Cliftop Publishing

We are pleased to announce the official publication date of the near-future eco-thriller 'Flood Waters Down' by Sleaford-based journalist Clive A Simpson on 9 April 2026. Pre-orders now being taken at your local bookshop.

Always read the small print.

In the March issue of “Odyssey,” we continue with our reflections on the future role that robots and AI may play in human society and in space exploration. How long will it be before the voice of HAL 9000 can be heard asking the astronauts of the future to check a faulty AE35 unit? #Odyssey

Good to see debut author @simpsonclive.bsky.social out and about today to kick off his promotion campaign ahead of the forthcoming publication of #FloodWatersDown on 9 April.

#Booksky #bookshops #climatefiction #flooding #thefens

Ah, the author marketing starts! 😁

Lovely to meet with Kayleigh today at The Travelling Bookshop on Sleaford Market and hand over an advance review copy of my forthcoming novel #FloodWatersDown.

Advance review copies now available to interested media - DM me for details.

#Booksky #ClimateFiction #ScienceFiction #BookSky

Flood Waters Down: climate collapse and a world drowning not just in water, but in its own arrogance, greed, and by the uncaring AI built to save it. Keep your head above water if you can — the future is here!

Out 9th April by @simpsonclive.bsky.social

#FloodWatersDown @cliftop.bsky.social

When the Water Wins Topical comment and travel writing

We're on the countdown to the publication 9 April of the new eco-thriller #FloodWatersDown by @simpsonclive.bsky.social

To whet your appetite, here's a preview piece, tying in neatly with the recent floods across the UK.

#flooding #climate #Booksky #author

simcomm.blogspot.com/2026/02/when...

It's great to see a new Book Club starting this month in the cafe at my local pub The Brass Windmill in Helpringham. A good read, coffee, food and great company - what more could you want.
#Booksky #Bookclub #Writer #Lincolnshire

Why is the UK so rainy this year and how is the climate crisis making matters worse? It has rained in parts of the country every day of the year so far and downpours are expected to continue this week

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

What will happen when the real floods come?

My new near-future eco-thriller is published 9 April.

#FloodWatersDown
#Booksky #climatechange

Feeling unprepared for the AI boom? You’re not alone As businesses race to adopt AI, you might worry that the experience and expertise you’ve built up has become a lot less valuable. But you still have more control over your future than you think.

We’re seeing more AI-related products and advancements in a single day than we saw in a single year a decade ago.
The experience and expertise you’ve built up may now be obsolete or a lot less valuable than it once was.

#TheSentientOnes #AI #Booksky #bookshops

theconversation.com/feeling-unpr...

Number of people living in extreme heat to double by 2050 if 2C rise occurs, study finds Scientists expect 41% of the projected global population to face the extremes, with ‘no part of the world’ immune

No region will escape the impact. The tropics and southern hemisphere will be worst affected by rising heat, but northern countries will find it difficult to adapt. Their buildings designed to deal with a cooler climate.

#TheSentientOnes #climatechange

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Effects of climate change Climate change is already having visible effects on the world. The Earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. These changes can increase the risk of heatwaves, floods...

The Earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. These changes can increase the risk of heatwaves, floods, droughts, and fires.

#TheSentientOnes #climatechange @cliftop.bsky.social #FloodWatersDown

weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-chan...

The feature 'Drowning in Denial' - looking at climate change driven flood damage in council areas led by Reform UK - is also excellent and timely. It dovetails nicely with my upcoming novel #FloodWatersDown about survival, resistance and moral reckoning in a world undone by climate collapse.

Countdown underway to publication this Spring of my new #cli-fi novel! Available for pre-order soon. Please follow me for further release info as it happens. #Booksky

Cover design is important for books and magazines.

Human activity helped make 2025 third-hottest year on record, experts say Data leads scientists to declare 2015 Paris agreement to keep global heating below 1.5C ‘dead in the water’

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT EARLIER

Cover reveal is always a big day for an author

The title, I hope, is self-explanatory

Out May 21st. Pre-order now

@harpernorth.bsky.social @harpercollins.bsky.social
@chrisgpackham.bsky.social @matthewtodd.bsky.social
@zackpolanski.bsky.social

Nice cover and compelling title 😁

Red and amber weather warnings in UK as Storm Goretti evolves into ‘weather bomb’ Up to 30cm of snow expected in Wales and Midlands with winds of up to 100mph across exposed hills and coastal areas

A “weather bomb”.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

If you’re in the vicinity of #Lincoln and like crime fiction then don't miss this upcoming Author Event.

It's promoted by indie bookshop Lindum Books (top of Steep Hill) & features talented crime writers Lynne McEwan & Caroline Mitchell.

@lynnemcewanwriter.bsky.social
@carolinemitchell.bsky.social

Ecological myopia: the blind spot holding back climate action Seeing more clearly is the first step toward wiser action.

In many people’s conversations, record heat or flooding are still described as odd weather rather than recognised as signs of a shifting climate that affects food prices and public health.

#TheSentientOnes #climatechange

theconversation.com/ecological-m...

Northamptonshire Net Zero: a no go under Reform Despite concerning climate change evidence in Northamptonshire, the county’s Reform-led councils have abandoned all previous Net Zero plans

Despite concerning climate change evidence in Northamptonshire, the county’s Reform-led councils have abandoned all previous Net Zero plans | Cliff Mitchell
@cliffmitchell.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk

The Sentient Ones is a bold and chillingly topical work of speculative fiction.

Cliftop supported the author and publisher (Chronos) with editing, cover design, typesetting and launch PR.

As a publisher, we’re increasingly drawn to novels that treat climate change not as spectacle, but as lived context.

Stories where flooding, weather and environmental pressure quietly shape decisions, relationships and futures - often before characters fully understand what’s happening to them.

The cover of upcoming novel Flood Waters Down showing an eerie flood-ridden landscape. Media review copies available soon - contact us at www.cliftop.co.uk

Haunting, prophetic and fiercely human.

A powerful exploration of survival, resistance and moral reckoning in a world undone by climate collapse.

And threatened by the very intelligence it created to save itself.

Publishing APRIL 2026.

#FloodWatersDown #BookSky

New Year's Day sunset over the rooftops in a small Lincolnshire hamlet. A chilly night in store.

Haunting cover of newly published paperback 'The Sentient Ones', a thought-provoking thriller of AI rule in the near future. How would humanity react if the super intelligence that saved it became its oppressor? Now available via bookshops and online. See also my launch review piece "The machines that loved us to death" - https://simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-machines-that-loved-us-to-death.html

Challenging discussions on #BBC #Radio4 #Today around the future of AI from guest editor @mustafasuleymanai.bsky.social - ties in beautifully with @authorbnugent.bsky.social newly released novel #TheSentientOnes about the rise of sentient #AI. Definitely a book to watch for 2026! #BookSky