Novels

I have two completed novels ready for publication. I have been working on both of these novels over the past few years. I have had the kind help of many excellent people, including my scriptwriting agent, tutors on the MA in Creative Writing course at Goldsmith College, and colleagues who have read and edited the manuscripts.

The Last Bard

The Last Bard is the first in a series of historical fiction novels featuring the hero Sharamor, a warrior-bard. The stories are all set in the mystical, brutal Celtic world of 5th Century Britain, a generation before the time of King Arthur. The book is 386 pages long.

This is the Dark Age. The Roman army has abandoned Britain to defend Rome, leaving the country to be ravaged by barbarians and petty tyrants. The British people need a hero to lift them from the darkness.

In the kingdoms of Dumnonia (modern Cornwall, Devon and Somerset) the outlawed bardic training has been secretly preserved and a bard, the Last Bard, lives on. He is a Cornish prince called Sharamor and is it believed that he carries in his soul the powers of an ancient hero. Sharamor's soul mate is Carra, the Dumnonian princess.

Together they embark on an epic struggle to save Britain from corrupt bishops, tyrannical High Kings, the invading Saxon hordes and the vengeful Celtic gods.

»» Download the full synopsis of the novel

»» Download an extract of the novel

Anna Falling

Anna Falling is a dark love story set in modern day Berlin. The book is 300 pages long.

This is the story of James Bailess, a young, vulnerable writer who moves to Berlin to be a part of the flowering literary culture. He has a burning, almost manic obsession: to find a German woman he met when he was a geeky impressionable teenager on a G.C.S.E history trip to Berlin. This young woman is Anna, a photography student with a dark past.

The first half of the book describes James' first meeting with Anna when he was fifteen, his failed suicide attempt, his moving to Berlin and then his search for Anna. This search is like a mythical quest and there are diversions and distractions along the way, many provided by his quirky group of Ex-Pat friends, all of them as flawed and passionate as James. The second half of the book is about James' turbulent relationship with Anna. His fantasy does come true: he finds Anna and they fall in love. But the reality is more complex and difficult than this. Anna is like the photographs she takes: moody, emotional and bleak; she is like Berlin. And James has his own insecurities and emotional instability, both of which grow when faced with Anna's self-destructive personality. Anna is not able to escape the darkness that has cloaked her since her childhood. James' struggle ends up being one about escape and survival.  Right up until the very last second, he is willing to loose his life to save Anna's.

»» Download the full synopsis of the novel

»» Download an extract of the novel

I am currently seeking publishers for these novels. For more information please email me at: matthew@matthewfriday.com

Not Quite What I Was Planning

I have had a mini-memoir published in the forthcoming title from Harper Collins.