Pauline Rowson's Blog, page 61
May 29, 2014
Shroud of Evil, the new DI Andy Horton, Video Book Trailer
How far would you go to protect a secret? Would you risk your job for it, your friends your family? Would you kill for it?
The story behind the latest DI Andy Horton crime novel, Shroud of Evil number eleven in the series, explores the corrosiveness of secrets. It plunges the flawed and rugged detective,Andy Horton, into a complex murder investigation in which he is forced to withhold vital information because of his own secret and his fear of exposure, even though he knows that in doing so he is putting his professional career on the line.
What drives people to keep secrets? Is it out of shame, from fear, or guilt? Is it for safety and security? For the protection of oneself or of others? Is it to preserve a way of life, or for sanity or vanity?
In Shroud of Evil there are many secrets. Withholding a secret can hurt, so can revealing it. For Horton revealing his quest to uncover the truth of his mother’s disappearance means exposing his emotions, something he’s learned the hard way never to do because it would make him vulnerable and vulnerability is there to be exploited by others.
Secrets can be kept for years, as they have been by those involved in the murder investigation in Shroud of Evil but it is one person’s determination to expose a secret and exploit it for his own gain that rips apart the fabric of many lives. And once a secret is exposed nothing is ever the same again.
Read the full article on my website blog
Watch the Video Book Trailer for Shroud of Evil
Shroud of Evil
The story behind the latest DI Andy Horton crime novel, Shroud of Evil number eleven in the series, explores the corrosiveness of secrets. It plunges the flawed and rugged detective,Andy Horton, into a complex murder investigation in which he is forced to withhold vital information because of his own secret and his fear of exposure, even though he knows that in doing so he is putting his professional career on the line.
What drives people to keep secrets? Is it out of shame, from fear, or guilt? Is it for safety and security? For the protection of oneself or of others? Is it to preserve a way of life, or for sanity or vanity?
In Shroud of Evil there are many secrets. Withholding a secret can hurt, so can revealing it. For Horton revealing his quest to uncover the truth of his mother’s disappearance means exposing his emotions, something he’s learned the hard way never to do because it would make him vulnerable and vulnerability is there to be exploited by others.
Secrets can be kept for years, as they have been by those involved in the murder investigation in Shroud of Evil but it is one person’s determination to expose a secret and exploit it for his own gain that rips apart the fabric of many lives. And once a secret is exposed nothing is ever the same again.
Read the full article on my website blog
Watch the Video Book Trailer for Shroud of Evil
Shroud of Evil
May 23, 2014
Lovely audience at Bognor Regis Library
Had a great time talking to the audience at Bognor Regis Library on 20 May. They were a lovely friendly group of people and I was delighted to meet many die hard DI Andy Horton fans.
If you haven’t tried the DI Andy Horton novels yet, there are currently eleven in the Horton series, with the latest, Shroud of Evil published in April 2014 in the UK and in August 2014 in the USA.
They are set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England, primarily in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. I've also written two stand alone crime novels, In For The Kill and In Cold Daylight.
US Reviewer Booklist has compared them to the novels of Ed McBain and Joseph Wambaugh and their British counterparts, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
My next speaking engagement is to members of Solent U3A on 11 June.
You can read about all my crime novels and view my diary of speaking engagements on my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Shroud of Evil
If you haven’t tried the DI Andy Horton novels yet, there are currently eleven in the Horton series, with the latest, Shroud of Evil published in April 2014 in the UK and in August 2014 in the USA.
They are set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England, primarily in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. I've also written two stand alone crime novels, In For The Kill and In Cold Daylight.
US Reviewer Booklist has compared them to the novels of Ed McBain and Joseph Wambaugh and their British counterparts, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
My next speaking engagement is to members of Solent U3A on 11 June.
You can read about all my crime novels and view my diary of speaking engagements on my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Shroud of Evil
May 19, 2014
What's good about crime at Crimefest 2014
My panel appearance at CrimeFest 2014 was on Friday 15 May at 17.10 and the last panel of the day. Beforehand I spent some time catching up with some of my fellow crime writers and my publisher before taking tea and a delicious slice of Bara Brith Cake in the cafe in Bristol Library where I chatted to the librarians, delighted to hear that my crime novels are very popular with their readers.
Bara Brith is a traditional welsh fruit loaf made with tea, produced all over Wales,and is delicious especially when spread with salted Welsh butter. After fortifying myself in the library cafe it was time to head for the Green Room in the hotel in preparation for the panel.
Here I met up with my fellow panelists: Felix Francis, Elizabeth Haynes, Lesley Thomson and Chris Longmuir. I briefed the panel about the format and before we knew it we were on stage.
I was acting as participating moderator, so I got to ask the questions. The title of the panel was, 'So what's good about crime?' We discussed how and why we got into crime writing, the importance of authenticity in our novels, the entertainment value of reading a good mystery and how our own experiences have influenced our writing. They were a fantastic panel and audience.
CrimeFest continued on the Saturday with more panels,and a gala dinner but I was only able to attend on the Friday. It was an enjoyable event and great to meet many crime fiction fans who had travelled not only from other parts of Britain to be there but from as far afield as Canada, America and Australia.
CrimeFest 2015 takes place from 14-17 May 2015.
If you like crime fiction and crime fact then you'll love CSI Portsmouth, an annual one day event I help to organise where best selling crime authors meet police, forensic and crime experts in two panel debates during the day.
CSI Portsmouth 2014 - 8 November 2014 - National Museum of the Royal Navy - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Tickets on sale 29 September 2014. More details on my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
Bara Brith is a traditional welsh fruit loaf made with tea, produced all over Wales,and is delicious especially when spread with salted Welsh butter. After fortifying myself in the library cafe it was time to head for the Green Room in the hotel in preparation for the panel.
Here I met up with my fellow panelists: Felix Francis, Elizabeth Haynes, Lesley Thomson and Chris Longmuir. I briefed the panel about the format and before we knew it we were on stage.
I was acting as participating moderator, so I got to ask the questions. The title of the panel was, 'So what's good about crime?' We discussed how and why we got into crime writing, the importance of authenticity in our novels, the entertainment value of reading a good mystery and how our own experiences have influenced our writing. They were a fantastic panel and audience.
CrimeFest continued on the Saturday with more panels,and a gala dinner but I was only able to attend on the Friday. It was an enjoyable event and great to meet many crime fiction fans who had travelled not only from other parts of Britain to be there but from as far afield as Canada, America and Australia.
CrimeFest 2015 takes place from 14-17 May 2015.
If you like crime fiction and crime fact then you'll love CSI Portsmouth, an annual one day event I help to organise where best selling crime authors meet police, forensic and crime experts in two panel debates during the day.
CSI Portsmouth 2014 - 8 November 2014 - National Museum of the Royal Navy - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Tickets on sale 29 September 2014. More details on my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
May 14, 2014
Lots of library talks lined up for 2014
Three more speaking engagements in libraries have been added to my calendar of events for 2014 which means that I will be speaking and meeting lots of readers in libraries around the UK.
I’m delighted to have been asked to speak to readers at Bognor Regis, Worthing, Lymington, Yate and Weymouth Libraries about the flawed and rugged hero DI Andy Horton and how I write my crime novels.
I'll be at Bognor Regis Library on 20 May at 7pm and Lymington Library on 16 July at 7pm.
I'll be at Worthing Library during Crime Writing Month, an initiative from the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain, on 28 June 2014 from 2.30pm - 4pm. I'll be talking about the inspiration behind my crime novels and the craft of crime writing.
Then I’ll be at Yate Library on 22 September at 7.30pm and at Weymouth Library on 22 October at 2pm.
All my talks are followed by a comprehensive Q & A session and book signing.
In addition to library talks I'll also be speaking at a number of U3As around the country. You can see all my speaking engagements for 2014 and 2015 on the Events Page of my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
I’m delighted to have been asked to speak to readers at Bognor Regis, Worthing, Lymington, Yate and Weymouth Libraries about the flawed and rugged hero DI Andy Horton and how I write my crime novels.
I'll be at Bognor Regis Library on 20 May at 7pm and Lymington Library on 16 July at 7pm.
I'll be at Worthing Library during Crime Writing Month, an initiative from the Crime Writers' Association of Great Britain, on 28 June 2014 from 2.30pm - 4pm. I'll be talking about the inspiration behind my crime novels and the craft of crime writing.
Then I’ll be at Yate Library on 22 September at 7.30pm and at Weymouth Library on 22 October at 2pm.
All my talks are followed by a comprehensive Q & A session and book signing.
In addition to library talks I'll also be speaking at a number of U3As around the country. You can see all my speaking engagements for 2014 and 2015 on the Events Page of my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
May 5, 2014
What's on in May
In May I'll be appearing at Crimefest. I'll be on a panel on Friday 16 May with fellow crime authors Elizabeth Haynes, Chris Longmuir, Lesley Thomson and Felix Francis entitled "What’s So Good About Crime?" It will be held between 17.10 and 18.00. CrimeFest takes place at the Bristol Royal Marriott Hotel from 15 - 18 May 2014.
Then on Tuesday 20 May I will be entertaining the audience at Bognor Regis Library talking about the inspiration behind my crime novels and how I research, plot and write them. Tickets from Bognor Regis Library, London Rd, Bognor Regis PO21 1DE Telephone 01243 864638.
Apart from that I am putting finishing touches to the first draft of the new crime novel, the first in a new crime series before returning to work on DI Andy Horton number twelve in the series.
Meanwhile DI Andy Horton is now on the streets of Portsmouth and crossing the Solent to solve another crime in the latest in the series. Shroud of Evil was published on 30 April in the UK and Commonwealth ( it will be published in the USA on 1 August 2014).
In Shroud of Evil DI Andy Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. When Kenton’s car turns up,and a shocking discovery is made, Horton soon finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information. As he struggles to crack the case, he knows it is only a question of time before someone discovers he’s kept silent, and when that’s revealed,his part in hindering a major investigation will end his career . . .
Shroud of Evil: An Andy Horton Missing Persons Police Procedural
Then on Tuesday 20 May I will be entertaining the audience at Bognor Regis Library talking about the inspiration behind my crime novels and how I research, plot and write them. Tickets from Bognor Regis Library, London Rd, Bognor Regis PO21 1DE Telephone 01243 864638.
Apart from that I am putting finishing touches to the first draft of the new crime novel, the first in a new crime series before returning to work on DI Andy Horton number twelve in the series.
Meanwhile DI Andy Horton is now on the streets of Portsmouth and crossing the Solent to solve another crime in the latest in the series. Shroud of Evil was published on 30 April in the UK and Commonwealth ( it will be published in the USA on 1 August 2014).
In Shroud of Evil DI Andy Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. When Kenton’s car turns up,and a shocking discovery is made, Horton soon finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information. As he struggles to crack the case, he knows it is only a question of time before someone discovers he’s kept silent, and when that’s revealed,his part in hindering a major investigation will end his career . . .
Shroud of Evil: An Andy Horton Missing Persons Police Procedural
April 22, 2014
The story behind the detective - DI Andy Horton
The inspiration for Death Surge, DI Andy Horton (10) came like all the other novels in the series featuring the flawed and rugged detective from the location. It is locations that inspire me and with the Horton series, set against the powerfully evocative British marine landscape of the Solent on the South Coast of England, there is always a good place to put a body.
Placing the crime novels against the backdrop of the sea has many advantages. The sea is never constant. In one day it can change from being calm to turbulent. It is also dangerous, misleading and evil like many villains, and although it can look safe beneath can be a sandbank, a rock, a wreck, a dangerous current all of which can cause havoc and kill, and be used to good effect in a crime novel. It also provides a great backdrop for pace and great settings for a climax, which, of course, I’ve used in Death Surge.
The sea is also completely uncontrollable. No matter how much you think or wish you can control it, you can't, you need to respect it. In life sometimes you need to go with the flow and other times swim against the tide, the trick is knowing when to do which. My detective, Andy Horton, hasn't quite got it sussed, or when he thinks he has something happens to throw him completely off course, just as in life.
Death Surge begins with Andy sailing off the Isle of Wight on the yacht on which he lives. He’s trying to find inner peace after a gruelling investigation which has left him questioning his desire to remain in the job. His ongoing conflict with his nit-picking, control-freak, Alpha female boss DCI Lorraine Bliss doesn’t help matters either. He’s also seeking to escape the mental torment that is being caused by the startling revelations his own private investigations are revealing into the disappearance of his mother when he was ten, just over thirty years ago. A call from Sergeant Cantelli in CID, Horton’s most revered friend, to say that his nephew is missing brings Horton straight back without question.
I like heroes, on screen, reading about them and in real life so when I created DI Andy Horton I knew he had to be that. My husband is a former fire fighter and DI Andy Horton is modelled on a combination of many fire fighters I’ve met in the course of my husband’s career. And in Death Surge as in some of the other Horton novels I’ve drawn on my husband’s knowledge of fires and charred bodies.
Horton is an action man, fit, good looking and with a strong sense of justice. But of course there’s more to the Harley Davidson riding detective, physically strong he may be but he’s also emotionally vulnerable. Abandoned by his mother he’s been raised in a succession of children’s homes, growing up on the rough streets of Portsmouth, surviving on his wits – and with his fists. He knows the dark, seedy recesses of his home city – which he hates and loves in equal measure.
He seeks justice and doesn’t much care how he gets it, just as long as the villains get done. But his childhood has made him psychologically vulnerable and that flaw allows us to penetrate his masculine armoury. Andy is a loner. He doesn’t want to be though, he has a desperate desire to belong but he’s afraid of letting anyone get too close for fear of being hurt and rejected. As a result he always finds himself on the outside. Estranged from his wife and daughter he lives alone on his yacht in a marina.
Cantelli’s missing nephew brings Horton’s personal emotions into focus as he continues his investigation into the disappearance of his mother. Missing persons is a fascination of mine. When someone goes missing it leaves a huge void in the lives of those left behind and leaves so many unanswered question.As the saying goes nature abhors a vacuum but how do we fill that? Each individual is different.
I like complex plots with troubled characters. I like a good mystery, a puzzle to solve and I enjoy delving into the motivations and personalities of people. I’m fascinated about why people do the things they do? What are their fears, their pleasures, their desires, to what extent will someone go to protect himself? Exploring these aspects is what I attempt to examine in my crime novels whilst at the same time, hopefully, providing a riveting and entertaining read.
Death Surge
Placing the crime novels against the backdrop of the sea has many advantages. The sea is never constant. In one day it can change from being calm to turbulent. It is also dangerous, misleading and evil like many villains, and although it can look safe beneath can be a sandbank, a rock, a wreck, a dangerous current all of which can cause havoc and kill, and be used to good effect in a crime novel. It also provides a great backdrop for pace and great settings for a climax, which, of course, I’ve used in Death Surge.
The sea is also completely uncontrollable. No matter how much you think or wish you can control it, you can't, you need to respect it. In life sometimes you need to go with the flow and other times swim against the tide, the trick is knowing when to do which. My detective, Andy Horton, hasn't quite got it sussed, or when he thinks he has something happens to throw him completely off course, just as in life.
Death Surge begins with Andy sailing off the Isle of Wight on the yacht on which he lives. He’s trying to find inner peace after a gruelling investigation which has left him questioning his desire to remain in the job. His ongoing conflict with his nit-picking, control-freak, Alpha female boss DCI Lorraine Bliss doesn’t help matters either. He’s also seeking to escape the mental torment that is being caused by the startling revelations his own private investigations are revealing into the disappearance of his mother when he was ten, just over thirty years ago. A call from Sergeant Cantelli in CID, Horton’s most revered friend, to say that his nephew is missing brings Horton straight back without question.
I like heroes, on screen, reading about them and in real life so when I created DI Andy Horton I knew he had to be that. My husband is a former fire fighter and DI Andy Horton is modelled on a combination of many fire fighters I’ve met in the course of my husband’s career. And in Death Surge as in some of the other Horton novels I’ve drawn on my husband’s knowledge of fires and charred bodies.
Horton is an action man, fit, good looking and with a strong sense of justice. But of course there’s more to the Harley Davidson riding detective, physically strong he may be but he’s also emotionally vulnerable. Abandoned by his mother he’s been raised in a succession of children’s homes, growing up on the rough streets of Portsmouth, surviving on his wits – and with his fists. He knows the dark, seedy recesses of his home city – which he hates and loves in equal measure.
He seeks justice and doesn’t much care how he gets it, just as long as the villains get done. But his childhood has made him psychologically vulnerable and that flaw allows us to penetrate his masculine armoury. Andy is a loner. He doesn’t want to be though, he has a desperate desire to belong but he’s afraid of letting anyone get too close for fear of being hurt and rejected. As a result he always finds himself on the outside. Estranged from his wife and daughter he lives alone on his yacht in a marina.
Cantelli’s missing nephew brings Horton’s personal emotions into focus as he continues his investigation into the disappearance of his mother. Missing persons is a fascination of mine. When someone goes missing it leaves a huge void in the lives of those left behind and leaves so many unanswered question.As the saying goes nature abhors a vacuum but how do we fill that? Each individual is different.
I like complex plots with troubled characters. I like a good mystery, a puzzle to solve and I enjoy delving into the motivations and personalities of people. I’m fascinated about why people do the things they do? What are their fears, their pleasures, their desires, to what extent will someone go to protect himself? Exploring these aspects is what I attempt to examine in my crime novels whilst at the same time, hopefully, providing a riveting and entertaining read.
Death Surge
April 2, 2014
Over 150 people packed the hall to listen to tales of crime
Over a hundred and fifty people packed the hall in Southampton on 1 April to hear me talk about the writing process and the DI Andy Horton crime series set on the South Coast of England.
I entertained members of Southampton U3A with the exploits of the rugged and flawed detective, and talked about the inspiration behind the series which is published in the UK and USA by Severn House and which has been translated into several languages.
I spoke about how I plot and research the police procedural crime novels and gave a reading from The Suffocating Sea, number three in the Horton series, before taking a number of questions from the floor.
Shroud of Evil, the eleventh in the DI Andy Horton crime series is published in the the UK and Commonwealth this month in hardcover, and will be published in the USA in August, when it will also be released as an ebook.
It was a fantastic event and books were very quickly sold out. U3A audiences are always a delight to speak to.
My next event is on Friday 16 May when I will be chairing a panel of crime authors at Crimefest, Bristol.
I'll also be giving a talk at Bognor Regis Library on 20 May.
For further information visit my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
The Suffocating Sea. Pauline Rowson
I entertained members of Southampton U3A with the exploits of the rugged and flawed detective, and talked about the inspiration behind the series which is published in the UK and USA by Severn House and which has been translated into several languages.
I spoke about how I plot and research the police procedural crime novels and gave a reading from The Suffocating Sea, number three in the Horton series, before taking a number of questions from the floor.
Shroud of Evil, the eleventh in the DI Andy Horton crime series is published in the the UK and Commonwealth this month in hardcover, and will be published in the USA in August, when it will also be released as an ebook.
It was a fantastic event and books were very quickly sold out. U3A audiences are always a delight to speak to.
My next event is on Friday 16 May when I will be chairing a panel of crime authors at Crimefest, Bristol.
I'll also be giving a talk at Bognor Regis Library on 20 May.
For further information visit my website at http://www.rowmark.co.uk
The Suffocating Sea. Pauline Rowson
March 31, 2014
What's on in April- the new DI Andy Horton published
April sees the publication of the eleventh in the DI Andy Horton police procedural crime series, Shroud of Evil.
In Shroud of Evil DI Andy Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. When Kenton’s car turns up, and a shocking discovery is made, things turn serious and Horton finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information, even if it means the end of his career.
Published in hardcover and available from all good bookshops, on line and for loan in libraries.
It will be published in the USA in hardcover in August 2014 when it will also be released as an e book and available on Kindle, Nook and Kobo.
Talks
On 1 April 2014 I will be entertaining members of Southampton U3A with a talk about my crime novels and how I plot, research and write them.
Then on 9 April I will be at the London Book Fair meeting with my colleagues in the book trade and with my publisher and overseas agents.
On 29 April I will once again be on BBC Radio Solent chatting to the lovely Julian Clegg on his Breakfast Show at 6.40am. But if you're not an early riser then you can listen to Julian Clegg's show on the BBC Radio Solent website up to seven days after the programme is broadcast.
Shroud of Evil: An Andy Horton Missing Persons Police Procedural
In Shroud of Evil DI Andy Horton is assigned the case of a missing person: Jasper Kenton, a private investigator. When Kenton’s car turns up, and a shocking discovery is made, things turn serious and Horton finds himself embroiled in an investigation that has major personal ramifications, and one in which he has no choice but to withhold vital information, even if it means the end of his career.
Published in hardcover and available from all good bookshops, on line and for loan in libraries.
It will be published in the USA in hardcover in August 2014 when it will also be released as an e book and available on Kindle, Nook and Kobo.
Talks
On 1 April 2014 I will be entertaining members of Southampton U3A with a talk about my crime novels and how I plot, research and write them.
Then on 9 April I will be at the London Book Fair meeting with my colleagues in the book trade and with my publisher and overseas agents.
On 29 April I will once again be on BBC Radio Solent chatting to the lovely Julian Clegg on his Breakfast Show at 6.40am. But if you're not an early riser then you can listen to Julian Clegg's show on the BBC Radio Solent website up to seven days after the programme is broadcast.
Shroud of Evil: An Andy Horton Missing Persons Police Procedural
March 25, 2014
Researching Police Procedure for crime novels
I'm often asked how I research my crime novels and in particular the police procedure and crime scene investigation side of things. I'm not married to a police officer or a former police officer (although I am married to a former fire-fighter) so I don't have inside knowledge except when it comes to fires, burnt bodies and serious road and other incidents which fire fighters attend, and they can all be incorporated into a crime novel, which indeed I have done.
So where do I get the police procedural information from and how can writers obtain this kind of information?
Read the full article on my website blog
So where do I get the police procedural information from and how can writers obtain this kind of information?
Read the full article on my website blog
March 17, 2014
Great crowd at the Chiltern Writers Group - I was happy to pass on lots of writing tips
On Thursday 13 March I was welcomed by a very lively group of writers at the Chiltern Writers Group where I was pleased to be able to pass on some tips and techniques on writing a novel.
My talk was on the perfect system for planning, researching, plotting and writing a novel. I covered from concept to completion using mind maps, plot lines; developing and keeping track of characters, and factoring in research.
Some lovely comments from those who attended.
"Thank you for the inspirational talk at Chiltern Writers Group, Wendover. Found it incredibly useful and will be using your tips!"
"Thanks for a fab talk at Chiltern Writers Group."
"Really helpful and inspiring."
"Many thanks to Pauline Rowson for her excellent talk at Chiltern Writers last night. A real inspiration to write more." Dave Sivers
Read articles on writing tips and watch videos
To see all my events and appearances for 2014 and 2015 or to book me as a speaker please visit the Events Page on my website
My talk was on the perfect system for planning, researching, plotting and writing a novel. I covered from concept to completion using mind maps, plot lines; developing and keeping track of characters, and factoring in research.
Some lovely comments from those who attended.
"Thank you for the inspirational talk at Chiltern Writers Group, Wendover. Found it incredibly useful and will be using your tips!"
"Thanks for a fab talk at Chiltern Writers Group."
"Really helpful and inspiring."
"Many thanks to Pauline Rowson for her excellent talk at Chiltern Writers last night. A real inspiration to write more." Dave Sivers
Read articles on writing tips and watch videos
To see all my events and appearances for 2014 and 2015 or to book me as a speaker please visit the Events Page on my website
