Manhattan (Manny) Jones was never an assistant at Black Books. He did, however, attend a theatre group with Dylan Moran's daughter. He's incapable of existing on Planet Earth for much longer than... ooh... fifteen minutes at a time – twenty at a stretch and then only in the direst of circumstances. With a spare moment and a fair breeze he'll be walking on Mars, visiting Africa or driving the California State Route 1.

‍

He's written since before either of his sisters can remember – a first novel at the age of 11, another at 12 where he took a long, self-absorbed leave to wonder “What's it all about, man?” This pondering continued until December 2013 when he took it upon himself to take a kids Fantasy novel from nothing to completion in just a touch over three weeks. It was a Christmas Kindle Bestseller. (Syntax errors and all!) Since then he's kept busy with 'An Ocean of Orange' – slated for release Summer 2015.

‍

When not writing you can find him being hopeless at reality, squinting through a viewfinder, cooking a full-fat snack, falling in love, breaking his glasses or inflating his ego by referring to himself in the third person. All to a sweet, sweet soundtrack ofExile on Main Street, Electric Ladyland and Loaded. *Notnecessarily at the same time.

‍

His first book is entitled Radishes Unplanted.

‍

Roger McKenzie dreams of radishes. Not every night, he's at great pains to make you aware. Not every night, but some nights. He wishes to remind you that they're bulbous and red and delicious in salad, so are all-in-all not too odd of a thing to dream about. When given due consideration, not an odd thing at all. All it takes is the tiniest of switches in perspective - like when you're at a museum and looking through a warped piece of glass. All you need do is edge one step to the left or right and everything becomes clear. Think of radish-dreaming from one point in space and it's an odd thing. That is to say, does not conform to the social norm. Move to a different point in the same space and the dreaming ceases to be radish-focussed. It's focussed on a bulbous, red object that's delicious in salad. And WOW! Just like that, the oddity's pervasiveness has ceased and we can all agree that recurring radish-dreams make a whole heap of sense. Right?

We will be bringing you more information about Manhattan and his upcoming novella. If you want to read more. Head over to his blog.

‍