Frances di Plino's Blog, page 7

Looking for a Reason

For those of you who follow the D.I. Paolo Storey series, you will know that Paolo’s cases are never straightforward. There are always more suspects than one detective should have to cope with. The crimes, too, are never as simple as they first appear. There are always twists that turn clues into red herrings, suspects into victims and victims into suspects.
Looking for a Reason, the fourth in the series, next in line after Bad Moon Rising (a People’s Book Prize finalist), Someday Never Comes (in the running for a CWA Dagger award) and Call it Pretending (released December 2013), gives Paolo even more headaches as nothing is quite what it seems.
Someone is abducting men and subjecting them to three days of rape and torture, but who? More to the point – why? After three days of cruelty, starvation and being deprived of water, they are released.
Paolo has lots of questions. Why three days? Why that particular form of torture? Why deprive them of water? Why let them go?
The biggest question of all: Why will none of them talk about their time in captivity or give any information which would help the police to find the perpetrator? The victims, to a man, refuse even to admit they were held captive.
Looking for a Reason is coming in paperback to a bookshop near you and will be available everywhere online as an ebook Autumn 2014.

Review of Crime Always Pays

Crime Always Pays by Declan Burke is the second in this series. If you haven’t read the first, The Big O , do so before you read Crime Always Pays as much of the humour depends on knowing what has gone before.
The pace is frantic, the characters bizarre, the plot crazy and the settings change so often it’s like going on a round Europe trip on speed! And I loved it!

This is a book that requires you to pay attention or you’ll miss essential parts of the storyline that add to both humour and plot. It has everything a crime caper needs – gory bits, ridiculous bits and serious bits – but how to review it?
Let’s see – in Crime Always Pays a kidnapping and insurance scam has resulted in a shoot-out, leaving some characters in hospital, others in trouble and still more in need of psychiatric care. The police are on the trail of the money and the perpetrators, but so are other bad guys – and other bad guys, too. Everyone is out to double-cross everyone else and keep (or steal) the money. The humour is as non-stop as the action and the dialogue is simply wonderful.
The cast is sublime (my own head is often full of weird people, but I have to bow to Burke’s superiority when it comes to creating serious screwballs). My personal favourite is Sleeps (who suffers from narcolepsy, but ends up being the main driver for getaways and coming backs and you can imagine how that impacts on the plot).
Buy this book – you’ll love it, but only read it after you’ve devoured The Big O .
I was given a copy of this novel by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The fact that I really enjoyed it was a bonus.

Ten facts about … Declan Burke

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?“That’s a hard question to answer, actually. I have no memory of any lightbulb moment – “Hey, I want to be a writer!” But I’d imagine it was relatively early on, when I was eight or nine years old, when the names on the books became as important as the titles – when, for example, I’d go into the library hoping to find an Enid Blyton I hadn’t read before.
Gradually, the idea settled in on me that it would be a wonderful thing – the most wonderful possible thing, the way astronauts believe that to be an astronaut is the best possible thing to be – if I was to grow up to be someone who had my own name on books. To be someone who had the kind of mesmerising effect on other people that writers had on me. That was probably the start of it.”  
How long does it take you to write a book?“How long is a piece of string? It depends to a large extent on the kind of book I’m writing, whether it’s a standalone where you’re creating a whole new world for yourself, with brand new characters, or if I’m writing a book in a series, where I’m already familiar with the characters and the voice and the parameters of that particular world.
As a rough guide, I’d say it usually takes between six to nine months to write the first draft, which is always the stickiest bit for me – I’m not a natural writer, very much a three-words-forward, two-words-back writer. But once I have the first draft down, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop – I could easily spend another six to nine months fiddling around with that draft in any number of subsequent drafts.”
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?“I work full-time as a freelance journalist, which can be time-consuming, but which also allows for a certain amount of flexibility in any given day. When I’m working on a book, I give myself a word count for the week – 5,000 words – and then try to eke out a couple of hours every day to get there.
Sometimes it means getting up at 5am, sometimes it means writing from 5pm in the evening. The weekends are always great; I’ll put in three- to four-hour shifts on Saturday and Sunday mornings. When I’m writing, I try to write seven days a week. Mainly for fear of coming back to the ‘bubble’ and finding it collapsed if it I leave it to its own devices for more than a day at a time.”

How many crime novels have you written?“I published my first, Eightball Boogie, in 2003. Crime Always Pays, which will be published by Severn House in March, will be my fifth novel.”
Which is your favourite and why?“That’s like asking me to decide which of my children is my favourite (happily, I only have one child). I suppose they’re all favourites in their own way – all flawed, but all loveable (to me).
I tend to write a different kind of book each time – I’ve written a couple of private eye novels, featuring Harry Rigby; a couple of crime comedy capers (Crime Always Paysis my second caper novel); and Absolute Zero Cool, which is a story about a crime writer trying to write a caper comedy only to find himself confronted by one of his own fictional creations, a psychotic hospital porter who languishes in the ‘limbo’ of first draft, and who tries to persuade the author to write a book about blowing up a hospital, so that he can be published and come alive.
If I absolutely had to pick a favourite I’d have to say Eightball Boogie, simply because it was my first book to be published, and that was a very special moment in my life.” 
Where do you get your ideas?“That’s another piece-of-string question for me, I’m afraid (and ‘idea’ might be more appropriate …). I suppose, like most people, a lot of ‘my’ ideas are generated by what I read and see in newspapers and books and on TV, or in movies – not that you see or read something and decide to rip it off, or (koff) pay homage, but you might come across something that piques your interest, and you think it might work as a story idea in a certain context, or if it happened to particular people you might have in mind as characters. At least, that’s how a story might start off – but usually, by the time I’ve finished a book, the original inspiration or idea has been long since been overwritten to the point of invisibility.”
Who is your favourite character from your own work and why?“Harry Rigby, probably. Harry’s a guy who – at least when I’m writing him – he’s more me than I am. I wouldn’t want to be him, because he’s had a tough time of it, but I’m glad he’s out there, saying and thinking the things he does. He’s probably me at my best and worst, which allows me to quite happily and (for the most part) calmly occupy the middle ground between the extremes.”  
Which character from the work of others do you wish you’d invented and why?“Well, how much time do you have? … Peter Pan, for one. A fabulous creation, for children and adults alike. Philip Marlowe is another – when I first read the opening paragraph to The Big Sleep, his voice caught my ear like no other character had managed before (or has since). Another is John Grady Cole from All the Pretty Horses. Lizzy Bennett – a brilliant character. Chili Palmer from Get Shorty … I could go on all day.”  
If you could have been someone from history involved in crime (good or bad) who would that be and why?“That’s a hell of a question … I suppose I should say someone like Robin Hood, right? But I don’t know if I’d have been okay with all that sleeping rough in a forest … In theory, though, I’d probably lean towards being some kind of outlaw like Billy the Kid or Bonnie and Clyde, although I’m sure the reality of it all was pretty grim, even before you had to start shooting at people. But as a general notion, and if I had to embark on a criminal enterprise, it would probably involve stealing from the stupidly rich with the bare minimum of violence.”
What are you working on now?“Right this moment, the less I say about it the better. I’ve had a terrible habit in the past of talking stories out of my system, and then realising the tank is dry when I go to write them down. I can tell you that right now it’s a spy story (of sorts) set in Ireland with its roots in an (alleged) atrocity in 1940, all of which is subject to change. Will that do?”
Bio Declan Burke is the author of five crime novels: Eightball Boogie (2003), The Big O (2007), Absolute Zero Cool (2011), Slaughter’s Hound (2012) and Crime Always Pays (2014). He is also the editor of Down Those Green Streets: Irish Crime Writing in the 21st Century (2011) and co-editor, with John Connolly, of Books to Die For (2013).
He blogs on Irish crime writing at Crime Always Pays: http://crimealwayspays.blogspot.ie/Twitter: @declanburkeDeclan Burke on AmazonCrime Always Pays

Ten facts about … Charles Prandy

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?I think I’ve always wanted to be a writer in some way or another. But it wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I decided to sit down and write my first novel. Technology has made being a novelist more obtainable.
How long does it take you to write a book?Anywhere from five to six months. I’m not yet a full-time writer, so I usually can only write at night when everyone’s asleep. Hopefully when I become a full-time writer I’ll move it up to four months.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?During the week I’m usually sitting at the kitchen table writing for a couple of hours at night when everyone’s asleep. On the weekends I like to go to Starbucks and write for a few hours. Something about the coffee smell in Starbucks gets my creative juices flowing.
How many crime novels have you written?I’ve written two which are a part of the Detective Jacob Hayden series. Jacob is a homicide detective working for the D.C. police department.
Which is your favourite and why?Kind of hard to say. I like them both. But I guess I like the second book, Behind the Closed Door, a little better. As a writer you should become a better storyteller with each book, and I believe it reflects in, Behind the Closed Door. I don’t really read reviews, but I see comments that people make and they seem to really love it.
Where do you get your ideas?They can come from anywhere and everywhere. Sometimes I see someone doing something while walking along the sidewalk and I’ll ask myself, I wonder if? Or I’ll be driving in my car with the radio off and just let my thoughts run wild until they land on something that I think could be interesting. One of the great things about having a smart phone is that I can use the voice recorded app whenever an idea pops in my head. It could be something like, think about why the sky is blue. And at some later point I’ll play back the recordings and see if anything sounds interesting.
Who is your favourite character from your own work and why?It’d have to be Jacob. He’s a likeable guy. I didn’t want him to be a bigger than life detective that’s often portrayed in the movies. I try to make him as real and believable as possible. He’s not going to win every fight or figure out the crime on his first try. But he believes in justice and will continue investigating until the crime is solved.
Which character from the work of others do you wish you’d invented and why?I actually like the Donovan Creed character from John Locke’s novels. I like how John Locke made Donovan Creed humorous and witty, but also tough and nimble for a guy of his size.
If you could have been someone from history involved in crime (good or bad) who would that be and why?Probably Albert Einstein because hopefully he would have been smart enough not to get caught at whatever crime he committed.
What are you working on now?I’m currently working on the third book in the series entitled, The Game of Life or Death. In this book Jacob has to solve the murders of a family that he’s known since he was a kid. Through his investigation he’ll learn that the father of the family was not the man he’d known nearly his whole life. And, Jacob will finally come face to face with the man who’s been sending him threatening letters, a man known only as, The Game.
BioCharles graduated from the University of Maryland University College with a degree in Legal Studies. He attended Wesley Theological Seminary for two years, and it was there that he got the idea to write his first novel, The Last of the Descendants, which was published in May of 2008. Charles enjoys writing crime thrillers and does extensive research on his topics.
List of Books:The Last of the DescendantsThe AvengedBehind the Closed DoorThe Game of Life or Death (April 2014)
Amazon Page
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charles-Prandy/722556557754669?ref=br_tf
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlesPrandy
Website: www.charlesprandy.com 

Blast from the past

I was doing some online research for the next in the D.I. Paolo Storey series (Looking for a Reason) when I stumbled across a book club review page of Bad Moon Rising. I hadn't even realised these reviews existed, so it was great to see what three readers felt about the first in the series. In the main, the comments are positive. There are one or two negative comments, but overall the book received a thumbs up, but why not see for yourself? Crime Scene Reader

Ten facts about ... Ed Jakubik

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?
When I was 17 years old, my English teacher from St. Peter’s Prep pulled me aside after class and blasted me. He told me that essays and papers he witnessed me writing in bus stops on the way to school were as good as other students who dedicated weeks of time toward the same projects. He told me to stop wasting my talent. I listened.
How long does it take you to write a book?
The Doll Collector took me roughly 6 years to finish. A true labor of love.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
I dedicate time every day to write, whether it’s for ten minutes of a few hours. Most of my work gets done late evenings when everyone in my home is asleep.
How many crime novels have you written?
The Doll Collector is my first novel. I plan on writing a series of novels around Special Detective Beck McManus.
Which is your favourite and why?
My first, I guess.
Where do you get your ideas?
I get my ideas from personal experiences growing up in a crazy New Jersey town (Bayonne), other great works from my favorite authors and real life everyday stories. As mad as it sounds, I have the outlines of the next 5 novels I will write swirling around in my tormented mind.
Who is your favourite character from your own work and why?
My favorite character is my antagonist, Morton Eldiman. He embodies the concept of social conditioning and how monsters are truly created—through systematic physical and mental torture. I put a ton of thought into him.
Which character from the work of others do you wish you’d invented and why?
I truly wish I invented Hannibal Lecter of the famed Thomas Harris novels. Lecter is such a complex, well thought out villain. His paralyzing demeanor always rattled me.
If you could have been someone from history involved in crime (good or bad) who would that be and why?
Wow, great question. Don’t judge me but I have to say I would love to see life through the eyes of Jack the Ripper. Not necessarily the point of view of gruesome murders per say, but to witness England during such a pivotal time in history.  A hundred and twenty years later, the most infamous serial killer in history is still relevant.
What are you working on now?
I am currently writing a follow up novel entitled Wolf Moon. It expands across the pond and pulls in some great new characters. It’s a bit more complex than the first novel but doesn’t lose pace.
BioEd grew up in Bayonne, NJ— a neighborhood that was more impressed with how far you could hit a stickball rather than how creative you could be. Luckily, he was cognizant of the ‘signs’ his higher power set forth and he began his journey.  Ed has enjoyed a successful sales career for over a decade which helped mold a tenacious, never back down attitude towards his true passion— writing. 
Ed and his wife, Maria, have two children; Jack and Lily.  They reside in Spring Lake, NJ. Ed is a graduate of Castelton State College where, in 1995, he received his Bachelor of Science degree. Ed is also a proud graduate of St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City, NJ.
Website: http://edjakubik.com/

When the reviews come in twos ...

Book reviews are rather like buses: you wait ages and then two come along together. I am thrilled to say that Someday Never Comes has recently received two excellent reviews. 
The first came on the wonderful Confessions of a Reader. Marilou George also reviews for The Kindle Book Review.
Read review here.
The second review of Someday Never Comes (copied in part below) arrived on the Amazon UK site and, in a way, is even more satisfying because it’s an Amazon Verified Purchase, which means the reviewer bought the book and enjoyed the read enough to come back and comment.
"I think this is a difficult way to spend a few hours but I thoroughly recommend it."
Read review here.

Ten Facts About ... Seumas Gallacher

When did you first realise you wanted to be a writer?


SG : I don’t think it was a ‘realisation’… more of a slow dawning that the immersion in writing was giving me so much pleasure. The first novel was written only 5 years or so ago, after a decades-long career in the financial world as a corporate trouble-shooter.

That initial writing foray was to salve the ‘I can write that book that everybody’s supposed to have in them’ feeling. It’s taken off from there. Since then, the added allure of the SOSYAL NETWURKIN whirl to help BUILD THE PLATFORM is something this old Jurassic has taken to like a duck to water. LUVVIN IT!

How long does it take you to write a book?

SG : The first book, THE VIOLIN MAN’S LEGACY, took only three months to get the first draft finished, the second, VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK absorbed seven months, the third, SAVAGE PAYBACK, gobbled up thirteen months. Much of that extending time was spent honing editorial skills, which is paramount to get the work to the point where I’m happy for people to read it. The next one is not going to take anything like that length of time (fingers crossed!)

What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

SG: For me it’s paramount to have a disciplined routine, at least for the writing/creative part of the business (I look on the writing as a business, encompassing the ‘after-scribbling’ work as much as the actual writing.) I write in the mornings for a couple of hours, and if time permits later in the day, I’ll write then, also. In between, I spend daily allocated time on the SOSYAL NETWURKIN channels, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn and my Blog, all of which are important pieces of the jigsaw for getting my name and my work into the readership universe.

How many crime novels have you written?

SG: So far, the three mentioned above, and currently on the fourth, with at least another two to follow… the ideas for crime thrillers are so easy…all I have to do is watch the cable channel news for ideas. 

Which is your favourite and why?

SG: That’s like asking a parent which is the favourite offspring. I get so engrossed in each of them when I write, I like them all equally (they’re my little babies!)

Where do you get your ideas?

SG: The theme for all the Jack Calder series (he’s the main character) originated from my time in the Far East, where one of my engagements was managing the turnaround of a stricken ferry company. I fired six hundred trade union dockworkers, and took several local policemen and mayors off the security payroll in the townships we served, as they were helping themselves to the company’s money and assets. Death threats followed as did the need for an armoured car and a squad of armed bodyguards for three years. These guys were trained by a former SAS officer. Hence the genesis of the Jack Calder character.

Who is your favourite character from your own work and why?

SG: Strangely, a minor character from the first novel. A South American ‘fix-things’ guy who helps with some of the undercover black ops scenes. His role was needed for only a couple of chapters, but I had such fun with the scenarios created through his presence, I was sad to have to write him out of the book (I didn’t kill him off, so perhaps I can bring him in again in another novel).

Which character from the work of others do you wish you’d invented and why?

SG: There are so many, but I recall what an impact ‘Lee’ made on me from John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. The character is an educated housekeeper of Chinese immigrant parents. Throughout the novel, he acts as the philosophical voice and stabilising force in the household of the principal proponents, the Trask family. Terrific characterisation, and a piece of genius in deflected story-telling from Steinbeck.

If you could have been someone from history involved in crime (good or bad) who would that be and why?

SG: Easy one. Eliot Ness. Champion of the good over the bad guys. Gutsy, maverick, determined.

What are you working on now?

SG: The fourth in the Jack Calder series, KILLER CITY, and hope to have it up on Amazon Kindle soon after New Year.

BioSeumas Gallacher was born in the cradle of the Govan shipyards in Glasgow in the so-called ‘bad old days’, which were really the greatest of days, where everybody was a true character of note.
An early career as a trainee banker led to a spell in London, where his pretence to be a missionary converting the English fell on deaf ears.
Escape to the Far East in 1980 opened up access to cultures and societies on a global scale, eventually bringing the realisation that the world is simply one large, extended village.
The lifelong desire to write resulted in THEVIOLIN MAN’S LEGACY, the first in a planned series. Seumas’ sequel novel, VENGEANCE WEARS BLACK was launched in early July 2012. The third, SAVAGEPAYBACK, was released in late 2013 with at least two other books to follow in the same vein. Ebook downloads on his novels exceed 70,000 to date.
Seumas lives in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Blog                : http.www.seumasgallacher.wordpress.comTwitter             : @seumasgallacherFacebook         : http://www.facebook.com/seumasgallacherEmail               : seumasgallacher@yahoo.com
Crime Thrillers by Seumas Gallacher
THE VIOLIN MAN’S LEGACYVENGEANCE WEARS BLACKSAVAGE PAYBACKAll available on Amazon Kindle

Interviewed by Declan Burke

Author and journalist Declan Burke shone the spotlight in my eyes and threatened me with a rubber hose unless I coughed up the answers to some searching questions. You can read all about it on his blog, just click here.

Although I cowered in fear, I knew my revenge would make it all worthwhile. Coming soon to this blog - Declan gets the torch in his eyes for a change.

Excellent review from Crime Fiction Lover

Knowing one of your novels is going to be reviewed by a highly respected review site, such as Crime Fiction Lover, can be a nerve-wracking experience. I know this because Someday Never Comes was accepted for review (and this is a site that is very picky indeed about what they will and will not feature).

First came the delight of knowing Someday Never Comes was going to be in the company of some really big hitters in the crime genre (my reviewer recently covered such names as Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Peter May). Then followed the fear of knowing I was going to be judged as an author against those same names.

After a few uncomfortable days worrying about how I would fare, I finally got the message that the review was up on the site. To say I was delighted would be an understatement akin to mentioning the earth revolved around the sun.

I was thrilled by lines like these: ... this writer is adept in the art of creating realistic characters and their complex relationship with each other. and There are twists and turns galore as we all try to work out who the enigmatic Joey actually is, and the final reveal is neatly executed.

You can read the review in full here.

Some other news regarding Someday Never Comes - it is in the running for a Crime Writers' Association Dagger Award. Once again, it will be up against the top names in crime. Fingers crossed I'll be able to bring some good news in a few months.

If you want to take advantage of the publisher's kindle sale, all three D.I. Paolo Storey titles are on sale at 99p/99c as a Valentine's special.