🏞️ London Living

‼️ THE BIG 6-0 RECAP ‼️

I had an awesome birthday! Everything about it was fab, even the stuff that didn’t go as well.

Saturday 8th. Emma came to London, and we went to see The Hunger Games onstage. I’m a big fan of the books, as I love a dystopian book series (you might have noticed!). They built a theatre especially for this show at Canary Wharf, and it’s amazing. Sadly, the production was lost in it. The show was still in previews when we saw it, but they had a lot of work to do to make it take off by opening night. The actors struggled to create a sense of occasion in that huge auditorium – there weren’t enough of them, and not enough fabulous costumes, staging, and pyrotechnics to fill the space. It wasn’t bad or boring, just underwhelming. The applause at the end was polite rather than enthusiastic.

Sunday 9th – after only just recovering from the virus from hell, I was washed out, so we decided to have a down day. I took Emma on a drive around the area where I grew up (a suburb of London called Dulwich), which was a lovely trip down memory lane. I showed her the house where I was born and lived for the first 17 years of my life, as well as my old school.  It brought up lots of memories and felt like a real tribute to my mum who 60 years ago was busy birthing me!

Monday 10th – the Corinthia Day Spa on the Embankment. This turned out to be a real highlight of the birthday shenanigans. It was absolutely amazing – very relaxing and such a beautiful venue. We loved it!

Tuesday 11th – THE BIRTHDAY! It started with me opening my presents and cards, and then we hopped on a bus to Covent Garden to meet an old school friend for lunch at The Royal Opera House as she works there. I’d never been inside the Opera House before, and it’s stunning. Lunch was also delicious. After, we mooched around the shops and bought some perfume. A truly lovely day!

Now, it’s back to normal, which is probably a good thing as I’m exhausted!

Xanthe’s Birthday Rating – ALL THE STARS!!!! It was EPIC! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Piccies below!

🎧 New Gift! 🎧

One final episode of Rising Radio, courtesy of Emma. This is the News Spec episode featured in The Quarterlands, with Alan and Amanda at their most annoying, plus a few of the funky extras that you’ve come to know and love from these fantastic Dark Water tie-ins. Enjoy!

🎙️ Full episode | 🌊 Dark Water universe | 📻 Rising Radio 2096| ⚠️

📅 Events 📅

I’m attending some book signings and events in 2026. I hope to see some of you there!

• ShiMMer: June 27th, Birmingham (UK).
• Rainbow Readers Cruise: August 10-14th, Florida (USA).

🎁 Walter’s World Gifts!

📚 Exclusive Story Content

• Dark Water bonus novella Safe Harbour 

• FREE gay BDSM pirate novella A Willing Lad

• The Worlds of Xanthe Walter chapter sampler.

•  Birth Day – an MM Vampire short story.

🎵 Multimedia Extras

• Curated Spotify Playlists Ashton’s complete song from Ghost Eye

• Alex’s photo stash from The Lost Zone

• Two editions of News-Spec on Rising Radio, featuring Amanda and Alan at their most annoying. Plus ads and songs from 2095.

•  Frankie Lamb’s late-night show on Rising Radio.

🗺️ World-Building Deep Dives

• Flood map showing London’s lost zones

• The Daily Lowdown – a fully designed news site with headlines from Elliot Dacre’s murder

🧑🏻‍🤝‍🧑🏻 Featured Author

I feature another MM author’s work in each newsletter to share the MM love. In this newsletter, it’s JS Harker, with Wrong Hunt. 

After years on the sidelines, Zack Wright is ready to prove he’s worthy of his family’s monster hunting legacy. He’s even got the details to the perfect first hunt. All he has to do is delete an email, kill a vampire, and join his family on the road.

Roger has survived his sire’s cruelty for three hundred years. He conspires with his closest allies to put an end to their torment. But one night in 1989, he falls into a magical coma. He wakes over thirty years later—with a hunter attempting to drive a stake into his heart.

Confused and weakened, Roger needs every advantage he can grasp. He offers Zack the opportunity to hunt his infamous sire. Taking down a legendary vampire would catapult Zack’s reputation and cement his place in the family legacy. However, to get close to their prey, Zack must learn how to be Roger’s pet. It’s supposed to be an act, but Roger is gorgeous, seductive, and genuinely caring.

Catching feelings wasn’t part of the plan. And despite the idyllic small town, someone is hunting the hunter. Can Zack learn to trust what should be his immortal enemy? Or will someone remove Roger’s new ally before they have a chance to bond?

Wrong Hunt is the first novel of a series featuring the same lead characters. Strap in for a slow burn enemies-to-lovers, a trauma-repressed vampire, a hunter who has his world turned upside down and shaken, and a supernatural LGBT+ utopia that’s unfortunately only on paper.