Mandate: THIRTEEN

A taut and gritty dystopian thriller.

Think Children of Men, A Handmaid’s Tale and The Running Man, set in a hauntingly plausible future Britain.

Mandate: THIRTEEN was released on Jan 10th 2023 via Manta Press.

In a world with dwindling birth-rates, all young women must submit to compulsory fertility checks at thirteen. For those able to conceive, a docile existence inside the Birthing Schools beckons—or far worse if they fall into the wrong hands. 

When the clandestine Baby Farmers, and their brutal leader Miko, arrive to snatch his daughter, Michael must make a split-second choice: risk his own freedom to protect hers… or lose her forever.

About JOSEPH

Joseph always knew he would write seriously one day. That moment arrived in 2020, when his thriving hospitality business was temporarily shuttered. With time on his hands, he quickly fell into an obsession and became a keen student of the craft.

Since finding the passion, Joseph can't imagine life without stories rattling around his head. Eager to make up for lost time, he's been fairly prolific, and his short stories have appeared in several anthologies and literary magazines.

He has published one novel, the dystopian thriller, Mandate: THIRTEEN, which was released on Jan 10th 2023 via Manta Press. Even better, his rejections are getting nicer by the week!

Joseph lives in London with his wife and their Scotty dog.

other works

“The Glass Cage” appears in “Summer Bludgeon” - an anthology of Summer horror stories by Unsettling Reads.

Set in the summer of 1986, about a world famous singer who longs to escape the clutches of her controlling father.

Sonya Celeste's minder executes a plan to sacrifice Sonya's body double and lead the pair into anonymity. With the LAPD slowly unravelling their deception, the unstable and menacing John Celeste is soon on their trail, across the border into Mexico.

With Sonya haunted by terrifying visions of her dead lookalike, and her father keen to ensure she is never found and claim a vast insurance payout, how far south will the pair need to run in order to escape?

“My Father’s House” appears in “I Cast You Out” - an anthology of possession stories by CultureCult.

With his father, and creator of an iconic 80's computer game, dying in hospital, a man returns to his childhood home. Repressed memories can manifest in strange and terrifying ways

“The Last Arcade in San Jose” appears in “Worlds Collide” - a mash-up anthology by Nordic Press.

Set in an alternative post-nuclear 1987, it follows Ellie and her arcade obsessed gang as they navigate the violent wastelands of San Jose and attempt the ultimate heist. Their target: Atari Inc headquarters, Sunnydale.