tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20369119006507589142024-03-18T22:03:31.393-07:00jambalianjambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-68799159755244891802020-03-20T10:07:00.001-07:002020-03-20T10:07:17.218-07:00It's been a while...<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apologies for not being around for the last 18 months or
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life got in the way and there wasn’t
much to report.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a quick update, I’ve
been off the cigs for two and a half years, only had one drink so far this
year, and lost 14 kilos in weight thanks to my new diet and exercise routine.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHA9vqO03CLfTaKaGk4NIybO8PRieSAVDMgXiVxYxzp50hf-wcF1Y3f8UMZuaadwnSU9aITAQOd8x1PEF4QLSMpzZsjJHIiSZQozukTGTcn85Ys_OEtpBOR3B7XRW-rh40v33YQNw6AM/s1600/SeekDestroy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrHA9vqO03CLfTaKaGk4NIybO8PRieSAVDMgXiVxYxzp50hf-wcF1Y3f8UMZuaadwnSU9aITAQOd8x1PEF4QLSMpzZsjJHIiSZQozukTGTcn85Ys_OEtpBOR3B7XRW-rh40v33YQNw6AM/s320/SeekDestroy.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgups9_VHbhTL0SJrg3w7kep0y_fNb60zUKOsKkqerudI6_9Js7YjVOUH4PP7blNwDcpxcd1pOL1vRScWr40aqxne6Gcva_U1WY2DlN7XZIIkCF3FRqjbRxeIiBoPD1dx6tir25RyzjXnQ/s1600/fight-to-survive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="905" data-original-width="850" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgups9_VHbhTL0SJrg3w7kep0y_fNb60zUKOsKkqerudI6_9Js7YjVOUH4PP7blNwDcpxcd1pOL1vRScWr40aqxne6Gcva_U1WY2DlN7XZIIkCF3FRqjbRxeIiBoPD1dx6tir25RyzjXnQ/s320/fight-to-survive.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve also released two new books, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2U3GW7k" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Seek and Destroy</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2UoV8Xp" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Fight to Survive</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and put another book up for pre-order.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a Tom Gray prequel called </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2J5gzaW" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Gray Genesis</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> set in Afghanistan a few years before Gray Justice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I released </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3aaeypF" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Motive</a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, a serial killer story that I’ve been sitting on for about a year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s a change from my usual fare, though fans of Tom Gray should like the protagonist, Ryan Anderson.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rrGFSobdlbXv5HG-y2fGRFivMTSjmnMpQDCQXSMvfWjQsyLQkoWU1k_haDSJvkmxPLf8xuzzKnM9oSXIC3sNf5LVYOYT_zDCZcNIy2oBfIxS7OkVTEFr0O3TKc9XXeF5D3PAlP_51kM/s1600/Motive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="805" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rrGFSobdlbXv5HG-y2fGRFivMTSjmnMpQDCQXSMvfWjQsyLQkoWU1k_haDSJvkmxPLf8xuzzKnM9oSXIC3sNf5LVYOYT_zDCZcNIy2oBfIxS7OkVTEFr0O3TKc9XXeF5D3PAlP_51kM/s320/Motive.jpg" width="271" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Anyway, hopefully I won’t leave it too long next time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stay safe out there!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-53136642058072017142018-08-22T04:57:00.000-07:002018-08-22T04:57:06.690-07:00Run and Hide<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The day is finally here! Nineteen months after Trojan hit the shelves, my latest thriller is now available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; padding: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s only so long you can run for your life.</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eva Driscoll is used to chasing down bad guys, but now the bad guys are chasing her. She knows they won’t stop until she’s dead.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After her brother is killed in a faked suicide, Driscoll teams up with ex-soldier Rees Colback, the one person who can help her find answers. Together they’re determined to uncover why members of his Special Forces squad are dying in mysterious circumstances.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-bottom: 14px; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But with every agency in the country in hot pursuit, their only choice is to flee.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The clock is ticking. They can’t run forever. It’s time to make a choice: kill or be killed…</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1S5HCr4-L8v5VTSlN1HSBSyVffn3xE61EFh5QYVJ_BtGnIobRoIvxemgz3nA8VyyEY4TMfnZTUX-uhBUakP-h8H6faAUn4DUR8758PucAVKJz-LIHJtFPFjDVljAvOBPanvVMqIz759g/s1600/RunHide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1S5HCr4-L8v5VTSlN1HSBSyVffn3xE61EFh5QYVJ_BtGnIobRoIvxemgz3nA8VyyEY4TMfnZTUX-uhBUakP-h8H6faAUn4DUR8758PucAVKJz-LIHJtFPFjDVljAvOBPanvVMqIz759g/s320/RunHide.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; margin-top: -4px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stephen Leather says "Brilliant book - I wish I'd written it!"</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amazon UK: <a href="https://amzn.to/2KkdFND">https://amzn.to/2KkdFND</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amazon US: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0796TZB2T/">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0796TZB2T/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amazon AU: <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Hide-Alan-McDermott-ebook/dp/B0796TZB2T/">https://www.amazon.com.au/Run-Hide-Alan-McDermott-ebook/dp/B0796TZB2T/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amazon CA: <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Run-Hide-Alan-McDermott-ebook/dp/B0796TZB2T/">https://www.amazon.ca/Run-Hide-Alan-McDermott-ebook/dp/B0796TZB2T/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-5752629205969600612018-05-14T11:39:00.001-07:002018-05-14T12:31:44.481-07:002500 days and counting<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was looking back on my writing career and noticed that May 15th 2018 marks 2500 days since I published my first novel, Gray Justice. It seems like yesterday. So what has happened in that time?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Plenty!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0JzlIH0hLwxd3KbJrnqZ2H1spA0oVSHr08eTa21n7fVxyMMk07-NS8pdZGtVVJY0G0_i-yFpQH1SzJ8vqL2ahQuxMIkyQ-wN9QBWffeVNKm_WRYrlbTeldeayklRWpswG04uLhmXdlE/s1600/MCDERMOTT-RUNANDHIDE-26229-CV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0JzlIH0hLwxd3KbJrnqZ2H1spA0oVSHr08eTa21n7fVxyMMk07-NS8pdZGtVVJY0G0_i-yFpQH1SzJ8vqL2ahQuxMIkyQ-wN9QBWffeVNKm_WRYrlbTeldeayklRWpswG04uLhmXdlE/s320/MCDERMOTT-RUNANDHIDE-26229-CV.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That first thriller was just supposed to be something to supplement my salary at a time when outgoings exceeded income. Little did I know where it would lead. Fast forward almost seven years and my eighth novel, Run and Hide, is available for pre-order with an August 22nd release date. I've been writing full time for over three years, and it makes a huge difference!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first three novels were picked up by Thomas and Mercer back in 2014, and since then I have been contracted to write 5 more. The last of those, Seek and Destroy, will be out in November 2018. I'm working on the tenth, a third book in the Eva Driscoll series, which I hope to have finished by the end of the month.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This month also marks another milestone. I'm a handful of sales short of one million across all platforms, so I should hit the magic number in the next few days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the last few weeks, I also managed to get one of the most respected agents in the business. Alice Saunders of LAW Agency is going to be looking after my interests from now on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I recently learned that my seventh novel, Trojan has been shortlisted for the ITW Best Original Ebook award, and my publisher is flying me to New York for the ceremony at Thrillerfest! It'll be my first taste of the Big Apple, though unfortunately I won't get to see much of it as I'm only there for two days. Still, it promises to be an experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, now it's time to look forward to the next 2500 days. I hope to write at least ten more books in that time, just in time for my daughters turning 18. Hopefully they'll want to read my work!</span>jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-35939561196040983702018-04-23T05:40:00.000-07:002018-04-29T08:02:54.723-07:00Cover reveal for Run and Hide<table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" id="ml-block-88466802" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; min-width: 640px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="left" class="mlContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #7f8c8d; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; padding: 15px 50px 5px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Well, it has been fifteen months since my last book, Trojan, was launched, but I finally have some news, both good and bad. The good news is, I have a release date for my latest adventure, Run and Hide. It introduces a new character called Eva Driscoll, a CIA assassin who risks everything to track down her brother's killer. It also features some old favourites in the shape of Len Smart and Sonny Baines to name but a few. Here’s the cover:</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" id="ml-block-88466804" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; min-width: 640px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="center" class="mlContentContainer mlContentImage mlContentHeight" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding: 15px 50px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><img border="0" class="mlContentImage" src="https://bucket.mlcdn.com/a/923/923225/images/37101358ee7f1b42f267816cdccb29ff5d990e55.jpeg/d7c2d15f26aaa1b684de08d32df5735833928009.jpeg" style="border: 0px; display: block; max-width: 332px; outline: none;" width="332" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" id="ml-block-88466806" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; min-width: 640px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="border-collapse: collapse; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><table align="center" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="mlContentTable" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; width: 640px;"><tbody>
<tr><td align="left" class="mlContentContainer" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #7f8c8d; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; padding: 15px 50px 5px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">The bad news is, it won't be released until August 22nd. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">But wait! There's more good news! The second in the Driscoll series, Seek and Destroy, is scheduled to be released on November 14th, and it marks the return of Tom Gray! In addition, I'm almost done with the third book, which I hope to see published in the spring of 2019.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In other news, Trojan was shortlisted for the ITW (International Thriller Writers) Best E-book Original Novel Award, and my publisher is flying me to New York in July for the award ceremony! I’m up against some great competition and don’t expect to win, but it’ll be my first taste of the big apple and I’m really looking forward to it!</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">While you’re waiting for my books to launch, why not check out these other fabulous authors. There’s enough reading material here to keep you going until August! The books are best read in the order shown.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">Russell Blake:</span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Night of the Assassin (Prequel)</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">King of Swords</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Revenge of the Assassin</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Return of the Assassin</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Blood of the Assassin</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Requiem for the Assassin</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Rage of the Assassin</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">Simon Toyne:</span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Solomon Creed</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Broken Promise</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">The Boy Who Saw</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">Rob Ashman:</span></strong></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Those That Remain</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">In Your Name</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-size-adjust: 100%;">
<span style="font-size: 16px;">Pay the Penance</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-47377863540825706902018-03-10T08:34:00.001-08:002018-03-11T08:35:04.859-07:00Wildfire<br />
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">My good friend Scott Bury has a new release coming out on March 22nd, and I'm delighted to be able to bring you a short extract from Wildfire to whet your appetite.</span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK86gxPwFI54KWVRTz2TDCmkDeAKxORXwqqmNpqRYpFkXBhC9gNAugXiu65SZ5gHRCpnOxAh4Sio39d02xWcEDIe2X12qoURysFojjINTSFy0XwVc0oxx53ta4N2zp1lCN-wbz7o08l8E/s1600/Scott2016smilingCropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="751" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK86gxPwFI54KWVRTz2TDCmkDeAKxORXwqqmNpqRYpFkXBhC9gNAugXiu65SZ5gHRCpnOxAh4Sio39d02xWcEDIe2X12qoURysFojjINTSFy0XwVc0oxx53ta4N2zp1lCN-wbz7o08l8E/s320/Scott2016smilingCropped.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Passing the restaurant, she froze at
the unmistakable sound of a door closing.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Shoving the phone into her pocket, she
belted around the mansion. In the weak moonlight, she could see someone running
toward the road and willed her legs to move faster, pumping her hands like her
trainer had told her. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“Stop!” </span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Why the hell did I say that?</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The figure in the dark did not stop,
but turned right when he reached the road.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">He’s going for a car. “No!” </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">She caught up as the figure opened the
door of a small car. He whirled, his arm extended and Tara jumped back as the
tip of a long blade flashed past her midriff. She fell back on her butt on the
road. Years of training took control and she rolled on her back, sprang to her
feet, fists raised, knees bent, her left shoulder forward to present the
narrowest possible target.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A short, broad man stood beside the
open door of a hatchback, brandishing something toward her. “Stay away from me,
you little bitch,” he hissed.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Is that a kitchen
knife?</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> “Donald?”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">“Stay away. These are mine.” </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7XEdybhbjgN1iRXc59dnEIJ-cDwv2FcCpqPH4txpzPAZC22N0Ns1ObRtl-gYNdB10RNQR5DySUPLzueHrF9UmNyFM3UjZi2_APdr_LBP7pxCP2fel9NggprwhztnSkv4BXvP63xKnvQ/s1600/WILDFIRE+-+529x800+new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="529" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht7XEdybhbjgN1iRXc59dnEIJ-cDwv2FcCpqPH4txpzPAZC22N0Ns1ObRtl-gYNdB10RNQR5DySUPLzueHrF9UmNyFM3UjZi2_APdr_LBP7pxCP2fel9NggprwhztnSkv4BXvP63xKnvQ/s320/WILDFIRE+-+529x800+new.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Tara shook her fists. When Donald
flinched, she pivoted on her forward foot, sweeping her back foot around. Her
toes smashed his wrist, Donald yelped and the knife dropped. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">He jumped into his car. Tara hesitated
just long enough to allow Donald to start the engine. The headlights flared as
Tara grabbed at the open door’s frame. The wheels squealed against the pavement
and the car tore out of her grasp. Tara stumbled forward, but could only watch
the taillights shrink with distance.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">She used her smart phone’s light to
look at the knife on the pavement. </span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">One of the restaurant’s ceramic chef’s knives. Donald did
say they belonged to him when Alan fired him</span></i></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">She dialed 911. “This is Tara Rezeck
of the Rocky Creek Winery. We’ve had a break-in at Cyrano’s Restaurant. Yes,
I’m safe. He’s gone now. I know who it is. Yes, twenty-three-eighty-five Rocky
Creek Road. Yes, I’ll wait. Please tell the officer to come to Cyrano’s, in the
old mansion, not to the house. There’s no need for a siren or lights or
anything. No, I won’t touch anything. Thank you.”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Tara sat on the bench on the mansion’s
verandah to wait for the deputy, looking at the images on her phone. </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">There was
definitely someone on that dirt road. It’s too bad I can’t tell who it was,
though. But does that mean there were two people sabotaging the winery? Was it
Donald all along?</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">That doesn’t make
sense. Alan was complaining about sabotage before he fired Donald. Why would
Donald sabotage the place where he was gainfully employed?</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Anyway, Donald
isn’t fast enough to go through the vineyard, down to the main road and back to
the restaurant in the time it took me to walk across the lot. I’ve seen him
run. He’s not fast.</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">But that means
there is still someone else sabotaging the winery. </span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">She did not like that conclusion.</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The patrol car arrived within ten
minutes, and Tara was relieved that the deputy used neither the lights nor
siren. </span><span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">There’s no point
waking Veronica. She definitely doesn’t need any more stress.</span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></span></div>
<div class="BodyText">
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But do I?</span></span><span lang="DA"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span class="MsoPageNumber"><i><span lang="DA" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i></span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US">Wildfire<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wildfires
swept across California wine country in 2017, destroying thousands of homes and
businesses, and killing dozens of people. Law school grad and single mother
Tara Rezeck finds herself in the middle of the catastrophe. When she returns to
her job at the most award-winning vineyard in Sonoma County, she finds her
employer’s body in the ashes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The question
that challenges her brains and her legal training is: was it an accident? Or
was his body burned to hide evidence of murder?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">Now available
for pre-order on on </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wildfire-Tara-Rezeck-mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B07B3PWK6T"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Amazon</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"> (for Kindle
e-readers) and </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/798182"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Smashwords</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"> (for Kobo,
Nook and other e-readers). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">You can read
the first two chapters for free on </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/140613758-wildfire-chapter-1-an-open-door"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Wattpad</span></a></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">About the author<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<div>
<span lang="EN-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After a
30-year career as a journalist and editor, Scott Bury turned to writing fiction
with a children’s story, Sam, the Strawb Part, and a story that bridged the genres
of paranormal occult fiction and espionage thriller: Dark Clouds. Since then,
he has published 12 novels and novellas without regard to staying in any one
genre.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2012, he
published his first novel, the historical magic realism bestseller <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Bones of the Earth</i>. His next book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One Shade of Red</i>, was a satire of a
bestseller with a similar title.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From 2014 to
2017, he published the Eastern Front Trilogy, the true story of a Canadian
drafted into the Soviet Red Army in 1941, and how he survived the Second World
War: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Army of Worn Soles</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Under the Nazi Heel</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Walking Out of War</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Scott was
invited to write for three Kindle Worlds, where authors base novellas on the
fictional worlds of bestselling series. For Toby Neal’s Lei Crime Kindle World,
he wrote <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Torn Roots, Palm Trees &
Snowflakes, Dead Man Lying </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Echoes</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For Russell
Blake’s Jet Kindle World, he contributed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jet:
Stealth</i>, featuring the explosive duo of Van and LeBrun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And for Emily
Kimelman’s Sydney Rye Kindle World, he brought Van and LeBrun back for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wife Line</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Three-Way</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">Now, he is
beginning a new mystery series with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wildfire</i>,
featuring the smart and passionate Tara Rezeck. Wildfire is currently available
for pre-order on </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wildfire-Tara-Rezeck-mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B07B3PWK6T"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Amazon</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"> (for Kindle
e-readers) and </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/798182"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">Smashwords</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;"> (for Kobo,
Nook and other e-readers). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">Find out more
about Scott and his writing on his </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://scottburyauthor.com/"><span lang="EN-CA" style="line-height: 107%;">website,
ScottBuryAuthor.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; line-height: 107%;">.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-25924276019739749352018-02-19T11:03:00.001-08:002018-03-13T10:02:24.177-07:00It's been a while...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I haven’t written a
post for a while—fourteen months, in fact—and I put that down to a couple of
things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, the way I was
writing my books. From my debut thriller
Gray Justice to my eighth book, Run and Hide (due out later this year), I would
start with the seed of an idea and run with it.
At the very most I would plot out the next two or three chapters, but
after that I would just write by the seat of my pants. All went well for the
first seven attempts, but when it came to Run and Hide—centred around a new
character, a female CIA assassin forced to go rogue—nothing seemed to go
right. I painted myself into so many
corners that I went through the same thing most authors suffer from at one time
or another: self-doubt. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were days when I
would wake up and dread opening the file and looking at the word count that
hadn’t changed in days. I would write
three sentences and immediately delete them, then stare at the page on and off
for hours, and finally call it a day.
Most nights I would lie awake worrying about how I was going to pay the
bills with no new book on the horizon, which made the next day even more
stressful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’d been working on
Run and Hide for thirteen months when I did what I should have done a long time
earlier. I took the family away to Gran
Canaria for 23 days and completely forgot about writing. I sat in the sun, swam in the pool and
lounged on the beach (reading the Mechanic trilogy by Rob Ashman, which was
fantastic!). I took the girls to water
parks, we ate out every day, I spent a couple of nights watching football in
the pub, everything and anything but writing.
When I got home, I opened the manuscript and went from 20,000 words to
85,000 in ten weeks, and a lesson was learned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I handed in Run and
Hide at the end of October 2017 and immediately began working on the sequel
only this time I worked differently. I
plotted out the gist of the story, then broke it down into individual scenes
then added more to make them complete chapter prompts, and once I had 35 scenes
in place, I began writing. That was the
best 48 days of my writing career to date!
I finished Seek and Destroy at the end of November and took a few weeks
off while I came up with my next idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was planning to move
on to something completely new, but Eva Driscoll wouldn’t let me, so I
started working on the plot for her third adventure. Twenty days in, I’ve got over 20,000 words
down and it’s looking good. I hoping to
have it finished by May for an early 2019 release.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With the words now
flowing, I was able to take stock of my writing career and saw that something
was missing. I’ve been sitting on the
film and TV rights for years, and my foreign rights have been with my publisher
all that time. So far, only one book as
been translated into German and Spanish, while the rest gather virtual
dust. I needed to do something about
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I asked a
highly-successful author for advice regarding literary agents. Up until that point, I’d seen little need for
one. I’d negotiated my own contracts
with Thomas & Mercer, and over the last three years I’d made enough to pay
the bills and put a little aside for a rainy day. Still, I felt there was something holding my
career back. When my friend was good enough to introduce me
to Alice Saunders of Lucas Alexander Whitley (LAW), I was a little
nervous. Would my work be good
enough? Would I have enough potential to
interest one of the most respected agencies in the UK? I needn’t have worried. Alice made me feel at ease from the moment we
met, and she guided me through what they could offer me, as well as delving
deep into my own plans for the future.
When I left her London office an hour later, I floated back home to
Worthing and celebrated like it was all my birthdays and Christmases in one! I’m hoping to sign the contract this weekend,
and the future seems a lot rosier than it did six months ago. Alice has already given me some great advice,
and I’m really looking forward to working with her for a long time to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, that’s what’s been
going on since my last post, and I’m hoping to share more good news over the
coming months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Okay, back to writing…</span><o:p></o:p></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-873287266267998732016-12-18T08:53:00.001-08:002016-12-18T08:53:14.842-08:00Interview with Andy Lucas<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b>Who is Andy Lucas?</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3L41sFA6JrGYIoJK7xcwtK7C-abP33Up1-MoH0yyPR3gdaHPD4_G6VXL4OCeawMxgDU0_pA76O4hUiDoHp37Vx9q-J6Fl-nKD2-3wR93vkKJHRkd3MDk4UHm2tTWyhElZj9hj2yTmVX8/s1600/Me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3L41sFA6JrGYIoJK7xcwtK7C-abP33Up1-MoH0yyPR3gdaHPD4_G6VXL4OCeawMxgDU0_pA76O4hUiDoHp37Vx9q-J6Fl-nKD2-3wR93vkKJHRkd3MDk4UHm2tTWyhElZj9hj2yTmVX8/s320/Me.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I first
started writing for pleasure when I moved up to secondary school, in the very
early 80s. I was fortunate to have a couple of enthusiastic teachers who
fuelled my interest in story writing so, by the time I was sixteen, I knew I
wanted to be an author. Like thousands of other hopefuls, however, after a year
or two I could have papered a wall with the dozens of rejection letters from
agents and publishers I acquired. In those days, mainstream was the only game in
town and I was spectacularly unsuccessful in interesting a publisher with my
initial offerings. I did receive a few positive nibbles here and there,
including for a screenplay I wrote, but this did little to improve my sense of
failure. I figured they knew what they were talking about and that I must,
after all, just not be very good at this writing lark. For nearly two decades
thereafter, I wrote only sporadically and fitfully. If I am brutally honest, my
writing was so haphazard as to be virtually non-existent for years at a time. A
growing family and work took up most of my time and I considered stopping
writing altogether, on several occasions, but could not bring myself to do it.
Fortunately, the dawn of the indie author arrived, possibly just in the nick of
time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Tell us about your
latest work.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I am
currently writing the sixth book in my James Pace thriller series. I write each
story set across two volumes i.e. a duology format, so this new book will
complete the third duology, called BLOOD GURKHA. Part 1: <i>Prophesy</i> is available now and my new book; <i>Apocalypse</i>, is scheduled for release on 19<sup>th</sup> December
2016. Right now, I am hard at work, drawing the threads of the story together,
and I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying writing this new book. Once
completed, I will be taking a brief break from this series to complete the
second book in my new Ian Flyn science fiction thriller series, which I intend
to release in March 2017 before commencing a fourth James Pace duology, with
planned release slots of July 2017 (Part 1) and December 2017 (Part 2). All
these book are currently untitled although I already have a good idea of what
each story will look like. My intention is to release three books every year
from now on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Describe a typical
writing day.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I wish there
was such a thing for me! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Although I
still work a full-time day job, my writing is now regular and I have learned to
be a little ruthless when it comes to making sure that I have enough time to
write. The most important revelation has been that I write more fluidly (and better)
when I set aside entire blocks of days and write for at least six hours on each
of these days i.e. holidays or ring-fenced weekends. On these dedicated days, I
rise early and write solidly from 07:00 until 13:00, undisturbed. Not only has
this approach improved my word output i.e. 4000 - 7000 words each day but the
intensity of the creative process allows me to focus more effectively on the pace
and flow of the narrative. I also tend to write outdoors during the spring and
summer months; sitting at my garden table, beneath the parasol, with my laptop
humming, fuelled by copious mugs of coffee!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In essence, I
write a little most days but I create the bulk of my books in a few
concentrated bursts. This approach allows me to keep on top of every planned
twist and turn in the plot lines and develop the characters in a believable
manner. A writing blitz can add up to 30,000 words to a story, usually over a
week of frenzied, focused effort. I am not suggesting this is the right approach
for everyone – it just works for me so I am happy to share.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">How do you handle negative reviews?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">I don't
often read reviews any longer; dipping in only occasionally to see if there
have been any technical issues picked up by readers. I used to get quite hung
up on negative comments but found the soul-searching and my natural, defensive
reaction to be self defeating and damaging, especially towards my own
enthusiasm for writing. I hold a genuine respect for a reader's opinion whilst also
understanding that two people can read the same book and experience very
different outcomes. Engaging with a book, as a reader, is a very personal event
and I am just grateful that readers are prepared to give up their time, and
hard-earned money, to join me in my own world. Of course, I want every reader
to love my books because I pour my heart and soul into each one but this isn't
realistic, I realise. As a developing author, I now stay intently focused on writing
new material and let the existing work speak for itself, with the hope that the
writers of any negative reviews are still able to find some elements of my work
that they enjoyed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Have you ever read a
book and thought “I wish I’d written that!”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Far too
many to list, including offerings from the likes of Tolkien, Lewis, Innes,
Bagley and even your own Tom Gray books! Strangely, though, if I had to choose
just one, it would not even feature in the genres I write. My favourite book of
all time, from childhood and still today, is a toss up between <i>'Stig of the Dump'</i> and the other classic
children's tale of '<i>Watership Down', </i>with
the latter just nosing ahead of the race. The genius of personification that
the author applied to bring this band of wandering rabbits to life, with such
diverse and relatable characters, remains a powerful reminder to me that
storytelling is truly worth doing. It does enrich people's lives and, if you
get it right, it can leave a positive, indelible mark upon another human being
that lasts a lifetime.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">If you could collaborate with one author, who would
it be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">As a huge
fan of Jack Higgins and Clive Cussler, of course these two authors would be at
the top of my list. Their heroes, villains and twisting narratives have kept me
company on many holiday beaches, train journeys and aeroplane flights over the
years. That said, since first reading his novels, I rate David Leadbeater as
highly as any thriller writer I have ever purchased from a book shop. I feel
privileged to have been included in a couple of boxsets with David, alongside
some other fantastic authors, but collaborating with him on a book would be a
great experience, I'm sure.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you plot your
books to the smallest detail or do you write by the seat of your pants?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Both. I
start with an idea; fairly detailed, and then I throw the characters at it to
see what happens. I always have my eye on the end result and rein them in if
their own interactions threaten to lead the narrative too far off course. For
me, a good book is about the characters and how they all react differently to
situations. The readers need to care about them and, for this to happen, they
have to be believable even if the situation they find themselves in seems to be
bizarre. Sometimes this means that a couple of sub-plots or strands crop up
that I never envisaged at the outset but they always seem to enrich the overall
story. I tend to flesh out story structures broadly by chapter nowadays too,
which is something that I find increasingly useful i.e. in this chapter, these
characters will meet the villain, in the next chapter, a new setting will be
introduced with a new character and a key event, like a murder etc.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimu8TNJPouJbI-8iD5bvVvFA-T3x5HVmBLf94YEG3LxVFm0oMbLGI_Bf12uJGUxB7jTd7WDn1wsXHGW4oZoV5CNp1z7MDfAxJM8X9b2nwP6ObyqdLai_Ain2KQ4c2G9nwfpTWg-qBfg90/s1600/Blood+Gurkha+Apocalypse+cover.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/AVvXsEimu8TNJPouJbI-8iD5bvVvFA-T3x5HVmBLf94YEG3LxVFm0oMbLGI_Bf12uJGUxB7jTd7WDn1wsXHGW4oZoV5CNp1z7MDfAxJM8X9b2nwP6ObyqdLai_Ain2KQ4c2G9nwfpTWg-qBfg90/s320/Blood+Gurkha+Apocalypse+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">When you’re not writing, how do you relax?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">It is a
cliché, I know, but I enjoy spending time with my family. I love watching my
children grow and develop - time with them is hugely valuable to me. On a less
emotive note, I enjoy riding horses and have, in the past, also enjoyed riding
motorcycles. I have fairly recently taken up target shooting as a hobby and I
am really enjoying beginning to learn the sport of marksmanship out on the
ranges. Not only do I hope that I might end up being good enough to take part
in competitions one day but I am also looking forward to being able to increase
the level of realism that I instil whenever my characters use firearms in my
books. Finally, I enjoy getting stuck into building and DIY projects. Working
with my hands; measuring, sawing, filing, fixing and painting, is oddly
relaxing for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Where can we find
your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">All my books
are available on Amazon, in Kindle or paperback formats. Visit my Amazon author
page at </span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Lucas/e/B007BS5S0Q/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">https://www.amazon.co.uk/Andy-Lucas/e/B007BS5S0Q/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Links to
each book can also be found through my website: </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><a href="http://www.andylucasbooks.com/">www.andylucasbooks.com</a></span></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-23439651859721845422016-12-04T05:28:00.000-08:002016-12-04T05:28:15.354-08:00Interview with Erik Therme<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Erik Therme has thrashed in garage
bands, inadvertently harboured runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at
his computer, he can be found cheering for his youngest daughter’s volleyball
team, or watching horror movies with his seventeen-year-old. He currently
resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty places in the world UNESCO has
certified as a City of Literature.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1VKnHon7a8hcY5i3lMastkiwFTl6QqqS6YNNJW_YieBKimc1Rs2lawOaQEWTYBSrJVEGuQoqReqEfi4yxcsxfjDicERUcXuJQb5YvDO9fw5TAoOwn9nCh8_2HhpiV_rHq74Q3SRpGSOI/s1600/Erik+Therme+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/AVvXsEj1VKnHon7a8hcY5i3lMastkiwFTl6QqqS6YNNJW_YieBKimc1Rs2lawOaQEWTYBSrJVEGuQoqReqEfi4yxcsxfjDicERUcXuJQb5YvDO9fw5TAoOwn9nCh8_2HhpiV_rHq74Q3SRpGSOI/s320/Erik+Therme+1.jpg" width="318" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Tell us about your latest book</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Resthaven</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> is about a
pack of kids who have a scavenger hunt inside an abandoned retirement home . .
. only to discover they’re not the only ones roaming the hallways. I have two
teenage daughters, and I wanted to write something I thought they’d enjoy. I'm
also a big fan of horror movies, and it was a lot of fun to employ a creepy,
abandoned building as a backdrop for the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">As a hybrid author, which model do
you prefer?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">One of the advantages of
self-publishing is having complete control over editing, cover design, and
retail price—three things that can greatly affect a book's success. On the flip
side, traditional publishing brings a marketing team into the equation, which
can be invaluable when it comes to finding new readers. In the end, the most
important thing is to write the best book you can, work hard to promote it, and
try to make your own luck.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do you have an agent, and if not,
are you looking for one?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I've been fortunate enough to have
my first two novels released through publishing houses, and both contracts were
straight-forward and easy to manoeuvre. One of the (many) jobs of a literary
agent is to place your book with a house, so as long as I continue to have
success with publishers on my own, I probably won't pursue an agent. That said,
if an agent expressed interest in me and my work, I would absolutely listen to
what they had to offer.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDX6tp-HHshZAoqGYRVTGt53910_NofB3uliWOG-MWor7_2NzfywjPz0zoVp7qO17k5C1VuiViZ8tRPl8fge-EiPyVI68eWnCaFLsJAM-Vi0izUAJ5IjuR6sVDB5e1DHspiUdQwYElBM8/s1600/eBook+Cover+%2528Resthaven%2529.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/AVvXsEiDX6tp-HHshZAoqGYRVTGt53910_NofB3uliWOG-MWor7_2NzfywjPz0zoVp7qO17k5C1VuiViZ8tRPl8fge-EiPyVI68eWnCaFLsJAM-Vi0izUAJ5IjuR6sVDB5e1DHspiUdQwYElBM8/s320/eBook+Cover+%2528Resthaven%2529.jpg" width="210" /></a><b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Who has been the biggest influence
on your writing career?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I often joke
I “learned to write by reading Stephen King,” but it’s the absolute truth. I
discovered <i>Misery</i> in junior high and immediately began crafting my own
tales of horror. Most were pretty lousy, but the more King I devoured, the more
respectable my writing became. Eventually I moved away from the supernatural
elements and found my own style and voice.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What’s a typical writing day?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It can be a
challenge to maintain a routine—especially with a wife, two teenagers, and
a full-time day job—so the majority of my writing is accomplished during
evenings and weekends. If I’m especially inspired, I might try to sneak in some
pages over lunch. The important thing (for me) is to write every day, even if
it's only for a few minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">What is your ultimate writing goal?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">To write the best book I can, and to
continue to hone my craft with each new project. I'd love to (someday) be able
to support myself through my writing, but that's a luxury few authors are
afforded, and I'm OK with that. At the end of the day, I ultimately write
because I love to write.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Where can we find out more about
your books?</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Articles,
reviews, and information on upcoming projects can be found at </span><a href="http://www.eriktherme.com/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">www.eriktherme.com</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">. I’m also
happy to connect with people through </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/erik.therme" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">Facebook</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> and </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7831573.Erik_Therme" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-size: 12pt;">Goodreads</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">!</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-56148844301678031492016-11-21T01:45:00.002-08:002016-11-21T01:45:56.840-08:00Interview with Matt Johnson<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m delighted to introduce Matt
Johnson, author of Wicked Game. It’s the
tale of an ex-soldier and policeman whose past comes back to haunt him.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizSonV5uGntbhzxe92D-Vpg3dBPSvu6WeeQduCjPTY3u4Zrj1Y0-yVRK08hVcwHC8swmZymSVU3ir_YHCWj7xKTk9K0pYLS6E6-PfZ0Xv2sQ_a26IJfY5ZV9Uyws2QPpclUTGWL1qOHDU/s1600/MattJ+22.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/AVvXsEizSonV5uGntbhzxe92D-Vpg3dBPSvu6WeeQduCjPTY3u4Zrj1Y0-yVRK08hVcwHC8swmZymSVU3ir_YHCWj7xKTk9K0pYLS6E6-PfZ0Xv2sQ_a26IJfY5ZV9Uyws2QPpclUTGWL1qOHDU/s320/MattJ+22.JPG" width="214" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell us about your background and how it influenced your
writing of Wicked Game<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I served for a little under
twenty-five years in the Army and then in the Metropolitan Police working in a
number of specialisms and departments. In terms of exposure, my career spanned
a time that saw my involvement in a number of high profile incidents. For
example, I attended the Regents Park bombing in 1982 and, in 1984, I escorted
my mortally wounded colleague, WPC Yvonne Fletcher to hospital.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, my career came to an
abrupt end when I was diagnosed with PTSD. I was referred for counselling and
initially found expressing myself very difficult - I would be overcome by
emotion. To help my progress, my counsellor suggested I try recording my
experiences, emotions and feelings in writing, and then bring my notes to be
discussed at sessions. One day, many months later, she commented how much she
enjoyed my writing and ‘had I ever considered writing a book?’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hadn’t, and at the time had no
desire to do so. But, several years later, with my police career over and my
personal circumstances having changed, I pulled those notes from a drawer and
started to weave them into a novel. Wicked Game was the result.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How did you go about getting your book endorsed by Peter
James and Sir Ranulph Fiennes?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Peter and Ran were connections
beforehand, and both are extremely grounded and generous men. That said,
neither was minded to simply do me a favour. Both asked for the manuscript and
only sent their quotes after reading it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the main differences between self-publishing
and your current experience with Orenda?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I often read comments by
self-published author regarding the more satisfactory level of control they
have over the whole process concerning the production, the design and the
marketing of their book. I respect that, but for me, I have found that signing
with a highly motivated and skilled publisher has brought huge dividends. I was
given the opportunity to work with an editing team who were very instrumental
in developing me as a writer. I have learned a great deal from them. The jacket
design for the book was incredible and had no input from me, and that is a good
thing, as I now realise just how creative are the people that produced such
work. In terms of marketing, the book has reached vendors, readers and places
that I would have never thought possible and which I could have never achieved
when self-published. Also, I’ve been interviewed on radio and television,
invited to speak at numerous literary events and festivals, and had a launch at
Waterstones flagship store with over a hundred people in attendance. All this
has only been possible because of the professionalism and experience of Orenda.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What plans do you have for future books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The rights to the sequel to Wicked
Game have just been acquired by Orenda. The book is called Deadly Game. Following
an exciting auction of rights, I have now just signed contracts for the audio
versions of both Wicked Game and Deadly Game. In the pipeline, I have the
skeletons of several novels sketched out and the possibility of one or two
non-fiction books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is there anything about being an author that you
particularly enjoy?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many things. I’ve always been very
self-motivated and have been equally happy working as a member of a team or as
an individual. But, I now find that I do like working on my own, setting my own
deadlines and managing my own time. I enjoy research, learning about new things
and brushing up on gaps in my knowledge. I enjoy the moment the words start to
flow, that realisation that you are ‘in the groove’ and the story is unfolding,
sometimes faster than I can type. I often lose track of time, forget to eat and
have been known to write into the early hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that said, what I most enjoy is
the eventual interaction with readers that the book produces, particularly when
it comes to meeting and having the chance to chat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you could take three books to a desert island, what
would they be?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now that’s a tough one. I’m not a
very fast reader so, whatever I take, I would hope to get plenty of enjoyment
from it. I’ve never read a book twice, so I wouldn’t be inclined to take an old
favourite, so I think I would choose two books that I always meant to read but
never found the time. Both would need to be very long books as, once read,
their pages would likely become kindling to help create fire, an essential step
in maintaining morale. The third book would be a blank journal, which I would
use to write thoughts, experiences and stories, to help me while away the time
as I built the ship that I would sail back to civilisation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How do you handle negative reviews?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone is entitled to an opinion,
and the open review system means that anyone with internet access can write
theirs. I do read them, and if they contain constructive criticism then I learn
from them. It was critical review of Wicked Game, written shortly after I first
self-published, that resulted in my having it properly proof-read. That
improvement in the standard of the book eventually lead to me being signed by
an agent and securing a publisher, so I’m eternally grateful to that reviewer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I have less time for is the
critics who are clearly writing for other reasons than genuine feedback. For
example, some use reviews as a forum to promote another book (often their own)
or to feed their ego in some way. It also perplexes me when someone who, for
example only likes romance, says critical things of a crime thriller, simply
because it wasn’t to their taste.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What I never do is get upset by a
review… but, like many fiction writers before me, I might get even!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmvYszWKeMRp-sPorRTiaSwa0RoBD5u3Csg08R4GHIsUoF5-gikTmBBIU2Q-mTmoKW453dlNeMmva95VslfhNHeoqvk_nmSr39ApS5p9-OR3P9em7RanhmrUz-FxF4E9v23mKctu6VRhg/s1600/Cover+Promo+2.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/AVvXsEjmvYszWKeMRp-sPorRTiaSwa0RoBD5u3Csg08R4GHIsUoF5-gikTmBBIU2Q-mTmoKW453dlNeMmva95VslfhNHeoqvk_nmSr39ApS5p9-OR3P9em7RanhmrUz-FxF4E9v23mKctu6VRhg/s320/Cover+Promo+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you have an agent?
If you do, what are the major benefits?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I’m fortunate to be
represented by James Wills from Watson-Little. Agents are unfairly maligned in
my opinion as, to the in-experienced , having someone like James on my team has
been of huge benefit. Publishing is a whole new world to me, one that uses its
own language, has its own protocols and systems. James has been incredibly
patient explaining to me how things work, how the industry operates. He found
me a publisher and, when it came to negotiating contracts, he was invaluable in
explaining to me the significance of contractual terms, rights allocations and
many other facets to reaching an agreement. I recently read an article in the
Society of Authors magazine on how non-agented authors can lose out for want of
such in-depth understanding and knowledge. I don’t have those skills, my agent
does, and I am extremely grateful to him for that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where can we find your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In e-book form, Wicked Game is
available on Amazon, Kobo, Ibookstore, Nook etc. In paperback it’s available in
Waterstones, WH Smith, Hive, Amazon and through many independent book shops.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For signed copies, I’m supporting
Book-ish of Crickhowell who were the winner of the Wales and west independent
book shop of the year 2016. Order from Bookish and they will call me in to sign
a personalised copy for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Deadly Game is scheduled for
publication Spring 2017.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will also find Wicked Game on
sale at a number of literary events this year. I’m at Crickhowell and Berwick Literary Festivals, Tenby Book
Fair and Bristol CrimeFest. I will also be touring with the Orenda Author
Roadshow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many thanks for the opportunity to
chat, Alan.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-89365190195254301092016-11-06T03:36:00.004-08:002016-11-06T03:36:33.495-08:00Interview with David Videcette<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In the latest round of interviews, I’m
delighted to welcome David Videcette to the stage. David is a Scotland Yard
detective turned author. His debut novel, </span></i><a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/the-theseus-paradox/"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Theseus Paradox</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, is based on true events surrounding
the 7/7 London bombings. David was on the scene that day, and as the
novel’s tag-line says, ‘He can’t tell you the truth, but he can tell you a
story’!</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kF8Gdcs-xUQJv9-KlgiSlgCDb_i29tGDMuhVc8qTFZptfZrnklX2GNu-LYOEHIbxx-lMzH6Ll7B6DL66Q5yV82aDqb4H3y0mebTOXNOEtMlF7XV1fXt_sCTvS6_ugMD-w2P3texgaeE/s1600/Hi+Res+-+David_Videcette+full+length.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/AVvXsEh6kF8Gdcs-xUQJv9-KlgiSlgCDb_i29tGDMuhVc8qTFZptfZrnklX2GNu-LYOEHIbxx-lMzH6Ll7B6DL66Q5yV82aDqb4H3y0mebTOXNOEtMlF7XV1fXt_sCTvS6_ugMD-w2P3texgaeE/s320/Hi+Res+-+David_Videcette+full+length.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Tell us what made you write The Theseus Paradox</span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Operation Theseus, the police investigation into the London bombings, was an incredible operation to have worked on as a detective. The bombings were the start of the most amazing and tragic journey and an investigation that lasted five years. Having to relive that moment over and over again and share the pain and anguish of those families that had lost loved ones was not something that I would wish on anyone, but in the years that followed, I was thrust into the world of spies and espionage. They were the most harrowing times you could ever imagine, but they also gave me the opportunity to be involved in the biggest investigation this country has ever seen and work alongside the Security Services, (MI5 and MI6).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">At the time, I knew that we hadn’t ever
gotten to the bottom of what had really gone on. As the years have passed and I
came across new information - I began to piece together more and more material with
which to tell my story. I felt it was an important tale, part of our
cultural history - and one that needed to be documented. But </span><a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/the-theseus-paradox/" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Theseus Paradox</span></i></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> is just the very start. I'm really
looking forward to sharing the next instalment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you write full-time or part-time,
and what is a typical day at the keyboard?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m currently based in London and work
as a security consultant for high-net-worth individuals. I also commentate on
policing, crime and terrorism for newspapers, TV and radio. One day can be
really busy, the next day quiet, so I fit things around my schedule (and more
importantly that of my kids!) I write wherever and whenever I can. Sometimes I write
simply sitting in the car, using the notepad on my phone. I’m a very
emotional writer and my mood has to be right for me to be able to stick some
words down on the page. I’m not very good at having set times to do it; I
simply do it when the mood takes me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What does your family
think of your writing?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’ve written blogs and articles before,
but when I first started writing </span><a href="http://hyperurl.co/TheTheseusParadox"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Theseus Paradox</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I didn’t tell many people, including members of my family, that I was
writing a book. It’s taken many of them by surprise. There’s obviously lots of
me in there - the way I think and some awful truths in the book. So, it was a
little scary letting them read it. But the reaction has been really positive.
They all love the book and love what I’m doing. Sometimes they don’t like the
character names I’ve picked though, and ask to be called something else...</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What is the hardest thing about
writing?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I find the actual writing incredibly
easy. I write really fast. My problem is that I refuse to commit ideas to paper
that are not immaculately researched. The research behind my writing is what takes
me the time - that’s my demon, that's the hard part. I won’t make things up. I
have to know that what I’m writing is based in truth. It’s a little like
solving a case in some respects.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I’m very animated when I write. I talk
a lot to myself, laugh a lot and sometimes even cry. My editor says it’s like
watching a ‘Punch & Judy’ show where I play all the puppets. I’d Imagine it
would look incredible if it was ever caught on video! But I hope it’s not. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Do you hear from your
readers much? What kinds of things do they say?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I enjoy being active on social media
and interacting with many different people - and yes, it’s great to get
feedback from readers, bloggers and fans. I hadn’t given much thought to it
before I wrote a book. I just thought I’d write it to get the information down
on paper before it was lost forever (or I was too senile to remember any of
it!) and partly as a cathartic exercise for myself. But having released
it, hearing from readers that love what you’ve written - that truly is an
amazing feeling and something that I honestly didn’t really anticipate. I’m
delighted when readers say it’s opened their eyes to new things. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The funniest thing is when readers have
difficulty separating me from the fictional character in the book. I often get
called ‘Jake’. I imagine it’s how actors on television feel!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What are your ambitions for your
writing career?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I want to document the workings and
theories behind many other of the big investigations I’ve been involved with.
There is so much more knowledge I want to share with readers. If people only
knew half of this stuff...</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If I can just get all these stories
down on paper and out there before I die, I will be happy!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBKD6S0eFrLH_HTwXrPkXZmu7yCmevq7h-ObIjKnvgaC9d_cmflp_Y5ffw7U72IejAb8JPhPW8XKCWGJOAMlBZHxwau_vMv6S1hM5iOBnPZmUFS1k2H2GqqKq2lyFkmAa7v9pOA2swgE/s1600/THE+THESEUS+PARADOX+KINDLE+COVER.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/AVvXsEijBKD6S0eFrLH_HTwXrPkXZmu7yCmevq7h-ObIjKnvgaC9d_cmflp_Y5ffw7U72IejAb8JPhPW8XKCWGJOAMlBZHxwau_vMv6S1hM5iOBnPZmUFS1k2H2GqqKq2lyFkmAa7v9pOA2swgE/s320/THE+THESEUS+PARADOX+KINDLE+COVER.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Any tips on how to get through the
dreaded writer’s block?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Don’t sit there, in front of your PC or
where ever you write, expecting writer's block to disappear on its own. It
won’t. Your mind is like a sponge. If it's empty, you’re never going to get
anything out of it. Go and fill it up with something. Watch a film, read a
book, go for a walk and see something, listen to some music to fill your mind
with something, anything. Then come back and squeeze the sponge. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If you could collaborate with the author
of your choice, who would it be?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I bet JK Rowling and I could write an
amazing series of books about a time-travelling detective. Or Patricia
Cornwell, I’d really change the Kay Scarpetta series with her. Ian
Rankin, I’d get Rebus out of his comfort zone, drag him to London, that might
be fun. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Where can we find your books?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/the-theseus-paradox/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Theseus Paradox</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> is available to buy for</span><a href="http://hyperurl.co/KindleTheseusParadox"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Kindle</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> or in</span><a href="http://hyperurl.co/TheTheseusParadox"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">paperback at Amazon</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, through</span><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-theseus-paradox/david-videcette/9780993426315"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Waterstones online</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> or by asking in store. It’s also
available at</span><a href="http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/jsp/id/The_Theseus_Paradox/9780993426315"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Blackwell’s
Bookshop online</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> or via</span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Theseus-Paradox-David-Videcette/9780993426315"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Book Depository</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. Or you can get a personalised, signed
paperback via my website </span><a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/buy-a-signed-copy/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks for having me as a guest on your
blog, Alan. It’s been an absolute pleasure answering your questions.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">David’s debut thriller,</span></i></b><a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/sign-up"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The Theseus Paradox</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, was voted in the top ten books of the year by five independent review
websites. It became a number one bestseller in its Amazon category within a
month of launch and the truth behind the fiction has since been investigated by
The Sunday Telegraph, The Mirror, The Sun, Sky and ITV News. His second
thriller will be out at the end of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">You can connect with
David Videcette via:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/DavidVidecette"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/davidvidecette"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/reviews"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">David’s website</span></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">-<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-9813083360537965922016-10-24T02:21:00.001-07:002016-10-24T02:21:33.927-07:00Interview with CR Hiatt<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week I’m delighted to welcome young
adult and thriller author CR Hiatt. The
daughter of a military veteran, CR grew up in a small town where she was an
All-American athlete before she ventured out into the real world. CR knew early
on that she wasn't cut out for the nine to five type of job, her tendency to
day dream about adventures often got in the way, which inevitably led her to
writing where she could live out those escapades. So far she has four titles
under her belt.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYnhlvA_2uUH0o_jiFsBti1mIUVWrOOI-RCa7FFEKTO2M6KecFMQWvuSP99PmiumQ4CGMt7OGUMkL7rwdcc-Zcb5Z05xVrQF6m6QZIe5X4_oeU6fvgWvGMf4N4qMpztVun9GZvCLNU9sE/s1600/bio+pic.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/AVvXsEhYnhlvA_2uUH0o_jiFsBti1mIUVWrOOI-RCa7FFEKTO2M6KecFMQWvuSP99PmiumQ4CGMt7OGUMkL7rwdcc-Zcb5Z05xVrQF6m6QZIe5X4_oeU6fvgWvGMf4N4qMpztVun9GZvCLNU9sE/s320/bio+pic.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>When did you write
your first book and how old were you?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn’t start writing books until much later in life, mainly because I
wasn’t sure I could make a good enough living from writing. In fact, I dabbled
with screenplays before ever attempting to sit down and write a full book. It
was after having a little bit of success with one of my scripts where a
producer recommended I adapt it into a book so I finally took the plunge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before actually sitting down to write, however, I spent several months with
local and big-city police departments, and fire departments, where I engaged in
one-on-one interviews with undercover detectives to make sure I was not only
accurate, but also to garner more information if I wound up writing a series. I
was also fortunate enough to spend time with victims of some of the crimes
discussed in my series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What was one of the
most surprising things you learned in creating your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There were actually three things that surprised me when I started this
journey. One was the ever-changing landscape of the publishing world, and the
way readers started to view traditional and self-published authors. Not only
are they more accepting of the Indie author, but quite a few have topped the
financial charts and paved the way for others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second thing was information I learned during my research with law
enforcement. Even though my stories are fiction, they are all based on
real-life situations, one of which is the crime of human trafficking. I was
horrified to learn the truth about some of the perpetrators who were involved
in the multi-million-dollar trafficking rings all across the U.S. and abroad.
They weren’t all members of gangs or thugs from poor parts of the city who were
trying to score some big money, like I envisioned. Some of them were CEO’s,
doctors, judges, lawyers, police officers, and even worse, some of the more
lucrative rings were started by teenagers still in high school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And finally, I was stunned to know that there are some who don’t believe
that eighteen-year-olds, which is the age of the two heroes in my McSwain &
Beck series, could handle some of the situations which they were thrown into,
as reflected in some of my readers’ emails and Facebook messages. That baffled
me, because my father had been in the military and so are many of my friends,
most of who joined when they were eighteen. I also have other friends who are
police officers and firefighters. They also joined at young ages. I’m not sure
of the world in which the commenters live, but in the world of my friends, the
antics pulled off by McSwain & Beck are tame in comparison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you prefer to
create books for teens or adults?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s a tough one. Since I write mainly action-thrillers, I would say
it is easier to write from the perspective of an adult, only because I feel
freer to put the character into situations, or have them say something that I
don’t feel like I will be judged or it will have some kind of life-altering impact
on a young adult who happens to read the story. I’ve seen some reviewers and
critics attack authors just for using the F-bomb in a story, and the main
characters were mobsters. There are some stories where certain language is
necessary to make the story seem real. Can you see Tony of the Sopranos
altering his language to appeal to the sensitive PC crowd? It may be fiction,
but the writer of that series remained true to the real Italian mobsters back
in the day. Same goes for a cop, military figure, or spy who found himself in a
violent or horrific situation. If a soldier steps on a landmine and blows one
of his legs off, he’s not going to think about who he might be offending when
he utters an expletive as he drops to the ground. Authors are trying to do the
same when writing the character in similar situations. We are trying to remain
authentic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said the above, I have been fortunate enough to get teens, young
adult, and adult readers for my young adult series. In fact, I was actually
surprised that the majority of readers of the series turned out to be adult
males. But I am blown away when I get feedback from teens and young adults who
read the books, and tell me how much they love Sydney and Cody. There was
nothing more humbling than to receive emails from readers who did their high
school book reports from Gone at Zero Hundred 00:00 and Fireworks on the 4<sup>th</sup>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any
tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Read. Read. Read. Nothing motivates me more than to sit down and read
action thrillers by other authors. Sometimes, for me at least, I get stumped
because I’m not sure I can pull off an action sequence the way I want, or if
the reader will buy it as legit for my story. If that happens, I have a few
authors who write the kind of action/thrillers I would LOVE to write, (such as
the owner of this blog, Alan McDermott), so I open one of their books and start
reading. It might take a few chapters or the entire book to get me out of my funk,
or I might have to read a few others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another trick that has worked for me is to write a few chapters the way
I do a screenplay, which means I would write out the action and fill in the
dialogue and description later. I have a huge supply of DVDs, most of which are
action oriented, so I spend a lot of time watching them when I need inspiration;
24 hours of James Bond can do wonders. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do you find it
easier to write a series or standalones?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have outlines of several stories, but so far I have only published the
ones that were written as a series. Since McSwain & Beck are private
investigators it was easier to write them as a series, because the ideas were
already there from my research with law enforcement. Kyra Ray was created when
I adapted an earlier screenplay originally titled Retribution, but is now
Sanctioned Kill. When I wrote the screenplay, it was created with the hope that
a filmmaker would see the potential for a sequel, or a possible TV series. The
ending makes it inevitable that there would be more to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do have a standalone book that I look forward to publishing sometime
in the near future which is based on members of the fire service. I was fortunate
to spend time at small-town and big city fire departments, virtually residing
at one firehouse to get the feel of what it was like to be a member of the fire
service, and witnessed some incredible and scary things. Like all my stories,
the plot is based on real life, only written as fiction with additional
characters added in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For a while, I spent a lot of time trying to study and navigate social
media, and joined Facebook groups that focused on marketing. I studied some of
the top authors and tried to emulate their successes. I learned a lot, and
spent a good amount of money in the process. What I came away with though,
marketing doesn’t need to be a full-time effort. Writing does. It used to be
that an author put out a book a year, and did marketing in between. That
doesn’t work as well for us indie authors. My new goal is to put out a few
books a year. The more books you have, the more the readers will find you. I
have been putting all my ducks in a row where real life is concerned so that I
can put that plan into action. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where
would you like to be in 5 years’ time?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I want to be the female version of Russell Blake, only without the
Tequila. No more renovating houses (which is what I do when not writing), but
instead I would be sitting on the beach near my waterfront home. I’d have
several books already published, and the uncanny ability to keep churning out
more, with the ease that Mr. Blake has.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, and no clowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihd-UBS3Xa6BMw7s_kz4XRNW-tvS0ASZmDx-wPfkRaLfaIQt5Bj9WP3HvN0XwGXycUXiJGD9qazi3KW_vfZPfmP96kxiHQr5il9zyg7aVFgx6_oARe-oiwb_hIYZ64w2WWgXKLwd0URc/s1600/book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihd-UBS3Xa6BMw7s_kz4XRNW-tvS0ASZmDx-wPfkRaLfaIQt5Bj9WP3HvN0XwGXycUXiJGD9qazi3KW_vfZPfmP96kxiHQr5il9zyg7aVFgx6_oARe-oiwb_hIYZ64w2WWgXKLwd0URc/s320/book+cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
are you working on at the moment?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spy Games, the third novel in the McSwain
& Beck series is set to be published for pre-orders soon. It was delayed
due to an unfortunate situation by Mother Nature at one of the properties I
rent out. I’m also working on the sequel to Sanctioned Kill, and should have
that ready to go shortly after.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where
can we find your books?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/CR-HIATT/e/B007L1PU92/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1?tag=geolinker-20">https://www.amazon.com/CR-HIATT/e/B007L1PU92/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1?tag=geolinker-20</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-28713694297680584482016-10-09T06:13:00.002-07:002016-10-09T09:25:08.680-07:00Interview with Seb Kirby<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My next guest is Seb Kirby, author of the James Blake Thriller series (Take no More, Regret No More and Forgive No More), the Raymond Bridges sci-fi thriller series (Double Bind) and the psychological thriller Each Day I Wake. He has also had the distinction of being one of Len Smart’s suggested reads in my Tom Gray series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tell us about your latest book</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm close to completing a new psychological thriller, a follow up to EACH DAY I WAKE. The provisional title is SUGAR FOR SUGAR. The main character is Issy Cunningham, a woman who's struggling to discover what's gone wrong in her life. She's been burying past tragedies and must find a way of coming to terms with them if she's going to make sense of what's happening now. Aiming for a launch date in September...... </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Eyfvy106GmN-UB32YQaPEj0vkNGKlZrzOAv2OW3I1t1SeLEO_r6ESnjPB5mnRzrWWToDVmrXejVC5CPv_rv1kOGQ63qQGKmjZYQR4WdgCDL6Su3ptOdrKnBDwfUFSNd0jtTR71yAgnw/s1600/NewSK.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/AVvXsEh5Eyfvy106GmN-UB32YQaPEj0vkNGKlZrzOAv2OW3I1t1SeLEO_r6ESnjPB5mnRzrWWToDVmrXejVC5CPv_rv1kOGQ63qQGKmjZYQR4WdgCDL6Su3ptOdrKnBDwfUFSNd0jtTR71yAgnw/s320/NewSK.jpg" width="276" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>How did you get into writing?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was raised surrounded by books – my grandfather ran a mobile library in Birmingham and my parents inherited a random selection of titles when the library business closed. They weren't much interested in them; the books were piled up in a spare room, gathering dust. I would disappear in there and resurrect much read classics. I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s always seemed a natural thing to want to do – to write. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Do you travel to research your books, or is it all done online?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I took up full time writing I worked as a science professor and, as part of that job, I got to attend conferences in many parts of the world. Wherever possible I took time after the conferences to stay on and get to know more about the locations. The places that remain most in the memory are the US (Boston, New York, Monterey, San Francisco, Albuquerque, San Antonio, San Diego), Europe (Florence, Venice, Crete, Aachen, Munich, Lisbon, Igls), China (Bejing, Shenyang, Xi’an). Of all these places, Florence is the most precious and I return there most years. The Reformation took place there. You can still inhale the spirit of the freedom of scientific and artistic thought and practice that brought about the enlightenment that has served us so well right up to the present day. An enlightenment now under challenge from all sides. I still travel as much as I can, these days mainly in Europe. Now I’m much more aware that, part of the time anyway, I’m casing the joint for scenes in upcoming novels.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>If your books hit the big screen, who would you like to play the lead role?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There was one embarrassing moment, some years ago when I was waiting for a connection at Chicago O’Hare airport when I got talking to this guy who guessed I was English and wanted to know what I knew about Oasis. I had to tell him that I didn’t know much. He then hinted, in a somewhat humorous way, that I might know who he was. I didn’t. To help, he asked if I’d seen the movie ‘Ed Wood. I‘d heard of it but hadn’t seen it. Something about him was familiar, though. Eventually, his flight was called and he prepared to leave. I made a joke that he’d be traveling first class despite his somewhat unexplained interest in the Gallaghers. Unlike the economy class seating that traveling academics like me were made to suffer. He shrugged this off with a smile and was gone. This was 1995 and the man I’d been talking with was not that famous then. I realised later that I’d been speaking with Johnny Depp. So, it would make sense to me to have Johnny playing the lead, if, and it’s quite and ‘if’, my James Blake thriller series gets to the screen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Who has been your biggest influence in writing?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Picking one author, it would have to be Ray Bradbury. I discovered him many years ago and those stories (The Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine, The Illustrated Man, The October Country, Fahrenheit 451 and many more) are still fresh in my mind today. He’s a model storyteller. But he also has an economy in the use of language that I admire and, in my own way, try to emulate, even though I’m not working mainly in the same genres (sci fi / horror) that Ray worked in. But I believe that this approach, applied to thrillers, is something that can set my work apart from other thriller writers and, hopefully, gain something approaching a fraction of the appreciation from readers that Ray’s work still commands today. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCYyCYGftPFwxx_YyMlFDp6rRY7ZoFh8KzsznnCyEiuFMRR-Ohln3CWEN5nkVPHXW40dwi2u4Nj3ZyhW_v4rnNaT7cMPLzDuEjdlYNLRvSYMdJwgMR2TO1sKczCmLeAJGmQkxCSDFJ6Gg/s1600/Each+Day+I+Wake+Cover+MEDIUM+WEB.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/AVvXsEhCYyCYGftPFwxx_YyMlFDp6rRY7ZoFh8KzsznnCyEiuFMRR-Ohln3CWEN5nkVPHXW40dwi2u4Nj3ZyhW_v4rnNaT7cMPLzDuEjdlYNLRvSYMdJwgMR2TO1sKczCmLeAJGmQkxCSDFJ6Gg/s320/Each+Day+I+Wake+Cover+MEDIUM+WEB.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>If you weren’t an author, what would you like to do for a living?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve been a scientist, engineer, educator and professor. It was rewarding working in those roles, especially teaching science to young people. But I decided to give that all up to become a full-time author. Which is harder? Being an author. No doubt about it. But the satisfaction of inventing worlds of your own and involving readers in them more than makes up for that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where can we find out more about your books?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here is the link to my amazon author page: <a href="http://smarturl.it/skku">http://smarturl.it/skku</a> Or you can visit my web site : <a href="http://sebkirby.com/">http://sebkirby.com</a></span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-30250389619425326502016-09-30T03:55:00.000-07:002016-09-30T03:57:57.767-07:00Cover reveal for Trojan<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It has been a long time coming, but I am finally able to reveal the cover and release date for my latest novel, Trojan. Tom Gray has been through some rough times, so I decided to give him some time off and let Andrew Harvey and the team from MI5 step up and have their own adventure. There are lots of familiar characters for those who have read the Gray series, but it can easily be read as a standalone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9quccltGF87SmQJTHIAqBA9MDXadTNYIZj8y3pf9oAmXNwYPuzVkVX5eJXoEnUabYrT72Lhql9MZ_aQrbJzn3RhfpNhpoqsHFEXbiUM7qFQ_AlASkJ59MLGVBX6OBEkk1-3EBxVh5Q3k/s1600/Trojan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9quccltGF87SmQJTHIAqBA9MDXadTNYIZj8y3pf9oAmXNwYPuzVkVX5eJXoEnUabYrT72Lhql9MZ_aQrbJzn3RhfpNhpoqsHFEXbiUM7qFQ_AlASkJ59MLGVBX6OBEkk1-3EBxVh5Q3k/s320/Trojan.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When MI5 learns that a horrifying new weapon is in enemy hands, agent Andrew Harvey is called in to track it down before it reaches British soil.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></em>
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then a woman is found murdered by the roadside and it soon becomes clear that London is in the crosshairs. The clock is ticking. Andrew and his girlfriend, Sarah, also a secret service operative, have only one lead: a beautiful refugee, desperate not to lose her son. But is she desperate enough to betray everything she believes in? And will she do it in time to help them prevent a terrifying attack?</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></em>
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As Andrew and Sarah race to unravel a convoluted web of subterfuge and exploitation, they discover there is more at stake than even they knew. And somewhere, at the heart of it, lurks a faceless enemy, who is prepared to use everything—and everyone—at his disposal.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></em>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My publisher didn't want the book to get lost in the holiday noise, so it will hit the shelves on January 12th 2017. It is now available for pre-order exclusively from Amazon: <a href="http://amzn.to/2dAw4uy">http://amzn.to/2dAw4uy</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Reviews</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A couple of people were given advanced review copies by my publisher, and here's what they had to say about Trojan:<br /></span><em><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">‘Trojan is an edge of your seat, fast-paced thriller which kept me gripped throughout. A tense and action-packed story which was frighteningly plausible and topical. With a strong MI5 team trying to foil an horrific terrorist attack in London, Trojan kept me reading until the early hours desperate to find out what happens.’ <strong>—Tracy Fenton, THE Book Club</strong><br /><br />I thought this was a fast-paced, action thriller to start with but then Alan McDermott kicked it up to full throttle and left me gasping for air! I seriously could not put this book down and now find myself, true crimebookjunkie-style, gagging for my next fix! <strong> Noelle Holten - www.crimebookjunkie.co.uk</strong></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-29168776661999381452016-09-25T05:25:00.002-07:002016-09-25T05:25:17.060-07:00Interview With David Leadbeater<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun">David Leadbeater is the author of nineteen Kindle International
Bestsellers - the Matt Drake and Alicia Myles series', </span>the
Disavowed series and Chosen. He has sold over half a million e-books on
the Amazon Kindle.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>When
did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?</b></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've written books since I
was 15 years old. It's always been my highest aspiration.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66qxKchVM4z3UL7ZEUluf3MJlJHxQ4pY8Z6iE4mDe0ROPmoLpFSer3GxHb82_TGk_Kgs_-pvS4GRh1fq8zzQYO4zxOVf6Qa_3JPwV-buqiVB38DYz9Rc8YLPEsitmiqnwHeKkL3T9OfM/s1600/dl9.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/AVvXsEg66qxKchVM4z3UL7ZEUluf3MJlJHxQ4pY8Z6iE4mDe0ROPmoLpFSer3GxHb82_TGk_Kgs_-pvS4GRh1fq8zzQYO4zxOVf6Qa_3JPwV-buqiVB38DYz9Rc8YLPEsitmiqnwHeKkL3T9OfM/s320/dl9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>How
much time do you send on research?</b></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I try to get all my initial
research written down within a week. If some parts look quite daunting I leave
links in the plot at relevant points to be addressed later. <span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>What
was the hardest thing about writing your latest book?</b></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Learning a
new process of writing and editing! I used a new editor for Stand
Your Ground and he worked very differently. He taught me a lot.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>Do you
have an agent, and if not, are you looking for one?</b></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No agent and not looking for
one at the moment. Independent publishing is where it's all at.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="normaltextrun">You recently </span>worked with Ed <span class="spellingerror">Stackler</span><span class="normaltextrun"> as
your editor. How did you find the process?</span></b> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ed is a
great developmental editor, able to push your further and harder and make you
really think about plotlines, characters and pace. He is very experienced,
working for Amazon, and very professional. I'd certainly enjoy the chance to do
it all again some time.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>How do you handle negative reviews?</b></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I take note
only if they hold serious content, and something I or my readers tend to
agree with. If a recurring theme comes up I look at rewriting certain passages
or researching further, two things I have done several times in the past.
Amazon's self-publishing platform allows you to revise your book at any time –
another great boon for Independent publishing.<span class="eop"> </span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span class="eop"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_lkHVZPct5fsEHDXeMZhlFAY_-t04YmFfCt0vFKX3eIXIHewQPyivXoQLBNKhTdrTO5BHmfSS1ZFtqILbtXJECkEre4AqZh9S2yzi6NxDQ_DuTRig-YZsq_uA5qfUmxZ9ZJdqCKwM2Vk/s1600/syg4mb.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/AVvXsEj_lkHVZPct5fsEHDXeMZhlFAY_-t04YmFfCt0vFKX3eIXIHewQPyivXoQLBNKhTdrTO5BHmfSS1ZFtqILbtXJECkEre4AqZh9S2yzi6NxDQ_DuTRig-YZsq_uA5qfUmxZ9ZJdqCKwM2Vk/s320/syg4mb.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span class="normaltextrun" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Which
marketing strategy has worked best for you?</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If I'm being honest none of
them seem to work all that well. My best decision was to create a mailing list
of readers and use that to inform everyone of new releases. Whichever way you
do it, I believe a large mailing list is essential.<span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun"><b>Where can we find your books?</b></span><b> My
Amazon Author Central page shows a list of the </b><span class="spellingerror"><b>avaialble</b></span><span class="normaltextrun"><b> titles:</b></span><span class="eop"> </span><span style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://t.co/Zzr0gHzdDJ"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;">https://t.co/Zzr0gHzdDJ</span></span></a><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="normaltextrun">A</span>nd
my personal website is:<span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.davidleadbeater.com/"><span class="normaltextrun"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none;">www.davidleadbeater.com</span></span></a><span class="eop"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 6pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-35689693975478330092016-09-12T07:25:00.004-07:002016-09-12T07:25:48.008-07:00Interview with Seumas Gallacher<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Former businessman Seumas Gallacher left the finance world seven years ago to launch his writing career, and I’m here to find out how that journey went. Seumas was voted Blogger of the Year in 2013, and his network boasts over 25,000 direct contacts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuBYuYqawMShb58_HcU1EOxsZ-La7X6HGVsJyElmhZYUKrESPzLKPJuTpK8wLjOuD_gtRQcoRs6ywhEWTbVPEvVjeKSlVLsSmnIbnACRsmiGvlvlYd1CmJZVXcjjTFpEWmtIblsxeV2E/s1600/aaaa.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/AVvXsEhAuBYuYqawMShb58_HcU1EOxsZ-La7X6HGVsJyElmhZYUKrESPzLKPJuTpK8wLjOuD_gtRQcoRs6ywhEWTbVPEvVjeKSlVLsSmnIbnACRsmiGvlvlYd1CmJZVXcjjTFpEWmtIblsxeV2E/s320/aaaa.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell us about your latest book</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Current work-in-progress is DEADLY IMPASSE, the fifth in the Jack Calder crime thriller series. The characters are familiar to my readers--- the team at International Security Partners (ISP), ex-SAS officers, Jack Calder and his mate Malky McGuire; Jack’s Asian wife, former Anti-Triad fighter, May-Ling; and former London Serious Crimes Squad commander, Donnie Mullen, take on international drug barons and people-traffickers. The action ranges from the usually calm backwater of a private bank in Luxembourg to the shores of Libya and the perils of migrants in the Mediterranean, all the way to drug-running cartels in Central America. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You’re based in Abu Dhabi. What took you there?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Twelve years ago, I went to Abu Dhabi for a month on a corporate trouble-shooting role for a major local bank. I’m still in the Middle East. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tell us how you first got into writing.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve been scribbling and writing since my mid teens, graduating from the usual angst–ridden poetry to short stories. There was a gap of several decades until I decided about eight years ago, it was just ‘time’ to write ‘that book’ we all have in us. Wish I’d gotten the bug again a bit sooner. LUVVIN IT!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Who has been the biggest influence on your writing career?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For writing style, my eternal favourite authors are Dickens, Steinbeck, O’Hara and Ruark. The other principal influence has been an international career that has revealed characters, events, places, humour, tragedy and the whole nine yards of life in the raw.</span><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How important are book reviews to you?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They are important inasmuch as people take time and trouble to share their opinion (but, always to remember it is only their opinion). It tends to guide other folks toward the work, good or otherwise, and as the former actress, Mae West, used to say, “I don’t care what they’re sayin’ about me, just so long as they’re sayin’. ” However, reviews should always be taken with a pinch of salt, as most people usually give four- or five-star reviews for publication... the negatives are seldom ever posted, or are, in large part, written by trolls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>If you could go back to the start of your writing career, what if, anything, would you do differently?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Start the ‘building the platform’ of a following on the Internet, including an author’s blog, constantly, before, during and after the book(s) is (are) in process. Modern writers have to be heard above the ‘noise’ and all of the social networks provide channels for readers to get to know them as well as their wee masterpieces.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfvv-jTkLU8Wisb8Jg6guCoUCcsgc2-FhMgTwKspZiFn2KG0DS07nbxFbg3C4ULxjUjBzwRQE5k_XQMS0RL5SUnqZqqebeLF-3rWGTSKLMUgbuYPOkkb3wO6svLhzr6BXOpfQ3yAXtuk/s1600/wallpapernew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfvv-jTkLU8Wisb8Jg6guCoUCcsgc2-FhMgTwKspZiFn2KG0DS07nbxFbg3C4ULxjUjBzwRQE5k_XQMS0RL5SUnqZqqebeLF-3rWGTSKLMUgbuYPOkkb3wO6svLhzr6BXOpfQ3yAXtuk/s320/wallpapernew.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Who does your book covers?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend in Manila is a superb commercial artist, and ‘gets’ what my books’ contents need. I’m delighted with the many positive comments the covers have attracted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where can we find out more about your books?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of my books are on Amazon. Here are the quick links:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE VIOLIN MANS LEGACY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mybook.to/theviolinmanslegacy">myBook.to/theviolinmanslegacy</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mybook.to/vengeancewearsblack">myBook.to/vengeancewearsblack</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SAVAGE PAYBACK</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mybook.to/savagepayback">myBook.to/savagepayback</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">KILLER CITY</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://mybook.to/calderkillercity">myBook.to/calderkillercity</a></span><br />
<br />jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-82981895537862284282016-08-27T23:53:00.000-07:002016-08-27T23:53:04.914-07:00Interview with Ed James<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s time for another interview, and this time I have been chatting to Ed James, self-published author of the DC Scott Cullen police procedurals as well as Snared, which was published by Thomas & Mercer. They will also be releasing</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> two DI Fenchurch books this year, and he recently published a PC Craig Hunter book.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QvWPMiy8TulDqyJib8eQZCtHRM5KJLKiTYLU0lpZbPtPoKpvRKkufkpRVVfR3deUUIGDdbje7ZUnVZQLQ25JloHdu4QiqUswMfsviUkCX2bITZ0YdlPbODYvuFizyj2nAPGkJR6SwBA/s1600/author+pic.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/AVvXsEg6QvWPMiy8TulDqyJib8eQZCtHRM5KJLKiTYLU0lpZbPtPoKpvRKkufkpRVVfR3deUUIGDdbje7ZUnVZQLQ25JloHdu4QiqUswMfsviUkCX2bITZ0YdlPbODYvuFizyj2nAPGkJR6SwBA/s320/author+pic.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You gave up your day job in IT to write full time (just as I did). Did it ever feel like a risky move?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hell yeah! And it felt like that for about eighteen months. Still get shivers if my monthly income goes below a certain level… But I don’t regret doing it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I took the plunge kind of by accident. I’d been working in London on a huge migration project, and I was in charge of the data migration team, which was running into serious difficulties. None of it my fault, I hasten to add.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During my time there, my book income had exploded from about £900 a month to over four grand. Then around Christmas time, an agent approached me, Allan Guthrie, who’s also a novelist I greatly admired. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wasn’t enjoying being away from home every week and I managed to secure a contract back in Edinburgh, luckily for the same amount of money. I took a week to see if I’d actually be productive writing full-time and it went really well, finishing an outline for the first Fenchurch novel, though it had vampires in it… Anyway, I lasted three days at the job before I started getting a really sore back and I had to quit. I’ve not looked back…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are the main differences between self-publishing and having a team like Thomas & Mercer behind you?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the self-publishing side, or indie author as we like to call ourselves now, you’re in charge of everything. You’re your own publisher. So as well as writing the books, you’ve got to market them, get covers done, organise and pay for editing. With T&M, I don’t have to worry about any of that, other than working with editors and approving covers, really. The marketing is all taken care of and that’s T&M’s great advantage – they can direct market to everyone who’s got a Kindle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plus side of being an indie author is you can set your own schedule. I finished up editing a book with my friend last weekend and I published it on Monday. With T&M, and they’re very quick compared to traditional publishers, it takes about seven months from finishing development editing to publication, something I’m not used to. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the T&M side, there’s usually some lead time between submitting that first draft and starting dev editing, something I maybe don’t give myself enough of with my indie work. That means I’m cold to the book and I can take a pair of scissors to it, or more likely add in stuff that’s lacking…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m a very quick writer and T&M are being really good at calling me out on it, heh. For instance, I’ve got the first two books in the DI Fenchurch series out five weeks apart and they’re pushing for me to write the third one, which is pretty much unheard of in trad publishing circles. The only exception I can think of is the success Bookoutoure have had with Angela Marsons Kim Stone series, where the books were published very quickly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On balance, though, I love having the blend. I know a few trad authors who’re stuck publishing just one novel a year, so everything has to go into that book, and it doesn’t seem to have a positive effect on their health… And the social side of being with a publisher can’t be ignored – the parties T&M run every year have let me meet a load of different authors, including yourself, and it helps share stories and pain points and successes. Keeping perspective is one of the hardest things when you’re locked in a room for eight hours a day with just a fat cat for company.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s a typical writing day?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I’m writing, it’s usually a sprint, so getting up at seven-ish for a quick breakfast. I go to the gym four or five times a week, usually about 9, 9.15, so I take a break for that. Then I’m back at it until lunchtime. I usually work straight through to about six at night, though in winter I break to walk the dogs at about three, not a problem in the summer. I usually aim for a word count of about 7,000-10,000 when I’m doing that heavy-lifting phase, mainly so I get through it. Then I can spend a couple of weeks fixing stuff. But I tend to work in an agile way, everything’s timeboxed and focused, there’s no diversions allowed!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Information is harder than ideas. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ideas I usually get from news stories. I use Feedly to subscribe to a load of newspapers and blogs, and skim through them every day saving stuff off to Evernote. I’ll sift through that selection every month or so, and find something that catches my eye and I’ll file a note in my ideas file. Other than, it can be stuff coming out of the ether that I just get struck with. Those are harder to replicate…</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Information is the hard bit for police procedurals. Murder cases are pretty easy, as everyone’s seen or read hundreds of books/shows/films with a dead body on page five and a post-mortem and forensics and interviews and so on. The challenge there is in making the story as good as possible, as unique and different, with interesting characters. The book I’ve just published focuses on sex crimes, which is a harder thing to do – the victims are still alive, forensics are different and police procedure isn’t so well-documented. Luckily, I know a few officers, including a couple of serving ones, so that does help.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favourite?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s always the latest one. The first two Fenchurch books I’m particularly pleased with as I think I’m maybe pushing the genre in a slightly new direction. MISSING, the first Hunter book, is similar as I’m focusing on sex crimes and giving voice to a different set of victims. It allows for the victims voice to be heard dramatically, instead of through exposition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have you ever yearned to collaborate with another author, and if so, who?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have collaborated with Al Guthrie, though the project we selected is pretty much the hardest thing either of us have ever tried to do. I did my first draft two years ago after Al had done a couple on his own and we’re still back at the drawing board stage, five drafts in. It’s been a great experience seeing how someone else works and picking up skills. Al’s very big on character, particularly motivations and what makes each person unique, but also on writing craft and I’ve learnt a hell of a lot of good tricks from the process. Just hope one day we publish the bugger!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7QQ98dF7LaI1f9dsJHylKWx93uG6yfRC4AUDr6w_c5xj3O9NynArljXzZC_-BT0r7hxZEEEYah2QxrWFNeaEoPtXgkQv_Qf3EotTQY228ZAh8x3zS3Vaiw2qNOV1f7Cf52Q9bmG_OFc/s1600/cover.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/AVvXsEhn7QQ98dF7LaI1f9dsJHylKWx93uG6yfRC4AUDr6w_c5xj3O9NynArljXzZC_-BT0r7hxZEEEYah2QxrWFNeaEoPtXgkQv_Qf3EotTQY228ZAh8x3zS3Vaiw2qNOV1f7Cf52Q9bmG_OFc/s320/cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s the easiest and hardest things about writing?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The easiest for me is sitting down and bashing away at a project. I can do that till my Spidey-sense starts tingling to tell me I’m working on something that’s rubbish.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bit I enjoy most is outlining. That’s when it’s fresh and exciting and all the weird little twists and insights come out. Compare with proofing where I’m just done with that book and can’t put any more emotion into it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hardest bit is editing, mainly because I could just keep changing it all the time. I have to be very disciplined and go with what the editors are telling me and just keep it at that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you’re not writing, how do you relax?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going to the gym, watching TV (box set stuff, not live), watching football, walking the dogs, going for drives with my girlfriend and generally just spending time with her.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where can we find your books?</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’re all on <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007UEQTQI/ref=dp_byline_sr_ebooks_1?ie=UTF8&text=Ed+James&search-alias=digital-text&field-author=Ed+James&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or you could look at my website, <a href="http://www.edjames.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.edjames.co.uk</a> </span><br />
<br />jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-35252777438047478332016-08-14T02:10:00.001-07:002016-08-14T02:11:34.124-07:00My interview with Jennifer Chase<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back across the pond, this time to California, the home of Jennifer Chase. With her German shepherd Odin by her side, Jennifer writes the Emily Stone vigilante detective thrillers. Emily Stone doesn’t have a badge. But that hasn’t stopped her from tracking down some of the West’s most dangerous criminals.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Tell us about your latest book</b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_ym4J2gO_d_a8iYWOJRvEFniTW76ZVHJOxPN4kur5Q0uPCxlMHX5V47GULTZSeZ5NJnSvKUmThyY1Lk-T_b1fv00miSiAvKQ6gOuagQxfwOOHYK5ZO54NDuR3R2XQuqheNmnGOgQWWg/s1600/Headshot_JChase.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/AVvXsEjy_ym4J2gO_d_a8iYWOJRvEFniTW76ZVHJOxPN4kur5Q0uPCxlMHX5V47GULTZSeZ5NJnSvKUmThyY1Lk-T_b1fv00miSiAvKQ6gOuagQxfwOOHYK5ZO54NDuR3R2XQuqheNmnGOgQWWg/s320/Headshot_JChase.jpg" width="286" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I write the multiple award-winning Emily Stone Thriller Series. My latest book, Dark Pursuit, leads the vigilante detective on a case of the Tick-Tock killer that pushes her psychological and physical endurance to the extreme. Emily Stone is not your ordinary detective; in fact, she tracks down serial killers anonymously and covertly under the radar of law enforcement. The Tick-Tock killer abducts a victim and in four days, almost to the minute, he dumps the body leaving the cops with very few clues. That’s where Emily Stone comes into play using her innate abilities of investigation and criminal profiling to track the killer. It’s not without a price. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What was the hardest part of writing it?</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For me, writing a series, and keeping the storyline fresh and engaging for readers keeps me on my toes. I write all my books to stand-alone, but I have a personal competition to write bigger action scenes and twists for each book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Do you outline your books first, or just start writing and see where it takes you?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I outline my stories. This is a loose outline where I can change things if the storyline calls for it. I like to think of an outline as a roadmap of the book, and then I can take one of those other roads occasionally if the mood strikes me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>How has your background influenced your writing?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have been behind the scenes as far as police departments are concerned. I know what goes on with forensics and how investigations are done from the real people that do these jobs. I spent my internship several years ago in forensic lab comparing fingerprints, studying crime scenes, and learning my way around a morgue. In addition, I’ve been threatened and stalked by a real textbook psychopath, which has inspired me to fine-tune my killers. Writing fiction allows for creative license, which is fun, but I’m keenly aware of procedures, realities, experiences, and technology. I try to give the reader the excitement of a police procedural, while striving to keep the story thrilling. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What has been the best moment of your writing career so far?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That’s difficult to answer. It’s a great moment when you finish any book—whether it’s your first or tenth, and having readers enjoy it. When I won the gold medal for action through Readers’ Favorite for Dead Burn really was a great moment for me—it validated my work and that I can write action thrillers. I’m very grateful.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What is your ultimate writing goal?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I want to keep writing books and short stories, and adding a few new series to my arsenal. I cannot ignore the fact that I would love to have my Emily Stone Series made into films. Who wouldn’t, right? There are some things going on behind the scenes, but that’s for another interview.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBesqgTK67waMKlR2LFhr_neQ54WdC27QVCwHOJ_IlNpkhdrnftPWWPvis-mrNDQpBysd4VNdv7NgUM5qNSdJgPWhNuQ-sAalb7YfxHDU2yUOUJ4oy3MAmSrARcfaeePjdjQJ2zIAL7w/s1600/DarkPursuit.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/AVvXsEjiBesqgTK67waMKlR2LFhr_neQ54WdC27QVCwHOJ_IlNpkhdrnftPWWPvis-mrNDQpBysd4VNdv7NgUM5qNSdJgPWhNuQ-sAalb7YfxHDU2yUOUJ4oy3MAmSrARcfaeePjdjQJ2zIAL7w/s320/DarkPursuit.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Which authors do you read for inspiration?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are so many awesome authors out there. I mostly read mysteries, thrillers, and horror. However, I seem to gravitate toward authors like Jeffrey Deaver, Lee Child, and David Baldacci. Besides these wonderful authors, I find inspiration from true crime authors as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Where can we find out more about your books?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All of my books are available on Amazon worldwide, in addition to most online book retailers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here’s a link to Dark Pursuit.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more information about my books and crime related articles: www.authorjenniferchase.com/</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Author Bio:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jennifer Chase is an award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored six crime fiction novels, including the multiple award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a screenwriting workbook.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jennifer holds a Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master's degree in criminology. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-23295681479021587882016-07-31T03:31:00.002-07:002016-07-31T03:31:52.032-07:00Interview with Luke Romyn<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Luke Romyn has been gracious enough to join me for my next Q & A session. Luke is the USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen titles, the most recent of which was the page-turner Walking with Shadows.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What made you decide to write your first novel?</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bXtfVtOrP82BndQrO9RSRA9c2D5rL435f4Zzr_pGDgPrstrN6TjOV_YsLzBOdiLyELBwND25p4sNZt9CSGytlJ7hpBU31tpbf9aG9Px0PGvBoLLL1i6j9JLhRxw3fxkeoGkNLMlcj00/s1600/hallway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bXtfVtOrP82BndQrO9RSRA9c2D5rL435f4Zzr_pGDgPrstrN6TjOV_YsLzBOdiLyELBwND25p4sNZt9CSGytlJ7hpBU31tpbf9aG9Px0PGvBoLLL1i6j9JLhRxw3fxkeoGkNLMlcj00/s320/hallway.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There was no definitive moment of clarity where a beam of light struck my forehead and I thought, “Eureka! I’m going to torture myself for the rest of my life.” I’ve always been drawn to writing, especially fiction, and it simply seemed a natural thing to try. I’m not the kind of guy who sits back and wonders ‘what if?’ If I conceive something that might be cool, I go out and do it. This was what happened with my first book. I sat down, looked at the screen, and began writing. It was hardly a smooth path from there to here, far from it, in fact, but I’ve always held the final goal in mind, and with that in hand, all I need to do is pave the road with words, hopefully good ones.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell us about Walking with Shadows, and how did you come up with the idea?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The concept for Walking with Shadows came to me while sitting down with a friend having coffee. I threw the idea out to him, of a writer flung together with a young boy, who tries to bridge the gap between their lives with fictional stories, and it kind of grew from there. My friend, who is highly intelligent but hardly a reader, was blown away by the concept, so I figured it was worth a shot. If I could interest someone who didn’t like books, then the reading community was likely to be more receptive, right? The end result is my proudest writing achievement thus far. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your writing covers a few genres. Which is your favourite?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I despise genres. Genres should always be for readers, not writers. If you limit yourself while writing, your novel will never achieve its full potential. That being said, all my novels tend to have some elements of adventure in them and I loosely call them all action-thrillers. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How has your personal life influenced your writing?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Early on in life, my parents taught me the joy of traveling. I remember standing in Tiananmen Square in China before the famous protests in 1989. I’ve walked inside one of the Pyramids of Giza and through the Valley of the Kings. I’ve swum with sharks in Tahiti and wrestled in the mud with rescued elephants in Thailand. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the work side of things, my two-decade career as a security contractor has let me see another side of life, one slightly less glamorous than the traveling. I’ve had to disarm people with guns and knives, wrestle with psychopaths on drugs that give them near-superhuman strength, and convince gangs of bikers it’s a good idea not to kill me. I’ve had to sneak a group of female strippers out of a country without notice, and manage a group of male strippers in a country where they weren’t exactly welcome. I’ve chased feral pigs out of movie sets on a $200,000,000 Stephen Spielberg production, and protected celebrities from escaped prisoners in Fiji. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Throw all these elements together with an over-active imagination and you end up with the foundations of a Luke Romyn action-thriller. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You have a huge social media presence. How important is that when it comes to marketing your books?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Social media is good for brand recognition, but not so useful when trying to tout a product. Sure, I still throw out the occasional mention for one of my books to let people know when something is going on, but too much blathering about how great they are tends to become white noise, which people tone out. I believe it’s more important to get people to like you as a person, rather than as a product. If they like you personally, they’re more likely to look beyond the superficial and take what you have to offer more seriously. To do this, I reach out with humour, interesting articles related to reading, anything that I feel might put me in touch with readers. I see a lot of writers posting article after article about writing, which is great if you’re trying to impress other writers, but when you’re looking to make a connection with readers you’re going to be off target. It’s a slow and tedious progress, but definitely worthwhile in the end. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8HThA0GFCmaMU6FehMQZrkwqk1bXWFe93f-o9d4Dyky5O52JyOV6h4JPwIDNP2hDmQo7h7_jIxr-l1UcpV6if4hRbg7nK90LouWKdN1h67R3nJBWOU6mFutQ-0KPU8E0Q4TdIpfsr0U/s1600/WWS+9.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/AVvXsEgD8HThA0GFCmaMU6FehMQZrkwqk1bXWFe93f-o9d4Dyky5O52JyOV6h4JPwIDNP2hDmQo7h7_jIxr-l1UcpV6if4hRbg7nK90LouWKdN1h67R3nJBWOU6mFutQ-0KPU8E0Q4TdIpfsr0U/s320/WWS+9.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has been the highlight of your writing career so far?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sometimes, I find myself trapped inside a bubble so much that a lot of the achievements going on around me don’t truly sink in. I’m so focused on my current project or marketing and networking that events slip by without my recognizing how significant they are. One highlight that blew me away, however, happened while I was totally outside that bubble, and as such made a bit more of an impact. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While traveling with my wife in New York last year, I was standing on a street curb when I noticed a tall man, dark skinned and dressed nicely, staring at me while we waited to cross the street. Now, being an Australian in a New York, every stereotype of getting mugged or dealing with a crazy person slipped through my mind. Nevertheless, I smiled at the man and said hello. He asked me if I was Luke Romyn and I said yes, shaking his hand. Apparently he was a huge fan of my books and veritably gushed over meeting me. This was the highlight of my career, and will stay with me forever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would be your ultimate writing goal?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">World domination. Or at least to be able to afford to pay the bills. </span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where can we find your books?</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m currently exclusive on Amazon Kindle for e-books. Print versions of all my books are available through CreateSpace, Amazon, and various other retailers. My website is <a href="http://www.lukeromyn.com/" target="_blank">www.lukeromyn.com</a>.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-75265463644715173352016-07-17T01:14:00.000-07:002016-07-17T01:14:14.432-07:00Interview with Russell Blake<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is my great pleasure to introduce one of
the true heavyweights of Indie publishing, New York Times bestselling sensation
Russell Blake. With fifty (count them, 50!) novels under his
belt since he started out just five years ago, Russell has built up a
tremendous following and caught the eye of thriller legend Clive Cussler. They have collaborated on two books to date,
and Russell’s Jet series has been given its own Kindle World by Amazon.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGARRQhFuF3Xt3QC8bg6gQQ8mBhk1i4xuGBhyGOs_Jl75fYp8plcOQcf9HunSGd_alqeiv6Q_I1LI-BsIbMN7lT5eSaqYwT7PNgGjw5kNVFJPJSswg_ZIk4Oie8j997MdnpbhdXK0ySBE/s1600/Russel+Squid3.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/AVvXsEiGARRQhFuF3Xt3QC8bg6gQQ8mBhk1i4xuGBhyGOs_Jl75fYp8plcOQcf9HunSGd_alqeiv6Q_I1LI-BsIbMN7lT5eSaqYwT7PNgGjw5kNVFJPJSswg_ZIk4Oie8j997MdnpbhdXK0ySBE/s320/Russel+Squid3.jpg" width="236" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">What
was it like teaming up with Clive Cussler? </span></b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you
might imagine, getting to work with a living legend was an honor and a thrill.
He’s very much a gentleman, and knows more about writing a bestseller than I
ever will. I learned a lot, and got the added bonus of having his agent, also
an erudite fellow, represent me. So a win all around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Your
latest work is the superb post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller The Day After
Never. What is it about, and what
inspired you to write it? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">I’ve been saying it’s the
best writing I’ve done, and I stand by that. It follows an ex-Texas Ranger in
the days after the collapse of civilization due to a confluence of economic and
disease-related events. Think Clint Eastwood from the spaghetti western days,
set down in a Mad Max world, and you pretty much have the idea.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">I
know you manage an extraordinary daily word count. What’s a day in the life of Russell Blake
actually like, and does it really involve so much Tequila? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Is that some kind of a dig? “So much?” I prefer to think of it as
just the right amount. As to a day in the life, I wake up (always good), feed
the dogs, eat breakfast and gulp down a cup of coffee, and then begin writing.
I’ll break for lunch and at the end of each chapter, and motor through until I
hit my word count for the day, which is usually 5K. When really roaring, maybe
7K. Then comes dinner, which yes, often includes something to soothe my
brutalized nerves. That will usually end in jail, at a strip club, or spooning
a 300 pound Samoan cook on a tramp steamer to Jakarta. But always making for a
good story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">I
mentioned the Jet series being one of Amazon’s Kindle Worlds. What does that entail, and how can other
authors participate? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Amazon approached me to put
JET into their KW program, wherein interested readers and authors can pen
stories in that world, using my characters, and those they dream up, in any
sort of story that doesn’t involve pedophilia or a donkey. Their rules, not
mine. Anyone can write in the world, and they get to keep their characters as
their intellectual property. Several talents have sort of kick-started their
careers doing it, most notably Jason Gurley and Tom Abrahams, who have gone on
to huge success, so it can be a great deal all around.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">To
be a successful writer, you also have to be a reader. Which authors float your boat? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Besides the masterful Alan McDermott, you mean?<b> </b>James Lee Burke, David Foster Wallace, Lawrence Block, Kurt Vonnegut,
Ray Bradbury, Hugh Howey, Ben Fountain, Boston Tehran. I could go on for an
hour. I love a lot of authors for different reasons, but those are my faves at
the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Your
blog has some fantastic advice for new authors, but what would be the one thing
that they need to get right? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">From a business
perspective, to view the creation of content as a separate endeavor from
operating a publishing company, and to develop the necessary skills and devote
suitable time to both. The biggest mistake I see beginning authors make is to eschew
the crass commercial aspect of selling books because they are arteests.
Creating content is the artistic endeavor, but the day you want someone to care
and buy it, that’s publishing and retail, and any competence as a content
creator won’t help in the retail marketing business. They are distinctly
separate businesses. From a writing perspective, it’s to ensure they can tell a
hell of a story that compels readers to turn the pages. Craft, lyricism,
grammar, all important, but if the story ain’t racing along, it won’t matter.
Assuming competence at crafting a sentence, it’s all about the story.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">As a
child, what did you want to do when you grew up? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Marry
rich and loaf all my life. Perhaps whip the servants when they misbehave.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">What
jobs did you have before you became a writer? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Ha!
Name it. Everything you can think of. I ran companies in high tech and
import/export, made wine, played and produced music, started an architectural
and construction business, did some small venture capital – the gamut. I can’t
say I was cheated out of opportunities, that’s for sure.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_I-xSR4bQ0kRyOOQhq-UaXBJdSaENksAs_wEGl1HYOjpXN7yo7zYarOBmQc21U1GQRAADUaeoLQlobx9V7maUusz5br2Mjy6gyuZrVthK4_WYDBWqjWjhyyXPuDH6TckmgD26dblqd4/s1600/TheDayAfterNever+Small.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/AVvXsEjj_I-xSR4bQ0kRyOOQhq-UaXBJdSaENksAs_wEGl1HYOjpXN7yo7zYarOBmQc21U1GQRAADUaeoLQlobx9V7maUusz5br2Mjy6gyuZrVthK4_WYDBWqjWjhyyXPuDH6TckmgD26dblqd4/s320/TheDayAfterNever+Small.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Is
there one question that you wish interviewers would ask you, but they never do? If there is, what is the answer? </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">Tough one. I usually just rant about whatever pops into my head, so
they’re lucky if they get to even ask the ones they want to. You’ve done a
remarkably good job with yours, so I defer to the master.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">If
you could go back to 2011, when you published your first book, what, if
anything, would you do differently? </span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">I would write
in one single genre instead of a mishmash, and I would stick to a series rather
than writing stand-alones. Don't get me wrong, I love Fatal Exchange and The
Geronimo Breach and Zero Sum, but readers like series, and you either give the
reader what he wants, or he goes elsewhere. I didn't want to limit my literary
genius to any one thing, which was a mistake. Fortunately, I figured it out
toward the end of the year, but doing so ate 6 months I'll never get back.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Where
can we find out more about you and your books</span></b><span lang="EN-US">? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US">I blog at RussellBlake.com. Have an author
page at http://www.amazon.com/Russell-Blake/e/B005OKCOLE where you can find all
my books. My facebook is www.facebook.com/Russell.Blake.Books - that about
covers it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for having me on, Alan. Very kind
of you to sully your reputation with the likes of me. Appreciate it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-44645605311020747872016-07-03T08:09:00.003-07:002016-07-03T08:09:31.219-07:00Interview with Stephen Edger<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s time to introduce Stephen Edger, a crime and thriller author from the south coast of England with eleven novels to his name. Stephen also has a law degree, which gives him a good understanding of the inner workings of the UK justice system.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjts8KoyPkjeotej6nGuYoM1uTLn-ZkVHz9xnCbGLgtUK8TNBPUc5RsbcPkOtc0bAtRleXBHRAMzMfogyU0prIXxEaYp1J5HcnqQLSsdgmzkoAPsj3FDxk2v2jAoxc6o7o8ZX4talYZvDY/s1600/Profile+Photo%2528b%2526w%2529.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/AVvXsEjts8KoyPkjeotej6nGuYoM1uTLn-ZkVHz9xnCbGLgtUK8TNBPUc5RsbcPkOtc0bAtRleXBHRAMzMfogyU0prIXxEaYp1J5HcnqQLSsdgmzkoAPsj3FDxk2v2jAoxc6o7o8ZX4talYZvDY/s320/Profile+Photo%2528b%2526w%2529.jpg" width="259" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tell us about your latest work.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My latest novel, Downfall, is a mystery thriller, featuring Private Investigator Johnson Carmichael. He’s in his late forties, and at the start of the book we find him grieving the sudden loss of his teenage daughter. He’s surviving on a diet of bourbon and amphetamines, and buries himself in work. He takes on a sixteen year old murder case to hide from his nightmares. There are lots of twists and turns along the way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Of the characters you’ve created, which is your favourite?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can’t say I have a clear favourite, though I always enjoy writing the villains. There’s just something about accessing that part of my personality that I find riveting. It freaks my wife out!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How difficult is it to write when you have a young family?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am disciplined with my writing. I wake up and write for up to two hours before work each morning. But I’m lucky, and work from home most days, which means I still get to spend lots of time with my wife and children, rather than being stuck in traffic.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What’s your strangest writing quirk?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do most of my thinking whilst walking the dogs. Each novel has a plot structure written down so I know what I’ll be writing each day. When I take the dogs out, I put in headphones and picture the next chapter’s scene unfolding. That way, when I get back to my desk I can write what I’ve just pictured.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What is it like to get fan mail?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m always embarrassed when I hear positive things about my books. Like most writers, I suffer with chronic self-doubt, and only tend to believe the negative things I hear. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrK2iMBVr8VXwqbTkuuHSIWLei0VXWDXPwtoTsNTJdWT8B75f63zIdbtpzfL3KRiPfUcxVEpzLdQYD7SydI1H-ibPVDPvODudyOXYlMTa8qpghKg-izMZUFh88icfGpk-bQYlst_4EXWw/s1600/Downfall+%2528Front+Cover+-+May%252716%2529.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/AVvXsEjrK2iMBVr8VXwqbTkuuHSIWLei0VXWDXPwtoTsNTJdWT8B75f63zIdbtpzfL3KRiPfUcxVEpzLdQYD7SydI1H-ibPVDPvODudyOXYlMTa8qpghKg-izMZUFh88icfGpk-bQYlst_4EXWw/s320/Downfall+%2528Front+Cover+-+May%252716%2529.jpg" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you treat negative reviews?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I try very hard not to look at my reviews, but usually give in to temptation. I don’t have issue with reviews where readers simply did not enjoy the story, but some reviews can be very hurtful. I try not to take it to heart, and the easiest way to do that is to look at the bad reviews some of my writing heroes have received. It helps keep things in perspective.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What would your perfect writing retreat look like?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ooh, I know this one! A wooden shack on a secluded beach in a tropical paradise. I would write each morning in the shack, and sun bathe in the afternoon with a cocktail and a good book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Which author are you reading at the moment?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love reading crime thrillers. I am a massive Simon Kernick fan, but have read all of his. I am just about to read my first Peter James book, and I can’t wait to get started. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Where can we find your books?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All of books are available on Kindle, iTunes, Nook and Kobo, as well as in paperback from Amazon. If you go to your local library, you can even request they order the paperbacks in for you.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-28809873462978378242016-06-19T06:56:00.000-07:002016-06-19T06:56:10.410-07:00Interview with John Paul Davis<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">John Paul
Davis is my next guest, and this international bestselling author has been the
subject of international attention, including articles in The Sunday Telegraph,
The Daily Mail, Yorkshire Post and Nottingham Evening Post, mentions in USA
Today and The Independent and reviews in the Birmingham Post and Medieval
History Journal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNrZ-FlARoLYLQ_8gRhk_i46hGr5AdWMwnswaOA55bD0ex7Y7yhCqLw11L9WJZLPCZMjb_m1n9AMG5mZ-yLf7BfSv-aE0O_7yL7UVy8p3w6WH40AZkjF0PQlw40AwSHypRqhF_nWX5TA/s1600/Revelation+cover_Times+New+Roman_sunset_embossed_drop.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/AVvXsEhHNrZ-FlARoLYLQ_8gRhk_i46hGr5AdWMwnswaOA55bD0ex7Y7yhCqLw11L9WJZLPCZMjb_m1n9AMG5mZ-yLf7BfSv-aE0O_7yL7UVy8p3w6WH40AZkjF0PQlw40AwSHypRqhF_nWX5TA/s320/Revelation+cover_Times+New+Roman_sunset_embossed_drop.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tell us about your latest book<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My latest is a thriller called The Cortés Trilogy,
a three-part series that centres on the Noche Triste Treasure: the legendary
hoard Hernán Cortés temporarily got his hands on after defeating the Aztec
emperor, Montezuma, during the Spanish conquest of the New World. Each section of
the trilogy is concerned with a different part of the treasure that many people
believe to still exist somewhere in Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How much research goes into each book?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot. My writing career began in historical
non-fiction, where a typical list of sources could include more than a small
library’s worth and the references’ section be half as long as the actual book!
Though fortunately thriller novels don’t require a bibliography, old habits die
hard and I try to ensure my facts are correct – especially as I tend to base my
stories on real life historical events or legends. I also like to visit most of
the locations first-hand, and set various parts of the story in places I’ve
experienced, which I definitely believe helps add a little extra bit of
authenticity. At the end of a novel, I always include an additional ‘Facts
Behind the Fiction’ section to detail what was accurate and what was made up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the strangest thing you had to research?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Interesting question! There’s usually something in
every book that either beggars belief or leaves me temporarily wondering if I’m
going insane! One that really springs to mind was while researching The Templar
Agenda back in 2010, I was conducting some research into the ins and outs of
the Vatican, and a story from Belgium got me totally side-tracked. Apparently
in response to allegations of paedophilia among elements of the local clergy in
one of the cities, the Belgian police are alleged to have drilled holes into
the tombs of two cardinals and hidden cameras inside in order to capture any
suspicious activity. I still can’t get over the fact something that would seem
far-fetched in a James Bond movie actually happened in real life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is your favourite book of all time?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gray Justice ;). I also really liked David
Copperfield, as nobody rivals Dickens when it comes to characters, and Ludlum’s
The Bourne Identity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you’re not writing, what do you like to do to relax?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fortunately, I do genuinely find the creative side
of writing relaxing, so I guess I’m really quite lucky that I’m usually pretty
relaxed. I’m passionate
about sports and go to a lot of football games – though I guess it’s debatable
whether being a Villa fan could ever be considered relaxing! I love travelling
– especially getting to know sites that would be great in a book – reading, watching
action/thriller movies, going to gigs, hiking or generally just hitting the gym.
I’m also extremely lucky that I have a really close-knit group of mates who
always find new ways of being entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Which three authors, living or dead, would you like to meet?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuryGzWRIg8pTO2mgKHcsk9-eNP1i-cVTgvHnTqY1HCkB5qOYXvoJWOepBaq_uPYeBXH3tdSOSqc8sYmfWvmsk-9i4-4zbrYbrzMJfFMqFWuK0rQ2Sz3H7TqzHx0Xcb_jYmzgaWYUloo8/s1600/IMG_0789+copy.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/AVvXsEiuryGzWRIg8pTO2mgKHcsk9-eNP1i-cVTgvHnTqY1HCkB5qOYXvoJWOepBaq_uPYeBXH3tdSOSqc8sYmfWvmsk-9i4-4zbrYbrzMJfFMqFWuK0rQ2Sz3H7TqzHx0Xcb_jYmzgaWYUloo8/s320/IMG_0789+copy.jpg" width="196" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Growing up, Ludlum was my hero, so I would certainly
have loved the opportunity to meet him: maybe hang out and have a couple of
drinks in one of the many great and glamorous locations he used in his novels! In
my mind, he still sits unrivalled as the greatest thriller novelist of all
time. I’d also quite like to meet Dan Brown and ask him whether hanging upside
down wearing gravity boots in order to receive inspiration actually works!
There’s a lot of other thriller writers I could mention, but as I’ve only got
one choice left I’d have to go for Dickens and basically ask him about the
world he knew and maybe learn a thing or two about characterisation from the
true master! In the meantime though, hanging out with yourself, Dave Leadbeater
and Keith Houghton was still pretty cool!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What would mean more to you: having a number 1 bestseller; or winning a
top literary award?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the day, a number 1 bestseller means
your book has come to the attention of hundreds of thousands of readers, many
of whom are now your fans, and that what you’re doing is probably making a
splash in the world beyond the publishing industry. Winning a top literary
award might be a nice achievement, but ultimately it still only means your
book’s been brought to the attention of a handful of people, many of whom probably
never even bought the book to begin with, and that an entire generation of
school kids probably now hates your guts after being forced to spend two years
of their lives studying it for their GCSE in English Lit, which most of them
probably failed because they didn’t have a clue what the hell you were on
about! For
me, storytelling is the dream and I’d rather write something that proved to be
popular than be worried about whether the ‘experts’ approve of it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where can we find out more about your books?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These days, I have two websites. <a href="http://www.theunknowntemplar.com/">www.theunknowntemplar.com</a> which was originally set up for my first ever book, and <a href="http://www.johnpauldavisauthor.com/">www.johnpauldavisauthor.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> which is my new official website. All of my thrillers are exclusive to
Amazon, and listed on Goodreads. I’m also on Facebook and Twitter – handle
@unknown_templar</span><span style="font-family: Arial Narrow, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-84051656675813477452016-06-05T02:38:00.002-07:002016-06-07T05:06:37.742-07:00Interview with Jennifer Jaynes<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Next up in my series of interviews is Jennifer Jaynes, whose new book Don’t Say a Word was released a few weeks ago. It is the third in the Stranger series, which started with Never Smile at Strangers. That first novel was originally self-published, but it caught the eye of Thomas & Mercer, who snapped it up and re-released it in January 2015.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wIkD9hQ1oygXyLJ-8neXqlykY6tiOWERONN_2t-n0dgTMGe5k5l3f5sdFEERflhIq0fiKkbcR7VMuoQHnao6mWT5uDU4RazA7Nta6kjQUIkeNb1kMrK7d0VP0pqYkF9xmyJPI1nod1E/s1600/jaynesauthor.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/AVvXsEj4wIkD9hQ1oygXyLJ-8neXqlykY6tiOWERONN_2t-n0dgTMGe5k5l3f5sdFEERflhIq0fiKkbcR7VMuoQHnao6mWT5uDU4RazA7Nta6kjQUIkeNb1kMrK7d0VP0pqYkF9xmyJPI1nod1E/s320/jaynesauthor.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What was your reaction when you found out that a major publisher was interested in your work?</b><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I was ecstatic. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’d dreamt about being with Thomas & Mercer for a couple of years. They’re the best home for my books. Unlike many publishers, they really know how to reach the right audience for our work.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What have been the major differences between self-publishing and working with Thomas & Mercer</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The marketing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I no longer have to do nearly as much marketing. They have a terrific marketing team—and they’ve been very kind to my books.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>How many drafts do you write before sending it to your publisher?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Way too many! Seriously. It takes me a long time to get everything just right. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I don't write in a linear fashion. My brain just doesn't work that way, so I bounce around from the end to the beginning to the middle to some other point. Over and over again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After the first draft, I have like 5,000 puzzle pieces before me. I have no idea where many of them go and about 500 pieces are still missing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So from there, it's all about tearing apart, rebuilding, framing, re-framing, layering. It’s all very time-consuming.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I have novelist friends who write from beginning to end and release a book every 3-4 months because their minds work so efficiently. But that’s not me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>If you could have been the original author of any book, what would it have been and why?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Wow, great question. Maybe “Silence of the Lambs.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I thought it was brilliant.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Describe what your ideal writing space looks like.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A cabin in the woods with just a laptop, a refrigerator, stove, small bed. No clutter. The only sounds are a roaring wind during the daytime and insects at night. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I went to a place like this three times over the last six weeks to write. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was perfect.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSV0b7TZWT98mZR9MU7fEOPnXOLVgNm7io7JZxSsTBeTo_84_fGXOFhhMOJczMIRAXrLuPBw8zPt6FLYuHm5rW6ouXubAwkVn_v221W7-hcZbAt3YykXHc7PtHzPsZUtGKXsIItE9n_c/s1600/dsawcover.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/AVvXsEiKSV0b7TZWT98mZR9MU7fEOPnXOLVgNm7io7JZxSsTBeTo_84_fGXOFhhMOJczMIRAXrLuPBw8zPt6FLYuHm5rW6ouXubAwkVn_v221W7-hcZbAt3YykXHc7PtHzPsZUtGKXsIItE9n_c/s320/dsawcover.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>What's the strangest thing you have ever had to research online for your book?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hmm. There are too many to just pick one. ;)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>How difficult is it to balance your writing with looking after young twins?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Very. But it’s much better now that they are in kindergarten. I’m pretty sure that my life isn’t very balanced right now. It’s a constant struggle. But one I’m incredibly grateful to have. I’m living my dream in so many different aspects.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Have any authors had an influence on your work?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, many. Janet Fitch, Tawni O’Dell, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Mary Higgins-Clark.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Where can we find out more about your books?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My website: www.ProjectJennifer.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1rX1Ljm </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferJaynesAuthor/ </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-63403944165244094592016-06-02T09:29:00.002-07:002016-06-02T09:29:49.359-07:00Bloody Brighton!<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been at this writing lark for about 6 years now, and in all that time I've been happy to let others do the festivals, telling people how they wrote their bestseller and how you, too, can do the same.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's about to change.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm getting together with six other bestsellers for an afternoon of alcohol, book signings and general chat about writing, and it won't cost you a penny* to join us! I'll be at The Marwood Cafe on Saturday 30th July with <a href="http://www.davidvidecette.com/" target="_blank">David Videcette</a>, <a href="http://www.stephenedger.com/" target="_blank">Stephen Edger</a>, <a href="http://williamshaw.com/" target="_blank">William Shaw</a>, <a href="http://diariesofamodernmadman.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Paul Grzegorzek</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheRizwanSabirMysteries" target="_blank">Charlie Flowers</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Alex-Shaw-383476491724127/" target="_blank">Alex Shaw</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you're in the Brighton area, why not pop in and join the conversation!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the address:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Marwood Cafe, 52 Ship Street, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1AF</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWGEeuV_m6NqNK8orMx67gxYn7d9a4xtjQD1U7LFHy5HZHUego32GGhW57pP77W9mlFEvziadBCmtoCA_VymPS2XVBcOIZSX94bBATsAJ3rzjXczlsh9uZPhMBEX_E8qoD8rgi8_PCZw/s1600/poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAWGEeuV_m6NqNK8orMx67gxYn7d9a4xtjQD1U7LFHy5HZHUego32GGhW57pP77W9mlFEvziadBCmtoCA_VymPS2XVBcOIZSX94bBATsAJ3rzjXczlsh9uZPhMBEX_E8qoD8rgi8_PCZw/s640/poster.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*You have to pay your own fare to and from the venue and buy your own drinks/coffee/cake, etc.. We might be bestsellers but we're not made of money!</span>jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-52344299859708062752016-05-22T04:50:00.003-07:002016-05-22T04:50:55.921-07:00Interview with Claude Bouchard<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s time to hop over the pond to Canada to
meet USA Today bestseller Claude Bouchard.
Claude is the author of over a
dozen books, his most recent of which is Getting Even, part of his Vigilante
crime thriller series.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr-gQwfch5Vyeqnyfz6xRcga0ZO1to6E6OeYxoIZ3KhnPpcwq1OHVQAQ9vLNbUDBhkQ-tUpmnMcQaarskUBG_LNsgAfjjKaP1I23k5aXvgzTFYERcQ1FBAluJnl_KXyDo3nngTGS4BtE/s1600/IMG_2304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDr-gQwfch5Vyeqnyfz6xRcga0ZO1to6E6OeYxoIZ3KhnPpcwq1OHVQAQ9vLNbUDBhkQ-tUpmnMcQaarskUBG_LNsgAfjjKaP1I23k5aXvgzTFYERcQ1FBAluJnl_KXyDo3nngTGS4BtE/s320/IMG_2304.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
made you choose to write about a vigilante for your first novel?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The catalyst for my first novel, which I
wrote in 1995, was the OJ Simpson fiasco. Shocked to see how someone could so
easily get away with murder, I started thinking, “What if there was someone out
there who dealt with those who slipped through the net?” The wheels started
spinning and eight weeks later, I had completed my first draft of <i>Vigilante</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Given
the choice between a number one bestseller and winning a top award, which would
you choose, and why?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love spinning my tales and sharing them
with my readers. That said, writing is not a hobby, it’s what I do to earn my
keep and I do believe a number one bestseller would pay more bills than a top
award would. I’ll have a number one bestseller, please.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you
were offered a publishing deal, would you take it, or do you prefer
self-publishing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would certainly consider any publishing
deal offered but whether or not I would accept it would depend on the proposed
terms. I do admit I enjoy the complete freedom and control self-publishing
provides me. However, I’d be willing to give some of that up for an offer
allowing me to buy that cute little jet I’ve had my eye on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who
edits your books, and where did you find them?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I do a lot of reviewing and self-editing as
I go along so my first draft is generally pretty clean. Once it’s done, I run
through it again then print a copy which goes to my wife, Joanne. Once she’s
done and appropriate corrections have been made, the manuscript goes to my
sister, Lucie who manages to spot a missing word here and a typo there. As to
where I found these two marvelous ladies, Joanne was right there in our house
and I’ve known Lucie since the day she was born.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRXBk3KlcVXL9UmzMWnD-r3bVsXlPjROZpVmDoM2UFsGYjMYpyaKCcAGnlXEPiVI5xiHdlvoASAditM6J45TRgg5vlb7VEbbdNsHSO3kUNC72zLPVL4VzNMM784fD6JMPo8S05kGT6yE/s1600/Getting+Even+20160327+LR.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/AVvXsEjkRXBk3KlcVXL9UmzMWnD-r3bVsXlPjROZpVmDoM2UFsGYjMYpyaKCcAGnlXEPiVI5xiHdlvoASAditM6J45TRgg5vlb7VEbbdNsHSO3kUNC72zLPVL4VzNMM784fD6JMPo8S05kGT6yE/s320/Getting+Even+20160327+LR.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If
you could collaborate with one author, who would it be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’ve actually thought of collaboration in
the past, not in the sense of wishing to do so, but rather, wondering how it
actually works. I don’t plan/map out my writing so I’d likely be best working
with someone who does. Considering the fun I had melding my characters with
Russell Blake’s when I wrote Nasty in Nice for his JET Kindle World, and
knowing he’s a decent, clown-hating, tequila imbibing sort, I guess I’ll say
Russell… But then again, I drink rum.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
is a typical writing day in the Bouchard house?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A typical writing day starts somewhere
between six and seven in the morning and runs until four in the afternoon.
Weekend days generally start between eight and nine. Barring bathroom breaks
and getting food, that time is spent behind the keyboard facing two monitors. One
displays a variety of open internet tabs and the other, an assortment of
required documents, the main one usually being my current WIP. Though I do
sometimes write in the morning, the flow tends to be better in the afternoon.
Mornings are generally devoted to writing related activities including social
media, correspondence, promotion, recordkeeping, research and so on. It’s a finely
honed form of chaotic multi-tasking which I’ve perfected over the years.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have
any of your previous jobs had an influence on your writing?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Absolutely. I held a variety of management
positions, all within large corporations, where writing reports, policies,
procedures, manuals and other official documents was an ongoing requirement and
proper grammar was essential. In addition, my background is in human resources which
led me to meet and deal with literally thousands of people over the years. This
has definitely proved useful when developing characters for my fiction writing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You
have over half a million followers on Twitter.
How good a marketing tool do you think it is?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I released Vigilante in 2009, nobody
had ever heard of me. Today, some people have heard of me. It’s all a question
of getting one’s name out there and, in my case, using Twitter and building a
following has helped. I’m not saying I move tons of books whenever I send a
tweet because that simply doesn’t happen. However, Twitter has allowed me to
develop a network of readers, authors, reviewers, bloggers and interviewers
which certainly hasn’t had a negative effect on my marketing efforts. Every
little bit helps.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTELp-g1WxbSfA4gMi8_gyoLFbdwLXk3LbcPhvhvBKyQfUZkYlOUz_y1iE2-cMl1EQnwmGIIeDwd_iKEtYPYtYMBgrtHPtQ4OEZ53xOsDa4im3TNDR2C9jRRQ6Yfx45MKOBbJVqTwA1-Y/s1600/Vigilante+20140803+LR.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/AVvXsEgTELp-g1WxbSfA4gMi8_gyoLFbdwLXk3LbcPhvhvBKyQfUZkYlOUz_y1iE2-cMl1EQnwmGIIeDwd_iKEtYPYtYMBgrtHPtQ4OEZ53xOsDa4im3TNDR2C9jRRQ6Yfx45MKOBbJVqTwA1-Y/s320/Vigilante+20140803+LR.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Where
can we find out more about your books?</span></b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Folks are welcome to visit my website at <a href="http://www.claudebouchardbooks.com/">http://www.claudebouchardbooks.com</a>
at any time because I never lock the doors.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They can also drop by at Amazon (US: <a href="http://amzn.to/1RlJaaQ">http://amzn.to/1RlJaaQ</a> UK: <a href="http://amzn.to/1Q5bNDU">http://amzn.to/1Q5bNDU</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2036911900650758914.post-644487232763998512016-05-08T04:38:00.000-07:002016-05-08T04:38:01.519-07:00Interview with Simon Wood<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the first of what I hope to be many interviews, I’m delighted
to introduce the award-winning thriller author Simon Wood. An Englishman living in California, Simon
also writes horror stories under the pen name Simon Janus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAU42eMlc9GTfPjJUClNFuWrhSVivgyxhDx3w_AIUlWXE38ZzAcDVdvBjlI95220hnxhd0v-k6yvWCDpstsaBH1AdZnB09ZRQv9P0CSseCnEhKe-2E1sbX_iGxNTbEHAWd9goV4DZyNFk/s1600/simon5.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/AVvXsEgAU42eMlc9GTfPjJUClNFuWrhSVivgyxhDx3w_AIUlWXE38ZzAcDVdvBjlI95220hnxhd0v-k6yvWCDpstsaBH1AdZnB09ZRQv9P0CSseCnEhKe-2E1sbX_iGxNTbEHAWd9goV4DZyNFk/s320/simon5.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What were you
like at school?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quiet. Not very outgoing. Not particularly good at
school. I am dyslexic and that made me very self-conscious. I was
more than happy to leave and never look back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>What made you
decide to become a writer?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's kind of hazy to be honest. I'd moved to the US and I
had a lot of time on my hands after working seven days a week at my previous
job. I just indulged myself for once. And, oh yeah, I couldn’t get
a job in America to save my life.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you work to an
outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm an outliner. I don’t outline heavily. I just make
bullet points for each scene and it goes into a color coded spreadsheet.
I'm not married to the outline but what it does do is make me think my story
through.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>How do you think
your writing has evolved over the years?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don’t know really. I think my attitude and focus has
changed. I think I'm very aware of the kind of stories I write and I zero
in on them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you ever get
writer’s Block? If you do, how do you battle through it?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it happens from time to time. I have two ways of
dealing with it. Write utter crap until the good stuff starts flowing
again or go and do something completely different. It's surprising that
after a week or so, I get itchy about getting back to the keyboard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Do you write
full-time or part-time, and what is a typical day at the keyboard?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I write full time. I usually
start around nine on my main book project. I work through to about three
or four in the afternoon. In the evening, I'll spend a couple of hours
working on a side project. At the weekends, I work on a pet project for a
little bit.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLOOa9jufLWknuPorOfcZcXBnBd-6UH9Q_AH1vJa_Wxb5ejmPhKnQ7iSMU0cpMxtYi4o6gO7_AaHdFyJIvSPNp3Wifwi6O0jYbItwIm7oZqiqTsGgvskL2qro-o_kANfndDSEoIFTB1Y/s1600/TOTGA.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/AVvXsEhCLOOa9jufLWknuPorOfcZcXBnBd-6UH9Q_AH1vJa_Wxb5ejmPhKnQ7iSMU0cpMxtYi4o6gO7_AaHdFyJIvSPNp3Wifwi6O0jYbItwIm7oZqiqTsGgvskL2qro-o_kANfndDSEoIFTB1Y/s320/TOTGA.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Give us an
insight into the main character in your latest book. What makes them special?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My current book is THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY and it features Zoë
Sutton. She's survived an abduction and now she's dealing with survivor
guilt. Essentially, this makes her impulsive, self-destructive, and a
risk taker. She left a friend behind to die. She needs to find her
soul again and a direction for her life, and she gets that when she tracks down
the man who abducted her. She's a prickly character but you want to see
her change her life around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>For your own
reading, do you prefer ebooks or traditional paper/hard back books?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm dyslexic so I'm all about the audio books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Which
actor/actress would you like to see playing the lead character from your latest
book?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, that’s tough. I don’t have a clue but some readers have
said they'd like to see Jennifer Lawrence play Zoë. Brie Larson is
another name mentioned. I think that would work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>You find yourself
in a perilous situation. Which fictional character would you like to have
come to your aid?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crime boss, Mike Ballou, from Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder
novels. I always think of him as a guardian Irishman…which everyone
should have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Where can we find
your books?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My website <a href="http://www.simonwood.net/">http://www.simonwood.net</a> is a good place to start. It
has descriptions, excerpts, audio clips and links to all the bookstores. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
jambalianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13144704967163371616noreply@blogger.com3