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.

coming soon ....

A free sample ...

For a limited time only, the e-book of Carnegie's Call is on special offer. So if you fancy reading about some amazing people you should take advantage of it, like, now.

Follow THIS link for a free sample full of inspirational goodness.

Fave Crime Reads of 2012

Everyone else is doing it, so I thought I would pitch in with some of my favourite reads of 2012. (They needn’t necessarily have been published last year, but they all came to my attention in the last 12 months.)

In no particular order ...

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was the last book I read in 2012, but one that was on my radar for quite a few months - because so many people were talking about it. And if you’re one of the few who hasn’t read it, grab a copy, like, now. Thoroughly gripping. One of the strongest reactions I’ve had to a character in a long while. And that’s good writing, people.

The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty was the first book I read in 2012 and it was a stormer. Set in Belfast in the 80’s it is a fascinating read, beautifully written and with a real sense of danger.

Abide With Me by Ian Ayris  - one of my favourite debuts of the year. Warm, engaging and affecting, with one of the most original voices I came across all year.

A Dark Redemption by Stav Sherez. This is Stav’s first venture into the police procedural and he’s taken to it like the proverbial duck to the local pond, but with, I would suggest, a good deal more grace. It’s classy, captivating and worth every penny I’m about to urge you to spend on it. 

A Dark and Broken Heart by R J Ellory - This book has quality written all over it – from the unforgettable characters, the see it and taste it sense of place and the punch in the gut ending.

The Healing of Luther Grove by Barry Gornell - If Daniel Woodrell had grown up in the West Highlands of Scotland rather than the Missouri Ozarks in the US, he might have written this book. I simply can’t give this debut novel any higher praise than that. Stunning.

Whataboutchoo? What floated your boat in 2012?

A May Contain Nuts Xmas Tradition ...

... is to re-post the (scarily) true story of how I found myself with a giant fecking Xmas tree.

I put my Xmas tree up the other night. Then I lay down for an hour to rest. Said tree is HUGE.I should have phoned in some people to help me wrestle it from the loft. Took me three trips up and down the stairs to get it through the doors and into the living room.

As I placed the tree in the middle of the floor and cleared the eagle’s nest from its branches I remembered the day it came into my possession. Just four short years ago...

......cue swirly music (violins and shit like that)....

....the phone rang. It was my twin sister. The Queen of Chaos (QC). For any newbies reading this, she’s a lovely lady. She’s four feet eleven inches, a size six, thinks tact is something you stick your posters on the wall with and enjoys a lifelong blonde moment.

 I had earlier been at the swimming pool with my son where he invented a new sport, Dad Surfing. (In case you don’t value your lungs and you’d like to try it, all you need is a swimming pool with a current and a child who is happy to stand on your back while you – and this is where it gets tricky - float) It was great fun ...and this explains my uncharacteristic willingness to step in and help. I was in a good mood.

Long story even longer, QC had been offered a free second-hand Xmas tree. It was seven feet tall, cost £190 new just 2 years ago and it was a cracker. Only thing is QC doesn’t have a car and is a master of the passive aggressive. I don’t have car, she says - like I don’t know this – and how am I going to get the tree home to my flat? In Troon? Like I’ve also forgotten where she stays.

I load the car with self and son and drive to meet her. She has a piece of paper in her hand with directions to the home of the tree. The directions to the home of said tree were lousy. We got lost in a housing estate with one road in and one road out. Several phone calls later, with shouted instructions from my backseat sister, me snapping at her and the wee fella giving me a row for being bossy with my twin, we made it.

A nice lady is standing by the door of her flat on the third floor wearing a look of relief. The look of someone who has just been told; yes it piles but yes, we can cure you. She directed us to a cupboard in the communal hall. And opened a door. The only thing I saw was a huge white box. You know those containers you see on the back of ships? Roughly the size of one of those.  

-that’s your tree, says nice lady and runs back indoors before we can say anything else.

I couldn’t lift the box off the ground, never mind lifting it out to the car, but with the wee fella pushing and me dragging and QC carrying a free box of 20,000 lights the tree owner no longer needed, we made it.

By which time my shirt was sticking to my back, my jacket was torn in three places and I was wishing I only had brothers.

I looked at the box. I looked at the boot. Not going to happen. I open up the boot (or as the wee fella calls; the trunk) in the vain hope that Doctor Who has been working nearby. Na. Not a chance. The tree box would never fit in the boot. There was a large green skip by the side of the road and it had some space. But the thought of dumping tree lady’s gift was too much and we resolved to try harder.

While all the pushing was going on QC was standing to the side wearing an expression of mild panic. It’s too big, she says. I don’t have big enough corners in my house, she says. You have it and I’ll take yours. It’ll be lovely for you and the wee man to have a nice big tree, she says trying to sell me the idea.

- Can we get it in the feckin’ car first, says I.

- Dad! says the wee fella.

Eventually I worked out that if I moved the front seats forward that there might be room in the back. With a lot more sweat, more pushing and some muttered curses, we made it. And bonus, we even managed to close the car doors.

 Of course we now didn’t have enough room for three people. So the wee fella (who’s nearly as tall as his aunt) sits on QC’s lap and I drive to my house, which is nearer– but I have to go the long way as the short way goes past the police station. We all hold our breath and look straight ahead for the ten minutes it takes to get to my house – because this is proven to make you invisible to the police. Fact.

 We get home safely – no blue flashing lights. I couldn’t possibly drive to QC’s like this. I can’t leave the wee man at home on his own while I take the tree to hers. Besides, I can’t face the thought of lifting this humongous box up the three flights of stairs to QC’s flat. I face the realisation that I’m going to have to accept this bloody tree.

 The next trick is to get the box out of my car. We all adopt the same activities as before – the wee fella pushes, I pull and QC stands wearing an expression of alarm. Eventually – presumably in the same time it takes a crane to lift a container from the ship on to the wharf, something gives – the car door handle- and the box is out the car and with more pushing, pulling and sweat, is in my front room.

 While my son and I catch our breath, QC tears the industrial tape from the box – you know the silver duct tape kind that serial killers use in all the movies – just to see how big this tree is.

 Think Norway’s annual gift to the British nation.

            -it’ll be lovely with lights on it, says QC prompted by the fact that the room is so dark because the tree is blocking out the light from the window. The expression of alarm on her face has deepened. She is by now desperate for me to take it off her hands. She paused, where are the lights? Did you leave the lights behind, she asks me?

-I was kinda busy with a big feckin’ box, sis, says I.

- Dad! says the wee man.

QC’s last memory of the lights was while standing watching me wrestle the tree container into the car. She must have put them down somewhere, she surmises. So we all jump back in the car and go back to the tree lady’s building …and there in a dark corner of the car park was our box of lights. Hurrah. Nobody had stolen them. No doubt any prospective thief had been put off by the thought of the increase to their electricity bill once they were switched on.

A wee guy was walking his wee dog past the scene as we screeched to a halt. QC jumped out of the car before I could pull on the handbrake.

-forgot my lights, she explained to the man as if it made perfect sense, while she swooped for the box. I caught a glimpse of him over my shoulder as I circled out of the car park – his chin was resting on the back of his dachshund.

 By this time we had all worked up an appetite so we decided to go to Pizza Hut. (Other restaurants focusing on saturated fat are available.) My stomach was saying, do not go home, do not pass “Go”, go straight to food. The unhealthier the better. The stomach was to be obeyed. QC generously offered to go halfers for any food.

 Relieved the worst of it was over, we had a wee laugh about our adventures on the way to the restaurant – but it was to be an illusory moment of calm for when we parked and climbed out of the car QC realised she didn’t have her handbag. I reasoned that it must be in my house and besides I was not driving another inch without throwing something down my throat. And it didn’t matter it if wasn’t a meal acceptable to polite society.

By the time we got a seat in Pizza Hut (see above) and ordered our food, QC had worked herself into a frenzy of worry. Her house keys. Her mobile phone. Her purse.

Oh my fucking god, she screeched. Maybe the handbag wasn’t in the house. It was on the backseat of the car while I was pushing the tree-box in. Maybe it got pushed out the other end. Maybe she left it in the same car park as the box of lights. Maybe it was in the tree lady’s house. Maybe the tree lady had emptied her purse, had been shopping on-line with her credit cards and was now happily phoning a porn phone line in Chile using her mobile phone.

 While QC borrowed my mobile and phoned all of her friends to try and find out the tree lady’s number, the wee fella gave me another row.

– you’re different with your sister, he said, much more bossy.

 Nobody had tree lady’s number. Cue more worry and more doomsday scenarios – her house keys were in her handbag, I would have to kick in her front door. No, I couldn’t do that as she has mental neighbours and while she was sleeping they would ransack her flat. She thought about it some more. NO, she couldn’t do that ‘cos she’d have to stay awake all night and she was a monster if she didn’t get her sleep. Could she even get a locksmith on a Saturday night? Shame she fell out with another neighbour – the witch-  ‘cos she used to keep a spare key for her.

The food arrived and was eaten in Guinness Book of Records time. The wee man didn’t even have time to get that tomato smear on his wee cheeks.

 There was a collective holding of breath all the way from Pizza Hut to my house. The wee fella worried that QC was going to have a rubbish Xmas. I worried that I was going to have a mad woman on my couch for the rest of the weekend and QC just worried.

 We pulled up in front of my house and all of us took a deep breath and paused in prayer before we get out of the car.

I unlocked the front door to my house and QC almost knocked me into next door’s garden in her rush to get past. The wee man and I looked at each other and waited at the door, afraid to look.

We heard a squeal. She’d found it. Care to guess where?

Under the tree.

Interview with Deon Meyer ... Deel Twee

...according to Google translate, that is afrikaans for "part two".

MM – There will be, I imagine, a number of aspiring writers reading this interview ... could you describe your writing process for them?

DM – I have a very fixed schedule. I think that the first step in being a writer is writing often and writing regularly with discipline. I am usually sitting down to write about 5 o’clock in the morning. It’s an old habit, because when I started writing I had a proper day job, so the only time I could write was between 4 and 7 in the morning. ..

MM – 4 and 7?

DM – Yes, I was a single parent at the time so had to get the kids up and dressed and fed and take them off to school and then go to work. And in the evening the kids needed care and attention. So I got into the habit of getting up very early because that really was the only time I could write. And it is a fantastic time of the day. So quiet. No distractions. That became my habit and I now write between 5 and lunch.

MM – Who are your literary influences?

DM – I think I was probably influenced by Ed McBain and John B McDonald. I was reading them as a teen and into my twenties. They made a huge impression on me and I still admire their writing so much. One is influenced by so much ... I’m a huge John le Carre fan. And many others ... like Graham Greene.

MM – What are you reading at the moment?

DM – I’m reading a book on movie directing (laughs). We created a movie company. A friend and I. We made a movie a couple of years ago  - I wrote the script and he directed - and it was such a fun experience. And the movie did quite well in SA, so we thought, let’s do this more often. And I’ve just finished an original movie script and I really think I could direct it, but I have more to learn before I can get there. It’s something different.

MM – And, I guess, it’s a different part of the creative brain that you get to exercise ...

DM – Yeah, it’s still all about storytelling. This is a wonderful book by two female movie directors from the US and it’s by far the best guide I’ve come across on how to direct and what I find fascinating is that it is all about storytelling. There are many similarities in the writing process. When you write a book you consider: what is the best way to tell this story?  In a movie, you think about when do you start a scene, when do you end a scene. That’s the same in a novel when you think about your chapters. In essence it is all about telling a story.

MM – Yeah, you are just presenting your information in a different way. What would you say was your biggest lesson from that book so far, that it’s all about storytelling?

DM – No. My biggest lesson is that I still have a hell of a lot to learn. There is much that a director has to do. You take the script. You have the establishing shot. The medium shot. Where do you put the camera? How do you do the lighting? And so much more. When you write a book you don’t think about all that. The other interesting thing is that in a book you can write a scene where 100,000 people fill a city square, but if you want to do that in a movie it’s going to cost you millions of dollars to film that scene.

Filmmaking is a hugely collaborative process.  You have an art director, a cinematographer ...even the actors bring their talent to bear. To me that’s the magic of making movies. When you write a novel it’s just you and the story and it’s a world no-one else can enter.

MM – From your books’ perspective, where is your biggest market at the moment?

DM – France. My book sell well in France. But there’s also Germany, US and the UK. I was recently on the top ten list in Holland as well.

MM – Do you find a different reaction in some of the countries that you go to?

DM – Yeah, some countries just don’t get me. The Italians are just not into me. In Spain, we’re getting there. Slowly. I’ve just realised with this Dutch thing that it makes a difference if you get a good publisher who sticks with you. My first book sold dismally in the UK, but Hodder decided to stick with me and now we are making real progress. I am very fortunate to have that and in other markets it doesn’t always work that way.

MM – You write in Afrikaans, don’t you? Do you translate it yourself?

DM – I have a translator who I work with closely. When she’s finished I go through it closely, I spend maybe a month working through the translated work to make sure it is as close as possible to the Afrikaans version.

MM – And are you published in both languages in SA?

DM  - Yes, and my English version comes out a year after the Afrikaans version and my English readers are not so happy about this. But there’s nothing I can do about that. It takes so long to do the translation.

MM - What would you say is the best thing and the worst thing about being a writer?

DM – I would say that the best thing is this huge privilege to be able to see the world. To meet book people. I’ve never met a book person I didn’t like and that to me is just a huge privilege. I wouldn’t have that honour if I didn’t write. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. You know, I come from a small South African mining town. I never thought when I started to write that I would get all these opportunities, that I would get to see so much of the world.

The worst thing is that you can only blame yourself for anything that goes wrong. You create the book. You write the book. There is always something that scares you: if you get it wrong then it’s all just your fault. I find the writing process a slow, tough one  ...

MM – It’s not getting any easier then?

DM – No, if anything it’s getting more and more difficult. I think you are obligated to keep on learning, to keep on improving. If you spend so much time and effort building a loyal audience, reader by reader then you owe it to them and to yourself not to do something stupid and spoil it all for them.

MM –Thinking back to the beginning, was there ever a “moment” when you thought to yourself, “I am a writer”?

DM – I still don’t think I’m a writer. The term of author or writer sounds so intelligent and arty and I think of myself more as a storyteller. My job is storytelling.

MM – And did you come to all of this “storytelling” early on in life?

DM – Yeah, I think I was nine or ten years old. Difficult to explain ... we were three brothers. We all read voraciously. We went to the library three times a week. But I was the only one who went from this to wanting to tell stories that would please, entertain other people. Why me? Why not one of the others? I 

simply had this urge – I knew this was what I wanted to do.

MM – And we are so glad you carried on. Deon, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Thank you.

The one about the 2 crime writers and the publicist stuck in a lift ...

During the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival in July this year, I had the good fortune to interview the charming and talented, Deon Meyer in advance of his September publication of "7 Days".

We met in the hotel lobby and on the way up to the media suite - we got stuck in the lift. Cue lots of gags. Thankfully, the lift had almost reached the right level. We managed to open the doors and step up and out onto the hotel landing. Mr Meyer demonstrated that he was a real gentleman by being the last person to exit the lift. I wasn't quite so courteous.

How did our conversation go? First, here's the blurb for 7 Days ...

“I'll shoot a policeman every day until you arrest the murderer of Hanneke Sloet.”

Shortly after the South African Police Services receive this threatening email, a policeman is shot by a sniper and recovering alcoholic Benny Griessel is ordered to reopen the Sloet case.

Hanneke Sloet was a sensual and ambitious lawyer. At the time of her murder she was working on one of the biggest Black Empowerment deals in South African history. She was found dead in her luxury Cape Town apartment, a single stab wound to her chest.

After forty days, the trail has gone cold. The first investigation could find no motive and no leads, only a set of nude photographs, an ex-boyfriend with a rock-solid alibi, conniving attorneys and financial double-dealing.

Benny has to deal with immense pressure from his superiors, the media and the unfathomable sniper, whose emails keep coming and who won't stop shooting. And then there's Benny's love interest, former pop sensation Alexa Barnard, who is also trying to rebuild her life after the ravages of alcohol, and Benny has to make sure she stays sober for her comeback.

At the same time, Benny's feisty colleague, Captain Mbali Kaleni, is hunting the shooter, trying desperately to find what connects him to Hanneke Sloet.

Both Benny and Mbali are about to endure seven days of hell.

And here's the first part of our interview ...

MM - How much of you is in Bennie Griessel?

DM – (laughs)Bennie was a side character in my first novel – and the main character  in that book was more like me. Bennie was supposed to be the comic relief in that book, but he was just such a fantastic character – he was a bit of a cliché – you know, the alcoholic cop –  but I enjoyed writing him and he found his way to being the main character.  And there is only a little of me in Benny.

MM - He is a finely nuanced character. How careful are you in depicting him, or do you run on instinct?

DM – I do a lot of thinking about my characters ...what are the emotional moments in their life – what possible genetic markers do they have. If you don’t know your character when you are writing them, you are going to make a lot of mistakes. I did spend a lot of time thinking about Benny and I tried to be very careful to get him right. It’s not difficult – once you know your character, once you know the pressure points that are going to drive him or her then it becomes and easier process. “7 Days”  is my third Benny Griessel novel and I’m getting to know him better and better

MM – I thought the counterpoint provided by his relationship with Alexa was interesting. He is off the demon drink and she’s going through that particular battle. AND it provides a nice piece of mental torture for Benny. He’s in love with this woman. He knows how she is suffering, but booze is always near...

DM – We have an expression in Afrikaans, to make the wolf the sheepherder. Benny is of course an alcoholic. His wife used to fight to keep him off the drink and now he’s got to do that. He has the other end of the stick. And that for me was an interesting tension to the story – how will Benny cope?

I think the whole idea of the genre is to create conflict. Conflict is the mother of suspense and to give Benny these challenges creates extra suspense.

MM – What do you think makes Benny such an endearing character?

DM – I dunno. You’re asking the right guy. I like him and I just hope the reader will like him. My approach is to make all my characters as human as possible and I think readers respond to humanity in characters; to frailty. Life is difficult for all of us and if you have a character who is finding it difficult to cope ... and as I said, readers respond. And Benny he does stupid things, but at heart he is a good man. He tries so hard, but he has so many failings.

MM – Roger Smith is another very fine writer to come out of South Africa, but if his books were the only reference to the modern state that is South Africa, you would never set foot in the place. Your books are much more balanced in that respect. Do you feel a responsibility to do so?

DM – No I don’t. When I do interviews and people ask about South Africa, then I feel I have a responsibility to try and convince people that South Africa is a fantastic and safe country. An interesting fact is that the UK crime rate and the South African crime rate is not all that different.

     The thing to bear in mind about crime fiction is that it’s a small window into a very big world. And it’s usually a small window onto the dark underbelly of society. When I read a book set in Scandinavia or London, I don’t immediately think this is a very dangerous place. And I don’t think readers do either. So that’s why I don’t feel any responsibility. I do try to be honest and depict SA as it is but you can’t reflect reality. Crime fiction isn’t a mirror on society. It’s a prism. You set the light to suit the story.

     I think if you try to portray SA as it really is, which is a fantastic, beautiful and safe country, then you affect the story. Just trying to get the story right is difficult enough, I don’t any other pressures.

MM – Your responsibility is to the story?

DM – Yeah. When I do interviews; when I visit other countries, I do feel I should talk about the wonders of my country. Unfortunately, through the media, SA does have a reputation of being a violent society but I didn’t create that perception and it’s not up to me to alter it.

MM – Another element I found interesting in the story was a moment when Benny considered the new SA and how Afrikaaners have had to adapt to big changes ...

DM – Yeah, one of the great things about writing is that you get to see your country through the eyes of different characters. One of my characters is a Zulu cop. She looks at SA through Zulu eyes and that enriches me as an author and it enriches the reader because they get different points of view. There’s a scene when Benny thinks how unfair the media is when talking about cops. The police get too much attention from the media and politicians and the police authorities continually get hit with the political stick. They get an unfair deal and I wanted to portray that.

MM – What about the soccer World Cup, was that of benefit to the nation?

DM – Absolutely. We are still reaping the benefit of the World Cup. Tourism stats went up during the tournament and they have continued to rise. Every day, when I go into Cape Town I get to drive on the new highways that were built for the World Cup. The stadiums are being used for other sports events and for disadvantaged communities.  And also on a psychological level it really brought the people together. The pride we took, that we showed the world we can host a very successful world event. I must tell you that I found it very charming when I was in the UK before the World Cup a lot of journalists were saying how can you host a World Cup, it’s going to be a fiasco, there’s so much crime. And in the run up to the Olympics the UK had a problem with GS4. We never had such a mess.

MM – Back to the books. You are amassing an impressive backlist. Do you have a favourite?

DM – I don’t really, but there is always the last one. Because you have lived with it so long and you feel the relief. Devil’s Peak and Trackers are probably the ones that I’m proudest of. But there are other books and other characters that I am also proud of. It’s like asking which of my children I love the most. It’s a very difficult thing to answer.

Keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the interview ...

Carnegie's Call - New Page on the Blog

Look up at the banner. See where it says "home"? Next to that it says "Carnegie's Call".

This is a new page to talk about a change of direction for me. In here I will be talking about what is happening with this new book.

Pop in. Say hi. Tell your pals.Watch out for new posts.

Or don't.

Up The Tower ... at Bloody Scotland

(Lin Anderson)

This is my blog on the Saturday night at Bloody Scotland ...

So you’ll be wondering what a collective of crime writers get up to on conferences when the crowds dissipate? You’re not? I’ll tell you anyway. We go gazing at the stars. The shiny-in-the-sky-peeping-behind-clouds kinda stars. Not Katie Price.

We were sat sitting, after dinner on Saturday night, at the bar: Lin Anderson, Gillian Philip, Cathy MacPhail and me, when we were approached by a small dapper man.

“Want to see my observatory?” he asked.

“Makes a change from puppies,” said Gillian.

“Or kittens,” said Lin.

“Or tattoos,” said Cathy. “Oops, did I say that out loud?”

“At least tell me your name,” says I. “I don’t go to a strange man’s observatory without at least knowing their name.”

“Bert”, says he. “And here at the Stirling Highland Hotel we have an actual, real-life observatory.”

And before you know it, we were whisked off down a long, white corridor and up a steep, white staircase climbing up inside a dark tower.

“Ooh,” says Lin Anderson. “I could fair murder someone up here.”

“Me bagsies that,” says Gillian.

“Where’s my wine glass?” says Cathy.

 So, imagine an igloo. Except there’s no snow. And it’s made of wood. And there’s a fricking HUGE metal tube thing stretched across the ceiling. Those in the know – our Bert – call it a telescope.

As Bert describes how the telescope works Lin and Gillian are getting more and more excited. Lin is wondering when Doctor Who will appear and Gillian is staring at this giant metal tube thing making squealing noises that Meg Ryan would be envious of.

Bert is visibly growing before our eyes. His chest is about to burst with pride. And we haven’t even looked through the thing yet.

Sadly, the cloud cover is too thick – the moon has got its cloak on, so to speak – but our Bert has an alternative. The Wallace Tower is lit up in the distance like a beacon and the telescope brings it so close we can see every brick. Gillian’s squeals are so high pitched now that only dogs can hear it. Albeit, every dog within a twenty mile radius.

Back in the bar – pulses calmed, breathing normal, the conversation returns to more mundane matters.

“Can I borrow a red wig from anyone for tomorrow?” asks Cathy.