A stay-at-home dad from Margate has published his debut novel, with the second on the way.
Peter Farrell, 28, is currently on book three of The Shoreline Hearts Series after being part of a book club prompted him to try and piece together his own stories.
The dad-of-two released his contemporary romance novel Whispers of the Tide, set in Kent with Margate as the main location, in December and Currents of the Past will be released on 8 May.
He said: “I have always expressed myself creatively, whether through music or writing. Until Whispers of the Tide, I never had the confidence to write a full novel. One sleepless night, I decided to gather all the fragments I had written over the years and see if I could turn them into a complete story.
“ I began by exploring locations around Kent – mainly Margate – developing character profiles, and then started writing.
“It was hard work, but before long, the book took shape. At one point, I felt it was too long, so I decided to end the story at Chapter 25 and use the remaining chapters as the basis for a second book.
“As I continued writing, the idea of a series came to mind. Before publishing Whispers of the Tide, I created the name The Shoreline Hearts Series. The series will consist of five books in total, starting with Whispers of the Tide, followed by Currents of the Past. I recommend reading the series in order, as each book continues the story from the last.”
Peter says he initially thought publishing would be out of reach with costs reaching thousands of pounds but then discovered Amazon KDP making self-publication accessible.
Since the first book was released he has taken on marketing himself selling 40 copies in the first few months through grassroots promotion, local stockists, and word of mouth.
He is also planning a signing event in April.
Peter, whose eldest child lives with their mum and youngest – aged two- lives with him, says he writes when the little one is at nursery or in bed.
He said: “The first book took about six months to complete and by the second the story was flowing so this took about three months to finish and now I am at work on the third one.”
He has the basis for all five mapped out with the same main characters running through the entire series.
Peter says he ‘felt like a kid at Christmas’ when he received the copy of his first published book, adding: “I still do when I have author’s copies on the way.”
Whispers of the Tide is available on Amazon and is stocked locally at Westgate Galleria in Westgate, Coastal Art Coffee inside The Margate School of Art on Margate High Street, and Turner Rowe Art Centre and Gallery in Ramsgate.
Peter will be holding a book signing on Wednesday 22 April from 7.30pm at Walpole Bay Hotel, Fifth Avenue, Cliftonville.
Also find the first book on Amazon at: https://amzn.eu/d/05cG6Jak
Amazon KDP is the way to go (the world’s largest bookshop!). These are not my kinda thing, but I hope they sell well.
Have they got fly fishing by J.R Hartley ?
It is rather old