Launch Date 2nd April 2025.
I’m so excited; in only 4 days’ time, my new baby will be delivered!
So proud!
The Front Step is an anthology like no other!
Step into a world where love and fear collide, where reality and fantasy blur, and where the unexpected lurks around every corner. This electrifying short story collection takes you on a journey through passion, mystery, and the strange beauty of the unknown. From aging rebels rediscovering life to spectral tattoos with a story to tell, from twisted justice to love that defies all odds—each tale crackles with intensity and imagination.
It’s divided into three unforgettable sections:
Tales from Home
Tales from Away
Tales from the Dark
Each one brimming with dark humour, uncomfortable suspense, and profound reflection, this anthology is your ticket to an unforgettable literary journey and adventure.
It’s just an intro – but here’s a wee taste to whet your appetite.
Tales from Home
Crazy Dave called Gazza a ‘fuck-knuckle.’
That’s the sort of thing he did; he was like that. He said Gazza deserved it. They fought after Gazza backed his trailer into Dave’s letterbox.
“Muppet!” he yelled. “What the hell are ya doin’, ya dick-head?”
Gazza wound down the window, stuck his head out, and yelled back, “…At least I’ve got a bloody trailer, ya halfwit!’
Then, as if to prove his point, he revved the engine, forgot it was still in reverse, and took out the neighbour’s fence.
Dave just stood there, arms crossed, shaking his head. He sucked in a few big ones.
“See?” he said to me later. “Absolute knuckle. Absolute fuck-knuckle.”
Tales from home are important because it’s in familiar mundane moments that the heart of Aotearoa beats the strongest. Like crispy batter on a piece of snapper, like tangy carrot cake icing, we proudly wear our culture in our smiles at the ‘servo’ in our waves at the dairy. In every banal moment of every dull day, there is an opportunity to defy expectation. Is that not what being a Kiwi is? We are reminded that our unique kiwi-ness lies not in distant horizons but in the stories etched into the letter boxes, the fences, the people, and the air we breathe closest to home.
Check out The Front Step, I dare you. Available from Tuesday at all good online book retailers. Nb: Also available in paperback.
Roly
Roly Andrews Storyteller 