So, SEVEN DIALS, the first book in a series featuring the “Questors,” a global network of alternative-history sleuths, is published and starting to appear and be read! Thanks to Mihaela Motica for striking a pose!

Well the Quest has well and truly begun! I seemed right to launch the book in the place where it all began, so we gathered in the bookstore of Seven Dials Market, in Seven Dials, for a night of conversation, fun, food and puzzles. The venue was buzzing, the talk was probably overlong, but the reading was canned, and no one seemed to mind. Getting to this point has been my own personal quest in 2025. The number one question I got all evening was “when’s the next one”…I guess that means people liked the idea and are intrigued to here more. In the meantime, the story of the past, the present and the puzzle of Thomas Neale, is now out there in the world, and I can’t wait to hear what the guests and other readers’ reaction. Thank you to Mihaela Motica for the reel.

Seven Dials is officially published today. I am incredibly thrilled with the result, especially the stunning production design by Hannah Dakin and her team at Troubador. Thank you to everyone who helped me to get to this stage!

New book promotion on social media is a whole new world! We put together another version of the UNBOXING video, explicitly designed for an attention-scarce, super-fast swiping next-generation media.

The books just arrived from the publisher, which is great because we have the book launch in about 10 days (28 October) from now.

The Kindle and e-book versions of SEVEN DIALS are now available for pre-order on Apple Books, Amazon, and other platforms.

Last week, Seven Dials went to print, featuring spot UV on the front and back covers, as well as a beautiful inside cover with a colourful re-rendering of Edwards Pierce’s extraordinary design for the Sun Dial Pillar.

I always liked the way you could listen to the soundtrack of a movie before it was released, so here is the Soundtrack to Seven Dials. You might notice that much of Neale’s story is accompanied by Chelsea McGrath, a fantastic American musician whom I listened to on endless repeat while writing the book. The cello, arrangements, and vibe - notably ‘Narrow Time’ (which became a kind of theme for Neale)- seemed to work perfectly amidst the fires, candles, and dust motes of Neale’s worldYou can download the playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0uzRe8WmbCKH3tmnb983QR?si=2354a185fbda4865

So, SEVEN DIALS, The Past, The Present and The Puzzle of Thomas Neale is signed off, passed for press, and on its way to the printers.

In 1694, Thomas Neale established the first national lottery, called the Million Adventure Lottery. The case still exists but my request to see it was strangely refused.

An introduction to an extraordinary new novel Seven Dials by author John Dore. It was the weekend, I had not shaved or glammed up for the video. But you will sense my excitement from the off.

You won’t Thomas Neale on LinkedIn or featured in the pages of Forbes or The Financial Times, but his invention, productivity, and impact would make modern influencers shudder.

4 months to go! A new teaser video released today. Inspiration for the teaser came from an early reader: “It’s like Wolf Hall rewritten by Christopher Nolan, rich with historical detail, charged with mystery, and haunted by time itself.”

In the coming days and weeks, you will begin to see an online campaign featuring various media assets: posts, reels, videos, and more, to promote Seven Dials. You haven’t met Neale, Alison, or our full cast in person yet (though the book is published in October), but if you are at all intrigued, our media campaign over the coming months will hopefully whet your appetite further. But amongst an array of wonderful characters, who do you trust?

Those nice people at Troubador, the publisher for Seven Dials, have sent me the draft of the cover for Seven Dials.

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Elsewhere is a short story that explores grief, memory, and the elaborate stories we construct to cope with the world around us.