This is a page for my novels and short stories. This is the writing I’m currently shipping or that is available. Unfinished or unpublished works aren’t included.
As well as Nepo Baby, I’m currently in various stages of planning on two more novels and an anthology of short stories, Leak.
Shorts are written frequently. Some will end up on this page, others will be offered to magazines/competitions.
Nepo Baby – a 70,000 word literary novel exploring celebrity, trauma, true crime and masculinity.
My name is Michael Cornwall, and I’m a murderer…
Nepo Baby is a voice-driven literary novel about Mikey Cornwall, a reformed killer who plays police consultant by day and delivers PowerPoint presentations to crowds of grey-haired true crime obsessives by night. But when a girl is found dead in acting heartthrob Aaron Earl’s bedroom, Mikey is dragged into a case filled with celebrity rot, old money and dangerous nostalgia. And then there’s Harriot Jones – an older woman who seems to see Mikey for the man he wants to be. That’s much too good to be true.
Nepo Baby is a darkly satirical novel about trauma, masculinity and the thin line between redemption and performance, set in a world where murderers are celebrities and celebrities might be murderers.
I’m currently seeking representation for Nepo Baby. I hope it’ll be available to read in the near future.
Boudoir
I pictured myself a model. The ugly duckling, given two minutes of make-up and a black bra and turned into a swan.
Boudoir follows a woman who books herself a boudoir photoshoot after being called “sir” on the bus. The 1700-word story deals with themes of body image, privacy and confidence.
It’s the first complete story of what will make up a themed anthology, called Leak.
The Searcher
Peter Pellingsworth bought himself a cloud of multicolour balloons for his fiftieth birthday. He paid extra for the metallic red one, which he thought probably had the shine of a brand-new Ferrari.
The Searcher is the story of a man who vows never to be alone again after a disastrous fiftieth birthday. It’s a story of outdated masculinity, performance and the things we accept when there’s nothing else to lose.
Chosen
The Relax-a 1800 sends a teasy vibration along my spine to acknowledge I’m logged in. Then it sends a stabbing pain into my kidney because I’m four minutes late. Deserved. I get it. A tardy army is a dead army.
War is a video game, only the avatars are real people. Were real people. Chosen (2400 words) follows a ruthless near-future soldier who is accused of thinking the wrong thoughts. It deals with themes of masculinity, technology and privacy.
Me and Mam at the End of the World
The world was going to end. Just like that. It’d happen on a Thursday – the least important day of the week by far.
Me and Mam at the End of the World is about what happens when life ends and you’re left with only your mother for company. The 3,900 word story explores themes of family, technology and the space between those big moments in life.
Not the One
You can change a man, right? I know it’s happened. I’ve seen it on TV.
Not the One is about a terrible date. He’s talking endlessly about real ale, football and household appliances. Just when you think you’re over it, he reminds you why you’re there. But then something happens that changes everything.
Not the One is a 1780 word comic literary short about love, dating and difficult decisions. It’s what happens when the Rom Com goes wrong.
The Caretaker
Did he drag me, or was I led? His cold hand never left my shoulder, yet my feet were not forced.
When a man goes in search of a missing friend, he finds himself face-to-face with a grotesque figure known only as The Caretaker. What begins as a desperate investigation leads him to find something older, darker and far more terrifying. Trapped by an inescapable hunger and desperate to see summer return again, he must choose between freedom and sacrifice.
The Caretaker (2,350 words) is a slow-burn horror story dealing with themes of class, religion and the dangers of nostalgia.
Based loosely on an unreleased film by Moe Acharki, it leans into the the horror tradition of writers like Lovecraft.
One Step Ahead
You are desperate to be anywhere else, and so it’s left to me to drag this stupid conversation out. That’s what you do with old friends. It’s rude you’re not even trying.
One Step Ahead (665 words) is a standalone flash fiction piece about a strained encounter between two old friends. The story explores masculinity, those who peaked too soon, and the things left unsaid.
RE: Our Last Year
Dear valued employees,
What can I say? It’s been a stellar year, and I want to congratulate each and every one of you individually (via this email).
RE: Our Last Year is a satirical piece in the form of an email, sent by the head of a company that’s about to make some big changes.
It takes a look at work culture and late-stage capitalism by ramping up the “cost-cutting measures” and corporate double speak to 11. It’s familiar – a little too familiar.
This was published at Flash Fiction North in August 2025. It can be read here, either by searching my name or scrolling down to the correct date.
What We Want
We need to talk. No, you need to listen.
What We Want is the story of a mother and daughter, having a conversation about something that happened at school. On the surface she’s trying to be supportive, but she let’s her own shortcomings get in the way. It deals with themes of love, family and cycles of abuse. It is 690 words long.