Tim Flanagan's Blog, page 18

The Most Bizarre Interview You Will Read!

I have had the privilege of being interviewed by the very unique Ian Hutson, today. I would recommend getting the full impact of his interview by visiting his website – The Diesel-Electric Elephant Company 


To give you a taste – this is how the interview begins:

Author: Tim Flanagan. AREA 2 are offering a reward for information on his whereabouts. #NOV #ASMSG

Have you seen this man?

If you do see this man do not approach him.

He is known to be armed with a rapier (wit).

I obtained my interview with him before he escaped, just immediately before he escaped as it happened, but it was not easy.

For one thing, it was rather difficult obtaining permission to enter Area 2.

Area 2 is the RAF’s secret base, shared with the chaps from MI5 and has been linked to many myserious sightings of UBOs – Unidentified Bicycling Objects. Quite how Mr Flanagan escaped from his confinement there is beyond me but I will say this – I thought that the back end of my Austin Mini Traveller was a little heavy as I drove away. Perhaps there was more under that old tartan blanket than just the last pheasant I ran over…

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

How Do You Make A Story Stand Out? + Another Video!

How do you make a story stand out when there are so many other books out there? Read the post I wrote on this subject Taking Time for Mommy website.


Also – another video for you!

Dylan is showing you how to draw another character from The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown – Shadwell, one of the hired hitmen.

Also this week:

Tomorrow I have the most bizarre and amusing interview I have ever done!

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle and paperback at Amazon

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration comes from the most unexpected places. Read the post I wrote on this subject over on Kelley Grealis’s website, My Art to Inspire.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

Paperback coming out this weekend! In a glorious, large format, full colour book you can touch and smell (if you wish?!)

What Inspires A Story? + Another Review!

What inspires a story? Read the post I wrote on this subject over on Deb Nam-Crane’s website, Written By Deb.
Also – another review!
Elsa Takaoka – from Picture Story eBook:

“A good book is captivating, cozy, exciting, one you can not put down. There is a certain connection you can make with the characters in a book that is not possible with any other form of entertainment. A good book allows you to breathe life into a character, by connecting the author’s words with the readers personal life-experiences.

Tonight’s book, was a good book. The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown or The Pumpkin of Doom by Tim Flanagan, a book for pre-teens. I lost myself in the book, and although the book has skillfully drawn comic style illustrations, the wording style of the writing is astonishingly descriptive.

The way Lawrence Pinkley, the eighteen year old, private investigator and main character describes his first encounter with Russet Brown, is straight out of a 1930’s detective movie, descriptive and eloquent. “ An elegantly dressed woman had entered Piffany’s and seemed to be floating gracefully towards my table….”I’m Brown, Russet Brown,” and she was. Her red-brown hair tumbled across her shoulders, framing an olive-toned face and dark brown eyes. A thick coat that reached down to her knees was tightly wrapped around her body.”

But if you think this set’s the tone for the book as a romantic-sappy teen novel you will be in for quite the surprise, the book also contains the following lines “ It made me wonder why the monkey would be the lucky owner of such a red rear. Maybe it was due to its limited and prickly diet, or possibly a lack of soft jungle toilet tissue.”

These two lines, sum up the tone of the book, about a Private Investigator who is caught between being a teenager and an adult. Lawrence Pinkly, who takes over the family Private Investigations business, after the death of his father, has no previous experience or for that matter an interest in the family business. However unbeknown to Lawrence, the private detective blood in him is strong.

Why this story works, Long gone are the days where teenagers were familiar with detective style mystery novels. Lawrence, is new at this private investigating too, after recalling how he fumbled with his first assignment, the case of the missing monkey, he explains “That’s the sort of thing a P.I does. Missing items, the things the local police force lose interest in or don’t class as important, as well as situations of a more peculiar nature.” Both the main character and the reader are discovering unknown territory, working to solve a mystery and discovering a new genre.

There is an old-school charm to this book, with a touch of witty-humor (at times “bathroom-humor”.) that makes for a great read for middle-schoolers.

And of course it does not hurt that the illustrations are their own little masterpieces.”

Also this week:

Tomorrow I visit Kelley Grealis’s website.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

Paperback coming soon.

Guest Post and Video

How can you create something that stands out from the crowd? Especially when the number of books increases on a daily basis.
I recently wrote a guest post for fellow author Jonathan Gould, on this subject entitled “Stand above the crowd – visually involve the reader.”

Go over to Jonathan’s website, Dag-Lit Central and have a read.
Plus – Video of how to draw Pinkley!

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown was illustrated by Dylan Gibson. During the process he recorded several time lapse videos demonstrating how he creates some of the drawings. More to come.

 

Also this week:

Guest Posts on ‘Inspiration’ with Deb Nam Krane and Kelley Grealis,  plus another review.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

Paperback coming soon.

Interview and Review

Go over to Carol Bonds website, The Unseen Promise and read the interview she did with me.
Also – the first review!
Maria Foley – Book Junkie Reviews:

“Tim Flanagan’s new children’s book, The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown a Lawrence Pinkley Mystery is a great read. Even the most reluctant reader will find something in this book that will get them wanting to read. It has mystery, humor, and it’s paced perfectly so there aren’t any parts that drag. The reader is taken on twists and turns with private investigator Lawrence Pinkley as he searches for Professor Brown. We are passengers on the thrill ride that is this book as the mystery unveils itself.  The reader will in one moment be laughing, and then in the next moment will be drawn into the suspense of the story. Mr. Flanagan has created a children’s book that will entertain and leave the reader wanting more of these books. The illustrations add so much to the story. The colors pop off the page, and they help bring bigger than life characters into reality.  Bravo to Tim Flanagan for creating a story for children that is interesting and creative.”

Also this week:

Guest Posts on ‘Inspiration’ with Deb Nam Krane and Kelley Grealis, and ‘How to Stand Above the Crowd’ on Jonathan Gould’s website.

Plus a couple of reviews.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

Paperback coming soon.

Lawrence Pinkley on Tour

Today Mena Bruno has kindly featured an article I wrote about why inspiring locations are important in a book.
Check out the article – Location, Location, Location

Also this week:

Interview with Carol Bond

Guest Posts on ‘Inspiration’ with Deb Nam Krane and Kelley Grealis, and ‘How to Stand Above the Crowd’ on Jonathan Gould’s website.

Plus a couple of reviews.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown

by Tim Flanagan and illustrations by Dylan Gibson

Available in Kindle at Amazon

Paperback coming soon.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown – Available now!

I’m pleased to let you all know that my new humorous detective story, The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown is now available to download for your kindle. The paperback version will also shortly be released.

The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown
or, The Pumpkin of Doom.

Eighteen year old Lawrence Pinkley is Whitby’s greatest Private Detective. In fact, he’s Whitby’s only Private Detective.

Pinkley’s skills are called into play in the first case of a reluctant career.

One night, in a high security laboratory, a scientist mysteriously disappears, leaving behind an overly nervous assistant and a trail of pumpkin juice. Pinkley is hired to investigate the disappearance by the professor’s beautiful daughter, forcing him to quickly learn the skills he needs to solve his first major crime.

But every move Pinkley makes is being watched.

As he blunders from one clue to the next he stumbles across secret messages, talking pumpkins, the Russian mafia, and hired hitmen. His life now depends on him solving the case. Not to mention the future of mankind!

Available Now : Kindle £2.99 / $2.99

Solve the case – win a prize! Part 2

Here is the second part in the short story featuring Lawrence Pinkley, the eighteen year old detective from the forthcoming book The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown. If you missed the first part, please catch then read the solution on this page.

The Vanishing Fish -  A Lawrence Pinkley Mystery

Part 2.

‘An interesting question. And I think I have your answer,’ I paused for effect, waiting for a gasp of amazement, but didn’t get one. I continued anyway. ‘You see, I don’t think the fish were ever here in the first place.’

‘But, I unloaded them myself!’ replied Mr Stickleback. ‘If there’s one thing that’s certain – I unloaded the fish from my boat and put them on the floor, right here!’

I walked around the entrance to the warehouse and chewed the end of my pen, trying to look like I was deep in thought. I had seen detectives doing it on the television when they were just about to announce the murderer. It all added to the tension and justified my pay.

‘The solution is very simple when you look at the facts. My suspicions began when I noticed that all of the warehouses are identical in every way except for their number plaques. I see warehouse number five is missing their number, no doubt blown off in the storm. When we were outside I could see that your plaque was loose, as if it had been hastily removed, or replaced. Beneath the plaque was a dusting of wood shavings, disturbed when a screw was removed. If it had happened any earlier than today, the storm would have washed away any trace of it. What if your number plaque had been moved and what you actually did was unload your catch into someone else’s warehouse?’

‘But that can’t be possible. I unlocked the warehouse myself, before I unloaded.’

‘That is the clever part. The key to your warehouse was in your coat which you left unattended on the wharf when you went to fetch Dave Barton. Enough time for the number plaque to be removed and placed on another identical warehouse, whilst the key to the new warehouse replaced the old one you had in your pocket. That way you would think you were opening the padlock to your own warehouse. After you left for breakfast, the number plaque was replaced; your original padlock removed with the key that had been stolen from your pocket and replaced with the padlock you now had the key to.’

‘But who could have done that?’

We walked back out onto the wharf and looked along the wooden walkway.

‘Your neighbour, Randy Lyons. You said yourself that he was getting ready to go out when you returned, which you thought was far too late, but now you can see his warehouse is heavily stocked with fish. You unloaded your catch into his warehouse. You now have his padlock on your door whilst your old one is probably now on his.’ All those hours sitting inside reading Agatha Christie while the storm blew through town had actually paid off. I felt quite pleased with myself.

Mr Stickleback had now become so red in his face, I thought he was about to explode.

‘The scoundrel! How can we prove it?’ he asked.

‘We can’t,’ I answered. ‘But, I would change your lock if I were you.’

Suddenly my attention was drawn to a small movement in the darkness of warehouse number four. From around the door to Mr Stickleback’s warehouse the face of a small tabby cat peered out, licking its lips as it surveyed its surroundings. It trotted out onto the wharf, followed by a stream of cats made up of all different colours, shapes and types. I assumed I was watching all 57 of Mrs Meakin’s lost cats making their way along the wharf with bellies starved of food for four days now satisfied and full to the brim with freshly caught fish. Luckily, Mr Stickleback seemed to be too preoccupied watching his fishing rival to notice the cats.

‘Thank you, Mr Winkley,’ said Mr Stickleback shaking my hand. ‘I will find some way to recoup what I’m owed by Mr Lyons.’ With that he strode towards his neighbours warehouse.

That was my cue to quickly leave before things got ugly between Mr Stickleback and Mr Lyons. I would pop into Mrs Meakins on the way back to my office and tell her where her cats had been hiding. I was sure they would find their way back to her in good time, especially if she left out some fresh fish for them.

I took a step forward, skidded on a green blob of phlegm, lost my footing and fell face down on the fishing wharf.

Did you work it out?

Coming Next:

Pinkley Puzzle and Desktop Theme

Solve the case – win a prize!

Today I have something exclusive to show you – the first of a two part short story featuring Lawrence Pinkley, the eighteen year old detective from the forthcoming book The Curious Disappearance of Professor Brown. I have a challenge for you – solve the case before Pinkley and win a set of five limited edition signed prints from the book. I will reveal the solution to the case on Wednesday 13th November. Just add your solution to the comments section below and the first person to correctly work out the answer will win. You will find out if you are right when part 2 is released. Have fun!

The Vanishing Fish -  A Lawrence Pinkley Mystery

Allow me to introduce myself – my name is Lawrence Pinkley, I’m a private detective. There aren’t many 18 year old detectives in Whitby, in fact, I was the only one, but not by choice. I found myself pulled to the cold north east of England following my father’s death, unwillingly inheriting the Pinkley Investigation Group, or PIG for short.

It had been a peculiar week in Whitby.

It began when a vicious storm blew in from the North Sea and crippled the migration of tourists to the town, who decided instead to stay inside their guest houses and play board games until it was safe to venture out. There had been some minor damage to property: the chimney stack at 82 Malady Place had toppled over, falling through the roof and into Mrs Chubb’s bathroom, exposing her bunions to a row of wet seagulls. All 57 inmates from Mrs Meakin’s Cat Sanctuary escaped after fencing collapsed. The winds were so strong that even the famous Whitby Abbey, perched high above the town, was blessed with a shroud made from seaweed. When the storm finally ended, the sea retreated to reveal a stranded Minke whale lying on the beach. The media attention it grabbed soon encouraged the tourists to put down their dice; quickly guess that Colonel Mustard did it with the candlestick in the library, and rush back into town to see the spectacular sight and the complicated rescue operation that followed.

Storms also meant that the services of a private detective were not needed. After all, if everyone was staying indoors, nothing was happening. But, now that Whitby was getting back to normal, I found myself down by the harbour talking to Victor Stickleback, an eccentric local fisherman with a permanent sun rash across the middle of his face. He wore large yellow waterproof overalls and there was an overpowering smell of fish coming from him.

‘One minute they were there, the next they had disappeared,’ said Mr Stickleback. We were standing on a wooden slatted wharf with the North Sea blowing on our backs. In front of us was a row of eight identical warehouses painted duck-egg-blue. Each one only distinguishable from its neighbour by the square white number plaque that was screwed beside each door.

‘And, what time was this?’ I asked with my pen poised over the notepad, trying not to breathe whenever the wind blew Mr Stickleback’s fishy aroma in my direction.

‘Just gone five this morning. Hadn’t been out for four days because of that storm, and this being market day, I needed to earn some money. I remember hearing the town hall clock chiming as I steered Old Betty into the harbour. Pulled up just over here.’ Mr Stickleback pointed to a tired looking fishing boat, its paint blistered and peeling from the hull. ‘I tied her up as usual, took off my jacket and prepared the catch ready to unload into my warehouse. Young Dave Barton is usually waiting to help me unload, but there was no sign of him.’

‘Is he usually late?’ I asked.

‘Not normally. I walked along the jetty to Dave’s mum’s house. She runs the guest house at the end of the pier. I was just about to knock on the kitchen door when Dave came rushing through it, pushing a bacon butty down his throat. Nearly knocked me over!’

‘Was your catch of fish still there when you got back?’

‘Yes, everything was exactly the same as I left it.’

‘And, was there anyone else around at that time?’

‘Randy Lyons and a few of his boys were preparing his boat ready to go out. Left it a bit late if you ask me. He’s probably got something to do with this, you mark my words, Mr Winkley!’

‘It’s Pinkley,’ I corrected.

‘Wouldn’t trust him anymore than I would eat a bloated haddock with three eyes and a dose of diarrhea.’ Mr Stickleback spat on the wharf in disgust. We both instinctively looked towards warehouse number three where the Irish tones of Randy Lyons called out to potential customers strolling up and down the wharf buying their fish. From where I was I could see the well stocked trays of fish that lined the floor of his warehouse.

‘So what happened when you got back to the boat?’ I asked, stepping away from the slimy globule of phlegm.

‘I took my keys out of my coat and unlocked the warehouse. We took the crates of fish off the boat and set them out ready to sell as soon as the wharf market opened.’

‘Then what?’

‘I replaced the padlock, locked up and went for some breakfast at Piffany’s. We were gone less than an hour. When I came back and opened up, all the fish had disappeared!’

‘But the door was still locked?’

‘Yes,’ he confirmed.

I examined the wide wooden door to warehouse number four. Apart from a few dark rust stains dribbling down from the catch and hinges, there was no sign of a break in. Out of habit, I straightened the number plaque which appeared slightly loose, then pulled at the iron latch. The doors were securely locked. Mr Stickleback reached inside his coat pocket for the key, unlocked the padlock and opened the door. As it pulled out towards us it snagged on a loose screw that was wedged between two planks of wood in the floor of the wharf. As I kicked it out of the way with the toe of my shoe, I also disturbed a pile of tiny pieces of wood. I looked back at the number plaque and saw the reason why it was loose; one of the screws was missing.

‘Does anyone else have a key?’ I asked Mr Stickleback.

‘No. This is the only one. The spare got eaten by a large Halibut I wrestled with last year. I keep meaning to get a duplicate made, but never get round to it.’

Once the door was open, the light streamed into the empty warehouse. We walked inside. The sides and ceiling were all made of slattered wood that was riveted around a steel frame. The space smelt damp, but there was no sign of water, just rows of plastic crates that should have been filled with fish ready to sell at the market. Hidden in the shadows at the far end of the warehouse were some thick coils of rope as well as a large black greasy machine, no doubt used for repairing the boat, but otherwise, the warehouse appeared empty.

‘So, where do you think they went, Mr Winkley?’ asked Mr Stickleback.

Can you work it out?

Write down your answer below – if you are right you win limited edition signed artwork.

Solution revealed Wednesday 13th November.

Coming Next:

Pinkley Puzzle and Desktop Theme