The day begins at 4.30am. An ungodly hour but my three-year-old is one of those needy types. He tells me about a nightmare he’s had which involves Death. I left a copy of The Book Thief lying around and he’s become obsessed with the cover.

I work from home and at 7am begin looking at the financial markets. Trading still pays the bills but I hope to one day be Patterson rich and dictate my books purely for pleasure.

At 9am I go to the gym I’ve recently joined. I walk around the gym floor nodding and sipping water, and wondering why no one else is wearing a headband.

When I get back I check my emails. My editor has sent me the new Tall Oaks cover to okay. The cover has been redesigned to coincide with the launch of my second book, All The Wicked Girls, and I think it looks brilliant. My agent also loves it, so my editor is happy.

I check Twitter and have some lovely messages from readers. I try not to spend too much time on social media (I still don’t have FB) but I love hearing from readers, bloggers and other authors too.

After lunch I write. I’m beginning to think about my next novel so spend a few hours doing some research. My wife recently checked my browsing history, so book 3 is going to have to be about Swedish lesbians or else I’m in real trouble.

At 5pm I head into London for the launch of Felicia Yap’s incredible debut, Yesterday. The party is in the roof garden of Headline Publishing’s offices and it’s seriously impressive. It makes me worry about booking my local Pizza Hut for my upcoming launch. I drink seven beers and then feel better.

At the launch I see some bloggers that really liked Tall Oaks. I tell them I love them then watch them exchange nervous looks. I realise I haven’t introduced myself.

I then run into Matt Blakstad. I tell him how much I enjoyed his novel, Lucky Ghost, and also that I love him. I make a mental note not to drink anymore.

After the launch I head over to a stag party in Shoreditch. My last train is at midnight and if I miss it a cab home is horribly expensive, so I try and take it easy. I drink my first ever Jägerbomb and the rest of the evening is a pleasant blur.

Much to my amazement I arrive at the station with ten minutes to spare, and settle into my seat with the kind of smugness I should realise comes before a fall.

I stretch and yawn as the day takes its toll, and as the train rumbles out of the station I decide to take a short nap.

When I open my eyes I realise I’ve missed my stop and ended up at the bloody airport again.

All the Wicked Girls pub. Zaffre. £7.99 + eBook

FuturBalla: Life Light Speed – Ester Coen Editor

Born in Turin in 1871 Giacomo Balla was in time to see Rome become the new capital of Italy. Turin up to then the political focal point of the Risorgimento, and capital, was impoverished. This persuaded his mother to move to Rome in 1895 to give her son greater opportunities.

It seems that the move to this burgeoning city, still raw in many ways but growing into itself, mirrored what was happening to Balla. New sights, sounds and energy fascinated him. He loved the countryside, abhorred the filthy streets and determined not to become used to them. He learned from the artistic work of others, and applied it to the foundations of the perceptions that he had absorbed in Turin, not Rome, from lithographer Cassina and the photographers of the Bertieri family. It was these early years that honed Balla’s love of detail, and unusual and personal angles, and Rome that appeared to give him the breadth to develop his style, and create subjects which ooze life, personality, and that indefinable ‘past’ which creates the present of a person.

All this I garnered from FuturBalla: Life Light Speed – Ester Coen Editor.

The illustrations of Balla’s work are breathtaking, the presentation simple and without adornment. The works featured are from public and private collections in both Italy and abroad and clearly  illustrate the path of his creativity. There are more than 200 of these illustrations, accompanied by essays from the editor and contributors. It is not just an homage to an artist but an examination of one who developed an original style. A style which progressed from rich glowing streaks, to molten contrasts of light and dark, always employing bold perspective. Ultimately,  and inevitably one feels, moving to futurism – what else.

The presentation of the monograph is as clear yet detailed as the artist himself. Bravo. Fascinating and enhancing.

FuturBalla:Life Light Speed – £32 Skira  ISBN 978-88-572-3386-4

This for me is the book of the decade.

Finding Gobi is hailed as a true story of a little dog and an incredible journey. Well, it is. But it’s so much more. In fact, for me it’s the book of the decade. Beautifully written, full of pace, tension and sensitivity,  it charts Dion Leonard’s journey from a single minded seasoned, and highly competitive, but solitary ultra-marathon runner, into an empathetic companionable rounded young man. A young man, moreover who becomes driven by far more than the need to win. He has to save Gobi, who has, in so many ways changed or even saved him.

This true story is about a man and a small stray dog, Gobi, adopts Leonard as the ultra-marathon runner participates in the gruelling 155 mile race across the Gobi Desert. Gobi extraordinarily keeps up with him, mile after mile, day after day,  in scorching heat until balked by a wide river..Dion  Leonard is a quarter of the way across the river when he realises that Gobi is not able to follow him into the fast flowing water. Does he drive on to keep up his time, or does he go back to help this little stray, who has chosen him? It’s not an easy decision but reluctantly Dion Leonard finds himself jeapardizing his chances of achieving a win. He turns around, collects Gobi and carries her across the torrent. And on they go, together. Soon the other runners are rooting for Gobi too, and many thousands on social media as well, not to mention the press.

By the end of the race Leonard knows he can’t leave Gobi here, to whatever fate might await her, He must bring her ‘home’ to Edinburgh.. His beloved wife supports him in this, as do those who have been following Gobi’s progress. Money is raised. But that’s not by any means the end, and it’s a spoiler to tell you more.

What I will tell you is that Dion Leonard had little interest beyond running, but not just running – winning. By the end running has been relegated into a part of his life and hope, resilience  and friendship have taken first place. All because of Gobi.

The book for me was unputdownable. It is a voyage of discovery, a coming to terms with his difficult past for Dion, a past that is seamlessly introduced and explored seamlessly throughout the book.

In Goby and Dion’s journey things go wrong, things go right, and the support of strangers is heart warming, not just for the reader, but for Leonard who at last begins to accept help and support, and to realise that others, apart from his wife, have his best interests at heart.

As I said, beautifully written and love triumphs but boy, does it have to be worked for.  I hadn’t realised that the Marathon des Sables and the Yukon were two of the hardest marathons as is mentioned in the book

My son did them.. One day Matt, an ordiinary  marathon runner, said, ‘Oh, forgot to tell you,  I’m off to run across a desert.’ He did, finished, and then a short time later he did the Yukon but came across another competitor in danger in the extreme cold and stayed overnight, to keep her stable, forfeiting his place. He returned the next year and finished. Therefore, yes I have an interest in  ultra-marathon running:  the concentration and training, but also the need to be aware and involved in the other competitors when need be. A bit like life really.

I also have dogs, but even if I hadn’t, this book would have hooked me. Two days straight reading, lump in throat, relief, lump in throat, relief…

This book should be required reading for schools, colleges and basically everyone. The message is:: keep going, keep hoping,  support others as well as yourself and accept support. Be aspirational but know how to be a open to others. Keep your moral compass, in other words.

Brilliant: in a world of derivative books, this is a diamond.

There is a child’s version too. This is your Christmas present list sorted for all ages.

 Finding Gobi by Dion Leonard Harper Nonfiction. 1st June 2017 hb £12.99

Finding Gobi. Young readers edition. pb  £5.98

Both available  in ebooks.