Authors write for many reasons. Some write for glory, some write for money, some write because they feel it’s the only thing they can do and some write because they feel they have to. While there are as many reasons why authors write as there are probably authors it is true to say that they all share one thing: they want to be read.

They want their writing to be seen, talked about, shared and discussed. They want to feel that what they have created which reflects, however unconsciously, a small part of themselves, now has a life of its own. Beyond their own ability to direct and has become part of something greater which belongs to the life of others.

Within this framework of writing, wanting to be read and looking to find an audience authors come into contact with many of their fans. Over the past twelve months, this author, has been no exception. The pressure of emails coming in was instrumental in my coming out of my self-imposed recluse, having the site re-designed, killing the forum which was taking up so much of my time and making my novel available, electronically, free.

That’s right. I decided, after quite some deliberation and not a little soul-searching, to make The Shade , available as a totally free digital download. You can just click here and read the entire novel. Now, I know you’re going to ask why? Well, why not? I thought about it carefully. As an author I love books. I love the way they feel. I love buying them and I love reading them and I love taking them with me and I have over 4,000 in my own bookcases and in all this, digital, should feature highly for convenience (and it does) but not for recreating the experience.

Whether it’s the fact that I have to squint when in bright lights, or worry when the battery is going to run out or check to see no sand, or oil or water comes near my PDA it spoils the experience for me a little. So for the time being, at least, digital is there for expediency. Paper for that familiar feel bibliophiles know and love.

It is because of all this that I decided that digital, read for convenience, should really be free. Quite a few of you, my readers, have taken the trouble to write in and say how much you enjoyed the paper edition and is there a way to get the digital one to carry with you without having to pay so much for it?

I thought about having a point system or some sort of voucher which would give you a substantial discount but the microeconomics of managing this profitably in terms of time and effort made little sense so, voila! Here we are . Enjoy it and drop me a line and tell me what you think, I love hearing from you.