It’s been a long time coming. I started writing The World is at War, Again more than ten years ago but now, having being picked up by Elsewhen Press, I am delighted to say it is available to buy as ebook today with the paperback to follow on June 7th. Here’s an extract from the book to give you a sneak peek of what to expect.
Marco Fandanelli, precariously balanced on an upturned tin bucket, wades through a mesh of cables, disentangling as much of the knotted wire as he can. It’s a final measure. A last resort, with little hope for success. The generator isn’t working. Already, he can imagine Maria’s reaction when she discovers they haven’t been able to sign off domestic duties and receive a mission update. It’s a reaction that makes him want to stay in the shed as long as possible.
He snaps green enamel headphones over his ears, flicks a switch with a fatalist’s optimism. Just as before. A warm buzz followed by a cackle of static before the defeat of silence; nothingness, deadness down the line. Marco concedes; that is most certainly that. The Great Regression strikes again.
When Read House placed Marco and Maria in their unsuspecting suburban dormer, their enviable slice of the Crescent, the garden shed, they were told, would act as a DCC – their Domestic Control Centre. A shipment of comms and gadgetry was sent over in bedding plants and bags of compost, two days after the move. Bygone transmitters, decommissioned polygraphs, faulty radiation detectors, a lexicon of defunct, hopelessly retrospective spy junk. The only valuable and working piece of equipment was the generator. Until this morning, it had been most reliable. They used it to communicate with Read House across a fixed wireless signal. This was how they received mission updates and confirmed completions. Maintaining domestic cover is all-important, operating out of a home Domestic Control Centre means fewer trips to Read House, less suspicion. But when they need it most, the generator has let them down.
Their last day in the Crescent and the DCC is non-operational. They are without an update, unable to sign off duties. It’s too late to do anything about it. It is time to go.
If you'd like to know more, you can read the blurb here.
Finally, to celebrate the release of the ebook, I'm going on a blog tour. Here is a list of who is taking part in the tour and where to find them. Many thanks to all, and especially to Mark for organising it.
Saturday 3rd April - Mark Iles
Sunday 4th April - The Scribe
Monday 5th April - Ira Nayman
Tuesday 6th April - Sarah Udoh-Grossfurthner
Wednesday 7th April - Craig Meighan and Margaret MacKay
Please follow day 2 of the blog tour at: www.markiles.co.uk
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