After a very long dry spell, I finally have a new novel almost ready to release. It’s called The Naked Girl I Met In The Woods and is about an advertising executive, named Phillip, who is out walking his dog, Samuel, when he encounters a young woman, Alison, sitting naked in a clearing with a sketchbook across her knees.

This proves to be the first of many encounters, with Alison in many various states of undress, and although Phillip always wants to spend more time with Alison, it’s the effect on his marriage that is more surprising as he pushes his wife Kathy to increasingly daring heights.

Here’s how it starts anyway:

Samuel always found somewhere new in the forest. No matter how many times I’d walked these paths, or how sure I was that I’d seen every single clearing or lakes or pond to be found, there was always a new sight to be discovered. He might not have the strength of the legendary Samuel, since my Samuel was quite a small dog, but Samuel the Spaniel had a very good nose, and on long Sunday afternoon walkies he would take me roaming far and wide.

Today, however, Samuel led me to something very special indeed. And if I’d seen her earlier, or if I hadn’t been with Samuel, I probably would have turned around and pretended I hadn’t. But Samuel was already making friends, nuzzling her as she looked around anxiously, a sketchpad on her knees, a collection of pencils beside her, green wellington boots on her feet and not a stitch of clothing. She obviously hadn’t brought much with her either as just a green army surplus jacket separated her buttocks from the rough bark of a fallen tree.

As she saw me she put one arm across her breasts, a pencil still between her fingers, and stroked Samuel’s head with her free hand. Her knees were pressed together and the sketchpad across her lap offered at least a modicum of modesty.

“Sorry,” I called over, pretending not to be fazed by her nakedness, “He really likes making new friends.”

“Me too,” she said, smiling at the eager Spaniel, “But I have to admit I thought I was far enough from the path not to meet anyone else right now.”

She looked suddenly sheepish, the ridiculousness of a forty-something man stumbling across a pretty twenty-something naked girl in the middle of the woods starting to get the better of both of us. I tried not to stare, but she was so pretty, and so vulnerable, and as she smiled and her blue eyes shone it was as if a ray of light had found its way through the canopy to light her and only her. Or only her and Samuel, perhaps.

It’ll be out in a week or so’s time on Amazon Kindle, along with the rest of my books here.