Pauline Rowson's Blog - Posts Tagged "thriller"

My radio phone in interview with Alex Dyke on Wight FM on 16 April was lots of fun. It was great to talk to people via a phone-in and to answer questions they’d e mailed in regarding my novels and how I write. I'd love to do more radio phone-ins so hope I can link in with other radio stations on this soon.

I was also delighted to find that the Captain sailing the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, on my way over to the Isle of Wight for my radio interview, was Captain Paul Marshall who was the Captain on the St Clare at the time of my eight hour marathon book signing event in May 2008. He left the bridge on Wednesday - in the capable hands of his chief officer I hasten to add - to come and say 'hello' and chat while we waited to sail into Fishbourne.

All in all a pleasant couple of days on the Isle of Wight, where my thriller, In For The Kill is set. The Suffocating Sea (an Inspector Andy Horton crime novel) also ends on the Isle of Wight. You can read all about my novels, business books and more on my official web site www.rowmark.co.uk

I've uploaded a new video. On it I discuss the inspiration behind my fast-paced crime thriller novel, In Cold Daylight. I'm also reading the prologue from the book.

Here is a short blurb about In Cold Daylight
Was fire fighter, Jack Bartholomew's death an accident or arson? Who is determined to stop him from discovering the truth behind the cancer deaths of so many fire fighters from one watch? His closest friend, marine artist, Adam Greene, is forced to take up the quest. His mission to get to the truth no matter what the cost, even if it means his life.

In Cold Daylight is dedicated to my fire fighting husband, Bob, his former colleagues of Red Watch, Southsea, and to all fire fighters everywhere. A great bunch of people. You do a fantastic job. http://www.rowmark.co.uk

In Cold Daylight

I am pleased to say that on 17 November I will be the guest speaker at a charity literary lunch being held to raise funds for The Wessex Cancer Trust. It is being held at The Concorde Club on the outskirts of Southampton, close to Southampton Airport.

The Wessex Cancer Trust has raised millions to help support and improve cancer services in the Wessex region, which includes the Isle of Wight, Channel Islands, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset. It has also gained support of many well-known personalities, and Vice Presidents of the Trust include gardening expert, Alan Titchmarsh, news presenter, Sally Taylor and sporting personalities including Matt Le Tissier, Lawrie McMenemy and David Duckham. So I'm in good company just as long as the audience don't ask me to kick a football or dig up a garden! Announcing the news though I could handle. But then they'd probably rather hear me talk about what I know and do - write crime novels.
 
I'll be talking about my marine mystery crime and thriller novels and signing books. The Literary Lunch is 12.30pm for 1.00pm. Tickets cost £20.00. There is free parking, a cash bar and raffle. Tickets are available from Mary Kernick at marykernick@btinternet.com

In for the Kill

I knew it was being published in Turkey but didn't know when.

I always get a buzz when I see one of my books translated into another language. This one looks good. The Turkish publisher has changed the title but I've no diea to what, perhaps someone who speaks Turkish might tell me.

In Cold Daylight is published by Babiali Kültür Yayinciligi and looking them up on Wikipedia, as one does, here is what they have to say about the company.

"Babiali Kültür Yayinciligi was founded in Istanbul in November 1999 and it started to publish books in 2000. It has extended its sphere of activities and brought important books into the Turkish market. Today it is one of the leading publishing companies in Turkey with popular authors and important books."

Well that's certainly nice to know. And it looks as though I am in good company along with fellow thriller writer, Harlan Coben. I haven't made it on to the Wikipedia list yet but if anyone would like to add my name to it please feel free.

So, taking a look at the publisher's web site Babiali Kültür Yayinciligi I found my novel and then punched in my name in their search field and there I am - photo and all.

I hope people in Turkey enjoy reading Gün Isiginin Ayazinda . And just for good measure I've put the blurb on In Cold Daylight , which was shortlisted for the World Book Day Prize in 2008, below in English.

Fire fighter Jack Bartholomew dies whilst trying to put out a fire in a derelict building. Was it an accident or arson? Marine Artist Adam Greene doesn't know, only that he has lost his closest friend. He attends the funeral ready to mourn when another funeral intrudes upon his thoughts, and one he has tried very hard to forget for the last fifteen years. But before he has time to digest this, or discover the identity of the stranger stalking him, Jack's house is ransacked.

Unaware of the risks he is running Adam soon finds himself caught up in a mysterious and dangerous web of deceit. By exposing a secret that has lain dormant for years Adam is forced to face his own dark secrets, and as the facts reveal themselves the prospects for his survival look bleak. But Adam knows there is no turning back; he has to get to the truth no matter what the cost, even if it means his life.

Over eighty people, including the Lord Mayor of Fareham and his wife, attended the charity lunch yesterday (31 October) in aid of the NSPCC and to listen to me talking about my marine mystery police procedural crime novels featuring the flawed and rugged Inspector Andy Horton and my crime thriller novels, set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England.

I've posted a couple of photographs of the event here and you can see and read more on my personal blog and on my official web site.

There was a question and answer session after the talk, followed by lunch then a book signing with a queue stretching back to the door.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable event and the audience were fantastic. I’m delighted to have helped the NSPCC raise much needed funds for a very worthwhile cause.

Broad Chalke, near Salisbury is a picturesque English village with a beautiful church, stunning old English Inn, a post office, village shop and a village hall where I was giving a talk last night to the Women's Institute. The only problem was I couldn't see the village because it was dark! Nevertheless the welcome I was given was warm and light hearted and I've vowed to return to Broad Chalke in broad daylight one day, which will also give me the chance to see some of the lovely sweeping Wiltshire countryside.

Wiltshire is a county I am very fond of despite it being some fifty or so miles from the sea. I love the rolling downs and the pretty thatched villages and market towns and I am rather biased because I once lived and worked in Wiltshire. My husband was stationed at RAF Lyneham and I worked in Swindon and Chippenham Jobcentres many moons ago.

If you have read my thriller In Cold Daylight then you'll know that my reluctant hero, Adam Green, travels to the old market town of Devizes and rides across the Wiltshire downs.

Thanks ladies for inviting me and making me feel so welcome.

The link below is to the Indonesian version of In Cold Daylight but there is an English version. Not sure why it's not listed here but you can find more details on my web site http://www.rowmark.co.uk or look up the details on Amazon or The Book Depository

book:In Cold Daylight|1450868]

On 22 April I will be at the Isle of Wight Arts Festival Writers Fair, signing copies of my DI Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels and my thrillers.

The Isle of Wight Writers Fair event is for book lovers. It features books written on the Island and books about the Island, as long as there is an Isle of Wight connection the book will be there. As readers of my crime novels know many of them include locations on the Isle of Wight as well as Portsmouth (DI Andy Horton's patch) and the Solent.

In the DI Horton series Blood on the Sand is set primarily on the Isle of Wight.

Inspector Andy Horton’s holiday peace is shattered when stepping out across an abandoned golf course on the Isle of Wight on a cold, grey January, he finds himself facing a distraught young woman with a gun in her hand leaning over a corpse in one of the discarded bunkers. When she professes to be the dead man’s sister and psychic, Horton’s old adversary, DCI Birch, is convinced she is mentally disturbed and the killer, but Horton is not so sure. Soon he is uncovering a web of intrigue that ripples down the years, and which someone is determined should never be revealed

A Killing Coast is partially set on the Island.

When a body is found floating in the sea off Portsmouth harbour, Detective Inspector Horton initially judges it to be an accidental death. Soon though, to his dismay, he discovers he’s got it very wrong. Accused of being incompetent by his boss, and with the head of the Major Crime Team coming down heavily on him, Horton wonders if he’s allowed his ongoing investigation into the disappearance of his mother over thirty years ago to cloud his judgement. With no clear motive for the murder, Horton is sucked into a baffling investigation that he is determined to resolve despite the odds. Not only does he need to find a brutal killer, but Horton now has to prove to himself, and others, that he is still up to the job.

In addition, my thriller In For The Kill is set on the Island.

Alex Albury has it all: a successful business, a luxurious house, wife and two sons. Then one September morning the police burst into his home and arrest him. Now, three and a half years later, newly released from Camp Hill Prison on the Isle of Wight, Alex is intent on finding the man who framed him for fraud and embezzlement. All he knows is his name: James Andover. But who is he? Where is he? Alex embarks on his quest to track down Andover, but with the trail cold he is frustrated at every turn. Worse, he finds himself under suspicion by the police. The pressure is on and Alex has to unearth the answers and quick. But time is running out. For Alex the future looks bleak and soon he is left with the option - to kill or be killed.

The event takes place at Ventnor Masonic Hall, Grove Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight. Free entry and refreshments available. I'll be there from 14.00 to 16.00.

For more information about the Isle of Wight Arts Festival visit www.artsisle.org

Just as in CrimeFest 2010 this year’s CrimeFest was again a glorious hot day with wall-to-wall sunshine in Bristol. Not the best time to be closeted inside the Royal Marriott Hotel but a very pleasant one to be strolling along the regenerated dock area and catching the little ferry across the narrow strip of water, which I managed to do. It was great to be back on the water, albeit for about two minutes, and I wondered whether DI Horton might take a trip into Bristol on his yacht one day. Or perhaps another character in a future thriller might be drawn to the area.

It was an early morning start for the panel on which I was appearing, beginning at 9a.m., but the audience seemed attentive enough and the authors were awake, which helped. And I noted that we didn’t send anyone to sleep.

I met my fellow crime writers; Mary Andrea Clarke, Frances Brody, Leigh Russell and our excellent moderator Adrian Magson in the Green Room, a dimly lit space in the basement of the hotel. It looked like a set from a murder mystery play. I half expected to trip over a dead body but there were none only very much alive authors.

Our brief was to explore Genres and Sub Genres but as in most of these panels we ended up talking about many different aspects of crime writing and our crime novels. Frances Brody talked about her Kate Shackleton mysteries set in the 1920s, Mary Andrea Clarke about her historical crime novels set in the late 18th century and on the contemporary side there was Leigh Russell with her female detective Geraldine Steel and me with my hunky DI Andy Horton. Adrian Magson, as moderator, didn’t talk about his crime novels, except when introducing himself, but for the record he is a very accomplished and successful crime author having written many novels, articles and short stories.

Adrian asked us about our secondary characters, and if they would continue to feature in future novels. In my case he singled out DCI Lorraine Bliss, Andy Horton’s abrasive, alpha female, ambitious boss. I can’t say at this stage if she will continue to appear in the Horton novels but she appears in the new DI Horton, which is being released in July, called Death Lies Beneath, and she also features in the Horton novel I’m currently writing.

I was asked why I chose to create DCI Bliss. The reason is because she is completely the opposite of DI Horton and this therefore creates tension between them. Horton is a maverick cop, who likes action, and doesn’t much care if he cuts corners or gets into trouble just as long as the villains are caught. While Bliss is a desk johnnie, intent on doing everything by the book and making sure that whatever happens she comes out looking good with a couple of brownie points to boot, to help her in her climb to the top.

Adrian also asked me why I wrote from the male point of view, while the others on the panel had chosen to have a female protagonist. It wasn’t until I created DI Horton, after writing several novels with a female lead that didn’t get published, that I realised writing from the male point of view was more natural and exciting for me. I have also written two stand alone thrillers, In Cold Daylight and In for the Kill, both with male leads. I joked with the audience that maybe I’m a closet man! But in reality perhaps it’s because I have spent most of my career working in male dominate organisations.

It was a relaxed but lively discussion with some good questions from the audience many of whom had travelled from as far as Canada and America. And it was expertly chaired by Adrian Magson who made sure that we all contributed equally to the discussion.

I met some lovely people after the panel and had a chance to chat to them about what they like about crime fiction: a puzzle to solve, great characters, atmospheric settings, action packed novels were some of the answers, which varied as much as the genre does itself, and that’s what’s so exciting and fascinating about both writing and reading crime fiction. There’s something for everyone.

I’m already looking forward to CrimeFest 2013.

The Hampshire Police Fire Investigations Officer DC Terry Fitzjohn and Watch Manager Andy Earl of the Arson Task Force will be appearing at CSI Portsmouth 2012 on the morning panel along with Crime Scene Manager Carolyn Lovell from Hampshire Police and crime authors, Matt Hilton and Stephen Booth and myself.

One of my early thrillers, In Cold Daylight, is dedicated to fire fighters and in particular Red Watch at Southsea Fire Station, Portsmouth (England), my husband's former watch. The inspiration for In Cold Daylight came from a conversation I overheard while at the fire station one day when the watch were talking about the high number of their colleagues on one watch who had contracted cancer and some had sadly died. This gave me the idea of a story about a cover up over their deaths.

In Cold Daylight was voted third in an online poll as the most popular novel for World Book Day 2008.

An award winning thriller about one man's quest to discover the truth behind the deaths of fire fighters.
For more details visit http://www.rowmark.co.uk

In Cold Daylight

DI Andy Horton has been described as 'an especially good series hero, a likable fellow with plenty of street smarts and the requisite personal baggage - an abrasive supervisor (DCI Lorraine Bliss) and an antagonistic soon to be ex wife.' Booklist (USA) Footsteps on the Shore.

Heroes in detective novels are often ordinary people with their own set of problems and the key to producing a successful crime novel is not necessarily that the hero saves the world, aka James Bond, but that he also learns something about himself along the way. Putting ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances builds tension and readers tend to support characters in which they recognise certain traits they have themselves.

For me it is also important to write the stories I like to read and that is crime and thriller novels that have good strong characters and an intriguing and often complex plot that stimulates 'the little grey cells'. I don't do gratuitous violence and I don't write hard boiled crime. That isn't to say there aren't gory bits in the novels but I am not out to shock but to entertain. And I certainly get great satisfaction when people ask me if my detective Andy Horton is going to get back with his wife, Catherine? Will Andy find out the truth about his mother's disappearance? Who is Andy's father? These are not the main strands of the novels - nine now in the series - but they are the things that have shaped Andy Horton and made him what he is and therefore affect his decisions and his interactions with his colleagues and the villains.

In my view readers want to get stuck into a good crime novel that provides entertainment and a puzzle which they can solve at the same time as caring and feeling for the characters. It is my aim to achieve this in the DI Horton series and in my thrillers. I hope my readers enjoy reading about their exploits as much as I enjoy writing them.

Undercurrent, the ninth in the DI Andy Horton series is published by Severn House and available in hardcover in the UK and the Commonwealth. It will be published in the USA on 1 May 2013 when it will also be available as an ebook.

Undercurrent