Malcolm Holt's Blog, page 3

A Quick One on The Side - CJ West

A warm welcome to guest author CJ West.

CJ describes himself as a "Thriller writer, Dad, Blog Talk Radio host, poker player, landscaper, and recovered golf addict". Raised in a tiny town in Massachusetts, CJ developed a love for the outdoors and wildlife. He actually wrote his first book in 1979 while bored during school hours and he admits that at that time writing was second to his love of golf. In 1985 CJ attended the Southeastern Massachusetts University, now UMASS, where he studied business management. This helped to advance his career in computer technology. He spent 20 years helping companies solve their computer networking and information management problems.
CJ began writing thrillers in 1999. He now writes fulltime. CJ's novels feature the anithero Randy Black and his search for redemption.
So here we go, ten quickies for CJ.....

Who is your favourite author?
"I'm heavily influenced by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Somerset Maugham, and Tim Hallinan. My favourite emerging writer is Tom Adair, who I'm convinced will make it big."

What would be your favourite book read?
"This changes often for me. Right now I'd say 'The Lock Artist' "
(Written by Steve Hamilton)

Who is your favourite band/group/musician?
"Jason Aldean."

What is your most listened to album?
" 'My Kinda Party' by Jason Aldean. I'm also listening to 'This is Country Music' by Brad Paisley."

What has been the best gig/concert you have attended?
"I'm not a big live music fan. I put on a murder mystery show last year and to prepare for that I went to see The Fools live because the lead singer, Mike Girard, was acting in our cast. The concert was great and the shows (we put on two nights) were a whole lot of fun."

What is your favourite food?
"I'm striving to eat healthy. My favourite food is dark chocolate. Yes that counts as a food!"

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Home. My family hails from a small town we've lived in for over 100 years."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"I haven't counted, but I think the most is around 100."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"Often. I think I have one of those faces. The most popular was George Clooney about five years ago."

Well.....can you tell the difference?



How often do you get recognised?
"I was recognised in the grocery store last week. That's very unusual for me."

My thanks to CJ for dropping by to answer his ten quickies today.
As ever, many thanks for reading.....

A Quick One on The Side - Les Edgerton

A warm welcome to guest author Les Edgerton.

Les was born in Odessa, Texas. He actually grew up in a variety of places, mostly in Freeport, Texas and in and around South Bend, Indiana. After serving in the Navy for 4 years, Les went on a bit of a wild streak. He was sentenced to 2-5 years in Pendleton Reformatory for second-degree burglary. After being granted parole, Les studied at the Indiana University at South Bend, where he was elected Student Body President, was the head of the student athletic association, and was sports editor of the campus newspaper.
After completing his studies, Les admits to having gone on another years-long 'odyssey', which you could describe as colourful. This part of Les' life would fill its own novel. Les began writing seriously and he believes that this set him on a straight life path. Today, he is 'all respectable'.
Les is the author of some 14 books, I think, two of which are about writing fiction. He is known for writing raw, powerful fiction. He has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, an Edgar Allan Poe Award, and his novel 'The Bitch', has recently been nominated for a Spinetingler Award.

So, here we go, take a deep breath, ten quickies for Les.....

Who is your favourite author?
"This is tough! I have about 20-30 writers I'd have to put here that I read everything they write. I don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll pick a dead guy here, who would be Ray Carver."

What would be your favourite book read?
"And this one is easy. 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus."

Who is your favourite band/group/musician?
"The Chipmunks. Close behind, Miles Davis."

What is your most listened to album?
"Easy again! 'Sketches of Spain' by Miles Davis."

What has been the best gig/concert that you have attended?
"James Brown in Bermuda in 1963. My buddy and I were the only white people in the audience and we got mauled, scratched, smacked, trampled by girls running over us to get his cufflinks and other parts of clothing he was throwing into the audience."

What is your favourite food?
"Oysters Rockefeller. Close second: Oysters Bienville."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Bermuda. Lived there for three years and would kill to go back. Made three porno movies there and would like to look up my "co-stars" and see how they've held up over the years..."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"Ha! I happen to know this one. It set the record at the Little Professor Bookstore. Three hundred and twelve. It was for my first novel, 'The Death of Tarpons', and held the store record until Anne Rice broke it with 376 years later."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"When I was younger, Jerry Lewis. When I was older and for a long time, Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman). Nowadays, as the model for Edvard Munch's "Scream". I did get a jolt a few years ago. They say everyone has a twin and I got to see mine. One day, I picked up a copy of this magazine called 'People' and glanced at the cover and took a double-take. It was like looking in the mirror! Some dude named "Richard Gere". My wife is looking over my shoulder as I bang this out and she's laughing hysterically."

How often do you get recognised?
"Since the photos have come down in the post office, hardly ever. It's been a lifelong effort not to be recognised. When I was in prison, my first job was in Identification and I did what other inmates do when working there. I went to my file and switched photos with a black inmate. Just on the off-chance I escaped so they'd be looking for someone who looked somewhat different...True story."

Here is Les...looking like himself...


My thanks to Les for answering his own quickies and for sharing some of his 'odyssey'.
As ever, many thanks for reading...

Side Lines - Episode 1

Welcome to episode 1 of 'Side Lines', my new occasional news feature which aims to give you details of forthcoming attractions on 'A Bit on The Side'. As 'A Quick One on The Side' will soon be taking its Spring break, 'Talk on the Wild Side' is due to burst forth from this blog, bringing you interviews from the world of entertainment. I am hoping to bring some great interviews to entertain you all. I am delighted to announce that the following guests are expected in the green room in the near future. Scheduled to appear in 'Talk on the Wild Side' are.....

Gerry McCambridge, aka 'The Mentalist', live from Las Vegas...

Also from Las Vegas, television reporter Dayna Roselli...

From California, it's 'Extreme Amy', Amy Carabba, the television reporter who likes to take on extreme challenges...

.....and the rising country music star from Nashville, award-winning teenage sensation, Colt Chambers...

So, stay tuned for 'Talk on the Wild Side'. It's coming at you from May.....

A Quick One on The Side - Heath Lowrance

A warm welcome to guest author Heath Lowrance.

Heath has been a movie theater manager (that's a cinema to my UK readers), a tour guide at Sun Studio, a singer in a punk band, and a regular donor of blood for money. He is also a prolific writer of short stories that are dark and twisted. He is the author of the cult novel 'The Bastard Hand', the short story collection 'Dig Ten Graves', and many other things that are bad for you. Not surprisingly, Heath's blog is called 'psychonoir'.
Heath lives in a quiet neighbourhood of Detroit.

So, here goes, ten quickies for Heath...

Who is your favourite author?
"For our purposes here today, I'll say Charles Willeford, Richard Stark, and David Goodis."

What is your favourite book read?
"I tend to go to the Collected Stories of Ernest Hemingway a lot. Also, 'Wise Blood', 'All The King's Men', 'To Kill a Mockingbird', and 'Crime & Punishment'. I know the idea is to pick one, but that's impossible."

What is your favourite band/group?
"I like a lot of different kinds of music, but I always come back to The Ramones. Aside from them, I'd say Tom Waits."

What is your most listened to album?
"I've listened to 'Surfer Rosa' by the Pixies so many times, I've had to buy three copies of it over the last few years."
Here is Surfer Rosa...ooer.....



What is the best gig/concert you've ever attended?
"I saw the Cramps four or five times, but a gig they did in Memphis, in support of "A Date with Elvis", was the best. The first concert I ever saw though, when I was 12 years old, was Elvis himself. It's hard to top that."
Here are the Cramps...


What is your favourite food?
"I'm a pasta junkie. So...spaghetti, more noodles than sauce, with lots of parmesan cheese."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Of the places I've been, North Carolina. Of the places I haven't been, I long to visit Wyoming or Montana someday. Pipe dream destination is Spain."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"Two. One each for my wife's parents. That's a cruel question."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"On a couple of occasions, I've been mistaken for someone who gives a damn."

How often do you get recognised?
"A couple of times a week, but only by family members."

Heath, being dark...

My thanks to Heath for dropping by today and being my guest.
As ever, many thanks for reading...

A Quick One on The Side - Harry Shannon

A warm welcome to guest author Harry Shannon.

On his Twitter profile, Harry says he is a "Daddy, husband, friend, writer dude". He has also been an actor, singer, Emmy-nominated songwriter, recording artist in Europe, music publisher, a VP of Carolco Pictures (Terminator 2, Total Recall, Rambo), and a freelance music supervisor on films (Basic Instinct and Universal Soldier). He has an MA in Psychology and is a counsellor in private practice.
Harry is also a damn fine author. His novels include the Mick Callahan thrillers, CLAN, The Hungry 1 & 2, and the horror novel and movie 'Dead and Gone'. He has won a Tombstone and Black Quill and has been nominated for the Stoker. Harry lives in sunny California.

So here goes, ten quickies for Harry....

Who is your favourite author?
"I've tried to answer that one before and failed miserably. If you put a gun to my head and allow me one choice I would probably have to pick James Lee Burke. Having said that, there are so many others I idolise and/or read regularly from John D. MacDonald and Stephen King to Joe R. Lansdale and Cormac McCarthy, John Connolly, Michael Connelly, Mo Hayder or Robert Crais...Hell, that list goes on and on and on."

What would be your favourite book read?
"Ever? Wow. First, I've only read a few books more than once. 'Shogun' by James Clavell, 'The Source' by James Michener, 'Watership Down' by Richard Adams, 'Salem's Lot' by Stephen King, 'Red Dragon' by Thomas Harris, 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemingway and a few more. I don't know that I could pick one favourite book. I own thousands. Again, with a gun to my head, I will say Ray Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. A masterpiece. I've read it three times, though not recently. My daughter and I read Bradbury's 'The Halloween Tree' together every October, a bit of it each night."

Who is your favourite band/group/musician?
"Dang, you keep doing this! Long list again from James Taylor and Jackson Browne and early Paul Simon to Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris and George Jones. If I had to pick one group only, probably the Eagles. I love their stuff."

What is your most listened to album?
" 'Hotel California' by the Eagles would be tied with a classical recording of 'Die Rosary Sonaten' by Hans Biber."

What has been the best gig/concert you have attended?
"In 1982 I opened a music festival in Zurich and got to watch Emmylou Harris live. Hard to beat that. A close second, Elvis Presley in Vegas in 1972. Oh, and George Jones at Universal Studios in the 80s."

What is your favourite food?
"Another tie, Indian with Northern Italian pasta a close second."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Switzerland. Haven't been there in more than fifteen years now."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"Back in my music days, playing a concert near Zurich with my ex-wife Suzanne Klee. It went on for a couple of hours. Have no idea how many CD's and photos we signed."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"Oh, yes! George Lucas, Kenny Rodgers, Kris Kristofferson. When I was younger, people thought I was Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys or Glen Campbell. I just look like someone folks think they should know."

How often do you get recognised?
"My daughter has seen a few people recognise me from the book or a movie cameo or two. We joke that if I'm famous, I'm the most anonymous famous person on the planet."



During this interview, I avoided putting a gun to Harry's head. Well, I had seen this...

My thanks to Harry for dropping by for a chat today.
As ever, many thanks for reading....

A Quick One on The Side - Alison Gaylin

A warm welcome to guest author Alison Gaylin.

Alison describes herself on her Twitter profile as an "Edgar-nominated author and exclamation point enthusiast". A graduate of the Northwestern and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Alison has been a journalist who has covered the arts and entertainment for many years, with jobs ranging from performance art critic to supermarket tabloid reporter. Her first novel, 'Hide Your Eyes', was published in 2005 and was nominated for an Edgar Award for a Best First Novel. Her latest novel, 'And She Was', published recently, is the first in a new series featuring Brenna Spector, who is a private investigator blessed (or cursed) with perfect autobiographical memory. Here comes the scientific bit.....
Hyperthymestic Syndrome, or Hyperthymesia, is a medical condition where the person affected retains a perfect memory, in all senses, of all that happens after it begins, often following some kind of trauma.
Alison is now widely known as a writer of critically acclaimed suspense novels. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and daughter.
So here goes, ten quickies for Alison.....

Who is your favourite author?
"I have so many! Somerset Maugham, James M. Cain, Ann Rule... Does any author ever say "me" when you ask them this question? If so, I'm gonna go with that author."

What would be your favourite book read?
"The scariest book I ever read was Thomas Harris' 'Red Dragon'. Most consuming was Somerset Maugham's 'Of Human Bondage'. Best vicarious thrill, 'I'm With The Band' by Pamela des Barres. As a kid, one of my favourite books was 'She Was Nice To Mice' by Alexandra Elizabeth Sheedy. Yep, Ally Sheedy.    
I'm not kidding."

Who is your favourite band/group?
"Again, millions of them... Top of my head, I'm gonna say...The Ramones."

What is your most listened to album?
"Lou Reed's 'Transformer'."

What has been the best gig/concert that you have attended?
"Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the L.A. Sports Arena back in the early 80s. He played for hours and hours and it was pure joy. I was transported. I wound up rushing the stage and it was great because I was young enough to do that without looking like a jackass."

What is your favourite food?
"Okay, this time I can't possibly just choose one: Dim Sum, sushi, bagels lox and cream cheese. Oh, and chocolate."
(For those who don't know, lox is a salmon fillet that has been cured)

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"Paris."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"Hard to say. Do checks count?"

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"Yes! Megan Abbott. I've even been asked to sign her books... Wait, you don't think I'm Megan, do you?"

Here is Megan...

Here is Alison...

How often do you get recognised?
"Rarely enough that when I am, it's a huge thrill for me. So even if you don't recognize me, pretend that you do. It will make my day."

My thanks to Alison (or is it Megan?) for being my guest today.
As ever, thanks for reading...

A Quick One on The Side - Martyn Waites

A warm Geordie welcome to guest author Martyn Waites.

Martyn was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. After leaving school, Martyn had various jobs before spending three years at Drama School in Birmingham, the result of which was him becoming a professional actor. He subsequently starred in various theatre and television shows.
Martyn eventually began a career as a writer of gritty crime novels. He wrote three novels featuring tabloid journalist Stephen Larkin; these being 'Mary's Prayer', 'Little Triggers' and 'Candleland'. Subsequent novels, 'Born Under Punches' was set during the Miners Strike and 'The White Room' featured a fictional child killer, not unlike Mary Bell.
Martyn later introduced investigative journalist Joe Donovan and his team called Albion. 'Mercy Seat' was nominated for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for thriller of the year. It was also nominated for the CWA Dagger in the Library for best body of work. He was also nominated for the CWA Short Story Dagger for his story 'Love'.
As well as having had two writing residences in prisons, Martyn has also run drama and creative writing courses for socially excluded adults and teenagers in South London and Essex. Martyn is also half of Tania Carver. See later...

So here we go, ten quickies for Martyn...
Who is your favourite author?
"Graham Greene."

What would be your favourite book read?
"This varies from hour to hour. Probably 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay' by Michael Chabon, at the moment. Yesterday it could have been 'The Heart of The Matter' by Graham Greene and tomorrow it might be 'Hangover Square' by Patrick Hamilton."

Who is your favourite band/group?
"I tend to go for individual voices and the most individual of all is Tom Waits, even more so than Elvis Costello. But for bands, it would probably be the Flaming Lips or Talking Heads."

What is your most listened to album?
"Overall? Ever? Probably Peter Gabriel's third album. I've worn out two vinyl copies of that and I'm on my third. In the last few years, probably Fleet Foxes' first album and before that, 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots'  by the Flaiming Lips."

What has been the best gig/concert that you have attended?
"It's hard to choose one out of them but Elvis Costello and a reformed Attractions at the Roundhouse in 1996 was a cracker. But then so was the Flaming Lips in 2002 in Kentish Town, and Neil Young in Hyde Park in 2009, and every David Byrne gig I've ever been to."

What is your favourite food?
"Indian."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"The USA, or the good bits anyway, and I'd like to go back to Italy, to spend longer there."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"No idea. I never keep count."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"No, but when I was acting, people kept thinking they had seen me in things I wasn't in."

How often do you get recognised?
"Hardly ever, thankfully."

Here he is...

On his Twitter profile, Martyn says "As Martyn Waites I'm a moderately well-known crime writer. As Tania Carver, with my wife, I'm an international bestseller. Go figure." Tania Carver is the pseudonym for Martyn and wife Linda, who is a critically acclaimed theatre costume designer. 'Tania' has had three novels published so far.
Here is/are Tania Carver...

My thanks to Martyn for making a literary return visit to Newcastle today.
As ever, many thanks for reading...

Talk on the Wild Side - the new showbiz series

Coming up throughout the summer, and beyond, my new blog interview series 'Talk on the Wild Side'. Following on from the popular authors series 'A Quick One on The Side', my new series will feature headliners, rising stars and television stars who are entertaining millions in Las Vegas, California, Texas, Nashville and the UK. Already confirmed guests are a Las Vegas entertainment reporter who has interviewed just about everybody, a multi-award winning teenage country music star who has taken Nashville by storm, and the Las Vegas headliner who was the influence behind the hugely successful television series 'The Mentalist'. This is one series that I know you will enjoy. Stay tuned for more news of confirmed guests and details of the series launch.......

A Quick One on The Side - Sheila Quigley

A warm North East welcome to my guest today, Houghton-le-Spring's very own Sheila Quigley.

Sheila was born in the village of Herrington. You can find it using Google maps. At the age of 15 years, Sheila had her first job, working as a presser at Hepworths, a local tailoring factory. Sheila was married at the age of 18 years. Now divorced, she has two daughters and one son and is a grandma. She lived on the Homelands Estate in Houghton-le-Spring for many years and this became the influence for her Seahills Estate featured in her first few novels.
Sheila's rise to fame as an author was different to most in that she was the subject of a BBC documentary. Her first novel, 'Run For Home', was published in 2004 and brought D.I. Lorraine Hunt into our literary lives. After a successful series of novels featuring Lorraine, Sheila moved the location for her current trilogy featuring D.I. Mike Yorke and sidekick Smiler, a psychic street kid. The novels 'Thorn in My Side', 'Nowhere Man' and 'The Final Countdown' are all set on Holy Island. All Sheila's book titles are song titles from music that she likes. 'Thorn in My Side' has fooled many readers. The song that Sheila likes is actually by Bon Jovi. It's worth checking it out.
Sheila is also well-known in Houghton-le-Spring for her annual 'Houghton Feast', held in October. Along with local historian, Paul Lanagan, she takes fans on a murder mystery tour.
So, here goes, Sheila answers her own ten quickies...

Who is your favourite author?
"It has to be Stephen King."

What would be your favourite book read?
"That would be 'The Stand' by Stephen King."
( 'The Stand' is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel)

Who is your favourite band/group?
"It would the Eagles."

What is your most listened to album?
"It would be a toss up between Queen and the Eagles. I'm not very good at remembering album titles and they are all packed away ready for moving. I can tell you that my favourite songs are 'It's a kind of magic' by Queen and 'Hotel California' by the Eagles."

What has been the best gig/concert that you have attended?
"None. I couldn't stand all that screaming."

What is your favourite food?
"An all day brekkie."

What would be your favourite holiday destination?
"That would be Holy Island."

What would be the most autographs you've ever signed in one session?
"About 65."

Have you ever been mistaken for someone else?
"No."

How often do you get recognised?
"In the North East I get recognised quite a lot."


Many thanks to Sheila for being today's guest.
Next week, weather and traffic permitting, my guests will be Martyn Waites and Alison Gaylin.
As ever, thank you for reading...

Social Unnetworking.....

"My name is Malcolm Holt and I waste too much time on social networking sites!"
There, I've said it. Since I gave up the day job some 18 months ago, I have spent heaven knows how many hours a day on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Google, etc....... I have never worked out how many of those hours could have been used for writing books and, more importantly, talking to my family. We get sucked into this virtual world where we are led to believe that it will do us some good.
Since I joined Facebook, essentially to promote myself as a new writer, I have somehow joined a number of 'groups' and I must confess I don't really know what half of them are for. Yes, I have been lured into the world of 'let's put Youtube videos' on Facebook, it'll be fun. I tweet with people who I will never actually meet and if I'm honest, I don't remember many of them. Perhaps, one day, someone will explain Goodreads to me.
I have come to the conclusion that I spend a lot of time communicating with the same people who are already aware of whom I am and what I write. This does not improve sales...or does it? I am now thinking that my time would be better served actually writing my books and if people want to read them, they will find them. The most important people in anybody's life are family and friends, people who they really know.
The time has come for me to stop messing about on social network sites for hours on end and to relearn the art of conversation. I received a timely reminder of this when one of my sons commented that if someone wanted me to answer their question, they should tweet it to me. On that note.............................