave together to make a captivating storyline with a heartwarming ending. A perfect summer/lockdown read"
"Nick Alexander does it again !! ...  I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of Nick's new book via netgalley a few days ago.  I decided to start it yesterday and once started I did not put it down until I had finished it at 1am in the morning (it's been quite a while since I have done that with a book). 
I have been a huge fan of Nick's books for many years now and this new book certainly didn't disappoint.  The storyline is very easy to get into and follow - the characters had a great back story as to who they were and why they were like they were.  A great story of love, betrayal, heartache and finding true happiness in-between it all.
I absolutely loved this book .. thankyou (easy 5 star rating)"
"This is my third book by Nick Alexander and he is quickly becoming a favourite author, I inhale his books I don't read them. He really knows how to write about the human condition, in this story it is about love, sex, marriage and parenthood. I adore the covers of his books as well, they always grab my attention and give a sneak peek as to what's inside.

I love the way that Mr. Alexander can write from the perspective of both male and female characters. I also appreciate the way that the chapters are broken up, from the different characters point of view, which makes for easier reading and lets you feel emotions from everyone's perspective.  Even though there were two not no nice characters in this story it was refreshing to read why they themselves didn't feel like the bad guy.

Nick Alexander is an author who makes the ordinary extraordinary and magical, describing his characters so effortlessly, really bringing them to life and making you, as the reader, care deeply. Once again he writes a beautiful story which shows insight into the lives of others and made this reader turn the pages at an impossible to put down rate. All the stars."

It’s at a special pre-order price until midnight tonight, so if you know you’re going to grab a copy it’s probably best to get in quick!

Order here for Amazon USA:
https://www.amazon.com/Something-Old-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B08JC9KCF7


Here for Amazon Australia:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Something-Old-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B08JC9KCF7

And here for Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Something-Old-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B08JC9KCF7

I do hope you enjoy it.
Don’t forget to let me know.

Stay safe. Love Nick. xx

How to be alone. (or how to beat the mehs).

Screenshot 2020-03-28 at 11.00.12A lot of my friends are struggling with being alone during lockdown. Quite a few of them are openly discussing “how not to go mad” during lockdown. For many of them, this is the longest period they’ve ever had to stay home alone, and it really isn’t easy.

The first few days might feel like a holiday – you lounge on the sofa, you watch Netflix. But by day 3, it’s starting to feel slow. By day 7 it’s starting to feel really slow. And by day 10 you’re listening to the government extend the lockdown by another 2 weeks and trying hard not to cry.

Now, I’m not going to give you one of those “make this time wonderful” speeches. If you can “make this time wonderful” then great, do it. But for many of us being alone, being lonely, is hard. So I’m far more about how to survive this, than how to have an orgasm over it.

I’m no psychologist, so take none of this as gospel, but I have spent a lot of time in isolation in my life. Being a writer is, by definition, an isolating kind of a job. Being a single writer, which I was for many years, even more so. As for being a single writer, snowed in for 3 months of the year in a tiny house in the Alps without internet, and sometimes even without electricity… well you get the picture.

It wasn’t easy, but I made it and you can too. Being alone and isolated for long periods of time isn’t easy. But you can get better at it. You can learn how to do it better. So here are my top tips for surviving lockdown without going completely bonkers.

The ingredients for a wholesome day.
For a day to feel wholesome it needs, IMHO five main ingredients.

  • Structure.
  • Food for the body.
  • Food for the brain.
  • Exercice.
  • Contact.

If you’re feeling meh, then all of these will feel like an effort. But the route to depression is giving in to the dark side that is meh. And the route to feeling sane is exercising willpower to push it back into its box.
– So cook yourself a healthy meal (Food for the body). Do not give in to the desire to exist exclusively on chocolate ice cream or whatever is your fetish food.
– Read a book, or write something, or learn a language (there are online courses), or practice that musical instrument or paint that picture. Or play chess. (Food for the brain).
Exercise. If you’re normally fit and healthy and allowed to get out, then do it! It’s important. Go for a walk, or go for a run. If it’s raining, put on a hoodie and do it anyway.
And if you can’t get out, do yoga, or pilates, or keep fit. You don’t need any equipment to do any of these, just google “30 days of yoga with Adrienne” or “5BX Canadian airforce exercises” and get going. Stay fit. Or if you’re not fit, use this time to get fit.
– Talk to at least one person every day. (Contact). Make that phone call. Or Skype chat. Or Facetime. Talking to other human beings is essential to your mental health. Try not to moan too much or talk about the damned virus while you’re chatting. Talk about your last holiday. Or where you want to go next. Or how you’re getting on with learning Japanese. Talking about real life is important, because it reminds you that this shall pass. There will be holidays in the sun. There will be family dinners again.
– Finally, Structure. Your normal life is probably pretty structured. Most of us live constantly watching the clock as we calculate if it’s time to move onto the “next thing.”
Initially, that lack of structure will give you a feeling of freedom. It’s the “holiday” feeling that says you can lay on the couch for two hours staring at the TV eating Mars bars if you want to. But after a few days that lack of structure may well make you feel meh. And meh as we know is the enemy. So structure your day and beat it.

My own regime to avoid going nutty is something like this:
8:30 (or when awake) Get up.
8:30-10 (slow lazy breakfast, read papers).
10-10:30 Yoga with Adrienne on Youtube.
10:30-11:00 Shower.
11:00-12:30 Write (or on weekends, read).
12:30-2:00 Cook and eat lunch.
2:00-4:30 Write.
4:30-5:30 Go for walk or run.
5:30-7:00 watch Netflix or Prime video series.
7:00-8:00 Watch news and cook dinner.
8:00-9:00 Talk to someone.
9:00- 11:00 Watch a proper film or read a book.

The point about having a schedule, is that whenever the sense of emptiness and meh starts to wash over you, there’s always something you should be doing. So instead of having to be creative at the very moment you’re feeling the worst, all you have to do is get with the program and do whatever is next on the list.

You’ll obviously need to tailor this to your own hours and your own needs. For instance, if you’re not a writer, then you’ll need to find something else to replace the hours I spend writing. There are a thousand things you can learn to do online, and I’ll bet there’s at least something you’ve always wanted to do. Well, now’s your chance. Do it. Learn to speak french. Learn to paint. Learn to draw. Learn yoga. It doesn’t matter what you learn as long as at some point during the day you use your brain. It’ll be hard to get yourself to sit down and do it, but you can do this. And when you do, you’ll feel better.

Finally some random warning tips:

Alcohol. If you’re a drinker, it can be an easy time to start drinking too much. And much like the “being on holiday” thing, this will initially make you feel better. But if you drink every day it will end up making you feel depressed. So if you were a weekend drinker before, then try to be a weekend drinker now. Obviously rules about only drinking socially are more complicated now – if you’re drinking it will almost certainly be alone. But organise a Skype date with a friend and have a drink with them on Saturday night. And give yourself at least 4 alcohol free days a week if you can.

News. For the last fifty years or so, “news” had meant almost exclusively “bad news”. At the moment “news” generally means “terrible news.”
You do not need to follow the details of every CV19 death. It will not help you. It won’t save anyone else either. But it will fuck with your mental health. So decide consciously how much news you want to consume.
I’ve limited myself to the newspapers over breakfast and an hour in the evening, and even that’s quite a lot of stress, I find. During the rest of the day I force myself not to look. Because all the constant updates were pushing me to the edge of a panic attack. So choose how much you want to know. As long as you’re scared enough to stay indoors, that’s enough. You don’t need any more.

Edit: Music. I can’t believe I forgot music! Music is one of the most efficient mood changers (drugs excepted) known to man. You may think about playing some music and think meh. But that’s the point about music. You don’t need to be in the mood. Music creates mood. So put your favourite tunes on. Dance with the cat (if the cat’s willing). Dance with a stuffed toy or a cushion, or the mop. Dance alone, who cares? There’s no one there to see you anyway, is there? (If there is, you should probably dance with them). But nothing is better for cheering yourself up than singing along and dancing. Just avoid the sad songs, for now, eh? Unless of course you need to have a cry. In which case go for it. Here’s a link to my cheesy dance list, in case you’re short of inspiration: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7CXKrw7Rj5MOnGY7xuvhUX?si=jcVVCtYwQwGI_V8XlCISxw

Voila, my friends. I think that’s it.
We will get through this. And when we do we’ll be romping on beaches and drinking in pubs and eating takeway pizzas in parks. Just remember it. We’ll get there.
In the meantime, love and luck to you all. Stay indoors. Stay healthy. Stay safe.

And if you have any tips of your own, please post them as comments below.

Nick xxx

 

Writing in the time of Covid19

As an author living in France, being stuck indoors for weeks because of the Coronavirus doesn’t sound that different perhaps to everyday life.

IMG_4585 copy
We authors certainly know how to spend time alone.
Most of us, working in isolation every day, already have routines to keep ourselves sane: the cups of coffee, the morning yoga, the afternoon jog, whatever it takes to keep mind and body healthy. So in a way, we’re mentally equipped to deal with all this time in isolation. We could probably even give you some tips.

But époque defining events such as the Coronavirus outbreak provide unexpected challenges to authors too. Because beyond the question of how to actually concentrate on writing when the world outside is going into meltdown – how to think about fictional characters when you’re worried about flesh and blood loved ones – the great question is, do you write the virus into your plot or leave it out?

I, for example, am currently 2/3 of the way through writing a novel in which the bulk of the action takes place in the year 2020. But 2020 suddenly isn’t looking much like any other year. So is it really possible to write a novel that doesn’t reference being stuck indoors during a Coronavirus outbreak?

Some novelists write outside time, refusing to mention politics or world events. It’s fiction, they say, and so is the year that it takes place in. Their readers appreciate being able to escape to a place which has none of the real-world problems they see on the news every day. And for authors such as these, as long as their loved ones aren’t affected, the only effects of the epidemic may be to give them more uninterrupted time to write.

But for authors who write novels that are clearly situated in “here and now,” for authors who feel that this is an essential part of what makes fiction feel “real” the challenge can be quite daunting.

Moving my plot backwards would means having to write a general election and Brexit into the action. Moving it forwards would mean writing Coronavirus into everyone’s past, and let’s face it, we have no idea how that’s going to pan out yet. Are all of their grand parents now dead or did Boris Johnson’s government suddenly change tack? So what to do? It’s a real dilemma that’s throwing a spanner in the middle of a 6 month work project that I’m supposed to finish within the next two months.

For now, I think I’m going to shift the entire plot forward a few months and write the damned virus in. To do this, I’m going to have to stick two characters who, for plot purposes, need to get together, into self-imposed isolation. Their love is going to have to be a love born of being locked up together! And as I continue to write those final chapters, I’ll be watching the news closely to find out how long their kids need to stay home from school (and thus be far more heavily written in) and whether they need to see a constant stream of hursts rolling past the window or troops in the streets.

My characters are all biting their nails as they wait to see what happens… So as we worry about our very real loved ones, spare a thought too for my fictional characters whose destinies are just as uncertain as our own.

My latest novel The Road to Zoe was published on the 12th of March, 2020.

And here comes… Zoe!

Hi Everyone.

I know it’s been a shamefully long time since I last wrote to you all, but it’s because I’ve been busy. And the result of all that business is… Zoe!

So, I’m thrilled to announce the publication of my latest baby, a road trip novel called The Road to Zoe, out this Tuesday, the 10th of March 2020.

I do hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don’t hesitate to drop me a line and let me know. I love hearing from readers.

Love to all. Nick xxx

zoeThe Road to Zoe

She ran away from the truth,
but she can’t run forever.

Seven years after his sister vanished without a trace, Jude is on the road, determined not to return home until he has found her. He wants to reunite his broken family, but more than this he wants to know why Zoe left—what happened when they were kids, on that terrible day when everything fell apart.

They’d been enjoying the funfair—grasping a rare moment of happiness following their parents’ divorce—when after a ride together, Zoe had stopped speaking to her mother’s new partner. Though Mandy believed he was the man she’d waited all her life for, her love for her daughter trumped even that, and soon suspicions of an unthinkable betrayal shattered the family.

So finding Zoe would be just the start. If Jude can find her, then what happens next will depend on the story she’s been carrying with her all these years. Because when families are destroyed by dark secrets, can the wounds ever truly heal?

Pre-order here, at the special low introductory price (£1.99 in the UK).

For Kindle
->Amazon UK   ->Amazon USA  ->Amazon Australia

In Paperback
->Amazon UK   ->Amazon USA   ->Amazon Australia

In Audiobook
->Amazon UK   ->Amazon USA   ->Amazon Australia

Fly Starlight, Fly.

DSC01812.JPGTitus was born with character. He had a LOT of character. And like anyone with a lot of character, he wasn’t an “easy” cat to like. He’d had a traumatic childhood. He’d lost his mother too soon… If you put in a bit of effort you could understand why he was the way he was.
But like a lot of “difficult” characters, once you knew him you loved him, not for anything he pretended to be, because Titus never pretended, but for what he was, a difficult, often grumpy, feisty, but incredibly faithful friend. So, yes, not having a vast vocabulary to communicate with, Titus bit and bit often. It’s why we nicknamed him Typhus. But Titus/Typhus rarely bit hard, and never enough to injure anyone. It was just the only way he had of saying “no”.
He was the most present cat I’ve ever known. At any moment of the day, whether you were eating breakfast, watching TV or going to bed, you could look up and Titus would be there.
The other cats all come and go, depending on what’s going on outside, on what’s out there to kill. But Typhus didn’t care. If you were there he’d sit next to you. He’d prefer you didn’t touch him, but he wanted to be with you. All the time. It’s how he showed his love.
A friend who claims to speak telepathically to cats informed us he wanted to be called Starlight, and so we tried it for a while, just in case it would improve his character. It didn’t, but we still called him Starlight from time to time. I had a vague feeling that he did actually like it.
And now he’s gone. And the sofa’s empty because the other cats are all outside killing things. So we miss him. And we’re sad. And Starlight is wherever cats go when they leave those that love them behind. Perhaps they get reincarnated as other cats. Or perhaps they go into a big pool of soul that gets reused in some other living form. I don’t know. I’m just convinced that all that complexity, and character, and soul, and love, doesn’t just vanish. Perhaps it turns into light beams and goes racing through the stars. It would be a fitting end for a cat called Starlight.
Goodbye Titus/Typhus/Starlight. We miss you already. RIP.

Out now! You Then, Me Now

 

YTMN-m

Exciting news for UK and Aussie readers!

Though officially out on 1st May, my new novel, You Then, Me Now is available NOW for UK and Australian readers as part of Kindle first reads.
All you have to do is sign up for the First Reads newsletter from Amazon once a month (free), and you can start reading You Then, Me Now today for only 99p (or FREE is you’re an Amazon Prime member).
I think it’s a good ‘un so I do hope you like it!
Can’t wait to hear what you think.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Then-Now-Nick-Alexander-ebook/dp/B07HF4384W/