C.L. Davies's Blog, page 2

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I was tagged by @BardConstantine, author of The Troubleshooter - a ‘30's pulp noir meets science fiction in an action packed tale of a man whose job description is shooting trouble.’ This fast-paced action-on-every-page book is crammed full of colourful characters - from hell-bent sentient A.I., to glam female killers - harbouring from the Cataclysm fallout in a purpose-built Haven. This book is truly unique, and - I keep saying it - would make an awesome movie!

Constantine is now working on the follow-up, The Most Dangerous Dame, and I literally cannot wait to read more about his Bladerunner-esque New Haven.

Having recently reviewed for Constantine (see blog below), I’ve got to know the man himself a little bit, too, and find his generous and supportive nature as wonderful as his writing.

Check out his wicked website here.

So here’s how the blog hop works: A writer/blogger gets tagged, they write an intro where they shout out & link back to their tagger, and then answer the 10 questions listed below about current work in progress. At the end, they tag five other writer/bloggers.

10 Questions About My Current Work in Progress:

1. What is the title of your book?

I recently finished editing Resonance, my second book, due for release this summer. Shadower is waiting in line, and I’m halfway through writing my fourth, as yet nameless (it's the hardest part!).

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

The idea for Resonance came to me when I turned 30, when I started obsessing about age and developed a sense of stalking mortality. Resonance is about downloading a consciousness, to go on to live a second life. It’s also about ownership of the human soul, and what makes us who we are – that fascinating ‘nature versus nurture’ thing.  

3. What genre does your book fall under?

I hope it fits into a few – Sci-Fi, Romance, and Thriller. Someone once referred to Automaton as ‘Pink Sci-Fi,’ which I love.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Oscar (super-rich but desperately lonely old man, signs up with Forever Foundation) – Morgan Freeman.


Jake (Oscar’s second run at life) - Cillian Murphy (glacial blue eyes crucial to the storyline).


Milly (disillusioned nurse at Forever Foundation) - Anne Hathaway.


Harry (handsome but harrowed) - Nicolas Cage
(again with the blue eyes!).


Kate (girl-next-door type, partner of Harry) Kaley Cuoco.



5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Lives entwined in a web spun of deceit, lawlessness and circumstance, with shocking consequences that resonate with a timeless question – are we defined by nature or nurture?

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Represented by the brilliant MP Publishing.

7. How long did it take you to write your first draft?

The first draft of Resonance took me about a year to write, followed by a good couple of months of editing – including a thorough sign-off by my amazing eighty-year-old genius grandma.

8. What other books would you compare yours to within your genre?

Hmmm, I think that’s impossible, it’s like comparing human fingerprints …

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The response to Automaton, initially from my family and friends, inspired me to keep writing. Now, I’m inspired by my beautiful baby girl, to be a mummy that she will be proud of.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?

That it looks at the human condition, and our shared mortality, through realistic characters. That it’s something we can all identify with. The book is a multi-strand story streaming around super-rich Oscar, who pays for the storage of his soul upon his death. Reincarnated as Jake, his actions give rise to the age-old question; are we defined by nature or nurture? I often wonder if I’d be the person I am if I’d had less ‘nurture’ in my upbringing, or whether personality is all in our DNA. It fascinates me! A bit like that film Erasure blew my mind. It’s an amazing story about the thrall of the Internet over the soul, and made me think; Damn, I wish I’d thought of that!

Mother and daughter writing team @CaseyLeaBooks, for whom I recently reviewed Iceflight. They were the loveliest people to deal with.

Thea Gregory, (@TheaIsis) whose brilliant Space Fantasy,

Lucky Seven Meme

I got tagged in a new Twitter game! ‘Lucky Seven Meme’ was devised by author and blogger Chris Ledbetter. It’s basically a fun and novel (forgive me) way of sharing some of our books, and making new e-friends.

In Chris’ own words;
‘Here’s the idea: Go to either page 7 or 77 of your manuscript. Count down 7 lines, then copy the next 7 lines to your status. After that, name 7 more authors to come out and play.’

It’s good, clean cyber-fun. And who doesn’t have a superstitious affinity for the number 7?  

So here’s mine (from

Book Review, 'The Troubleshooter' by Bard Constantine.

Bladerunner, only without the huge advertising screens and neon lights; Constantine illustrates this dystopian future in such a way that I did indeed illustrate it in my imagination in ‘noir’ - New Haven’s streets are so harsh and gritty that they are envisioned entirely without colour. However, all is not dystopian darkness, as Bard Constantine’s first person narrative is amusing and clever, colouring each page – the writing often as sharp as the suited silhouette on the cover.

 I

A Christmas Tradition

The wonderful day has come and gone again, and was made magical this year by it being baby’s first. Baby’s delight in the twinkle of the tree lights, in the sparkle of the tinsel, made this Christmas feel like none other. I never understood the saying before, ‘Christmas is for the children,’ until I experienced it with my own child.

And yet, whilst it was a Christmas like none other, it still had its traditions. The family gathering together and talking without volume control, wishing we’d served the buffet on paper plates to save the Boxing Day fallout, feeling the digestive trauma of one too many sausage or spring rolls. And, of course, the gift traditions …

Every year my mum gets me pyjamas. Every year, without fail. I have never expressed a particular desire or need for more pyjamas, and have a drawer-full. And yet, year after year, there are pyjamas, as much a part of Christmas as its tinsel and its twinkle.

And I never understood why, before. Why mum always gives me pyjamas.

I never understood, that was, just like I didn’t understand the whole ‘Christmas is for the children’ thing - until I had baby.

My maternal desire to wrap my baby in warm blankets and snuggly snowsuits is totally overwhelming, to keep her warm and comfy every moment of every day. When we go out for a walk with the buggy, she is no less prepared than if she were going for an Arctic Expedition. She’s not even a year old yet, but in her wardrobe hang waterproof and windproof snowsuits that will take her beyond her third birthday. She’s still in her cot, but her first duvet set awaits upon the wardrobe – a brushed cotton flannelette number, the ultimate in snuggie-snuggles. 

So thanks, Mum, for the pyjamas. I guess the desire to wrap baby up never goes away. I love my warm, fluffy pyjamas. And now that I have baby, and knowing what I do, they make me so much warmer than the sum of the soft fabric against my skin.

No doubt I’ll make a tradition of the pyjama-thing myself, one day.

Merry Christmas, and a happy New Year, to everyone. 

Book Review: Nimpentoad by Josh, Henry, & Harrison Herz, and Sean Eddingfield.

The Review by Emily Toombs

The book Nimpentoad is about a Nibling who has to travel through the woods to get to Goofus’ castle, so he can help Goofus out, but on the way he finds loads of monsters that are evil.

I liked the action when they were in the cart. I also liked the humour. I found this bit very funny, for example: ‘Bug eggs may not sound very good to you or me, but when you are a Nibling, and all the bigger creatures take the best food, sometimes you don’t have much choice!’ I found the Niblings funny when they were in the back of the cart. My favourite character is Nimpentoad because he is a hero.

The genre is fantasy. The writing was very easy to read. I liked the descriptive words that the author used. My favourite part of the story is when they were pedalling in the cart.

I liked the book a lot! 

Nimpentoad is clever and brave. Nimpentoad and his friends go on a journey to Goofus, a big kind Giant. Simple, right? Wrong. The journey there is filled with adventure, but Nimpentoad always has a plan to save the day, or does he?

This book is filled with exciting monsters. This tale will linger in your mind long after you put the book down. The author uses small but effective words to help explain all the monsters.

I really enjoyed this book and am hoping there will be a Nimpentoad 2.

Book Review: 'Iceflight' by Casey Lea.

The Synopsis

Darsey Ise never thought her first trip past Jupiter would claim the lives of her crew. But then she hadn’t expected to become the first person to make contact with aliens either.

Kidnapped, enslaved and lost on the Outer Rim of a mighty civilization light-years from Earth, the only person she can turn to is her enigmatic new owner. A dishonoured outcast, he is just as alone as Darsey. Exiled by his people and struggling to survive, the last thing he wants is a rebellious primitive as a slave. She complicates his efforts to hide a dangerous secret and to complete a quest that is likely to claim both their lives. They will only survive if they can find enough trust to forge an unwanted alliance.

However, even that might not be enough. An ancient evil, which has shaped every sentient species, is due to return and take what it wants from a new civilization. Once again, it aims to claim countless lives and this time, its plan begins with Darsey.

The Review

Iceflight is utter immersion into a whole other universe – a universe with multi-feathered and reptilian species, intergalactic travel, awesome futuristic spaceships, and hostile unknown planets. The story centres on the unlikely relationship between banished alien Nightwing, and his hostage, ‘primitive’ human Darsey, as they embark upon an epic journey to the Slave Auction of an icy planet and beyond.

The technology in this novel is fantastically futuristic and believable, although sometimes to the extent that I couldn't follow it! In parts it often left me with the same feeling as does watching an episode of Star Trek or A Town Called Eureka. However, that isn’t to say this was a bad thing, A Town Called Eureka was one of my all-time favourite programmes, and I enjoyed this book in the same, if slightly bemused, way.

The characters in the story were imaginative and likeable, with the simmering, long-to-be-realised romance between two of them predictable yet endearing. Many of the characters speak in ‘Bridge’ – a modified and often witty version of English – which I enjoyed a lot. I even found myself, quite bizarrely,

I remember ...

Its Remembrance Day, or Poppy Day, on November 11th, to commemorate all the brave soldiers who have given their lives, and the end of World War 1. The children in my school bring in their money, bless them, excited and pleased to hand it over in exchange for a little red fabric or paper flower. There will be an assembly on it, and two minute’s silence to remember the monstrosities of war.

But they won’t understand, just as I didn’t understand, as a child. I can barely understand it all now; that human beings, who should be bound together in their mortality and the fragility of life, can point blank kill each other. I’m not even sure it’s something a child should properly understand.

I did learn about the two World Wars throughout school, but in all honesty all that I can remember about the 1st is the horrors of Trench Warfare, and going ‘over the top.’ Even as a child, the futility and sheer barbarism of it really struck me. But then, in my childhood bubble, they were nameless, faceless soldiers whose ‘job’ it was to face certain death, and I thought about them with no more empathy as children today surely think about their interactive gaming counterparts.    

It was only as I got older did I come to understand that those grubby, uniformed soldiers, sent ‘over the top’ in waves to meet death head-on, were people’s husbands, brothers, sons and daddy’s. Now that I have a baby, I can’t conceive of the horror that many women must have felt as their man was taken off to war, of having to tell their child that Daddy wasn’t coming home …

One night last week I dreamt that I was one of those soldiers - although in the madness of the dreamscape I was actually in my Nan’s spare bed - but that’s beside the point, in the dream I was set to go ‘over the top’ that very day, and the fear and terror that I felt were unparalleled. Then I woke, heart pounding and sweat-sodden, the dream and the fear lingering as reality for a few waking moments, before I realised, thank god, that it hadn’t been real after all.    

‘Convenient,’ you might think, to dream this a week before Poppy Day. Only I think that’s why I dreamt it – I often seem to dream about things that I’ve seen or thought about that day. There’s a heart-wrenching advert on TV at the moment, promoting a series of Remembrance programmes – people telling us who they remember – which really gets to me.

Of course I’m not claiming to know anything about how those soldiers felt as they went to their deaths. I’m just thinking about the tragedy of it, the sadness, and the horror. Wikipedia puts it well: ‘Trench warfare is associated with needless slaughter in appalling conditions, combined with the view that brave men went to their deaths because of incompetent and narrow-minded commanders who failed to adapt to the new conditions of trench warfare: class-ridden and backward-looking generals put their faith in the attack, believing superior morale and dash would overcome the weapons and moral inferiority of the defender.[11] The British and Empire troops on the Western Front are commonly referred to as "lions led by donkeys."[12]’

Poppy Day is all about remembering those brave soldiers, those ‘lions.’ As a kid I used to wonder how I could ‘remember’ something that seemed to me to have happened aeons ago. How could I ‘remember’ men that I had never met? But I get it now – it’s about remembering that those soldiers were real and everyday people, with homes and families and parents and children. It’s about honouring their brave sacrifice, and being thankful. It’s about showing respect for those that survived, too, and those that continue to fight for country to this day. And in remembering the horrors of war, we are mindful of them, to prevent future war.

In all honesty I’m sorry to say it’s not something I ever thought deeply about before. Only now that I have a child and life seems infinitely more precious, I find I’m able to empathise with others in a way I never did before.

So I’m thankful, which seems a pathetic word for such sacrifices. ‘Thanks’ isn’t a good enough word. I’m finding there are no words to convey what I’m trying to say.

Which leaves me with only one short but heartfelt phrase - I remember.

Book Review: 'The Remnant,' by Chandler McGrew

The Synopsis

The Angels have returned. Now all Hell is breaking loose.

Trace Wentworth has a connection with rats. They attempted to devour him in his youth. Then beneath the streets of New York the vermin save him when he flees from the same Mormon Fundamentalists he believes murdered his fiancée, Ashley. When he learns that she is alive and her fellow Brethren are under siege Trace joins them, only to be drawn deeper into the world of intrigue and danger that may yet cost all of their lives. One secret connects both sides in the battle, and it will almost certainly destroy the Mormon faith.

 

The Review

Having already reviewed for Chandler McGrew, with what is now one of my all-time favourite books, Crossroads, I was a little apprehensive to do it again - I feared that Crossroads, amazing story that it is, and yes, one that I can’t seem to shut up about, may have been a ‘one hit wonder.’ I didn’t want to spoil the idea I had of McGrew as some sorcerer of storytelling.

But oh, happy days, how I needn’t have worried.

‘The Remnant’ is a twisted tale of fundamentalist Mormons, brutal killings, and preternatural rats, played out alongside the almost-lost love story of Trace and Ashley. The fast-paced narrative and unpredictable plot had me compelled from the first page. Writer Trace is a man hell-bent on getting revenge for the seeming murder of his love, Ashley. His latest manuscript ‘implies’ the monstrosities of said murderers, the ‘New’ Latter Day Saints, and nearly costs him his life. Ashley is formidable and strong, both mentally and physically, thinking nothing of heading into the darkness of night, shotgun in hand, to defend her home. Both of these main characters are likeable and easy to root for.

I’m not going to set foot upon the minefield that is Religion - so forgive me as I skirt around the issue of fundamentalist Mormons, despite the novel being fictional fundamentalism. Only let me say that ‘The Remnant’ takes a profoundly disturbing look at the power of brainwashing – a fascinating concept that we are all subject to in TV commercials, albeit in its mildest form. In the novel the entire town of California City is brainwashed to complete and graphic subservience by the loathsome leaders of the NLDS. Once certain town dwellers are relieved from the cult’s thrall, the fallout is powerful and understandably unforgiving.     

As the story progresses, it also takes us back in time, periodically, to tell of a ghastly and defining event in Trace’s childhood. Trace’s near-death encounter with intelligent, scheming rats really got under my skin, so much so that one night I dreamt of a killer rat jumping out at me! The paranormal whisperings in McGrew’s writing really speak to the reader.

The story contains just the right amount of poetic description, and never too much as to seem to be there just for the sake of it – which causes me to skim. I never skim read a single line of ‘The Remnant.’ My favourite line of such was; ‘The starlight softened the shadows into a gloomy mass, and the trees shifted and swayed among them like dancers in a darkened ballroom.’ - Spellbinding!


I'm quite mad about McGrew's writing, with his twisted tales, suspense and supernatural elements, perfect pace and poetic prose. Indulge me my enthusiasm, it's rare that I find books that I enjoy to such an extent. In my review of Crossroads I bestowed upon McGrew the title of Master of the Genre, ‘right up there with King and Koontz,’ – now, assured that Crossroads was no one hit wonder, I can say with all certainty that never has a title been more definitive or deserved. McGrew is a sorcerer of storytelling – ‘The Remnant’ is literary magic.  

Mum knows best …

She does. It’s utterly true. Only I’m sometimes loathe to always admit it.

Throughout my life my mum has tried to impart to me her endless wisdom, as do, I don’t doubt, mums everywhere. Only I have a habit of not really listening, of thinking I know best, as do, I don’t doubt, all daughters.

My mum advised me not to get a glass table – said it would scratch and show all the dirt. A wooden table would be best. I went out and got a glass one, declaring that I would simply clean it every day. It sits in the dining room behind me now, covered in scratches and crumbs, and will be replaced by that wooden one as soon as we have spare cash.

My mum advised me not to get a wooden door for our recent extension – said it would rot and weather too quickly. A plastic one would be best. I went ahead with the wooden one, saying we would oil it every year and keep it nice. It too stands behind me now, blackened with condensation on the inside, and half-undercoated on the outside. It too will be replaced, one day, with that plastic one.

Need I go on? …

I always used to wonder why Mum felt the need to impart wisdom at every opportunity – until I had my own baby, and then I finally got it. Not only does Mum

Book Review: 'Blind School,' by John Matthews

The Synopsis

None can see like the Blind…

Ryan Lorimar and Jessica Werner have a special gift: they can see ‘fallen angel’ apparitions within other people. But as the fallen angels in turn know that they’ve been ‘viewed’, it’s a gift that will get him killed. They need protection. They need to enter ‘Blind School.’

Their only hope is Ellis Kendell and his team of agents. Day in, day out, Kendell’s team trawl through street-cam images from across the nation to pick up that tell-tale eye light-refraction of ‘viewers’. Can Kendell’s team get to the viewers before the fallen angels and get them to safety in ‘Blind School’? But there’s also an added agenda: Kendell’s department want the ‘viewers’ help in tracking down more ‘fallen angels.’ 

Yet is Kendell deluding himself? Setting this small group of teens against a legion fifty-times their number of the most cunning and vicious murderers and criminal masterminds the nation has to offer – is he simply throwing them to the wolves? Fated to watch them one-by-one die. The odds are against them.

The Review

'Blind School' literally explodes into action with a shock event. Within pages, schoolboy Ryan sees a swirling apparition in a girl set upon this evil intent. Such swirling entities are ‘fallen angels,’ half-angel but half-demon, and seemingly terrible to behold. Fallen angels - of which there are hundreds of different kinds, of varying levels of malevolence – take possession of their human hosts, causing mischief to downright malice.

From the word go I was fascinated by these apparitions, causing me to turn the pages into the dark hours of the night. I bought into this idea to the point where I felt almost sorry for the ‘victim’ of a fallen angel – having been a puppet to the demonic apparition. I found it quite sad to think that the human host is often left to rot in jail, their fallen angel having by then ‘jumped ship.’ I didn’t, however, feel sorry for villain Lyle, written as he was as a vile and sickening man, committing the worst of sins and making reality of most people’s worst nightmare. Matthews brings an element of horror to the story in Lyle and his chilling cherry tree orchard, where he buries young girls alive.

Matthews’ characters are believable and realistic. Ellis Kendell, head of secret operations to hunt down and ‘contain’ the apparitions, is a driven and focused man, but also jaded by his inability to win each fight. Lusting teenager Ryan is overcome by fury when his girlfriend is threatened. Jessica, said girlfriend, is strong and capable, showing spirited defiance when all seems lost.   

The only time my suspension of disbelief failed me, throughout the entire novel, was in the fact that dozens of teens were suddenly developing hemeralopia and going about in identical sunglasses, although some Internet research assured me that wearing them does in fact help manage the condition. The book's demonology is detailed, and cleverly presented to the reader via the School teachings, as to be totally believable.   

‘Blind School’ is an awesome fast-paced easy read, with flowing narrative and concise description. This book is listed as YA, and according to Wikipedia, I’m almost some 10 years above the genre’s top cut-off age, but I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed this book so much that I only wished, strangely, that it were fact, not fiction. It made me think quite deeply about the sometimes horrific world around me, and that if only Matthews’ ‘fallen angels’ were responsible for human monstrosities, then, in a funny way, the world might be an easier place in which to live.