Col Bury's Blog, page 3

THE END... OR... THE BEGINNING...? (Regardless, am off to Harrogate!).

It's five in the morning and I've just finished my second attempt at a crime novel, and sent it off to my agent, Nat Sobel.
It's been a tough year, after getting tantalisingly close with the first attempt, and gleaning amazing compliments from respected editors (who still didn't buy it!), then having to repeat the arduous process, while wondering if I could put myself through it all again.   
It sounds like I didn't enjoy the process, but I did, only it's such a strain, mentally, having to try and balance family life, a demanding job and writing.  It's been a very bumpy journey, one only other writers can truly understand, so I hope it's all been worthwhile. 
The first 'novel' is sat on my hard drive and, with a few tweaks, I still have faith in it.  Regarding the manuscript I've just sent to Nat, I (we) had a total rethink and it was a BIG ask, throughout which I had to stretch myself more than that bendy bloke off the Fantastic Four!  I'd set myself a target to finish it before the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival.  So mission accomplished! ;-)
Just pray Nat likes it. EEK! ;-)

A HAT TRICK OF GOOD 'CRIME' NEWS!

GOAL 1: My good bud, David Barber's taken his long-awaited plunge into the eBook world with his hard-hitting collection of short stories, FROM A CROWDED MIND Vol. 1 (what a crackin' cover too!).  It includes some of Dave's best online shorts with several new ones.  I've read it and it's a beaut.  Back of the net!

Grab a copy on Amazon UK or Amazon.com.


   GOAL 2: It's cool to see that Nick Quantrill's second novel, THE LATE GREATS , is being very well received. His first, BROKEN DREAMS , is a cracking noir look at Hull through the eyes of P.I. Joe Geraghty .  In this latest jaunt, when Geraghty goes searching for the lead singer of a reformed band, the shit hits the fan big time.  In off the bar!



GOAL 3: I got an email the other day from Maxim Jakubowski, the editor behind THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME series.  I was was honoured to be in Volume 9 last year alongside some stellar names.  For Volume 10, Maxim would like to use my short story, FISTS OF DESTINY , from my eBook MANCHESTER 6.  To say, I'm well chuffed is an understatement. Get in! ;-)

Laters,
Col

May be a bit quiet, but I'm still bang at it...

Lots of words being written and projects on the go, amid family, life and (bloody) shift work! Just letting you all know that if I'm not as accessible just lately, it's because I'm zoning in on finishing the first draft of novel attempt number two with my loyal agent, Nat Sobel. It's something I must see through.
I'll still be kicking around online, if anyone wants to chew the fat, just not as much for a while.

Regards,
Col

ACTION: Pulse Pounding Tales Vol. 1 FREE...

On June 6th and 7th be sure to download ACTION: Pulse Pounding Tales FREE.  


Not sure?  Well, when you see the list of established authors who've contributed, alongside some talented newbies, then you know you're getting some top notch thriller fiction to feast upon.


Call me a 'name-dropper'... Matt Hilton, Stephen Leather, Zoe Sharp, Adrian Magson, Richard Godwin, K.A. Laity, Paul D. Brazill, David Barber, Steven Saville, Graham Smith, Absolutely Kate, Paul Grzegorzek, Mark Dark, Joe McCoubrey, Robin Jarossi, and many more... (37 in total). Did I mention I was in it too? ;-)


Grab it 'n' enjoy...


Amazon US.

Amazon UK.

New Crime Fiction Releases...

I've been busy with 'life' and writing, endeavouring to find that elusive perfect balance.  Thought I'd share some news about forthcoming and recently published crime fiction.  It's great to see Paul D Brazill and Luca Veste's, True Brit Grit is out, including no fewer than 44 talented British writers, plus me! ;-) It for charity too, so grab a copy here.


There's a real buzz around the forthcoming anthology being compiled by thriller author, Matt Hilton, entitled: ACTION: Pulse Pounding Tales.  Matt's not only paying the authors for their stories (retirement isn't imminent, but it's a start!), but he's also donating 50p per copy sold in the first month (May) to the worthy cause: Help For Heroes. To find out more go here.

I recently received my signed copy of Mr Glamour by Richard Godwin.  It's gleaning great reviews already, not surprising considering his first novel, Apostle Rising has become something of a cult classic.

Really chuffed to see that London cabbie, Danny Kemp's début novel, The Desolate Garden , is going to be made into a film.

More great news regarding 'watching' novels - Sheila Quigley's novel, Run For Home is being adapted for screen. Congrats Sheila!


The 'Queen of Dark Fiction', Lily Childs has recently unleashed her aptly titled eBook, The Cabaret of Dread - 43 cross-genre horror nuggets. Buy it here.

Ex-cop, Paul Grzegorzek has re-released The Follow. If in doubt, check out the reviews here!

And last, but certainly not least (!), some bloke called Col Bury currently has his eBook of gritty crime shorts, Manchester 6 , at HALF PRICE for a limited time! ;-)

BIGGER, BETTER, LEANER & MEANER THAN BEFORE - MANCHESTER 6 RE-RELEASED!!!

I'm proud of this. Really proud. Put a lot of effort into ensuring the reader gets good value.  Re-reading and re-editing it felt like I was reading someone else's work, and the satisfying thing was, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Never been one to blow me own trumpet, but I'd buy it!!! :-)

I admit, I kinda rushed in last time, but if things hadn't panned out the way they did, I probably wouldn't have reached this point, and learned so much.

And here's a paradox... despite Manc 6 being much leaner, it's also fatter! I've added a few little bonuses for the reader - which I won't spoil here - as well as bringing on board a top photographer in Nigel Maitland to do the covers (yeah, there was an 'S' in covers!). You did a crackin' job, Nige - thanks.  Check out his work here.

NOTE: I kept the same title as it's the same (re-edited) six stories and, more importantly, so that people weren't inadvertently duped into buying the same book (even though I know it's much better than before).

You can preview it or buy it here (UK) or here (US).

The great thing is Amazon put back up my 23 reviews without asking, which was jolly decent of them. Do me a favour though, even if you don't buy it, agree with the tags and 'like' if you'd be so kind.

BYKER BOOKS' RADGEPACKET LAUNCH & A LITTLE TEASER FROM ME...

Here's what Byker Ed has to say...
"It's true kids - there's another 'Radge' launch happening on the streets of Britain... sorry! We'll be having our soiree (posh eh?) at The Back Page Bookshop, 53 St. Andrews St, Newcastle upon Tyne on 10th March between 12:00 and 15:00. There'll be a bit of booze, some nibbly stuff, a guest speaker (proper author like!) and, of course, loads of banter. Coming?"


Personally, I'm gutted that I can;t make it due to work commitments.  Especially as my story WANTED won a place alongside the likes of Nick Quantrill, Alan Griffiths, Paul Brazill, Darren Sant, Danny Hill, Ian Ayris, Pete Sortwell, Charlie Wade, Sally Spedding, Luca Veste, Craig Douglas and many more...


Here's Ed again to fill you in (he's a bit of a tough guy!)...
"The Radgepacket series goes from strength to strength with each volume, and in this our sixth book of short stories, you'll find twenty-two of Britain's best 'unsigned and unhinged' authors. They'll entertain you with tales of bus stops and loony cops, loan sharks and car parks, big fat blokes, dodgy smokes, lines of coke and some appalling jokes. So come and have a read if you think you're hard enough!"


On another note, there are rumours that I have a 'manly chest'... :-)


COMING SOON... SO SOON I CAN TASTE IT...


  Thanks for the tag-line, Luca! :-)

New Kid on the Blog, plus eBook News...

Crimesquad reviewer-cum-crime writer, Graham Smith has a snazzy new blog here.

Graham's one of many writers who've taken the plunge into the eBook world.

I'm pleased to announce that my own eBook, MANCHESTER 6 , will be back (in style!) and on the virtual shelves soon. It will be followed by a further crime collection in 'The Manchester Series'.

Here's a selection of some cool eBooks that have recently been released, or are out soon...

BLOGFLASH... Severing Ties...

Last October I temporarily broke from the novel writing and ventured into the mystical (to me) world of e-publishing with the help of Trestle Press .  Pretty soon into this exciting phase of my writing journey, warning bells began to tinkle... but, alas, not loud enough it seems.

I won't ramble on, as I'll later point you in the direction of a fellow writer who has done the most balanced and pertinent post to date on this subject... and believe me, there are a lot of people talking about this!

The upshot is that Trestle Press are being heavily criticised for allegedly using ebook cover artworks without permission. I've never been one for bad-mouthing folk, so I'll bite my lip, hard, and leave it at that.

However, I am extremely proud of the reputation I've worked hard to build, both as a writer and ezine editor, so I've emailed Trestle's Giovanni Gelati and asked him to withdraw 'Manchester 6' from sale.  I also asked Gio for sales details and payment.  For the record, I actually supplied the photo used for my cover.  Unfortunately, some highly respected writers have been sucked into this controversy.

Personally, it's a bummer, as my ebook seemed to be consistently selling, which is one good thing, I suppose.  Other authors, I know and respect, had more than one ebook with Trestle, so I'm genuinely gutted for them.  They've since jumped ship.  I just hope the stormy seas calm down soon...

The whole episode (which is fast becoming a 'series') has left a very sour taste.  It's a steep learning curve and no doubt we'll reassess matters, then endeavour to have our ebooks back on the market.  I have every faith that our strongly knit online writing community will support the innocent authors involved.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of this 'mess', so please do feel free to comment below.

Anyway, that excellent post I mentioned is from Luca Veste , and is much more articulate and comprehensive than mine.  Read it here.

Pondering,
Col

WRITING JOKES #1... wanna join in?

I thought I'd start the new year with a bit of fun in this (hopefully) new feature...


Please feel free to contribute in the comments section. I'd prefer one-liners, but would stretch at two,  the punchier the better. Anything around books, reading, writing, authors, stories, crime fiction - even tenuous links - will suffice. So, if you think of one, or hear a good un, you know where to come to spread the fun!


Here's me first batch for starters...


I've put everything I know into this novel... it's turned into a short story.


A row of books just hit me on the head... I've only got my-shelf to blame.


Been reading this book called 'The History of Glue'... I just couldn't put it down.


To celebrate my publication, the wife treated me to a candlelit meal... for some reason it was under-cooked.


Was gonna read this book I bought about improving your memory... but couldn't find it.


I'll get me coat...


Can YOU do better...? If not, no worries, just pick yer fave! :-)


But make me laugh 'n' I'll open the feature out to guest posts of YOUR writing jokes.


Ps. Thanks must go to 'King of the one-liners', Tim Vine , whose DVD I got for Christmas and inspired this.