Explore the Literary World of John Roberts
Discover the captivating universe of British author John Roberts, featuring his thrilling adult fiction series 'The Blake Langford Adventures' and the whimsical children's series 'Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures'.
Meet John Roberts
John Roberts is a renowned British author specializing in adult fiction and children's literature. His passion for storytelling and writing has led him to craft unforgettable narratives that resonate with readers across generations. With several published works under his belt, John continues to inspire aspiring writers through his engaging writing advice and community initiatives.
Prepare For Dynamic December 2026
December 2026 is a huge month with not one, not two, not three, not four but five, yes five new releases arriving from December 1st!!
Bennie Barrier's Christmas Special 2026
Bennie Barrier returns in a new feature-lenth adventure this Christmas, The Tale Of Bennie's Capital Christmas.
Christmas time is always a busy period for The Maintenance Team but this year, Bennie Barrier and his team embark on an experience like no other.
When Bruno Bus is sent into London to help support the London Buses, Chester Cone decides that it would be a great opportunity to visit his old workplaces. As Chester Cone, his nephew Costin Cone and Beatrice Barrier begin their exploration of London, Chester Cone is kidnapped and taken away to The Tower Of London.
When Beatrice Barrier contacts Bennie, the City Maintenance Team head to the Capital to track down Chester Cone whilst helping the London teams in some rather strange and wonderful adventures building up to Christmas Day. Can Bennie and his team save Chester Cone in time or will he become another memory in London’s Recycling Plant?
The Throne Of Izelfled - John's First Fantasy Novel
John Roberts embarks on his first ever fantasy novel after agreeing to a friendly bet with a fellow author to write a novel in her genre.
Boro and Skit find themselves thrust into the fantastical realm of Izelfeld following a fatal car accident in Banbury, UK. With a sand timer watch on their wrists ticking down to their demise in seven days, they confront the tyrannical King Charro Lynptuk, who has enslaved Izelfeld's inhabitants to build his kingdom and crush dissent. In a bid for survival, Boro and Skit embark on a perilous quest to return the Polyranium Crystal to the Quill Star, the source of Charro's invincibility. Meanwhile, surgeons in the real world, under Charro's control, seek to terminate Boro and Skit's life support. The stepbrothers must join forces not only to rescue Izelfeld's people but also to secure their own survival.
Alison Pearce Gets Her First Solo Adventure
Alison Pearce steps out of Blake Langford's shadow with her own adventure starting a new series of adventures.
A Deal With The Devil is Alison's origin story of how she became the Special Branch Agent we all know today.
Alison Pearce, a recent graduate from the Police Academy, grapples with tragedy when her father is killed in a devastating earthquake in central London.
Amidst ridicule from her colleagues, Alison takes on an undercover mission to unveil a Special Branch double agent collaborating with the Chinese government.
As she navigates a world where every choice carries a perilous outcome, Alison confronts the daunting question: how far must she push herself to carve out her place in a male-dominated world?
The 2026 Blake Langford Short Story Collection
After five thrilling novels and nine short stories in The Blake Langford Adventures, a new collection of short stories arrived in 2026 that challenges Blake and his team in ways never seen before.
Join Special Branch agent Blake Langford in twelve gripping short stories, a spin-off from the beloved Blake Langford Adventures novels and in this book, there is also a hidden thirteenth short story that was previously only available on John Roberts' Patreon Channel.
This collection dives deeper into the hearts and minds of cherished characters from the main series including Alison Pearce, Samir Khalifa, Joe Knight, Jason Price and introduces new recruit, Hannah Willis. Each mission's end sparks the start of another high-stakes challenge.
The stories featured here are: Suspicious Mind, Dead Men Don’t Cry, A Matter Of Convenience, I Said I Loved You, Guest List, Seven Signs, Persuade Me, In My Father’s Footsteps, Whatever Happened To A Good Old Fashioned Broken Heart? The River, Quiz & Sunday Morning Church
The 2026 Christmas Album From The Laughing Lunatic
The Laughing Lunatic returns with their second Christmas album, Waking Up On Christmas Day, available to stream or buy on CD or vinyl from December 1st.
Tracklisting:
1: Waking Up On Christmas Day
2.; Hey Santa
3: Another Christmas Night
4: Merry Christmas To Me And You
5: Holly Leaves And Memories
6: Candy Canes
7: Christmas Time Is Here
8: Turkey Voting For Christmas
9: Christmas Alone
10: This Christmas Time
11: Jingle Bell Jive
12: I Wouldn't Have Christmas Any Other Way
13: Christmas's Favourite Ploy
14: Bennie Barrier
15: Bennie Barrier - Forever And Ever
Alison Pearce Arrives In 2026
After 3 explosive novels and over 20 short stories in Blake Langford's shadow, Alison Pearce steps forward in a new trilogy of novels telling her story from a young Police Cadet to Special Branch Agent.
Alison's Backstory
Discover the tragedy in Alison's childhood that gave her the courage and drive to fight her way through to being a Special Branch agent.
Her Story With Samir
We encounter a younger, more aggressive Samir and how his relationship with Ali changed both of their futures.
Making It In A Man's World
When Special Branch Agent Mohammed Touro takes a chance on Alison, he unleashes an agent who will push all the way to get what she wants.
Family First
We explore Alison's family dynamic as referenced in the Blake short stories and see how Alison and her siblings collide in future stories.
Don't Miss The Monthly Blake Langford Short Stories In 2026
Alison Pearce, Samir Khalifa and Joe Knight join forces with Blake in the upcoming short story adventures.
Complimenting The Blake Langford Adventures novels, this all new short story series includes characters from the novels as well as new faces that will be appearing in future adventures.
Ebooks of these short stories will be released for only 99p on Amazon Kindle followed by paperbacks and compilations which will be available in due course.
2026 Releases:
1st January 2026: Suspicious Mind
1st February 2026: Dead Men Don't Cry
1st March 2026: A Matter Of Convenience
1st April 2026: I Said I Loved You
1st May 2026: Guest List
1st June 2026: Seven Signs
1st July 2026: Persuade Me
1st August 2026: In My Father's Footsteps
1st September 2026: Whatever Happened To A Good Old Fashioned Broken Heart
1st October 2026: The River
1st November 2026: Quiz
1st December 2026: Sunday Morning Church
Previous Releases:
1st April 2025: Shield
1st May 2025: The Last Train
1st June 2025: Coleslaw And Chips
1st July 2025: Firing Line
1st August 2025: Group Think
1st September 2025: Blue Icons
1st October 2025: Death In The First Degree
1st November 2025: A Taste Of Freedom
1st December 2025: Nothing To Declare
Keep checking this site for regular updates as the series continues and take a look at the exclusive previews in the Short Story Preview tab
Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures
2026 brings Bennie's Big Book. 25 children's stories from the first 2 series of Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures together in one collection.
All 25 stories are available in ebook and paperback from most retailers worldwide and keep a lookout on this website and on Patreon for series 3.
Bennie Barrier Returns In Another Feature-Length Christmas Adventure In 2026
This Christmas, Bennie Barrier's Big City Adventures heads to London for Bennie's Capital Christmas.
After Bruno Bus and Caterina Coach are asked to support the London buses again in the busy Christmas period, Chester Cone reminisces about his time in Shepherds Bush.
Never one to miss out on an adventure, Bruno Bus offers Chester the chance to revisit his old hometown and catch up with every mush he's known from Shepherds Bush.
When Chester, accompanied by Beatrice Barrier and Costin Cone arrive in London though, not everyone is pleased to see him.
Bennie Barrier becomes suspicious after Marv informs him of crimes in Southampton that lead directly to Chester Cone's trip and sets up a dramatic finale at The Tower Of London.
This is one Bennie Barrier adventure you don't want to miss.
The Laughing Lunatic Book Arrives September 6th 2026
The Laughing Lunatic - A Lyrical Storyteller
For the past 10 years, Rob Bortkiewicz travelled alongside some of the most amazing musicians in the UK as they toured all over the country and began learning the art of songwriting and taking words from the page to finished song.
In 2025, after many years of writing lyrics, he finally took a chance and created The Laughing Lunatic, a multi-genre group that has taken the streaming world by storm. With thousands of monthly listeners eagerly awaiting the next release, in a short space of time, The Laughing Lunatic has transformed the landscape where artists can step outside their niche and take on even the most outrageous of projects.
This book is a collection of 100 lyrics from the first year of The Laughing Lunatic's releases along with notes from Rob regarding the stories behind the songs.
Discover more at Patreon.com/JohnRobertsAuthor
The Throne Of Izelfeld
After agreeing to take on a fantasy novel, I never realised how much research, time and discovery I would need to put into it. What came out in the end was an epic fantasy tale that I can share with you ahead of its publication here and on my Patreon channel before December 1st 2026.
The Laughing Lunatic
New Lyrics, New Music, A Whole New Experience From The Author Behind The Adventures
John Roberts, real name Robert John Bortkiewicz, has been a freelance writer since 2007 with mixed success. In 2015, he began writing song lyrics alongside friends in various tribute bands. Throughout 2025 and 2026, these lyrics are finally being used to create several new albums and singles which can be streamed for free on platforms such as Spotify, Itunes and Amazon Music.
Waking Up On Christmas Day - The New Christmas Album From The Laughing Lunatic
From December 1st 2026, you can stream, download or buy on CD or Vinyl, the new Christmas album from The Laughing Lunatic.
Alongside this, there will be a second album; The Laughing Lunatic's Epic Christmas Album which includes 30 tracks to celebrate the season.
Waking Up On Christmas Day
All new for 2026, Waking Up On Christmas Day contains 13 original new Christmas songs alongside 2 Bennie Barrier songs from the series.
1. Waking Up On Christmas Day
2. Hey Santa
3. Another Christmas Night
4. Merry Christmas To Me And You
5. Holly Leaves And Memories
6. Candy Cane
7. Christmas Time Is Here
8. Turkey Voting For Christmas
9. Christmas Alone
10. This Christmas Time
11. Jingle Bell Jive
12. I Wouldn't Have Christmas Any Other Way
13. Christmas's Favourite Ploy
14. Bennie Barrier
15. Bennie Barrier: Forever And Ever
The Laughing Lunatic's Epic Christmas Album
The Epic Album combines the new album, Waking Up On Christmas Day with last year's It'll Soon Be Christmas Day in a 30 track streaming exclusive album.
1. Mistletoe Kisses
2. This Christmas Time
3. It'll Soon Be Christmas Day
4. Jingle Bell Jive
5. Christmas Of Old Times
6. I Wouldn't Have Christmas Any Other Way
7. Robin
8. Christmas's Favourite Ploy
9. When Christmas Day Is Here
10. Hey Santa
11. Christmas Chaos
12. Another Christmas Night
13. A Hundred Miles
14. Waking Up On Christmas Day
15. It's Christmas Time
16. Merry Christmas To Me And You
17. Santa's Big Scene
18. Christmas Alone
19. Hope In Christmas Day
20. Turkey Voting For Christmas
21. Would You Recognise Jesus
22. Christmas Time Is Here
23. If Jesus Walked The World Today
24. Candy Canes
25. Maybe This Christmas
26. Holly Leaves And Memories
27. Snowy Christmas Night
28. Bennie Barrier
29. Bennie Barrier: Forever And Ever
30. Whatever It Takes
Physical Copies
The new Christmas album from The Laughing Lunatic will be available from ElasticStage.com/The-Laughing-Lunatic on CD and Vinyl.
CD
1. Waking Up On Christmas Day
2. Hey Santa
3. Another Christmas Night
4. Merry Christmas To Me And You
5. Holly Leaves And Memories
6. Candy Cane
7. Christmas Time Is Here
8. Turkey Voting For Christmas
9. Christmas Alone
10. This Christmas Time
11. Jingle Bell Jive
12. I Wouldn't Have Christmas Any Other Way
13. Christmas's Favourite Ploy
14. Bennie Barrier
15. Bennie Barrier 2026: Forever And Ever
VINYL
Side A
1. Waking Up On Christmas Day
2. Hey Santa
3. Another Christmas Night
4. Merry Christmas To Me And You
5. Holly Leaves And Memories
6. Candy Canes
Side B
1. Christmas Time Is Here
2. Turkey Voting For Christmas
3. Christmas Alone
4. This Christmas Time
5. Jingle Bell Jive
6. I Wouldn't Have Christmas Any Other Way
7. Christmas's Favourite Ploy
155
Books Published
10k
Readers Engaged
200+
Writing Blogs
The Blake Langford Adventures
An exhilarating adult fiction series that keeps readers on the edge of their seats with its riveting plots and richly developed characters.
Writing Advice and Inspiration
Gain insights into the writing process through John's expert advice, guiding aspiring authors to hone their craft.
Looking to be part of something amazing? Here's how...
The John Roberts Patreon Channels Are Here! Claim Your Free Trial And Discover More...
Join a brand new community on Patreon dedicated to John Roberts' new projects. As part of the community, you will unlock three new short stories never released before as well as early previews of future projects whilst they are being written and edited. This is your chance to see the warts and all process that goes into creating Blake Langford, Cornelius Cone, Bennie Barrier and many others. To join, please click on the Join Patreon link below for a free no obligation 7 days free trial.
£1
The £1 Per Month Children's Series Tier
Regular Patreon-only newsletter.
Synopsis of current and future Cornelius Cone and Bennie Barrier projects.
Exclusive access to Bennie Barrier & Cornelius Cone new releases four weeks before official release.
Opportunities to share ideas and be part of a future Cornelius Cone or Bennie Barrier adventure.
Unlock Patreon exclusive Bennie Barrier And Cornelius Cone stories that have never been released before.
£3
The £3 Per Month Blake Langford Tier
Regular Patreon-only newsletter.
Everything from the Children Series Tier.
Synopsis of current and future Blake Langford adventures.
Unlock Patreon exclusive Blake Langford short story; A Wing And A Prayer, that has never been released before.
Exclusive access to the latest Blake Langford short stories and novels four weeks before official release.
Chapter releases during first draft and editing for new novels and partial releases of short stories during the writing process.
Exclusive first drafts of new short story adventures and the opportunity to decide the outcome of future adventures.
Do you have an idea for a new adventure? Do you have what it takes to become part of Blake's world? By taking part in this tier you have the opportunity to help shape and appear in a future Blake Langford short story or novel. (T&C Apply)
£5
The £5 Per Month John Roberts Exclusivity Tier
Regular Patreon-only newsletter.
All of the features in the Children's series and Blake Langford tiers
Exclusive access to Substack writing blogs which form part of the Aspiring Author non-fiction series four weeks before publication on the app.
Exclusive previews of new projects such as the fantasy adventure, The Throne Of Izelfeld and the new Alison Pearce series with opportunities to provide feedback and have an influence on the story's direction.
The opportunity to be interviewed and featured on the Cornelius Cone & John Roberts websites.
The opportunity to co-write a future Blake Langford short story.
The opportunity to appear as a character in any future publication - yes including Cornelius Cone or Bennie Barrier - the possibilities are endless.
Cornelius Cone
A journey into children's storytelling with my friend, Steve Boyce.
In 2018, Steve Boyce came up with the idea of a traffic cone called Cornelius whilst sat in a queue on a local motorway. There was a sign which read; Cone Hotline with a local phone number and from that, a whole local community of characters was born. In 2020, Steve offered John the chance to join him on this writing journey and together, they have written over 80 ebook adventures featuring Cornelius Cone and his many friends.
Substack Blogs
Join the conversation on John Roberts's weekly Substack blog where he shares news of his new projects and writing experiences.
