I can guarantee you one thing when you read my free eBook The Titans – you’ll think something at the end. And there’s a strong likelihood that thoughts about how it’s written will surface. Although your review will be illuminating, criticism of the style or literary devices will come as no surprise. An international publisher asked me to make stylistic changes 22 years ago. Had I followed their advice, I might be enjoying the career I most desire – life as a professional writer.

But, if I’d followed their advice, I might not nearly be so proud of The Titans. Or any of my subsequent works.

I wrote The Titans when I was based in Northern Ireland with the British Army. I didn’t see Republican terrorist groups as my enemy. They were just people who’d like to kill me if they got the chance. My greatest enemy is the malevolent spectre that’s stalked me since my formative years: Stubbornness.

I didn’t want to sacrifice my work on the altar of financial success. And I’m not saying The Titans is a work of genius – or that a successful writing career was guaranteed. I just didn’t want to substantially change what I’d created to give it broader appeal. The whole point of writing The Titans was to create something that functioned in an edgy, original way. Take away that edge and creating it would have been meaningless.

So, The Titans is flawed. Like we all are. Like many original works are. Now it’s time to wait for reviews – and see if you, or anyone else out there, thinks I did the right thing with my writing.