Melvin Burgess

I’m the writer of books like Junk - Smack in the USA; Doing It, which was made into a a US TV show called life as we know it. Also Bloodtide, Bloodsong, Cry of the Wolf and many others. My last published book was Loki - my version of everyone’s favourite norse god.

At the moment I’m publishing weekly in three areas. Sikes is a novel, which is serialised here on Subsack. It’s an invesigation into the real life of the notorious Victorian murderer, Bill Sikes, famously fictionalised by Charles Dickens in his book Oliver Twist.

Tales of the Unexpected are odd little stories, often spooky, sometimes pointed; sometimes flashes, sometimes short stories. Some of them are unexpected because I started writing them without know what was going to happen; sometimes I did and I’m hoping to surprise you. They’re fun to write, and people (some people anyway) tell me they’re fun to read as well.

The Market Diaries is an entirely different thing. My wife Anita and I have recently bought a stall in the local Market Hall, selling Mediterranean treats. Alexander, the old owner, managed to pull goodies from all over the region into his small place in Tod, and we’re happy to take it over. I’m writing a diary about it. It’s a bit like going back to the land used to be …. giving it all up and going back to basics. We’re certainly not giving its all up - I’ve made my pot, and my wife, who’s little younger than me, is still working, although she hopes to do the market full time sooner or later. Or maybe it’s interesting because … well, it’s a part of life. Tod market is a little like a library; all of life passes through it, at some time or another. Homeless people come to keep warm and have a bit of chat (better than a library like that!) and perhaps bite to eat. Rich people come from treats … it’s a social life as well as shopping. Something is always going on, and someone interesting is always doing it.

On Writing is occasional pieces on .. well, I guess that’s self explanatory.

I hope you enjoy all of it, or at least some of it.

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Subscribing is free for most of this except for Sikes, a full length novel. Tales of the Unexpected go into the archive after a few months, and On Writing is also for paid subscribers only - except for the first one, and maybe other odd pieces from time to time. Please do consider subscribing. Being read is the life blood of writing. If you do, you never need miss a new piece of work—every new post is sent directly to your email inbox. (although you can subscribe and opt out of that, I’m, told.) For a spam-free, ad-free reading experience, plus audio and community features, get the Substack app.

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Tales of the Unexpected are short, odd stories. The Market Diaries are about running a stall in the local Market Hall. Sikes is a serialised novel for paid subscribers about the notorious Victorian murderer. On Writing - explains itself!

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Free; Tales of the Unexpected; also my diary on running a stall in the Todmorden Market Hall. For paid subscribers, a serialised full-length novel - Sikes; the life and times of BIll Sikes, the notorious Victorian murderer.