​Back in 2004, I started to try and write a novel. Over the next few years I lost count of the number of times I added, changed or deleted various bits of the story; and it wasn’t until 2014 that I gave myself suitable motivation by adding the book's completion to my challenges.
 
Six years on, we find ourselves in lockdown with plenty of time to make some positive changes, to plan for the future … and (for those with a similar disposition to me) to overthink. On the basis that several of my 2020 challenges to raise mental health awareness simply can’t happen given the current situation, I decided to add the following to the list: “To review, update and share my novel”.
 
The book was (and still is) entitled “The Beige Beetle” and essentially revolves around the relationship between two teenage university students; but importantly covers topics such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders … and “The Return of the Jedi”.
 
I hadn’t read the book since 2014, and was surprised just how much I had forgotten. For the record, some of the settings and events, as well as aspects of the personalities of the two main protagonists were based on real places, happenings and people … but the majority of the content was completely fabricated; and there’s no way I will ever separate or reveal the fact from the fiction.
 
I’m not for one moment saying the book is worth reading; but if you feel so inclined, please click on the cover… it’s completely free of charge. As you can guess by the length of time it took to finish, it was really difficult to put certain thoughts into words; but what I can say is that of all the things I’ve written over the years, this is the work of which I’m most proud.

PLEASE NOTE:
The book includes some bad language, some sexual references, and occasionally graphic details of the symptoms and effects of eating disorders and mental illness. The book also contains quite a lot of light-hearted sections, and happens to run to exactly 55555 words; but I just want any prospective reader to be aware in advance of the nature of some of the content.