Paula Longhurst's Blog, page 22

Author Life in...

JuneThis month C and I built a sofa in a day, I met not one but two famous authors, TKE Ink launched  and we played 'where's waldo' with a car.First, book three, still no working title I am off and running though. Questions I'm asking myself, does Jo stay comatose for ever? Is there more than a hint of Agatha Christie going on and who is Mary's mum?The sofa; we splurged and bought a sactional. (yes that's spelled correctly) LoveSac is a local company and when everything duly arrived (along with instructional videos!) we set to work. They say that if you want to test your relationship go on vacation together or you could build a sofa. There were some sticky moments but at the end of the day we didn't kill each other, although I learned a valuable lesson. I'd be rubbish at upholstery as a career choice.The two famous authors and TKE Ink. One author was Jennifer Eagan (Visit from the Goon Squad, Manhattan Beach) she did a fantastic presentation, had the audience in the palm of her hand and it was an honour to meet her and get my copy of Manhattan Beach signed. The other famous author, our very own Ann Cannon whose book 'I'll Tell You What' launched TKE Ink as a publisher and the Utah literati turned out in force.C's new car still hasn't arrived. It's now been in the US for two weeks and being from Sweden it clearly wants to see the sights. We've nick-named it Valdo the Volvo and if it doesn't turn up soon we'll have nothing to put the parents in when they arrive in T minus 18 days!

This body’s not big enough for both of us, Edgar Cantero

Azey Kimrean have been fighting since they were in utero. They share an office, a PI license and, a body. Adrian is the right brain. Zooey, the left brain.

Their friend, undercover cop Danny needs Kimrean to help him take down a drug cartel, stop a killer, or killers and prevent a gang war that could reach all the way to San Francisco. Can they do it whilst protecting a mob bosses daughter, fending off thugs and beating each other up?

Con Artist, Fred Van Lente (illustrations by Tom Fowler)

From the moment artist Mike M was picked up from the airport by the one-armed girl he knew this con was going to be different. Mike bounces from con to con, drawing and selling his comic book art for fans in Artist’s Alley he doesn’t complicate his life any further than that. This all changes when Danny, Mike’s arch rival, and the man who Mike found in bed with his wife gets him thrown out of a pre-con bash with a badly thrown punch.
When Danny turns up dead the next day the San Diego police department think that Mike M, with no alibi and a hell of a grudge, did him in. Mike M will have to solve Danny’s murder to clear his name. Packed with nerds, geeks, zombies, cosplay and Nazis(?), a whodunit with a difference, and illustrations (which may contain clues!)

April in Paris, 1921, Tessa Lunney

The First World War is over and to survivors, like Australian, Kiki Button and Brit, Bertie Browne the desire to immerse themselves in a vibrant passionate Paris is strong.
Kiki was a nurse during the war, amongst other things and her past is about to catch up to her. Fox, surgeon and spymaster has found her. He wants her to track down a mole using her gossip columnist persona as cover. She models for Picasso and is asked to recover a stolen painting of his. Kiki, with Bertie’s help, flits from society party to Russian tea rooms to dark factory halls.
She decides to play along with Fox because he holds the fate of one of her dearest friends in his hands and because she enjoys the frisson of intrigue more than she’d care to admit.

Bearskin, James McLaughlin

“The Sinaloa cartel thanks you…”
Rick Morton isn’t who he appears to be. Charged with protecting a wildlife preserve deep in the remote Virginia forest, he can stay hidden and he’s just beginning to relax when he’s lead to a bear carcass and begins a crusade against the poachers; a crusade that may prove his undoing. His do-it-yourself witsec program is no match for the cartel he bloodied the nose of and an aggrieved FBI agent is pointing them right at him

Yosemite Fall, Scott Graham

Archaeologist Chuck Bender and his young family are in Yosemite National Park to investigate a centuries old crime, two gold miners allegedly murdered by Indians during a prospecting trip but the accounts of the incident don’t tally up.
Hoping to mix business with pleasure Chuck plans to meet up with some of his old climbing buddies but the reunion starts on a sour note when one friend is hurt and another dies in suspicious circumstances and the rangers, well one ranger in particular, are determined to implicate Chuck.  

This isn’t Chuck’s only problem, his daughter, Carmelita has entered the wall climbing contest and has the skills to match opponents much older than herself which could put her in danger. Another engrossing national park mystery.

Jar of Hearts, Jennifer Hillier

Calvin James was the best and worst thing to happen to 16 year old Georgina Shaw. As they face each other across a courtroom fourteen years later, Geo testifies against the man now known as The Sweetbay Strangler. Her plea deal means five years in prison as an accessory to her best friend’s murder.
Five years later as Geo returns to Sweetbay, so it seems does Calvin James. Geo’s former childhood friend Kaiser, now a cop, struggles to catch James a second time and stop him from wiping out his past. Geo could help Kaiser, but prison has changed her, it taught her how to stay alive. She keeps a gun under her pillow and she won't hesitate to use it.

London Rules, Mick Herron

Everyone's favourite team of screw-up spies return. Whilst the 'real' spies are attempting to investigate the PM's favourite muslim who is about to become mayor of the West Midlands; someone is trying to kill slow horse Roderick Ho. Jackson Lamb concludes that Ho's been putting his digital paws where they don't belong. With Slough House in lockdown, Lady Di on the warpath and Ho's girlfriend (yes girlfriend!) on the run; Jackson Lamb's team looks done for. But don't count them out just yet, after all they've got JK Coe and a tin of paint.

I highly recommend reading these in order.

Slow Horses
Dead Lions
Real Tigers
Spook Street
London Rules

Author Life in...

May Heading into Summer (we skipped Spring this year) and it’s a Summer of change, my favourite coffee shop- the one where I’ve written both the Mary Macs and at least two of the Lottery series has been bought out. The division my hubby works for has been bought by another company only nobody seems to know who they are; our kitty cat is having issues and we’ve got the outlaws descending on us in a couple of month’s time. So fun and games all around.Still coming down off the high from launching ‘Shot of Treason’ late last month. Bookstore life is always fun, I honestly can’t remember a job where I’ve laughed as much.  However don’t be thinking that any shift is easy. On any given night we all have to pitch in and that can include everything from hauling chairs to putting out the trash and every combination in between.Book three, there’s no working title yet, but I have the added challenge of a writing within a set of parameters. Certain things have to happen in #3 (spoilers sweetie!) to keep the continuity straight. I’ve already written and tossed several opening sequences.Tech stuff is not my favourite thing. Joining goodreads and claiming my author page, well that was easy. Brushing up the website and getting the YouTube channel updated has taken me most of the morning.

The Word is Murder, Anthony Horowitz

Daniel Hawthorne is a disgraced detective. He ‘consults’ with the Metropolitan police helping to solve their more unusual cases. He thinks writer Anthony Horowitz should write a book about him and split the profits 50/50.
Horowitz, isn’t too fond of Hawthorne and almost rejects his proposal out of hand but the case Hawthorne is investigating is intriguing. A well-to-do woman visits a funeral home to plan her service, six hours later she’s murdered. Her famous son, actor Damian Cowper is coming home for the funeral and there are suspects galore for Hawthorne to question using his Northern ‘charm school’ technique. Will Hawthorne solve the case before someone, possibly Horowitz, attempts to shove him down a flight of stairs?