Part three of the Near Varna series is complete

Released: Autumn – 2025.

I am going to offer a limited-edition hardback copy to the first 100 pre orders only.

The hardback book will have this unique cover and font in spot UV which is a kind of a glossy highlight, sort of braille for the sighted. (The subsequent paperback will look more like my other book covers).

I will write a personal message inside and sign the book to you.

Also

Your name will be one of a 100 printed on the back page as a thanks for supporting the production of this book.

And

You will get a bookmark and sticker.

This 300+ page hardback limited edition will be heavy but the postage will still be free in the UK.

A true collectors piece. In fact I’ll probably only sell 99 as I want to keep one for myself.

The paperback, Kindle and Audio versions will all hopefully be available before the end of the year.

What’s it about?

Usual stuff, you know. Riding, travelling, drinking, observations, opinions, puns, fun and disasters. I could tell you more but don’t want to spoil it. Same diary format as the other eight books so pretty much what you would expect.

The Blurb (work in progress)

 Season three of early retirement in Bulgaria kicks off—because quitting real life once wasn’t enough.

You can move to a new country, buy more stuff, and even grow a beard of wisdom, but if your worldview doesn’t shift, you’re just a tourist with better insulation. If your mindset stays static, life won’t move forward—and the world will move on without you.

The morphine daze passed, perhaps the kidney stone did too. The Bulgarian winter began its slow surrender, snow melting into slush, whisky flowed freely, my powder got wet and audacious plans got muddier by the day. I rode my battle-worn Kawasaki KLR from the spotlight of the London Bike Show into a freezing trans-European fatal February finale.

Enter: the Balkan Spring. A spontaneous road trip to find a replacement bike and continue the overland journey to Iran and beyond. A biblical rainstorm triggered a landslide that did its best to bury the dream—along with the mother of all bike sheds, the flood swept away plans, priorities changed, resulting in a desperate detour just as the overland dream to Iran had revved back to life.

As the visiting village cat grew bigger so did my second world problems.

The paperback may look something like this… or maybe completely different.

What do ya mean you prefer this one?