novels by Mike Skidmore
Although producing artwork is the main focus of my work, I also write. The two activities are complimentary because they both tell stories and create visual images. In fact, as I engage with either discipline, ideas move back and forth and switching attention revitalises my imagination.
Writing a novel usually takes six months from start to publishing with many changes along the way as the story evolves.
THE GREY LOOP
Available on Amazon
Grey is trapped in an existence he can’t control and wants an end to it. Forced to take treacherous journeys between the same arrival and departure points to find his elusive father has worn him down.
Society is riven by conflict everywhere he visits, and those responsible need him out of the way. The monstrous Tzar is no different. He wants the man who threatens his plans dead and will stop at nothing to see it through.
To compound matters, Grey is being followed by a belligerent girl, desperate for his help to escape the men hunting her. But taking responsibility for anyone but himself is unthinkable—and dangerous.
To survive, they must navigate a country torn apart by a cataclysmic event, all to find answers neither may be ready for.
The Kern Deception
Available on Amazon
Sean Kelsey had dreamed of being an astronaut from childhood. Not like this, though. Orbiting Mars in a transparent globe only four yards in diameter wasn’t his idea of a spaceship.
At first, it had felt surreal, but that was under sedation. Now that a semblance of clarity had returned, it was terrifying—white-knuckled, body-shaking and crap-yourself type of terrifying.
He sucked in deep gulps of air, gripped the armrests, and pushed with his feet as if trying to hit the brakes on a vehicle heading for a crash. But it only underlined the indisputable fact that there was no way to prevent whatever came next. Which would be really bad news, given what had happened in the last twenty-four hours.
One thing was for sure—the man responsible would pay when he got back to Earth… If he ever got back.
THE BOY, THE DOG AND THE LIGHTHOUSE
Available on Amazon in May 2024
A story of friendship and survival against the elements
Against his will, Matty and his dog, Patch, are left alone on an island. Why they were brought there in the first place is a mystery. The only way to find out is to search for clues in an old lighthouse.