Chalkie’s website
Welcome to my website.
Scroll down to find out more about my book, Murdoch’s Web.
There’s also a subscriber page where you can sign up for freebies and be notified about future books. I promise not to spam you with newsletters, or to share your address with anyone, ever.
I received an “honourable mention” from Writers of the Future last year, for a short story, Ghost Canyon. It is one of several that I’ve written for a “spooky SF” collection, title to be decided on once I have sufficient to make a whole book.
The sequel to Murdoch’s Web is going through critique and edit at the moment, which will take a month or two. I’m now working on the illustrations and ideas for the cover. I still hope to publish it later this year.
Last updated 5 February 2026
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About me
My Books
Contact me and Freebies
My books
Murdoch’s Web. Published: Amazon. December 2024
The solar system is dangerous, even for Murdoch, a three-metre spider from Titan. Returning from a successful asteroid mining trip, he stumbles upon an ancient human warship, and then real-life stranded human. His life will never be the same. Despite mutual phobias, their friendship grows as they navigate a solar system filled with warlike Terrans and suspicious arachnids.
When the scale of ancient human foolishness becomes apparent, the fate of planets hangs in the balance. Can Murdoch and Callie triumph over the looming threat, or will the shadowy secret from an ancient war destroy all they hold dear?
Told with dry humour and pathos, this is gripping tale of trust and treachery, unexpected friendships and interplanetary intrigue, that spans the solar system.
About Chalkie
I haven’t always been a writer, having worked as an electronic engineer, travelling around the world on research ships from the Arctic to Antarctica.
My mother’s maiden name was Clarke, and Antarctica is where I was given the nickname “Chalkie”, which I use as a pen name. There are a lot of other other David Whites out there.
Science fiction and fantasy has fascinated me since childhood. I read The Fellowship of the Ring from the local village library at the age of 12, or thereabouts, and never looked back. Years of collecting second-hand paperbacks means that there’s now a very long shelf in the spare room, starting with Aldiss, Asimov and Banks and ending with Vance and Zelazny, with a hundred or so old and new favourites in between. My most recent read was Vidyut Gore’s Abrahamha’s Strays trilogy, a rich and complex world and immensely enjoyable.
I also started Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. It’s great, a fast-paced story across several millennia, with some unexpected twists. Definitely a one for fans of spiders in all their forms.
I took early retirement in 2019 and thus found the time for writing. Short stories at first, then novels. Murdoch is the first to make it into print but I have more to follow, hopefully. Murdoch’s sequel is taking shape, but also a sequence of spooky SF short stories.
Before taking to writing I painted, and the cover of Murdoch’s Web is based on a painting of mine. It’s available (free) as a digital poster to anyone who subscribes.
Outside of all that I sail (that’s me on my boat Evadne,) help my wife in the garden and have had an allotment where I’ve grown fruit and veg for over ten years. I also make my own beer. Oh, and we have a dog. That’s Chloe snoozing on my lap on the boat, looking particularly furry.
Freebies
I hope to upload more of these, deleted scenes and other short stories and pictures. They are free for personal use. If you’re publishing them, please acknowledge my copyright. (©David White) To obtain these, please tick the subscriber’s box in the “contact me” section and leave me a message in the message box. I’ll email you directly or, for the larger files use Wesendit.com or similar.
I promise not to spam you or pass your email on to any third party. The only emails you’ll get from me will be telling you of any new freebies, as well as future book releases.
A 20Mb hi res scan of the original artwork “Approaching Titan”.
©David White 2024
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