Esskaye Books has been in an unplanned hiatus lately. Mental health can be disruptive :(
I'm back and will get caught up in the next couple of weeks.
I'm back and will get caught up in the next couple of weeks.
 Coming Soon! Work on 'Olverston Grange ...and Other Stories' is approaching completion and the edition features new stories and text with an amazing new cover by MJ Hiblen!
Keep your eyes peeled...
2020 has been, as for the majority of people hard for Esskaye Books. I am the owner, editor, and general dogsbody for the press. I also have Multiple Sclerosis and the medication I take for the condition destroys around 80 percent of my immune system. Couple that with a global pandemic and I was suddenly in a very bad place. I have needed therapy, and an increase in my antidepressants. My depression also made my departure from the work force necessary, and I left the best job I have ever had in my 47 years on this planet. But there have also been positives this year... I have finally moved in with my fiancée and am one step closer to getting a wedding ring on her finger. Esskaye Books has somehow managed to survive my lack of input for most of the year and this has been helped by the business moving to new premises. I met (via email) some brilliant authors who I got to publish within the pages of 'Scare Me' and hope to continue the working partnership into the future. The next publication from Esskaye Books is hopefully going to drop before the end of this year and 2021 will be awesome! M. Leon Smith Esskaye Books is in the process of moving the office. This move has been longer than we planned and has uncovered problems we hadn't planned for. We will be back to full strength soon :)
 Terrifying stories from amazing independent authors. I thought I knew how to advertise a book. Just put it on Google Ads, right? Set it to Worldwide availability, clearly. Wrong. It turns out there is a reason I write and edit and don't run ad campaigns. But I am improving. Many thanks to the pile of people who have seen through my shoddy attempts at advertising and have gotten their hands on 'Scare Me' in either paperback or on eBook. Join the crowd and enjoy these twelve dark stories by independent authors and enjoy the fear-inducing cover by MJ Hiblen.
Good Lord! A blog... and one where I speak and not plug Esskaye's new book (don't get excited - I'm going to later...) 2020 has been a hard year. Globally. Some countries have handled the situation better than others but I'm not going political so don't log off just yet. I have had a particularly hard year. I am one among the percentage of people where catching Covid-19 would be a really bad idea. I have an underlying condition as the media love to talk about. I am overweight, have diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis. To make matters worse, I take a DMT (Disease Modifying Therapy) called Fingolimod. While this medication works wonderfully it does have the down-side of reducing my immune system by 80%. The knowledge that I am so open to the worst that this virus has to offer sent my anxiety and depression into overdrive and basically blew my life apart. My lockdown began a week before the Government recommended we all hide indoors. Luckily for me, I have very sympathetic and understanding employers who have backed me through this elongated period of sickness and have done all they can to help. As have the Occupational Therapist, mental health nurse, and Talking Therapies. Along with help from my fiancée, Claire, best friends Graeme and Chris, and Support worker, Amy, I have fought back to a clearer frame of mind. And, of course, (here comes the book mention) 'Scare Me'. It would be fair to say my thinking was not at it's clearest when I launched the search for the twelve stories I needed for the book. My therapist supported my tactic of throwing myself into one of the few things left to give me pleasure and keep my mind active. Having time to sit and think is not the luxury I once thought it to be. Leaving my mind to its own devices and wallowing in the depression I live with is a supremely bad idea, it would seem. Even with the huge amount of work I had set for myself the fight back to normality for me wasn't easy and I thank each of the around 100 authors who submitted a story for the book. Even if your story didn't get accepted it did get read fully so thank you for the diversion from reality. I would love it if you read 'Scare Me' (stockists here) and even if you don't choose to buy a copy then visit this page and show the talented writers who made their way to the printed page some love - they deserve your attention.   The suspense has been killing us over at Esskaye Towers and, at last, we can reveal the cover to our first anthology, 'Scare Me'.
The horrific image from superbly talented artist MJ Hiblen (https://www.instagram.com/mjhiblenart/) is the perfect preparation for readers as they begin on a journey of 12 short stories from the cream of the crop. We still have a few spots available in the book so take a look at the RULES is you want to put your work forward. We will let you know the release date closer to the time! Esskaye Books has a schedule of changes planned for its business model, with particular attention to the distribution and access to its content. Hopefully these changes won't be as jarring as previous ones but they are happening :)
We are still looking for author for the 'Scare Me' book but that has changed also. It will no longer classed as a competition but will stay pay you for you work and offer you promotion opportunities! We know there are plenty of aspiring writers and established authors out there who would love to see the dark fiction short in print. Get scribbling and let us see what you have! When you're ready send your piece to subs@esskayebooks.com Stay safe, stay strong, an stay creative.  Never hope for a quiet night in! How can the night get worse for Wren as everything slips from bad to worse? Available in 'Olverston Grange ...and Other Stories' - 'A Quiet Night In' is one of M. Leon Smith's favourite pieces! From the Apocalypse to more personal horrors, M. Leon Smith delves into fears both supernatural and everyday. Available in paperback, on Kindle, or FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Be brave and visit Olverston Grange... AVAILABLE ON AMAZON |
AuthorEditor, publisher, author but overall, reader, M. Leon Smith is known to speak his mind. TOPICs
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