Friends, Not Lovers originally began as a single-chapter short story written by David A. Lister for entry into a writing competition in 2011. The comedic story was centered around the crazy life of David and his friends, focusing on the subject of platonic friendships. The story was entered just for fun with no expectation of placing in the list of finalists. “I basically wrote it for a laugh” David said during an interview, “based quite heavily on real-life events, which is what made it so authentic and hilarious. Not to mention embarrassing!” he admitted. He went on to say you could’ve knocked him down with a feather when his story beat out over two-hundred talented writers to win 1st place.
David’s manager, Ann, knew they were onto something good. She hounded him relentlessly to publish the short story online as a post on several blog sites. Eventually he gave in. FNL was born and it was an instant hit receiving hundreds of positive feedback from readers around the world. That was the hook Ann needed to push onward convincing David to keep writing until it became a full nine-part blog. Hundreds of readers rapidly became thousands, following the blog all the way through to a mind-blowing end in mid 2012.
To FNL fans, the rest is history. The blog made the conversion to eBook in July of 2013 first published on Smashwords followed by many other popular book retailers. A few weeks after release it began to go viral, so much so the mass of downloads crashed Ann’s publishing website. Due to a backlog of work commitments – and a desire to avoid media attention – David decided to pull the book down temporarily from eBook stores to quell the storm. It did, though over the past seven years FNL has still amassed more than 200k downloads across all websites combined. It was also awarded B.W.B.C. RomCom of the Year 2014.
From laughter to silence. Since 2013 David continued writing FNL in a blog format, though only published in a private forum restricted to his closest friends whom it was written for to begin with. A plethora of legal and unforeseen problems have caused multiple delays in the release of a sequel eBook. First it was scheduled for release in mid 2015, then the date was extended to 2016 only to be delayed again until 2018. For the longest time Ann and David were convinced the sequel was going to be a dead donkey. But fans pushed on, even so many years after the original book they hounded Ann for it. A breakthrough was reached in early 2020 with a deadline set for July of the same year …..then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Another delay. But rest assured, it’s coming. Read this post for news on the exciting future of FNL.
“If the new FNL isn’t out before Christmas I’ll strip naked and climb into bed with Ted, again.”
David A. Lister – Of! Radio Show – February 2020
Naive David thinks he is invincible against the power of sexual attraction -until he meets his kryptonite, a beautiful American lady named Emma who turns his world upside down. Hilarity and panic attacks ensue as he battles to steer their new friendship towards innocence. Will he succeed and retain some dignity? Or will Goddess Emma prove that women rule the world?
Title: Friends, Not Lovers
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published: July 3rd, 2013
Language: British English
ISBN: 9781301769919
Download FREE at Smashwords
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the incredibly popular FNL we’ve released this special Hopeless Romantic Edition which includes the original book + new unpublished chapters + additional poetry + links to media + free merch (while stocks last).
Original Synopsis ~ Naive David thinks he is invincible against the power of sexual attraction -until he meets his kryptonite, a beautiful American lady named Emma who turns his world upside down. Hilarity and panic attacks ensue as he battles to steer their new friendship towards innocence. Will he succeed and retain some dignity? Or will Goddess Emma prove that women rule the world?
Hopeless Romantic Edition (HRE) Synopsis ~ Weeee’re back! Can you believe it has been a decade since the original FNL was released?! Wow, time flies by when you’ve embarrassed yourself to the point of not wanting to be seen out in public. And here I am doing it all over again. So, I bet you’re all wondering what happened after Chapter 9 and what wicked deeds did Sara & Emma get upto during our trip to North Wales? The answers to these and a gazillion other questions we received from readers are all in this book. HRE is a crazy ride sure to entertain fans of the original and anyone who enjoys a good giggle. Don’t forget the rubber underwear!
Title: Friends, Not Lovers – Hopeless Romantic Edition
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published: July 3rd, 2023 (limited release)
Language: British English
ISBN: TBA
Download isn’t available yet.
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the incredibly popular FNL we’ve released this special Platinum Blonde Edition which includes the original book RAW and UNCUT + new unpublished chapters + additional poetry + links to media + free merch (while stocks last).
Original Synopsis ~ Naive David thinks he is invincible against the power of sexual attraction -until he meets his kryptonite, a beautiful American lady named Emma who turns his world upside down. Hilarity and panic attacks ensue as he battles to steer their new friendship towards innocence. Will he succeed and retain some dignity? Or will Goddess Emma prove that women rule the world?
Platinum Blonde Edition (PBE) Synopsis ~ Weeee’re back! Can you believe it has been a whole decade since the original FNL was released?! Wow, time flies by when you’ve embarrassed yourself to the point of not wanting to be seen out in public. And here I am doing it all over again. So, I bet you’re all wondering what happened after Chapter 9 and what wicked deeds did Sara & Emma get upto during our trip to North Wales? The answers to these and a gazillion other questions we received from readers are all in this book. PBE is a no-holds-barred nutfest sure to entertain fans of the original and anyone who enjoys a naughty giggle. Don’t forget the rubber knickers!
Title: Friends, Not Lovers – Platinum Blonde Edition
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published: July 3rd, 2023 (limited release)
Language: British English
ISBN: TBA
Download isn’t available yet.