Colin Garrow's Blog, page 77
July 13, 2016
‘Prisoner 4374’ by A. J. Griffiths-Jones
Prisoner 4374 Scottish-born Dr. Thomas Neill Cream is often suspected of being the face behind the Jack the Ripper murders, but has he been misrepresented? There’s no doubt he was responsible for several deaths, but does the fact that he spent time in an American prison during the Whitechapel killings let him off the hook, … Continue reading →
July 7, 2016
‘The Plague’ by Albert Camus
The Plague (Penguin Modern Classics) In the town of Oran, rats begin to appear – in the houses, in the streets and scrabbling around the dustbins. But the creatures bring with them a deadly plague that consumes and contaminates the population, forcing them into their beds, to the hospitals and finally the morgue. The central … Continue reading →
July 6, 2016
10 Tweets I Hate About You
It galls me to admit it, but I absolutely love Twitter – I love the variety and randomness of it, the occasional surprises and the nice (or otherwise) responses I get when folks like what I’m putting out there. However, there’s a ton of things I hate about Twitter too, or to be more specific, … Continue reading →
July 3, 2016
New Release by Rainy Kaye
Today, we’re celebrating the release of THE DEEPEST BLACK by USA Today Bestselling author Rainy Kaye. THE DEEPEST BLACK is 99 cents for a limited time! Check it out, then scroll all the way down to enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card! Ember has a little problem…fairies want her dead. … Continue reading →
June 30, 2016
How to Be a Crap Writer (Part 2)
In my previous post on the topic of being a crap writer, I looked at ways of identifying those among us who are not literary greats, and how those writers might justify churning out dross. This time, I’m interested in the kinds of basic errors many people seem to make between the title and the … Continue reading →
June 23, 2016
Rules for Writing (and Other Variables)
A few years ago, American novelist Colson Whitehead published a piece outlining his simple rules for writing (New York Times July 26, 2012). While I don’t completely agree with him, I do have my own ideas on the thorny subject of what writers should and shouldn’t do: 1: Show and Tell. No, actually. While I … Continue reading →
June 19, 2016
‘Old Friends and New Enemies’ by Owen Mullen
Old Friends and New Enemies When Glasgow PI Charlie Cameron is engaged to find a missing husband, his contacts soon lead to a body in the mortuary. But it isn’t the one he was expecting. Shocked to discover an old friend has been murdered, Charlie sets out to find the killer, but the path to … Continue reading →
June 12, 2016
Billy Burke – Georgian Villain No. 1
In a previous post (Historical Writing – Fact or Fiction?) I talked about using research as a tool to help create realistic descriptions of everyday life. Generally, what I’m interested in is detail that adds authenticity to the story, rather than using characters who actually existed (although some of my books feature brief appearances by … Continue reading →
June 10, 2016
Branding Schmanding – Indie Author Identity
There are a lot of statistics tossed around about how important book covers are, and while we could argue percentages all day, I reckon most people would agree it’s the image on a book’s cover that plays the biggest part in the decision-making process when it comes to parting with our cash. But how much … Continue reading →
June 8, 2016
‘End As An Assassin’ by Lex Lander
End As An Assassin (André Warner, Manhunter Book 1) With the killing of a sleazy drug baron, hit man André Warner completes his final contract and heads for Geneva where he hopes to begin a comfortable retirement. Then on route to Monaco, he meets young and beautiful divorcee Gina, and finds himself contemplating a different … Continue reading →
