Ray Stone's Blog: A blog for everyone, page 21

Dickensian starter for a new serial

Bal Maid a-knocking

 

With some impatience I sat watching a gathering dawn slowly turn blackness into a thousand shapes as the sun crept above the distant hills and glimmered and twinkled through the forest. Since Mr Aloysius Crumley’s letter had arrived the previous week, its contents had given me cause for some concern. I found it hard to sleep let alone wait for the Friday, the day he said I should call on him at his London office in Cranley Square.

My journey from Denton Bowes had been tiring for Caz but nothing could tire my excitement as I rode him along the bridle path, counting the milestones. I was to report to ‘Crumley and Beddingborn,’ solicitors to the gentry and commissioners of oaths at precisely 9.00 on the morning. There was no indication as to the nature of the business Mr Crumley wished to discuss with me save a hint that news of the death of a distant relative was indeed to my advantage.

With Caz rested, I rode the last few miles into London and arrived at Cranley Square as the bell in St Stephens Tower chimed 9.00.

****

Mr Crumley was a portly gentleman of old age who despite the advance in modern bespoke tailoring and the new Victorian fashion for short curly hair, persisted in wearing a powdered wig together with morning coat, breeches and white stockings. With his large red jowled cheeks, squat nose and small piercing blue eyes one would be forgiven for likening him to a jolly fine pig.

“Come in Master Jeddler, come in and warm yourself by the fire.”

With a kindly hand on my shoulder he ushered me gently into a large red leather wing chair in front of a roaring log fire opposite his large oak desk. Despite being backlit from the dimpled windows that looked down on the noisy square below, two large candles standing on a bookcase were still alight. The aroma of candle wax and Mr Crumley’s snuff wafted across the office.

“Now Arthur,” Crumley said, pulling his morning coat about his knees carefully as he sat, “you Sir are a man of substance through the passing of your dear mother some years ago.”

My brow wrinkled. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“She would not have told you that you had an uncle, one Silas Dench, and that due to a family tragedy which he was responsible for, they never spoke again. Your uncle wanted to make good and hired my services to draw up a will leaving his estate to your mother on his death.”

“And as he is now deceased his estate comes to me?” I asked.

Crumley beamed. “Yes, you are now the owner of a tin mine in Cornwall together with house and one thousand pounds.”

I looked into the dancing flames of the fire. “Will you tell me about the tragedy?”

“No.” Your mother kept it from you and Silas from me. It is for you to travel to Cornwall and unravel that dark mystery.

30 Hours of reading for FREE

 

 

GREAT NEWS. All of my books are now FREE on Smashwords and available for download to all reading devices. I hope you will join my growing number of readers and continue your support. Thank you.

My immediate project has been changed to completing Amber, amber on the wall, the sequel to The Trojan Towers. The next Enda Osin Mystery has become a future work.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/341881 Trojan Towers

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353047 Isia’s Secret

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/472901 Twisted Wire.

Ray’s Smash List

The Highlander’s Touch

By D.K. Combs

Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 121,330. Language: English. Published: March 26, 2014 by Avery Duncan. Category: Fiction » Historical » Medieval

(4.71 from 7 reviews)

Kane is a deadly Highlander who is torn between duty and pleasure when a mysterious woman appears in his life. He’ll have to decide whether his heart or clan is more important. Saeran is a woman with a secret, who will do anything to protect her vindictive sister. When her cover is nearly blown, she doesn’t know whether to be scared…or deliciously entranced by the man who is capturing her heart.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/423141

 

Restless Spirits

By Jordan L. Hawk

Price: $4.99 USD. Words: 69,050. Language: English. Published: January 6, 2015. Category:Fiction » Gay & lesbian fiction » Gay

(5.00 from 2 reviews)

A contest between science and spiritualism pits inventor Henry Strauss against the dangerously appealing Vincent Night. One of them must exorcise the ghosts of Reyhome Castle in order to win the prize. But the evil stalking the halls of Reyhome Castle wants to claim not just Henry and Vincent’s lives, but their very souls.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/501841

 

Wild and Free

By Kristen Ashley

Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 178,210. Language: English. Published: December 29, 2014. Category:Fiction » Romance » Paranormal

Abel Jin and Delilah Johnson have lived their lives with a hole in their soul, yearning for something they don’t understand. Until one night Delilah is in danger and a man who’s otherworldly strong and supernaturally fast saves her. Delilah is cast into a world where fiction comes to life in the form of Abel, her destined mate, a vampire/werewolf hybrid who claims her at first breath as his.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/485344

 

The Generous Qur’an: An accurate, modern English translation of the Qur’an, Islam’s holiest book.

By Usama Dakdok

Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 198,940. Language: English. Published: November 9, 2014. Category:Nonfiction » Religion and Spirituality » Islam / Koran & Sacred Writings

The only accurate English translation of the Qur’an available anywhere! It is a one-of-a-kind resource that exposes the true nature of Islam’s most holy book. This book is not just for Jews, Christians, or Muslims, but for anyone who speaks English and is seeking an understanding of what is actually contained in the Qur’an—the basis of the Islamic faith.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/491841

 

A Gender Swap MEGA Bundle 2

By Gregor Daniels

Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 316,890. Language: American English. Published: December 27, 2014. Category: Fiction » Erotica » Men’s Erotica

A sequel to the popular gender-bending transformation bundle, now with twenty more stories! Satisfy your appetite for descriptive gender-swapping and transformation fiction in this HUGE bundle of fetish stories aimed for the inner woman. Each story is unchanged from the individual release, and all are now cheaper than ever. As always, fantasies to become the other gender are preferred.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/505157

 

Internet Stardom: Insider Secrets to Web Fame and Fortune

By Lynn Chindamo

Price: $9.99 USD. Words: 34,900. Language: English. Published: March 23, 2012. Category:Nonfiction » Business & Economics » Industries / entertainment

(5.00 from 4 reviews)

A growing number of web video creators are scoring six-and-seven-figure paychecks, studio development deals, A-list Hollywood agents, book and record deals and more because they’ve harnessed the power of online video production, distribution and monetization. Learn the secrets of their success from the world’s first Internet Stardom Curator and the USC Professor who taught billion hitter freddiew.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/144694

Reflect, smile and get on with it.

I suppose in everyone’s life  there are moments when we have to decide whether to take a risk, to take a step out beyond our comfort zone and fall into a new orbit. Some are happy to live all their lives with 2.5 children, a car, a nice little home and the same 9 to 5 job for life. There is nothing wrong with that. That is not me though. I have had so many jobs and so many homes in several countries around the world and met such a diverse mixture of cultures and wonderful peoples that I am beginning to believe in fate. As a writer the knowledge I have acquired in the later half of my life has had a really dramatic influence on the gradual increase in quality of creativity and style in my work. Add to that a gradual understanding within myself that I am writing because I want to write for me and that I have (if you will excuse the theatrical term) fallen in love with words and storytelling. No longer do I think of profit although it is nice to earn money but my ambition above all else is to attract an audience of readers. I have an audience of around 3000 at the moment. Small they may be but they are growing very slowly. No price can be put on the feeling of great satisfaction knowing that these readers are being entertained by my work.

When I retired I took a leap and landed in Malta. It was a bad move and it troubled me that I was also sharing that wrong turn with my wife. You reach a moment when you start looking for a way out; another decision and another leap into the unknown. We could not stay on Malta. I loved the place but it was too small, noisy, and the islanders do not mix easily. A flash of inspiration presented itself out of an awkward situation a friend was experiencing with immigration. She had to leave the island due to visa renewal and she chose to spend six months on Cyprus while waiting to return. Two weeks later she was telling me I had to take a holiday there and I would find it hard not to want to stay. I had just had Isia’s Secret published on audio and memories of my visit to the island in 1973/4 came flooding back. Six weeks later I landed in Cyprus and within a week knew where the next leap into the unknown was going to be. On December 3rd we moved to Cyprus after packing our belongings and having them shipped. Unfortunately our initial celebration at moving to such a beautiful home was put on hold. Both Mrellan and I had Bronchitis and so did our friend who came to stay for three weeks. The day before she arrived our belongings were delivered. We put a brave face on things but really the whole period was a disaster, especially with our guest having to go to hospital for a couple of days.

Now as we finally put the house together and get through our first winter here (10 weeks) and after having my publicist Irene  refresh and tweak my web site, I am champing at the bit to get writing. It is very depressing not to write. My first project will be to get a new serial preface to the Story Mint. My second is to work with a young Indian writer who has written a novel and given me the privilege of helping to edit the work. Once done I am sure the juices will be flowing and I can finally get stuck into my last Enda Osin Mystery. My days are now more organized. I have a treadmill to keep me fit and a pool to swim in. My new leap into another orbit looks like it is going to pay off. Next month I will write about Cyprus and the people I have met here.

Regards, Raymond.

 

Thoughts on Style from Editor Suraya Dewing

Steven Pinker’s The Sense of Style | The Story Mint

Steven Pinker’s The Sense of Style







Submitted by Suraya Dewing on Saturday 10 January 2015

Over the summer break I found time to read Harvard Psychologist Steven Pinker’s ‘The Sense of Style.

In ‘The Sense of Style’  he argues that all the changes brought about by the internet make style more important than ever. He gives three reasons for this: The first is  writers will always need to get their ideas across and many misunderstandings have arisen because of poorly worded instructions. However, in this world with so many demands for readers’ attention, those messages must be clear, concise, and accessible. In this age of technology this imperative is more relevant today than ever.

The second reason he gives is ‘that style earns trust’ (page 9). If a writer takes the time to construct clear, well worded and accurate prose then the chances are these qualities will carry across into the way they conduct themselves in daily life.

The third reason is purely aesthetic. There is nothing more pleasing than a piece of writing that captures the essence of a situation or scene or as Pinker says: ‘…an elegant turn of phrase are among life’s greatest pleasures.’ (page 9)

So I have thoroughly enjoyed the insights Steven Pinker brings to the idea of style in language.

Style is not grammar nor is it spelling. Style is determined by the way we deliver our ideas and the way those ideas are received. The exciting thing about Steven Pinker’s work is that he moves language beyond its grammatical constraints and while he talks about grammar he goes one step further and discusses the effect of the way words are put together.

He consistently argues for clarity and reminds us to try to think as if what we know does not exist so that we see what we are saying from the point of view of the listener. This is always relevant for people who have worked on a project for a long time and lived with its gestation so they know the project in ways no other can. Steven Pinker calls this the Curse of Knowledge, which is the difficulty we have imagining how difficult it is for someone not to know what we know.

In order to bridge that gap he calls for us to strip our language back to its simplest form and he gives examples of this. I think it is useful to quote examples because I know we will recognise some of the phrase constructions:

Make an appearance with            becomes             appear with

Is capable of being                          becomes              can be

Is dedicated to providing              becomes              provides

For the purpose of                          becomes              to

There are many more and he lists them on page 105.

What I find helpful about his book is that he uses examples from today’s language and challenges us to think about how we use language and how style affects how words are used to form sentences and paragraphs. The way they are constructed determines its ease of reading and consequently understanding. I wonder how many would agree that language is the window into human nature. What, for example, does a tendency to write in the passive voice say about me?

And on passive voice he does say we are always counselled to avoid the passive voice but there is a place in the world of writing for passive voice especially when we want to distance ourselves from the actor. However, consider these two sentences and you decide which is clearer:

‘Extreme exposure to CO may rapidly be fatal without producing significant warning symptoms.’ (passive)

‘Using a generator indoors can kill you in minutes.’ (active)

I still have more to read so will continue sharing his ideas with you. This topic is particularly relevant to us because it supports the principle underlying The Style Guide™. Style is not a ‘nice to have’ but an essential part of writing well.

There is an excellent TED talk by Steven Pinker  where he concludes ‘language is a collective human creation, reflecting human nature, how we conceptualise reality and relate to one another.’

There are also many links at http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/about/longbio.html

Source: Pinker, Steven The Sense of Style Allen Lane, USA, 2014

Steven Pinker
style
style guide
writing

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Infection – a Story Mint serial

Chapter 2
Written by: jlabrum

“Breaking news this morning from the excavation site in Brazil…” the voice of Emily McLeod, from the anchor desk of KCBQ TV brings me out of a drug induced sleep. The video screen dominates the wall at the foot of my bed and illuminates the room. “New discoveries at the bottom of the main site thought to be the primary impact location suggest that the object may not have been of natural origin…”  Ms. McLeod continued.

I stare at images as they scroll across the giant screen. My eyes blink involuntarily. My hand sweeps across my face. I rub my eyes and struggle to force the cobwebs from my brain. Hell, I don’t even know where I am, I think as the anxiety builds. I am disoriented and confused. Panic and the after-effect of the anesthesia sends a reflexive spasm to my gut and I double over. I feel the room whirling around me and hold on to the side rails of the bed. I vomit before I can do anything to avoid it.

As I wipe the vomit from my mouth with a corner of my blanket, two med-bots appear beside my bed. Even though the software engineers managed to give them somewhat unique though similar personalities, for some inexplicable reason their features were cast from the same mold. This is a good thing, I guess, because one is reminded that these rather attractive human-like creatures with long blond hair and blue eyes full of caring and empathy are not really human. With efficiency that could only be accomplished by perfectly programed androids, they move with synchronized precision. They work from opposite sides of my bed, their hands reaching through access sleeves in my isolation tent. While the one on my right rolls the top blanket off me, her twin slides her arms under me and effortlessly raises me half a meter and suspends me there. Then the first one rolls the bottom sheet into the bundle and stuffs the soiled bedding into the laundry shoot protruding from the floor. My bed is re-made under me then the mechanical aid gently re-places me on the bed and pulls a fresh blanket over me. As quickly as they appeared they were gone. The entire process took less than two minutes.

“Eric…?” A reassuring male voice fills the room. The news cast on the wall screen is replaced by a kind looking man with white hair, soft features and blue eyes wearing surgeon’s scrubs.

I try to respond but when I draw a breath to speak the pain under my ribs is severe. All I can manage is a nod in the direction of the screen.

“I see you are awake, Eric…good,” the surgeon says, smiling without emotion. “The good news is, the surgery went as we expected. All three parasites were successfully removed and they don’t seem to carry the spores. Since we have not encountered anything like them before, however, we will be keeping you here for further study.”

Comments




I am late posting this comment and am mystified that no one else has made a comment on thus chapter. What a fantastic piece of imaginative and creative imagery Joe has painted here. And after painting the picture he ends by framing it with a horrifying last paragraph. Joe, this is your best yet and I really wish you would get on with writing a novel. Well done!
www.thestorymint.com/serials/infection

Christmas on Cyprus

I have just had what must be one of the busiest two weeks ever. We are moved in and last week the shippers arrived and delivered a large truck full of our possessions. We were pleased to see the truck arrive but the following day we were due to drive two hours to Larnaca airport to pick up our friend Kimber from Seattle, who is staying for a few weeks. After having the boxes placed in the various rooms and Mrellan was getting the kitchen in order we were worn out. Add to that the engineer arrived to install our internet and the pool man came to introduce himself. Bedtime came around midnight and with arrangements made for the following morning we hit the sack. Sleep did not come easy as ‘Elvis’ was not serenading us from the bar we lived near on Malta.

My logs are already warming us for Christmas

Irene, my publicist, had been back from Malta after a business trip a few days earlier and she followed us the next morning as her car had to be returned to the airport. That meant driving back with three women. I had decided to keep my head down. When Mrellan and Kimber get together anything can happen and normally does, whether funny, dramatic or plain crazy. These two scared the life out of the Garda in Ireland when they went on a driving expedition eighteen months ago. With Irene making a threesome I decided to hide behind the steering wheel. When we eventually drove home I think I spoke three times. Would this visit be another adventure? Yes, it certainly has been so far.

I was already feeling a little low after getting rid of bronchitis when on Malta and Mrellan was feeling the same. The following morning Kimber asked Mrellan to take her to the local clinic to see a doctor. Three hours later I received a call to let me know that Kimber had been admitted to hospital with bronchitis. My illness had returned and all of us got sick. Within two days Kimber was back with us and we were all taking pills and gunge and hoping Christmas was still going to be a happy time. Despite all this we still had to shop, get in a delivery of wood and unpack. Then the internet packed up and the engineer who was going to set our TV up did not turn up. Luckily we had a wonderful lady fix our problem over the phone but as for the TV people – Mrellan fixed them. Say no more. We will not have TV for Christmas but we do have recorded films on computer we can play on the TV. We will have TV by the New Year though.

We had shipped a gas fire and after unpacking it and buying in some gas we looked forward to warmth at night. We were sold a duff gas bottle that had been contaminated with air. We then fixed that on the same day as another catastrophe occurred. Kimber spent her first night in our villa and the floor tiles cracked and the whole floor rose up in lines where the expansion joints had little room to move as the villa warmed up. For the next three nights Kimber slept in my bed as the other spare room

Waiting to test the water – I am determined to toe it Christmas

had been turned into my studio. I slept on the couch. The floor was fixed in no time and that just about brings us up to date. We still have Christmas day and then Boxing Day I will have five women here while I yearn for male company to tell my tragic tale to.

Yet despite all this I am feeling so relaxed and losing weight and looking forward to the New Year with enthusiasm. I have the last Enda Osin book to finish and then edit and publish Amber, Amber on the wall, a sequel to The Trojan Towers. Twisted Wire is going on audio soon and then the last book in the series.

Christmas used to be a time for family get together and I remember my childhood and what excitement there was. This year there will be no TV and we will enjoy each other’s company and laughter and make our own entertainment. I have no doubt our day will also prove exciting especially with these two women that I love dearly playing pranks and giving me grief. On Boxing Day Irene and her friend and our only neighbor, Sandra, a lovely Scottish lady, will be here and another day of cheer will be enjoyed by all.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas and hope you will enjoy yourselves as I will. Thank you all for your support and friendship. I love you all.

 

 

View from my studio window just above my desk

Is Shangri-La worth the stress

Moving is a stressful business. If a new home captures that inner glow of satisfaction that defies description you know you made the right choice anyway. Malta was an interesting experience; getting used to the Maltese and their culture. The problem I found was the noise and the busy tourist activity. The island is alive for at least twenty hours a day and trying to concentrate on work was difficult.

We recently came to Cyprus on holiday and after a week knew we were going to live here, not just because of the scenery, culture or cost of living. The most amazing thing was the silence and lack of traffic. The sound of silence is deafening, particularly at night. Sometimes when the breeze is blowing our way the distinctive sound of surf can be heard from over a mile away. Nothing stirs out in the countryside. Only the tourist area of Coral Bay or the town center of Paphos is busy, as restaurants and bars serve a varied menu and wonderful Greek cuisine.

From our villa up in the hills we look down on the lights of Coral Bay and the sea. Even here we are a quarter mile from the village of Kathekas, a small traditional village that spreads out from a central small square where villagers go to shop, visit the small community offices or sit in the café drinking Cyprus coffee. If you are one of the old men, you enjoy a wine and gossip at the tavern. This is a farming community in the middle of the wine growing area and the wine is excellent, not that I have had a chance to taste more than one or two at the moment. There is a slow daily work rhythm here that starts early in the morning. Some businesses still close in the afternoons for siesta and open at four but as Cyprus embraces the world of technology more and more old traditions are slowly fading.

One of the most pleasant experiences here is the food. All the food is fresh and root crops and fruit are grown and sold locally. Potatoes, lettuce, beet, tomatoes, celery, onions, olives, lemons, oranges, apples, pomegranates, bananas, …..and the list goes on. Meat and dairy produce are so varied we are spoilt for choice. The meat is butchered here too and the smell of freshly baked bread in the supermarket drives the taste buds crazy.

Yesterday I bought a car. We do need a car so we now have a small Honda that will get us about. I am looking forward to Saturday when we can drive it home. At the moment we have a car we hired from a friend and this morning I found out that sometimes I will have to drive through a cloud on my way down to sea level (we are two thousand feet up). With headlights on I drove carefully around the bends keeping an eye on the white line. Night driving is a bit nervy for me too but only until I get used to the road.

In the run up to the festive season we are going to be extremely busy. I have been informed that our container has arrived in Limassol already so we should be getting that delivered as soon as Customs have cleared it. In the meantime we have furniture being delivered tomorrow 10th dec and on Friday we will be having our interview with the immigration people.

This is a time of stress despite being where one wants to be. There are so many things that need to be done around the new home and many other official paperwork exercises for registration and medical needs. Add to that we have a limited number of friends and most people in the village speak Greek we have to learn to get around quickly. It is also a time for enjoying the moment and working together to overcome the stress.

We have been to Nicosia and Larnaka and traveled the length of the island (almost) but once we are settled after Christmas it will be time to explore and get on with writing. I know we are in the right place and am sure that resting and working in the peace of this island will improve our well being and my creativity. So to all my friends and the many fellow writers I have made acquaintances of over the last year – HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR.

 

Mystery right to the end – Ethel Lewis

Mystery Book Tour Day 30 #MysteryNovember Twilight Images by Ethel Lewis

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Rosie Amber

 

Welcome to the very last day of our Mystery Book Tour. Today’s guest is Ethel Lewis and her book Twilight Images.

 

 

1)         Where is your home town?

After retiring I moved to Galveston, Texas. My home town. But originally, I guess you would call my hometown Genoa, Texas, a small suburb located about 30 miles southeast of Houston. Although I was born in Dallas, my parents and I moved to Genoa when I was in kindergarten. I grew up here and returned to the Dallas area when I was in my mid-twenties, up until I retired..

2)        How long have you been writing?

I began writing in the early 1980’s, although I kept it pretty much under wraps. I tried to find the ‘elusive’ agent and/or publisher – and failed. As anyone might easily guess – I became discouraged and tucked my manuscripts, notebooks, and other writing related things into an old trunk and hid them away. Wish I hadn’t done that!

3)         What is your favourite sub-genre of mystery?

I love all things mystery. Cosy mystery, suspense mystery and at times even the horror genre of King and Koontz and J.A. Konrath.

4)         Where is Twilight Images set?

Twilight Images is set in the Denver, Pueblo, Colorado area. The small town of “Shady Oaks Village” is a fictional town I created where Thad and his family enjoyed spending their summer vacations.

5)         Introduce us to Thad Connors

Thad Connors is a loving husband, married to his college sweetheart, Dorothy, for nearly six years. He is a hardworking young man, the proud owner of his own small landscaping company. And yet he is plagued with horrendous nightmares, nightmares that are taking a toll on his happy life.

6)        Why is he suspicious about the conclusions to his parent’s deaths?

Since the death of his parents, ten years ago, Thad has been plagued with recurring nightmares. He has been the route of endless therapy sessions, which at first seemed to help, but now, they are returning. And not only are the nightmares returning, they are becoming even more frightful.

7)         Does he work alone on his search for answers?

I would have to say, basically, yes. He is encouraged by his wife, Dorothy, to go back to the cabin where the death of his parents occurred. She hopes he might find the answers there. But once he is there, Thad sets out on his own, trying to uncover anything, any clue which might point him in the right direction.

8)         Tell us some of the stones he must upturn to solve the mystery.

First off, Thad returns to the local police, researching their evidence files – had anything been overlooked?

Next, he turns to realtor offices, to see if he can locate any residents who might have lived nearby at the time of the deaths – had anyone seen something and maybe forgotten to report it?

He also turns to the news reporter who reported the incident in the local papers. Were there any clues here?

He finds clues, although some are more subtle than others, at all these places. So he keeps digging.

9)         Tell us what you are working on at the moment.

At the moment I’m working on a novel in a totally different genre. As I mentioned earlier, I started writing in the early ’80’s. At the time I was into romance novels – Danielle Steele, etc. I dug into my treasure trunk and pulled out my first novel, which I am currently re-working and re-editing. It is called “Leave Yesterday Behind”. The story of two young women, Becky Carson and her college roommate, Mandy Powers, who journey life’s highway together. They form a loving bond in college which carries them through the many upheavals and highlights of life from the early 1970’s in Berkeley, California, to their busy and tumultuous lives in New York City.

10)       Where can readers find out more about you?

Like most of us in this day and age, you can usually find me somewhere on the web.

I have an author website – http://ethellewis.weebly.com/

Book website – http://twilightimages-ahauntinjourneyofsuspense.weebly.com/

Good Reads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2548316.Ethel_Lewis

Blog – http://ethellewis.wordpress.com/

Google+ – https://plus.google.com/105553825411171545947/posts

Twitter – https://twitter.com/EthelLewis20

 

 

Buying Links:

Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCSO92I

Amazon UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MCSO92I?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Barnes and Noble – http://tinyurl.com/ooqsq2o

iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id908560396

Smashwords – https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/hiroller401

Kobo – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/twilight-images-a-haunting-journey-of-suspense

Thorne Moore – Mystery Tour Author

Mystery Book Tour Day 29 #MysteryNovember A Time For Silence by Thorne Moore

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Rosie Amber

 

Please welcome today’s guest on the Mystery November book tour, it’s Throne Moore and her book A Time For Silence.

 

 

Where is your home town?

I was born and grew up in Luton, and still think of myself as a Lutonian, but for the past 30 years I’ve lived in North Pembrokeshire, not far from Cardigan and this is very much my home now. No towns, exactly. Not even very serious villages, but a lot of farms, trees, hills, sea and sky.

How long have you been writing?

I remember discussing my writing ambitions at school, so at least 45 years. I wrote fantasy for years, then sci-fi, which I still enjoy writing, but most of what I produce now is strictly reality-based.

What is your favourite sub-genre of mystery?

Psychological. I’m more interested in examining why something happened rather than making a mystery of who or how.

Tell us where and when your book is set.

A Time For Silence is set mostly in North Pembrokeshire, in two periods. The chapters alternate between Sarah’s story, set in the present day, and her grandmother Gwen’s story, set in the 30s and 40s.

Please introduce us to Sarah.

Sarah is a young woman who apparently has everything – good career with prospects, high-flying fiancé – but in reality she’s completely lost her way. She’s looking for an escape and she finds it when she comes across her grandparents’ derelict farmhouse and discovers a family secret that she’d known nothing about.

Can you tell us a bit about Gwen and John?

Gwen belongs to a completely different world that Sarah, decades later, can’t begin to understand. Society, religion and economic necessity have placed her in a cramped and subservient position as the wife of John Owen and she thinks her guiding principle is duty, though in reality it’s pride. Her husband John struggles to survive as the tenant of a tiny farm. His proud determination is seen as a sterling virtue by the local community, but it’s the front of an obsessive controlling personality. As his wife and mother of his children, Gwen knows what lies beneath the surface.

What is the mystery element in this book?

John Owen was murdered. No one was ever charged. No one speaks about it. For Sarah, the mystery is who did it and how did they get away with it. The mystery, for the reader, is how it could have been allowed to happen and how it was all buried.

What inspired some of the ideas for the storyline?

Two local stories. There’s a derelict cottage near me, and I was told (never confirmed) that a crime was committed there and everyone, including the police, knew about it but nothing was done. What intrigued me was the idea of a society so closed and isolated that such blanket secrecy could be possible. I found the other story in a 1950s newspaper: a magistrates’ court report, concerning a young girl who was up before the bench for the ‘wicked crime’ of attempting suicide. Her explanation was brushed aside as a lie. Yet, reading between the lines, it was clear the magistrates did believe her but couldn’t openly acknowledge something that would undermine their understanding of the way society worked. That may sound too cryptic, but I don’t want to give the whole book away.

Tell us what you are working on at the moment.

I’m just waiting for the final edit of my second book, Motherlove, which will be published in February. It’s less focussed on Pembrokeshire, but like A Time For Silence, it’s split between periods – the present day and 1990. There’s a crime that’s just as bad as murder, but is there really a criminal? After that, I’m working on a couple of mysteries, both set in Pembrokeshire.

Where can readers find out more about you?

I have a website: www.thornemoore.co.uk, which has links to several interviews, as well as lots of photos of North Pembrokeshire, just to set the scene. I also have a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thornemoorenovelist

My Twitter account is @ThorneMoore

Buying links:

UK.

Honno Press: http://www.honno.co.uk/dangos.php?ISBN=9781906784454

Amazon.co.uk: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Silence-A-Thorne-Moore/dp/1906784450/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1384095395&sr=8-1 (sorry, is the link really that long?)

Waterstones: http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/thorne+moore/a+time+for+silence/9226207/

USA

Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Time-Silence-Thorne-Moore/dp/1906784450/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413530501&sr=1-3&keywords=a+time+for+silence

Barnes&Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-time-for-silence-thorne-moore/1113608839?ean=9781906784454