Author: a.coates1@btinternet.com

Watch Me by Angela Clarke

The second in the social media murders series, Watch Me grabs the reader’s complete attention from the first words and doesn’t let go until the end when it leaves you reeling and aghast at what can go wrong with social media.

Once again DS Nasreen Cudmoore, now working for the Gremlin e-crime unit run by DCI Jack Burgone, and her old school friend Freddie Venton need to work together to solve a crime but this one links them back to their schooldays when their bullying of a friend led to a suicide attempt.

Journalist Freddie, back at home with her parents while she recovers from the effects of the attempt on her life by the Hashtag Murderer in Follow Me, is out of work, rarely out of her pjs and barely able to function.

Nas appeals for her help. Two girls linked to her had posted a suicide note on Snap Chat. One the sister of their former friend, Gemma, was successful but three hours earlier that day the sister of Nas’s boss went missing. A Snap Chat message told then they had six seconds to read the message; 24 hours to save her life.

Freddie, thin and disheveled, is forced to confront her demons to help Nas who is suffering from a hangover and remorse at having had a one-night stand with her boss. And the clock is ticking. Activating her repaired phone, Freddie discovers she, too, is a recipient of the Lottie messages. It has become personal.

The narrative spans the 24 hours they have to save Lottie’s life and explores the way this police unit functions, the interaction between Nas and Freddie and the police team as well as the world of revenge porn and objectionable internet sites. Ms Clarke creates credible characters who reveal their weaknesses and strengths as the plot develops.

As the story unfolded, I picked up Angela Clarke’s clues – I have not been a fiction editor and crime writer for nothing – but this did not detract from my enjoyment of Watch Me, rather it enhanced my appreciation of the fast-paced plotting and character development the author excels at.

Watch Me is chillingly scary – an object lesson on what not to get involved with on the internet.  Highly recommended.

Follow Angela on Twitter and check out her website.

 

An Honest Man by Simon Michael

Being published by Urbane Publications has introduced me to many new authors. One such is Simon Michael, a former barrister, who uses his past experiences to bring a unique legal perspective to his crime thriller series set in London during the 60s which began with The Brief.

As much as I enjoyed the first in the Charles Holborne series, the second book, An Honest Man really hit all the high spots for me.

Following his escape from the hangman’s noose in The Brief – proving that hewas framed and did not murder his wife  – the criminal barrister is very much down on his luck. Bankruptcy threatens then an unexpected brief lands on his desk – the answer to all his prayers. Or is it?

As a Jewish man from the East End, Holborne has never really fitted in. He is an outsider whom very few in the legal profession trust. But can he have any confidence in the people around him especially when some of them have connections with the notorious Kray brothers?

This is a great legal thriller with lots of twists and turns that keep you guessing right up to the dramatic end but what makes it outstanding is its authenticity and excellent writing.

Follow Simon Michael on Twitter @SimonMichaelUK and check out his website.

Talking Characters

When I was a child, we had living with us “the doctor” and I often had to tell my mother not to sit in a certain seat as the doctor was sitting there. For many writers, the characters in their books are like imaginary friends. We chat away to them, blame then when distracted and hopefully enjoy their company ­– except, of course when they are the bad guys!

One of the (many) unexpected pleasures of having my first crime novel published, is having conversations with readers about characters and plot lines. One told me off in no uncertain terms about exposing Elizabeth, protagonist Hannah Weybridge’s baby, to the violent ending of the book. That’s all I’ll say, as I don’t want to give spoilers in case you haven’t yet read or finished, Dancers in the Wind.

A friend whose only comment on my short fiction had been that she didn’t like short stories, was, as usual, fairly mono-syllabic after reading my novel. As we were talking about the fact I was writing a sequel, she said, “Oh no you’re not going to kill off Tom Jordan are you?  I like him!” She, like me, had fallen a little bit in love with the Detective Inspector. I smiled in what I hoped was an enigmatic way and told her she’d have to wait and see.

It has surprised and delighted me, how some readers have really taken to the prostitute in the story. Hers is a sad and unfortunately common story of abuse and betrayal; I am glad that I have done her justice and managed to make her a believable and sympathetic character. The interplay between her and Hannah has also been commented upon in many of the reviews and the dynamics between them are crucial to the plot.

Mark Mayes’ review on Amazon included this comment: “Hannah, Princess, and Tom, are all vividly drawn characters: nuanced, often wrestling with internal contradictions, as most of us humans tend to. The minor characters of the novel are deftly conveyed, as individuals.”

I found that hugely encouraging as many a TV, film or stage production is judged on how good or bad minor characters perform. An untalented actor can ruin the experience and just so with a minor character in a novel.

As Dancers in the Wind is the first of a trilogy, another unanticipated joy is being able to develop characters in the sequels. A minor character like Sam reappears in Death’s Silent Judgement. Things have changed in his life and maybe there will be further developments – but who knows? He’s competing with other characters who have been patiently waiting in the wings and as I write book three, they are ready to take a more central role.

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.

Death’s Silent Judgement will be published on 11 May 2017.

 

 

 

 

 

Choosing Titles

pwtteensCreating a title for a non-fiction book seems comparatively easy. It needs to make a statement about the contents of the book and possibly the author’s stance. When I wrote my first two non-fiction books for Wayland Publishing they were part of a series so the title was agreed in advance. My university books: Applying to University and  Surviving University (Need to Know) were similarly constrained and the books I wrote linked to my family website, Parenting Without Tears (Endeavour) worked well as a series title.

ataleoftwosisters1My short story collections (Endeavour) took their titles from one of the stories: Cheque-Mate and Other Takes of the Unexpected and A Tale of Two Sisters. However the latter did begin life as A Proper Pride!

However there was a sense of freedom that came with selecting titles for my crime novels published by Urbane. I wanted the title to encapsulate the story in a creative and perhaps off-beat way.

Therefore titles of the first two books are linked to favourite poets. Dancers in the Wind is a reference to a verse in Dryden’s poem Fortune:

cropped-dancersinthewind.jpg“I can enjoy her while she’s kind;

But when she dances in the wind,

And shakes her wings, and will not stay,

I puff the prostitute away.”

One of the central characters is a prostitute and several are killed during the narrative, so that verse seemed pertinent to me.

For the sequel, which begins with the murder of Hannah Weybridge’s close friend, I worked on various connotations. I tried out various combinations of words from Death and Dispossession to Ambassadors for the Dead. Some 12 titles competed for the crown.

I was eventually inspired by Andrew Marvell’s poem, In Mourning – in particular the last verse:

“I yet my silent judgment keep,

Disputing not what they believe:

But sure as oft as Women Weep

It is to be suppos’d they grieve.”

So this led to title number 13 – Death’s Silent Judgement which will be published in May 2017.

Before deciding on these I made sure there were no other books with the same title by searching for books on Amazon and other websites. It’s amazing how often authors (or publishers) come up with the same title and confusion can arise sometimes with one author benefiting from the popularity of another.

Now I am writing the third book in the series and am considering titles. There are various facets of the narrative that I’d like to include but they won’t necessarily sit well together.

So again I am jotting down any ideas as they come to mind. Perhaps another poem will be the inspiration I need?

 

Dancers in the Wind – Signing Session

signingsessionFinding new ways of promoting a book is difficult – how to make your book stand out among the thousands which are being published? Answers on a tweet please!

Signing sessions are an age-old standby, but I know from my days as a book publicist these can often be disappointing – unless you are a celebrity, of course. Nothing is more soul destroying than sitting in front of a pile of books and waiting…

However, ever the optimist, when a local hostelry, The Palmerston in East Dulwich, offered to host a signing session, I thought I’d give it a go. The venue is popular and on the main shopping street. Choosing the time between lunching and dining, we hoped to catch some passing trade. So posters displayed and social media alerted, I turned up on Saturday 29 October – the books had been sent on ahead by Urbane Publishers.

teamdancersThe staff were brilliant. We had been allocated a whole corner of the pub which gave the affair a party atmosphere and there was plenty of space for people to mingle and socialise.

My lovely daughter, Olivia, once again provided book cakes and, although in terms of numbers we didn’t break any records, the buzz of the occasion was exhilarating. Some people brought along copies they had already bought and were reading or had read. Others bought an extra copy for a parent or friend.

For me it was an absolute joy to chat about Dancers in the Wind, my characters, the themes and what was going to happen next with people who were interested and enthusiastic. Some people I knew, others I was meeting for the first time. One person surprised me by having checked me out on Goodreads and knew about my other books as well. How flattering is that?

Everyone had one question or another about the sequel. However there were no spoilers… You’ll find out how Hannah’s life progresses in Death’s Silent Judgement to be published in May 2017!

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.

 

Book Blog Tour for Dancers in the Wind

books1Gamekeeper Turned Poacher  damppebbles book blog

The Long Journey to Publication Reading Room With a View

Hannah and Me  Bibliophile Book Club

Creating characters Off-the-Shelf Books

Q&A Author interview with Liz Loves Books

From Short Stories to Novels on First to Last Page

The Influence of Reading on Writing Linda’s Book Bag

My Inspiration Guest Post for A Lover of Books

What’s your first draft like? Murder to a Tea

With thanks to Liz Barnsley for arranging the book blog tour.

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.

From Romance to Crime

cropped-dancersinthewind.jpgMy last staff job was as Assistant Fiction Editor on Woman’s Weekly and Woman & Home – many years ago now. For a year before that I’d worked on a confessions magazine where I had my very first short story accepted and published. Strangely enough, that story involved a crime: blackmail with the perpetrator – the “I” of the confessional – ending up losing her job. Moral retribution.

Some of the serials we published in WW and W&H were written specifically for those magazines. Others were novels about to be published and serialised beforehand. Most were romances – although W&H allowed a wider remit and we had thrillers as well but always with a romantic perspective.

Most novels had to be abridged and each episode had to end with a cliff-hanger  – some novels lent themselves to this easily. Others had to be worked on. I also had to learn the art of the synopsis as each week or month we began with “The story so far…” And even though I became adept at this I still find it difficult to write synopses for my own work!

Romantic stories tend to be predictable ­– the skill is to keep the reader hooked regardless. So many people (not authors) have told me that writing a romance is easy. I’d like to see them try. They are really difficult to get right. And if you’re not sincere, this will be exposed in your writing.

During this time, I tried my hand at short stories but without success. It took me some time to find my “voice” although I was given some encouragement along the way. By the time I left IPC magazines, I had some good contacts and translated two books from French for WH Allen (one under a pseudonym as it was an erotic novel for which I had to learn a lot of new words!).

While freelancing as a journalist, I started writing tales with a twist for Bella and also wrote longer stories. A lot of the twist stories had an element of crime – from bigamy to murder – involved. I also wrote an historical crime story linked to Sherlock Holmes, which was published in Candis.

Then came the commission to interview a police officer and a prostitute at King’s Cross and the knock on the door in the middle of the night which started a trail of “what ifs” that eventually became Dancers in the Wind.

 I’ve always had a passion for reading crime fiction from Dickens and Wilkie Collins to Edgar Allan Poe and, of course, Arthur Conan Doyle. Patricia Highsmith,  Minette Walters and Sara Paretsky all feature in my list of favourites. There are some great crime writers around now – each one with different skills and perspectives ­– and I love reading them especially the police procedurals that I’d never attempt myself.

In my novels the police investigation is in the background while Hannah investigates from a journalist’s point of view although there is always a personal connection which leads her into harrowing situations. And just with a nod to my past editorial roles, there’s also just an element of romance.

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.

 

Balancing the books

simonlaunch12a-2-1September has been a strange month. As I have been completing drafts two and three of Death’s Silent Judgement, I have been writing guest blog posts and organising publicity for Dancers in the Wind, the first novel in the trilogy.

The positive early reviews on NetGalley for my début crime novel have given me more confidence while working on book two – as have the comments of the two beta readers who have been so generous in their praise.

It was rewarding reading the proofs for Dancers in the Wind as it served to reminded me of characters who reappear in Death’s Silent Judgement, some of whom have revealed different sides to their personalities. Meanwhile some characters in book two are nudging me, like starstruck actors, for a more substantial role in book three. At least one will have his wish come true.

It has taken me a long time to decide the fate of a couple of the main players in book two and I have been sad to lose them. I’ve also had to ditch a couple of my favourite scenes as they didn’t fit in with the narrative timeline.

But the real joy for me has been exploring the characters who have taken over, have trod their own path and have surprised me with their actions and lives! One character completely transformed and I shouldn’t have been surprised as there were clues along the way.

So Death’s Silent Judgement is almost ready to send off to Urbane Publications. One final read through and a few loose ends to tie up in the finale.

Meanwhile the launch parties are now arranged – just! – and I am full of first night nerves. But as with theatrical first nights there will be lots of friends to support me. The real test will be when Dancers in the Wind is on sale. Will readers enjoy it? I hope so as I have had such a great time writing it.

Dancers in the Wind is on sale in Foyles and other bookshops and can be ordered from Amazon UK or Hive Stores with free delivery.