tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66220294341534781012024-03-18T00:24:53.343-07:00Graham Smith WriterThe Blog of crime fiction author and reviewer Graham Smith.
There are updates about his writing and links to his favourite blog sites.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-55541153966793538102016-10-04T11:58:00.001-07:002016-10-04T11:58:22.024-07:00chelle's book reviews: I Know Your Secret by Graham Smith ~~~BLOG TOUR~~~...<a href="http://chellesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2016/10/i-know-your-secret-by-graham-smith-blog.html?spref=bl">chelle's book reviews: I Know Your Secret by Graham Smith ~~~BLOG TOUR~~~...</a>: I am super excited that today is my turn to host t I know Your Secret By Graham Smith Blog Tour and I would like to share you my 5 star r...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-40114941242513649982016-10-02T11:29:00.001-07:002016-10-02T11:29:21.046-07:00chelle's book reviews: Snatched From Home: What Would You Do To Save Your...<a href="http://chellesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2016/10/snatched-from-home-what-would-you-do-to.html?spref=bl">chelle's book reviews: Snatched From Home: What Would You Do To Save Your...</a>: Snatched From Home: What Would You Do To Save Your Children? by Graham Smith My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wowzer.......this book is that fant...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-60824354893185134422016-09-13T09:05:00.001-07:002016-09-13T09:05:06.798-07:00The Voices in my Head: Graham Smith Blog Tour - Matching the Evidence - a...<a href="http://www.ianayris.co.uk/2016/09/graham-smith-blog-tour-matching.html?spref=bl">The Voices in my Head: Graham Smith Blog Tour - Matching the Evidence - a...</a>: It gives me great pleasure to play my part in the Graham Smith Blog Tour, and present my review of his latest novella - Matching th...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-73903097556919909902015-07-28T01:10:00.001-07:002015-07-28T01:10:57.048-07:00Off-the-shelf book reviews: AUTHOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Graham Smith<a href="http://off-the-shelfbooks.blogspot.com/2015/07/author-in-spotlight-graham-smith.html?spref=bl">Off-the-shelf book reviews: AUTHOR IN THE SPOTLIGHT - Graham Smith</a>: I am delighted that GRAHAM SMITH is joining me on my blog today. Graham's latest book - Snatched From Home - was published by Caffei...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-80676811948551819762015-07-10T02:32:00.001-07:002015-07-10T02:35:14.560-07:00From Page to Stage<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Once in a while fortune shines down on us
writers. In an act of support for a friend I travelled across the country (in
truth only about 90 miles but across the country sounds way more dramatic) to
see the stage adaptation of her novel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">After enjoying a fantastic performance, I was
lucky to be introduced to the director – Derek Lawson – with the additional tag
of “he writes as well you know” added after my name. I hit it off with the
director and by the time we’d parted company, he’d passed me a card with his
email address and a request to read my novel. At this time, Snatched from Home
was on the submission trail as I tried to secure a publishing deal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLiCaPXM-kiNbpVv1JFYc0GAFpEcXiuSnRO0hpgkgDcV1yUseIweyUN0mh-V8oXjiE3PC3GrKyfNPsLErUzduTkO_w9Rcr07fgupZgA74Cjw0Jw750xrUnm1uaQG4B4BQfm9q8iaqsGg/s1600/Snatched-From-Home.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLiCaPXM-kiNbpVv1JFYc0GAFpEcXiuSnRO0hpgkgDcV1yUseIweyUN0mh-V8oXjiE3PC3GrKyfNPsLErUzduTkO_w9Rcr07fgupZgA74Cjw0Jw750xrUnm1uaQG4B4BQfm9q8iaqsGg/s320/Snatched-From-Home.jpg" width="202" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I duly sent Derek a copy of Snatched from Home
and expected to never hear from him again. Lo and behold, I heard from him a
few months later. He liked my novel. He liked it enough that he wanted to adapt
it for the stage. Needless to say I was overjoyed to read his emails and work
with him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A publishing contract arrived for me from
Caffeine Nights in early 2014 and I kept working on scripts with Derek until we
were both satisfied with the adaptation. We found a venue in the Salford Arts
Theatre and the play of Snatched from Home was added to the bill of the Greater
Manchester Fringe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Early 2015 saw us begin the audition process
and have cast read-throughs. The script was tweaked and I added a monologue to
give a certain character greater depth. Next up was rehearsals. At the first
full cast rehearsal the actor playing DI Harry Evans was delayed so I was
handed a script and asked to fill in. If there are any writers reading this,
they’ll understand what an honour and privilege it is to get this opportunity.
I got to read the main character’s lines to a bunch of actors who were playing
the characters I’d created. To say my mind was blown would be an understatement
akin with calling Mount Everest “a fairly big hill”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip47rdCnyrJbA5yjXpVrD7vdm3Nd4GDSxCq9AWJehZccCUWXtsmb8SvaO4NtVgKOroukWpV8rdwZXxIVHm95ob3IbR3r8PpWnYCcCB_-wRXUQny-7ehBYWzGaNCaTbZOxeuhMfbdAH5NU/s1600/SfH+Cast+%2526+Crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip47rdCnyrJbA5yjXpVrD7vdm3Nd4GDSxCq9AWJehZccCUWXtsmb8SvaO4NtVgKOroukWpV8rdwZXxIVHm95ob3IbR3r8PpWnYCcCB_-wRXUQny-7ehBYWzGaNCaTbZOxeuhMfbdAH5NU/s640/SfH+Cast+%2526+Crew.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Work and life kept me away from the other
rehearsals until I travelled down to Manchester on Monday for the first full
dress rehearsal. Typically I arrived early full of nervous excitement. Another
to arrive early was Emlyn Jones who plays DI Harry Evans. With nobody else yet
present to help him read lines, I offered. He accepted and I had the surreal
experience of reading lines with a fine actor who was playing the part of the
character I’ve come to hold dearest of all my creations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Wednesday saw the opening show and it went
brilliantly from start to finish. Thursday was the same and I’m looking forward
to tonight’s final show with a mixture of excitement and a feeling of sorrow
that this wonderful experience is about to come to an end. Every time I’ve
watched the performance the hairs on the back of my neck have stood on end and
I expect nothing different tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Whatever else does or doesn’t happen in my
writing career, I will always have three performances and a dress rehearsal to
look back on with fondness, admiration and nostalgia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At this point all there is left to say, is a
most sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the production.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For the record they are<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Derek Lawson – Director<br />
Emlyn Jones – DI Harry Evans<br />
Andrew Marsden – DI John Campbell<br />
Lee Petcher – DS Neil Chisholm<br />
Anna Dawson – DC Lauren Phillips<br />
Kerry Kawai – Victoria Foulkes<br />
Bill Blackwood – Nicholas Foulkes<br />
Hannah Mary Jenkins – Samantha Foulkes<br />
Robbie Hopkins – Kyle Foulkes<br />
David Swift – Elvis<br />
Phil Chadwick – Blair / Brown<br />
Graeme Slater – Obama<br />
Andy Pilkington – Lector / Pentwortham<br />
Kris Hitchen – Graham Armstrong<br />
Anna Parr – Helen Salter<br />
Cameron Lowe – Stage management<br />
Peter George – Technical<br />
Scott & Roni – Venue management<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Again my deepest gratitude to all who have
performed in, worked on or attended the play, I’m aware that as a debut author
I have been afforded an opportunity that hasn't been offered to authors who have
sold a million more books than I.<br />
<br />
Tonight’s the last night and these guys are gonna knock it out of the park one
last time. If you’re able to come, be at Salford Arts Theatre for 8.00pm
tonight, Friday 10<sup>th</sup> of July 2015<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Graham<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-79209392925184743052015-05-14T09:42:00.001-07:002015-05-14T09:42:45.356-07:00Best Crime Books : Author Interview: Noelle chats to Graham Smith<a href="http://www.bestcrimebooks.co.uk/2015/05/author-interview-noelle-chats-to-graham.html?spref=bl">Best Crime Books : Author Interview: Noelle chats to Graham Smith</a>: About Graham Smith: Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roo...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-20929976950382016422015-05-09T11:29:00.001-07:002015-05-09T11:29:20.775-07:00Best Crime Books : Guest Reviewer Amanda: Snatched From Home by Graha...<a href="http://www.bestcrimebooks.co.uk/2015/05/guest-reviewer-amanda-snatched-from.html?spref=bl">Best Crime Books : Guest Reviewer Amanda: Snatched From Home by Graha...</a>: Amanda's Rating: 5/5 Paperback: 256 pages Publisher: Caffeine Nights Publishing (19 Mar. 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 190...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-87775968326154034792014-11-11T01:41:00.002-08:002014-11-11T05:01:36.948-08:00Barry Forshaw on Euro NoirI'm delighted to welcome a fellow reviewer to my humble blog.<br />
<br />
Barry Forshaw is a well known aficionado of all things crime, be they on the large or small screen or in print. His reviews and opinions have been aired on many platforms including TV, radio and his own review site Crime Time. His friends and contacts include everyone who's anyone in crime fiction circles<br />
<br />
<a href="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" /></a>His opinion is sought by many and granted only onto the finest writers around. I've been lucky enough to read his latest release "Euro Noir" which looks at the cream of European crime writing both past and present. It's a wonderful guide which can be guaranteed to point you towards some fantastic entertainment.<br />
<br />
It can be bought from Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Euro-Noir-Essential-European-Essentials/dp/1843442450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415698489&sr=8-1&keywords=euro+noir" target="_blank">UK</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Euro-Noir-Essential-European-Fiction/dp/1843442450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415698551&sr=8-1&keywords=euro+noir" target="_blank">US</a><br />
<br />
I've asked him a few questions on compiling Euro Noir and posted his answers below. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the page.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ol>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">The
knowledge and familiarity you show with the novels and authors discussed,
suggests this guide has been years in the making. Can you tell me how you went
about putting together such a comprehensive guide? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: Like everything I've ever done as a writer, it was actually an
organic process. I've been writing about these novelists for years (for a
variety of newspapers and magazines, doing broadcast interviews with them and
chairing panels). So without really trying, I suppose I built up a level of
expertise in the subject. And by ‘organic process’, I mean that I've always –
practically all my life -- been taking notes on and writing about books and
films. I even have battered ringbound notebooks full of such things from the
age of 12 onwards! Not that I can recycle any of that material-- too many
spelling mistakes!</b></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Euro
Noir is a fantastic introduction to many different authors which includes those
still writing and some who are sadly no longer with us. How did you go about
selecting which authors to include? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: I
appreciate your kind comments. Actually, I tried to be as inclusive as I could
of both living and dead authors -- but as soon as the book was published, I
gritted my teeth and waited for people to point out who was missing.
Fortunately, I haven’t had too many such comments! But it was always supposed
to be a concise guide in any case.</b></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">3.</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">While discussing the various novels listed you
provide a fair and balanced opinion, being unafraid to highlight clichés or failings
in characters. How important to you was it to provide this fairness? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: I don't think anybody would read a book
like <i>Euro Noir</i> if I hadn’t tried to
be objective. Having said that, I always try to err on the side of the positive
as it <u>is</u> a guide, and there are inevitably writers with whom I'm not in
sympathy – who others may adore!</b></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">I
got the impression that a lot of the novelists included in Euro Noir are more
vocal on social issues in their writing than their British or US counterparts. Which
UK or US authors do you rate as being the most socially aware in their novels? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: That's actually a sore point; I get a
certain amount of stick from British and American writers who say ‘We’re just
as socially committed as the Europeans you write about!’ But there is
undoubtedly a public perception – not entirely incorrect-- that European
writers freight more social commentary into their novels. But if you want
political anger, look at Val McDermid in this country and James Lee Burke in
the US!</b></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">You
cover eleven different countries in Euro Noir as well as revisiting “Scandicrime”.
Where do you plan to focus your magnifying glass next? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: I mentioned above, I was getting a hard time from British crime
writers for not giving them enough attention, although I actually write more
about British writers than anyone else. Maybe I'll stop being beaten about the
head when the next-book-but-one appears, <i>Brit
Noir</i>, which will be published in 2016. But before that, I’ve got <i>The Detectives</i> and <i>Sex and Film: The Erotic in British, American and World Cinema</i>!
There will be plenty of crime movies in the latter, of course…</b></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-weight: normal;"> </span></b><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">As
well as covering crime fiction you also look at cinema and television
programmes for each country or area. Which medium do you prefer? </span><b style="text-indent: -18pt;">BF: Boy, that's a difficult one; I love all
three mediums with a passion! So the fence-sitting answer has to be: whichever
medium I’m engaged with at any given moment!</b></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-35418820939048153622014-03-11T05:48:00.001-07:002014-03-11T05:48:44.445-07:00Cruel Losses
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
First of all I would like to extend my sincerest condolences
to the family of Aj Hayes who died this weekend. He was a regular commenter
here and I’ll miss his friendship as much as his support and advice. He was a
true gent whose comments gave me the confidence to share my work. It feels decidely odd posting a piece knowing that one of his supportive and insightful comments won't be forthcoming.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
This is a little piece I wrote as an exercise during Crime
and Publishment. During his session “Dicing with Dialogue” Michael Malone gave
us some scenarios and I chose the following one.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span>a mother who has just miscarried and her four year-old
who wants a baby sister.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
The scenario is deeply personal for me and as I was writing
it, I twice had to leave the room. However I don’t believe in shying away from
tough writing. Anyway, after a little tightening up here is the piece I wrote.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
‘What’s wrong Mummy?’<br />
‘It’s…It’s…’<br />
‘It’s what?’ <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
foot stamped down ‘I want to meet my sister.’<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Karen’s lip quivered as her head bowed down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Mummy? Don’t cry Mummy.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>…I’m
afraid…’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Don’t be afraid Mummy. Baby will be here soon and then I’ll
have my sister.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Karen said nothing. Preferring instead to draw solace and
strength from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Jordan</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
sticky fingers as they grasped her thumb.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Can we call the baby Alice? I think <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Alice</st1:city></st1:place> would be a good name for baby.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘I’m sorry darling. So sorry.’ A gulp was followed by a
tearful swallow. ‘Baby won’t be coming.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Why?’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Baby has… baby has decided to go to heaven instead. Baby
wanted to meet the angels.’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Like Daddy?’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
‘Yes…Just like Daddy.’</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-27191085795495617042013-08-06T07:54:00.000-07:002013-08-06T07:54:21.400-07:00LA Noir
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">This week I've handed my blog over to Stephen Jay Schwartz, a guy whose novels have been steadily climbing Mount to be Read.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Gtfj9eNu4K-kb9Fxvt_KL_a_BWFgUH_pxOLC_ZsNp6QhyphenhyphenOxDN3wtVhcrFxBCbf75GgRNp1ICJZgKum9WqkD6ffN6grho0fw2iUp1qZnH4JpvHcClB1OHEt88q3jp5hyphenhyphenyxhK2XhHDVOQ/s1600/SJ+Schwartz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Gtfj9eNu4K-kb9Fxvt_KL_a_BWFgUH_pxOLC_ZsNp6QhyphenhyphenOxDN3wtVhcrFxBCbf75GgRNp1ICJZgKum9WqkD6ffN6grho0fw2iUp1qZnH4JpvHcClB1OHEt88q3jp5hyphenhyphenyxhK2XhHDVOQ/s320/SJ+Schwartz.jpg" width="213" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our distinguished host, Graham
Smith, asked me to discuss the challenges of setting a detective novel in Los
Angeles, where such established greats as Connelly, Crais, Parker and Kellerman
already set their dramas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must admit,
in retrospect it seems like a daunting endeavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How can I think I have anything new to add to
a world that has been so well-described in both fiction and film?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder if our current Noir masters had this
same hesitation, wondering if their perspective of the L.A. landscape rose to
the expectations of such authors as Chandler, Cain, Dorothy B. Hughes,
Westlake, Jim Thompson, and even Nathanael West.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Fortunately, I had ignorance and
naivete on my side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was a first-time
author when I penned <i>Boulevard</i>, my novel about an LAPD Robbery-Homicide
detective chasing bad guys and personal demons while struggling with his own
sex-addiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wasn't a big L.A. Noir
reader at the time - in fact, the only real mystery/crime/thriller novels I
read were the works of Jim Thompson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
read mostly 20th Century American fiction, particularly Steinbeck, Hemmingway,
Fitzgerald and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm also a huge
fan of the Beat Generation writers - Kerouac, Burroughs and Ginsberg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throw a little Charles Bukowski in the mix
and you've got my palate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, the truth is that I didn't know
enough about Los Angeles Noir to be intimidated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn't even know I was writing L.A.
Noir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was just writing a little
character piece about a man who was getting squeezed from all sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A homicide detective who discovers that a
rash of recent murders are in someway connected to him, and that the killer has
been stalking him in his twelve step meetings for Sex Addicts Anonymous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My protagonist faces a difficult
question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does he reveal his connection
to the killer and risk losing the case and possibly his job, or does he keep
his secret hidden while he pursues the killer, at the risk of others getting
hurt along the way?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We discover that his
addiction is stronger than his will to do good, and he keeps it under wraps.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdyzuM5DqipUGxRTNuCMs1sd3n56P4D97ALlknBxqzXjj_cn5DynpeI5YgILKiASpipJMj1JB2zRBdxxbj08wnQ87m884qPBeSeJS24zVoYOtQATQgn4YXeeeh0gNZ-2LjwWFyHwu2GY/s1600/SJ+Schwartz+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdyzuM5DqipUGxRTNuCMs1sd3n56P4D97ALlknBxqzXjj_cn5DynpeI5YgILKiASpipJMj1JB2zRBdxxbj08wnQ87m884qPBeSeJS24zVoYOtQATQgn4YXeeeh0gNZ-2LjwWFyHwu2GY/s320/SJ+Schwartz+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Los Angeles is the setting for this
story because Los Angeles is where his addiction is born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He became a sex-addict by cruising the
boulevards - Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood Boulevard, Sepulveda Boulevard - where
he picks up prostitutes to satisfy his desires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Los Angeles became a character in the book, and places such as the
fictitious Coral Reef Motel become the detective's associate and confidante,
described in passages such as this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The two-story hotel sat like a dirty
old heroin addict nodding slowly, as if recognizing Hayden from a hazy night
they'd shared long ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second-story
windows had yellowing shades pulled half-mast like drugged-out eyes squinting at
the streetlamps.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I believe the stories that can be
told of L.A. are endless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is
that there are a thousand different L.A's.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Everyone who lives here experiences a different, unique perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My L.A. takes place in the dark shadows of
Hollywood and it focuses on a very specific experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Connelly's Harry Bosch, while canvassing the
same landscape and even working from the same office, the Robbery-Homicide
Division in downtown L.A., experiences a different L.A. from my own Hayden
Glass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories are driven by their
characters, and a well-drawn character experiences a different, unique
environment from anyone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe
Los Angeles can sustain as many stories as their are storytellers, providing
that the storytellers present a character whose vision of their world is
original and believable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I continue to
read new, innovative authors who prove this to be true; authors like Christa
Faust, Tom Epperson, Tim Hallinan, Eric Beetner, Robert Ellis and many more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's enough going on in the City of Angels
to keep us all afloat for the next two millennium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Stephen's author pages are listed below along with his website and bio.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stephen-Jay-Schwartz/e/B0028OKJWA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1375800744&sr=8-1" target="_blank">US</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stephen-Jay-Schwartz/e/B0028OKJWA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1375800689&sr=1-1" target="_blank">UK</a><br /><br />Los Angeles Times Bestselling Author Stephen Jay Schwartz spent a number<br />of years as the Director of Development for filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen<br />where he worked with writers, producers and studio executives to develop<br />screenplays for production. Among the film projects he helped developed<br />are Air Force One, Outbreak and Bicentennial Man.<br /><br />His two novels, BOULEVARD and BEAT, follow the dysfunctional journey of LAPD Robbery-Homicide detective Hayden Glass as he fights crime while struggling with his own sex-addiction. The series has been optioned by Ben Silverman (producer of The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Tudors) for development as a television series.<br /><br />Stephen recently finished writing GRINDER, a 3D action-thriller for HyperEmotive Films and Venture3D at Sony Studios.<br /><br />Stephen is currently writing a third book in the Hayden Glass series. He can be reached via his website - <a href="http://www.stephenjayschwartz.com/">www.stephenjayschwartz.com</a></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-83318387945111155162013-07-18T02:59:00.003-07:002013-07-18T03:01:36.099-07:00Ostland, the Nazis … and Me<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Today on my blog I’m delighted to
welcome one of my favourite authors. His name is David Thomas although he has
used the pseudonym Tom Cain for his series of books about the assassin Samuel
Carver.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Before anyone thinks of getting
into the whole JK Rowling nonsense about the use of pseudonyms, I should point
out that when David released his first novel – the utterly excellent Accident
Man – he was working as a journalist. Hence the pseudonym.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The day this post goes live is the
same day his latest Tom Cain book goes into paperback and his novel Ostland is
released (under David Thomas)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have read
both books and cannot recommend them highly enough.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Anyway, here’s David talking about
Ostland and the factors which drove him to write the story.</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Every novel I have ever written has
begun in a single, distinct moment. Sometimes it’s a visual image, or a line of
dialogue that arrives, as fleeting as a ghost in the early hours of the
morning. Once it was an unplanned, hungover visit to an exhibition of Japanese
art. In the case of Ostland, it was a line in a Sunday newspaper book review.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The book was ‘<st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> at War’ by the
historian Roger Moorhouse. The reviewer described a story told in the book
about a serial killer who preyed on solitary female travellers on the city’s
‘S-Bahn’ railway network. That was interesting enough, but then, at the end of
the paragraph was a throw-away line saying that one of the detectives who had
investigated the crime had subsequently become a major war-criminal.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I was
immediately gripped by the idea of a man who was somehow transformed from the
heroic figure of a detective tracking down an evil killer-rapist into the
ultimate villain, a genocidal Nazi mass-murderer. I bought and greatly enjoyed <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state> at War and
discovered the detective’s name: Georg Heuser. Then began months of research as
I tried to piece together the story of a young man – we first meet him a few
days before his 28<sup>th</sup> birthday – whose war was spent in an
extraordinary and in many ways tragic journey from dazzling, golden promise to
the absolute heart of darkness.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Heuser was a
brilliant detective. He graduated top of his class at the police ‘<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Leaders</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">School</st1:placetype></st1:place>’ for men on the fast-track to the
top. His reward was a posting as personal assistant to Wilhelm Lüdtke, the
chief of the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place></st1:state>
murder squad, who was engaged in the hunt for the S-Bahn murderer. Heuser
distinguished himself in the investigation and was the arresting officer when
the killer was finally tracked down. He was then invited to co-write the
official report on the investigation in the German Journal of Criminology. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">What’s more, unlike
most ambitious German policemen in the Third Reich, Heuser was never a member
of the Nazi Party. He was not anti-Semitic. He had no psychotic or violent
tendencies. Yet, in late 1941 he was sent to the Russian city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Minsk</st1:place></st1:city>, then part of the
new German colony of Ostland. And there Georg Heuser participated in a series
of horrifying mass-murders. He helped plan the transportation and execution of
tens of thousands of Jews. He stood in line with his SS comrades and shot men,
women and children cold-bloodedly in the back of the head. And he personally
executed Russian women accused of being spies, dumping their corpses in the
dead of night, just as the S-Bahn murderer had done.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">The obvious
question is: why? What could make an otherwise decent man behave in such an
appalling, unforgivable way? What went on in his head as he descended into the
depths?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">That is the
question Ostland attempts to answer. It contains two detective stories in which
Georg Heuser is the hero of one case and the villain of the other. There are
three love stories, each of which I hope casts some light on the emotional and
psychological impulses of Heuser, his victims and the post-war German
investigators shining a light on past evils that many of their
fellow-countrymen would rather have kept well hidden. And, of course, it is one
more book about the Nazis.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">But do we really
need another one of those?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I certainly
asked myself that. I’m wary of the concentration we place on the evils of
Nazism as if they were in some way unique. The constant harping on the terrible
crimes of fascism means that far too little attention is paid to the equal
wrongs perpetrated by communist dictators: Stalin, Mao and all their imitators.
Anyone with even a suspicion of neo-Nazi loyalties is rightly condemned, yet
academics and politicians who never abandoned, still less repented their
communist allegiances can go to their graves without a stain on their
reputations. My unease at that double-standard was one the reasons why my
previous book, Blood Relative had former agents of the East German secret
police, the Stasi as its villains.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">But the Nazis
are far more familiar to us than the Stalinists and Maoists. They’re closer to
us geographically, culturally and in our imaginations. And that means that
there is another question asked by Ostland: would any of us, facing the same
circumstances as Georg Heuser be any better than him?</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">No one country
or ideology has the monopoly on genocide, ethnic cleansing, mass-murder,
oppression or brutality. Nor can many nations claim to be completely innocent.
Ostland describes in extreme detail a twisted world in which normal, everyday
men could carry out atrocities so vile as to be unimaginable by any sane human
being: a world in which the women who lived and worked alongside those men
could happily wear coats and dresses stolen from the bodies of the dead.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Hitler and his
henchmen created a psychotic system that condemned millions to extermination,
and condemned those who killed them to damnation. Some say the Germans were
‘willing executioners’. I say, look at the quartermaster’s records. They reveal
that the number of vodka bottles drunk by the SS men in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Minsk</st1:place></st1:city> was almost exactly the same as the
number of Jews they killed. These pre-war policemen, car mechanics, teachers
and farmers could only implement the Final Solution by obliterating their
consciences with alcohol: one bottle per victim. They knew they were doing
something unfathomably wrong. And yet they kept drinking and kept killing too.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I was talking
about all this to a friend of mine who happens to be Jewish. Seeing that the
experience of researching and writing Ostland had affected me very deeply he
tried to give me words of reassurance: ‘Don’t worry, I know that if you’d been
in Heuser’s place, you’d never have shot anyone.’</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">I replied,
‘That’s just the problem. I fear that I would.’</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">And that fear,
in the end, is what this book is about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Here's some links if you want to follow up and buy David's books</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">Tom Cain books <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ostland-David-Thomas/dp/1780877366/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374141670&sr=1-1&keywords=OSTLAND" target="_blank">UK</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Cain/e/B001IO9W1K/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">US</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="font-family: Cambria;">David Thomas books <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ostland-David-Thomas/dp/1780877366/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1374141457&sr=1-1" target="_blank">UK</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ostland-ebook/dp/B00COOHNBO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374141518&sr=8-1&keywords=david+thomas+ostland" target="_blank">US</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-13971858767716570062013-07-08T09:16:00.001-07:002013-07-08T09:16:25.466-07:00My Editing Heaven and Hell<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"> </span><span lang="EN-GB">Over the last few weeks I’ve been hard at
work tormenting myself to death. Yes folks, it’s that time all writers learn to
love and hate; the editing of a novel.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">It’s a great feeling to see your words
being crafted into something meaningful and entertaining. Once or twice I’ve
found little passages or a sentence that made me go “fuck yeah” such was the
beauty or power of the words in front of me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sadly however, no sweary word has been left
un-muttered at the endless repetitions, unnecessary alliteration or stuff that
is just plain stupid or unbelievable or just shit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I mean, what the hell was I thinking of
when I wrote some of that nonsense? Where did all the “that’s, then’s, which’s,
who’s and and’s” come from? I certainly (Shit! Just used an adverb. That’ll
need edited out) don’t remember writing them. And don’t get me started on
contractions!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The fact I chose to write without dialogue
tags only makes things harder as I have to craft ways of informing the reader
who’s speaking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Yes my novel is getting better and
altogether tighter because of this vital and necessary editing. If I’m lucky
enough to get any interest from a publisher or agent, I’m sure that I’ll be
handed a massive batch of suggestions to tighten it further but until that day
(if that day ever comes) then I’m concentrating on getting it as good as I possibly
can.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">This editing has now crept into my writing
on every level. After the first round of edits, I wrote a couple of short
stories and I could sense the first draft was technically tighter than (Fuck.
Adverb and alliteration.) any previous first draft. Even stuff I write at work
or Facebook now gets the same attention to detail when it doesn’t need it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">When this edit is complete I will be
handing it over to my wife to proof read. Cue several yards of red ink on each
page and more un-muttered swearing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">So peeps. Am I on the write (You see what I
did there?) track or am I just driving myself insane? All comments welcome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Future guest posts include</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Tom Cain / David Thomas</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Stephen Jay Schwartz</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-69872923608388614482013-06-27T10:45:00.003-07:002013-06-27T10:45:50.377-07:00<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9513">
I bumped into good friend Michael Malone the other day. We got talking about his wonderful new release A Taste for Malice, and the conversation was so stimulating I thought I'd share it.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
<b></b> </div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
<b>So, after the events of Blood Tears, D.I. Ray McBain is back on the mean streets of Glasgow with A Taste for Malice. Tell us what this is all about then? </b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9514">
McBain is back at work <span> </span>- in the professional doghouse - and on filing duty. Desperate for something to do, a pair of old files intrigue him.<span> </span>A woman worms her way into a position of trust with a vulnerable family. The children adore her. At first. Then she has some 'fun', which soon becomes torture and mental cruelty. Then she disappears. Another case tells a similar story. The families are complaining, frustrated that no-one is doing anything and worried that more children will get hurt. But the disgraced detective, McBain is the only one who is listening.<b> </b>Meanwhile, in Ayrshire, another young family is relieved when a stranger comes into their lives to help them through a difficult time. The stories of McBain’s unofficial investigation and the situation this Ayrshire family finds itself in are told in tandem.<b> </b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9516">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6hF2F5mWyPCYTJlHBll0imOhtAdr7h93LTPsyZjgELrvE23mENO55ykHJEvDpoMESQK9Hd6Ip_TX0_GVO87Q9qasIWbaJ_kbjpOgvqw_vYiHmmBjCkmy4jF4jF6-s203PPQtvEhY6g/s960/Michael+Malone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOm6hF2F5mWyPCYTJlHBll0imOhtAdr7h93LTPsyZjgELrvE23mENO55ykHJEvDpoMESQK9Hd6Ip_TX0_GVO87Q9qasIWbaJ_kbjpOgvqw_vYiHmmBjCkmy4jF4jF6-s203PPQtvEhY6g/s320/Michael+Malone.jpg" width="320" /></a><b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9515">That’s an interesting set up. Lots of crime novels start off with the dead body. A Taste for Malice starts with a young woman coming out of a coma. What was going through your head when you came up with that?</b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9517">
Most crime novels concern themselves with the aftermath of a crime. I thought it would be interesting to give the “victim” more of a presence. I wanted this novel to be about the anticipation of a crime and the tension to come from the investigator finding the perp and saving another potential victim before the crime was actually committed.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9518">
And after the not too shabby body count in Blood Tears I wanted to try and write a crime novel without killing anyone. But, you won’t know if I’ve been successful in that regard until you read the book.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9535">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9520">
<b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9519">What a tease. What were the pleasures and challenges of writing the second book in a series? And did you suffer from Second Book Syndrome?</b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9521">
It was a real joy stepping in to a world where I knew the main characters. The team were all ready there in my head waiting to spring into action. And it was great fun being with them all again. <span> </span>So to speak. I have a great time writing with these guys and I hope that comes across in the book. McBain is a hoot to write. I enjoy his extremes – gives me scope to play with his dark and light side - and his willingness to say exactly what is on his mind. I often wish I was more like that. I’m a wuss. Mind you, I could do without his ups and downs. </div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9522">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9534">
The challenge is keeping them all fresh. Making sure they are not re-treading old ground. Displaying a little character development – but doing that in a measured way, cos ultimately I’m writing a crime novel. Readers want all that that entails.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9533">
As for SBS, that wasn’t an issue. Given that I’d written two books before I wrote Blood Tears. And also given that I wrote the book a few years back when I wasn’t aware of my audience. I think it must be worse for writers who write their first book to huge acclaim – and have all that in their heads when they are writing the next one. Anonymity sheltered me from that nonsense. </div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9532">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
Sadly.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9525">
Having said that, I might have a new syndrome, TBS. Problems with the third book. I write by the seat of my pants. With no clue where I’m headed. And I’m 25,000 words in and it’s like mentally wading through treacle. I kinda know where I want to go, but as yet, the boys in the boiler room (how Stephen King refers to his sub-conscious) haven’t given me a route.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9524">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9526">
<b id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9531">What can you tell us about McBain 3?</b></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9523">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1372264197123_9527">
Nuffink. Except that it’s pencilled in for a November ’14 release. We’re going later with this one because I have another book out in February and we need to give that one some air before releasing another MJM novel. You can get too much of a good thing you know.</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
My thanks to Michael for allowing me to share this conversation. If anyone wants to buy a copy of A Taste for Malice or Blood Tears the links to Michael's Amazon Author Pages are below</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-J-Malone/e/B009WV9V4Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1372354980&sr=1-1">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-J-Malone/e/B009WV9V4Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1372354980&sr=1-1</a></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
US <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Michael-J.-Malone/e/B009WV9V4Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1372355032&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Michael-J.-Malone/e/B009WV9V4Y/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1372355032&sr=8-1</a></div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="yiv6777079908MsoNormal">
Coming in July, I have Tom Cain / David Thomas talking about the inspiration for his excellent novel Ostland.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-83898415011134746432013-06-17T11:20:00.004-07:002013-06-17T11:20:50.206-07:00Promoting Other Peeps' Books
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This week I’m taking a wee moment to promo a couple of friends and their
new releases. Being honest, I haven’t read either of these books but I have
read other stuff by both of these guys and can vouch for their writely skill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">First up is B.R. Stateham and he’s followed later on by Darren Sant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsTYqV47JV-ZOkRxPz_u9LVR0Q5E7KjvGPUu560is6XVJ-dwT8l2y9xkb-EzN7gk-E8COzoRDzbTzRlBGe8fFC03MqKCcUtqZ9bDXcGkIxm6XLKhriSWypHeubfIdf4h2JrBcoQKGxoo/s1600/BR+Stateham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpsTYqV47JV-ZOkRxPz_u9LVR0Q5E7KjvGPUu560is6XVJ-dwT8l2y9xkb-EzN7gk-E8COzoRDzbTzRlBGe8fFC03MqKCcUtqZ9bDXcGkIxm6XLKhriSWypHeubfIdf4h2JrBcoQKGxoo/s320/BR+Stateham.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-left: -18pt; text-indent: 18pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Turner Hahn and Frank
Morales Are Back<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Homicide detectives Turner Hahn and Frank Morales are back on duty in their
new novel, Guilt of Innocence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The two are investigating a couple of murders which pushes them to the
limits of their wits. One case involves the death of a very successful corporate
lawyer. A high priced corporate lawyer who happens to be married to a woman who
heads the largest cosmetics firm in the country. How the murder took place is
perplexing enough. But as more bodies begin to drop Turner and Frank soon
realize they are facing a maniacal mastermind who may very well be smarter than
both of them combined.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Twists and turns, dead ends and red herrings . . . with an ending that will
truly be surprising. This case has it all. And this is only case number one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Case number two involves the disappearance of a young girl fifteen years
earlier. A Cold Case File. Except it is not a cold case any longer. The girl
has returned. And now lies on a cold metal table in the morgue. Someone has
gone out of their way to make the homicide look like a suicide. Apparently a
crime syndicate is frantic to make sure neither Turner nor Frank find out the
facts surrounding the girl's disappearance fifteen years earlier. A hit man is
in town grimly eliminating everyone who may have known the girl. A hit man with
orders to possibly rub out Turner and Frank as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And again the real killer is someone whom no one would have ever suspected.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;">BIO<br />
B.R. Stateham is a sixty-four year old curmudgeon who writes genre fiction.
With an antiquarian's body yet with the mind of a fourteen year old boy, the
author's imagination still wanders down dark alleys and mean streets looking
for a dangerous rendezvous or dons a Federation uniform and straps on his waist
a 20 megawatt laser blaster to go out and hunt Martian grave robbers.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
Darren Sant<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIeYru69B9Q01Rccr94khPV0e-WHWQ47EQ56hyphenhyphenLrqjwekswwIt9W0ZONGEZ2g9bX1jueok-SO3lCYLLZNwWJ7LjsCAWRyt9Dsxt87jlVe4q3XEPfU12SuJIkigb0aNOAtX-z5zvExcKY/s1600/Daz+Sant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsIeYru69B9Q01Rccr94khPV0e-WHWQ47EQ56hyphenhyphenLrqjwekswwIt9W0ZONGEZ2g9bX1jueok-SO3lCYLLZNwWJ7LjsCAWRyt9Dsxt87jlVe4q3XEPfU12SuJIkigb0aNOAtX-z5zvExcKY/s1600/Daz+Sant.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white;">
When branch manager Giles Macintosh arrives to open
up one morning and finds an injured bum and his battered dog lying in the
doorway of the bank, he little suspects what lies in store for them all.<br />
<br />
Giles does the decent thing and calls for help, then puts the incident out of
his mind. However, having been witness to things he cannot explain, he feels
drawn to the man and tries to track him down … only to find he has vanished.<br />
<br />
But who is the enigmatic, homeless Frank? Why are two very nasty men trying to
find him? Why has a prostitute been abducted? And what does the future hold for
Giles’s seriously ill son, Jake?<br />
<br />
As the story unfolds, the tension increases and the true nature of Frank’s
amazing secret begins to be revealed. The stakes are high as the criminal and
the supernatural come together for a final, inevitable showdown.<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
BIO</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Darren Sant was born in 1970 and raised in Stoke-on-Trent in
Staffordshire which is in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United
Kingdom</st1:country-region></st1:place>. He moved to <st1:city w:st="on">Hull</st1:city>
in <st1:place w:st="on">East Yorkshire</st1:place> in 2001.<br />
<br />
A life long avid reader he always wanted to be a writer. However, teenage
years, girls, work, pubs and football provided adequate distraction until his
late twenties. After attending a few creative writing classes he started
writing poetry. After moving to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hull</st1:place></st1:city>
he joined a writing group called the Renegade Writers who gained infamy by
doing performance poetry with a Rock N Roll ethos. Following the split of the
Renegade Writers he settled down a little and didn't write for a while.<br />
<br />
He became interested in writing again when his friend, Nick Boldock, introduced
him to the Radgepacket series by Byker Books. These anthologies had a gritty
urban feel to them and prided themselves on being "Industrial
Strength" fiction. He has now contributed to three of the Radgepacket
anthologies:</div>
<br />
Coming soon I have Daid Thomas / Tom Cain<br />
Next week the usual witterings, half-baked theories and rantsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-79696852546672020902013-05-27T09:38:00.003-07:002013-05-27T09:38:45.907-07:00Lee Child Interview
This week I'm delighted to share a recent short interview I did with Lee Child.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">1) You have just been
awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger for your contribution to crime fiction. How did
it feel to be honoured in this way and how do you feel joining such icons of
the genre who have previously won this award? <br />
<br />
<b>I assumed they had confused me with someone else, or maybe all the other
candidates had died. It’s a very prestigious award and a huge honour, and I’m
not worthy of it. I’m just a hack and a scuffler, and to be compared to the
previous winners is absurd. They’re my heroes, and occasionally to be in the
same room as them is a thrill. To be on the same award list as them is amazing.<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br />
<br />
2) Being upfront and honest from the start, I should say that I haven’t yet got
to see Jack Reacher, despite having read ‘One Shot’ years ago and all of your
books as they came out. My reticence in this respect is because I’m a reader
not a viewer. From the feedback you’ve had do you find that readers have gone
to see it because of their following of Reacher or that they have been readers
like me who have not yet put a book down long enough to watch a film? (I should
say at this point that the casting of Tom Cruise did not affect my decision in
any way as the Jack Reacher in my head looks nothing like any actor I’ve seen).
<br />
<br />
<b>Anecdotally I think readers are basically fans of storytelling, so most of
them like movies too, especially those movies that set out simply to tell a
good story, which I think “Jack Reacher” does. Some Reacher fans stayed away,
because they wanted to retain their personal vision, but most went and most of
them liked it.</b><br />
<br />
3) Your background in TV is well documented. Your own journey saw you fired
from Granada TV and yet you end up with one of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:city></st1:place>’s top A listers starring in a film
based on one of your books. Would you describe the premiere of Jack Reacher as
the highpoint of your writing career and how did it feel to have that
experience? <br />
<br />
<b>Well, my attitude is that books are books, and movies are movies – in other
words, they’re parallel events, not sequential. So as a writer, no, the highlight
would be my first number one, or maybe a year like 2008 when I was number one
in hardcover and paperback in the US and the UK, or 2011, when the four number
ones were simultaneous. That’s cool. The <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>
premiere was fabulous and glamorous for sure, but it was the movie people’s
night, not mine.</b><br />
<br />
4) I’ve read articles on the Worldwide Web of Lies which said there won’t be a
Jack Reacher sequel. Can you tell us the truth, will there be a sequel and if
so which book is it based on?<br />
<br />
<b>The truth is … we don’t know. The movie was extremely profitable, so
numbers-wise the incentive is there, but there are hundreds of moving parts,
and anything can happen. My personal guess is yes, there will be a sequel –
certainly the “no sequel” report was wrong and misquoted. Which book? Probably
one of the rural, back-of-beyond stories, to contrast with the urban feel of
the first one.</b><br />
<br />
5) Coming back to the books, in ‘A Wanted Man’ and ‘Worth Dying For’, Reacher
for once had a destination. ‘Never Go Back’ is released later this year. Will
Reacher make his planned rendezvous or are there more obstacles in his way? <br />
<br />
<b>Yes, Reacher finally gets there. But – no surprise - he finds big problems
waiting for him.</b><br />
<br />
6) What are you currently working on and what else does 2013 hold in store for
Lee Child and Jack Reacher? <br />
<br />
<b>Right now I’m co-writing a TV pilot with my daughter, which is a total
delight. In September I’ll start the 19th Reacher book – assuming I’m offered a
new contract. I never take anything for granted.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">My thanks to Lee for answering my questions and Chris Simmons at Crimesquad.com for arranging the interview and allowing me to share it here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Still to come - David Thomas / Tom Cain.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-54507007955077103872013-05-20T09:47:00.001-07:002013-05-20T09:47:29.450-07:00The Future of Reading<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">An awful lot has been written about the future of reading and I thought it was about time I had my say. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">With mobile phones, eReaders and audio books competing with traditional paper books there has been an awful lot, both spoken and written about the demise of the book. Can I just point out that it’s all bullshit. Readers read. End of argument. Sure the delivery platform may change but the desire to read a good story doesn’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I’m going to hold up my own son Daniel as an example. He reads every day. Sometimes he’s been known to lay down his Nintendo or Wii and pick up a book. His best friend is also a reader. They swap books with each other on an almost daily basis. I’ve overheard them discussing books on more than one occasion. Daniel received two books from Father Christmas. He’d finished them by the time we’d travelled the hour and a half journey to my mother-in-laws. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Once when we were in the supermarket Daniel wanted me to buy him an ice-cream and some books. I gave him the £4 change in my pocket so he could get what he wanted. Not having enough for both he bought the book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Sure, he’s grown up watching my wife and I read, but I grew up with my parents reading infrequently, and I have had a book on the go since the age of eight. Daniel is now eight and he reads just as much as I do, has reader friends as I do and as he has grown older his love of reading has grown, as mine has.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">So there you have it. As long as there’s young readers there will always be a demand for books. Personally I don’t care what platform my son chooses to read on. I’m just a proud father watching a child expand their mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">P.S. It’s just a shame he’s gonna have to wait a few years before he can read any of my stories. I might have to write something without violence or sweary words just for him to read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">In other news Crime and Publishment is set to return in 2014 and is promising to be a fantastic weekend of crime writing courses. We’ve been lucky enough to attract such stellar names as Chris Ewan, Zoe Sharp and Michael Malone as tutors. Darren Laws of Caffeine Nights will be teaching attendees how to pitch to a publisher and will also be accepting pitches.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB">More information on Crime and Publishment can be found <a href="http://www.crimeandpublishment.co.uk/" target="_blank">here.</a></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-79132962352672646392013-05-13T11:11:00.000-07:002013-05-13T11:12:32.408-07:00Journalism to Authordom. A well worn path travelled anew.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My guest post this week is from Matt Bendoris - a journalist, who like many others before him - turned his hand to novel writing. Here's what Matt has to say about how his day job has helped his new ambitions. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I honestly don’t believe I could have written a crime novel without becoming a journalist first.</span><br />
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1851">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEJ8R57tR-urYTed4kngmVK8VGG0-L_rlIK5ZzqIxYRlCnXHFNGSqvZODhpsNl1T67GWASBZ-_bvIeY8aXIZcgt_2uureNPK1kvgVgSeVfHgpi3xMg4usIIcM62hn6DbpwtMfzjPqpUk/s1600/Matt+Bendoris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEJ8R57tR-urYTed4kngmVK8VGG0-L_rlIK5ZzqIxYRlCnXHFNGSqvZODhpsNl1T67GWASBZ-_bvIeY8aXIZcgt_2uureNPK1kvgVgSeVfHgpi3xMg4usIIcM62hn6DbpwtMfzjPqpUk/s320/Matt+Bendoris.jpg" width="218" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Why? I’ve actually met and interviewed the bad guys I’m writing about. I have had to quiz a former terrorist leader while his bodyguard sat menacingly nearby.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1993">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And I have spent countless hours in the company of Archie ‘Mad Dog’ McCafferty – convicted for four murders in Australia.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1965">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Archie once even called me during the middle of a police siege (he was ‘allegedly’ holding family members hostage). I even got to the dubious privileged of hearing him being over-powered by the long arm of the law while on the phone. (Fortunately no one was hurt in the incident!)</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1991">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The flip side of the coin is I’ve also interviewed First Ministers and the Prime Minister where it’s like a scene straight out of The Thick Of It.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1988">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> And I’ve witnessed the growing influence of the PRs and agents in the candy floss world of showbiz, where they can make you believe a nasty piece of work is actually a lovely, caring person.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1966">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It’s those journalistic experiences that money simply cannot buy.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1989">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So I doth my cap to the hundreds of other crime novelists who come from various other backgrounds to write best-sellers.</span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNoSpacing" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1990">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> But I couldn’t have written my book without my nearly quarter of a century working on newspapers in Scotland and London.</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1968">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oh7sWXW2C4S7SEItKP2R3bHUpG6CzwJRItK2gjxnq5S3b12ApexO_5xfykfadLnoFSPMcbRWbHKCISQ1vTYBthoLnnaTvY3tQtgufTce6It49f_oadOyfhxaQM6PfSrbLx8X2M7FYvA/s1600/51qcHcqh9iL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-66,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9oh7sWXW2C4S7SEItKP2R3bHUpG6CzwJRItK2gjxnq5S3b12ApexO_5xfykfadLnoFSPMcbRWbHKCISQ1vTYBthoLnnaTvY3tQtgufTce6It49f_oadOyfhxaQM6PfSrbLx8X2M7FYvA/s1600/51qcHcqh9iL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-66,22_AA300_SH20_OU02_%5B1%5D.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BIOG:</span></div>
<div id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1971">
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1970" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1969" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Matt Bendoris has been a journalist for 24 years.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1973" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1972" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> He started as a pop columnist for the Glasgow Guardian, before working as a feature writer for The Scottish Sun, followed by The Sun in London (where a once youthful Matt was hired by a once youthful Piers Morgan), The Daily Record and The Mirror in London (when he was hired for a second time by Piers Morgan who was clearly suffering from amnesia).</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1999" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1998" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Matt returned to the Scottish Sun in 1996, where he is currently Chief Feature Writer.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1974" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_2000" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> In 2004 he released his first book, a ghost written autobiography of TV stars The Krankies called Fan-Dabi-Dozi, on Blake Publishing. This contained the ground breaking exclusive that the duo had once been wife swappers, which suddenly became a Twitter sensation in 2011 - sadly far too late to help with the book's sales.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1997" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_1996" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> While in 2005 he wrote the autobiography Simply Devine for Scottish singer Sydney Devine, on Black& White Publishing, with every national newspaper in Scotland running stories on its more salacious content!</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_2002" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_2001" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> But when Matt’s work relocated to Glasgow city centre in 2007 he began writing his debut crime novel Killing With Confidence on his BlackBerry, which is released in March 2013.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_2008" style="background: white;">
<span id="yui_3_7_2_1_1368466155489_2007" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year will also see the publication of his second crime novel, The Ned Detective, which he co-wrote in a mad, seven week frenzy during 2012.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My thanks to Matt for the post. I've been lucky enough to read <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-With-Confidence-ebook/dp/B00CQM84RQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368466429&sr=1-1&keywords=matt+bendoris" target="_blank">Killing With Confidence</a> and can honestly recommend it. </span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Next week it'll be a post from me and then the week after I'll be posting my interview with Lee Child.</span></span></div>
<div class="yiv5618079216MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">July will see a guest post from Tom Cain and his alter ego David Thomas.</span></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-50399796927451916322013-05-06T10:24:00.000-07:002013-05-06T10:25:02.970-07:00Research on Prostitution <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">This week, I have a very enlightening post from Ruth Jacobs on researching a very difficult topic.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Research on Prostitution
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBqdpWGfY_gMF5EN8iNnkLO8vWf7zhvu20SZu6v7jj3x62uLoYJq8mf7CblNjxQ6DxeMGGW3OCqGpUiIXKzAsu5iKIpqKS6nfCBpPpUN85vN-UK8DhEo_MweSTawXmyQb9h02JyMeWLA/s1600/Ruth+Jacobs+B%2526W.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNBqdpWGfY_gMF5EN8iNnkLO8vWf7zhvu20SZu6v7jj3x62uLoYJq8mf7CblNjxQ6DxeMGGW3OCqGpUiIXKzAsu5iKIpqKS6nfCBpPpUN85vN-UK8DhEo_MweSTawXmyQb9h02JyMeWLA/s320/Ruth+Jacobs+B%2526W.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">In the late 1990s, I undertook a dissertation on prostitution. I had been studying criminology, and within that, I was examining female criminal activity, and noticed the lack of females in certain types of crime and their prevalence in prostitution, which in most societies is not a crime, but classed as ‘deviant’ behaviour in sociological terms. I knew the importance of firsthand accounts when undertaking such a project and, being somewhat wayward and spending time in London’s underworld, I had friends who worked as call girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Three of my friends generously agreed to be interviewed. And one of those video interviews, which was fully transcribed in 1998, was published on Amazon in 2012. That interview was with a woman referred to as Q. She was one of my closest friends at that time in my life. As she is no longer alive, all the royalties from that short publication, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://soul-destruction.com/in-her-own-words/reviews/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call Girl</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">, are donated to </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.beyondthestreets.org.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Beyond the Streets</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">, a charity working to end sexual exploitation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Because Q and I were so close, I am sure that is what enabled her to be completely open in her interview with me. She spoke freely and without inhibition about her feelings on all aspects of her life in prostitution, from working as a call girl, as she was at that time, back to the days she first entered prostitution at fifteen years of age, forced by a pimp to work the streets. She said how she felt raped by those clients. But those men were not clients. Children do not have clients. Those men were child rapists. And daily, she was raped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ9wj33coNRWwih0_zIvz_SrpTCAI9tHUma7ZRGA4AF0XoIeCD-wXyCraTuKEHKA82a4vOww6ueX8Mw6AtuNaHBD921-yqm_qV2LYuN2nzECF_uWEUZ0WjgKPPc0Raxw5vFcQ5gxptM0/s1600/SD+Pack+shot+high+res.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQ9wj33coNRWwih0_zIvz_SrpTCAI9tHUma7ZRGA4AF0XoIeCD-wXyCraTuKEHKA82a4vOww6ueX8Mw6AtuNaHBD921-yqm_qV2LYuN2nzECF_uWEUZ0WjgKPPc0Raxw5vFcQ5gxptM0/s320/SD+Pack+shot+high+res.png" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">The other two women I interviewed, referred to as R and S, were also good friends of mine, but we were not as close as Q and I were. I knew much about their lives already, having spent a great deal of time with them as friends. One of them used to smoke crack with her clients in a room in her flat while her baby was asleep in the other room. She ended up losing custody of her child. But both R and S were guarded in their interviews. And because I knew them, it was painfully clear they putting on as much of a front as they could muster. The missing information wasn’t mentioned in my dissertation because it was only right to use the words they had shared during their interviews. It would also not have been right to ask leading questions, and the semi-structured interviews were led by what the women were comfortable with sharing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Having tried for many years to escape my own reality and past trauma, I identified with R and S for their need to hold back, not to face the pain, and even more so in the setting of an interview, rather than us sitting round smoking crack. My dear friend Q, who is longer alive, gave everything she could in her interview. And if you read In Her Own Words... Interview with a London Call, though you will see Q’s pain and torment, there was also far more she had suffered in life than what was disclosed in that interview. She was an angel. The most beautiful soul. And Soul Destruction: Unforgivable is dedicated her. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Soul Destruction: Unforgivable <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Enter the bleak existence of a call girl haunted by the atrocities of her childhood. In the spring of 1997, Shelley Hansard is a drug addict with a heroin habit and crack psychosis. Her desirability as a top London call girl is waning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">When her client dies in a suite at The Lanesborough Hotel, Shelley’s complex double-life is blasted deeper into chaos. In her psychotic state, the skills required to keep up her multiple personas are weakening. Amidst her few friends, and what remains of her broken family, she struggles to maintain her wall of lies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">During this tumultuous time, she is presented with an opportunity to take revenge on a client who raped her and her friends. But in her unbalanced state of mind, can she stop a serial rapist?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Soul Destruction: Unforgivable was released 29 April 2013. Available worldwide from all major online retailers in paperback and e-book. </span></b><br />
</div>
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Ruth Jacobs writes a series of novels entitled Soul Destruction, which expose the dark world and the harsh reality of life as a call girl. Her debut novel, Soul Destruction: Unforgivable, is released on 29 April 2013 by Caffeine Nights. Ruth studied prostitution in the late 1990s, which sparked her interest in the subject. She draws on her research and the women she interviewed for inspiration. She also has firsthand experience of many of the topics she writes about such as posttraumatic stress disorder, rape, and drug and alcohol addiction. In addition to her fiction writing, Ruth is also involved in non-fiction for her charity and human rights campaigning work in the areas of anti-sexual exploitation and anti-human trafficking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial;">Further information and contact details:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm0TMRvUWv6wE8PIH-POpF_Zb8M0ka15MFxOScP2gzHmh7qVQW-20-8f5ZTw5m1XsZHfKfVqGpYWF0syqQaCxRyOZHu3oCjBAnCdKLD0QMg0Xzhujx0FuSB-GZa5hZRNdFgICZa6Y9lg/s1600/SD-front+border.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjm0TMRvUWv6wE8PIH-POpF_Zb8M0ka15MFxOScP2gzHmh7qVQW-20-8f5ZTw5m1XsZHfKfVqGpYWF0syqQaCxRyOZHu3oCjBAnCdKLD0QMg0Xzhujx0FuSB-GZa5hZRNdFgICZa6Y9lg/s320/SD-front+border.jpg" width="199" /></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ruth Jacobs’s Amazon author page - UK: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruth-Jacobs/e/B008OJ0ZMC"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ruth-Jacobs/e/B008OJ0ZMC</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and US: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Jacobs/e/B008OJ0ZMC"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Jacobs/e/B008OJ0ZMC</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Soul Destruction website: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://soul-destruction.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://soul-destruction.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Author Website: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://ruthjacobs.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://ruthjacobs.co.uk</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ruth’s Facebook page: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/rujacobs"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.facebook.com/rujacobs</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Soul Destruction Facebook page: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/SoulDestructionSeries"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://www.facebook.com/SoulDestructionSeries</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Ruth on Twitter: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://twitter.com/RuthFJacobs"><span style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://twitter.com/RuthFJacobs</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My thanks to Ruth for this excellent and insightful post.</span></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Next week I have Matt Bendoris guest posting and then it's back to my own ramblings, although I have an Interview with Lee Child and a guest post from Tom Cain scheduled in the near future.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-54110385303180180112013-04-29T11:04:00.002-07:002013-04-29T11:04:27.674-07:00LIVING WITH A GANGSTER
<br />
This week I am delighted to introduce one of the stars of the Brit Grit
revolution – Howard Linskey. Howard’s books are all excellent reads and I have
had the privilege of reviewing all three. They are earthy, gritty and
compulsive reading. Anyway, enough from me, here’s Howard.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4QZorl0NXqBT3-2W7E5rQm-7YISv5dXdqyDvi4gIOAQ7wo5pxYCBKFg126x5F0oM2IPkEgHytBkw9_4l2hcR_nmrJEjH6_GXJh_cva1V0LvIm4E3EqS16A_MYDc2Y-DcwEqIDnxjzPk/s1600/Howard+Linskey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb4QZorl0NXqBT3-2W7E5rQm-7YISv5dXdqyDvi4gIOAQ7wo5pxYCBKFg126x5F0oM2IPkEgHytBkw9_4l2hcR_nmrJEjH6_GXJh_cva1V0LvIm4E3EqS16A_MYDc2Y-DcwEqIDnxjzPk/s320/Howard+Linskey.jpg" width="320" /></a>For the past three years now I’ve been living with a gangster. It’s been a
dysfunctional and abusive relationship but you might be surprised to learn that
he took the brunt of the violence not me. In three books now; ‘The Drop’, ‘The
Damage’ and ‘The Dead’, which has just been published by No Exit, I have taken
great delight in placing my Geordie, white-collar criminal, David Blake, in
trouble again and again. Blake has been beaten up and shot at, chased by men on
motor bikes then threatened with imprisonment, torture and execution. He has
been targeted by hit men, assaulted by Police officers and forced to fend off
an attacker in his apartment, using nothing but an urn containing the ashes of
his girlfriend’s mother. <br />
<br />
Blake is no saint however and he, in turn, has killed people in all three
books; with knives, guns, machetes or simply by ordering their deaths. Not bad
for a man who never actually considers himself to be a gangster. Blake’s life
is pretty stressful, so he has occasionally turned to drugs but, being an old
fashioned, northern lad, he tends to prefer booze or, on occasions, women to
relieve that stress. He is not the best boyfriend material however, having
cheated on his girl with minimal guilt, and is unlikely to empathise with you
if you’ve had a hard day at the office, as it is unlikely to have been as tough
as the 24 hours he has endured. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHzyDEytqyoFXMorg3J9dzZsC7oMXkzz6MXTEVzvxuL7YMMkrNH4-f2aKJtuCJGEiDB5zJej7wLNnXUdgd2C9OV5qtfloE6zsTm4rxWnVRE7bqewBfMvOK4bn7-cbyXg5sL5PYqSi_mM/s1600/The+Dead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHzyDEytqyoFXMorg3J9dzZsC7oMXkzz6MXTEVzvxuL7YMMkrNH4-f2aKJtuCJGEiDB5zJej7wLNnXUdgd2C9OV5qtfloE6zsTm4rxWnVRE7bqewBfMvOK4bn7-cbyXg5sL5PYqSi_mM/s320/The+Dead.jpg" width="210" /></a>And what has David Blake given me in return for all of the grief I’ve put
him through? Well, plenty. Apart from the obvious relief and joy that comes
with finally becoming a published author and seeing my name on a book cover, I
wasn’t sure what to expect as a first time novelist. Would anybody read my
book, would anyone actually like it? Thankfully they did and they do. I have
had some wonderful moments because of Blake. I’ve been reviewed positively by,
amongst others, The Daily Mail and The Times; the latter naming me as one of
their top five thriller writers of the year because of ‘The Drop’, an accolade
that I still can’t quite believe, even now. Frankly I’d be happy to have that
one etched on my tombstone. <br />
<br />
In the north east in particular, the books have gone down really well and I
have received a stack of messages from folk who enjoyed reading a story that is
set in an area they know. I’ve been interviewed in all of the local papers,
made numerous appearances on BBC Radio Newcastle and even been on TV. I’ve also
given away my books in competitions on NUFC.com, the web site for exiled
Newcastle United fans around the globe, which I think gave me almost as much
pleasure as the Times review. ‘The Drop’, renamed ‘Crime Machine’, has been
published to great reviews in Germany, so ‘The Damage’ will follow it there
next year and, in the Autumn, Harper Collins will publish both books in the
U.S. God knows what they will make of my Geordie gangster in America. <br />
<br />
The only thing that could possibly top all of the above is the e-mail my
publisher received from someone claiming to work for David Barron, producer of
the Harry Potter films. He had apparently bought a copy of my book, read it,
loved it and wanted to turn it into a TV series. This seemed a tad unlikely but
it turned out, astonishingly, to be true. A few weeks later I was sitting in my
agent’s <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">London</st1:place></st1:city>
office in a meeting with David, who turned out to be a very nice bloke indeed.
I spent a pleasant hour or two with the man behind the most successful movie
franchise the world has ever seen, discussing the practicalities of bringing
David Blake to the small screen. The scripts are being developed by JJ
Connolly, another top man, who wrote the great British gangster flick, ‘Layer
Cake’. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to watch David Blake being put in peril
all over again; this time on the telly. <br />
<br />
Now that the trilogy is finally complete, I’m not going to say whether
Blake, or his large assortment of supporting characters from the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Newcastle</st1:place></st1:city> underworld,
will ever make a re-appearance. That’s dependant on me coming up with a strong
enough storyline. The last thing I want to do is churn out two dozen very
similar books, on auto pilot that, like <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place></st1:city>
sequels, fall foul of the inevitable law of diminishing returns. <br />
<br />
I have an idea for a new book and I’m afraid there’s no space for David
Blake in this one. I owe the fellah a great deal but I’ve been seeing other
people lately; in my mind’s eye at least. I’m going to take a break from Blake
for a while, to allow some different characters to live with me instead.
However there is no way I am ever going to forget the man and everything he has
done for me. Who knows, maybe one day, I’ll come crawling back to him. <br />
<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
Howard's debut novel The Drop was voted as one of the Top Five Thrillers of
2011 by The Times. Harry Potter producer David Barron and JJ Connolly, author
of Layer Cake, are joining forces to produce a TV adaptation of The Drop. The
follow-up novel The Damage was voted a top Summer read by The Times. <br />
<br />
Howard Linskey has worked as a barman, journalist, catering manager and
marketing manager for a celebrity chef, as well as in a variety of sales and
account management jobs. Originally from Ferryhill in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Durham</st1:placename></st1:place>,
he now lives in Hertfordshire with his wife Alison and daughter, Erin. Howard
is a long-suffering Newcastle United fan. <br />
His website can be found at <a href="http://www.howardlinskey.com/main/" target="_blank">Howardlinskey.com</a><br />
<br />
My thanks to Howard for the guest post.<br />
<br />
I have Ruth Jacobs next week followed by Matt Bendoris. After that It'll be little old me for a few weeks although I also have an interview with Lee Child to post and a future guest post from David Thomas / Tom Cain coming in July.<br />
<br />
Graham<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-25070388658069746312013-04-22T11:21:00.002-07:002013-04-22T11:21:38.498-07:00A Call to Action
This week's guest post is Matt Hilton taking about new vehicles for old writing.<span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Back in ye olde days, when Knights were
bold and ebooks weren’t invented…</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">…I wrote short stories. The thing was, I
didn’t sell too many of them or even get them published. It wasn’t through lack
of trying. I used to send them off to print magazines and answered calls for
submission to yearly print anthologies and such like. Maybe – or should that
read probably? – the stories weren’t up to scratch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s highly likely. There was also the
problem that so many other writers were doing the same thing that an unknown
like me didn’t stand a chance of getting in. But it didn’t put me off writing.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">These days I’m best known for writing
action thrillers, primarily my Joe Hunter series, the eighth of which – Rules
of Honour – was published this February by Hodder and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Stoughton</st1:place></st1:city>, but I also still enjoy writing
short stories as and when I can. In fact, that’s not totally true. I write them
as a matter of course. It’s my way of getting through the dreaded ‘writer’s
block’. If ever I’m at a stall on the latest novel, I’ll switch tack and write
a short. It serves to clear my head, while working in a different voice, and
subconsciously while going through that process I’ll work out the problem that
was holding up the novel. When writing these shorts I’m not picky on the
genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll happily write crime fiction,
gritty slice of life, humorous crime, horror, heroic fantasy and also larger
than life, over the top action stories that take me back to my early reading
roots.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqIyv-8qywI8PoLIbmjI6rSW3xL13n9pR9Tgtdp6CyDbWwlOhRTlenNHnn8OtQwEHzS-vK49o9puV7jNNfcSg_CncoMv_nRBXFrw2GeuQg5I2PMS8RSeEyBsidpkSTag4y24oCxAMm64/s1600/Action+-+PPT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqIyv-8qywI8PoLIbmjI6rSW3xL13n9pR9Tgtdp6CyDbWwlOhRTlenNHnn8OtQwEHzS-vK49o9puV7jNNfcSg_CncoMv_nRBXFrw2GeuQg5I2PMS8RSeEyBsidpkSTag4y24oCxAMm64/s320/Action+-+PPT.jpg" width="200" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I was born in the mid-1960s, and was in my
early teens by the end of the 1970s. At the time I was already reading
voraciously (as well as writing), but it wasn’t the kind of books boys of my
age would normally have been attracted to. I was reading from my father’s stash
of ‘Men’s Adventure Fiction’ and my favourites were the likes of Mack Bolan,
Remo Williams, Nick Carter, Edge and Adam Steele. It made sense that my writing
would reflect my reading habits, and even back then I was churning out my own
pastiches. Over the intervening thirty years I’ve never lost that love for
action books, and when setting out to write my Joe Hunter series firmly
intended giving a nod to those old influences.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">With Joe Hunter I’ve to be mindful of
modern thinking and ideology, and try to keep them contemporaneous and largely
up to date. But that doesn’t stop me allowing my imagination to wander when
penning (or typing) my short stories. </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">I was late to grasp hold of the eBook
bandwagon. In fact, I resisted it. I’m a hopeless romantic who longs for ye
olde days, and it took me a while to catch on. When I looked around something
was happening and it was good. Genre fiction was making a comeback, and the
eBook was the new platform for it. I saw an opening where ‘Men’s Adventure
Fiction’ had a viable new publishing route, and I grabbed at it.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">My original plan was to put together a
collection of my own stories, but then I had an epiphany. I wondered how many
other writers out there shared similar influences to mine, and who also had a
few over the top actioners lying around with no home for them. So, instead, I
decided I’d put out the call for submissions for a project I called ACTION:
Pulse Pounding Tales Volume 1. To my surprise and delight, dozens of stories
flooded in, and some of them from well established household names too. I put
out the collection of 37 action packed stories a little under a year ago, and
though not a blazing success by way of sales, it has been well received and has
gained some glowing reviews from readers. On the back of writers and readers’
enthusiasm it fired my own enthusiasm for the old style action stories again.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzi6uR9p_S4YJIV5VOH2Cv8rUQYWb3JXfheeMRfvEv25Tt88itkJTJdvehangV11LKum1p_Q_z2YGLjbBkZk4rKMA4vkTz5U5ZtV-6REt6nmiBMozSBvo98L5uepJwsvvcyCQzuu2P6Y/s1600/Action+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzi6uR9p_S4YJIV5VOH2Cv8rUQYWb3JXfheeMRfvEv25Tt88itkJTJdvehangV11LKum1p_Q_z2YGLjbBkZk4rKMA4vkTz5U5ZtV-6REt6nmiBMozSBvo98L5uepJwsvvcyCQzuu2P6Y/s320/Action+2.jpg" width="215" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">So much so that I’ve decided to go for
another blast of pulse pounding action. Yes, I’m putting together ACTION Volume
2, with a mind to publishing it as an ebook late May or early June 2013.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><span style="font-family: Cambria;"> </span></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Okay, this isn’t an advert for my latest
collection (well, not really), but to show that there are viable options for
your own stories these days. I guess it’s about finding the right vehicle. The
options are wide open now, through eBooks, POD, and even self-publishing
ventures. ACTION Volume 1 would never have been picked up by a traditional
publishing house, but it’s now out there, being read and enjoyed by many, and
has opened the door for ACTION 2 to be also published. What I’m trying to say
is, all those stories you thought would never sell, well, maybe they just
might. It’s about checking out other ways of attracting a readership, and
though I’m late to the ball, I’m hopefully here to stay. I wouldn’t be
surprised if there’s an ACTION Volume 3 further down the line.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Cambria;">Many thanks to Matt for a great post which certainly struck a chord with me.</span></span></div>
<br />
Future guest blogs<br />
Howard Linskey - 29th April<br />
Ryth Jacobs - 5th May<br />
Matt Bendoris - 12th May<br />
Lee Child Interview - TBC<br />
Tom Cain / David Thomas - JulyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-82018643296047084352013-04-15T12:35:00.001-07:002013-04-15T12:35:56.893-07:00Multiple Viewpoints
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">I
recently read an excellent novel called The Catch by Tom Bale. Tom is one of
the undiscovered gems of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>
thriller writing. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Such
was the brilliance of the writing, I campaigned to my editor at Crimesquad.com
to make Tom Bale our Author of the Month for April. He duly got that honour and
my review and interview may be found here.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">The
novel focuses on a tired friendship and moral choices and uses multiple
viewpoints to tell the story. As my own humble work in progress uses multiple
viewpoints I was keen to seek the author’s opinion. So here it is.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGwZt22ZNd7CPL3Gi2r1V7TacjF__dFt8SzD-iGCqjZdgxgcsquygy1fVskiBaRY6NupjNZPKkGN3wZvqsBOaXT3K4YyTQlnsKEx9XBnahPf057BkaRDHNWg8s29drEKhIaOm0nfJskE/s1600/Tom+Bale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGwZt22ZNd7CPL3Gi2r1V7TacjF__dFt8SzD-iGCqjZdgxgcsquygy1fVskiBaRY6NupjNZPKkGN3wZvqsBOaXT3K4YyTQlnsKEx9XBnahPf057BkaRDHNWg8s29drEKhIaOm0nfJskE/s1600/Tom+Bale.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Everyone’s
got a point of view. That might be true in life, but not always in fiction –
and the matter of perspective is one of the most important decisions that a
writer has to make.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">It
was Graham’s recent question on the subject that made me appreciate how strong
my preference is for writing in the third person with multiple viewpoints. Even
as a reader, I have to confess that I sometimes recoil if I pick up a book and
see it’s written in the first person. The story has to be all the more
compelling to overcome my reluctance to spend an entire novel inside the mind
of just one character.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">After
all, if prose fiction has a unique selling point, surely it’s that it allows
the writer to convey what his or her characters are thinking? We can explore
their deepest fears, secrets and desires in a way that’s simply not possible in
other forms of storytelling: cinema, theatre, gaming and so on.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2LoOEvo8O5_15Gh4e0Ffq2HBKbb_ErFSa9emn6OsSw5UVR4j55LMmZJu4X3MgM7Ld6adq0MtUxN2-wViBH_xHy-ZPJQRO4uiUGHXtUmtCCnE1mlFE_2HdoOC7mMTJRP6nfhOQ7_GXXI/s1600/The+Catch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2LoOEvo8O5_15Gh4e0Ffq2HBKbb_ErFSa9emn6OsSw5UVR4j55LMmZJu4X3MgM7Ld6adq0MtUxN2-wViBH_xHy-ZPJQRO4uiUGHXtUmtCCnE1mlFE_2HdoOC7mMTJRP6nfhOQ7_GXXI/s320/The+Catch.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">And
if you have the ability to reveal that inner dialogue, why limit it to only one
or two characters? I tend to like populating my stories with a large cast, so
it seems natural to explore the viewpoint of most, if not all, of my main
characters. It certainly helps to enrich the story – and in crime fiction in
particular, I think it’s a lot easier to create complex antagonists if you can
explore their motivations and reveal their psychological make-up.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Switching
viewpoints helps to keep the story fresh and interesting. Adding the viewpoint
of a minor player can be a great way of providing insight into the main
characters. In my novel <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">BLOOD</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">FALLS</st1:placetype></st1:place> there’s a character
called Vic Smith who only appears in two chapters, and yet quite a few readers
have mentioned the impact made by his little cameo role.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">But
for all my love of multiple viewpoints, there’s one strict rule that I try to
adhere to: no head-hopping. That’s when we’re privy to one character’s thoughts
in one sentence or paragraph, and another character’s in the next. Not only is
it confusing, but it also has a strangely unsettling effect, jolting the
readers out of the story. Far better, I think, to use scene breaks to denote a
change of viewpoint, much as a filmmaker will switch between cameras to tell a
story from different perspectives. Used effectively, it’s a device that can
bring your characters to life as vivid, three-dimensional people.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Massive
thanks from me to Tom for this post.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">April
is the month for guest posts so here is the line-up to date.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">22<sup>nd</sup>
– Matt Hilton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">29<sup>th</sup>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Howard Linskey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">To
follow later in the year<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Tom
Cain / David Thomas Guest Blog</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; mso-pagination: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Lee
Child Interview</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-41753902467810004572013-04-08T10:48:00.001-07:002013-04-08T10:48:17.897-07:00Choices, Choices - An Editor's Quandary<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIV6YZMlJI2-QCqvMdgexaLDsX9jnncAoOZGnz4AZZ_y1pRg7jKCrALGA_2vn-8lEgHe_3UABYTr7RRsd19FgTD9VXa2-P7FQW1xaGXpJT39uZjJnV2cx1UzNe8icpoBjjzjqiVOuO7I/s1600/Gloves+Off+FINAL4.0+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIV6YZMlJI2-QCqvMdgexaLDsX9jnncAoOZGnz4AZZ_y1pRg7jKCrALGA_2vn-8lEgHe_3UABYTr7RRsd19FgTD9VXa2-P7FQW1xaGXpJT39uZjJnV2cx1UzNe8icpoBjjzjqiVOuO7I/s320/Gloves+Off+FINAL4.0+(1).jpg" width="200" /></a>
This week I am delighted to welcome Darren Sant and Craig Douglas to my blog. Darren & Craig are the guys behind Near to the Knuckle site and a cracking new anthology called Near to the Knuckle: Gloves Off.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
Here's Darren talking about some of the choices they faced when compiling the anthology. <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I suppose one of the biggest problems when choosing which
stories to include in the anthology was one of theme. Some of the submissions
were an easy choice, they had all the boxes ticked. However, we had a number of
beautiful written, well plotted tales sent in that were obviously from folk who
had never actually visited the site and seen what we are about. We couldn't put
a story in about a kitten called Tiddles next to a tale of murder and revenge.
Much as I like kittens, cosy warm, fuzzy fiction just isn't us and more
importantly it isn't our readership. <span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
weren't looking for perfect grammar, although it always helps, we wanted the
right kind of story written well enough that the idea or the twist struck us
hard. Near To The Knuckle is about that shock factor and that can come from a
subtle story or a blood and guts thriller. So whilst Craig and myself were
looking for something very particular within our stories we never felt that we
were tied exclusively to the crime genre. We have included a supernatural tale
and a comic tale because they fit superbly our idea of what Near To The Knuckle
is.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqmlm16AibUrqNBO34HHK2222dNbOPRwtrpskY5IKuB6AFhcJsVoicKm4pr-hu9uPfobQBTYvKR4k8jEkOY85j-0q733KEduCAWXqBZMWu7q7d27KFGDPXBO2Pb0VmjL_SWdWvlZRGg4/s1600/Darren+Sant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqmlm16AibUrqNBO34HHK2222dNbOPRwtrpskY5IKuB6AFhcJsVoicKm4pr-hu9uPfobQBTYvKR4k8jEkOY85j-0q733KEduCAWXqBZMWu7q7d27KFGDPXBO2Pb0VmjL_SWdWvlZRGg4/s1600/Darren+Sant.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There
was one story that made me do a double take. The problem? It was too NTTK even
for us. A very controversial theme and even the title made me wince. How can we
put this story out without being lynched I thought? Well after furious emails
back and forth between Craig and Myself and re-reading the story we realised
that on reflection the author made a good point and dealt with the theme in an
adult way and we should not shy away from the validity of his point just
because aspects of it made us uncomfortable. Which story was it? You'll just
have to read the anthology and make your own minds up.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
also had to make a conscious decision not to favour friends and supporters of
the site. We based anthology places purely on merit. For this reason you'll
notice one or two new names that you won't have seen related to the site
before. For me the most exciting part was opening each new submission to see
what dark world awaited my eager eyes. I know you’ll enjoy the dark delights
Gloves Off has to offer.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p>The anthology can be bought from Amazon UK <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Near-Knuckle-presents-Gloves-ebook/dp/B00C2D48YM/ref=la_B006FTIBBU_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365443106&sr=1-2" target="_blank">here</a> and Amazon.com <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Near-Knuckle-presents-Gloves-ebook/dp/B00C2D48YM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1365443239&sr=8-2&keywords=gloves+off" target="_blank">here</a></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><em>Darren Sant was born in
1970. He grew up in Stoke-on-Trent and moved to <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hull</st1:place></st1:city> in 2001. He is happily married to Julie
who tolerates him with the patience of a saint. His childhood was spent in an
area very much like the Longcroft estate and he looks back on it with
fondness. If you’d like to know more about Darren you can find his
website here: http://darrensant-writer.yolasite.com/ And you can find him
on Twitter as @groovydaz39 & @longcroft_tales</em></span></div>
<em></em><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacOfxCxCGUKB4fdVAsxYs-sCjoYGit8p-5Ys1G95bJpd6VEv0JKh13W4pMLEtzkBZuXpLARrhJbyV4mypGXD4UaFnXRChwF6fcFxalOP1ufbeKguUvysJ1zgpSljohvhWiB1ro5cMRGk/s1600/Craig+Saunders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgacOfxCxCGUKB4fdVAsxYs-sCjoYGit8p-5Ys1G95bJpd6VEv0JKh13W4pMLEtzkBZuXpLARrhJbyV4mypGXD4UaFnXRChwF6fcFxalOP1ufbeKguUvysJ1zgpSljohvhWiB1ro5cMRGk/s320/Craig+Saunders.jpg" width="303" /></a><em>Craig Douglas hails from nowhere and lives in Rugby. He was born in Ely, Cambridgeshire, but his northern accent belies this fact. He has live mainly a nomadic lifestyle since as a child moving between MOD posting to another and subsequently feeding his appetite for adventure by joining the Army. Twenty two years has seen him playing out active roles in both empire building and stabilisation.</em> <br /><br /><em>He knew of his writing potential when he was 14 and a teacher identified this. His work was read out to the class frequently much to his embarrassment. The years have seen a steady development in his writing and only since coming back from a particularly violent tour of Afghanistan he began to write again. His debut work in print was 'The Likely Lads' which featured in Radgepacket Volume 2. He has work in 3 other volumes in that series, one of which features the dreaded See You Next Tuesday word more than in an Irvine Welsh novella whose title had the very same despicable word. <br /><br />Craig is currently studying for an English Degree with the Open University. He writes a weekly blog which can be found at Gritfiction.com. He is partner in crime to the Near2theKnuckle website and has worked on the 'Gloves Off' Anthology. <br /><br />He lives in Rugby with his wife and two children.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-58360659567463185152013-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:002013-04-01T03:48:38.052-07:00Mo Hayder Interview<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mo Hayder is the one author who can entice me across the broken line into the realms of horror. I have been a fan of hers for many years and when I auditioned for my role as a reviewer with Crimesquad.com it was her book <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pig</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Island</st1:placetype></st1:place> which I chose to base my first ever review on.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyHb3HfHfE19KrnUi9BkuYK3U871Bmn65cI0dlkXsdJjfW3GwgMRuIFo4erNX_sLo_sPXAd3jTCpXrsjUS9LY1VPVDKTTSUxEbssA_0DdHT-mqQmI2px2LtdzdkvTUD7k0DTBbhPWoFs/s1600/MO+HAYDER%C3%82%C2%A9Margaret+Listerbw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyHb3HfHfE19KrnUi9BkuYK3U871Bmn65cI0dlkXsdJjfW3GwgMRuIFo4erNX_sLo_sPXAd3jTCpXrsjUS9LY1VPVDKTTSUxEbssA_0DdHT-mqQmI2px2LtdzdkvTUD7k0DTBbhPWoFs/s320/MO+HAYDER%C3%82%C2%A9Margaret+Listerbw.jpg" width="240" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m delighted that she found the time to answer a few questions about her latest book Poppet and writing in general. If anyone is interested my review of Poppet may be found <a href="http://www.crimesquad.com/reviews.asp"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
Anyway, enough of me prattling on. Here's the interview.<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poppet is set largely inside a mental health facility. How did you research the various procedures inside Beechway?</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have a contact who was the clinical director of a facility just like Beechway. He couldn't have been more helpful. If I've got any of the facts wrong then it's his fault not mine!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where did the idea for “The Maude” come from?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Henry Fuseli's painting The Nightmare (an incubus crouching on the chest of a sleeping woman) I think I saw it as a young child and was totally and utterly terrified by it. It's probably lingered subconsciously all these years and has at last popped out as the Maude.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poppet tied up a thread which has been running throughout the Walking Man series. Was it satisfying as an author to close this chapter?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Satisfying? Hmmmmm - I'm not sure I'll ever be able to use that word about anything I've written. There's always a sense something could have been done differently/better.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I detected a sense of finality in Poppet. Will we see more of Jack Caffery and Flea Marley?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No finality, and yes more Jack and Flea. The next book in the Walking Man series is out in 2014.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9hp_KrvYEGYYxI9dmXwYh-iKD7RiaalQUhznx44yN2jtG4qzQIvl-q9-gXdKIbJIMiaoXFTwagcGaMS9QuZdFqGoG-o3sGHAjEL00FEkcDkDCbFs8Hqp420RjBzFEhSc0p6YWipNCXk/s1600/Poppet+HB.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9hp_KrvYEGYYxI9dmXwYh-iKD7RiaalQUhznx44yN2jtG4qzQIvl-q9-gXdKIbJIMiaoXFTwagcGaMS9QuZdFqGoG-o3sGHAjEL00FEkcDkDCbFs8Hqp420RjBzFEhSc0p6YWipNCXk/s320/Poppet+HB.JPG" width="207" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some of your books have supernatural / paranormal elements. Would you class them as horror – crime crossovers or do you prefer the term crime thrillers?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If I'm honest I'd like to be a prima donna and have no term attached to my books. But that's just me being an <strong><i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">artiste</span></i></strong>, so if pushed I'd say crime thrillers which have some horror elements.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Authors and reviewers such as myself, use words like haunting, macabre and disturbing to describe your books. Is it your aim to elicit these strong reactions from your readers?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I do like the word 'haunting', since that implies the story stays with the reader. Although Poppet has a closed ending, I've occasionally chosen open endings (The Treatment and Hanging Hill for example) - those were deliberate choices as I usually love fiction which leaves a little to the imagination and therefore lingers in the mind long after the fact.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When you meet readers do you have certain questions you ask them to research the elements of your books which are best liked or are most effective?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I used to, until I realised that the old saying 'you can't please everyone all the time' is so apt. Ultimately a writer can't be a people pleaser - they have to trust their own instincts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What are you currently working on?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm just tying up the next in the Walking Man series. It's called 'Wolf' and I'm proud to say my editor almost couldn't finish one of the earlier drafts she was so scared (at least that's what she told me). </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Which was the last book you read and would you recommend it to a friend?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For anyone who, like me, read Life of Pi and didn't quite get it, the film adaptation is brilliant and clarifies the book beautifully. But you didn't ask for a movie recommendation, you wanted a book, so I'd say... The Book Thief (Markus Zusak). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What three books have made a lasting impression on you?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- The one which eclipses everything is Cormac McCarthy's <em>Road</em>. I had a two-year-long depression after reading it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- At a very young age I read Metamorphosis (Kafka) and since then I have read it and seen the staged version several times. I keep finding something new every time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">- Ulysses. It woke me up to the fact that it's ok to not like some of the things you're supposed to love.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"><strong>BIO</strong></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US"></span>Mo Hayder left school at fifteen. She worked as a barmaid, security guard, film-maker, hostess in a <st1:city w:st="on">Tokyo</st1:city> club, educational administrator and teacher of English as a foreign language in <st1:place w:st="on">Asia</st1:place>. She has an MA in film from The American University in <st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city> <st1:state w:st="on">DC</st1:state> and an MA in creative writing from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bath Spa University</st1:city> <st1:country-region w:st="on">UK</st1:country-region></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="main-text" style="margin: 1em 0cm;">
Her debut, <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#birdman"><span style="color: blue;">BIRDMAN</span></a>, published in January 2000, was an international bestseller. Her second novel, <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#treatment"><span style="color: blue;">THE TREATMENT</span></a>, also a Sunday Times bestseller, won the 2002 WH Smith Thumping Good Read award. Her third novel Sunday Times bestseller <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#tokyo"><span style="color: blue;">TOKYO</span></a>, which was published in May 2004 in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">UK</st1:place></st1:country-region>, won the Elle magazine crime fiction prize, the SNCF Prix Polar, and was nominated for three CWA dagger awards. <st1:city w:st="on">Tokyo</st1:city> was published as <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#tokyo"><span style="color: blue;">THE DEVIL OF NANKING</span></a> in the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">US</st1:place></st1:country-region> March 2005. <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#pig"><span style="color: blue;">PIG ISLAND</span></a> her fourth best seller was published in April 2006 and was nominated for both a Barry Award for best british crime novel and a CWA dagger. Her fifth book, <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#ritual"><span style="color: blue;">RITUAL</span></a>, the first of THE WALKING MAN series, has been nominated for The CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award and one of the 14 short-listed titles for the coveted title of Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2009. The third of THE WALKING MAN series is <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/books.html#gone"><span style="color: blue;">GONE</span></a>. </div>
<div class="main-text" style="margin: 1em 0cm;">
Mo lives in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bath</st1:place></st1:city> with her daughter Lotte-Genevieve.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Website: <a href="http://www.mohayder.net/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.mohayder.net/</span></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Amazon Page: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mo-Hayder/e/B001HD1XMS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1364501048&sr=8-1"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mo-Hayder/e/B001HD1XMS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1364501048&sr=8-1</span></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">My thanks go out to Mo Hayder for partaking in this interview and providing me with so many great book to read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US">Feel free to comment below.</span><br />
<br />
Keep checking back for guest posts and interviews <br />
April 15th - Tom Bale<br />
April 29th - Howard Linskey<br />
July - David Thomas / Tom Cain<br />
No date yet but I have a short interview with Lee Child which I'll be posting as soon as I get his answers back</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0Kirkpatrick-Fleming, Dumfries and Galloway DG11 3BQ, UK55.0197781 -3.117763200000013155.001571600000005 -3.1581037000000132 55.0379846 -3.0774227000000129tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-65975669114235406252013-03-25T13:45:00.002-07:002013-03-25T13:45:34.060-07:00Introducing a Man with a Gun
Raymond Chandler once said. “If you are suffering from
writer's block. Introduce a man with a gun.” Or words to a similar effect.<o:p> </o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
He didn’t mean that literally a man with a gun had to turn
up. What he meant was – make something happen, stir things up a bit. As a
writer there are lots of things that can be done to stave off the dreaded
block. <o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Here are a few ideas I’ve come up with as ways to shift
focus.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Injure someone: a trip, slip or burn can set in motion a
chain of events which may be used to add characterisation or conflict. eg, “you
could have told me that was there / slippy/ hot”</div>
</li>
<li>A minor character such as a neighbour or postman can deliver
something which will move events on. Ideas include divorce papers, severed
finger or a ransom note.</li>
<li>A telephone call, email, text or social media discovery can
also be used to progress events.</li>
<li>Cut to a different thread and come back to the scene after a
while. You may have had an epiphany while working on the other thread or
written something which can be used in the area you are stuck on.</li>
<li>Move the characters to a different location. It doesn’t have
to be far, another room would do but by moving them you are moving the story
and offering up new things to be used for conflict. eg “ For fuck’s sake. Will
you switch off that TV / food blender / lawnmower when I’m trying to talk to
you.” Result = instant conflict.</li>
<li>Introduce a man with a gun. Why not? It’ll certainly give
you something to write about. Obviously “gun” can be substituted by any other
weapon you want to have the man use.<o:p> </o:p></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Naturally you can’t keep bringing a man into the room or
moving locations, but you can mix and match a bit to get yourself out of any
dead ends. Dead ends are of course also good for mystery writers as they raise
tension.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I’m incredibly fortunate in that I haven’t ever really had
to deal with writers block. With me it’s more a case of trying not to forget
all the ideas I keep having for things to put into my novel.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Please leave comments on ways that you cure this dreaded
disease or have a gloat that you've never suffered from it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6622029434153478101.post-58746589281947414622013-03-22T11:05:00.005-07:002013-03-22T11:05:59.216-07:00Lots to Look Forward to
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
I have been absent from my blog for a wee bit as Mrs The
Wife insisted I lay down my laptop and pick up a paintbrush. After months to
delaying tactics I finally ran out of excuses. We now have a new look kitchen
which is somewhat brighter than it was. I hate the boredom of painting so when
I held that brush my mind wandered in the direction of things to look forward
to.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
So, for the lack of something better to say here is what I
am gonna be enjoying in 2013<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43ixmplTK4d0808xov5p0qG5Irp3apltJwZNNzXI1eI6WRWlj7We4AnwSRfQrDAW-VqCfYMJeaNbblh-lHkeZVSNdVfLCsJ8Eh_905a2fHojAD9-eW8g0wJ5OvF_sxwo7JGx0DUceWG4/s1600/Gloves+Off.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43ixmplTK4d0808xov5p0qG5Irp3apltJwZNNzXI1eI6WRWlj7We4AnwSRfQrDAW-VqCfYMJeaNbblh-lHkeZVSNdVfLCsJ8Eh_905a2fHojAD9-eW8g0wJ5OvF_sxwo7JGx0DUceWG4/s320/Gloves+Off.jpg" width="200" /></a>First off I’ve a story in Near to the Knuckle’s debut
anthology “Gloves Off” My tale is about revenge, lies and retribution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an emotive subject I’ve tackled and my
story will either entertain or repulse you.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Also in the anthology are Richard Godwin, David Barber,
Aidan Thorn, Paul Brazill, Gareth Spark and a whole host of other excellent
writers. It’ll be on sale next week so look out for it and buy it to read the
other guys stories. Any comments about me lowering the tone will be entirely
accurate.<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqepKqbluA1Po2lTL2PYIdf3tUHJgCMCva-fjT6dDFnyT_FtMdFS-CWHSmww9q8S3GEBdn5gIH5PW6m5RrCW7Fp-xaafiHOO8jamNyuHbDw2YwNnOz3Eplkf9AZJlJWWyEj8d14GS6iuM/s1600/Facebook+Flyer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqepKqbluA1Po2lTL2PYIdf3tUHJgCMCva-fjT6dDFnyT_FtMdFS-CWHSmww9q8S3GEBdn5gIH5PW6m5RrCW7Fp-xaafiHOO8jamNyuHbDw2YwNnOz3Eplkf9AZJlJWWyEj8d14GS6iuM/s320/Facebook+Flyer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Next up is a fantastic new crime fiction festival titled
“Murder In Moffat” On the 20<sup>th</sup> and 21<sup>st</sup> of April top
names such as Christopher Brookmyre, Michael Malone, Alex Gray and Lin
Anderson. Tickets start from as little as £5. More information including a
programme and booking details can be found at <a href="http://murderinmoffat.blogspot.co.uk/"><span style="color: blue;">http://murderinmoffat.blogspot.co.uk/</span></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
In July I’ll be making my annual pilgrimage to the spa town
of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Harrogate</st1:place></st1:city>
for the Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival. I’ll be doing my usual
rounds of interviews and will be talking crime, writing and rubbish depending
on the time of day and amounts of alcohol consumed.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Info can be found at <a href="http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/"><span style="color: blue;">http://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/crime/</span></a>
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
The last big event on my calendar will be Bloody Scotland in
September. Info at <a href="http://www.bloodyscotland.com/"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.bloodyscotland.com/</span></a>
(they haven’t yet updated it from 2012)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
On top of all this excitement I will be hosting Mo Hayder
and Tom Bale on my Blog in April, with the possibility of other top authors in
the coming months. Lee Child’s name has been mentioned (to me not by me!!)</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
Life is good. Or it would be if Mrs The Wife wasn’t hovering
over me with a paint chart.</div>
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0