And not Alexander M Boast
Names are important.
The names we use to write with equally so; just ask JK Row – I mean Robert Galbraith.
It took me a long time to decide whether to shorten my name or not: Amazon wouldn’t let me write as The Ghost Story Writer, unsurprisingly.
As you probably know by now, this website is maintained by me – Alexander Michael Boast – but I write and refer to myself as simply Alex.
Why didn’t I create AlexBoastWriter.com or AlexBoastAuthor.co.uk then?
Simple, I’m not a real writer just yet. I’m not serious, established, respected or well-known. I’m just a kid with a laptop and some big ideas.
Until there’s a full length novel, you can call me Alex. I think the first novel (which is hinted at in some of the posts on this site and in my second ebook) will be written by Alexander M Boast, but until then, I’ll be writing and publishing as Alex Boast.
There’s a little more to it than that, too.
There’s a theory that a long, slightly baroque and English-sounding name might help sell ghost stories online. Look at everyone from Algernon Blackwood, Charles Dickens, M R James to Benedict Ashforth. That was a bandwagon I didn’t want to ride.
Writing using my shorter name is a reflection of the immaturity and modernity of my current output. These stories are short and up to date, for the most part. They lambast smartphones and lampoon social media. They scare me – and hopefully the readers – by looking to the future instead of looking back.
That’s why they’re written as Alex Boast. Hopefully, what we’ll see over time is an evolution towards Alexander.
My plans are changing the more I write, and as I gather feedback on the two ebooks I’ve decided to make some changes to my publishing calendar for this year and the first half of next, which is something I’d like to talk about here.
I wanted to release four collections of short stories for the Kindle format before starting work in earnest on my novel again, around the time of my birthday in June next year.
However, now I think my third offering will be a much longer, self-contained story based on some of the feedback I’ve received on my writing so far.
The title of this longer story – I’m thinking between 5 and 10 thousand words – will be ‘The Dark Arm’ and I’m incredibly excited to say my usual illustrator Hannah Lewis will be working on an image for it.
This story will be unique and different to everything on offer so far. It is incredibly dark and evil with some religious overtones, and its content sees me lose sleep at night whilst I write it.
I’m happy to reveal a few details about it here, which I’ll update over time:
- It will be set in London at locations including a Butcher’s and a church
- It tells the tale of a 16 year old, male Butcher’s apprentice
- It features a real, tangible villain
- The ending will be bittersweet
- My proof-readers are excited about what they’ve seen and heard so far!
I hope to have it ready and available for reading by Christmas.
After that there’ll be a fourth and final ebook, for which I’ve already finished the conclusion. Working titles include ‘The Ice Cage’, ‘The House in the Shadow of the Sun’ and ‘The Suicide Note You Wrote’. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section or on Twitter.
Speaking of, follow me @Ghoststorywritr and to learn more about who Alex Boast is, you can find my Linkedin profile, here, and Amazon author profile here.
I’m not very active on Twitter at the moment but am hoping to rectify this soon.
Also, I sometimes post answers to questions related to ghost stories, copywriting, and related topics on Quora.
