Newsletter · October 2025
Mark J Carter — October Newsletter
Hi there,
I’m writing this feeling refreshed after my seaside writing (solo) retreat — and a healthy dose of optimism. The retreat’s been a chance to push my work in progress toward the finish line. It’s a comic thriller (with a dash of romance and danger) that follows a down-on-his-luck financial adviser into a world of missing gold, assassins, and ex-wives who definitely don’t forgive and forget.
Strangely, the quiet has been good for the book — I’ve untangled plot threads that had been bugging me for months, and it now feels (almost) ready.
Where I’m at now
- Wrapping up the last tweaks on the manuscript.
- Starting to query agents (wish me luck!).
Recommended Read — Chills & Thrills
Grab a curated bundle of thrillers here:
Where Do I Get My Inspiration?
People often ask where story ideas come from, and the truth is they can appear anywhere. I keep a notebook with me most of the time — not because I’m expecting lightning to strike, but because small, ordinary moments can turn strange when you look at them sideways.
Take my train to work. It’s late every single day — not by much, just three minutes. Always three. I keep wondering: if it’s always three minutes late, why not just change the timetable? Or is there a more mysterious reason? Someone, somewhere, pressing the same invisible button at the same time?
That’s usually how it starts — a tiny oddity that won’t leave me alone. A few scribbles later, it’s a scene. Give it long enough, and it becomes a story. All the answers, of course, will appear in the book… when it finally arrives.
Recommended Reads — Thrilling Giveaway
Another bundle to explore:
Author Giveaways
Here are a few thrillers that have been distracting me from my inbox this month:
Thanks for reading — and for sticking around while the next chapter takes shape.