David W. Robinson's Blog: Always Writing, page 28

C is for a Conversation with Catriona King

The 3rd post in the Blogging from A-Z Challenge

I write whodunits, and I get to know many people who write in the same or similar genres. One such is Catriona King, a lovely, cheerful lady from Belfast, who turns out the DCI Craig modern thriller series.

Over the course of a week or so, Catriona and I exchanged views on the various aspects of crime writing and you can see part one of this conversation by clicking the link.

Our output isn’t really on the same level. I write light-hearted (and very grim) whodunits, Catriona, as the title of her series suggests, turns out police-based thrillers. She also has a huge advantage over me in that she is a doctor and a former forensic medical examiner.

She is also the founder and director of the Belfast Studio Theatre Company.

And I complain about having the one job!!!!

Part two of the conversation will appear on Catriona’s blog from April 7th

B is for Bookshelves

 

Second post in the blogging from A-Z challenge.

I don’t know how many books I own I reckon somewhere between 600 and 1,000. Storing them is problematic especially in the reduced pace available to us. So I use two old display cabinets, both of which have seen better days. The result, as you can see, is not ideal.

Worse still, both cabinets are now beginning to fall apart and I have some remedial work on my hands to stop them collapsing altogether.

I was discussing physical books with fellow authors from the Crooked Cat stable earlier today and the odd thing is that I would cheerfully get rid of most of the books on these shelves in exchange for e-copies.my wife and I travel abroad several times a year and the Kindle is just so much more convenient.

It’s abhorrent to some people who prefer the feel of a paperback. I can respect that. I wouldn’t have collected so many books if I didn’t love them. Everyone to his own and it would be a dull world if we were all the same, but for me, it’s the content that counts, not the format it’s delivered in.

A is for A Brand New Book

Yes, it’s the start of the annual A-Z Blogging Challenge and this year it’s coincided with the official release of a brand new STAC Mystery, Death in Distribution.

With The Lazy Luncheonette under threat of demolition to make way for a new development, Joe and the gang are more than happy to be floating off to Blackpool for the Easter weekend. A fender bender on the motorway with a drunken trucker, followed by two suspicious deaths at a large distribution company sees our heroes embroiled in another murder mystery where actions and motives are not always what they seem. Scheming property tycoons, lusty union representatives and a powerful corporation shy of bad publicity make it a weekend Joe is unlikely to forget.

Death in Distribution is the eleventh in a series which began two years ago with The Filey Connection and which has seen the Sanford 3rd Age Club travel all over the tourist spots of England and as far afield as Torremolinos in Southern Spain (Costa del Murder) cracking the killings while enjoying the high life.

If you like a cosy mystery, if you like a chuckle with your whodunit, then check out the STAC Mysteries at an e-reader near you.

Published by Crooked Cat, the STAC Mystery are available in all e-formats and in paperback. Google the titles to find your preference.

The Filey Connection

The I-Spy Murders

A Halloween Homicide

A Murder for Christmas

Murder at the Murder Mystery Weekend

My Deadly Valentine

The Chocolate Egg Murders

The Summer Wedding Murder

Costa del Murder

Christmas Crackers

And the latest release Death in Distribution

And if you’re not too busy, why not drop in on the Facebook launch party taking place right now.

The last day of the month

The clocks have gone forward, it’s lighter in the evenings, the bathroom is finished, the polyp from the roof of my mouth has been removed, and STAC Mystery #11 is on the Launchpad ready to go at midnight tonight.

When I began writing the STAC Mysteries, I thought of “knocking out” a few whodunits. I never, for one moment, imagined I’d have eleven of them racked up, but with the official launch of Death in Distribution tomorrow, that’s where we’re at.

And they’ve proven very popular. They’re light, humorous, easy-to-read entertainment; a new twist on the traditional, British amateur sleuth. A mob of unruly middle-aged, born again teenagers cracking murders as they drink and dance their way through a series of popular tourist locations in Great Britain.

I’m discussing several aspects of crime writing and novels with a good friend, Catriona King, who writes the DCI Craig novels (also published by Crooked Cat).

Catriona, a doctor, is a lovely lady, and an excellent novelist. Craig is as popular as Joe and Co, but in a different league. I’m also told that Craig is quite fanciable, but I’d have to ask the wife about that.

Part one of that conversation can be found at: http://www.catrionakingbooks.com/#!authors-chat/c1j6v

Part two will follow on April 7th.

And talking of Crooked Cat, as a March bonus, they’ve also announced the launch date of a new series, Spookies, and revealed the cover of the first title, The Haunting of Melmerby Manor. A series of whodunits with a supernatural twist. It’s already generating considerable interest, and I’m looking forward to seeing it come to life.

Finally, as the month comes to an end, it’s time for the annual Blogging from A-Z Challenge. From tomorrow, I will post 26 blogs, each linked to a different letter of the alphabet. It’s the third year in succession that I’ve done and although it’s a lot of hard work, I;m looking forward to it.

So a busy month behind us, a busier one to come. Don’t forget Death in Distribution is officially released tonight, and there’s the usual event on Facebook if you want to come along and join in. I’ll be there to answer questions and have a bit of fun all day and all questions are valid except my bank details and where I keep my wallet.

A Cover Reveal for a New Series

 

 

Introducing… SPOOKIES.

Pre-release sales of the latest STAC Mystery, Death in Distribution, due for release next Tuesday, have stalled slightly, leaving the book at #9 in the Amazon UK cosy mystery chart, and #30-ish in British Detectives. It’s no great shake, and even if it is a bit of a downer, yesterday’s news offset it, when Crooked Cat announced the cover and publication date of The Haunting of Melmerby Manor, the first in a brand new series, the Spookies Mysteries.

These are crime tales, but there’s an added dimension to them… literally. Part of their work is done from The Other Side. A four-handed team of paranormal investigators, led by the aristocratic Sceptre Rand, her three sidekicks are all male; tough ex-cop, Pete Brennan, wheeler-dealer, ducker and diver, Kevin Keeley, and Sceptre’s butler, Albert Fishwick. But Fishwick is a ghost. He’s been dead since 1916.

Sceptre, full name Lady Concepta Rand-Epping, Countess of Marston, has problem convincing the headstrong and sceptical Pete of the existence of ghosts, Kev has some minor psychic powers, but all the courage of jelly withering in a hurricane, and poor old Fishwick is driven to distraction making sure Her Ladyship’s naivety doesn’t get her and her earthly chums into more trouble.

Dealing with callous, murderous gangsters is all in a day’s work for Spookies. Dealing with angry or evil spirits is all in a night’s work for Spookies.

They’re not exactly cosy crime, but they’re not out and out horror either. They’re crime thrillers with a vein of humour and an added, supernatural twist, and the team at Crooked Cat (and me, of course) are confident that they will entertain the reader.

For now, here’s a taste of what’s to come.

In the following extract, Sceptre and her pals have been called to ghostly disturbances at a house, where Sceptre is confronted with a stubborn ghost who will not budge. While Pete wanders off around the house, Kevin films the episode and Fishwick hovers in the background.

***

Sceptre injected more force into her voice this time. “Spirit, I will not tolerate your impudence. I command you to go into The Light, to cross over.”

Immediately in front of her, a ghostly body took shape, its empty eye sockets trained upon her, the lean body shimmering in the darkness. Sceptre’s heart beat rapidly, but she stood her ground. As she watched, the face changed, the jaw dropped, the mouth opened wide, and, taking on an almost lupine appearance, great jaws projected forward, snapping shut just centimetres from her face, bellowing loudly, the blast of its fetid breath blowing her hair back.

Sceptre reached down to the carpet and picked up the evening newspaper, then proceeded to fan herself nonchalantly with it.

“You really should see a dentist,” she said. “Your breath smells terrible.” She gave a deliberate yawn of disinterest, and faced the ghastly apparition. It was time, she decided, to teach the old man just who he was dealing with. The Rand-Eppings had been stalwarts of the British aristocracy since the days of Cromwell and the Civil War, and she was not about to be beaten by an obstinate old football fanatic. “Now listen to me. I am not afraid of you. I am not going away; I will be here as long as you are. You will tire of the game before I do. There is peace, comfort and as much Manchester City football as you can watch for eternity, if you go through The Light.”

Her announcement was greeted with another furious roar.

“It’s Manchester United, Madam,” said Fishwick urgently.

“What difference does it make?” Sceptre demanded, her patience wearing down.

“It is the same difference as you asking me for strawberries and ice cream, and me delivering steak and kidney pudding, My Lady,” her ephemeral manservant explained.

Completely at sea, Sceptre protested, “I don’t like steak and kidney pudding.”

“I do,” interjected Kevin from behind his lens.

Ignoring the interruption, Fishwick said, “And the old man doesn’t like Manchester City, Madam. The only thing a Manchester United fan loathes more than Arsenal and Chelsea is Manchester City.”

At a loss for anything else to say, Sceptre announced, “I apologise, spirit. I meant Manchester United. Now be a good chap and go through The Light.”

***

The Haunting of Melmerby Manor is released on June 10th and I’ll have more news as we approach that date. Further titles in the series are already planned and in development, and in the meantime, the customary Facebook launch party is planned and active. Everyone is welcome.

Death in Distribution, STAC Mystery #11 is officially released in paperback and all e-formats on Tuesday April 1st. There is a launch event on Facebook, to which everyone is welcome.

You can find Death in Distribution listed at:

Amazon UK (Kindle)

Amazon UK (Paperback)

Amazon US (Kindle)

Amazon US (Paperback)

Another Crooked Cat Tale

Regular reader will know that I’ve been a pain in the backside all morning, touting my forthcoming (now available) eleventh STAC Mystery, Death in Distribution (which, BTW, is now at #4 in Cozy Crime,#10 in British Detectives and into the top 1000 overall).

But I’m not the only Crooked Cat author with new books in the offing and one of them is released right about… now

It’s the third in Nancy Jardine’s historical series which began with The Beltane Choice. That book, and its follow up, After Whorl: Bran Reborn is on my TBR pile. And now the third in the series, After Whorl: Donning Double Cloaks is released.

There’s a massive launch party on Facebook taking place right now, so if you want to know more about it, pop over there. You’ll be very welcome.

Each release from Crooked Cat demonstrates the diversity of their titles and the authors. They do everything from romcoms to contemporary, historical to humour, speculative, YA, gritty thrillers, and of course, they publish the STAC Mysteries.

If you want to keep up to date on the work they’re putting out, follow the link and like the page.

You know you want to.

Into the Top Five With the First Review

I reported yesterday that the latest STAC Mystery, Death in Distribution was at #10 in the Amazon UK Cozy Crime chart. Overnight it’s seen an improvement and as I checked it just a few minute ago it stands at:

5 in Amazon UK Cozy Crime

15 in Amazon UK British Detectives

1321 in Amazon UK overall bestsellers

Not a bad performance considering there’s still a week to go before the official launch.

The book has also taken its first review from reader C Anderson.

If you need to lose yourself in a good book do yourself a favour and read these stories. Start the beginning and you will be hooked. Every book is a stand-alone story, but when read in order they are a joy and a delight.

Like all the reviews on all my books, be they one-star or, like this, five-star, it was unsolicited.

So it’s a grand start to a rainy Tuesday, with Joe, Sheila, Brenda and their pals making an assault on the whodunit charts again.

***

Death in Distribution, STAC Mystery #11 is officially released in paperback and all e-formats on Tuesday April 1st. There will be a launch event on Facebook, to which everyone is welcome.

You can find Death in Distribution listed at:

Amazon UK (Kindle)

Amazon UK (Paperback)

Amazon US (Kindle)

Amazon US (Paperback)

Fancy Being a STAC Star?

A week tomorrow sees the official launch of STAC Mystery #11, Death in Distribution. I say ‘official launch’ because it’s already available on Amazon, and on the UK site it sits at #10 in the Cozy Crime chart (but it has been as high as #8) and #49 in the British Detectives top 100.

It’s not a first. Christmas Crackers did exactly the same prior to its release last November, when it made the #3 spot. After release, it went on to top that chart for about two weeks.

Death in Distribution is different in other respects. The front matter contains a double dedication: first to Nicola Robinson (no relation) who came up with the idea, and second to Paula Guy, who won a competition to be included as character in the book. Both ladies received paperback and e-copies of the book.

That set the brain in gear. It doesn’t happen often, especially not on a Monday, but we thought that other readers might fancy themselves as a minor character in a STAC Mystery, so we’re inviting you to have a bash.

All you have to do is come up with a plot, a bunch of characters or a setting for a STAC Mystery, and email it to us. No locations, please. You might pick somewhere I’ve never been and I’m never likely to go. But the setting (a village, a house, a school, a garden shed) is fine.

When you have your idea, email to me at dwrob96@gmail.com or to Crooked Cat at enquiries@crookedcatpublishing.com and then leave it with us.

It may take some time, but if we elect to develop your idea, you will be cast in a minor role in the tale. You will also receive paperback and e-copies of the title, and maybe some other goodies, if we can come up with them. You also get bragging rights at dinner parties. “I appeared in a whodunit, you know.” That’s gotta be worth some kudos.

Now I know what you’re thinking (didn’t Clint Eastwood say that in Dirty Harry?) you’re thinking we’ve run out of ideas.

Wrong.

I have a minimum of ten more plots, and anything up to twenty or thirty, which are potential STAC titles. The real idea behind this is to give the readers something back. They are, after all, the driving force behind STAC’s success.

So come on. If you fancy your turn in the spotlight, and you crave a small role in a STAC Mystery…

Get plotting.

***

Death in Distribution, STAC Mystery #11 is officially released in paperback and all e-formats on Tuesday April 1st. There will be a launch event on Facebook, to which all are welcome.

You can find Death in Distribution listed at:

Amazon UK (Kindle)

Amazon UK (Paperback)

Amazon US (Kindle)

Amazon US (Paperback)

We Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside

Blackpool: fun capital of the northwest (of England). It’s the location of the STAC Mystery #11, Death in Distribution, which will be released two weeks tomorrow. To save you getting out your diary, that’s April 1st.

Everyone knows Blackpool. Illuminations, The Tower, the Pleasure Beach, Mme Tussauds, The Big One, its bars and cafes have made it the major attraction since before I was born.

Naturally, there is a whole lot more to Blackpool than mere hedonism. As well as putting on many shows during the season, The Winter Gardens has been a popular venue for political party conferences, and the various theatres can number some of the biggest names in the business starring in their productions. The airport, south of the town has grown from a small, regional airfield, to an international departure point, and while every other town and city in the UK was doing away with trams, Blackpool kept them.

Following in the footsteps of my wife and I, the Sanford 3rd Age Club are visiting for the weekend, but as usual things do not go according to plan. After a fender bender on the motorway, Joe becomes involved in a double killing at Ballantyne Distribution’s depot. Warned off by the police, he is enjoying an evening of classic (not classical) music in the hotel bar, when Dave Kane, the site manager visits and asks him to investigate the deaths.

But Joe is unusually reluctant.

***

“I dunno. There’s just something telling me to keep away from it.”

Kane seized on the admission. “Look, Joe, if it’s the police—”

The words clicked in Joe’s mind and he cut Kane off. “That’s just what it is. That Burrows, he warned me, you know. He said if he found me at your place again, he’d book me for obstructing a police investigation.”

“That could make life awkward if you turn up with your driver to collect the bus on Monday morning,” Kane observed.

“Exactly what I told him.”

“Joe, don’t worry about Chief Inspector Burrows. He will do as he’s told.”

Brenda almost choked on her drink. Her eyes widened and slowly swivelled to fall on Sheila, whose face had become a mask of fury. Joe noted the reactions of his friends. Like him, Brenda had read between the lines, and Sheila’s reaction was to be expected. Her late husband had had a distinguished career with the police.

To head off the argument, Joe demanded, “Don’t tell me Ballantynes own the police, too.”

A rueful smile crossed Kane’s lips. “Nothing of the kind. Ballantynes uphold the rule of law. We don’t hide behind corporate lawyers, and if there is anything untoward in the manner of our employees’ deaths, then we insist on getting to the truth.”

To Joe it sounded like a prepared speech, but he resisted the temptation to applaud and call for the author. Instead, he said, “You just want to control the media. Put a bit of spin on it.”

“There is that aspect,” Kane agreed. “The police are not particularly subtle when it comes to dealing with the press, and as I explained before, we don’t like any story that would show the company in a bad light. Burrows has already gone on record as saying it was a fight between the two men.”

“And that reflects badly upon your company, Mr Kane?” Sheila hissed.

“Not so much on the company but the management, Mrs Riley. Without the full background, the press will ask what kind of management is in place at Ballantynes that could allow an argument between two individuals to get out of hand.”

Sheila’s furious features indicated she was about to go on the attack again. Kane read it accurately and pressed on before she could speak.

“If it could be demonstrated that the two men were killed by a third party, it wouldn’t be as damning for us.”

It was not the wisest thing he could have said. She put down her glass, jumped to her feet and stormed from the table.

“I’d better go after her; calm her down.” With an apologetic smile, Brenda quickly followed her friend.

Kane was nonplussed. “Did I say something out of place?”

“And then some,” Joe told him.

***

Will Brenda help Sheila calm down? Will Joe take up the challenge? How will Chief Inspector Burrows react to Ballantynes interference?

The answer to these questions, plus many more are in the pages of Death in Distribution.

As always, this eleventh STAC Mystery will be available in all e-formats and in paperback from all online suppliers. Make a note in your diary. April 1st. Don’t be an April Fool. Get your copy ordered now.

Faceache and Free Flatcap

Interesting day on a number of fronts yesterday.

Flatcap is now spreading his curious and often and barmpot opinions all over the globe. Flatcap – Grumpy Old Blogger is now being read as far afield as Germany, Canada and the USA. Quite what they will make of him, I don’t know. If they assume he is a bog-standard Brit, then it will simply reinforce the notion that the British are strange creatures. Where else in the world would you find politicians whose answer to floods on a biblical scale is to form a committee?

I’m known primarily for my cosy crime series, The STAC Mysteries. Writing them is fun and we’re releasing #11, Death in Distribution in a fortnight, so that tells you something. I do produce darker work, and I’m currently working on a comic thriller, but Flatcap gives me a break from the drudge of write, write, write, and allows me to vent my irritation on the iniquities and oddities of life. And there are lots of them. From the woman who dialled 999 for a stolen snowman to the council who refused to let a school crossing patrolman help kids cross the road, the country is awash with idiots, and Flatcap takes great delight in lampooning them.

Better than that, Flatcap – Grumpy Old Blogger is FREE for the rest of today.

If you want to keep abreast of Flatcap’s more up-to-date observations, he now has a blog at http://flatcapsays.blogspot.co.uk/

If Flatcap is striding forward, life in other areas could be better. It’s early in the year and sales are stilted somewhat, but with Death in Distribution on the horizon, I’m confident matters will pick up.

Healthwise, things are not so good. Regular readers will know that I was in hospital for a day last week, where they cut a polyp from my soft palate. Uncomfortable, but hardly life threatening and afterwards matters seemed to heal quickly.

By yesterday, however, I was in shocking pain over most of the left side of my face. Suspecting an infection, I went along to the out-of-hours service at the health centre. The doc had a good look round, did the usual stuff, blood pressure, blood sugar, pulse, temp, and he took a look at the site of the cut.

No infection, but he did say that it looks angry and inflamed.

I’m not surprised. I’m pretty pissed off, too.

Advice: painkillers and soft foods until it’s settled down. I know what Flatcap would make of that. How is he supposed to survive without pork pies?