Sunlight

Brevity at its best… Sunlight is a brief, informative, rather captivating, insightful, concise book. Angelwatch, Amazon

A well written story with vivid descriptions of a man on the run trying to survive his desert crossing. Mary James, Amazon

The genesis of Sunlight can be traced back to the late 1990s, when I was just out of university and trying to find my next steps in life.

I remember clearly the image, appearing fully formed in my mind, of a man hiding in a desert valley in the southern states of America, as the early morning sun turns to daylight, wondering what he is going to do next. Who is he, I asked myself. Why is he hiding in the desert? What is he running from?

I tried to picture myself in this situation as maybe being initially fascinated by the desert life in the scrub, before my curiosity gives way to fear, and the ever-present threat of death. Pushing the idea further, I quickly settled on him being an escapee from a plantation in the 19th century, chased by slave catchers, finding himself on the valley floor, a day or so ahead of his pursuers, trying to decide on what to do next.

In the intervening decades, I wrote and rewrote the story again and again, never quite happy with it, even though the overall structure and storyline remained unchanged. Eventually, when I started The Marching Band Emporium, and the challenge of creating something new every day, I put it to one side, assuming it would never see the light day.

Yet earlier this year, wondering whether there might be something I could publish while I work on my upcoming projects, I found it lurking on my computer. Looking at the story with fresh eyes, I saw that there was potential there, but also that it needed some work. However, it quickly pulled into shape, and I was, for the first time, pleased with the way the story unfolds.

I hope you enjoy it.