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Group Read - Read Along and Q&A with Heather Burnside - Slur - from November 1st
Please tell me what Bowden's problem is other than he is lazy. The guy is a chauvinist. He doesn't even want to talk to Amanda's boyfriend because god forbid he upsets him anymore. The boyfriend was ticked off when Amanda came home drunk. So who says that he wasn't the one that killed her. As Sophia stated the night was reconstructed but then again maybe we are missing something.
Sean wrote: "Just started last night, 10% in."I hope you're enjoying it Sean and look forward to discussing the book with you.
Chris wrote: "Finished it last night. Enjoyed the ending and thought it was quite fitting. I had intended to write a question I had regarding the legal proceeding but didn't and now, of course, I've forgotten ..."
Hi Chris, I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I didn't realise you could hide spoilers in conversation threads and I haven't got a clue how to do it. I want to respond to the pointers you raised but don't want to leave spoilers for anyone else. I've sent you a direct message with my responses - hope that's OK. :)
Heather wrote: "Chris wrote: "Finished it last night. Enjoyed the ending and thought it was quite fitting. I had intended to write a question I had regarding the legal proceeding but didn't and now, of course, I..."
Of course :) If you click on the 'some html is ok' link above the comment box, there are tags that are available. to hide spoilers, you can just wrap the text you want to hide within the tag below but without the spaces:
< spoiler >...< /spoiler >
Chris wrote: "Heather wrote: "Chris wrote: "Finished it last night. Enjoyed the ending and thought it was quite fitting. I had intended to write a question I had regarding the legal proceeding but didn't and n..."
Thank you, I had a look at the html but didn't understand where the text fitted in with the code. I've just sent you a message but at least I now know how to use spoiler alerts for future comments. :)
Chris wrote: "Please tell me what Bowden's problem is other than he is lazy. The guy is a chauvinist. He doesn't even want to talk to Amanda's boyfriend because god forbid he upsets him anymore. The boyfriend wa..."Hi Chris, I'm glad you don't like Bowden because that was my intention. I think we all come across people like that in most professions. It's good to see that you're working through the possibilities. :)
Started this today and hope to finish it today. But oh my gosh I keep having to take breaks because I hate the inspector so much he makes me want to hurl my Kindle at a wall haha! So it's definitely eliciting some strong emotions which I think is great so far :3
About 20% in now. From what I've read so far I disagree that Bowden is a chauvinist, he just seems a little old fashioned, and he's simply choosing the path of least residence with the case (boyfriend says friends gave her drugs - must be true). As I say though, I'm only a little way in so I may end up agreeing with you after all!
Sophia wrote: "About 20% in now. From what I've read so far I disagree that Bowden is a chauvinist, he just seems a little old fashioned, and he's simply choosing the path of least residence with the case (boyfri..."I am only 30% into the book and Bowden is an ass. He is taking the easy way. Hope he ends up with egg on his face.
Morning everyone. It's good to see that Inspector Bowden is provoking such a reaction. I thought I'd show you the notes that I made about Inspector Bowden when I drew up my character list, 'Old fashioned, full of his own self-importance and unshakeable self-belief. Inefficient but can’t see it'.
Heather, it's a kindle. IDK what's wrong since I just downloaded a few other.
Ishita wrote: "Heather, it's a kindle. IDK what's wrong since I just downloaded a few other."Ishita, I'm not sure what the problem is. I've just double checked in my Amazon author area and I've definitely made it available to all territories. I've also had a look on Amazon India and it appears to be available. However, if you are having problems, I can send you a mobi file. If you message me with your email address I'll send it to you.
I tried downloading it on the device and the app. I'll contact Amazon help and look into it. Meanwhile, thank you for the kind offer :)
Finished it last night. Oh my gosh. A very very solid novel. I'll be writing a full review later but I absolutely loved it and will be talking about it on my YouTube channel :)
Hi there. Lovely to see so many people enjoying Heather's work. I found myself annoyed with... not so much individuals but with society's attitudes. The girls thought it was okay to get drunk and behave in a way I'd consider irresponsible and the police attitude seemed to be that they asked for trouble and shouldn't be surprised if they got it. Sadly, both these attitudes exist and were well observed. I sometimes wanted to shake the lot of them!I urge people to read the next book. The girls are so much more mature - you'll be proud of them, having watched them growing up!
Kath wrote: "Hi there. Lovely to see so many people enjoying Heather's work. I found myself annoyed with... not so much individuals but with society's attitudes. The girls thought it was okay to get drunk and b..."Awww come on don't your remember when you were young and were clubbing on the weekends. While reading this story I can associate with what they were doing while out. Could be the reason I feel bad for Julie more than Rita and Debbie is just the third wheel.
I'm 66. When I was at university a lime and lemonade and a bag of crisps was pushing the boat out. We couldn't afford to drink and it still amazes me how much kids spend on booze.
It's the concept of pre-drinks that gets me. Getting drunk before they even venture out of the door.
Ishita wrote: "I tried downloading it on the device and the app. I'll contact Amazon help and look into it. Meanwhile, thank you for the kind offer :)"You're welcome Ishita.
Kerry wrote: "Finished it last night. Oh my gosh. A very very solid novel. I'll be writing a full review later but I absolutely loved it and will be talking about it on my YouTube channel :)"Kerry, I'm so glad you enjoyed the book. Thank you for your comments.
Kath wrote: "Hi there. Lovely to see so many people enjoying Heather's work. I found myself annoyed with... not so much individuals but with society's attitudes. The girls thought it was okay to get drunk and b..."Thank you Kath. I agree - it's good to see people enjoying the book. It's risky writing about emotive subjects but you're right, these attitudes do exist. On the one hand, there are plenty of young people that get so drunk they don't know what they're doing but, on the other hand, some of the older generation tar all youngsters with the same brush. I'm 54 now and had plenty of mad nights out in my 20s. I never did anything as foolish or extreme as the girls in the book but I've witnessed a few events and it's easy to see how things can soon get out of control.
People do mature though and often regret things they did when they were younger. As you say, the girls are more mature in the second book, and have changed as a result of the challenges they have to face.
Chris wrote: "Kath wrote: "Hi there. Lovely to see so many people enjoying Heather's work. I found myself annoyed with... not so much individuals but with society's attitudes. The girls thought it was okay to ge..."Thanks for your feedback Chris. I'm glad you're getting drawn into the story. My sympathies lay with Julie while I was writing it even though she isn't perfect.
David wrote: "It's the concept of pre-drinks that gets me. Getting drunk before they even venture out of the door."Thanks for your comments David. Yes, I agree. I'm a self-confessed people watcher, and drawn to TV programmes about people and their behaviour. When I see programmes about young people in holiday resorts getting drunk senseless, it disturbs me as a mother of two youngsters because they leave themselves open to all sorts of risks. I enjoy a drink but for me the objective is to get a bit merry and relaxed. If I feel I've had one too many I switch to water but it seems that for a lot of people the aim is to get as drunk as possible till they can't stand up.
70% through, and reading it made my tube journey home fly by, I almost missed my stop! I'm a little surprised by Julie's sudden rush of strength and activity after a period of her being unable to cope very well with the situation. I'm sure that realistically this would occur eventually but it does feel rather sudden to me! Anyone else?
Sophia wrote: "70% through, and reading it made my tube journey home fly by, I almost missed my stop! I'm a little surprised by Julie's sudden rush of strength and activity after a period of her being unable to c..."Perhaps adrenaline and the need to do SOMETHING, or ANYTHING, because as far as she's concerned, the cops are still after her and not pursuing other possibilities. I think most people can grow and act quick when they aren't left with a choice.
I must say I had trouble relating to the girls. They were probably portrayed accurately, but I have never had teenage/20ish girls in my life, except when I was one 40+ years ago. Things are different now.
Sophia wrote: "70% through, and reading it made my tube journey home fly by, I almost missed my stop! I'm a little surprised by Julie's sudden rush of strength and activity after a period of her being unable to c..."Thanks for your feedback Sophia. I'd like to respond to this point because I was mindful of this when I wrote the book. (view spoiler)
Chris wrote: "Sophia wrote: "70% through, and reading it made my tube journey home fly by, I almost missed my stop! I'm a little surprised by Julie's sudden rush of strength and activity after a period of her be..."Thanks Chris. Yes she's acting out of desperation but there are also other reasons. I've replied to Sophia's comment but the response may spoil the book for you, depending how far on you are, so I've hidden it in a spoiler alert. :)
Brenda wrote: "I must say I had trouble relating to the girls. They were probably portrayed accurately, but I have never had teenage/20ish girls in my life, except when I was one 40+ years ago. Things are differe..."Hi Brenda. I'm sorry you didn't relate to the characters in 'Slur'. I know how important it is to connect with the characters in a novel in order to enjoy the book. This connection can be influenced by a number of factors. In the UK there is a big nightclub culture mostly among the younger generation. It's often covered by the media because of concerns about excessive alcohol consumption in the young. Therefore, people of different generations tend to know about it.
I'm becoming increasingly aware that my books are more popular among a UK readership (although some readers outside the UK have enjoyed them). Therefore I will have to think about what direction I want to take with my writing once I have finished writing The Riverhill Trilogy because I don't want to alienate readers outside the UK. It's a difficult situation to address though because I tend to write what comes naturally to me based on my background and life experiences. :)
Kerry wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...My full review ^_^"
Thank you so much Kerry for a wonderful review. I appreciate the time you took to write it and I'm glad you enjoyed the book. :)
I found that, even as a UK reader, the girls weren't characters I really warmed to in Slur. I gave it a four star review and definitely enjoyed it but it's the yoof culture, as they say! However, I really love the second book. They are more mature and I found them easier to relate to.
Kath wrote: "I found that, even as a UK reader, the girls weren't characters I really warmed to in Slur. I gave it a four star review and definitely enjoyed it but it's the yoof culture, as they say! However, I..."Thanks Kath. I enjoyed developing the characters through to the second book. Although Rita is flawed, she does have a good side and I wanted to show this in the second book. However, without her brashness I don't think she would be the same person, and certainly not the type of woman who is tough enough to go against her sister's gangster boyfriend.
Heather and Kath, thanks for the explanations. I will give the second book a try. It'll be a nice comparison for me.
Brenda wrote: "Heather and Kath, thanks for the explanations. I will give the second book a try. It'll be a nice comparison for me."Thanks Brenda. I will be interested to hear what you think.
I am about 60% through the book and even though it takes a time to warm up to characters I find the author writing about normal people and their every day lives. I am going back and forth liking the characters and the only character I can really say I don't like is the inspector. He just won't budge and wants to frame these girls. Guess he's afraid of all the paperwork that would need to be done.
Mod
I am 40% in, and enjoying the book and the easy reading style, do not want to say more, as want everyone to read and enjoy.
No do like the Inspector !
Not sure about lifestyles of the two girls?
Chris wrote: "I am about 60% through the book and even though it takes a time to warm up to characters I find the author writing about normal people and their every day lives. I am going back and forth liking th..."Thanks for your comments Chris. Yes, that was my intention, for the book to be about normal people who are thrown into extraordinary circumstances. I like to show different facets of their characters including their flaws and their emotions.
Sean wrote: "Hi allI am 40% in, and enjoying the book and the easy reading style, do not want to say more, as want everyone to read and enjoy.
No do like the Inspector !
Not sure about lifestyles of the two..."
I'm glad you're enjoying the book Sean. Yes, I don't think Inspector Bowden will be winning any popularity contests on this thread. :)
40% in and still enjoying it.Strangely I find myself warming to Rita more than Julie, at this stage. I think it's both girl's perspective on Vinny that's taking me in that direction.
David wrote: "40% in and still enjoying it.Strangely I find myself warming to Rita more than Julie, at this stage. I think it's both girl's perspective on Vinny that's taking me in that direction."
During the book, I really didn't like Rita, but now I think about it more I really did much prefer Rita to Julie overall. Because Vinny is lovely and deserved that.
With the Blue Macaw we seem to have a new setting & a new character.
Sorry for the delayed response - it's been a busy weekend.David and Kerry - I found Rita the most fun to write about. She is impulsive, brash and foolish at times but she is a real character who has a good side to her. The good side becomes more evident in the second book.
Bill, I think I know the scene you are referring to. I thought I would introduce a bit of mystery at this stage, but the mystery unfolds in due course. :)
At first I thought that Vinny was a doormat not so sure now because of what has been going on in the book. I would like to see Rita and Vinny get together. They seem like they would be so much fun. To me Julie isn't going to know what she had until she loses it.
Chris wrote: "At first I thought that Vinny was a doormat not so sure now because of what has been going on in the book. I would like to see Rita and Vinny get together. They seem like they would be so much fun...."I like your thought processes Chris. Rita and Vinny? Interesting. :)
The word 'eck was new to me. I'm thinking it like ugh or yuch & expresses a strong negative. So 'Is he 'eck' means 'he does not' in formal language.
Bill wrote: "The word 'eck was new to me. I'm thinking it like ugh or yuch & expresses a strong negative. So 'Is he 'eck' means 'he does not' in formal language."I really had to stop and think about this one Bill. It's short for 'heck', and I think it's mainly used in the north of England (although I am not 100% sure about that so someone might correct me).
It's one of those words that doesn't have a synonym. Instead we use it for expression, and tend to instinctively use it in the right context through habit. I checked Google for its precise meaning and this is what it came up with:
exclamation
exclamation: heck
expressing surprise, frustration, or dismay.
"oh heck, I can't for the life of me remember"
•used for emphasis in questions and exclamations.
"what the heck's the matter?"
•used for emphasis in various statements or exclamations.
noun: heck
"it was a heck of a lot of money"
I seem to recall that 'Is he heck' is short for 'Is he heckers like', which is what the previous generation would have used, but it has been shortened over time. It basically means, 'he isn't' but is a more emphatic way of saying it. As with the word, 'heck' in the various contexts above, it is used for expression, in this case, to express a difference of opinion.
Thank you for taking the time and trouble to leave a very detailed review, which is much appreciated.
Heck was a prettied up work for hell, just as darned is for damned and gosh is for God. And we used to say, did he heck as like!
I had intended to write a question I had regarding the legal proceeding but didn't and now, of course, I've forgotten it.
The only real qualm I had as the book progressed (view spoiler)[was with Betty and Bill. Why wouldn't they go to the police themselves? It just seemed strange that they would leave it up to Julie, who is obviously scared of the whole situation. It just seems that the harassment was taking place on their household so they had every reason to contact the police themselves.
Wondering if I missed discovering who the stalker/harasser was? I don't think it was revealed but could have missed it. Or is that something that may be dealt with in one of the later books? (hide spoiler)]
Overall, I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read and I will likely read the 2nd one at some point.