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 The saga of Morgan Murrenmaw’s abject life barrels
onward in this sequel, kicking off directly after the first
novel's enigmatic cliff-hanger.
Jilted by his beloved Beatrice, Morgan’s left grappling
with personal demons, dodging temptation, and slipping into
realms far stranger than our own. A spiteful shadow in the
corner of the room — any room, it seems — whispers poison,
while his own reflection turns traitor.
Help continues to arrive in uncanny forms: the Holy Spirit posing as his
old Latin teacher, a disdainful angel of the Lord, and a
kind soul from the church he barely bothers with.
Like its predecessor, Murrenmaw 2 is a literary fable;
it's blunt, real, littered with frank dialogue, steeped in
the Christian message, and weaves the everyday with the
metaphysical. Expect it to provoke, offend, or maybe even
haunt you. You’ve been warned. My
latest novel, Murrenmaw 2, is now available to buy
at:
Amazon UK |
Amazon US |
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 To
herald the publication of its sequel on March 27...
The original 'Murrenmaw' novel is FREE on KINDLE from AMAZON for
a limited time.
Offer runs Fri 21st - Sun 23rd March, 2025. (Pacific Daylight Time)
Amazon Links:
UK |
US |
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 As
featured on this site's Splash and
Main Page, Murrenmaw 2 is to
be published on March 27th, 2025.The saga of Morgan
Murrenmaw’s abject life barrels forward in this sequel,
kicking off directly after that enigmatic cliff-hanger.
Jilted by his beloved Beatrice, Morgan’s left grappling with
personal demons, dodging temptation, and slipping into
realms far stranger than our own. A spiteful shadow in the
corner of the room - any room, it seems - whispers poison,
while his own reflection turns traitor.
Help arrives in odd forms: the Holy Spirit posing as his old
Latin teacher, a disdainful angel of the Lord, and a kind
soul from the church he barely bothers with.
Like its predecessor, Murrenmaw 2 is a literary fable —
blunt, real, littered with frank dialogue, steeped in the Christian message, and weaving
the everyday with the metaphysical. Expect it to provoke,
offend, or maybe even haunt you. You’ve been warned.
Murrenmaw 2 is the second novel in a proposed trilogy,
with Murrenmaw 3 now a work in progress. |
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 I
suppose it goes without saying that I've always been a keen
reader. Also, as an independently-published author, I know
that an honest, positive review can be a rare and precious
thing to come by.This year, I've decided to focus on
consuming works by my fellow Indie Authors, and I'll be
reviewing numerous titles as 2025 unfolds. I'll be
purchasing a majority of the books I read from Amazon, and
all reviews posted on this site will also be made public at
Amazon UK.
I've added a new Reviews page to this site;
which can be found via the menu. |
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 The Haunting of Everlock Hall
For our second foray into creating interactive fiction,
Laura Dodd and I have been labouring away on the further
exploits of Hillary Hills and Professor Vyvian
Wylie. You, dear reader, will again play the part of
Hills, and this time the setting is the late Lord Gwydion
Everlock's large country house in rural Wales.
The
story, and the game element, is significantly more complex
and far-reaching than that of Brutal Moon, and
Professor Wylie - who proved to be a very popular character
with readers - will play a more substantial role.
We'll keep
the rest a secret for now, but this old photo of Lord
Everlock might contain a few hints.
Photo credit: Laura Dodd 2024
Murrenmaw
2
I originally intended to have the sequel to my
contemporary fiction Murrenmaw
published by mid-march of 2024 (see
below for my
announcement) but time and tide waits for no man, and I've
been more-or-less oblivious to the whizzing past of the
months.
The subject matter and narrative tone of
Murrenmaw 2 is potentially even more offensive (to
some) than the original Murrenmaw, and my
beta readers were keen to reign me in on a few matters.
The story carries a strong Christian message, often conveyed
in the least Christian of terms possible, and that was a
sticking-point for one or two of my more scripturally
scrupulous advisors... probably quite rightly so.
Discussions have been had, advice has been considered, and
the work is now in going through its very final edit.
I'd
like to say that a March 2025 publication date is not out of
the question.
W ---- of F -----n --e--
In 1991 I wrote a short story, of
the type that has a twist ending, and although I was quite
pleased with the finished work, I did nothing with it and it
soon became forgotten. Seven years later, I found the typed
manuscript gathering dust behind a bookcase, re-read it,
took delight in rediscovering a great idea, and decided to
rework it. My rewritten and revised work expanded hugely on
the original concept, with the short story becoming merely
the opening scene of a screenplay. With the first draft
script of W ---- of F -----n --e-- completed, I put it aside
and... life just carried on regardless. On January
1st, 2025, I revisited that dusty, dog-eared and yellowing
wad of type-written pages again, and immediately started
work on turning the script into a new novella. I'm not even ready to reveal the
title, but I'm very excited to be finally telling a Gothic
Horror story
that's been fermenting for thirty-four years. I suppose I'll
have to decide which of the two scripted endings to plumb
for, though. |
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 My
Time and Fate collaborator has finally decided
to step from the shadows and establish her own social media
presence.Laura Dodd, who co-authored Brutal Moon
and is currently working on The Haunting of Everlock
Hall, now posts at X.com as
@eloquent_puffin.
If you're a user of the platform, please do give her a
follow. |
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Book two of the Time & Fate Adventure Gamebooks
series is well into development.
Laura Dodd and I aim to have The Haunting of Everlock
Hall ready for publication during spring of next
year, 2025.
We'll just leave this here for now.
Andrew Morris.
Monday, 01 May, 2024. |
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“ I love
deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make
as they fly by. ”
- Douglas Adams
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As
previously stated in this blog, Murrenmaw 2
is coming soon. But not quite as soon as I'd
hoped! It has to be perfect.
Stay tuned!
Andrew Morris.
Monday, 26 March, 2024. |
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 My
original novel, Murrenmaw, achieved its best-seller
ranking on Amazon during the last week of December
2023. As the author, I find it quite humbling that a story I'd
written mostly as a cathartic work for my own edification has
resonated with many readers in such a positive way, being
described as 'beautifully metaphysical' and even
'avant-garde' in certain quarters.
I'd intended to let Murrenmaw rest on its laurels, albeit temporarily, and turn all of my focus to the
currently-in-the-works second Time and Fate book. But
Murrenmaw was never going to be a stand-alone work,
and to leave my readers on such an ambiguous cliff-hanger
for too long a time would've been, I think, a little cruel.
I therefore left the supremely talented Laura Dodd to
hammer-out the structural complexities of our second interactive
fiction novel while I continued to tell the ongoing tale of
Morgan Murrenmaw's woes.
Murrenmaw 2 is currently in the hands of my small
group of proof-readers. Publication is anticipated to be
mid-March 2024.Work continues, of course, on Time &
Fate Book 2, but neither Laura nor I are prepared to
reveal the title or cover art quite yet!
Watch this space.
Andrew Morris.
Saturday, 17 February, 2024. |
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Brutal Moon was a delight to create. I know from
correspondence received that a great many readers were
thrilled to thoroughly explore Moonbase Shackleton,
and believe that they have now experienced all the possible
outcomes the story offers.
As far as I know, however, no one has yet seen everything.
As the screen-grab above suggests, there's one last entry in
the tale of the tragic fate of Shackleton's crew waiting to
be discovered. The key to unlocking this Easter Egg can be
found somewhere within the pages of the paperback.
Laura Dodd and I are working on the second Time and Fate
Adventure Gamebook as you read this. Rest assured, Wylie and
Hills will return in 2024. Andrew Morris.
Thursday, 23rd November, 2023. |
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I'm a fan of that
wonderful television series Doctor Who, because a dose of
pure escapism can be a healthy thing every now-and-then. I
also fancy myself as a bit of an expert on the subject of
all things Who, which is why, back in the giddy days of
February 2005 and applied to appear on the king of all
studious and intellectual quiz-shows, BBC 1's Mastermind.
More accurately, I was invited to apply to appear on
Mastermind, via an email, from none other than the BBC
itself.
It was the work of just a few minutes to complete the online
application, which is reproduced ad-verbatim below:
TITLE: Mr.
SURNAME: Morris
FIRST NAME: Andrew
OCCUPATION: Cinema Projectionist
HOBBIES AND SPECIAL INTERESTS: I'm an avid film buff, member
of The Dalek Owner’s Guild, keen photographer, defender of
British wildlife, and real ale aficionado. The long gaps
between film performances at the cinema where I work are
spent reading several daily newspapers (from gutter press to
highbrow) and drinking copious cups of tea (PG Tips,
usually, because it's the choice of chimpanzees).
WHY DO YOU WANT TO APPEAR ON THIS QUIZ? I’ve spent my life
inadvertently filling my mind with all aspects of Doctor Who
trivia, only to find to my dismay that there’s no room left
for useful information like how to change the sparkplugs in
my car or where the best place is to put your house keys
last thing at night. This might well be my one and only
opportunity to put my extensive knowledge to some sort of
use.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A DOCTOR WHO FAN? I sat on my
family's sofa, sandwiched between Mum and Dad, trembling
with a mixture of fear and delight as I watched Jon Pertwee
stare down the Sea Devils at Whitecliff Bay
* - so about 34
years, then.
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIALIST AREAS WITHIN DOCTOR WHO? (E.G.
ERAS, VILLAINS ETC The televised adventures from 1963 -
date. Go on, ask me anything!
ANY OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF WHICH YOU FEEL MAY BE
RELEVANT TO YOUR APPLICATION: I might finally make my dad
proud. |
Then I went about my daily life, with no sense of
anticipation, because I knew that a programme as high-brow
and sober as Mastermind wouldn't even remotely consider
getting back to me after being trolled with such frivolous
answers.
It was two days later and my friend, Mr. Bagpuss (not his
real name, but the one he answers most readily to), who has
always been a generous and giving chap, had decided to share
his stinking cold with me. I'm not one to usually look a
gift horse in the mouth, and I hate to appear ungrateful,
but I really didn't bloody want it!
It was 10.00am on a chilly weekday morning, and I was just
starting my day at work, in the projectionists' break room
at the Odeon Cinema, with a cup of tea and a huge dose of
Beecham's Powders, when my mobile phone went off. The tinny
strains of the Nokia ringtone made my groggy head spin. It
was an unknown caller, but, in deference to the habit of
many years, I answered anyway.
I've forgotten the name of the lady on the end of the line,
I think it was Sue. She introduced herself as a member of
the BBC Mastermind production crew and asked me if I would
like to be auditioned for the show there and then over the
phone.
'I'd be delighted,' I beamed as I slumped into a nearby
chair and wished like blazes that she'd have called on any
other day. Right then, in my addled state, I was having a
hard time trying to remember how to make a really proper
good cuppa - was it milk first? - let alone in any position
to recall Doctor Who trivia.
She explained that there would be twenty general knowledge
questions, and if I fared well enough in those we would have
a chat about Doctor Who.
'So, no Doctor Who questions?' I asked.
'Not at this point', replied the woman probably named Sue.
'Bugger', I thought.
'What Northern town was singer Gracie Fields born in?' came
the first question.
Gracie... Fields? You know when you're working on a PC and
for some reason it seems rather sluggish, and then all of a
sudden it just freezes? Well, that was my brain at that
moment. No amount of bluff and buffoonery was going to get
me through this. Hard facts is what
A-Woman-Probably-Called-Sue wanted, and I didn't have any to
hand right then; my head was full of snot, not facts, and my
normally bright shiny eyes were red and squinty.
My considered and measured answer came after what seemed
like an infinitely long pause; 'Skaro' **.
The other questions whizzed pass. I can't remember a single
one of them, but I knew even then that I was flailing wildly
in the dark. General Knowledge is really just pot luck,
isn't it? I mean, you either know the answer or you don't.
The torture came to an end after twenty questions.
'How do you think you did?' asked
The-Woman-That-Might-Have-Been-Named-Sue.
'Abysmally!' I replied, with what might well have been my
first correct answer of the day.
Then, oddly I thought, we spent a further quarter of an hour
chatting about BBC shows in general and Doctor Who in
particular.
It was all getting rather cosy when I looked at my timepiece
and realised films were scheduled to play imminently! To my
regret I had to cut the sweet-voiced Probably-Sue short and
bid her a very good day. Apparently I'd be hearing from the
Mastermind Production Team in the next few days if I was a
successful applicant...
'Fat chance!' I muttered groggily as I disconnected the
call and went about the business of running a busy city
centre cinema.
It was a month later that The Doctor Who Mastermind Special
aired on BBC1. I was working on the night it was broadcast,
but a friend video-taped it for me. She and I settled down
on my sofa together a few nights later to view it. As we
started to watch the show we were both seized by the
maddening need to know how I might have fared if I hadn't
have crashed an' burned during my phone interview. So my
companion’s deft fingers hit the pause button every time the
Quiz Master (who I noted wasn't Magnus Magnusson anymore)
asked a question of the contestant in the chair. I gave my
answer, and then the video playback was resumed to see if I
was right. We did this for each of the four contestants in
turn, throughout the entire programme.
In all modesty I'll tell you that I answered all but one of
the Doctor Who questions correctly, and gave a pretty good
account of myself in the General Knowledge round. With my
friend keeping score we established that if my audition
hadn't gone awry and I'd got onto the programme, I would've
trounced my rival competitors and won the contest.
The prize presented to the winner, I remember, was some sort
of naff etched glass bowl affair... so, no great loss then.
Andrew Morris.
Friday, 1st September, 2023.
* That particular memory is the cliff-hanger ending of
episode three of The Sea Devils, broadcast 11 March 1972.
** Gracie Fields, star of stage, screen and music hall, was
born in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, and not , as it turns
out, on the planet Skaro... that was Davros, progenitor of
the Dalek race.
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 It was about four years
ago when a close friend of mine, named Jim, took quite a
fancy to a lady who moved on the periphery of his social
circle. Besotted, I think, is a more accurate description of
how he felt. And why not? She was pretty and intelligent and
outgoing and... oh, you know; all those wonderful things
that make your giddy heart beat faster and mouth turn dry.
But, alas, the woman in question showed Jim little more than
indifference.
Now, the thing is; she was really into her music. I don't
mean she was a groupie, or fanatically followed any
particular pop group; I mean to say that she loved to play
musical instruments. She was, I'm led to believe, a
dedicated and accomplished musician.
Jim, on the other hand, knew almost nothing of music or the
making thereof. In fact he was still under the impression
that those black and white things at the front of a piano
were called teeth. He was, however, a hard-working and
talented bricklayer.
Jim, always a resourceful fellow and ever a dreamer, decided
that he'd have to better himself if he was to hit it off
with the woman of his dreams. He therefore decided upon the
bold move of taking an intensive private course of piano
lessons. Then, he reasoned, when his path next crossed with
that of the object of his affections, he could fluently
converse in the mysterious language of the musicians; he
could talk to her of semi-quavers, C-sharps and the fact the
Every Good Boy Deserves Favour.
He found a private tutor and learned how to make his meaty
and callused bricky's fingers dance over those things that
he now understood were called keys. He also invested as much
money as he did time in buying books on music, musicians and
other music-related things, which he then pored over day and
night. He devoured all the information he could from scores
of books, while zealously practicing the keyboard from books
of scores. He was, after all, a man with a mission; Jim was
doing all of this in the hope of winning the heart of girl
he adored, and what greater motivation could Jim have to
succeed?
Six weeks and eighteen very expensive and extremely
intensive lessons later...
...Jim was hopelessly in love with his music teacher.
And the feelings were entirely mutual, I must add.
The woman for whom Jim had gone to so much time, expense and
trouble - for whom he had devoted himself to the Herculean
effort of mastering the piano in such a startlingly short
time, for whom he had learnt a whole new lexicon and
developed very a genuine interest in this Liberacean pursuit
- was all but forgotten! He never did discuss treble clefs,
countermelodies, nocturenes, or the Baroque Movement with
her because...
...Jim was busy making beautiful music with an entirely
different woman.
There's probably a moral to this story.
Andrew Morris.
Thursday, 22nd December, 2022. |
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