A Book Lover's May - with Black, Cross, Robertson, Carey, Sinclair and Thomas

YAY - who loves books!!!

Here's what I read in May ...

Tony Black – Artefacts of the Dead (out in July '14)

Jeez, how busy is this guy? He's not only prolific, he's bloody good. (Makes me sick.) In this book, Tony is back on the crime beat.

DI Bob Valentine is back at work after a near fatal stabbing. The corpse of a banker is found impaled on a stake, in the town dump. (Playing to the gallery there, Tony, eh?) Somebody is making a statement and it's up to Valentine to find out who.

As usual, Black's writing is on the button – great characterisation, strong set plays and a pin-sharp commentary on the current lack in society. If you like a puzzle and a writer with intellect, TB is your man.

Mason Cross – The Killing Season

Mason is a new boy on the scene – and boy does he come roaring out of the blocks with a doozy of a thriller. There's enough excitement here for even the most jaded of adrenaline junkies.

Carter Blake is a fascinating dude and someone you will enjoy spending time with. Just let everyone know you are busy – close the laptop lid, switch off your phone, turn off the telly and settle in for an exciting ride.

For fans of Lee Child and Matt Hilton – yes, its that good. Can't wait to see what he does next.

The Girl With All the Gifts – M R Carey

If you fancy a slice of different – give this book a read. The blurb says it's like a cross between The Walking Dead and Kazuo Ishiguro – and that quite neatly sums it up.

A fungus has infected mankind turning most of them into zombie-like creatures, called Hungries – yet some of the children infected manage to retain their humanity – alongside their hunger for human flesh.

The girl of the title is one of the infected children – who has the hunger, and a near genius IQ. She's part of a government run installation, designed to research for a cure. Until a group of human survivers wreck the place and … you'll need to get the book to read what happens next.

If you switched off at the word “zombie” - don't worry, this is safely the most original slant on that sub-genre I've come across. It's fast paced, thrilling read – part chase/ thriller/ horror/ SF – ach, don't worry about the label. I loved it.

(nope, it's Craig)

The Last Refuge – Craig Robertson

Robertson cleverly combines Tartan and Scandi noir in what could possibly be his best book yet. I thoroughly enjoyed this, which is just as well as I'm going to be interviewing the man himself at a couple of events.

The writing is descriptive when it needs to be and succinct when that it required. Strong characterisation and strong set-pieces tied in with a nice line in humour.

I'm wondering if Craig is being paid anything by the Faroes tourist board – I certainly wanted to visit after I read this. Indeed, if any aspiring writers out there are struggling with the concept of “sense of place”, then you should get yourself a copy of this book, like, now. Quality work from start to finish.

Blood Whispers by John Gordon Sinclair

I might have been seen rolling my eyes when I first heard that yet another celeb was writing a novel and I read JGS' first novel Seventy Times Seven with a sceptical eye. He very quickly won me over and I realised that I was reading the real thing from the first paragraph.

This, his second novel is even better. Fair to say, I raced through it and bloody loved it.

We have a gutsy, sharp as a tack heroine, Glasgow gangsters, CIA dirty tricks and an Eastern European drug lord. His heroine, Keira Lynch is one of my favourite new fictional characters – with one of the most unusual back-stories you will come across in the genre.

Right, Gordy, get cracking. When can we see your next book?

David Thomas – Ostland

Wow. Just wow. I'm in awe of writers who use research for a novel in such a way. You know while reading it that the research has taken the form of an iceberg. We see enough to convince, while realising that the author knew so much more about his subject.

Also, this is a book that has the holocaust as its theme and if you are going to tackle that particular subject you really should have something different to say and Thomas certainly has.

Our character is seen first as you young man in the 1930's Germany working as a police detective chasing a serial killer. Then we see him as a war criminal in the 60's being investigated for war crimes. A ploy that toys with your feelings. When you first see the man, you like him, you're drawn to his work ethic and intelligence and then ... Very clever and hugely effective.

This is a stunning book. Painful to read, but important. As the man says … lest we forget.

Introducing ... Bill Daly

MM - Hi Bill, welcome to May Contain Nuts. You have 7 words. Describe your new novel:

BD - Adultery, drug-dealing, murder in contemporary Glasgow.

MM - You have another 21. Tell us some more:  

BD - Psychopath on the loose, an assassination in Kelvingrove Park, a planned terrorist atrocity – all set against a background of religious bigotry.  

MM - Why write crime?

BD - The kind of books I most enjoy reading are humour and crime, so it seemed natural to try writing in these genres. 

MM - I don’t normally ask about a writer’s age - but I’ll make an exception with you – what age are you?

BD - I bet you wouldn't have asked that question had I been female! :-)   I've just turned 70.

MM - So, you are in your second flush of youth - what took you so long - and please tell us about your journey to publication? I’m sure a few of aspiring readers will be inspired by it.

BD - While I was working, I wrote humorous articles for various newspapers and magazines, but it wasn't until I retired that I found time to try my hand at writing novels. In fact, Black Mail is the first novel I've had published by a conventional publisher, but I previously self-published a humorous spy novel, entitled The Pheasant Plucker.

I live in France and when The Pheasant Plucker went on sale in the local bookshops, the Professor of English at Montpellier University happened to pick it up and he was sufficiently impressed with the use of language in the book that he decided to make it a text book for his course in Applied Foreign Languages. The students have to study two books over the course of a year, so he decided to make it a 'Scottish year', the other text book being Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Close.

At the end of the year, the students were asked to vote on which book they preferred (you may be able to infer the outcome, otherwise why would I be telling the story?). Now I would be the first to admit this wasn't a level playing field - it was more like a pitch with a forty-five degree slope: a light-hearted romp where the action takes place in the students’ home town, versus a gritty Edinburgh-based murder.

I suggested to my publisher that he might like to put a strap line of "Voted better than Ian Rankin" on Black Mail, but for some strange reason he declined. I think he was worried that Ian might sue.

MM - Just turned 70 and your debut (traditionally published) novel is just out. I'm sure a lot of aspiring authors out there will take great heart from hearing that. What’s next for Bill Daly?

BD -My publisher wants we to write a series of Glasgow-based crime novels featuring DCI Charlie Anderson.  The second in the series, Double Mortice, will be published early in 2015 and I'm currently working on the next one - so I'm being kept pretty busy.

MM - You live in France, why not set your book there instead of Glasgow?

BD - My first novel, The Pheasant Plucker, was set mainly in France, but Glasgow is the ideal setting for Tartan Noir. Noir Français somehow doesn't have the same ring to it.

MM - Oh, I don't know. Peter May said he couldn’t write about Scotland until he was living elsewhere. Is that how you feel?

BD - I've never felt like that. But the circumstances are different. It's more than thirty years since I left Scotland - and when I was living there, I wasn't doing any writing. But I get back to Glasgow three or four times a year, so in many ways I don't feel I have ever left.  

My thanks to Bill for his time. You can find buying information about Black Mail here for readers in the UK. And The Pheasant Plucker can be purchased HERE

April Reading - Fishman, Pizzolatto, Zander, Burnet, Johnstone, Welsh, Iles and Daly

A Replacement Life – Boris Fishman (out in September)

Slava Gelman wants to be a great writer, but can't get past his job as a researcher at a New York magazine. Then his beloved grandmother dies, and his grandfather corners him with a request: to write a few Holocaust retribution claims that aren't quite true. Slava is reluctant, but when he gets into it, his semi-fictional accounts of a generation's real suffering turn out to be the best writing he has ever done - and a surprisingly wonderful way for Slava to reconnect with his family and his own roots. . A beautifully evocative, warm, witty and emotionally powerful debut novel.

Galveston – Nic Pizzolatto

From the creator of True Detective … Roy Cady is by his own admission 'a bad man'. With recently diagnosed lung cancer and no one to live for, he's a walking time-bomb of violence. Following a fling with his boss's lover, he's sent on a routine assignment he knows is a death trap. Yet after the smoke clears, Roy's would-be killers are dead and he is (mostly) alive.

Before Roy makes his getaway, he finds a beaten-up woman in the apartment, and sees something in her frightened, defiant eyes that causes a crucial decision. He takes her with him on the run from New Orleans to Galveston, Texas.

The writing has a clarity and lyrical quality that had me in awe. This is noir with a warm and beating heart. Loved it.

The Swimmer – Jaokim Zander – out in July '14

An ex- US soldier now living in Sweden is called to a late-night meeting with a former army colleague. Before his friend can explain why he called him out, he is shot by a sniper. And so sets off a cat and mouse chase through a snow and storm-bound Sweden.

The multiple viewpoints gave me some trouble at the start, but once I got my eye in the chase was on and I gobbled this book up like a starving man at a buffet. Apparently this book is everywhere in Sweden right now – come the summer, I expect it to be every bit as popular over here.

The Dead Beat – Doug Johnstone

We're in present day Edinburgh. Martha is on her first day's work experience on the obit desk, when the journalist who normally worked there phoned in his own obituary before killing himself while still on the phone.

There's a lovely slice of black humour right there to kick off this cracking read. I raced through this book about families, lies, secrets and revenge - quite possibly Johnstone's best book yet. More over at Crimesquad

The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins – Irvine Welsh

First off, this book has got as much to do with Siamese twins as Trainspotting had to do with, well, Trainspotting. What it is, is a book about a personal trainer who goes just a wee bit overboard while training a client. Well, more than a wee bit, to be honest. She goes postal.

This is fun and funny and written in a way that only Mr Welsh can manage. Not for the faint-hearted, but then you knew that already.

Burning Natchez – Greg Iles

Its so great to see Mr Iles back with a book. This man tells a fantastic tale and if you haven't read him before, you should seriously sort that out.

We are in present day, Natchez which is south of the Mississippi and the sins of the past are about the crash down on a few of the locals. The book was inspired by a series of unsolved race murders during the 1960's and that harsh history is brought to life in this fascinating and utterly consuming novel. It's a bit of an epic at 788 pages – and I lost a Saturday and a Sunday to it. Quite honestly couldn't put it down. LOVED it. Full review over at Crimesquad

The Disappearance of Adele Bedeau by Graeme McRae Burnet (pub date - 17 July '14)

The central conceit of this is that the “book” is a found manuscript, translated by the author, Burnet. It tells the tale of the disappearance of a young woman from a small town in France near the Swiss border and how one of the town's male inhabitants is affected by this event.

I am not an expert on modern French literature, but I have read a few crime novels translated from the French and Burnet has completely nailed the tone, colour and sly wit that I enjoyed so much from the natural French authors.

This is a novel that allows the story to unfold at its own pace, so not one for the plot hungry among you - but certainly one for those who enjoy a more measured and cultured read. 

The main character, Manfred Baumann is beautifully and convincingly drawn and you can't help but be drawn into his gradual disintegration. More over at www.crimesquad.com next month.

Black Mail by Bill Daly

Last, but in no way least, we have a new boy on the crime scene giving us a satisfying slice of tartan noir. Along Glasgow's grim streets - according to Daly's vision – one can find an intriguing mix of sexual affairs, corrupt businessmen, revenge, incest, paedophilia, IRA sympathisers and the titular blackmail. Who knew? There's lots going on here and it's all very well orchestrated by Daly. A hugely enjoyable read and well worth your hard-earned.

Mightier than the sword - the power of books

At the end of the Cambridge launch of The Guillotine Choice a young man approached me at the signing table to say hello. As he stepped closer and bent forward so that our heads were at the same level, I realised that he had something to say that he felt really strongly about.

He introduced himself – shook my hand with great warmth – and said, I can't thank you enough. What you are doing is incredibly important.

I was taken aback – and humbled by the passion in his voice.

Since I started this book I knew what Bashir and I were embarking upon had an importance beyond us. A man, that a huge region of Algeria called father, was, with luck and a fair wind, going to have his incredible story highlighted to the world - and the family would have something to go to the French authorities with and ask for an apology and a pardon.

This young man in front of me was about to indicate that the book had significance even beyond that. He explained that he was Algerian and that the experiences of his countrymen and women had been ignored, not only across the world, but in the countries that really needed to talk about it – France and Algeria. He went on to say that official estimates are that around 1.5 million people died in the struggle for independence and that if one was to consider those who lost their lives throughout the time of the French colonisation of his country, it would not be outside the realms of possibility to suggest that the number of dead would be double this.

He went on to ask that if this was the number of dead – how many other people had been damaged by the conflict? Had his country ever recovered? How many people with untold stories were there in Algeria?

We don't talk about this, he said. We don't teach it in our schools. Our politicians don't even acknowledge it. 

How are we going to move on from the past if we don't face it?

He looked at the queue waiting to have their books signed lining up behind him aware that people were waiting to speak to me. He shook my hand again and said – so, thank you, I pray you and Bashir's book helps the conversation start and the healing to begin.

You can get the book here.

And here's where I hand over to you, dear reader. If you enjoyed the book and appreciate what we are trying to achieve with it, please be our advocates. Talk about it to your friends, urge them to read it for themselves - review it online in all the usual places. The more successful the book is the more realistic our aims become.

With thanks,
Michael & Bashir

The Guillotine Choice in the media

I thought my two or three regular readers might like to read some of the coverage that my new book has been getting from the media.

Above, you can see a poorly produced copy of the photo that appeared in my local newspaper, The Ayrshire Post.

Here's what  The Edinburgh Reporter made of my launch evening in Looking Glass Books in Edinburgh just last week.

I'm prepared to push aside my feelings for this particular newspaper, for a moment at least, to highlight their article about the book and what we are trying to achieve. Go here!

Also doing their thing was The Sunday Express

And Bashir's local newspaper also got in on the act. Click here!

Other newspapers also featured the book and the story, most notably NME, but I can't find any links to post for them.

Laters,
M

Wot I Read in March - Pelecanos, Black, D'Lacey, Connolly, Campbell, Boyden, Rafferty

George Pelecanos – Right as Rain

I do like a Pelecanos novel. You pick one up and you are guaranteed some fine storytelling. This one was first published in 2001 and the version I read was a re-issue in 2010, what with his publisher giving his covers a wee makeover.

So, here you've got sex, violence, strong characters, razor-sharp dialogue, social issues and a ridealong feel to the story. If you haven't read a Pelecanos book, man have you got to get yourself sorted out. Go get one, like now.

Tony Black – The Last Tiger

In this, his next book (out on the 1st of May)Tony Black demonstrates what a talented and versatile writer he is. We're in Tasmania with a family of immigrants and the father is paid to hunt the very last Tasmanian tiger - and his son is horrified. His prose is at times spare and at times poetic as Tony delivers up a fascinating and moving novel about family ties and the truths we don't want to face.

The Book of the Crowman – Joseph D'Lacey

Every bit as good as the first Crowman book. The only disappointment I received from this one was when I finished it. Fans of S/F Fantasy I order you to check this guy's books out.

John Connolly – The Wolf in Winter

JC simply never fails to deliver. Crime/ thriller fiction of the highest quality – all served up with Connolly's excellent prose and a soupcon of the supernatural. Loved it. Full review over at www.crimesquad.com

Karen Campbell – This is Where I Am.

Oh. My. God. Where do I start with this one? Am I going to run out of superlatives? Astonishing. Affecting. Powerful. Absorbing. At one point I was reading this in a cafe and had to discreetly wipe a tear from my cheek. This book deserves to be HUGE bestseller. World, you should be ashamed of yourself that so far it isn't.

The Orenda by Joseph Boyden.

Man, have I been spoiled this last month. Another wonderful book. It's 1640 in the New World. The lives of a Huron brave, an Iroquois girl he steals in retribution for the murder of his wife and children – and a French priest, come together. The sense of time and place conjured by Boyden is utterly convincing, the drama and conflict unflinching. I am in awe of writers like this. Stunning.

Myra: Beyond Saddleworth by Jean Rafferty

In a word: fascinating. With this novel, Jean Rafferty imagines that Myra Hyndlay was released from prison as an old woman under a new identity, rather than die from ill-health as she did in real life. A difficult read about one of the UK's most infamous serial killers, written with huge skill and insight.  

Birthday boy

My regulars will remember lots of posts on this here blog, back in the day, about my son when he was younger and much more entertaining. And when I could be truthful when calling him the wee fella.

He's had a birthday recently. 16. And he's no longer a wee fella. He's got a good 4 inches on his old man.

Anywho, in honour of this I thought I would offer you both a reprise.

This blog was posted nearly four years ago ...

Conversation #1

The wee fella said – after I gave him a good morning hug as he approached the breakfast table (well, THE table. I don’t have a table for like, every meal) – Daaaad, your breath stinks – pause – and your teeth are yellow.

Me – that was harsh.

The wee fella grins – it’s called tough love – grins even wider and finishes with – bitch!

Conversation #2

It’s my latest health kick and I give myself one day per week off the healthy stuff and eat absolutely anything I want. On this occasion I had a pizza – grand pan, meat feast – from a well known pizza chain. I’d mention them by name but I want some freebies first. (You know who you are. See my agent. Please.) Washed down with lashings of cola. From another well known company. Same rules apply ...Company Beginning with P.

I was munching into said pizza and fancied a wee top up to my cola. The cola was in the kitchen. I couldn’t be arsed going for it. I never ask the wee fella to be my gopher as I used to hate it when I was a kid. 

Besides, in the few occasions I have made such a request he moans like I’ve asked him to do a shift up a chimney. However, I had my sloth on and thought I would give it a go.

Me – could you fill up my glass, son? (I point helpfully to the cola bottle visible through the kitchen door.

TWF – (grunts, stands up) S’pose.

Me – after he has poured a paltry two fingers worth – thanks.

TWF – Why didn’t you get it for yourself?

Me – I wanted to see if you would do something for me.

TWF – I do something for you every day, Dad. (BIG grin) I give you a reason to live.

And nothing changes.

Laters,

M

Coming VERY soon ...

February Reading

Here's wot I read in February ...

Stoner by John Williams – Well it had to eventually. The hype got me. Lost classic they said and everybody and their aunty is jumping in to agree. But sorry, Stoner didn't do it for me. I can see why people might be getting so excited about this book – it is full of insight and elegant prose BUT the main character, the titular Stoner, needs a bloody good slap. He's far too passive, allowing nasty colleagues at work to undermine him and most unforgivable of all, allows his manipulative wife to ruin his daughter's life. Where was the character development? The worm should have turned and then the title of lost classic would have been well earned.

The Stillman by Tom McCulloch – Middle-aged man, barely tolerated by his wife, his son's behaviour is getting weirder by the day, the island of Islay is in the grip of a winter storm and letters arrive from Cuba from his long-dead mother. Lyrical, touching and funny. McCulloch conjures a great sense of place and a fascinating description of a man and a marriage on the slide.

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts – A friend of mine was banging on about this so much I had to find out what he was on about – and boy am I glad I did. What a fantastic read! This is an epic, full of characters you are bound to fall in love with and a depiction of Bombay so authentic that when you put the book down and walk out your front door you almost expect to be faced with a dancing bear, a huge traffic jam and the cast of a Bollywood movie.

Sure, it's not perfect. The author's prose tends to the purple and his philosophising can at times come across as a lecture – but set these grumbles aside and you are in for a great time while reading this book.

Sense of Direction – Gideon Lewis Kravs

A fascinating travel memoir as young Gideon goes walkabout , quite literally, looking for a sense of direction on his life on the Camino and in Japan. He portrays his own actions with an admirable honesty and with wry humour. I found his internal monologue hard work at times, but that says more about me and my lack of erudition. All in all, well worth a read.

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

Epic fantasy that fans of George RR Martin and David Gemmell will lap up. I lost a Sunday to this book. Quite literally couldn't put it down. Loved it!

Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer

Clever, clever lady that Belinda is. I love it when an author takes risks and comes up with a wholly original plot. This book won a slew of awards. Now I understand why. Great stuff!

The Deep Dark Sleep by Craig Russell

Quality stuff. Imagine that Bernie Gunther is now Canadian and living and working in 1950s Glasgow and you have some kind of idea what is going on here. Has everything I look for in a crime novel – characters you want to spend time with, humour, strong prose, pace and a plot that keeps you guessing. In a nutshell? High quality stuff. Oh, I said that already.

A Bibliophile's January

I'm trying to read more this year and spend less time on the time thief that is social networking. (What do you mean, good luck wi' that?)

Anywho, here's wot I read in January.

Black Feathers by Joseph D'Lacey – first in a fantasy/ horror series. A cracking read. And the good news is that I don't have long to wait until book 2 is available. Book of the Crowman is out on the 7th March. Yes!

Water Music by Maggie Orford – another excellent crime writer from South Africa. She was on my radar after her appearance at Harrogate Crime Fiction Festival a couple of years back. Absorbing and well written. Released 27 Feb.

A Mad and Wonderful Thing by Mark Mulholland - a debut novel from the clever Aussie publisher, Scribe. In turns elegaic and disturbing. Pulls of that trick of making you sympathise with a character who does some truly awful things. Has a genuine OMG moment. Out in April. One to watch.

The Shining by Stephen King – for some reason I haven't ever read this. Needed to be rectified after reading Doctor Sleep in December. Genuinely chilling. He is the master. 'Nuff said.

Mongol by Uuganaa Ramsay – if you don't shed a tear while reading this you need to see a heart surgeon like pronto. Ask for a scan just to make sure you don't have a breeze block in there instead of a heart. Provides a fascinating glimpse into an alien culture, pays tribute to a dead infant and kicks off a campaign about the use of the word “mongol”. No wonder Uuganaa was previously voted Mongolian Woman of the Year.

The First Rule of Ten by Gay Hendricks & Tinker Lindsay – A former buddhist monk/ ex-cop becomes a P.I. in L.A. As unlikely as it sounds, it works. Thanks to a light touch on the Buddhist stuff and sharp dialogue and plotting. Great stuff!

The Fault on our Stars by John Green – teens and cancer don't make a comfortable reading and could easily turn out to be mawkish. But not for a writer as talented as this guy. You will laugh and you will cry.

I'm sure there's something among that lot to interest you?

Laters.

Review - Long Way Home by Eva Dolan

The blurb reads like this …

A man is burnt alive in a suburban garden shed.

DI Zigic and DS Ferreira are called in from the Peterborough Hate Crimes Unit to investigate the murder. Their victim is quickly identified as a migrant worker and a man several people might have had good reason to see dead. A convicted arsonist and member of a far-right movement has just been released from prison, while witnesses claim to have seen the dead man fighting with one of the town's most prominent slum landlords.

Zigic and Ferreira know all too well the problems that come with dealing with a community that has more reason than most not to trust the police, but when another migrant worker is attacked, tensions rapidly begin to rise as they search for their killer.

How much did I enjoy it?

I know it’s the first month of the new year, but if I read a better debut in the next 12 months I’ll be hugely surprised, cos Long Way Home is a faultless, thoroughly engrossing debut that already has the feel of a long established series of novels.

As the cliché goes, the devil is in the detail and Dolan is already adept at pinpointing just the right information and in the right amount that makes us believe in her characters and immerse us in the setting.

Zigic and Ferreira are well-drawn pair of characters and duo I would be more than happy to spend hours of reading in their company.

This is a police procedural with heart and conscience. Yes, the puzzle is important, but much more telling is way the author depicts the lives of those caught up in people trafficking and the those who pray on them.

I couldn’t be more impressed – this is a stunner - and I can’t wait to see what Dolan does next.

Shell out your shekels HERE

QnA with my bud, Gill Hoffs

(Here's Gill's grinning fyzzog)

1. So, what you pimping these days?

A tale of gold and grim reality, “The Sinking of RMS Tayleur: The Lost Story of the Victorian Titanic”. It’s about an enormous luxury ship that left Liverpool 160 years ago this month for the Australian Gold Rush only to sink in mysterious circumstances two days later, a few miles from Dublin. Although the ship was literally a few metres from land, close enough for ropes and spars to be got across to form temporary bridges, more than half of the people on board died including virtually all of the hundreds of women and children. Shipwrecks were common then, an accepted risk to travellers, and around three vessels were reported wrecked in British and Irish waters every day. But this particular shipwreck made the papers around the world, with thousands of articles written on it at the time. I’m amazed that it isn’t better known today.

2. How did you come across such an amazing story?

Quite by accident. I was in the museum in Warrington, where I live, looking at shrunken heads and the like, when I saw a cabinet of shipwreck artefacts including crockery and a porthole. Now, Warrington is an inland town and the stretch of Mersey near my house is so shallow you can see discarded bicycles poking out and sometimes wade across when there’s a drought, but according to one of the curators ships had been built here. One of them, the RMS Tayleur, was the largest ship of her type at the time and certainly the most luxurious, and he suggested I look her up online. When I read some of the survivors’ accounts I wept until I was a snottery mess, and didn’t think I should ever look at them again for the sake of my sanity (and my over-wiped nose), but I just couldn’t stop thinking about the people on the ship.

3. How long did it take to research and write?

Hmm … about two years, start to finish. That’s including the research for a short piece on one of the children on board, submitting a proposal to my lovely publishers Pen & Sword, and editing. And we moved house to Scotland and back while working on it, too. But I don’t feel like it’s quite done yet, even though I’ve just watched it being bound and turned into actual factual books.

(here's wot Gill's so excited about)

4. Your previous outing into print was a collection of short pieces, did a longer piece of work involve any different challenges?

The short piece on the Tayleur is actually included in my first book, “Wild: a collection” (published by Pure Slush), so “The Sinking of RMS Tayleur” could almost be seen as a sequel. Yes, I found it more challenging to judge pacing and the arc of the chapters and the book as a whole in the longer piece, but luckily my editor, Jen Newby, let me work on the book until I was happy with the flow.

5. Where can we buy a copy?

You can purchase it from Pen & Sword HERE, bookshops including Waterstones (with or without the apostrophe) and WH Smith, online retailers, and also Warrington Museum and the Ocean Explorer Centre near Oban. Plus there will be talks and events about the Tayleur and Victorian sea travel (and maggoty food, yum!) at various locations throughout the UK where you can pick up a copy and probably cake, too. I’ll be posting details on my site and social media closer to the time, or you’re welcome to email me at gillhoffs@hotmail.co.uk to find out more.

6. What was your biggest writing “learn” from this project?

To take care of myself physically while I work instead of just pushing on, and to organise my notes better while I work instead of constantly putting it off ‘til later then panicking when I can’t find the precise survivor quote that I need. And to hide my printouts from my son unless I want them illustrated with bums and killer crabs.

7. What's next?

Raising awareness of the Tayleur tragedy – many of these people were heroes and they should be celebrated, not forgotten – and, as you put it, pimping my book. I’m researching the Mary Celeste for a thriller, and other shipwrecks and Victorian sea travellers in case they would suit another nautical nonfiction book, and still writing short pieces, too. I’ve sent a maritime thriller set in the 1930s out to agents so my fingers, toes, eyes, and legs are crossed for the time being, and apart from that I’m reading and watching a ton of DVDs and crappy TV. And preparing for an appearance at the Other Worlds Convention (you can get info on this event HERE) alongside my fellow writers Kevin G. Bufton and Die Booth in Warrington in April. And trying to get rid of the writers’ arse that’s developed from too much Nutella and sitting at my laptop. And sleeping.

Ways to keep in touch with Gill ...

- Gill's website

- Search Gill Hoffs on Facebook.

- And connect with her on twitter @GillHoffs

A selection of my favourite reads 2013

Well, everyone else is doing it.

In no particular order

Alex – Pierre Lemaitre

At first I was thinking, here we go, another book where a serial killer kidnaps and tortures a beautiful young woman. And then it wasn’t.  Amusing, original and demands you turn the page.

The Cry - Helen Fitzgerald

A striking “dilemma” novel, emotionally charged and brilliantly executed.

An Exquisite Sense of What is Beautiful – J. David Simon

I read this right at the start of the year and it has stayed with me.  Manages to be both exquisite and beautiful.  Need I say more?

Blood City – Douglas Skelton

Gangsters in Glasgow in the 80’s. A fast, furious and fascinating read. (I’m sure I could slip another “f” in there. Mmmm. Best not.)

Grim Company – Luke Scull

An excellent debut into a brand new fantasy series. Avoids the information dump a lot of new fantasy novelists feel they need to start off a series.  A great set up and a team of characters I want to spend time with. I was hooked from page one. (And the author has the best name, right?)

Norwegian By Night – Derek B. Miller

A hero in his 80s, in a foreign country, fighting to save a young boy’s life.  Manages to combine lyricism with pace.

Beautiful Ruins – Jess Walters

Cinematic, laugh out loud funny and utterly charming. You will fall in love with this book.

419 – Will Ferguson

Won the Giller Prize (Canada’s version of the MAN Booker). A prizewinner that’s readable!  An author who knows his way round a tasty sentence and a genuinely thrilling and fascinating plot. Also a reminder, if we need one, how the so-called developed world bowing at the altar of the god of profit has damaged Africa.

Nos4r2 – Joe Hill

Genuinely creep-inducing – gave me the shivers at several stages through the reading of the book. A chunky read with crisp writing, Hill gives his old man a run for his money.

I’m certain you’ll find something here to enjoy. So go, buy one or more, wontcha?

Laters,

M 

Q and A with debut author Sara Bain

What’s the new book about then?

The Sleeping Warrior can be loosely described as an urban fantasy, for want of a better description. It’s a crime thriller with a subtle fantasy element thrown in.

Mixing up the genres of contemporary fiction has been quite a challenge and I hope that readers will approach it with their minds wide open and focus on the story as a whole. The title is well represented in the book: as a famous mountain vista from the Ayrshire coast; as the central heroic character of the story; and as the inherent dormant warrior spirit within us all that awakes in times of crises.

Describe your inspiration for the book?

I am a fantasy author and have been writing heroic fantasy for a few years. For some reason, I decided to take a break from the epic and write a contemporary novel as my debut.

Speculative and slipstream fiction is becoming more popular with readers and much of it is being serialised on the TV and finding its way into movies.

Since I started writing the book over five years ago, it’s obviously not my intention to jump on the bandwagon of consumer preference; I just liked the notion of placing a fantasy character into the real world and seeing what he’d do. That was the intention at the beginning and I loved the way he worked.

Talk to me about your main character/s.

The main protagonist is a self-centred, cynical young lawyer called Libby Butler who finds her life turned upside down after meeting Gabriel, a stranger in a south London police station’s custody suite. As she finds herself in more and more dangerous situations, she comes to terms what is really important in life and what is merely misguided aspiration.

I really admire honour as a human characteristic. Even though we know little about Gabriel, you have to respect his strength and self-control. He is a man who doesn’t abuse his powerful advantages over others and teaches solely by example.

Did any themes come out of the writing that surprised you?

Identity as a theme underpins the story. It must have been a subconscious thing because I never really thought of a main theme when writing the book. For some reason, I wrote a scene where Gabriel happened to be reading Umberto Eco’s Name of the Rose and everything suddenly came together as if it was always meant to happen. It was completely accidental. I tried to think of intelligent literature that he would be interested in and remembered that Eco said something to the effect that a name can be so rich in meaning that it has no meaning at all. I don’t want to give away any of the story, so will just say that a name can empower or deprive.

Why fantasy?

I like to go to places where I can escape for a while and immerse myself into completely different worlds. Fantasy has always been my preferred genre to both read and, therefore, to write.

Why write?

I suppose I have had a career in writing. I was an editor for a legal publishing company and then a newspaper journalist, so the written word has always been part of my day job. Some people paint to release creative imagination, others play music. I write because that is the means by which I can best convey my thoughts.

Why go it alone?

There is still quite a lot of stigma attached to self-published authors, despite the fact that even peasants can be king on Amazon. I even note that quite a few amateur book reviewers will only accept traditionally published authors, which suggests to me that even readers will turn their noses up to authors who have decided to go it alone.

The fact is that publishers, who have controlled what people read for so long, are fast losing business to the likes of Amazon and finding out that readers are perfectly capable of choosing what they want to read for themselves. You see time and time again, authors who could paper their walls with rejection letters, become best-sellers overnight.

I’m quite conventional in a way and, until recently, have always aspired to being a traditionally published author. I’ve thought long and hard about this and, when The Sleeping Warrior attracted the interest of three publishers, in a fit of defiance, I thought ‘why should I give it to them?’

I then decided to start up a publishing house which, although I am the first author to be published by it, I certainly won’t be the only one. I really don’t care if other writers or readers sniff at the fact I’m self-published. There is so much effort expended in the process and so much I have learned that I feel my achievement has been truly great. I am so proud to be able to hold a real and tangible paperback copy of my first novel in my hands and say ‘I wrote this and then I published this all by myself.’

 To buy Sara's captivating book go HERE

An interview ...

You know how it is, no posts for months and now two in a matter of days. Do I spoil you people or wot?

Anywho, I've been busier than a one legged man in an arse kicking contest and I thought I'd share with you some of my goings ons (if that's not a real saying it should be) over the last wee while.

I had a blast at the Grantown crime festival with Caro Ramsay, Alex Gray, Lin Anderson, Malcolm Archibald, Marc Douglas Home - wonderfully organised by the might atom herself, the owner of one of the best wee bookshops in Scotland, The Bookmark - Marjorie Marshall.

On the Friday, Marjorie organised a Crime and Dine evening where we had two authors to a table and we moved to a different table for each course of the meal. It was an excellent evening. Good food and even better company. Here's a photo (lifted from Caro's website). 

Another fun night was an "In Conversation ..." evening I had at the University of the West of Scotland, chaired by Dave Manderson with Douglas Skelton and myself talking about our books.

Before they let us loose on the audience, we were interviewed for the University's radio station. The interview is HERE

Go on. You know you want to.

I don't. But that's another story.

There is a short film - very short - of the event on Youtube somewhere. But I can't inflict that on you.

Laters,
M

MJM during Book Week Scotland

I'm out and about during Book Week Scotland - a week where the whole of Scotland goes book crazy.

Monday 25th November at 7:30pm I'm in the Dunfermline Library talking about "Carnegie's Call" - details HERE

Wednesday 27th I'll be appearing at Waterstones, Newton Mearns talking with Douglas Skelton about his excellent book, "Blood City". Details HERE

Thursday 28th November I'll be part of a part of Bloody Scotland on Tour, with Will Jordan, Bert Mitchell, Douglas Skelton and Craig Robertson. Details HERE

Sunday Ist December  at 4;30pm I'll be in Wigtown with yes, you've guessed it, Douglas Skelton talking crime and stuff.

Hope to see you there!

Laters,
M

May Contain Abusive Language

One of the most common questions I’m asked by newbie writers is whether or not to use sexual swear words in their fiction.

I didn’t give this much thought pre-publication, but I have since learned that lots of people do care about the use of this sort of language. It seems a bizarre double standard that you can portray any number of violent acts without comment, but have your character use the F word and you will receive all kinds of opprobrium. (I have all these big words in my head. Got to use them sometime.)

My first lesson on this was when I was doing an event with Alex Gray and Craig Robertson last year in Dundee. A lady approached us at the signing table after the event and said she only had enough money to buy one of our books and to help her decide, she needed to know if we used swear words in our books.

My thought was, that’s me screwed and I pointed to Alex.

A mate of mine, Tony Black had a review on Amazon where the “reviewer” said that as a Christian she really objected to the foul language used by the characters. Presumably, as a Christian she didn’t mind the violence that befell the characters, because she didn’t mention any of that. Then she went on to question whether our fine officers in blue would use such language.

Re-arrange this sentence, missus.  Get to out you need more.

In any case who am I to say that you should get over it? I’m not the arbiter of all that is fine and wholesome and acceptable. But neither are they.

So, why does this language offend so much?  It’s just words, innit? Why does that syllable crash on to peoples’ ears with such impact? Words are a writer’s tool. Every word we use while communicating is part of that tool-kit and has a place in writing surely? It’s part of writer’s contract with the reader that you display with honesty the interaction between humans.  If a certain character would speak like that in the real world then by fuck, he’s going to speak like that in my book.

I remember meeting my agent for the first time. She was a small, polite lady of a certain age.  A gentlelady, if I can use the term. We were in a restaurant in an art gallery. We had been talking for about ten minutes when she pointed to a part of the text and said, “There’s too much fucking.”

I nearly spat out my mineral water.

She wasn’t referring to it as an action. (That would be a totally different book.) She was talking about my characters’ use of the word.  So we decided that it was fine if it was a verbal tic for McBain, but that the other characters should desist, in the main, so that people didn’t think that it was all me. Thing is, I don’t tend to swear much in everyday life, it’s just that when I started to write Blood Tears the swearie words flowed. What’s that all about?

I reckon it was because I was going through a divorce at the time. ‘Nuff said.

Anywho, the follow up is out now details  HERE– and my feeling – not that I’ve done a f-word count – is that there’s less of it this time around. Maybe I’m a lot calmer now? The ex and I are good pals. AND  in the book that comes out next spring only contains one f-bomb.

So, aspiring writers? Your question to swear or not to swear?  Fucked if I know.