Jennifer Thomson's Blog, page 7

Day 1 of the Cannibal City blog tour

Day 1 of the Cannibal City blog tour and I'm having a blast.

I'd like to thank the first two stops on the tour for having #CannibalCity and me on on their awesome blogs.

Here's what they had to say about Cannibal City -
~ @curlupwithbooks 



~ @Littlemissbook6 ~


Thanks also to damppebbles.com for organising the blog tour.

The Cannibal City blog tour starts on Wednesday, August 12th

 

7 days.

2 stops a day on the blogs of some amazing people. 

I'm so excited. I'm really looking forward to it

How to stop your Nokia 2.3 phone turning its screen on when not in use

How I avoided doing a Ron Swanson
Needing to update my technology, I recently bought myself a new phone. A Nokia 2.3 that was updated to Android 9.

I love that phone apart from one thing. One extremely annoying thing - every single time I put the phone in my pocket and click on the power button switch, which on all the phones I've had has locked the screen and stopped it from working when in my pocket, the phone screen with come back on again.
I would find garbled, nonsensical notes that had been written. It would open my email app. Even worse, it would start to dial up numbers.
At my wits end and ready to do a Ron Swanson and smash the phone to bits or toss it out the window, I did some internet research to try and see how I could solve this problem. 
Most of what I read talked about functions my phone disn't have. The one that it did have was about the ability to turn off the ambient feature. This was accessed through the settings menu and then by going on to display.
Unfortunately this doesn't work. 


Then I was looking through the functions on my phone and I came across the ~ Lift To Check My Phone Function. This was devised to check your notifications, time and and other information by simply lifting up the phone.
I found this on my phone in the SETTINGS - SYSTEM - GESTURES and deselected PICK UP MY PHONE and now when I click on the power button quickly with one press it stops my screen lighting up when it's in my pocket or sitting down on a table.
Problem solved

The coolest introduction to a book ever for How Kirsty gets her kicks

#BookTalk @ShotgunHoney @Gabino_Iglesias @beaujohnson44 @RonEarl @JenniferHillier @nikkidolson @tracy_reads79 @cinapelayo @JLFoster_ @ToriEldridge @sarahmchen @JTravisGrundon @JamesDFHannah @Curtis9980 @WellReadBeard @SteveGone58 @ItsMarkYall @Jimthomsen @ElizabethHeiter pic.twitter.com/Whv0ld4xUa— Mark Pelletier (@MPell2137) July 16, 2020

This is the coolest introduction to a book ever. 
Thanks to the awesome Mark Pelletier @MPell2137 and to Shotgun Honey for publishing How Kirsty Gets Her Kicks https://twitter.com/MPell2137/status/1283790631538589696?s=19
What's the book about then?
A tale of skullduggery that plays out on the mean streets of Glasgow…

One-legged barmaid Kirsty is in a shit-load of trouble after she kills one of gangster Jimmy McPhee’s enforcers with a stiletto heel to the head after he gets a bit too handsie.

Now she’s on the run from the gang boss who loves to torture his victims before he kills them, with a safe-load of cash she stole from him and a hot gun. And she has company—a choirboy barman Jamie who just happens to be the only witness.

She needs to survive long enough to spend the cash.

How difficult can it be to catch a “daft wee lassie with one leg?” Glasgow hardman Jimmy McPhee is about to find out. Kirsty’s made a laughing stock out of him and he doesn’t like that one wee bit.

Bring together a one-legged barmaid who’s legged it with a safe load of dirty cash, a spurned gangster’s wife who wants a walking womb for her mail order sperm, a giant birthday cake and a mad chase to the end, and you’ve got How Kirsty Gets Her Kicks: one freaking minute at a time.

Who was Peg Entwistle the Hollywood sign (jump) girl?

I'd heard the story of the actress who's said to have jumped from the H of the Hollywood sign to her death. But until I watched the Netflix miniseries Hollywood, I hadn't delved into what happened. 
Why would a beautiful, young, rising star in Hollywood who starred in a stage play with one of the greatest actors ever Humphrey Bogart throw herself from the very same Hollywood sign that had so first entranced her when she'd arrived in town as a teenager brimming with dreams?
The full story of what I discovered both fascinated and saddened me because I felt as if I was reading the story of an actor who died too soon. 
Peg's parents, both actors, had a very acrimonious divorce where - according to the BBC - her mother stated that she'd never loved her husband or her five-year-old daughter.

The psychological impact that might have had on such a young child can only be guessed at but can't have helped her mental state. But that wasn't tragic Peg's only heartbreak. 


Triple heartbreak for Peg 
In 1921 her stepmother actress Lauretta Ross died from meningitis. Peg adored her.

In 1922, 6 years after they'd immigrated to New York from the UK, Peg's beloved father Robert was killed in a hit and run. Peg was 13 at the time. Her uncle, an agent to an established Hollywood star took her and her two step-brothers who were now orphans into his home.
At the age of just 19, Peg married actor Robert Keith, a man who she later divorced for cruelty and failing to tell her he'd been married before and had a little boy who was 6*.


Behind the Hollywood glamour
there's heartbreak
In a career path full of disappointment and backstabbing, Peg might not have had the tools necessary to deal with disappointment even although she was used to it in her turbulent personal life.
But what led her to leap to her death (no foul play was ever suspected far less proved) at the point where she was starting to make it in Hollywood?
Peg was cast in her first and only movie Thirteen Women but after test audiences watched it her role was cut back. Even worse, her contract with film studio RKO was cut leaving her demoralised and penniless. The die had been cast.
Leaving a note saying she was off to visit friends, Peg made her last, tragic climb. She wasn't found for two days and only after another woman found her shoes and bag near the famous Hollywood sign along with a jacket that contained a goodbye note.
One thing they can't take away from Peg Entwistle is her influence on Bette Davis, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of all time.  She credits seeing Peg acting in the theatre play The Wild Duck as her inspiration for becoming an actress herself.
Without Peg Entwistle, we might never have got to see Bette Davis's eyes light up the screen. But the main reason Peg Entwistle will never be forgotten is that maybe in her crushed dreams we see our own. 
*Tragically his son, Brian Keith, later ended his own life using a shotgun at the age of 75. He had lung cancer and had lost his daughter Daisy to suicide. He has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. 

3 ways to get more writing done during lockdown

one writer's office"I can't seem to find the time to get any writing done with everything that's going on."

That's a common refrain I'm hearing from writing pals. It's understandable given the circumstances caused by the coronavirus.

But there are ways you can get some writing done.

Here are just four -
writing is work
1. Don't tell your family that you're going to "get some writing done". Nope, tell them you have some work to do.
A funny thing happens to writers I know. When they tell their families they're off to do some writing they get constantly interrupted by kids asking where stuff is and partners coming in for a natter. 

Unless you say you're working, your work will be treated like it's not work at all.

Not everything good comes in large packages
2.  Try to do your writing in manageable chunks. If you have 10 minutes to spare use that time. You might find it easier than say telling yourself you need to set a few hours aside to work on that article or your novel.
Speech to text can get that writing done
3. A slow typer or just someone who likes to read something out loud that you've written to see how it scans, making use of the speech to text capabilities on your phone, tablet or laptop is a good way to get your writing done. It's also perfect when you just want a break from typing and want to be productive.
I use OneNote on my phone.

A killer is stalking their victims on Glasgow's streets - Read a free extract from Cannibal City (Detective in a Coma 2)

A killer is stalking their victims on Glasgow's streets.Men are being abducted, kept tied up for weeks and force-fed, then strangled and their livers are being removed.
Detective Inspector Duncan Waddell has enough problems not least of all that his best friend and colleague Stevie who's meant to be comatose is talking to him and only him. Now he faces his most bizarre case yet.This time he has help in the shape of FBI profiler Odessa Thorne who arrives as part of a new Police Scotland initiative.When a career criminal comes forward to say he was targeted by the killer but somehow managed to get away, Waddell hopes it's the breakthrough they need. But can they trust this witness who's known to be a habitual liar?As they close in on their ruthless killer Waddell must look into a heart of darkness to get his killer.If you love gritty thrillers set on the mean streets of Scotland then you will love this book.





READ A FREE EXTRACT 

Chapter 1When he came to, his head felt like a whoopee cushion somebody with a huge, fat backside had sat on. And what the hell was that shitty smell? Had someone taken a giant dump and left it to rot in the pan? Warily, he opened his eyes, which wasn't easy because they were gunged up with sleep and his head was sore enough without letting any light in, but he had to see where he was. Gradually his surroundings came into focus. He was in a room with stone walls, with strip lighting and he was lying on a mattress on a stone floor. In the far corner, there was a barber's chair. Located nearby was the source of the stench, a plastic bucket. He didn't need to inspect it to know it was full of shit; was it his shit? Only shit smells like shit, his old man used to say (before he suffocated on his own vomit after a two-day bender). Not remembering how he got here made anything possible. He must have been lying down too long because his legs were numb. As much as the marching band in his head made him want to remain lying down, he needed to get the blood flowing in his legs or he'd end up with cramp. Reaching down, he gave the tops of his legs a wee rub to try and get the circulation going. That's when he clocked the chains around his ankles. He followed the chain to a bolt embedded in the wall. When he pulled with both hands there was no give at all. Couldn't budge the bastard. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Where the hell was he and, more to the point, who the fuck was he? He couldn't even remember his own name. Had he been hit over the head? That'd explain the pain and the dizziness. What was the last thing he remembered? Think. Think. Think. Knowing that would be a start. He'd a quick flash of someone grabbing some guy's shoulder bag with a laptop inside. Dozy clown had been too busy sipping his fancy coffee to notice it'd been snatched. Up and away you go.How the hell would he know that? He must have taken it. How could he remember stealing that bag and not even know his own freaking name? Was he concussed or drugged? He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a thin denim jacket on top. Rummaging through the pockets, he found a few bookies’' receipts and one for petrol in the jacket, so he must have a motor somewhere. That was one more thing he knew about himself than he'd known a minute ago.In the back pocket of the jeans, his hand closed around a plastic card. It was a gym membership card in the name Dennis Kincaid. Maybe that was who he was? There was nothing else in the pockets but junk. Not even keys that he could use as a weapon because he knew he needed something. Someone had put him in this cellar and chained him up. And they could be coming back any minute, in through that door with the keypad that he couldn't get to because these bloody chains stopped him from moving any further.He was scouring the floor, frantically searching for something he could use to defend himself when the door beeped then clicked. Fists balled, he hauled himself to his feet and in spite of the dizziness, he managed to stay standing as he braced himself for what was coming. When he saw who came in through the door, he almost laughed. Had to be a windup. It was some guy in a Freddy Krueger mask. ‘"Is this a joke?"’ His words came out a rasp. Was he tripping? The guy advanced towards him. Before he realised what was happening there was a flash and his whole body convulsed. Bastard had Tasered him. As he writhed about on the floor, the guy spoke. 'Listen carefully. Do what I say and I'll let you leave. Try to fight me and you're dead. Deviate in any way from my instructions and you're dead.’All he could do was listen as the stranger made his offer.END OF EXTRACT






TO BUY CANNIBAL CITY NOW CLICK HERE 

A killer is stalking their victims on Glasgow's streets - Read a free extract from Cannibal City (Detective in a Coma book 2)

A killer is stalking their victims on Glasgow's streets.Men are being abducted, kept tied up for weeks and force-fed, then strangled and their livers are being removed.Detective Inspector Duncan Waddell has enough problems not least of all that his best friend and colleague Stevie who's meant to be comatose is talking to him and only him. Now he faces his most bizarre case yet.This time he has help in the shape of FBI profiler Odessa Thorne who arrives as part of a new Police Scotland initiative.When a career criminal comes forward to say he was targeted by the killer but somehow managed to get away, Waddell hopes it's the breakthrough they need. But can they trust this witness who's known to be a habitual liar?As they close in on their ruthless killer Waddell must look into a heart of darkness to get his killer.If you love gritty thrillers set on the mean streets of Scotland then you will love this book.





READ A FREE EXTRACT 

Chapter 1When he came to, his head felt like a whoopee cushion somebody with a huge, fat backside had sat on. And what the hell was that shitty smell? Had someone taken a giant dump and left it to rot in the pan? Warily, he opened his eyes, which wasn't easy because they were gunged up with sleep and his head was sore enough without letting any light in, but he had to see where he was. Gradually his surroundings came into focus. He was in a room with stone walls, with strip lighting and he was lying on a mattress on a stone floor. In the far corner, there was a barber's chair. Located nearby was the source of the stench, a plastic bucket. He didn't need to inspect it to know it was full of shit; was it his shit? Only shit smells like shit, his old man used to say (before he suffocated on his own vomit after a two-day bender). Not remembering how he got here made anything possible. He must have been lying down too long because his legs were numb. As much as the marching band in his head made him want to remain lying down, he needed to get the blood flowing in his legs or he'd end up with cramp. Reaching down, he gave the tops of his legs a wee rub to try and get the circulation going. That's when he clocked the chains around his ankles. He followed the chain to a bolt embedded in the wall. When he pulled with both hands there was no give at all. Couldn't budge the bastard. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Where the hell was he and, more to the point, who the fuck was he? He couldn't even remember his own name. Had he been hit over the head? That'd explain the pain and the dizziness. What was the last thing he remembered? Think. Think. Think. Knowing that would be a start. He'd a quick flash of someone grabbing some guy's shoulder bag with a laptop inside. Dozy clown had been too busy sipping his fancy coffee to notice it'd been snatched. Up and away you go.How the hell would he know that? He must have taken it. How could he remember stealing that bag and not even know his own freaking name? Was he concussed or drugged? He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt with a thin denim jacket on top. Rummaging through the pockets, he found a few bookies’' receipts and one for petrol in the jacket, so he must have a motor somewhere. That was one more thing he knew about himself than he'd known a minute ago.In the back pocket of the jeans, his hand closed around a plastic card. It was a gym membership card in the name Dennis Kincaid. Maybe that was who he was? There was nothing else in the pockets but junk. Not even keys that he could use as a weapon because he knew he needed something. Someone had put him in this cellar and chained him up. And they could be coming back any minute, in through that door with the keypad that he couldn't get to because these bloody chains stopped him from moving any further.He was scouring the floor, frantically searching for something he could use to defend himself when the door beeped then clicked. Fists balled, he hauled himself to his feet and in spite of the dizziness, he managed to stay standing as he braced himself for what was coming. When he saw who came in through the door, he almost laughed. Had to be a windup. It was some guy in a Freddy Krueger mask. ‘"Is this a joke?"’ His words came out a rasp. Was he tripping? The guy advanced towards him. Before he realised what was happening there was a flash and his whole body convulsed. Bastard had Tasered him. As he writhed about on the floor, the guy spoke. 'Listen carefully. Do what I say and I'll let you leave. Try to fight me and you're dead. Deviate in any way from my instructions and you're dead.’All he could do was listen as the stranger made his offer.END OF EXTRACT






TO BUY CANNIBAL CITY NOW CLICK HERE 

Revamped Die Hard for Girls books series out now

The Crime FilesBy Jennifer Lee Thomson

The DIE HARD FOR GIRLS  SERIES by Jennifer Lee Thomson is AVAILABLE NOW! These books are a MUST if you're a fan of the thriller, mystery, and suspense genres!



HELL TO PAY - Book #1


- SYNOPSIS -
Nancy Kerr refuses to be a victim—even when she walks in on her parents’ killers and is raped and left for dead…

Fourteen months later, Nancy wakes up in a psychiatric hospital with no knowledge of how she got there.

Slowly, her memory starts to return.

Released from the institution, she has just one thing on her mind—two men brought hell to her family home.

Now they’re in for some hell of their own…


- PURCHASE -
AMAZON US ➜ CLICK HERE 
AMAZON UK ➜ CLICK HERE



THROWAWAYS - Book #2


- SYNOPSIS -
Huddled in a doorway, in a blonde wig, and my best Pretty Woman outfit, I'm already soaked to the skin. As downward spirals go, this was bad.

But I wasn’t here because I was reduced to turning tricks for a living. I was here to catch a killer…

Throwaways.

That's the word they're using for the four Glasgow sex workers who've gone missing. But two people do care.

When Suzy Henderson was found dead in a landfill site, her eyes pecked out by crows, they found the finger of another missing woman wedged in her throat.

Nancy Kerr and Tommy McIntyre are on the case and they won’t stop until they find the missing women.

But, how can they trust anyone when they can’t even trust each other?


- PURCHASE -
AMAZON US ➜ LINK
AMAZON UK ➜ LINK




DON'T COME FOR ME Book #3

- SYNOPSIS -
What if you were charged with your boyfriend’s murder, but you knew he wasn’t even dead?

That's the position rape survivor Nancy Kerr finds herself in. Now, she faces a race against time to find Tommy before she’s convicted of his murder.

But, someone doesn’t want her or Tommy’s Special Forces buddy, Eric from finding out the truth.

And getting too close could get them killed.

- PURCHASE -
AMAZON US ➜ CLICK HERE 
AMAZON UK ➜ CLICK HERE



- JENNIFER LEE THOMSON -
Jennifer Lee is an award-winning crime writer who has been scribbling away all her life. She also writes as Jennifer Thomson and loves going for walks with her rescue dog.

Inspired by her love of zombies and The Walking Dead, she wrote Dead Bastards.

She kills people for a living in the Crime File series of books for Limitless Publishing. Book 1, 2 and 3, will be out soon. To find out more details, check out ADD SOMETHING 

Her novella, How Kirsty Gets Her Kicks, about a one legged Glasgow barmaid who goes on the run with a gun and a safe load of gangster's cash after killing one of his henchmen, will be out soon.

Vile City (Detective in a Coma Bk 1) will be published by Caffeine Nights in 2017.

She blogs about writing at http://ramblingsofafrustratedcrimewriter.blogspot.com/ and about zombies at http://deidbastards.blogspot.co.uk

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/jenthom72
WEBSITE: http://jennifer-thomson.blogspot.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/HelltoPaybyJennyThomson

How to survive family lockdown (without killing one another)

Even your dog needs headphones
It's predicted that the divorce rate is set to soar under the pressure of couples being forced to live on top of one another during the lockdown. Close family relationships are also going to be seriously strained.

Here's some tips on how to survive that family lockdown without killing each other because the family that stays together drive each other insane.


Now might not be the time to watch Ravenous
1. Be careful with the movies/tv shows you watch - Try and avoid watching anything related to the apocalypse and cannibalism  and society breaking down. You don't want everyone waking up with nightmares because it'll disturb your sleep and that's the only me time you're currently getting.

2. Get rid of everything that annoys you - I'm talking about the harmonica your son's just discovered and is trying to play very badly. The drill your daughter has decided to use to hang up picture hooks in every bit of space on her bedroom wall. The guitar your partner decides to start learning to play.


Dug holes are useful
Dig a big hole in the garden whilst nobody's looking and toss the unwanted items in the hole and bury.

3. Step away from the board games - In fact, you may consider tossing them in that hole.
This is for several reasons -
*Board games cause arguments and recriminations in households.
*Someone always cheats.
*Someone always gets upset when they lose.
*Someone always crows about winning. 
*Somebody always takes their frustrations out on the board and throws it up on the air with the game pieces all going everywhere.
*Somebody always ends up in tears.


Board games only cause arguments
Don't be swayed by nostalgic remembrances of happy days spent playing board games with your family. If those times were happy you're not remembering them right. Ads that show happy Brady Bunch type families playing board games all smiling and laughing are a trap set up by the toy industry to rake in the cash.

These happy ads hide the truth - during the lockdown if you play board games as a family you will regret it.

4. Buy a pair of noise cancelling headphones - even better, buy a dozen so everyone can have them including your dog. You're going to need them because you'll start to get tired of hearing everybody's voice.

5. Read loads of books.
There's some great deals at the moment - and here comes the shameless plug - my publisher is offering the first book in my Detective in a Coma series, Vile City for just £5 via PayPal. The book usually retails at £8.99 

Click here to see the deal. 

There are lots of other great books on the Caffeine NIghts online store.