October 7th was launch day — the moment Deep House finally stepped out into the world. I won’t pretend it wasn’t nerve-wracking. After twelve years of sitting quietly as printed pages in a file (that’s how behind the times I was!), the story was suddenly out there. No take-backs. No hiding. Just walking on its own two haunted feet.

For a long time, I couldn’t publish — some reasons were personal, others purely about confidence. But the world, and technology, have changed so much since then. Somehow, so have I.

What it isn’t is rock and roll. Mostly, I’ve been filling my days like any new author probably does — refreshing Amazon and Goodreads far too often, reading every review with equal parts joy and disbelief, and reminding myself that once a story leaves your hands, it belongs to readers now.

Letting go has been strange but freeing. After all, a story isn’t really alive until someone else starts to imagine it.

I’m genuinely touched by the response so far — fifteen five-star reviews on Amazon already. That’s far more than I ever expected, and each one feels like a quiet, generous gift. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, or share your thoughts.

When they say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, they’re wrong. These days, I’m navigating Amazon KDP, IngramSpark, and Canva like someone who mostly knows what they’re doing (on good days, anyway). I never imagined I’d enjoy creating videos for TikTok or Instagram, but here we are — and I’m loving it.

Another surprise has been how much I enjoy living behind a pseudonym. Pip Harrison gives me a sense of freedom — space to create, to explore, to be a little braver. And yes, the name really did come from that old joke about your “stage name”: first pet + mother’s maiden name. It could have been worse… my partner’s would have been Sparky Kay!

“A hauntingly, beautifully written story that lingers long after the last page.” 
“Terrifying, compelling, and deeply human.” 
“I couldn’t put it down.” 
★★★★★ — Amazon readers