S.C. Cunningham's Blog: AUTHOR S C Cunningham's BLOG, page 8
April 28, 2018
Book blogger review of The Penance List by S C Cunningham from Katies Book Cave Reviews
This one comes with a warning – a steamy suspense-ridden psychological thriller – think Silence of the Lambs meets 50 Shades and hold on tight! S C Cunningham writes with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Grab a glass of wine, close the bedroom door and read alone!
What happens when opposites attract – when a scorned childhood sweetheart grows into a gorgeous sexual tour de force – when a fun loving career girl, her racy girlfriends and insatiable lovers get caught in his revenge – when sex becomes a weapon, hearts become bait and straight tastes gay – when hi-flying careers, clandestine affairs and wannabe starlets are hunted by celebrity hungry press? Obsession, kidnap, murder… and he’s just getting started!
What an unsettling, disturbing and downright sexy ride this book is. Blimey, I need a cold shower and a cocktail after that! At first, I struggled to connect with The Penance List, I’m not sure why but I just didn’t seem to gel with it. However I stuck with it and I’m so glad I did.
From the first page, S.C Cunningham throws the reader in to the disturbing world that she has created between the pages. I don’t want to say anything about the plot as I found the brilliance of this book is best discovered in the relative unknown. The writing flows incredibly well and I quickly devoured the book, leaving me gasping for more.
We have some quite flawed and damaged characters to meet, at times I didn’t like any of them but there are a few that did grow on me. I found the characters to be wonderfully written, David especially. He’s a very sadistic and evil man who gets under your skin, at least he did for me.
This book had me looking over my shoulder one minute and gasping out loud the next. I didn’t know which way up my head was on occasions as I lost myself into this book. I’d advise to not read this book on public transport!
It’s sadistic, it’s passionate and it’s funny on occasion – it’s a mix that I wasn’t sure how it would work but my gosh it definitely does work! It’s not just about the gore and it’s not just about the sex, this book is so much more. It has depth, beautifully written words and it will leave you wanting more. I cannot wait to read the next two books in the trilogy.
Buy now: s books" https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/?tag=sccunningham-21Amazon
Book Reviewer Lucy Hay interviews Author S C Cunningham on her writing
CRIMINALLY GOOD: Crime Investigator & Author S C Cunningham
1) So, who are you & what have you written?
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Hello there, I’m The David Trilogy’ and Paranormal Rom ThrillersThe Fallen Angel Series’.
2) Why do you write crime fiction?
I tend to write about the industries I’ve worked in and personal experiences. I find it easier to write what I know. I’ve worked in a few interesting industries; Fashion Modelling, Music, Film, Football, Sports Celebrity Management, Horseracing, Golf, for Charitable Causes and Crime – Major Crime Team, Intel Analyst, Wanted Unit, Absconder Unit, Crime Investigations.
I have a passion for justice, for helping the underdog, for good winning over evil. Mixed in with dash of laughter, sex, thrills, murder mystery and twists and turns, I find the subject makes for interesting entertainment. Something I would like to read, or watch as a movie (The Penance List has been adapted to screenplay).
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The seed for The David Trilogy was sown when one day in my 20’s I didn’t follow my gut and ended up crossing paths with a violent serial attacker, who was haunting single girls living in basement flats in London.
I got away unscathed, but I remember looking at the offender and asking why? He was a nice looking, well dressed, clean, smart kind of guy. I looked into his face and wondered what had happened to him to make him so evil.I wanted to know; how, what, where, when, why, who? Ironically these are the questions I now ask Detained Prisoners in interview when working on investigations. I wrote the trilogy to warn that there can be evil lurking around any corner – so learn to trust and follow your gut!
The seed for The Fallen Angel Series was sown when I was about 4yrs old, I was taken by a man, I got away. The following week another little girl was taken, she didn’t. This had a strong effect on me, coming from an Irish Catholic family I used to say my prayers every night asking God for a deal. That if I was a good girl, when I died before I went to heaven could I sit on a cloud for a while, be invisible and get all the bad guys that slipped through his fingers?
My protagonist in the Angel Series had the same deal, when she mysteriously dies aged 30 and she awakes to find a whole load of MI5 type units in the skies, full of those who have asked for the same deal. A quick warning: these guys are no angels, but they get the job done.
So, in answer to your question, I guess I write crime because of my life experiences. And as with real life, my stories have laughter, steamy romance and murder mystery thrown into the thriller mix.
3) What informs your crime writing?
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The real life cases mentioned in the previous answer have led to creating my books. And my day to day crime investigation work, which involves working with other agencies (forensics, social services, prisons, crown prosecution services, courts etc.) also helps. I like to study the psychology of people, source what makes them tick and why? I like to protect the innocent from bullies and build people’s confidence, help them shine. I tend to swear a lot, am working on that!
I’ve found that Crime Writing and Crime Investigating are very similar jobs, just with a reverse order of events:
Writing – creates the characters, builds the storyline, ends with a crime scene and police sirens.
Investigating – starts with sirens, assesses a crime scene, unravels the storyline and detects the characters.
4) What’s your usual writing routine?
I find writing makes me a little reclusive, mushroom-like. I tend to try and back out of the world and everything that’s going on around me for days before, emptying my over-zealous mind, to fill it again with another world.
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On a writing day, I take the dogs for a beach walk, travelling via the back roads to avoid conversations. Am easily drawn into chatting with folk and dog walkers are a lovely friendly bunch.
On the beach I start the process of thinking about scenes for the day’s writing. My work tends to have complicated spaghetti storylines which I need to be on top of – tough on an old bird like me.
I get home, try to do a few minutes on a rowing machine, then set the scene of my writing room; smelly candles, music, good lighting, warmth, quiet, nibbley easy-to-eat food and plenty of drinks. The dogs, exhausted from their walk, sleep at my feet. It’s nice to have another heart beat in the room, writing can be lonely.
I sit at the computer for between 5 to 8 hours, depending how well it’s going, and then log off with a celebratory glass of vino or cheeky gin and tonic.
5) Which crime book do you wish YOU’D written, and why?
That’s easy. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher Series. I adore Reacher, such a wonderful character. If I was a bloke I’d love to live his simple lifestyle – no baggage, traveling with just a toothbrush, credit card, great intelligence and the strength of an ox – awesome!
I can’t quite forgive Child for selling out to Tom Cruise – Mr Cruise is lovely am sure, but he’s no Jack Reacher.
Book extract from Me & My Books Reviews by psychological thriller author S C Cunningham, The Penance List
Synopsis:
This one comes with a warning – a steamy suspense-ridden psychological thriller – think Silence of the Lambs meets 50 Shades and hold on tight! S C Cunningham writes with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Grab a glass of wine, close the bedroom door and read alone!
What happens when opposites attract – when a scorned childhood sweetheart grows into a gorgeous sexual tour de force – when a fun loving career girl, her racy girlfriends and insatiable lovers get caught in his revenge – when sex becomes a weapon, hearts become bait and straight tastes gay – when hi-flying careers, clandestine affairs and wannabe starlets are hunted by celebrity hungry press? Obsession, kidnap, murder… and he’s just getting started!
Purchase from –
Extract:
Three fun loving friends meet regularly for lunch, they have no idea that a stalker sits in a café opposite, taking pictures of their every move.
Cellini’s Restaurant, Chelsea, London
“Granted, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, if you swallow, you are in the minority, it needs sugar or brandy or something,” Tara blew her blonde fringe out of her eyes, concentrating on her defence.
“Depends on the guy’s diet of course, pineapple is meant to be good, no fast food, no ciggies, no drugs and it could almost be palatable,” her two girlfriends looked at her blankly.
“It’s full of protein, low on calories,” she enthused, but no, they were still not convinced.
Click, click… hidden in a cafe across the street, he pulled on the focus, ���tting all three into shot.
As per normal for most Fridays, the girlfriends giggled through lunch discussing men, or the lack thereof. Tara, Helen, and Josie were single, beautiful, intelligent, best of friends. They’d reached the age of thirty having avoided the three things that sap a girl’s energy; marriage, divorce and kids.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want long term relationships; they were sexually active and adored men, they’d just never quite understood the workings of the male mind.
If you give them what they want the chase is over and they move on, if you don’t give them what they want, you are a frigid bitch and they move on. If you give them the babies their egos crave for, they are out the door, ���nancing as little as possible, and seeing their offspring at weekends, between the golf, football and their latest sexual conquest. They want commitment yet freedom, for you to be faithful, yet them to be free, for you to be a full-time mother, yet them a part-time father. You couldn’t win.
Sourcing a man that knows what he wants, is a balanced, reliable, trustworthy soul mate, a good father, exciting and sexy as hell, was a tough call. Maybe the girls asked for too many boxes to be ticked, their quality control buttons set too high.
Maybe they shouldn’t even consider long term stuff until the guy was at least over thirty five, forty, settled in who he was and what he wanted. The trouble was a girl’s time clock ticked away. The choices were test tubes or older men. The most important choice a person makes is the parent of their child; no one wants to give the poor innocent thing a dodgy one that they have to live with for the rest of their lives.
It was tricky, can’t live with men, and can’t live without them. Hell, did they need to have babies anyway? Weren’t they overrated and oversupplied?
Tara Warr had a particularly high setting on her quality control button, although highly sexed, she was extremely choosy, the consequences of which led to long periods of man-drought. She was currently going through a serious dry patch, climbing the walls; she hadn’t been with a man for a year. She craved the relaxed laissez-faire attitude of Helen.
Helen Howard had a lower par setting, ‘love the one your with’, she made do with whatever was available on the day, or rather, whoever actually showed an interest in her, which, because she was beautiful, was quite a lot of men.
Josie James had little interest, what was all the fuss about? She would laugh along with the girls stories of man-woe, giving advice and sympathy where needed. She seldom dated, was wary of men and happy to be alone; she was more interested in her career and quite satisfied with the trusted middle finger of her right hand.
However cynical they appeared, they each had the romantic seed of hope, that one day Mr Right would come bursting in on his white charger or gas-guzzling SUV and whisk them away to a life of happily ever after. Meanwhile they waited, grazing on titbits that were, more often than not, bad for them.
Tara and Helen had met as juniors at a convent boarding school for young ladies, upsetting a multitude of nuns in their wake. Josie had been adopted by the feisty twosome years later at college. Her cheeky up-front London cockney savvy and their self-effacing Sloaney wit made an entertaining mix. They had stuck together through thick and thin, enduring life’s roller coaster; a good team.
Their bond was about to be tested. Evil was entering centre stage of their cosy, comfortable lives. It had been sitting on the periphery for years, plotting, planning, patiently waiting. It was watching them now; they only had to look up through the restaurant window to see it, hiding behind the large black lens that focused directly on them.
Click, click… the shot pulled in tight, slender ���ngers wrapped the stem of her glass.
“I love it, but I totally understand those that don’t, especially when you think about where it’s actually coming from… so to speak,” giggled Tara. “Excuse the pun!”
“Yes, urrgh!” Helen groaned, jumping on the gruesome fact with gusto.
Although she loved sex, she was not an advocate of placing anything remotely live or squidgy in her mouth. Her retch-reflex was too sensitive, oysters, snails and egg white had the same effect. She hated blow jobs.
“Think about it T, they urinate out of the same hole, it’s absolutely disgusting!” she raised her hand to the front of her face, blocking out the image.
“Yuk! Second thoughts don’t think about it, don’t even go there,” too late, she’d gone there, her face scrunched up with disgust.
“But, so do we,” corrected Tara, levelling up the case for the opposition.
Helen grimaced; covering her face with both hands to push away two sets of visuals. Looking down at her wine glass, the yellowy chardonnay didn’t look quite so appealing.
“Urrgh… STOP… I’m eatin, do ya mind?” moaned Josie, her cockney accent shouting over the two girls. She punched them both smartly on the shoulder, secretly loving it when they got into full debate on the endless subject of men and their ever-fascinating appendages.
Book excerpt from Me & My Books Reviews by psychological thriller author S C Cunningham, The Penance List
Synopsis:
This one comes with a warning – a steamy suspense-ridden psychological thriller – think Silence of the Lambs meets 50 Shades and hold on tight! S C Cunningham writes with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Grab a glass of wine, close the bedroom door and read alone!
What happens when opposites attract – when a scorned childhood sweetheart grows into a gorgeous sexual tour de force – when a fun loving career girl, her racy girlfriends and insatiable lovers get caught in his revenge – when sex becomes a weapon, hearts become bait and straight tastes gay – when hi-flying careers, clandestine affairs and wannabe starlets are hunted by celebrity hungry press? Obsession, kidnap, murder… and he’s just getting started!
Purchase from – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Penance-List-David-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00B0HMTW4Amazon UK
Extract:
Three fun loving friends meet regularly for lunch, they have no idea that a stalker sits in a café opposite, taking pictures of their every move.
Cellini’s Restaurant, Chelsea, London
“Granted, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, if you swallow, you are in the minority, it needs sugar or brandy or something,” Tara blew her blonde fringe out of her eyes, concentrating on her defence.
“Depends on the guy’s diet of course, pineapple is meant to be good, no fast food, no ciggies, no drugs and it could almost be palatable,” her two girlfriends looked at her blankly.
“It’s full of protein, low on calories,” she enthused, but no, they were still not convinced.
Click, click… hidden in a cafe across the street, he pulled on the focus, ���tting all three into shot.
As per normal for most Fridays, the girlfriends giggled through lunch discussing men, or the lack thereof. Tara, Helen, and Josie were single, beautiful, intelligent, best of friends. They’d reached the age of thirty having avoided the three things that sap a girl’s energy; marriage, divorce and kids.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want long term relationships; they were sexually active and adored men, they’d just never quite understood the workings of the male mind.
If you give them what they want the chase is over and they move on, if you don’t give them what they want, you are a frigid bitch and they move on. If you give them the babies their egos crave for, they are out the door, ���nancing as little as possible, and seeing their offspring at weekends, between the golf, football and their latest sexual conquest. They want commitment yet freedom, for you to be faithful, yet them to be free, for you to be a full-time mother, yet them a part-time father. You couldn’t win.
Sourcing a man that knows what he wants, is a balanced, reliable, trustworthy soul mate, a good father, exciting and sexy as hell, was a tough call. Maybe the girls asked for too many boxes to be ticked, their quality control buttons set too high.
Maybe they shouldn’t even consider long term stuff until the guy was at least over thirty five, forty, settled in who he was and what he wanted. The trouble was a girl’s time clock ticked away. The choices were test tubes or older men. The most important choice a person makes is the parent of their child; no one wants to give the poor innocent thing a dodgy one that they have to live with for the rest of their lives.
It was tricky, can’t live with men, and can’t live without them. Hell, did they need to have babies anyway? Weren’t they overrated and oversupplied?
Tara Warr had a particularly high setting on her quality control button, although highly sexed, she was extremely choosy, the consequences of which led to long periods of man-drought. She was currently going through a serious dry patch, climbing the walls; she hadn’t been with a man for a year. She craved the relaxed laissez-faire attitude of Helen.
Helen Howard had a lower par setting, ‘love the one your with’, she made do with whatever was available on the day, or rather, whoever actually showed an interest in her, which, because she was beautiful, was quite a lot of men.
Josie James had little interest, what was all the fuss about? She would laugh along with the girls stories of man-woe, giving advice and sympathy where needed. She seldom dated, was wary of men and happy to be alone; she was more interested in her career and quite satisfied with the trusted middle finger of her right hand.
However cynical they appeared, they each had the romantic seed of hope, that one day Mr Right would come bursting in on his white charger or gas-guzzling SUV and whisk them away to a life of happily ever after. Meanwhile they waited, grazing on titbits that were, more often than not, bad for them.
Tara and Helen had met as juniors at a convent boarding school for young ladies, upsetting a multitude of nuns in their wake. Josie had been adopted by the feisty twosome years later at college. Her cheeky up-front London cockney savvy and their self-effacing Sloaney wit made an entertaining mix. They had stuck together through thick and thin, enduring life’s roller coaster; a good team.
Their bond was about to be tested. Evil was entering centre stage of their cosy, comfortable lives. It had been sitting on the periphery for years, plotting, planning, patiently waiting. It was watching them now; they only had to look up through the restaurant window to see it, hiding behind the large black lens that focused directly on them.
Click, click… the shot pulled in tight, slender ���ngers wrapped the stem of her glass.
“I love it, but I totally understand those that don’t, especially when you think about where it’s actually coming from… so to speak,” giggled Tara. “Excuse the pun!”
“Yes, urrgh!” Helen groaned, jumping on the gruesome fact with gusto.
Although she loved sex, she was not an advocate of placing anything remotely live or squidgy in her mouth. Her retch-reflex was too sensitive, oysters, snails and egg white had the same effect. She hated blow jobs.
“Think about it T, they urinate out of the same hole, it’s absolutely disgusting!” she raised her hand to the front of her face, blocking out the image.
“Yuk! Second thoughts don’t think about it, don’t even go there,” too late, she’d gone there, her face scrunched up with disgust.
“But, so do we,” corrected Tara, levelling up the case for the opposition.
Helen grimaced; covering her face with both hands to push away two sets of visuals. Looking down at her wine glass, the yellowy chardonnay didn’t look quite so appealing.
“Urrgh… STOP… I’m eatin, do ya mind?” moaned Josie, her cockney accent shouting over the two girls. She punched them both smartly on the shoulder, secretly loving it when they got into full debate on the endless subject of men and their ever-fascinating appendages.
Whispering Stories Book Reviews guest post from psychological thriller author S C Cunningham, why I write and what
British Crime Investigator & Crime Writer, Siobhan C Cunningham creates steamy psychological thrillers and kick-ass paranormal romance with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour, and pulsating sex scenes. Having worked in the very industries she writes about, her novels offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.
An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of music, film, sports celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the British Police (Wanted & Absconder Unit, Major Crime Team, Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Hub).
Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months after ward, she prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker who haunted the streets of London, the seed for The David Trilogy was sown, book one is The Penance List, and has been adapted to film screenplay.
She is the proud mother to contemporary Artist Scarlett Raven and is owned by three dogs.
"Why I Write What and What"
From a very young age I’ve always known that my job in life was to entertain. To drag folk kicking and screaming into a world of escapism, to situations they’ve never experienced before and have them championing characters, willing them on and punching the air with a “Yesss!”. Whether via books, film or TV.
Having worked in the film industry, I write with film in mind. I have to feel, see, taste, smell, hear every scene. Like sinking into a hot bath and fully immersing myself into each moment.
Luckily, I’ve had a crazy accidental life which offers lots of fodder to pull storylines from.
British born of Irish parents I was plonked from the age of 8yrs for 8yrs into an Irish Catholic Nuns Boarding School in Ascot. From there I went on to international fashion modelling, marrying a rock musician, working within film (with musicians, producers, directors, actors, financiers and scriptwriters), working within sports celebrity management (with footballers, golfers, tennis & rugby players, jockeys, managers, chairmen, stadiums, golf & race courses, VIP’s, the press, PR and lawyers), working within charity (in Africa and Europe, with shareholders, financiers, royalty, moguls, HIV orphanages, schools and medications), working within crime investigation (with the police, custody blocks, prisons, absconders, wanted’s, forensic teams, major crime teams, intel analysts, crown prosecutors, suspects, victims, witnesses and Crimewatch).
I’ve been married and divorced twice (got drunk and married in Vegas, oops!), am a single mum to a wonderful daughter (Contemporary Artist) and owned by three dogs.
Phew! Reading the above I realise that I’m an old dog, who’s been around a lot, (smile!).
The end product of my journey thus far is that for the past ten years I’ve been writing steamy Psychological Thrillers (The David Trilogy) and gritty Paranormal Crime Romance (The Fallen Angel Series).… oh, and I’ve learned to prefer dogs over humans… mostly.
I tend to write what I know, both series of books are founded on real life experiences.
My David Trilogy ‘The Penance List’ was kick-started by an incident that happened to me in my twenties, when I was living in London. Frighteningly, I crossed paths with a prolific serial attacker who was targeting single girls living on their own in basement flats in Notting Hill and Olympia.
I got away unscathed (must have an Angel looking out for me) and helped Police with ID’ing the suspect. I remember looking at his face and wondering why? What awful thing happened in his life to turn him from a sweet little boy into an evil adult? The seed for my complex protagonist David Howard was sown.
Using a mix of my own experiences I created a world of manipulation, shining a light on the carnage ripple effect that the misuse of power, religion and passion can cause. And because I’m a romantic old bird who loves a bit of drama, my books have to have a few oh-so-sexy lead characters with complicated love lives, evil exes, edge of seat fear, steamy romances and cheeky laugh out loud banter.
‘The Penance List’ is a sexy thriller, think Psycho meets 50 Shades. It can be a little naughty and may not be for everyone. But if you’re brave enough, grab a glass of vino, close the bedroom door and read alone.
My Fallen Angel Series ‘The Deal’ was also kick started by a kidnap incident that happened to me as a child. At 3 or 4 years old I was taken and got away (that Angel again!). The following week another little girl was taken, she didn’t get away. I remember being upset that the nasty man had got away, and said my prayers every night, asking God for a deal – That if I was a good girl, when I die, would he let me sit on a cloud for a while, invisible, and help him get the baddies that slip through his fingers? This wish has stayed with me throughout life, I tend to find myself supporting the underdog, and looking for justice.
The Fallen Angel Series takes my childhood wish, mixes it with my crime investigation knowledge and the empowering thought that we’re not alone and creates a fictional fantasy where vigilante Angels dish out tough karma from the skies, protecting the underdog and sorting out the baddies (I keep expecting the heavens to lightning strike me down for the sex scenes and swearing, but so far so good!). I love writing this series, it’s fun; the angels are feisty, naughty and brave. And their work is contemporary and thought provoking.
I’m not religious, but I’d like to think that there’s something else out there, I don’t know what it is, an energy or quantum physics we don’t understand yet. Whatever it is, I’ve learned that if my gut says something, I follow it.
Spoiler alert – Because ‘The Penance List’ protagonist David Howard is SO delish to work with, he’s been dragged into The Fallen Angel Series, causing trouble. So this is not the last we see of him.
Thank you for taking the time to visit me. I hope my works make you hold your breath, shiver, laugh out loud, feel inspired and punch the air with a resounding “Yesss!”
Keep safe and follow that intuitive gut of yours, it’s the best weapon you have in your tool box.
Siobhan x
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00B0HMTW4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B00B0HMTW4&linkCode=as2&tag=royalflushp06-21&linkId=90078484244263b759cefc28d78f62f4[image error]
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This one comes with a warning – a steamy suspense-ridden psychological thriller – think Silence of the Lambs meets 50 Shades and hold on tight! S C Cunningham writes with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Grab a glass of wine, close the bedroom door and read alone!
What happens when opposites attract – when a scorned childhood sweetheart grows into a gorgeous sexual tour de force – when a fun loving career girl, her racy girlfriends and insatiable lovers get caught in his revenge – when sex becomes a weapon, hearts become bait and straight tastes gay – when hi-flying careers, clandestine affairs and wannabe starlets are hunted by celebrity hungry press? Obsession, kidnap, murder… and he’s just getting started!
Purchase online from:
Guest post for Black Books Reviews by British psychological thriller author S C Cunningham, why I wrote The Penance List
The book looks brilliant and I can’t wait to read it, but in the meantime please welcome Siobhan to my blog.
-----------------------------------
How I came up with the idea for The Penance List
by S C Cunningham
I tend to write what I know; my storylines are founded on real life experiences.
From a very young age I’ve always known that my job in life was to entertain. To drag folk kicking and screaming into a world of escapism, to situations they’ve never experienced before and have them championing characters, willing them on and punching the air with a “Yesss!”
When building a character I draw on observations of people I know or have closely watched, it’s easier to write from truth. Luckily, I’ve had a hectic life path, worked in a few fascinating industries, and been able to study a wide range of characters.
In a nutshell my path has been – am British born of Irish parents, was plonked from the age of 8yrs into an Irish Catholic Nuns Boarding School. After a short spell of studying law (realising there is too much injustice in our systems) I went on to work as a fashion model, married a rock musician and worked in the music to film industry. Got divorced and then as a single mum worked within football, sports celebrity management, horseracing, children’s charities, and more recently for the Police as a Crime Investigator – Intel Analyst, Major Crime Team, Wanted and Absconder Units.
Oh yes… and somewhere in there I got drunk and married (again) in Vegas, oops! Am proud mum to a wonderful daughter (Contemporary Artist) and owned by three dogs.
For the past ten years I’ve been drawing on these experiences to write steamy Psychological Thrillers ‘The David Trilogy’ and gritty Paranormal Crime Romance ‘The Fallen Angel Series’… and I’ve learned to prefer dogs over humans… mostly J
The Penance List was kick-started by an incident that happened to me in my twenties when I was living in London. Quite frighteningly and out of the blue, I crossed paths with a prolific serial attacker who targeted single girls living alone in basement flats in Notting Hill and Olympia. It was then that I realised evil can sit around any corner, learn to trust you gut.
This male haunted London for a long period of time; he was astute, studied his victims for days and avoided capture. I believe he attacked 14 or so women, luckily I got away unscathed (must have an Angel looking out for me) and managed to help Police ID him with a photo fit. He was a nice looking, well dressed, calm, cold, precise and unhurried. He didn’t say a word, just stared, seeming to revel in the fear he instilled.
I remember looking into his face and asking why? I needed to understand how a human could be that cruel to another. He had the look of a spoilt mother’s boy; I guessed his mother must have loved him at some stage, but what life changing event or who had turned him from a sweet little boy into an evil adult? The seed for complex protagonist David Howard was sown.
Using a mix of my own experiences (nuns, boarding school, modelling, the press, celebrity management and fun loving career girlfriends) I created a fantasy world of manipulation, shining a light on the ripple effect carnage that the misuse of power, religion and passion can cause.
I enjoy complex characters that slowly reveal themselves, are not who they seem and engage with the reader, pulling at heartstrings and worst fears. I try to create a person who the reader would either like to hang out with or see as their worst enemy. Someone they feel empathy for and understand their choices, right or wrong. Someone they champion and punch the air with a resounding “Yessss!”
And because I’m an old romantic who loves a bit of drama, my books also have to have a few oh-so-sexy personalities with complicated love lives, evil exes, edge of seat fear, twists, turns, steamy romances and cheeky laugh out loud banter.
Working on a series allows you to build characters that hopefully people will fall in love with and get excited about. David is a very bad person, but fans often write saying they’re hooked; they love his charismatic charm warts and all, and can’t wait to see what he does next. They understand and champion the boy, but fear the man he has become.
The book has been adapted to film script, so we may see David on our screens one day. I love working on this character so much that I have dragged him into ‘The Fallen Angel Series’ where he causes a bit of more chaos in the skies.
Pleased be warned, The Penance List is a sexy thriller, think Psycho meets 50 Shades. It can be a little naughty at times and may not be for everyone. But if you’re brave enough, grab a glass of vino, close the bedroom door and read alone.
Thank you, and remember to follow that gut of yours, it’s the strongest tool in the box.
Siobhan x
About the Author
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British Crime Investigator & Crime Writer, Siobhan C Cunningham creates steamy psychological thrillers and kick-ass paranormal romance with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour, and pulsating sex scenes. Having worked in the very industries she writes about, her novels offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction. An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of music, film, sports celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the British Police (Wanted & Absconder Unit, Major Crime Team, Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Hub). Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months afterward, she prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker who haunted the streets of London, the seed for The David Trilogy was sown, book one is The Penance List, and has been adapted to film screenplay.
She is the proud mother to contemporary Artist Scarlett Raven and is owned by three dogs.
Social Media Links
Website – http://www.sccunningham.com/" rel="nofollowhttp://www.sccunningham.com/ Twitter – https://twitter.com/SCCunningham8" rel="nofollowhttps://twitter.com/SCCunningham8 Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pg/sccunningham8/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.facebook.com/pg/sccunningham8/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/siobhancunningham8/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.instagram.com/siobhancunningham8/ LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sccunningham/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sccunningham/ Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+SCCunninghamAuthor" rel="nofollowhttps://plus.google.com/+SCCunninghamAuthor Amazon Author Page – s books" https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/?tag=sccunningham-21https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/?tag=sccunningham-21
5 Star book review for psychological thriller The Penance List by British Author S C Cunningham by Book Blogger, Sinfully Wicked Book Reviews
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Author Bio;
British Crime Investigator & Crime Writer, Siobhan C Cunningham creates steamy psychological thrillers and kick-ass paranormal romance with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour, and pulsating sex scenes. Having worked in the very industries she writes about, her novels offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.
An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of music, film, sports celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the British Police (Wanted & Absconder Unit, Major Crime Team, Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Hub).
Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months afterward, she prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker who haunted the streets of London, the seed for The David Trilogy was sown, book one is The Penance List, and has been adapted to film screenplay.
She is the proud mother to contemporary Artist Scarlett Raven and is owned by three dogs.
Social Media Links;
Website – http://www.sccunningham.com/" rel="nofollowhttp://www.sccunningham.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SCCunningham8" rel="nofollowhttps://twitter.com/SCCunningham8
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pg/sccunningham8/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.facebook.com/pg/sccunningham8/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/siobhancunningham8/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.instagram.com/siobhancunningham8/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/sccunningham/" rel="nofollowhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sccunningham/
Google+ – https://plus.google.com/+SCCunninghamAuthor" rel="nofollowhttps://plus.google.com/+SCCunninghamAuthor
Amazon Author Page – https://www.amazon.com/S-C-Cunningham/e/B002L3ZC2U/?tag=sccunningham-21
Book Review | Crime Books | Romance Books | Paranormal Romance | Books by Author Siobhan C Cunningham | Author S C Cunningham | British Author S C Cunningham , Guest Post
I’d like to welcome Siobhan to my blog today, she has a great guest post…
Writing can be bad for my health… thank God for dogs.
I adore writing books, but it can be a lonely old business.
To get into the ‘zone’ I have to shut myself away and cut off from the world. It can take days of living a mushroom-like existence to get everyday chitter-chatter out of my head, empty my thoughts and create space for the spaghetti-esque storylines I’m trying to keep one step ahead of.
My books tend to have complex characters with three or four subplots, which is a lot for this dumb old blonde to control without losing the reader or the natural flow of the story. It can be hair-pullingly frustrating, so I’m afraid I do tend to swear a lot. Thankfully only the dogs at my feet can hear me.
When writing is in full swing I no longer care about my health or appearance. Diets go out the window and I don’t bother washing or cooking. My job is to entertain, so my characters, their scheming and the hectic worlds they live in come first.
I can go for days, weeks, without speaking to anyone except cashiers in my local shops. They’ve gotten to know when I’m in the middle of a tricky scenario, one look at my basket and the game is up.
If I get to a slump and need a sugar hit, I grab my purse, pull on a pair of old trainers and rush out to the village. Where I stock up on all things that are a) easy to eat at a computer, b) give an instant glucose high and c) are bad for me.
My favourite guilty pleasures are soft sweets, biscuits, ice cream, cashew nuts, crisps, chocolate bars and profiteroles. And on some occasions when things are extra tough, easy peel clementine’s and anchovies… go figure! (the local fish monger says fish is brain food).
One very sweet store cashier in particular takes a quick look at my basket, unwashed hair and dishevelled appearance, and knows immediately what’s up.
“Writing again?” she asks with a sympathetic tilt of her head.
“Yep,” I nod through a shrug of shame.
She quickly gathers up my items and throws them into a bag, hiding the evidence from the tut-tutting queue forming behind me. With a head down illicit-drug-deal feel, I hurriedly pay her, sneak out of the shop and scurry back to my computer clutching the guilty stash. I love that woman, she doesn’t judge.
I have tried eating healthy at my desk… honestly. But those pesky carrot sticks are way too noisy, all that crunchy chewy teeth-action disrupts my flow.
The only healthy thing about my writers life is having dogs. When the going gets tough, they sense my stress levels are going through the roof and know it’s time to get me away from the computer.
They go in for a two pronged attack. One sits at my feet and gives me the psychological silent glare that makes me feel I’m being watched and forces me to look down at him. The other jumps up and bashes his paw at my mouse-holding arm. It works. Time for walkies.
And they’re right. The enforced exercise twice a day is probably the only thing that keeps me alive.
As much as I moan about it, the minute I’m out the door walking in the fresh air, ideas start to fall into place.
Dogs are wonderful co-writers. They’re another heart beat in the room, so that you never feel alone. They know their job is to keep me sane and I know my job is to give them cuddles and dog biscuits. We make a great team.
THANK GOD FOR DOGS….. (am shouting).
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