‘A Slow Decay of Flowers’ – By Mark T. Bates

How long can you continue to live the Rock ‘n Roll dream …

Before it kills you !? 

“Jack looked out into the crowded theatre. The sea of heads in front of him seemed to pulsate in time with the music, while the colours of the lights and lasers above him danced together in a kaleidoscopic trance. He began to lose himself in the sensation of watching the crowd as he played his guitar. A true professional, no matter how intoxicated he ever found himself. He turned his head to watch Trent singing once again … and his thoughts began to race with paranoia. 

Can I really do this to you?”

It’s New Years Eve 1989, and at Seattle’s Moore Theatre triumph turns to ruin as Trent Starr is found dead in his dressing room. His band-mate Jack Richards has fled the scene under suspicious circumstances; heavily intoxicated he hides himself away in their rented home high up in the hills of Seattle. But as the night progresses, Jack has the increasingly uneasy feeling that he may not be alone in the house.

🌹 💀

From a writer who immersed himself within the world of genre storytelling, devouring paperbacks from Stephen King and Clive Barker while absorbing the cinema of John Carpenter and David Cronenberg, this novella blends backstage excess with creeping psychological dread. The rise of A Slow Decay of Flowers, the grind of incessant touring, the Toxic Twins mythology, and the slow poison of addiction all curdle into something darker. Mark T. Bates charts the cost of fame with forensic intensity, revealing how success can rot from you from the inside … petal by petal.

A Slow Decay of Flowers releases on paperback with Alien Buddha Press – April 30^th 2026

(Available at Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk)