I’ll be at Leigh Library’s Book Fest 2026 event on Thursday 11th June 2026, 6:30PM-8:30PM. I will be promoting and selling the following books at this event:
You can book your place to attend on eventbright here. I hope to see you there.
Blog soon,
Antony
Your time is precious. If you’re going to buy a book, as a reader you want to know how long it is going to take you to read it, the Read Time if you will.
There are also other Book Stats that you might be interested to know before buying a book. So here are Book Stats for all of my published books:
| Year of Publish: | 2026 |
| Page Count: | 167 |
| Word Count: | 36,742 |
| Read Time: | 5.5-7.5 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | All editions are full-colour. |
| Year of Publish: | 2025 |
| Page Count: | 122 |
| Word Count: | 25,262 |
| Read Time: | 4-5 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | Rebrand of My Royal Navy Friend book. |
| Year of Publish: | 2025 |
| Page Count: | 175 |
| Word Count: | 41,720 |
| Read Time: | 5.5-7.5 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | 2nd book in the Z-VIRUS Series |
| Year of Publish: | 2024 |
| Page Count: | 115 |
| Word Count: | 26,102 |
| Read Time: | 3-4 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | 1st book in the Z-VIRUS series |
| Year of Publish: | 2024 |
| Page Count: | 171 |
| Word Count: | 39,782 |
| Read Time: | 5-6 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | Illustrated and has an index |
| Year of Publish: | 2024 |
| Page Count: | 122 |
| Word Count: | 25,262 |
| Read Time: | 4-5 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | Was later rebranded as Funny Emails To My Friend. Also available as an audiobook. |
| Year of Publish: | 2023 |
| Page Count: | 142 |
| Word Count: | 14,118 |
| Read Time: | Around 2 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | This is workbook with containing a number of pages with activities or questions to complete. Completion of the workbook may take up to 3 months. |
| Year of Publish: | 2021 |
| Page Count: | 192 |
| Word Count: | 25,192 |
| Read Time: | 3-4 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | Co-Authored with Luna Hare Includes an Index |
| Year of Publish: | 2019 |
| Page Count: | 226 |
| Word Count: | 34,861 |
| Read Time: | 4.5-5.5 Hours |
| Languages: | English |
| Formats: | Hardback, Paperback & Kindle eBook |
| Other Information: | Contains personal experiences of mental illness. |
Write soon,
Antony
In the USA, Medtronic recently released a press release about their new insulin pump called the MiniMed Flex.
I currently use Medtronic’s MiniMed 780G insulin pump, which has been nothing short of transformational, reducing my HbA1c from 99 to 52.
You can learn more about my experiences using this pump on these blog posts:
So you’d think I would be excited by this announcement, but I’m not. Instead of being excited, I’m very concerned. I’m concerned about:
The new MiniMed Flex pump will be controlled by smartphone. This means if my battery dies on my smartphone and I’m out, I’ll have no way of knowing my current blood sugar, no way of delivering insulin, no way of adjusting settings for exercise and no telling my pump what I need it to do. Bluetooth could also fail on my smartphone or the pump itself.
Currently on the MiniMed 780G insulin pump, I can control the pump through use of the screen and buttons on the actual device.
Historically Medtronic’s update cycle of the App has been painfully slow. Everytime I have an Android software update on my phone it can take Medtronic a month or longer to update their App.
This has meant on some occasions in the past, I have been unable to get my phone to pair with my pump, sometimes for a number of weeks. Imagine if this happened with the MiniMed Flex, it would literally be unusable until Medtronic updated their App.
Lack of a screen = lack of information. Especially if the bluetooth connection or pairing to a smartphone failed for some reason. My blood sugars could be going high or low without my knowledge. This could lead to a failure or delay in me taking appropriate actions.
There is currently no information about the MiniMed Flex pump’s ability to deliver sound, vibration or flashing light notifications. The MiniMed 780G insulin pump does all these and to different volume, intensity and number of repeats (depending on settings). I find these are extremely useful, especially when I am asleep at night.
The press release mentions a new algorithm for SmartGuard. This could lead to better or worse blood sugar control for me. I know the algorithm on my current MiniMed 780G insulin pump works for me. It helps me to spend much more time in range and is proven to lower my HbA1c. I have a real fear that this new algorithm might not be as effective for me.
There is no information currently available on how the new pump is powered. Some people have suggested a button battery, others that it could be rechargeable and others have suggested it could be powered by an AA battery, like my current pump. Rechargeable would be a nightmare and I would definitely prefer a battery that can be replaced.
But again, I would be reliant on it being connected to a smartphone (and the smartphone being operational) to know the charge of the battery.
I get my current insulin pump from my local Diabetes Centre, provided by the NHS. This is the only way to get any sort of insulin pump in the UK. Privately funded or funding through an insurance model isn’t even an option.
It is likely that my local NHS Trust has an agreement with Medtronic for the latest tech and for free upgrades. According to the press release, users of the MiniMed 780G insulin pump in the USA will get a free upgrade to the MiniMed Flex.
But what if I don’t want the free upgrade and would rather stay on the MiniMed 780G insulin pump, will that be an option?
I am not alone in having concerns. There is a reddit post about it here. With the information I’ve currently got available and what I’ve learned from past experiences, I would 100% choose not to upgrade at this time. I only hope that I am given that option.
Blog soon,
Antony
Last week was my 40th birthday. Just before my birthday, I’d had some good news about my vasculitis. My birthday celebrations were low-key this year, mum, papa and I went out for a meal, followed by unicorn cake.
I’m going to be honest, I never thought I’d make it to the BIG 4-0. But I am pleased that I have. I am as healthy as I can be (given my type 1 diabetes and vasculitis) and the happiest I have ever been.
In April (2026) I published my latest book FINDING YOUR HAPPINESS, which covers:
My hope is that FINDING YOUR HAPPINESS leads readers to transform their lives, giving readers the knowledge and skills to lead a life filled with happiness and joy. The 167 page, full-colour book will take an average reader 5.5-7.5 hours to read.
Write soon,
Antony
Here are the books that Antony has published, click any cover to learn more:
