Pauline Rowson's Blog, page 81
September 21, 2010
A new video has been uploaded - Pauline Rowson talks about DI Andy Horton
A new video has been uploaded to my official web site, my You Tube Channel and here. In this latest video, I'm talking to Rob Richardson about the creation of my detective, Inspector Andy Horton who features in my marine mystery police procedural crime novels set in the Solent area on the South Coast of England. Rob is doing his hardest to make me laugh, and succeeding during the interview which was recorded for the radio and internet station Express FM.
You can listen to the video here, or on my web site or on You Tube along with many other of my videos where I discuss developing characters, research, my crime novels and how I write. There are also two interviews with Raychel Harvey Jones. Hope you enjoy watching and listening to them.
Hailed in the US as 'exemplary procedurals,' there are five novels in the Andy Horton series with the sixth, Footsteps on the Shore to be published early 2011. I'm currently working on the seventh in the series.
You can listen to the video here, or on my web site or on You Tube along with many other of my videos where I discuss developing characters, research, my crime novels and how I write. There are also two interviews with Raychel Harvey Jones. Hope you enjoy watching and listening to them.
Hailed in the US as 'exemplary procedurals,' there are five novels in the Andy Horton series with the sixth, Footsteps on the Shore to be published early 2011. I'm currently working on the seventh in the series.
September 13, 2010
Top crime authors join crime experts in unique CSI Portsmouth Event at Portsmouth Bookfest
Five Internationally acclaimed crime writers, Simon Brett, June Hampson, Graham Hurley, Peter Lovesey and Pauline Rowson will join experts from the Crime Scene Investigation team and Fingerprinting Bureau of Hampshire Constabulary and experts from the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology to discuss crime fiction and fact in a unique event, Crime and the City, Portsmouth CSI being held on 6 November at the John Pounds Community Centre, Queen Street Portsmouth, as part of Portsmouth Bookfest.
Portsmouth Bookfest is a new Festival of popular literature organised by The Hayling Island Bookshop and Portsmouth City Council, which will run from October 26th to November 13th. Its aim is to promote reading for pleasure and enthusiasm for literature in the city of Portsmouth. There will be opportunities to hear and meet popular authors at events across the city and in schools with ticket offers to attract new members to city Libraries and stimulate book ownership.
On 6 November between 10 a.m. and 12 noon delegates can meet Simon Brett, June Hampson and Pauline Rowson, and between 1 p.m. and 3p.m Peter Lovesey and Graham Hurley who will again be joined by Pauline Rowson. All authors have a connection with the local area.
Pauline Rowson’s marine mystery crime novels featuring Inspector Horton are set in the Portsmouth and Solent area as is Graham Hurley’s Joe Faraday series. June Hampson’s Daisy Lane novels are set in Gosport and Peter Lovesey, a prolific writer with a string of awards including the Cartier Diamond Dagger for his career in crime writing and whose novels have been dramatised on television lives in Chichester, and Simon Brett responsible for the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter and Fethering series of crime novels, as well as radio and television series such as No Commitments and After Henry lives in Arundel.
On the expert side will be DS Martin Chudley, in charge of the Crime Scene Investigation team for Hampshire Constabulary and Jane Aston and her team from the Fingerprinting Bureau. With them will be Dr Claire Nee, Director of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at Portsmouth University, an expert in forensic psychology and Paul Smith, an expert in Crime Scenes. To keep us all in check will be panel moderator Cheryl Buggy, Station Director at Express FM, as she stimulates a lively discussion and takes questions from the audience.
There will be a chance for delegates to see how the fingerprinting bureau works and have their fingerprints taken, as well as talk to the crime authors to find out how they come up with their intricate plots and research their novels.
A mobile bookshop, provided by the Hayling Island Bookshop will be selling signed copies of the authors’ books.
Tickets are available from the Box Office on 023 9268 8037, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (library membership discount will not apply to telephone bookings) or in person at any Portsmouth library during normal library opening hours (show your Portsmouth library card to obtain a £1 discount off the price of the ticket or take the opportunity to join the Library Service) or from the Portsmouth Visitor Information Centre at the Hard, Monday to Sunday or the Hayling Island Bookshop, Monday to Saturday
Tickets can be purchased with cash, cheque, made payable to ‘Portsmouth City Council’, or by credit/debit card at ticket points and credit/debit card at the box office. They can be collected from any ticket point or posted to an address (there will be a booking fee of 50p charged for tickets posted).
Fulldetails and programme.
Blood on the Sand
Portsmouth Bookfest is a new Festival of popular literature organised by The Hayling Island Bookshop and Portsmouth City Council, which will run from October 26th to November 13th. Its aim is to promote reading for pleasure and enthusiasm for literature in the city of Portsmouth. There will be opportunities to hear and meet popular authors at events across the city and in schools with ticket offers to attract new members to city Libraries and stimulate book ownership.
On 6 November between 10 a.m. and 12 noon delegates can meet Simon Brett, June Hampson and Pauline Rowson, and between 1 p.m. and 3p.m Peter Lovesey and Graham Hurley who will again be joined by Pauline Rowson. All authors have a connection with the local area.
Pauline Rowson’s marine mystery crime novels featuring Inspector Horton are set in the Portsmouth and Solent area as is Graham Hurley’s Joe Faraday series. June Hampson’s Daisy Lane novels are set in Gosport and Peter Lovesey, a prolific writer with a string of awards including the Cartier Diamond Dagger for his career in crime writing and whose novels have been dramatised on television lives in Chichester, and Simon Brett responsible for the Charles Paris, Mrs Pargeter and Fethering series of crime novels, as well as radio and television series such as No Commitments and After Henry lives in Arundel.
On the expert side will be DS Martin Chudley, in charge of the Crime Scene Investigation team for Hampshire Constabulary and Jane Aston and her team from the Fingerprinting Bureau. With them will be Dr Claire Nee, Director of the International Centre for Research in Forensic Psychology at Portsmouth University, an expert in forensic psychology and Paul Smith, an expert in Crime Scenes. To keep us all in check will be panel moderator Cheryl Buggy, Station Director at Express FM, as she stimulates a lively discussion and takes questions from the audience.
There will be a chance for delegates to see how the fingerprinting bureau works and have their fingerprints taken, as well as talk to the crime authors to find out how they come up with their intricate plots and research their novels.
A mobile bookshop, provided by the Hayling Island Bookshop will be selling signed copies of the authors’ books.
Tickets are available from the Box Office on 023 9268 8037, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (library membership discount will not apply to telephone bookings) or in person at any Portsmouth library during normal library opening hours (show your Portsmouth library card to obtain a £1 discount off the price of the ticket or take the opportunity to join the Library Service) or from the Portsmouth Visitor Information Centre at the Hard, Monday to Sunday or the Hayling Island Bookshop, Monday to Saturday
Tickets can be purchased with cash, cheque, made payable to ‘Portsmouth City Council’, or by credit/debit card at ticket points and credit/debit card at the box office. They can be collected from any ticket point or posted to an address (there will be a booking fee of 50p charged for tickets posted).
Fulldetails and programme.
Blood on the Sand
September 9, 2010
Setting deadlines for writing
I'm now well over half way through writing the first draft of the next Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery crime novel, the seventh in the series, as yet untitled. But that certainly doesn't mean I'll have finished the novel by Christmas, although Christmas is my deadline for completing the first draft. Why a deadline? Is this imposed by my publisher? The answer is 'no.' However, being a 'commercial' writer i.e. I write a popular genre (crime) I am, like other popular writers, encouraged to write at least one book a year because that is what readers of the genre expect, like and look forward to. Some 'popular' writers are expected to produce two books a year, which is quite intensive going unless you employ a 'factory' of writers, aka Clive Cussler and James Patterson to name a couple.
I find it helps to concentrate my mind if I have deadlines, and that's probably because of my background in marketing and PR working for many clients ranging from charities to the professional and education sector and those in business to business, where deadlines for brochures, advertising campaigns and media must be met otherwise sales and opportunities would be lost.
Some writers set themselves targets to write so many words per day, others to write for a certain number of hours per day or week. I've never counted the number of words I write per day, but I like to write for at least two hours every day and many days I will write for several hours a day, it all depends on what stage of the novel I'm at.
Generally though here is my timescale and deadlines:
Start a new novel - July/August
Complete the first draft - by December
Revise and edit - by April
Submit to Publisher - in May/June
Start new novel - July/August
And so on. Of course in between there has to be copy edits and proofs, talks, book signings, conferences and appearances. Involvement in the Crime Writers' Association initiatives, such as the Young Crime Writers' Competition. Marketing and social networking, media appearances and interviews.
In addition, I have a couple of other writing projects on the go: play writing and writing a screenplay, along with, from now until May 2011 (another deadline), writing two non-fiction books (details of which I'll announce later.)
All in all lots of projects to keep me busy, but then that's the way I like it. So, better crack on otherwise I won't meet my deadlines.
Suffocating Sea, TheSuffocating Sea
I find it helps to concentrate my mind if I have deadlines, and that's probably because of my background in marketing and PR working for many clients ranging from charities to the professional and education sector and those in business to business, where deadlines for brochures, advertising campaigns and media must be met otherwise sales and opportunities would be lost.
Some writers set themselves targets to write so many words per day, others to write for a certain number of hours per day or week. I've never counted the number of words I write per day, but I like to write for at least two hours every day and many days I will write for several hours a day, it all depends on what stage of the novel I'm at.
Generally though here is my timescale and deadlines:
Start a new novel - July/August
Complete the first draft - by December
Revise and edit - by April
Submit to Publisher - in May/June
Start new novel - July/August
And so on. Of course in between there has to be copy edits and proofs, talks, book signings, conferences and appearances. Involvement in the Crime Writers' Association initiatives, such as the Young Crime Writers' Competition. Marketing and social networking, media appearances and interviews.
In addition, I have a couple of other writing projects on the go: play writing and writing a screenplay, along with, from now until May 2011 (another deadline), writing two non-fiction books (details of which I'll announce later.)
All in all lots of projects to keep me busy, but then that's the way I like it. So, better crack on otherwise I won't meet my deadlines.
Suffocating Sea, TheSuffocating Sea
September 3, 2010
Unabridged audio book rights sold to my fourth marine mystery crime novel Dead Man's Wharf
Isis Publishing, the World’s leading publisher of unabridged audio books, has bought the rights to the fourth in the marine mystery crime series featuring Inspector Andy Horton called Dead Man’s Wharf.
Dead Man’s Wharf will be released in CD, cassette and as a download early 2011. It follows the earlier release of Deadly Waters and The Suffocating Sea as unabridged audio books.
Dead Man’s Wharf was given a star rated review by American reviewer Kirkus and hailed as an ‘exemplary procedural.’ It is set in Portsmouth and the Solent area of the UK and is published by Severn House.
Audio books are often the only means for visually impaired people to have access to books. In addition, more people are now listening to books ‘on the go’ so having it as a download will be great.
Dead Man's Wharf
Deadly Waters
Suffocating Sea
Dead Man’s Wharf will be released in CD, cassette and as a download early 2011. It follows the earlier release of Deadly Waters and The Suffocating Sea as unabridged audio books.
Dead Man’s Wharf was given a star rated review by American reviewer Kirkus and hailed as an ‘exemplary procedural.’ It is set in Portsmouth and the Solent area of the UK and is published by Severn House.
Audio books are often the only means for visually impaired people to have access to books. In addition, more people are now listening to books ‘on the go’ so having it as a download will be great.
Dead Man's WharfDeadly Waters
Suffocating Sea
August 30, 2010
Blood on the Sand, an Inspector Andy Horton police procedural marine mystery crime novel is in paperback in September & the hardcover is selling for a small fortune!
The trade paperback version of Blood on the Sand,number five in the Inspector Andy Horton police procedural crime series,is being published at the end of September 2010. It can be pre-ordered on Amazon, where I have just been amazed to discover a first edition of the hardcover is selling for $295. Wow!
Blood on the Sand received a great review from Booklist in the States. It's set on the South Coast of England.
"Andy Horton’s Isle of Wight vacation is cut short when he encounters what appears to be the scene of a murder — and a woman who seems to be the killer, still holding the murder weapon. But there’s far more to it than that, and soon Andy is deep into an investigation that reaches far into the past."
Blood on the Sand
Blood on the Sand received a great review from Booklist in the States. It's set on the South Coast of England.
"Andy Horton’s Isle of Wight vacation is cut short when he encounters what appears to be the scene of a murder — and a woman who seems to be the killer, still holding the murder weapon. But there’s far more to it than that, and soon Andy is deep into an investigation that reaches far into the past."
Blood on the Sand
August 23, 2010
Authors band together in new Book Club initiative
Author Isabel Ashdown has launched an innovative new website called the Chichester Book Club, dedicated to introducing readers to books and authors in their region and she very kindly asked me to be one of the featured authors.
Chichester is in West Sussex in the south of England and features in my thriller In For The Kill. The beautiful Chichester Harbour is also the location for many of the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery police procedural crime novels.
The Chichester Book Club Autumn selection, as featured on the web site, has a wide selection of books including my own crime novel The Suffocating Sea, the third in the Andy Horton series, Skeleton Hill by fellow crime writer Peter Lovesey and Isabel's own powerful novel, Glasshopper, set in Portsmouth in 1984 and with a photograph on the cover of Old Portsmouth, Andy Horton's CID patch.
Other writers joining us are Jane Borodale, Gabrielle Kimm, Alison MacLeod, Bethan Roberts, Jane Rusbridge and Tim Stretton, all authors with a connection to the Chichester region.
You can follow the Chichester Book Club at: www.chichesterbookclub.com Also on Facebook and Twitter.
In for the Kill
The Suffocating Sea: An Andy Horton Mystery
Chichester is in West Sussex in the south of England and features in my thriller In For The Kill. The beautiful Chichester Harbour is also the location for many of the Inspector Andy Horton marine mystery police procedural crime novels.
The Chichester Book Club Autumn selection, as featured on the web site, has a wide selection of books including my own crime novel The Suffocating Sea, the third in the Andy Horton series, Skeleton Hill by fellow crime writer Peter Lovesey and Isabel's own powerful novel, Glasshopper, set in Portsmouth in 1984 and with a photograph on the cover of Old Portsmouth, Andy Horton's CID patch.
Other writers joining us are Jane Borodale, Gabrielle Kimm, Alison MacLeod, Bethan Roberts, Jane Rusbridge and Tim Stretton, all authors with a connection to the Chichester region.
You can follow the Chichester Book Club at: www.chichesterbookclub.com Also on Facebook and Twitter.
In for the Kill
The Suffocating Sea: An Andy Horton Mystery
August 16, 2010
Working on the plot of the next Inspector Andy Horton police procedural marine mystery crime novel
Having used up tons of scraps of paper (re-cycled from having to print off reams of previous manuscripts) and having almost worn my pencil down to a stub, not to mention making my office look like a waste paper tip, I am now a great deal happier with the plot of the next Andy Horton police procedural marine mystery crime novel, which will be number seven in the series.
That doesn't mean to say that what I have mapped out will stay as it is, oh no, I could easily and most probably will change my mind by the end of the novel. Such is the life of a crime writer. As the characters become more alive so their motivations might suggest other actions. I might also delve into some research that will take me in another direction. It's all good fun, as they say.
I want to try and get as much of the first draft written as I can before having to work on copy edits and proofs of the sixth Andy Horton novel, Footsteps on the Shore, which my publisher tells me is due to be published in the UK in January 2011 and in the USA in March 2011. So it's back to work.
Dead Man's Wharf
That doesn't mean to say that what I have mapped out will stay as it is, oh no, I could easily and most probably will change my mind by the end of the novel. Such is the life of a crime writer. As the characters become more alive so their motivations might suggest other actions. I might also delve into some research that will take me in another direction. It's all good fun, as they say.
I want to try and get as much of the first draft written as I can before having to work on copy edits and proofs of the sixth Andy Horton novel, Footsteps on the Shore, which my publisher tells me is due to be published in the UK in January 2011 and in the USA in March 2011. So it's back to work.
Dead Man's Wharf
August 9, 2010
I've added a new video clip to my profile here on Goodreads
In this new short clip I'm in discussion with Rob Richardson talking about how I research my police procedural marine mystery crime novels, featuring my rugged and flawed detective, Inspector Andy Horton. You can listen to more of my video clips here or on my official web site
Blood on the Sand
Blood on the Sand
August 2, 2010
I've received the Turkish edition of my crime novel In Cold Daylight
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.
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.
July 25, 2010
Thinking is an essential part of writing
You think about the plot and sub plots. You think about the characters and their motivations. You think about the weather and the time of year the novels takes place. And you think about the locations. In fact you think about everything there is to think about when writing a novel, and rather than spending my time sitting in a room and staring out of a window thinking, I prefer to do most of mine while walking. Not only does this help to keep me fit but it's a well known fact that exercise also improves one's mental powers.
In addition, thinking while walking has the added advantage of getting good location description, as well as providing descriptions of the weather. It also means coming across some very interesting characters, who might inspire a character/s in my novel. These aren't necessarily main characters but usually secondary or walk-on characters. It might be just a glimpse of someone walking over the Downs, strolling along the promenade between Sandown and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, or striding out along the Hayling Island Coastal Path. Or it might be someone I end up talking to on the train, or in a cafe or shop.
The other morning on the train from Shanklin to Ryde (after a seven mile walk)I made a study of people's toes and found it quite fascinating. Of course this can only be carried out in the summer months in England. There were deformed toes, tattooed toes, dirty toes, painted toe nails and toes with long nails, (mine were safely ensconced in walking boots). As a creative writing exercise I could simply list these and ask students to form visual descriptions of the owners of the toes and then pen character sketches of them. It would be fascinating to see what the students came up with.
Then I made a study of the faces belonging to the toes, surreptitiously I might add, I didn't want to be accused of staring. There were youthful faces, worried faces, alcoholic faces, and vacant faces. And that's just the edited version of the descriptions I tucked away in my mind. It's all good stuff for the next and future Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels.
In addition, thinking while walking has the added advantage of getting good location description, as well as providing descriptions of the weather. It also means coming across some very interesting characters, who might inspire a character/s in my novel. These aren't necessarily main characters but usually secondary or walk-on characters. It might be just a glimpse of someone walking over the Downs, strolling along the promenade between Sandown and Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, or striding out along the Hayling Island Coastal Path. Or it might be someone I end up talking to on the train, or in a cafe or shop.
The other morning on the train from Shanklin to Ryde (after a seven mile walk)I made a study of people's toes and found it quite fascinating. Of course this can only be carried out in the summer months in England. There were deformed toes, tattooed toes, dirty toes, painted toe nails and toes with long nails, (mine were safely ensconced in walking boots). As a creative writing exercise I could simply list these and ask students to form visual descriptions of the owners of the toes and then pen character sketches of them. It would be fascinating to see what the students came up with.
Then I made a study of the faces belonging to the toes, surreptitiously I might add, I didn't want to be accused of staring. There were youthful faces, worried faces, alcoholic faces, and vacant faces. And that's just the edited version of the descriptions I tucked away in my mind. It's all good stuff for the next and future Andy Horton marine mystery crime novels.
