Well, that’s Christmas over and done with for another year. The baubles are packed away, the turkey a distant memory and it’s time to work off all that festive excess. I don’t know about you lot, but I’m looking forward to 2014 and hopefully finishing and releasing my works in progress. I’ve got a few irons in the fire and a couple are in my favoured crime genre, so I’m particularly pleased to welcome a fellow crime writer to The Coffee House today. Darren Sant is a cracking writer who doesn’t shy away from telling it how it is. His Tales from the Longcroft depict life on a rough estate, while The Bank Manager and The Bum, which I can personally recommend, is a story with a unique surreal twist. Darren hails from Stoke and I understand his latest novel is based there. He’s a great supporter of Indie writers and is also an avid reader who pens many reviews. Anyway enough of me chuntering on, let’s hand over to the man himself. So without further ado let’s give a warm Coffee House welcome to Darren Sant

1 – Okay, Darren what can I get you? Tea, coffee or is there some strange Stoke delicacy that I know nothing about?

DS - A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you. Let’s not get into strange Stoke delicacies…

2 – Darren, I’ve already let slip that you hail from Stoke, but I’m sure everyone would like to know a little more about you and what makes you tick, so, deep breath and quick bio. Are you a full time writer or do you, by necessity, frequent the real world on a regular basis?

DS - I’d call myself a hobby writer. I fit it in between work and home life. Of course I’d love to do it for a living but that is a long way off. I’ve been an avid, almost compulsive, reader since my early teens. I have always been fascinated by stories and how they can have a powerful effect on the reader. I’ve always wanted to be able to tell my own stories and give a positive message, if possible. I’m 43 and live in Hull with my wife, Julie, stepson Adam and a grey and white cat called Dusty.

3 – How did you initially get into writing? What does your family think of your writing and all the time you devote to your fictional characters? Who in your family is your biggest fan?

DS - Initially I wrote poetry and was spurred on by an early online poetry website. I also attended a creative writing class which helped to shape some of my work. My family offers nothing but support. My wife often beta reads my stories and I’d say she can be my biggest fan but also refreshingly honest.

4 – Can you remember the first thing you had published? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

DS - The first thing I had published was a chapter of my poetry in a book called Before the Last Shadow Fades. It was chosen from an online site by the publisher so I didn’t have to do a great deal of work to get it published.

5 – From your own experience as a writer do you have any tips for others, particularly those not yet published? Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

DS - The internet is full of writing tips. I’d simply say, write often and self-edit, be critical of your own work and put yourself in your characters shoes. You can read all the writing books in the world but in order to be a writer you have to WRITE. Experience leads to growth. With the benefit of hindsight I would have completed a degree in English!

6 – I know you write gritty crime fiction, does this entail much research and if so, how do you go about it? Do you simply have a good imagination or do you lurk about on street corners taking notes. Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

DS - For the stories and novellas I have written not a great deal of research has been needed. My life experience of living between two large housing estates has stood me in good stead for the Longcroft Tales. I try to make my stories about the characters and sometimes they lead the way. I don’t avoid anything as such, but I try very hard to keep all events within the boundaries of the setting. That was difficult with my novella The Bank Manager and the Bum. In the end I let the main characters, Frank and Giles, lead the way for me.

7 – I know you listen to music while you write, Darren, and I know you include reference to music in your work, but is there a particular song or artist that you feel is significant to your writing.

DS - In a word, no. My music taste is quite broad so I don’t feel any one artist speaks to me more than another. However, here a link to a quirky little album that features in The Bank Manager and the Bum:     Here
                                              
8 - Were you brought up in a house full of books, or did you sneak off to the library at every opportunity as I did. As a child which was your favourite book? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

DS - I am possibly the only reader in my family, most certainly the only avid reader. Since I was born in 1970 the library was main access to books. I used to read a lot of the Hardy Boys stories but as a teen Harry Harrison’s The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World was a favourite. Terry Pratchett is my favourite author. However, I’m going to choose a series rather than a book for my favourite. Stephen King’s Gunslinger series has to be top right now. I invested so much time in that series. Right now I am reading Terry Pratchett’s Raising Steam. I’d say to any novice writer, if you want to learn to write characters read Pratchett – he is the master.

9 – I’d love you to tell everyone a little about the books you currently have published.

DS - I’m a story writer rather than a novelist at the moment. Here’s a list of my current releases:
Tales from the Longcroft (Tales from the Longcroft Estate) published by Byker Books
Tales from the Longcroft 2 published by Byker Books
Shattered Hearts and Broken Glass (Best of British) (Longcroft novella)
The Bank Manager and the Bum (A Novella)
Moonchild’s Sins (P.I. Potter #1) (A Novella)
Dark Voices (A Short Story Collection)

10 – If it’s not a closely guarded secret, and won’t spoil the plot, can you give me a hint at what you have planned next?

DS - I’m currently working on (working title) Belfty and The Bum. A follow up to The Bank Manager and the Bum. The bum in the first book, Frank, finds himself unwittingly in a maelstrom of violence of supernatural events. His powers seems to be growing…

11 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

DS - Frank is a loner, he like’s Pink Floyd, he’s studied Buddhism and he seems to know the contents of your head…

12 –Please introduce the book you’ve brought with you, Darren, and while we’re on a roll you can read a short excerpt.

DS - Today I’ve brought along The Bank Manager and the Bum. (Disclaimer - adult language and violence. Read on if you're okay with that. Cover your eyes if you're not. )

Chapter One - City Life

Across the bitterly cold city of Hull not a soul stirred. A harvest moon cast a pale orange light across the darker parts of the light-polluted city. The nightly revellers were all in bed by now, or in taxis, hiccuping and puking. Husbands were arriving home from lads’ nights out and trying not to disturb slumbering wives. The enticing aromas of pizzas, curry and kebabs were slowly fading from the city centre as one by one the fast food establishments started to close their doors and pull down their shutters. The only sign they’d been open was the liberal covering of pizza boxes and empty plastic containers strewn across the city centre. Police patrols occasionally stopped to have a word with swaying groups of drunks. Mostly they let people be. They stopped the odd fight and took those that would not leave it alone to the city cells, where they’d wake up next morning wondering how they’d arrived there.

In the brightly lit doorway of a bank, a man slept. He wore ragged, mismatched clothes. A ragged and filthy short beard graced his sallow features. He’d positioned his possessions in carrier bags behind him, shielded from prying eyes between the bank window and his body. A large Alsatian slept fitfully, cuddled within the circle of his arms. A filthy, thin blanket covered them but was of little use in keeping out the cold which gnawed at their bones. The dog’s legs kicked out briefly as it chased an elusive dream rabbit.

In the early hours a pack of three predators stood over the homeless man, swaying drunkenly and giggling. The largest of three wore a retro coat with a bullseye logo on the back, shielding him from the bitter wind. He sneered as he looked down at the sleeping man.

“Look what we have here. Fucking litter lining the streets. Oi, mate GET A FUCKING JOB!” he bellowed down at the man, who didn’t stir.

One of the men, who wore designer glasses and a short bomber jacket, looked around nervously.

“Come on, Dave, let’s get a fucking pizza and go before the queue in the taxi rank gets too long.”

At this point the dog stirred sleepily. He blinked and raised his head looking up at the men.

“Fuck off, Blake, you soft bugger. Do you want to see our fucking streets littered with this?” He indicated the man.

The third man spoke for the first time. “He’s right; it’s a fucking disgrace. Where do these people come from?”

Detecting the aggression in the men’s voices the dog growled menacingly.

Dave kicked the man’s leg. “What you growling at mutt? Protecting this filthy bugger are you?”

The man twitched and started to stir. “Ignoring me, is it?”

Dave started to kick the man; he was joined shortly by the other two.

Disgust turned their faces even uglier as they laid into the helpless, man. They did not spare the dog, which bore much of the brunt of their cowardly attack as the blows rained down on it. The man looked up at them with bleary eyes and tried to cover his face and shield the dog at the same time. When they had tired of their sport, the three predators hurled more abuse at the man then walked off laughing; they didn't look back. The dog whimpered on occasion, but neither of the two battered forms moved; they simply lay blood-stained in the doorway.

13- Okay, can you give us the blurb and let us know where we can find it?

When branch manager Giles Macintosh arrives to open up one morning and finds an injured bum and his battered dog lying in the doorway of the bank, he little suspects what lies in store for them all.
Giles does the decent thing and calls for help, then puts the incident out of his mind. However, having been witness to things he cannot explain, he feels drawn to the man and tries to track him down … only to find he has vanished.
But who is the enigmatic, homeless Frank? Why are two very nasty men trying to find him? Why has a prostitute been abducted? And what does the future hold for Giles’s seriously ill son, Jake?
Darren Sant skilfully weaves the various strands to create a compelling story that is as unflinching as it is heart-warming.
As the story unfolds, the tension increases and the true nature of Frank’s amazing secret begins to be revealed. The stakes are high as the criminal and the supernatural come together for a final, inevitable showdown.

The Novella is FREE until Friday 10th January so get your skates over to HERE and download.

If you want to find out more about Darren and his work you can catch up with him at his:

Website

Facebook

Twitter: @groovydaz39 & @Longcroft_Tales

15 - And finally before you leave, a test for your imaginative, story weaving skills. We’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from the very last line from Alfie Robins? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on. Please feel free to add your own twist:

...I think Alfie was drunk when he did his bit. Please feel free to find a body or bludgeon the elf ;)

‘You bleedin’ little elf, bring back my fairy, the Christmas tree looks naked without it.' The despicable thief grinned as he slipped the plastic fairy into his pocket. The moon washed over his features and for just a moment you could see horribly twisted horns upon his head. He slunk down an alley, taking the darkness with him, whistling along to an old Rolling Stones tune that was echoing around the dark caverns in his mind. A passer-by might just have heard him whisper, “Pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name.”
A nearby howl disturbed the still night air. His gimlet-eyes spotted a figure standing in the gaping maw of the alley…

Thanks for stopping by Darren. It’s been a pleasure to chat with you and find out more about you and of course about your books. Best of luck with your next book. Do let me know when it's released.

                                                                        Babs x

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.... That’s not quite right, seeing as it’s the week before Christmas and the creatures in question, namely moles, are very much stirring ... all over The Coffee House garden. A whole bleedin’ metropolis has moved in and they’re merrily hanging their stockings. Bah humbug... it’ll be lumps of coal for the velvety critters if I have anything to do with it. Anyway, enough of that, it is indeed the week before Christmas, the third candle is lit and I have cinnamon biscuits and spiced apple crumble on offer for this week’s guest. I’m delighted to welcome a great Hull crime writer, and all round canny lad, Alfie Robins. I’m hoping he’ll reassure us all that the streets of his fair city are not overrun with the criminal elements that populate his gritty, crime novels and give us an insight into why he thinks Hull won City of Culture. Well done Hull!! I’m also hoping he’ll tell us about his latest book, and who knows, he may have a few tips re my aforementioned mole infestation. So let’s get to it ... and give a warm Coffee House welcome to Alfie Robins.

 1 – Let’s get you fed and watered before we begin, Alfie. Have a shufty at the menu and state your poison. Healthy or unhealthy? I’m afraid the healthy option is restricted to half a carrot, the other half being reserved for Rudolph.

AR - To be honest with you I think I’ll have a cuppa soup if you have any, and a bread roll, it was nithering being kept waiting out there with moles. What’s with the candles, has your electric been cut off? Cuppa soup! Ahem, only homemade scrummy stuff on these premises, Mr Robins.

2 – Alfie, I’ve already let slip that you hail from Hull, but I’m sure everyone would like to know a little more about you and how you know so much about criminal types and dodgy goings on. Are you a full time writer with a good imagination or do you have a stripey jumper and a bag marked swag in the bottom of your wardrobe? If you have a secret skill or hobby we want to hear about it...we really do, as long as it’s legal!

AR - I can’t really answer the first part of the question, on grounds that I may incriminate myself. Let’s just say I was brought up in a part of the city where the people were tough and so was life, beside I don’t want a hit squad looking for me. As for the stripey jumper, I’ve never worn one. I always preferred the black jumper, trousers, shoes and never went on a job without a balaclava, you know the type with just the eye holes. Apart from being quite an expert in Lee Style Tai Chi, my main hobby is grifting, can’t beat pulling off a good con. Full time writer? Well if you call being retired enabling me to write full time then yes, but earning enough to get a decent income from it then no.

3 – How did you initially get into writing? What does your family think of your writing and all the time you devote to your fictional characters? As you already know, Alfie, I love your writing, with its black northern humour and twisty plots, but who in your family is your biggest fan?

AR - At school I was not what you could call very academic, I was always better at athletics, it came in handy being a fast runner on Hessle Road. In later life, In 1994 I went back into education as a mature student and took a degree, Special Economic & Social History at the University of Hull.  I think that encouraged me to take more of an interest in writing.   A few years later, after I suffered a work injury and had quite a lot of time on my hands was when I thought maybe I could write fiction, in-between my evening job of breaking and entering. All of my family have been a great support in my writing, but none more so than my son Lee, who is learning disabled and who loves being a character in two of my books, he’s always asking when he’s getting promoted from Detective Constable!

4 – Can you remember the first thing you had published? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

AR - I’ve never been one for entering competitions and oh yes, I did the usual trawl of agent and publishes. I gathered quite a selection of, “thank you, but no thank you letters”. Then I approach Tim Roux, who at the time was running the social network site Night Reading and fortunately for me he agreed to publish my first novel “Reprisal”, which I am pleased to say reached the dizzy heights of No 8 in the Amazon UK kindle charts. Well done! I think we’d all like that kind of success.

5 – From your own experience as a writer do you have any tips for those not yet published? Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

AR - I think the best advice has already been said in previous interviews, never give up and never be afraid to ask for advice from your peers. To be honest in answer to the second part of the question, I wish I’d started creative writing years ago. But saying that, maybe the time wasn’t right for me then.

6 – I know you write police procedural, crime fiction, and you certainly know your way around the nick, does this entail much research and if so, how do you go about it? Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

AR - I have to be honest, the bulk of my research comes from reading, the television and my own experience of the police interview room from the wrong side of the table. However, a book I would recommend is, “The Crime Writer’s Guide To Police Practice and Procedure” by Michael O’Bryne. I have that book too. I was fortunate to meet with Michael at last year’s Yeovil Literary Festival. He certainly knows his stuff.

There is no way at all that I could write a romance or love scene. I’d be too embarrassed in case my wife read it and then I would be for the high jump.

7 – Where does your inspiration come from, Alfie? Do you listen to music while you write? Is there a song or artist that you feel is significant to your writing.

AR - Yes music plays a big part in my writing, I’m not a music snob I listen to nearly everything. Country, classical and throw in a bit of Elvis, but the sixties music still takes some beating, I suppose that’s because I’m an old git.
I think the following youtube link sums me up!  You’ll probably agree. Very apt, Alfie!

'They're coming to take me away'

8 - Were you brought up in a house full of books, or did you sneak off to the library at every opportunity as I did. As a child which was your favourite book? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

AR - Books have always been important to me. My father was a fisherman, away at sea for three weeks at a time with only books and the radio for company when they weren’t working, the fishermen would listen to the American forces stations transmitting from Iceland, hence my liking for country.  When he came home there was always a bag full of paperbacks, “The Saint”, Dennis Wheatley’s black magic and Raymond Chandler, whose character name Philip Marlowe who I pinched!  There used to be second-hand book shops along Hessle Road were you could do a swop, I was always swopping. At present I’m having a change from the usual and reading an autobiography, ‘My Life’ by David Jason, cushty.

9 – I’d love you to tell me a little about the books you currently have published.

AR - Reprisal, a straight forward police procedural was the first. Featuring the above mentioned Philip Marlowe, only this time he’s a DCI not a PI. Reprisal may have been the first but it isn’t necessarily my favourite, this has to be Just Whistle, published by the leading British crime publisher Caffiene Nights Publishing. Ok, it’s still a crime novel but it’s out of the ordinary and has a surreal twist. Snakes and Loser is the third, this time once again featuring DCI Marlowe and its out now as am ebook, the paperback should be available early in the New Year. Must admit, Just Whistle is my favourite, if you haven’t read it folks, I‘d highly recommend it if you like crime with a twist.

10 – If it’s not a closely guarded secret, and won’t spoil the plot, can you give me a hint at what you have planned next? I won’t tell anyone...promise.

AR - Then next planned novel is Funeral Rites, a follow up to Just Whistle but that’s a closely guarded secret at the moment and hopefully should be published in the second half of 2014.  However I am also working on something different, there’s still the crime element but also it’s a bit spooky, at present the working title is The Dead Talk Back. Sounds like my kind of book.

11 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

AR - DS Harry ‘H’ Blackburn, easy going, dry sense of humour, good at his job and like a drink or two, just like me.

12 –Please introduce the book you’ve brought with you, Alfie, and while I go and top up your coffee, would you like to read a short excerpt?

AR - No problem, Babs, I’ve brought the new one with me Snakes and Losers, featuring DCI Philip Marlowe and his team. I hope you’re not squeamish.

Disclaimer – The following excerpt does contain adult language and a rather gruesome scene. If you’re of a nervous disposition, or easily offended ... please look away now. If you like your crime gritty ... please carry on.

Fatty heard the Range Rover door open and close again. Keane came back inside carrying a large heavy canvas hold-haul.  He set the bag on the floor and locked the stable door behind him. The bouncer watched with interest, the bag was unzipped and Keane took out what was inside.

‘Oh no, you must be fucking joking! I’m not having any of that! For fucks sake Chainsaw Massacre ain't for me, I’m off.’ He started to unfasten the suit; this was not what he’d signed up for.

‘No you fucking don’t, you’re already in this up to your bloody neck, and what does it matter he’s FUCKING DEAD!  Not going to be bothered is he!’ If Keane was honest about it, he wasn’t really relishing the task himself. He’d already had a similar conversation with his Uncle and was told he’d do “as he was feckin told”.

‘Well I’m not using the fucking saw.’

‘For such a tough looking bloke you can be a right tart at times.  Just get the fucker down while I see how this thing works.’

The bouncer looked at the limp figure dangling like a marionette at the end of the rope and shook his head. ‘It was your own bleedin’ fault,’ he said to the corpse as if expecting an answer.  He adjusted the plastic sheet until it was centrally placed underneath the swaying figure. He walked to where end of the rope was tied fast, unwound it from the cleat and took the weight. The pulley fixed to the roof rafter squeaked as it was placed under the duress of the full weight of the body. ‘Shit,’ the bouncer called out as he lost his footing on the shiny plastic sheet and let go of the rope and the body dropped to the floor in a broken heap.

13- Can you let us know where we can find it?

Amazon UK

Amazon .com


14 - And let us know where we can find you, Alfie.

Facebook

Alfie Robins Blogspot

Caffeine Nights

Eastcoast crime fiction



15 - Finally before you leave, a test for your imaginative, story weaving skills. We’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this last line from Juliet B Madison? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on:  (the story so far can be found here)

...darkness overwhelmed her and she sank to the floor in a dead faint... 

When she regained her composure, Isabella looked up, it was gone.  She couldn’t believe it, who would do such a thing? It was a dastardly thing to do.  On hands and knees she checked everywhere, under the sofa, behind the television, it wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
The more she thought about, the more obvious it became, there was only one person she knew evil enough to do such a thing. 
She stood, hands on hips and shouted at the top of her voice. ‘You bleedin’ little elf, bring back my fairy, the Christmas tree looks naked without it.

Right well, that’s certainly added a twist to the story. Let’s see what the next guest does with that! Thanks so much for stopping by, Alfie. It’s been a pleasure to chat with you and find out more about you, your unique brand of humour (breaking and entering indeed...) and of course about your books. Snakes and Losers is a great read and as it’s hot off the press, I’d recommend it to all you crime buffs.

                                                                    Babs x

The second candle is now lit, and for those who may be a little concerned at the safety aspect of my homemade, advent extravaganza, rest assured I’ll blow out the candles when I close up for the evening. My little corner of Northumberland has seen some wintry weather over the past week, so I’ve stoked up the wood-burner and in addition to the usual calorie laden treats; I have homemade soup and crusty bread hot from the oven and the obligatory mince pies (with cream of course). This week at The Coffee House I’m delighted to welcome Juliet B Madison. Juliet is another tireless supporter of Indie authors and the author of a new UK crime fiction series which is proving very popular indeed. I’m looking forward to hearing more about what makes Juliet tick. So without further ado...let’s get started.  

1 – First things first, Juliet. Lots to titillate your taste buds in The Coffee House today, are you a sweet or savoury person?  May I take your order please?

JB -I’ll have a latte with two sugars please, Babs, as well as the soup and crusty bread. I like sweet things but, on account of having had Type 1 Diabetes since childhood, I have always tended to choose the savoury option. I can NEVER resist tiramisu though. Oh dear, that must be difficult. Soup coming up, sorry, no tiramisu I’m afraid.

2 – Juliet, I’m sure everyone would like to know a little more about you. Where are you from? Are you a full time writer or do you have to share your time elsewhere? If you have a secret skill or hobby or if you moonlight as something particularly exciting we want to hear about it...we really do!

JB - I wish I could afford to write full time, Babs, but sadly I can’t so I have a mind-numbing evening office cleaning job. I come from Reading in the Thames Valley (between Oxford & London). My fictional city of Ashbeck is located between Oxford and my hometown, Reading, so the action sometimes spills over into either or both locations if needed. Mind numbing jobs are perfect for thinking out plots, though.

3 – How did you initially get into writing? I know you’re a prolific writer, Juliet, so I’m interested in how you discipline yourself. Do you have a daily word quota, or just write when the mood takes you? What does your family think of your writing and all the time you devote to your fictional characters?

JB - When I was a kid I would fill exercise books with stories. I write when the mood takes me, but DI Frank Lyle has free rein so he often runs away with the story. My Mum and my Gran have read all the DI Frank Lyle books to date, apart from the one I’m here to talk about today. But my mum doesn’t like the Lulu.com site so she waits until they get on Amazon, although she DID read the second DI Frank Lyle book Heir to Misfortune on the Kindle app on her ipad.

4 – Can you remember the first thing you had published? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

JB - I had a few poems published in anthologies during my teens and twenties. I had a less than pleasant experience with a small publisher a couple of years back, after which I decided to take the self-publishing route.

5 – From your own experience as a writer do you have any tips for those not yet published? Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

JB - Never give up on your dreams of being in print; it is easier now than when I was in my teens. All the things I might have done differently with hindsight would have involved money I just don’t have. Other advice is NEVER pay anyone for an honest review and you need to grow Rhino hide i.e. be able to take constructive criticism. Someone may offer you a winning plot twist under the guise of criticism after all. That’s a very good point, Juliet. It’s hard for us all to accept criticism, but another person’s constructive insight can be a valuable thing.

6 – I know you write police procedural, crime fiction, does this entail much research and if so, how do you go about it? Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

JB - A lot of my research comes from crime novels and TV crime drama, I learn loads from that. I sometimes ask our good friend Paul Trembling about scene of crime issues, and I use the Howdunnit writers guide series a lot, especially for autopsy scenes and injuries. In the first book, Second Chances, I had a Hindu character so I asked Malika Gandhi tons of questions about their beliefs etc so that he came across as authentic. There was also a Diabetes related aspect to both the first two books which of course came from 34 years experience of living with the condition. I would avoid any storylines directly involving the death of a young child because I have chosen not to have kids and I don’t think I could be accurate enough about the emotional fall out associated with such a tragedy.

7 – Where does your inspiration come from, Juliet? Do you listen to music while you write? Is there a song or artist that you feel is significant to your writing?

JB - In 2013 DI Frank Lyle would be 70, so long retired. I see myself as a sort of chronicler of his most testing cases, rather like Dr Watson is to Sherlock Holmes, so I let him dictate and his memory is what inspires me as well as reading his old case notes.
I more often have the TV as background rather than music, but DI Frank Lyle is a fan of Joan Baez.  So here is a link to her song Diamonds & Rust, which often features in the stories. It’s scary to realise that song is as old as I am. DI Lyle likes to listen to her in the car (tapes because the DI Lyle series is set in the 1980s and early 1990s so prior to in car CD players.)

8 - Were you brought up in a house full of books, or did you sneak off to the library at every opportunity as I did. As a child which was your favourite book? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

JB - I was encouraged to read as a child. I read far too many books to have a real favourite (I was a young child pre-Harry Potter) I don’t recall having an absolute favourite book as a child, but when I was in my teens I discovered "The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 3/4" by Sue Townsend and have bought every Adrian Mole book since. I’ve seen him grow from a gawky teenager into an only slightly less gormless adult. I can’t really say I have favourites now, although I am very fond of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile. At the moment I’m reading Good Deed by Indie crime author Steve Christie. (No relation as far as I know lol)

9 – I’d love you to tell me a little about the books you currently have published.

JB - Second Chances was the first DI Lyle book and it was set across 5 years and featured the one case that haunts him to this day because it had a high cost to him both personally and professionally. Heir to Misfortune is about blackmail, murder and corruption among prominent members of Ashbeck society. Modern forensic medicine was really only in its infancy then so they had a lot to learn about DNA swabbing and blood spatter patterns, which is why I chose to set them in this time period.

10 – If it’s not a closely guarded secret, and won’t spoil the plot, can you give a hint at what you have planned next? I won’t tell anyone ... promise.

JB - The next DI Lyle book Murder in the Wings will be centred on a theatre group in Ashbeck and feature professional jealousy, emotional blackmail and murder, but I haven’t written a word yet so there is nothing to give away. I am also putting together an eBook box set which will feature Second Chances, Heir to Misfortune and Unholy Alliance plus a short “Coming soon” excerpt from Murder in the Wings; this should be ready to release in the spring.

11 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

JB - DI Lyle is a man dedicated to truth and justice; committed to his family and compassionate towards victims of crime.

12 –Please introduce the book you’ve brought with you, Juliet, and while I go and pop another log into the stove, would you like to read a short excerpt?

JB - Unholy Alliance is the third DI Frank Lyle novel. It is centred on the murder of a curate, Reverend Martin Hayes, during an ecumenical conference. The victim seems to have had a troubled past, but what DI Lyle and his team discover is rather shocking.  Will a little knowledge prove to be a dangerous thing?
This excerpt comes from Chapter 15 of Unholy Alliance and is narrated from the POV of DC Jayseera Lyle, DI Lyle’s Indian wife, who has come back to work part-time six months after having their first baby. Rice, is Canon Thomas Rice, a former police officer, who has been called in to help the police owing to the case’s church connection.
 

About ten minutes later there was a knock at the door. Frank opened it to admit Jim Cox and two of his SOCO team.

“Jesus Christ,” he exclaimed.

I glanced at Rice, hoping he wasn’t offended, but he did not appear to be. He was a former cop after all, which meant he would have been used to such language.

“I presume you have Hayes’ prints?” Frank looked at Cox who nodded.

“We’ve all got gloves, but I need you to dust in case there are prints here that do not belong to Hayes.” Frank said, “Meanwhile we have to look out for anything that might give us a clue to the man himself.”

“I don’t envy you,” Cox said.

Frank, Rice and I began leafing through the papers.

“This might be of interest,” Rice said after about ten minutes. He was holding a bundle of torn papers, which looked like letters. Frank supplied him with a sealable evidence bag. I admired the fact that Frank was always prepared; he carried evidence bags and gloves almost everywhere with him.

“It would be good if we could find a diary or something,” I said, “But that would be asking too much.”

“In this bombsite anything’s likely, DC Lyle.” Rice said.

He began leafing through some torn photographs, most of which were grainy and badly exposed.

“Whoever took these was no David Bailey.”

He carried on looking.

“Look at this, DI Lyle,” he said suddenly. Frank walked over to him and I peered in.

It was a grainy age-distorted snapshoot taken on a pier of some sort. It had been torn in half but the halves clearly matched. It showed a younger Hayes and his mother with a child, aged about five or six, wearing a pair of trunks and a towel around his shoulders. It was posed, none of them looked especially happy. I realised that, in order to find the key to the mystery, we would need to know who the child was.

“Did Hayes have any younger brothers, kids of his own or a nephew?” I asked, suddenly excited by this discovery.

“No to the first and third, he was an only child,” Rice said, “As to the other, well a definite don’t know.”

Suddenly we heard a piercing scream from upstairs and a muted, “Oh my God.”

Frank dashed into the hallway. DC Fox was halfway down the stairs, his face ashen.

“What is it?” Frank’s tone was urgent.

“Guv, I really think you need to come and see this.”

Frank and I ascended the stairs, Rice close behind. WPC Mahon was stood in an open doorway, tears streaming down her pallid cheeks.

13- And can you let us know where we can find it?

AMAZON

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

LULU








14– And some links as to where we can find you.

Website

Twitter @JulietBMadison

Authorgraph

Facebook - Juliet B Madison Crime Author

Facebook - Unholy Alliance

Facebook - DI Lyle Mystery Series

Facebook - Asbeck CID


15 - And finally before you leave, a test for your imaginative, story weaving skills. We’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this last line from John Holt? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on: You can catch up with the story so far Here.

There on the wall was a painting of a lady, a lady dressed in grey, but the face was that of Rose herself...

Rose was horrified to see this. What on earth did it mean to see her face on an old picture?

A thousand scenarios and explanations ran through her mind but none of them seemed remotely plausible.  She felt acrid bile rise into her mouth and throat, which she valiantly attempted to choke back down.

She thought about the famous line from Sherlock Holmes about eliminating the impossible, but the trouble was it all seemed impossible so she was unlikely to find the remaining improbable and with it the truth.

The shock was proving to be too much and with a cry Rose remembered nothing more as darkness overwhelmed her and she sank to the floor in a dead faint.

 

Thanks for stopping by Juliet. It’s been great to find out more about you and of course about DI Lyle and his team. Good luck with the series.


                                                                                        Babs x

Well we’re into December and in true ‘Blue Peter’ tradition I’ve fashioned two metal coat-hangers, a heap of tinsel and pine cones, and four candles into a rather nifty advent calendar. The first candle is now lit and I have to admit I’m rather pleased with it. I’ve also splashed out on the latest sound system so that my guests may be entertained while I mess about with the coffee machine. On the sofa this week at The Coffee House is my good friend  John Holt. John writes crime fiction and historical fiction and is a great advocate for Indie authors. John can always be relied upon for a wise word or wisecrack and it’s my great pleasure to have him as my guest today.  

1 – Lots on the specials board today, John. I’ve been up since the crack of dawn and the cake platter is heaving with goodies. So, state your preference, please; coffee, tea or hot chocolate, and perhaps a little something to go with it?

JH - Well firstly let me say that it’s great to be here. Coffee will be fine, black and two sugars please. It used to be six but then I had to cut it down. I must say that Chocolate gateau looks pretty good, and you made it yourself. A slice of that would be terrific. Just the one slice - a large slice. Oh and a smidgen of double cream - a large smidgen if you don’t mind.

2 – John, perhaps you’d like to tell us how you ended up here on my sofa. Are you a full time writer or do you have an additional occupation or interest that drags you away from the keyboard. If you have a secret skill or moonlight as something particularly exciting we want to hear about it...we really do!

JH - I wish. No, sadly I’m not a full time writer, and if I weren’t actually retired I would need a day job to keep the wolf from the door. As it is I retired some years ago, basically because of a heart attack that I had in 2004. I used to be a Chartered Surveyor working for the Greater London Council as a Senior Project Manager. Then in 1986 I started my own surveying practice, doing reports for people buying houses, and preparing architectural drawings for extensions and new houses. I did a lot of work for a couple of local Estate Agents. Then I had the heart attack and lost several clients who could not, or would not, wait for me to recover. Then I began to lose interest anyway, and eventual stopped about five years ago. As for secret skills well I do like restoring old photographs, so if you have any old pictures with tears and scratches let me know and I might be able to restore it for you.

3 – How did you initially get into writing? Are you a disciplined writer with a daily word quota? What does your family think of all the time you spend with your fictional characters?

JH - In one way or another I guess that I have always wanted to write a novel, but apart from the lack of time, due to full time work, I could never think of a decent plot. Then in 2005 I suddenly had the time, my work load had decreased considerably, and the germ of a plot was presented to me. We were on holiday in Austria, staying at Grundlsee, one of three lakes. The next lake, Toplitzsee, had been used by the German Navy to test rockets during the war. As the war ended there were rumours of nazi gold being hidden in the lake. Hence came the idea for “The Kammersee Affair”, which was published in December 2006.
At first I think the whole idea of me being an author cost me a fair sum of money, and was not taken seriously. It wasn’t until my books began selling that things began to change. Now Tom Kendall is almost a member of the family. And no I don’t have a daily target. I write as and when I think of something suitable. I don’t believe you can force yourself to write, it has to come naturally, and in its own time.

4 – What was the first thing you had published and how did you go about it? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

JH - Once I had written “The Kammersee Affair” I had visions of it being snapped up by a publisher and then I would sell lots of copies and make a lot of money. A search of the Internet soon had me thinking differently. It seemed that publishers were not looking for new authors who did not have a track record, or weren’t an A lister. But then I found a number of publishers who were more than willing to publish my works, a long as I paid them. The fees ranged from $10000 (I kid you not) from Dorrance Publishing in New York; £2400 from Austin and Macauley; £700 from Authorhouse; and £400 from Raider Publishing in New York. I agreed to go with Raider, after all it was good to see my book in print, and naturally I would sell lots of books and get my money back wouldn’t I? I started book number two, “The Mackenzie Dossier” (originally “The Mackenzie File”). That too was published by Raider, for another fee. By 2009 I had four books published with Raider. Sadly none of them were selling. Furthermore my contracts were only for a three year period. In March 2012 I decide to re-release all of my books, and self publish them myself. In August of that year Phoenix (my publishing brand) released “A Killing In The City”. In August 2013 Phoenix released my sixth book “The Thackery Journal”.

5 – From your own experience as a writer do you have any tips for those not yet published? Is there anything you would do differently with the benefit of hindsight?

JH - Hindsight is a wonderful thing. All I can say is I wish I had self published long ago, although I have to admit that it probably wasn’t as easy to self publish a few years ago. Now, with the likes of Lulu.com, Createspace, and Kindle Direct, self publishing is simple and cost nothing. Being self published does not stop you from also looking for a traditional publisher if that is what you want. But please do not go near any of the so called vanity publishers who charge to publish your works.

6 – I know you write crime, and adventure based on historical facts and wonder which is your favourite and why? Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

JH - Firstly I don’t suppose there’s any more of that cake around is there? Ah – right. “The Thackery Journal” took me four years to produce, on and off. I got quite bogged down at one stage. I had done a lot of research, and had pages and pages, but just couldn’t work out how to set it out as a novel. Then quite suddenly the whole basic layout came into my mind, and three months later the book was finished.  Despite the problems I had initially I really enjoyed writing this book, and I certainly hope to do another novel set during the American Civil War. Nonetheless I have to say that my favourite genre has to be Crime. I loved those old film noir movies with Humphrey Bogart, and Edward G Robinson. Genres I avoid are Romance, Sci-fi, fantasy, and certainly I have no interest in erotica.

7 – Where do you think your love of books and writing came from, John? As a child which was your favourite book? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

JH - Every Friday evening when my father came in from work there would be a selection of sweets, which were shared with my brother Brian, and kept in a sweet tin; there would also be the latest issue of the Eagle comic, and a copy of the Enid Blyton magazine. I loved her Secret Seven, and Famous Five novels. Any time I was given the choice of what present I would like it would always be a book. My favourite book as a child was probably “Treasure Island”. My all time favourite book would be “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens. There is nothing to beat the opening two lines, or the final two lines. Brilliant, there is no other word for it. Nowadays I tend to read Alastair Maclean (a favourite from my youth). Regarding modern writers I stick to other Indie authors. One of my favourites is somebody who wrote something about “Wildewood Revenge”, can’t remember the author’s name. Another of my favourites is Alfie Robins who also writes a mean crime novel. I almost said that his writing was criminal. Just kidding Alfie, just kidding. I am currently reading "The Trojan Project" by Eileen Thornton, another Indie author - early days yet I'm about 10% into it. It reminds me of the sci-fi films from the fifties. It is scary, it is exciting, it grabs you and is taking me along into who knows what, but I'm hooked.

9 – Okay, John, now you’re full of delicious cake I reckon it’s time to tell us a little about the books you currently have published.

JH - Well as I said earlier I now have six novels published. “The Kammersee Affair”, a story about hidden nazi gold involving blackmail, a murder or three and revenge. Then there followed four novels featuring my private detective Tom Kendall – “The Mackenzie Dossier” all about political corruption; in “The Marinski Affair”, there’s a murder or two, blackmail, a kidnapping, oh and a jewel robbery. But not everything is what it seems. Then we have “Epidemic” about a corrupt pharmaceutical company, and the sudden death of a young reporter, all set as a viral epidemic slowly spreads throughout the world. In “A Killing In The City” Kendall’s holiday in London is interrupted by the sudden death of a fellow passenger. My latest novel is “The Thackery Journal”, a ‘what if’ novel set during the American Civil War. It poses the possibility that the assassination of President Lincoln was actually planned by his own generals.

10 – If it’s not a closely guarded secret, can you give me a hint at what you have planned next? I won’t tell anyone...promise.

JH - I am currently working on two more Tom Kendall novels. One is about 50% complete, the other, set in Ireland, is about 30%. I have also made a tentative start on an adventure story based on an event that happened in 1931. A privately funded expedition planned on going to the North Pole under the ice cap. It never arrived, and later the submarine was scuttled in a Norwegian fjord. What happened has never been explained. I also have a very vague idea for another Civil War novel. But not a word to anyone, you are sworn to secrecy.

11 – And please tell us even more about the one you’ve brought with you, John. Also if you have a music track that you listened to while you wrote it, I’ll pop it on now. I did explain about reading an excerpt later didn’t I? Oh good. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or coffee, for that matter.

JH - Many years ago I used to write articles, interviews and reviews, for a couple of Blues magazines, sadly no longer in print. So the music track I have chosen is “Dust My Broom” by Elmore James, hope you like it.

12 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

JH - I may have had difficulties picking a book excerpt, but when it comes to picking a character it’s easy. It has to be Kendall himself. He is featured in four of my novels, and two that I am presently working on. There is a lot of me in Kendall. He is stubborn, has a wicked sense of humour, is methodical, and never gives up.

13 – While I go and get your coffee topped up, would you like to read a short excerpt from your book?

JH - I wasn’t sure which of my books to pick, but eventually I picked this one. “A Killing In The City” was inspired by the economic crisis that affected much of the world a few years ago. Kendall, and his business partner Mollie take a much needed holiday and travel to London. A holiday which is interrupted by the sudden death of a fellow passenger.

John Wyndham Collier was a big man, big in every sense of the word. Six feet four tall and weighing a little over fourteen stone, he ruled this vast financial empire with an iron fist. Nobody crossed Collier, not if they had any sense, that is. Nobody disagreed with him. Nobody argued with him, and nobody ever questioned his judgement. Nobody dared.

He was a self-made man, who had worked his way up to the higher echelons of power. He was now head of this financial giant. He owned fifty-one percent of the shares, and was the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Nothing happened in the company without his knowledge, and his agreement.

Of course he hadn’t done it entirely alone. He had made good use of several other people over the years. Not that they had any knowledge of what was happening of course, or had actually given their consent. Indeed they hadn’t actually suspected a thing. In fact, the vast majority of them didn’t even know of his existence. If they had known what was happening they would almost certainly have objected. Many of them had lost their life savings because of Collier, not that they knew of his involvement.

Always the opportunist, Collier had merely taken advantage of various situations that had occurred. And why not, he asked. If a few people were just too gullible, or too stupid, was that his fault? No it wasn’t. So they couldn’t think for themselves, was that his problem? Was he his brother’s keeper? No, he wasn’t. If a few people got hurt, or trodden on, along the way, well it was just unfortunate, wasn’t it? It was just one of those things, one of those things that couldn’t be helped. What did it matter anyway? Did anyone really care? Collier very much doubted it. Besides he wasn’t really worried whether they cared or not. In fact he wasn’t worried at all. So he had made a few enemies along the way, more than a few. But what did that compare with the power he now possessed. You couldn’t cook an omelet without cracking a few eggs, could you?

If you don’t want to get burnt, stay out of the kitchen. That was one of Collier’s favorite sayings. He had got burnt, once, many years ago. He had vowed then and there it would never happen again.

14- And let us know where we can find it?

Amazon Uk

Amazon .com

Kobo

Barnes & Noble

e-sentral

itunes




15– And where we can find you?

Website Here

Facebook Here

You can also catch up with John on Twitter -  @JohnHoltAuthor

16 - And finally before you leave, a test for your imaginative, story weaving skills. We’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this last line from Paul Trembling? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on:  (You can catch up with the story so far Here)

“We must find out about the Grey Woman!”...

“What do you mean, what happened to you?” Marcus asked. “And what has that to do with the Grey Woman?”

“I’m not sure,” replied the girl. “But I know that I’ve been here before.”

“That you have, Mistress Rose,” said Peter.

Marcus turned and shivered involuntary. “I knew we should never have come here.”

“Ye had no choice young sir,” replied Peter as he started to walk away. Then he stopped by the door. “It was destined. See for yourself.”

He held the lamp aloft. There on the wall was a painting of a lady, a lady dressed in grey, but the face was that of Rose herself.



JH - Thank you for having me here today. I really enjoyed it. By the way I’ve just remembered the name of that author I mentioned, you know the one who wrote “Wildewood” – it was a certain B A Morton. Did you say I could take some cake home with me. Well a little of that chocolate cake would be good, and those jam scones look good, and I do love meringues, and .... alright I’m going.

Thanks for being a very entertaining guest,  John ... and yes, you can take some cake home with you :)

                                                                                                                                                                            Babs x

This week The Coffee House welcomes Paul Trembling. Not only is Paul a cracking author, he also has an unerring nose for a good book, which means I tend to take note of his recommendations. In addition he knows a thing or two about crime, from the right side of the law of course, which makes him a good guy to have on your side when you write crime fiction. So, without further ado, please come in out of the cold, Paul, have a seat on the sofa and make yourself comfy.  

1 - First things first. The stove’s hot and the kettle’s just boiled so what are you having? Are you a latte or a lemon tea?  A flapjack or a fruitcake? Or can I tempt you with something from the specials board?

PT - A cappuccino please, Babs.  And there was some mention earlier about chocolate, cherry and walnut cake, warm, with fresh raspberries and double cream … is that still on?  Good.  But just a big bit, please.

2 – Paul, let’s get to know a little bit more about how you ended up here on my sofa. Are you a full time writer or do you have an additional occupation that drags you away from the keyboard. If you moonlight as something particularly exciting, dangerous or downright dodgy,  we want to hear about it...we really do! And with all those books to your name, how on earth do you squeeze enough writing time into your busy day?

PT - Sadly, no, I’m not a full time writer.  I and my family would starve if I was.  My ‘day job’ (which, due to shift work and call outs can be any time of day or night) is as a Crime Scene Investigator for a UK Police Force.  Yes, a CSI, though (as I say at least once every working day) it’s nothing like you see on TV!  Not nearly as exciting.  I actually prefer the older job title of SOCO (Scenes Of Crime Officer) but no one asked my opinion.
Fitting in writing time is difficult.  Most of it has to be done on my rest days or when I’m on holiday.  Sometimes I get a bit done in the evenings, or in the morning if I’m on a late shift, but I’m often busy with other commitments (Dad’s taxi, for example!) or just too tired.  I often find it immensely frustrating, not being able to write when I want to.  But, to look on the positive side, I do get plenty of opportunity to think through story details before I finally get it written down.  Which can be good.  I’m currently trying to put together a military SF short story and have just about got to the end – but that end bit has already been re-written several times in my head!  Hopefully, it’ll be right when I actually type the words!

3 – How did you get into writing? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to be a member of a writer’s group. Or maybe you just fell into it by accident.

PT - Babs, I was a writer before I could write!  Or perhaps I should say I was a story maker.  Some of my earliest memories are of making up stories and telling them to myself as I lay in bed at night.  Not a habit that’s easy to break, even if I’d ever seriously tried!
Later on I began writing things down.  I’ve never stopped.  In fact, if anything it’s got worse!

4 – What was the first thing you had published and how did you go about it? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

PT - I think the first thing I had properly published was probably a story called ‘Dry Murder’, an SF story that was accepted by a small magazine called ‘Threads’.  (You can read it on my website, if you like – link below) The feedback I got was immensely encouraging, and I submitted several more stories there over the years, before it sadly closed down.
I haven’t had a great deal of success with publishers since then, or with competitions, though I’ve tried both.  I’ve had some stories appear in on-line magazines, most noticeably in ‘Welcome to Wherever’, produced for several years by my virtual friend and another good indie writer, Mandy Ward.  She’s had to give that up now, though.
When I got fed up with rejection letters from publishers, or no letters at all sometimes, I took advantage of the digital revolution and started self-publishing.  My first e-publication was a crime novel, ‘Can of Worms’, based on my CSI experience, and that went out on KDP in August 2011.  Since then I’ve self-published ten titles of various sorts.
I’m still open to going down the traditional route, though, if someone wants to make me an offer!

5 – From your own experience as a writer do you have any tips for those not yet published?

PT - Just keep writing!  Get as much feedback as you can (I’ve currently got some chapters of a work in progress on ‘Youwriteon’ and the reviews have been very useful), learn from them, and write more.  When you’re happy with what you’ve  done, look at self-publishing by one of the many possibly routes open nowadays (I’m using Draft2Digital now, which has proved very good so far), unless you’re absolutely committed to finding a traditional publisher.  Then go and write something else.

6 – Paul, I love to genre hop, and I’ve a feeling you do too? Which is your favourite and why? Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

PT - Like you, Babs, I’ve mostly worked in crime and fantasy. I’m probably most drawn to fantasy, because that’s the genre where my imagination has the most scope.  No limitations imposed by awkward facts getting in the way of the plot!  If you can imagine it, you can write it (though it does need to stay consistent with itself) – and you don’t have to do a lot of research, either!  I’m not good at research …
In fact, I probably wouldn’t have written any crime stories if I hadn’t had the background and information presented to me on a plate by virtue of my job!  Even there, I stick quite closely to what I know, that is the CSI side of things.
I also like SF, but I’m limited by my lack of real scientific knowledge.  So my SF stories hover in the fuzzy boundary between ‘hard’ SF and ‘pseudo-scientific fantasy’ (to coin a phrase).
Some things I do avoid. Though I work in fantasy, I’m wary of anything that seems too ‘occult’.  That might seem strange, being as I’ve published a novelette featuring a demon! (The Orb).   I would find it hard to define exactly where the boundary is.  It’s a personal thing: I just won’t go where I feel uncomfortable!  Likewise, I won’t do any graphic sex scenes or erotica.  As a Christian, I don’t think that would be compatible with my faith.
Other genre’s I’m open to, if the right story comes along, but always remembering my aversion to research!
Any more of that cake, by the way?
Fear not, Paul. At The Coffee House there’s never a shortage of cake!

7 – There’s been a lot in the press lately about the reducing number of children who are read to/with at home. Were you read to as a child and did that develop your love of books? As a child which was your favourite book? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

PT - I can clearly remember my Dad reading to me when I was young.  He’d come up every night when I went to bed and read a few chapters.  Usually, he read ‘Biggles’ books.  I don’t think they’re much known now, but they were wonderful adventures featuring a group of pilots (aircraft, not ship!).  Written by W. E. Johns, a marvellous story teller, who had been a pilot himself in the First World War.
That must have had a big influence – as I said before, I was making up my own stories before I could even read myself, let alone write!  Good father-son bonding as well.  I think that Dad  was a little disappointed when I learned to read myself and no longer needed his services in that area!  But I can still remember that the first book I read on my own was one of the ‘Biggles’ books.
Another big influence (and this is something that only occurred to me whilst thinking about your questions, Babs) was my church background.  The Bible, of course, is full of stories!  But perhaps more significantly, it was through church and Sunday school that I came to understand that stories have a value beyond just entertainment.  Stories can mean something.  They communicate ideas, explain things, have an influence.  There is more in a good story than just what happens to the characters.
 To me that’s one of the most important aspects of writing.  And whilst I wouldn’t want to preach at people through my stories (I’ve seen that happen, and it doesn’t work) I hope that some of the things I believe in do come through in my writing.  ‘The Orb’ for example, explores the nature of evil.  And in ‘The Empress’s Lover’ (a fantasy novel) the power and importance of love is a key element.
I think Tolkien said something like ‘I am a Christian, and what I believe is inevitably reflected in my writing’.  I can’t find the quote to confirm it, but I would hope that that is true of me as well.

Sorry, I do waffle on – what was the rest of the question?  Oh yes! My current favourite authors.  Too many to list!  A lot of my reading nowadays is of ‘independent’ authors – like myself!  We network a lot, and try and support each other’s work, and there are some very, very good writers amongst us!  I’ve just recently finished ‘Salutaris’ by Gev Sweeney, a really beautiful and original variation on the Vampire theme.  Before that, I read ‘The Rothko Room’ by Russell Cruse, a brilliant spy story and a marvellous parody on the traditional spy genre.  There’s been some other excellent indie books this year.  ‘Bedlam’ for example!  Now who wrote that?
Ha ha... I wonder. I like Gev Sweeney’s work too. I read The Grave Coverist recently and would recommend it.

9 – Okay, Paul, time to tell us a little about the books you currently have published.

PT - OK – I’ve already mentioned a few.  Additional to those, there are the ‘Dragon Slayer’ stories, twelve in all, currently published in four e-books on Amazon.  Kindle only at present, but one of my projects is to put them together in one volume and distribute them more widely.  (Draft cover idea on Facebook, on my ‘Paul Trembling – Writing’ page).
Then there’s ‘A Pattern of Murder’,  five CSI short stories: and my most recent publication is ‘Minutes of the Reality Escape Committee, Volume One’, a collection of fantasy and horror short stories. Both of these are on all the major e-book platforms and also available as paperbacks.
I’ve also written a children’s fantasy, ‘Trouble in Toyland’, under the pen name of Henry Linden (Kindle or paperback).
Phew! That’s a lot of books, Paul.

10 – If it’s not a closely guarded secret, can you give us a hint at what you have planned next?

PT - Well, there’s the Dragon Slayer collection as I said.  I’d like to write another story to go with that as well.   And my main WIP is ‘The Hidden Libraries’, a fantasy set in the same place as ‘The Empress’s Lover’.  It also has some of the same characters.  That’s been progressing slowly, but I need to do a little re-writing, as certain aspects of my main characters background have now come to light!  That’s the one that’s up on ‘Youwriteon’.  If anyone’s using that site, please take a look and let me know what you think.
Apart from that, I have a folder on my hard drive marked ‘The Back Burner’, full of ideas I haven’t got round to yet!  Frustration, again!  I really want to finish that Military SF story I mentioned earlier, but I’m not sure when I’ll get back to it.

11 – And tell us even more about the one you’ve brought with you. I did explain about reading an excerpt later didn’t I? Oh good. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, or coffee, for that matter…

PT - I’ve decided, after some deliberation, to bring along ‘The Empress’s Lover’.  It’s about an Empire in crisis, about the unlikely relationship between a lowly member of a religious order and the all-powerful Empress.  It’s about the conflict between the ruling classes – the First Order – and those they rule – the Second Order.  And of course, it’s about love.

12 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

PT - Thylan an’Darsio is a young Friar who teaches the children of the Palace servant’s, and falls in love with the Empress.

13 – While I go and get your coffee topped up, would you like to read a short excerpt from your book?

PT - Certainly!  This is from Chapter Nine.  The Empress has just received some serious news, and must react quickly  …

Across the courtyard now.  Thylan half running to keep up as they entered the Great Hall of the Emperors.  Gestavin was matching her stride, nodding attentively as the flood of orders continued.

“I want all the troops along that border alerted, against any interference from Murkarin.  Not that I expect it now, but we’ll give them no temptations!  Their part in this we’ll deal with later.  That doesn’t include the West Fornessy Garrison.  Stand them down until we’ve had time to sort out the good fruit from the rotten.  Confine them to barracks.  Tough on the loyal ones, but we can’t take chances.  Move a regiment of the Guards out there to cover.  Neighbouring Garrisons to provide support to Lady Gerrian until the Guards arrive”.

Up the Grand Staircase, along the Corridor of State.  Servants and guards all round, some rushing ahead to open doors, others darting off to carry out errands. Amazingly, Thylan saw that Gestavin was not only listening to Anatarna, but also managing to pass orders of his own.  Brief snatches came to the Friar’s ears   “…wake Captain Dekker, of the City Watch, to my office at all speed… Secretary to the Council, tell him to prepare for an extraordinary session tomorrow… Guard Colonel Thorance, his regiment to go on full alert and him to report to me directly…”

Even more amazing, Anatarna, without breaking either stride or flow, heard Gestavin’s own asides and responded to them.

“Tell the Secretary that I will address the Council at midday.  A full session, mind, and no excuses will be accepted!”

They exited the Corridor of State via the Diamond Chamber, skirted the Lower Lawns and charged through the Battle Room.

“Tell Lady Gerrian to take what samples she deems necessary and then burn the rest!  I want the whole filthy crop reduced to ashes, right down to the roots!  She can use the Murkarin slaves – they can be promised their freedom in return, and full citizenship in the Empire.  Or repatriation to their homes if they prefer.”

They were approaching the North Wing, where the Grand Chancellor’s small army of administrator’s laboured.   Gestivin’s own office was there also.  Anatarna paused, or at least slowed her pace fractionally, as they came to it. 

“I will speak to Vordivan immediately after breakfast.  We’ll see if he has anything to say for himself before we bring the formal charges.  Which will be immediately after I have addressed the Council.”  She nodded.  “When you have everything in order, My Lord, please attend me in my office.  We have much to discuss.”

Gestavin bowed and turned away.  Anatarna, resuming her march towards her own office, called back over her shoulder, “And a copy of that list to me as soon as possible, My Lord!”

Gestavin’s departure did not put a stop to the Empress’s torrent of commands.  “A message to the Murkarin Ambassador… I want him in attendance within the hour!  Not that I intend to speak to him until later…”

She turned a corner, strode through her Outer Office and finally entered her inner sanctum.  “Send for the Steward… mulled wine, and something suitable to eat with it.  And someone get me my slippers – my feet are freezing!”

14 - And let us know where we can find it?

AMAZON

NOOK

KOBO

15 – And where we can find you

        PT - My website is ‘Yearning Blue’, and it has some more about me and my writing, along with links to my published books and some samples of my writing – short stories, poems, and extracts from novels.  You can find it here
My blog ‘The Reality Escape Committee’ is also on that site.

I also have some SF short stories on other sites: you can read ‘Stumble Jack’ at Wattpad

You can get updates on my current writing activities from  Facebook

Or check out my latest article for crime writers Here

16 - And finally before you leave, a test for your imaginative, story weaving skills. We’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this last line from Karen Charlton? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on:

‘The – the what?’...

  Peter opened his mouth to reply, and froze.  The girl froze.  Everything stopped.
Marcus swore impotently at the unmoving image, then turned to the girl on the couch.

“Always at the same place!  The memories always stop just at the most crucial point!”
She opened her eyes, reached up to adjust the device strapped to her head. “Use more power!”

He shook his head.  “Too dangerous.  It could …”

“I know what it could do!” she snapped. “And we both know the consequences of failure.  We must learn what happened to me.  We must find out about the Grey Woman!”

You can catch up with the "story so far" Here
 
PT - Thanks for the coffee, cake and chat, Babs!

Thanks to you, Paul. It's been great to while away an afternoon in your company. Continued good luck with your books. Do let us know when the next one is available.

                                                                Babs x

This week I'd like to extend a warm Coffee House welcome to, Karen Charlton.  Karen is a hybrid - author, editor and the driving force behind Famelton Writing Services. She’s a Northern lass like me and has a wicked sense of humour. So, please make yourself at home, Karen. We don’t stand on ceremony here. Hang up your coat and kick off your shoes. Feel free to sprawl on the sofas or pull up a chair by the stove.




1 - First things first. Let’s get the domestics out of the way. Kettle’s just boiled and the cakes are fresh out of the oven.  The chef has excelled today and you’re spoilt for choice. So, Karen, name your fancy, or in this case the hot beverage and accompanying delicacy of your choice.

K -Thanks Babs, I’ll have a cup of Earl Grey tea, if that is OK with you? And a largish slice of Victoria sponge cake.  (Please don’t tell my Slimming World leader.)  And please don’t think I’m posh totty because I drink Earl Grey.  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. This particular Northern lass hails from the back-street terraces of industrial Sheffield.  I played on the banks of a polluted river next to a railway line and used an outside toilet for the first five years of my life.  No, definitely not posh. 
I began drinking Earl Grey about eleven years ago during a family holiday to the USA.  We ran out of our normal teabags and the only thing we could buy was Earl Grey.  Hubby decided to stick to beer and coffee for the rest of the trip, but I became quite partial to the perfumed brew and I still drink it today.

2 – Don't worry, my lips are sealed regarding the cake. I won't tell a soul! Now, let’s get to know a little bit more about how you ended up here on my sofa. Are you a full time writer or do you have an additional occupation that drags you away from the keyboard? If you moonlight as something particularly exciting we want to hear about it...we really do!

K -It was always my dream to be a full time writer, Babs. Unfortunately I had to serve a long stretch as one of Her Majesty’s secondary school teachers before I was finally freed on unconditional bail with a redundancy cheque this summer.  I am now in the wonderful position of being able to devote my time to ‘all things literary’ and I love it. 
At the moment, Famelton Writing Services is dominating all my waking hours; the company has really taken off since its launch in February.  Apart from writing manuscript assessments, editing and proof reading for our clients, I also do all the company financial administration and most of the marketing.  We’re running a competition at the moment and offering free manuscript assessments for prizes.  Maybe some of your readers will want to check it out?

                                                   Famelton Writing Services

 In addition to this, I have just received back the publishing rights to my first two novels and I am about to self-publish them, which is very exciting.  I also have two half-written novels, both of whom are begging for completion… 

3 – Sounds like you're going to enjoy being very busy indeed. How did you get into writing, Karen? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to be a member of a writer’s group. Or maybe you just fell into it by accident.

K - I wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old when I used to scribble down stories in old exercise books. Unfortunately, real life got in the way of literary ambition and I just never got around to writing that ‘bestseller.’
Then one day we had the most amazing piece of good luck.  My husband and I had always shared a mutual interest in genealogy and In August 2004 we made a fascinating discovery.  When we shook our family tree, a convict fell out. But Jamie Charlton’s conviction was dodgy – even by the questionable standards of the Regency justice system.
It was like winning the jackpot; we had our very own miscarriage of justice to explore.  I also quickly realised that the perfect plot for a historical novel had just landed in my lap and ‘Catching the Eagle’ was born.  The more we unearthed about this incredible story, the stronger became my conviction that if I didn’t write this up as a novel, I would never fulfil my ambition to become a writer.

4 – What was the first thing you had published and how did you go about it? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter? Enter a competition or decide to self-publish?

K - I’ve had some poetry and theatre reviews published in local newspapers but ‘Catching the Eagle’ was the first novel I had published.  I went down the traditional route and submitted to agents and publishers.  My manuscript was finally bought by Knox Robinson Publishers of Historical fiction.
KRP sent me an email which requested the full manuscript for consideration.  I had already gone to bed when my husband spotted it in my inbox.  This threw him into a terrible dilemma; did he leave it till the morning to tell me? Or should he risk a barrage of abuse and wake me up?  Snoozing is a favourite hobby of mine and I tend to be rather unpleasant when disturbed.
Eventually, the brave man decided to go with the latter course of action.  He came upstairs, shook me roughly on the shoulder and hissed in my ear:  ‘Don’t shout at me.  You need to come downstairs and see a message on the computer.’
Half-asleep, I grumbled (but didn’t shout) and padded downstairs in my slippers and nightie to read the email.  We were ecstatic.  It was only a request to see the full manuscript – not an offer of publication - but I had got a toe in the door of a publishing house, albeit a baby toe.  Too excited to go back to sleep, we stayed up for hours drinking tea in the kitchen and I did some very dodgy teaching at school the next day and needed matchsticks to hold up my eyelids.

5 – From your experience do you have any tips for those not yet published?

K - I used to advise people not to ‘give up’ with the traditional publishing route. However, now that I’ve been privy to the inside workings of the publishing industry for the last three years, I would say: ‘Don’t dismiss self-publishing.’
There is a lot to be said for being in control of your own novels and quite frankly, unless you are lucky enough to secure a deal with one of the big five publishing houses, the financial rewards from traditional publishing are pathetic and touting your novels around the country can prove a very expensive hobby. This is why so many published authors seek additional sources of revenue: editing, public speaking, teaching creative writing classes etc. The happiest and most commercially successful authors I know are nearly all self-published.  Crazy world, isn’t it?

6 – I love to genre hop, how about you, Karen? Do you write in a specific genre? Which is your favourite and why?

K - As far as fiction is concerned, Babs, I am firmly rooted in the Regency era and the historical fiction genre. There is something very attractive about this time period with its white muslin dresses, highwaymen, dashing scarlet uniforms and that intriguing whiff of decadence and scandal.
However, last year I tried my hand at a piece of non-fiction. After the book launch of ‘Catching the Eagle’, the interest in the background to the novel took me by surprise.  Newspapers, radio and even a TV station all wanted to know how we had discovered our unusual skeleton in the closet.  Genealogy groups, libraries and local historical societies invited me to talk about the subject, an experience I thoroughly enjoyed.
I soon realised that there might also be a wider audience for this extraordinary story and decided to write a complementary factual book, called ‘Seeking Our Eagle,’ which mapped our full genealogical experience and my creative journey into fiction.  ‘Seeking our Eagle’ was my own self-published little adventure. Its success means that I am comfortable and confident about self-publishing my other two novels once I regain their publishing rights in December.

7 – Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so why?

K - I’m sorry to say this, Babs, but that would be horror stories and anything containing vampires or zombies.

8 – As a child which was your favourite book? Were you read to as a child and did that develop your love of books? Do you have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

K - Although I was an avid fan of Enid Blyton and C. S. Lewis the first book to have a major impact on me was ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R. R. Tolkien.   I was about nine years old and our class teacher read it aloud to us.  The ending of this story made me cry and desperately want more. This was an unforgettable incident; I had no idea how powerful literature could be before then.  Needless to say, I became a huge fan of Tolkien, read The Lord of the Rings trilogy several times in my late teens and twenties and I just can’t get enough of the Peter Jackson films.

9 – Karen, can you tell us a little about the book you've brought with you: 'The Missing Heiress.’

K - ‘The Missing Heiress’, my second novel, is pure fiction and is set in your neck of the woods, Babs: Northumberland.  It‘s a Regency whodunit revolving around the mystery of a beautiful heiress who vanishes from a locked bedchamber.  Helen Carnaby is just weeks away from inheriting a fortune when she disappears and the local constabulary are baffled.   Fearing for her safety, her worried uncle sends out for help from Bow Street magistrates’ court in London.
Convinced at first that this is just a simple case of a young woman who has eloped with her lover, Detective Stephen Lavender and his Constable, Edward Woods, are alarmed to discover a sinister world of madness, violence and secrets lurking behind the heavy oak door of the ancient pele tower at Linn Hagh.
Hindered by Helen's uncooperative siblings, distracted by gypsies, rebellious farmers, highwaymen and an attractive and feisty Spanish senora, Helen Carnaby's disappearance is to prove one of the most perplexing mysteries of Lavender's career.

12 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

K - Stephen Lavender is thinking women’s crumpet:  intelligent, respected, sensitive, devoted to his job – and single.

13 – While I top up your Earl Grey would you like to read a short excerpt from your book?


        It was at this point, when the man from the hackney carriage decided to step forward and join his colleagues in the middle of the fray. 

            ‘Is there anything I can do to help, Constable Woods?’ he asked.    The bemused spectators regarded him curiously. One or two of them started with alarm and scurried away, but few in the mob recognised him these days.

            Woods beamed in delight.

            ‘Detective Lavender!’ He shook his hand vigorously. ‘Well met, sir!  It’s been too long.’

            ‘I agree.  So, what do we have here?’

            ‘We ‘ave been searching’ for this thieving trollop since yesterday.’ Woods sighed and jerked his thumb at the unconscious drunk on the street. ‘It’s claimed she stole money from a rich merchant a few nights ago - while ‘e slept in their bed in a bawdy house…’

            ‘I think I know where the money is, sir!’ the young officer interrupted. He was squatting beside the woman. ‘I ‘eard the paper rustle when she moved.’

            ‘Where, lad?  Where?’

            Constable Brown pointed nervously to the woman’s ample breasts.  ‘I believe it’s down there – between her habit-shirt and the bosom of her gown.’

            ‘Well, get it!’

            The young man blushed. His hand trembled above the two wobbling mounds of female flesh and the gaping cleavage.

            ‘Go on, son!’ someone jeered in the crowd. ‘Yer’ give ‘er a good fumble, officer!’ 

            There were howls of laughter.

            ‘Oh, for Gawd’s sake!’ Woods snapped.  He stepped forward, stooped low and thrust his hand down the bodice of the unconscious girl. He had a good rummage around.

            The crowd loved it.

            ‘Whayy!’ 

            ‘Try the other end!’

            ‘Don’t forget ‘er placket!’

            ‘I’m glad to see that you’ve not lost your touch with the ladies.’ Lavender grinned.

            Undeterred by the irony of his colleague or the raucous leering of the mob, Woods’ ruddy face was a picture of studied concentration. When he finally pulled back his hand from the woman’s stained underclothes, he held up a crisp banknote: a one hundred pound note.  The crowd around Lavender emitted a sharp, collective intake of breath and the laughter subsided. 

            ‘That lush will get more than a whipping fer being drunk and disorderly,’ Lavender heard someone whisper…


14- As someone who has read and thoroughly enjoyed 'The Missing Heiress' I can certainly recommend it, so you’d best  let everyone know where they can find it, Karen.

Amazon UK

Amazon.com






15– And finally if you’ve been paying attention to previous posts we’re playing a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this first line supplied by Kristen Stone? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on:

“There was a noise behind her. Her heart-rate increased as she ran to the door, pulled it closed… ”

‘Thanks, lass,’ said a gruff male voice. ‘I was bloody nithered wi’ that draught.’

She breathed a huge sigh of relief and with hand on heart, fought to control her trembling.

Peter, the aged footman, limped painfully into the pool of moonlight streaming through the arched gothic window.  He fumbled with his tinderbox and the warm blush of lantern light spread into the dusty corners of the castle kitchen.  His gnarled fingers lifted the swaying lamp up to her face.

‘Why lass, tha’ looks like tha’s seen a ghost.  Tha’s not been bothered by the old Grey Woman, has tha’?’

‘The – the what?’

To keep up with the story so far click    Here

Thanks so much for dropping in, Karen. I wish you continued success with Famelton Writing Services and in your self publishing venture.

                                                                                                                                                                    Babs x

I’m delighted to welcome Kristen Stone as our first visitor to The Coffee House. Kristen is an author, editor and co-founder of Blue House Publishing. We’re pretty easy going here, Kristen, so please hang up your coat and kick off your shoes. Feel free to sprawl on the sofas or grab a chair by the stove. Dogs are very welcome, biscuits supplied.

1 - So Kristen, first up. What are you having? Name your poison, or in this case the hot beverage of your choice. Are you a latte or a lemon tea?  A ginger parkin or a chocolate cake? Or did you have something else in mind. The chef is very accomplished with a whisk and a rolling pin.

KS – First let me apologise for being a bit late. It has been a hectic day. Still, here now.  Builder’s brew with just a dash of milk and no sugar, please. And I’ll have a piece of that Bailey’s cheesecake, please. My favourite, especially if there is a smidgen of Bailey’s poured over it, just a smidgen, mind, I’m                                                                                                    driving.

2 – Let’s get to know a little bit more about how you ended up here on my sofa. Are you a full time writer or do you have      an additional occupation that drags you away from the keyboard. If you moonlight as something particularly exciting,             we want to hear about it...we really do!

KS – I can now claim to being a poor pensioner – yes I am that old, I just look 18. I’ve never worked full time thanks to a     very hard working, old fashioned husband who still believes it’s the fella’s job to provide for his family. I’m not  complaining. It has been a wonderful life and I have always been able to do what I want to do – even if that’s nothing!     I’m a whiz on a computer and have spent my life doing various office jobs and have progressed from a manual                   typewriter to the latest technology available. I have never had any other ambition than to write. 

3 – How did you get into writing, Kristen? Perhaps you’re lucky enough to be a member of a writer’s group. Or maybe you     just fell into it by accident.

KS – I first put pen to paper when I was still at school. I loved English lessons when the teacher would give us a theme         or a title and often had to read my work out to the class. Fiction has always been my thing, 10 pages for a story, half a     page if I had to do something factual! I’m still like that now. I finally decided to give it a serious go when the thought         occurred to me that I could work somewhere in the sun during the winter. I was looking at becoming a web designer (I     used to be a computer programmer a long, long time ago, before desktop computers and microchips) but learning all     the code was too much to ask. Then I thought, why not sit and write all those books in my head. Fortunately we could     afford for me to rent an apartment in Tenerife for a month. We don’t go on any other holidays so it’s not that                     extravagant. I’m just about to go back for my fifth visit and this time I’m going for two months, with my husband             coming out for Christmas. And no, he doesn’t mind. Positively encourages me. Claims he doesn’t get nagged all the  time about what time he is coming home (he’s a white van man and loves driving. Can’t understand it myself).
Years ago I belonged to a writers’ group and when I started writing ‘seriously’ I went back for a couple of years and             actually won a couple of short story competitions but I prefer writing novels to short stories so left.  

4 – What was the first thing you had published and how did you go about it? Did you run the gauntlet of the query letter?     Enter a competition or decide to self publish?

KS – Yes, initially I went through Writer’s and Artist’s Year book trying all the agents. One was almost interested but I         think they only wanted money off me for editing. The one thing I won’t do is spend my hubby’s hard earned pennies on    someone trying to change what I write. I didn’t keep all the rejection letters, just crossed the names out. After that I  found Authonomy where I met some people I’m still in contact with.
Then I offered Edge of Extinction to Night Publishing and was accepted. By the time my next book was ready I’d                 worked out how to do it myself and set up Blue Hour Publishing with Stephen R Hulse (he tells me the R is very                     important). 

5 – I love to genre hop, how about you? Do you write in a specific genre? Which is your favourite and why?

KS – I hate that word ‘genre’. One book fits into horror without a doubt. One is a thriller, two are what I would call             ‘fictional biographies’ but others have called ‘human interest’ and where Edge of Extinction fits is anyone’s guess! I  have been told it is Literary Fiction which throws me completely because that sounds far too sophisticated for a girl from Stoke Newington. (That’s where I grew up in London).

6 – Okay at the risk of using that hated word, Is there a particular genre or type of scene that you would avoid and if so         why?

KS – I’m not overly keen on erotica, maybe because I’m getting older. When I was younger I read books by Harold                 Robbins, but I prefer to read and tell a good story these days.

7 – As a child which was your favourite book? Were you read to as a child and did that develop your love of books? Do             you  have a favourite book and author now? What are you reading now?

KS – Lots of questions here. So firstly… It’s a wonder being read to as a child didn’t put be off books for ever. The only     book I can remember from very early childhood was something with the word Nowhere in the title, which I read as             Now Here. I can’t remember much about it apart from the fact that there was an old man who wore several pairs of         spectacles at once and a spider in hobnailed boots!
I missed a lot of time at school when I was very young and as a result was late reading. Then I discovered The Famous     Five and the other Enid Blyton books, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and then the historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliffe and from then I wanted to write.
Favourite author? Six years ago I would have said Wilbur Smith. But just lately I’ve really lost interest in established         authors and tend to read indies almost exclusively. I really like the books of Brendan Gisby (he pushed me towards Night!), Tom Winton, Stephen R Hulse, Gerry McCulloch oh, and some author called B A Morton,  not sure who that is but she/he writes fantastic books!    (Ha ha...extra cake coming right up ma’am)
What am I reading at the moment? I have three books on the go at the moment, Devil’s Brae by Faith Mortimer, Les         Miserables by Victor Hugo (I’ve been reading it ever since the film came out and haven’t finished book one yet!) and         another long book I keep dibbing into Doctor Who: The  Writer’s Tale by Russell T Davies (I’m a  bit of a Who fan and it     is a really good insight into writing).

8 – Tell us a little about the books you currently have published.

KS – The Edge of Extinction – my chosen book to read.
The Penhaligan File – a mystery thriller about a journalist who is blinded while looking into a reason for a drug         being withdrawn from his father’s company.
Shattered Dreams – the story of how Tony Walker copes after a devastating road accident. This story is told in             alternating chapters between Tony’s current life and his childhood.
Silent Love – my latest offering. A deaf boy meets an ordinary girl and they fall in love. Put simply like that it sounds     like a pretty standard love story, but there is more to it than that.
DayStalker – the most out of character book for me. A raunchy, bloody romp with a man who claims he is not a             vampire, he loves sunbathing and has a reflection, but lives entirely on blood – and Bloody Mary’s. I wrote it as a protest against all the lovey-dovey vampire stories that are about. It certainly isn’t for those of a sensitive nature!

9 – Can you give us a hint at what you have planned next?

K.S Well, this is hot off the press. I don’t know what will come of it but I’ve been asked to write a script for an anti-drug     video, emphasis being on the latest trend of ‘legal-high’ substances. Sounds quite exciting.
Added to that, while I’m away I’m hoping to work on two half-finished novels while I’m away this year.

10 – And tell us even more about the one you’ve brought with you. I did explain about reading an excerpt later didn’t I?         Oh good. Don’t think you get tea and cake for nothing.

KS – Edge of Extinction is my first and favourite book. It started, honest, when I learnt a song as a Brownie Guider             about what sort of tail would you choose. One option was a prehensile tail and from that song grew the idea of                 Kianda Mala, the Monkey Man. My aim was to create someone unbelievable and make that person seem real. From         the reviews the book has received, I think I managed that and touched on some sensitive subjects along the way.

11 – Pick one of your characters and sell him/her to us in twenty words or less.

KS – A man born by chance, intelligent and caring, worshipped by those around him but with his feet firmly on the             ground. (ok. That’s 21 words, will you let me off?) (That has to be Kianda Mala. And having read the book I’d agree. Well sold.)

12 – While I top up your tea would you like to read a short excerpt from your book?

To set the scene – Kianda Mala, the narrator, has left the jungle to find out why people in his village are dying. He has     been taken into the home of Hannah, an English doctor, as the  rains have started preventing him getting back home.     While he is at Hannah’s he has learnt to speak English and is learning about the world. His dialogue is purposely                 stilted, it improves as the story moves on and he learns more.

‘One day when Hannah came back from her work I was pacing restlessly around the                 room. I had been watching a DVD about the nature of the world and its place in the                     universe. It contradicted every belief that I had and I felt ashamed of my ignorance                         amongst all these wise and knowledgeable people. I could barely meet Hannah’s gaze                 when she came in, careworn from her day at the clinic. She swept through the house and     went to make some coffee. When she brought it into the living room I was staring out of         the window, my back to the room.

“Kianda, what’s wrong?” she asked.

I shrugged. Turning to face her I asked:

“Why you care about my people? We are stupid. We think the valley is whole world. That         stars are holes in blanket of night. What good are we?”

Hannah came to my side and stroked my arm.

“Come and sit down,” she said.

I followed her to my cushion and sat down but I could not meet her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter what you believe or what you know,” Hannah assured me. “Your people     have a right to live just as much as anyone else. Okay, they don’t know anything about             what is going on in the world but that doesn’t make them any less important. The world is    full of different peoples and different cultures. They all believe different things. They all             have their own myths and legends. Just because your people don’t know what the stars are, that doesn’t make them worthless. From what you have told us you have a wonderful life that many out here in the civilized world would envy.”

I sighed.

“Sometimes I wish I no learn about things,” I said. “There is so much. You no think I stupid     for believing Chachinka things?”

“Everyone believes what they are taught as a child,” Hannah said. “The only difference             between your people and mine is that we have lived in a world that has gained knowledge     over centuries while you have been isolated. Just because we know more, doesn’t mean we are any wiser. Every child has to be taught these things, we don’t know any more at birth than you do.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “You and your people are very special. Don’t ever doubt that.”

Her smile and her reassurance brought a return of my confidence. That night when I whispered my prayers to the Kianda Chaka I did not feel foolish.’

13- And let us know where we can find it?

At the moment this book is on offer at 99c/77p or thereabouts. (Haven’t got my head around how these companies price things)

AMAZON

KOBO

NOOK

ITunes




14 – And finally a little game that I hope all my guests will contribute to. Can you give me 100 words of your choosing to follow on from this? Your last line will be picked up by the next guest... and so on:


“The door was meant to be bolted, but someone had left it unlocked... Not only  unlocked but open! The girl shivered as she looked around the empty castle kitchen. Where was everyone? She crept cautiously towards the open door that led out into the stable courtyard. Had the cook gone out for some supplies? Unlikely. The evening meal had long since finished. Had someone crept into the castle who shouldn’t be there ? More than likely, but what should she do? She was hardly in the position to go to the Lord of the  castle, she was just a serving girl.
There was a noise behind her. Her heart-rate increased as she ran to the door, pulled it closed… ” 

    Thanks so much for coming, Kristen. I wish you much success with your books and hope         you’ll come again and let us know how your script writing venture resulted.
       
                                                                                                                                                                                                    Babs x