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book cover for Such an Odd Word to Use

Such an Odd Word to Use

Secrets don’t hide, they echo

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Pub Date Oct 09 2025 | Archive Date Mar 31 2026


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Description

After years on the move, Mark hopes for peace in a secluded Clerkenwell house once used as a music studio. Hidden behind Georgian terraces, it feels like the perfect retreat... until small disturbances begin to ripple beneath the surface. A glance held too long. A neighbour who knows too much. Watchers who linger.

A routine planning request triggers something deeper, that seems too coordinated to be pure chance. As unease grows, Mark begins to suspect the house holds more than memories. But in an age of constant surveillance, what separates paranoia from perception?

Such an Odd Word to Use is a quietly unsettling thriller novella (31.5k words) for the digital age, where even silence may be scripted.

After years on the move, Mark hopes for peace in a secluded Clerkenwell house once used as a music studio. Hidden behind Georgian terraces, it feels like the perfect retreat... until small...


A Note From the Publisher
File: EPUB (PDF available on request).
Reviews: Please post on NetGalley / StoryGraph / Goodreads; hold retailer reviews until 9 Oct.
Tone: quiet, slow-burn psychological suspense; literary tilt; novella length (31.5k words).
Content: no graphic violence; atmosphere over action.

File: EPUB (PDF available on request).
Reviews: Please post on NetGalley / StoryGraph / Goodreads; hold retailer reviews until 9 Oct.
Tone: quiet, slow-burn psychological suspense; literary tilt;...


Advance Praise

Selected for LoveReading’s “Indie Books We Love”.

“An atmospheric novella… creating an unsettled feeling that lingers after the final page.”

— LoveReading

Selected for BookLife's “Editor's Pick”.

“Smart slow burn of a London mystery, with lively puzzles and literary heft.”

— BookLife Reviews

Selected for LoveReading’s “Indie Books We Love”.

“An atmospheric novella… creating an unsettled feeling that lingers after the final page.”

— LoveReading

Selected for BookLife's “Editor's Pick”.

“Smart...


Marketing Plan

  • Launch: 9 Oct  (UK on-sale; other retailers follow standard propagation).
  • Reader discovery: StoryGraph giveaway (UK/IE, then WW from 19-Oct), NetGalley DRC (this listing), LibraryThing Early Reviewers (Oct batch UK/IE and Nov batch WW).
  • Retail pages: Author Central + Editorial Reviews.
  • Promotion: Amazon Ads + eBook platforms
  • Trade & local: proofs to 12 bookshops.
  • Email/web: carlgoodwin.com buy box; ConvertKit to collect subscribers.
  • Launch: 9 Oct  (UK on-sale; other retailers follow standard propagation).
  • Reader discovery: StoryGraph giveaway (UK/IE, then WW from 19-Oct), NetGalley DRC (this listing), LibraryThing Early Reviewers...

Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781917523639
PRICE £5.99 (GBP)
PAGES 162

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App (EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)

Average rating from 2 members