Okay, so my free reading challenge is nearing its end. You would think the finish line being in sight would make me better able to stick to only reading free books.

And I could stick to my rules if I wanted to. But this week I’ve bought a book that fits into none of my exclusion criteria for a very good reason.

Being a writer, I know a lot of other writers. I’d never heard of a writer named Brandon Barr, until writer friend JA Andrews mentioned him.

Brandon writes fantasy, and it’s the first of his Song of the Worlds series I’ve just bought, Her Dangerous Visions. The book sounds good (and I dare you to read the preview without increasing your heartrate!), but that’s not a good enough reason to buy a book during my free reading purdah. Brandon’s personal story is.

2016 has a reputation for being a pretty sh*t year for many reasons, but on a personal level, I reckon Brandon wins the prize. After treatment for leukemia including a bone marrow transplant he got the news that his cancer has returned. He’s facing Christmas in hospital being blitzed with everything medical science has available, which is not the holiday he’d envisioned spending with his wife and their three young children.

Buying one of his books was a small way for me to show solidarity with a fellow writer and a fellow parent and I’ll be thinking of Brandon and hoping his treatment is going even better than it’s rational to expect while I read Her Dangerous Visions over the festive season.

Want to support Brandon? Check out his books and buy whatever takes your fancy – if you’re not into fantasy novels yourself remember, books make great Christmas gifts!