Welcome to the Bradford Press Substack

Subscribe now

There comes a moment in every story when someone opens an old door.

Behind it might be a forgotten library.
A lighthouse keeper’s ledger.
A radar laboratory preparing for war.
A newspaper reporter chasing the truth.
Or perhaps a quiet inn overlooking a Minnesota lake where mysteries have a habit of finding the people least expecting them.

Today, I’d like to open one of those doors for you.

Welcome to the Bradford Press Substack.

If you’ve found your way here, chances are we’ve already met somewhere along the journey. Perhaps you’ve listened to an episode of Between the Pages. Maybe you’ve spent time in Tumblebrook with Amelia, Clara, and Lady Grey. Perhaps you’ve followed Charlie Brand across the Pacific in The Secret Eye, or stepped into the dangerous investigations of Max Larkin.

No matter where we met, I’m genuinely grateful you’re here.

Stories Don’t Begin With Chapter One

People often ask where my ideas come from.

The truth is, they rarely begin with a blank page.

Sometimes they begin with a forgotten newspaper clipping.

Sometimes with a photograph.

Sometimes with a question that refuses to leave me alone.

“What did this person feel?”

“What happened after history stopped paying attention?”

“What secret has been quietly waiting for someone to notice it?”

Those questions eventually become books.

But before they become books, they become notebooks filled with research, maps, timelines, deleted scenes, conversations with historians, sketches of fictional towns, and countless pages that will never appear in print.

That’s what this substack is for.

This Is Where the Stories Continue

Inside the Bradford Press substack, I’ll be sharing the parts of the creative journey that readers rarely get to see.

You’ll find things like:

• The real historical events behind my novels.

• Research photographs and documents that inspired scenes.

• Deleted chapters and alternate versions.

• Character backstories that never made it into the books.

• Maps, timelines, and world-building notes.

• Early cover concepts.

• Podcast companion material.

• Behind-the-scenes updates as new books take shape.

• Occasional live conversations where we can discuss books, history, publishing, and whatever fascinating rabbit trail we’ve wandered into that month.

This won’t simply be another social media page.

I hope it becomes a community of readers who enjoy discovering not only the finished stories—but how those stories came to life.

Why Bradford Press Exists

When I founded Bradford Press, it wasn’t because I wanted to publish books.

It was because I believe stories deserve to be experienced.

A great story doesn’t end when the last page is turned. It stays with us. It changes how we see people, history, and sometimes even ourselves.

That’s the kind of publishing company I’m trying to build.

Every book we release, every podcast episode we record, and every new series we begin is part of that larger mission.

By becoming a member of the Bradford Press Society, you’re helping make those stories possible.

Not simply by supporting a publisher—but by becoming part of the community that helps shape what comes next.

n 2020, my life changed in ways I never expected.

I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. What followed was a journey of treatments, uncertainty, hope, and ultimately a stem cell transplant. Today, I’m grateful to say my disease is in remission—what my doctors often describe as being in “hibernation.”

That experience changed far more than my health. It changed how I think about time, purpose, and the stories we leave behind.

It reinforced something I had always believed but perhaps never fully appreciated: stories matter because people matter. The books we read, the history we preserve, and the characters we come to love remind us that every life has value and every chapter matters.

During my treatment, I became an advocate for patients living with Multiple Myeloma. I was honored to share my journey through The Patient Story, to be interviewed by Cancer Today about a groundbreaking treatment, and to testify before an FDA advisory committee in support of the therapy that ultimately became part of my own treatment journey.

Those experiences reminded me that even in our most difficult chapters, our stories can become a source of hope for someone else.

That belief is at the heart of everything we do at Bradford Press.

Looking Ahead

We’re only getting started.

In the coming months we’ll continue exploring Tumblebrook, uncover more of Charlie Brand’s remarkable journey, follow Max Larkin into new investigations, and introduce entirely new stories still waiting to be written.

And you’ll be here from the very beginning.

Thank you for believing in independent storytelling.

Thank you for believing that books still matter.

Most of all, thank you for joining me on the journey.

Welcome to the Bradford Press Society.

I’m glad you’re here.