Alan Williams's Blog, page 76
June 25, 2013
Location hunting - it all gets easier
I often get asked at talks how I go about hunting and recording locations for use in my books. The answer is... it depends. My habits have changed radically over the years.
In the beginning I did what I'd been trained for -- walked round with a pen and notepad and scribbled down anything of interest. It worked, after a fashion.
I've picked up some of the best writing tips (and bigger bill for gadgets) from David Hewson.
May 27, 2013
Dark Rite by Alan Baxter & David Wood
Dark Rite by David Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Alan Baxter and David Wood have totally nailed the small town, backwoods horror with Dark Rite. The residents of the town are drawn as convincing obsessed characters with a feel of Deliverance in their attitudes to outsiders. You’re never quite sure what’s driving them, although all will be revealed, but they’re single minded in their intent.
The story has just the right amount of creepy horror and weird goings on to keep you turning the pages to f...
April 5, 2013
1 Rm Riv Vu, NYC Wildlife Edition
Reblogged from Out walking the dog:
New York City's wildlife sometimes hit the real estate jackpot. Yes, while many humans can no longer afford to live in Manhattan, the birds and raccoons are doing just fine. Many even enjoy sunset views like this one over the Hudson River.
Some animals prefer traditional pre-war living environments in which to raise their families.
Others enjoy a more modern situation.
Love the ingenuity of urban wildlife...
April 3, 2013
Going Paperless? Well Maybe Not Everywhere
February 25, 2013
Guest Post: Jon Land, author of Pandora’s Temple
What Makes A Thriller?
My guest today is thriller author Jon Land. I asked him the following question:
Bookstores and libraries love to categorise. Generally ‘crime’ gets its own spot, whereas a ‘thriller’ will get placed within the ‘general fiction’. So what separates ‘crime’ from a ‘thriller’ and when do the bookstores and libraries get it wrong?
Here’s what Jon had to say:
That’s actually my absolute favourite question in the world. Could take a whole book to answer, but let me try to give you...
Book Review: Pandora’s Temple by Jon Land
Synopsis:
What if Pandora’s box was real. That’s the question facing Former Special Forces commando and rogue agent Blaine McCracken who returns from a 15-year absence from the page in his tenth adventure.
McCracken has never been shy about answering the call, and this time it comes in the aftermath of deepwater oilrig disaster that claims the life of a one-time mem-ber of his commando unit. The remnants of the rig and its missing crew lead him to the inescapable conclusion that one of the most...
February 14, 2013
Two Years A Kindle Owner
I’ve had a Kindle for little over two years now.
I wondered when I bought it how it might affect my reading and book buying habits. Would I stop buying physical books and only buy Kindle books from now on? Would my kindle be just a flash in a pan though, and would I be unable to give up the allure of the physical book.
In truth after two years I think it’s none of the above. I think I have spent far more money on “books” than I might otherwise have done in the last two years, having regularly f...
February 4, 2013
January 31, 2013
Book Review: Proof of Guilt by Charles Todd
Synopsis
An unidentified body appears to have been run down by a motorcar and Ian Rutledge is leading the investigation to uncover what happened. While signs point to murder, vital questions remain. Who is the victim? And where, exactly, was he killed?
One small clue leads the Inspector to a firm built by two families, famous for producing and selling the world’s best Madeira wine. Lewis French, the current head of the English enterprise is missing. But is he the dead man? And do either his fia...
January 26, 2013
Book Review: Smoking on Mount Rushmore by Ed Lynskey
This is a cracking little short story collection by Ed Lynskey, who’s probably better known for his Frank Johnson PI series and other novels such as “Lake Charles”. It contains 16 stories, some new and some that have been published in other places before. Together they make for a great collection that really show this writers talents, and given that the author reckons to have published over 300 short stories, I hope that this is the first of a number of collections of his work.
The stories ran...
