The Beach House – a desperate battle for survival on a paradise island!

Tags

Beach, Beach thriller, Crime, Exotic island, Holiday, Holiday thriller, Must Read, Mystery, Novel, Paradise island, PR Black, Thriller, Tropical paradise

Cora and Jonathan have arrived on a paradise island for their dream holiday.

Jonathan’s just proposed – and he’s just sold his company for an absolute fortune. Life could not be sweeter – right?

They thought they were alone – but another couple are staying on the island.

Hazel and Dylan are friendly, fun-loving and welcoming, but Cora’s instincts are telling her that there’s something wrong with this picture…

The holiday of a lifetime becomes a desperate battle for survival in the beach thriller of 2020!

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/359Gasl

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/38sZxP9

Kobo: https://bit.ly/344JPGR

Google Play: https://bit.ly/2qEcy7A

iBooks: https://apple.co/34LkbIa

The Ox literary pub quiz: Bibby Bop

Tags

authors, Books, literature, Lockdown quiz, Pub Quiz, Quiz, Writers

Welcome to the second edition of The Ox‘s literary pub quiz.

Our second contestant is Bibby Bop! You’ll find out a bit more about her at the half-time break.

Play along at home, and let us know how you got on in the comments.

Got your drinks? Got your snacks? Harbouring deep enmities against the team who beat you last week? Let’s go!

ROUND ONE

1. Name Ebeneezer Scrooge’s former business partner who appears to him as a ghost in A Christmas Carol.
2. Who wrote The Third Man?
3. Complete the title of this noughties bestseller: The Devil Wears (X)
4. Who wrote the popular science classic, Cosmos?
5. Take A Letter – For two points, tell me what either the H or G stand for in HG Wells.
6. Which writer gave us the classic short story “The Lottery” as well as the novel, The Haunting Of Hill House?
7. Which writer from antiquity penned the play Oedipus Rex?
8. “Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation”. This epigram inscribed on the Scottish Parliament comes from which writer and artist, best known for the novel Lanark?
9. “You: Comma: Marilyn Monroe”, “Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Reagan” and “The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy Considered As A Downhill Motor Race” are all chapter titles in which JG Ballard book?
10. Which fictional creation of Muriel Spark had a fondness for Mussolini and taking tea with her Set?

***HALF TIME – MEET OUR CONTESTANT***

1. What’s your name and where are you from?

Since I haven’t decided on a pen name yet, lets go with Miss Bibby Bop.

2. When you think about reading books during the summer holidays as a kid, what are the first ones to come to mind?

Probably either Nancy Drew or Enid Blyton. Classics! I liked adventures in far flung places. My favourites were the four go adventuring series and due to the Spider Sapphire I have had Machu Picchu on my must see list since I was nine.

3. What’s your dream author life?

That’s hard. On a realistic (sorta) level I’d love to have a career similar to someone like Sue Grafton. Not a celebrity but able to make a good living. JK’s level of success brings me out in boils of horror… On those days when reality is taking a break i’m turning my (not written yet) series into mega-million TV shows (the perils of writing speculative fiction is the absolute certainty your gonna need Disney or Lucas on your side to make it come to life) but perhaps the most fantastical dream of all is feeling happy with what I write instead of deeply critical and self-flagellating… such stuff dreams are made of…

4. If you had a daemon like they have in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, what would it be?

Probably an elephant. Big clumsy well meaning, guaranteed to make me spend all day apologising for breaking, bumping and generally feeling like I shouldn’t be there, even though like all elephants in the room, no one is paying me any attention…

5. Past, present and future – what’s your writing history, and what are you working on now?

Feels like it’s mostly past! Haven’t written in ages… We might even be into years, not since that business of paying bills and keeping a roof over your head kinda took priority. Currently trying to use lockdown to reignite it all with a short story or ten using the current situation as inspiration. Not sure it’s the most original or cheery idea but gonna free write it, so may be interesting on a ‘stuff my therapist may need to see’ level…

ROUND TWO:

11. Anne Brashares wrote which trousers-based young adult novel about female friendship in 2001?
12. Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman collaborated on a novel, first published 30 years ago. Give me its title.
13. Which writer best known for his fantastical children’s books wrote the memoir, A Grief Observed, under the pseudonym NW Clerk?
14. Which experimental American poet wrote “Anyone lived in a pretty how town” and “a leaf falls”?
15. The Bell Jar is a novel by which English poet?
16. Which fictional private detective was the hero of Raymond Chandler’s novels The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely and The Long Goodbye?
17. Tell me which writer created the whimsical adventures of the Larkin family in The Darling Buds Of May books.
18. The Steven Spielberg movie AI: Artificial Intelligence was based on a series of short stories by which English SF writer?
19. Who was Inspector Poirot’s sidekick in the Agatha Christie stories and books?
20. A Woman Of Substance is one of the best-selling novels of the 1980s. Who wrote it?

WE’LL GIVE IT A LITTLE SCROLLING GAP NOW, BEFORE THE ANSWERS…

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NO PEEKING NOW…

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HERE WE GO…

Bibby’s answers:

1. Jacob Marley ✓
2. Graham Greene ✓
3. Prada ✓
4. Professor Brian Cox x
5. Herbert George (a total guess!) ✓✓
6. Joe Hill x
7. Virgil x
8. Sir Walter Scott x
9. Couldn’t even name one he wrote. Sorry! I’ll make up a title hopefully befitting such chapters WORLD: COLON: OOPS x
10. Jean Brodie ✓
11. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants ✓
12. Good Omens ✓
13. Roald Dahl x
14. Emily Dickinson x
15. Sylvia Plath ✓
16. Philip Marlowe ✓
17. I know this, but cannot think of it… agghhh have to make something up pointless style… em Marjory Littlebottom… x
18. Asimov x
19. Captain Hastings ✓
20. Barbara Taylor Bradford ✓

Bibby Bop has scored… 12/21

Answers:
1. Jacob Marley
2. Graham Greene
3. Prada
4. Carl Sagan
5. Herbert George
6. Shirley Jackson
7. Sophocles
8. Alasdair Gray
9. The Atrocity Exhibition
10. Miss Jean Brodie
11. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
12. Good Omens
13. CS Lewis
14. ee cummings
15. Sylvia Plath
16. Philip Marlowe
17. HE Bates
18. Brian Aldiss
19. Captain Hastings
20. Barbara Taylor Bradford

The Ox literary pub quiz: Karen Osman

Tags

Beer, Books, Books quiz, Crisps, General knowledge, Literary pub quiz, literature, Nuts, Pub Quiz

Welcome to the inaugural pub quiz here at The Ox!

First up, it’s thriller writer Karen Osman. She’s the author of The Home, The Good Mother and The Perfect Lie.

Twenty questions, with a half-time break in which we learn more about our contestant. Do play along at home, and let us know your final score.

There are 21 points on offer. Got your drinks? Got your crisps and nuts? Let’s go then!

ROUND ONE:

1. It’s 75 years since the Rev W Awdry gave the world Thomas the Tank Engine. But what does the W stand for?
2. Gabriel Oak loves Bathsheba Everdene – but he’s got some stiff competition from Sergeant Troy. Name Thomas Hardy’s classic novel.
3. Which writer took A Walk In The Woods and The Road To Little Dribbling?
4. She was Raised By Wolves, and she can tell you all about How To Be A Woman. Name the columnist and author.
5. Who created Brigadier Gerard?
6. Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for which 1987 novel?
7. Which Hollywood film director is credited as the author of The Three Investigators series of children’s books?
8. Name the hero of John Buchan’s classic thriller, The Thirty-Nine Steps.
9. Which Irish poet, who died this week, published books including Night Feed, In Her Own Image and The War Horse?
10. Name the stinging, carnivorous plants created by John Wyndham in his sci-fi classic.

HALF-TIME BREAK… LET’S MEET THE CONTESTANT:

What’s your name and where are you from?

Karen Osman. I’m originally from the Lake District but live in Dubai.

What’s your favourite place to read? This can be a room, or a fixture in the room.

Bed

Tell us a bit about your publishing history.

I won the Emirates Airline Novel Writing Prize in 2016 for my psychological thriller novel, The Good Mother, which led to a three-book deal. The Good Mother was published in 2017, The Home in 2018, and my latest novel, The Perfect Lie, in 2019.

If you were forced to, which topping would you put on your toast and roasted cheese, and why? – Worcester sauce; hot chili sauce; brown sauce; tomato sauce; avocado

No sauce – grilled cheese toasties are good enough on their own.

Tell us about your next writing project.

I’m currently working on my fourth book which is also a thriller novel.

ROUND TWO:

11. Who wrote Flowers In The Attic?

12. “It’s not a novel… It’s a story written by a committee. It’s a piece of shit.” For two points, name the actor and the novel he is referring to, in an interview ahead of the big screen adaptation he famously starred in.

13. Name the hero of PD James’s detective thrillers, such as Cover Her Face and Shroud For A Nightingale.

14. Delta Of Venus is the best known work of which writer?

15. Meditations is an unlikely best-seller this week. Who wrote it?

16. “It was the day my grandmother exploded.” This is the famous opening line of which Iain Banks novel?

17. Which one of Shakespeare’s “problem” plays features the female characters Isabella, Mariana, Francisa and Juliet?

18. Know Your Bonkbusters: Who wrote Scruples, Mistral’s Daughter and I’ll Take Manhattan?

19. Complete the title of Jennifer Egan’s 2011 novel: A Visit From The (X) Squad.

20. Who combined confessional memoir with natural history observations on the Orkney Islands in The Outrun?

WE’LL GIVE IT A LITTLE SCROLLING GAP NOW, BEFORE THE ANSWERS…

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NO PEEKING NOW…

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……

HERE WE GO…

KAREN’S ANSWERS:

1. Wilbert ✓

2. Far From the Maddening Crowd ✓ (It’s ‘Madding’ but we’ll allow it)

3. Bill Bryson ✓

4. Caitlin Moran ✓

5. Arthur Conan Doyle. ✓

6. Beloved ✓

7. Alfred Hitchcock ✓

8. ? x

9. Michael Morpugo x

10. ? x

11. VC Andrews (and I loved it! Probably read it far too young, though.) ✓

12. ? x

13. Adam Dalgliesh ✓

14. Anais Nin ✓

15. ? x

16. The Crow Road ✓

17. Romeo and Juliet x

18. Judith Krantz ✓

19. Goon ✓

20. ? x

KAREN HAS SCORED 13/21

THE ANSWERS: 

1. Wilbert
2. Far From The Madding Crowd
3. Bill Bryson
4. Caitlin Moran
5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
6. Beloved
7. Alfred Hitchcock
8. Richard Hannay
9. Eavan Boland
10. Triffids (The Day Of The Triffids)
11. VC Andrews
12. Robert Shaw, Jaws
13. Adam Dalgliesh
14. Anais Nin
15. Marcus Aurelius
16. The Crow Road
17. Measure For Measure
18. Judith Krantz
19. Goon
20. Amy Liptrot

How did you get on? Let us know in the comments.

Sign up for Karen’s Bookshelf – her weekly show all about books!

Join us next time for another pub quiz here at The Ox!

Thank you, good night, now get out of my pub!

Interview: Matthew Harffy

Tags

Aria Fiction, Author interview, Bernicia Chronicles, Historical fiction, Matthew Harffy, Swords

Swords! Blood! Nobility! Let’s meet Matthew Harffy, author of The Bernicia Chronicles!

It’s all about you, what’s your name and what’s your story?

My name is Matthew Harffy and I have been a published writer of historical fiction since 2015 when my debut novel, The Serpent Sword, was released. It was the first in a series of novels called the Bernicia Chronicles set in seventh century Britain. So far six novels and one novella have been published in the series, but there are more planned.

Of course, the date of my first publication does not mark the date I started writing. I had dabbled in writing short stories and segments of stories all my life but had never taken it really seriously until I started The Serpent Sword back in 2001. It took me many years to complete and then to edit, partly because I had no idea of the amount of work needed, and partly because of the quantity of research required in writing a book set in a historical setting.

Apart from the writing I have worked as an English teacher and translator in Spain, and as a technical author in the UK. I’ve also sung in several rock bands.

I live in Wiltshire with my wife, two daughters and our dog. And since last year I have been a full-time writer.

Tell us a bit about your latest book

My latest book to be published was the sixth in the Bernicia Chronicles, Storm of Steel. It tells the tale of the series protagonist, Beobrand, as he goes in search of a missing girl. His quest takes him over the sea to France where he is beset with many challenges and malevolent powerful enemies.

The latest book I have handed in to my editor is, Wolf of Wessex, due for publication in November. This is the first novel I have written that is not part of the Bernicia Chronicles series.

Wolf of Wessex is a taut, fast-paced thriller that hurtles through the narrative as quickly as the main characters rush through the wilderness towards a climactic confrontation with dark forces. I loved writing it!

After writing six novels in the same series, I was excited to bring some new characters to life. I hope that readers will, like me, fall in love with Dunston, the dour, world-weary woodsman, and Aedwen, the resourceful orphaned girl, whose plight forces him to leave his forest refuge.

What are you reading at the moment?

At the moment I am reading The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley by Ian Thornton. It is published by Unbound which enables authors to crowdfund publication of their books. I have had an interest in Aleister Crowley for a long time, so I helped to crowdfund this novel. I am only a short way into the book at the moment and the jury is still out as to whether I am going to fully enjoy it or not. It’s an unusual book, that’s for certain. I just had a quick look on Goodreads and it definitely seems to have split reviewers. If you are interested in Crowley, the occult or the historical events of the first half of the twentieth century, you may well enjoy this book.

Movie Magic – what actors would you cast in the big screen movie of your book?

This is always a really difficult question to answer. Rather than give the names of any stars, I would just say that the actor who would play Beobrand would need to be physically imposing and able to carry off the fighting believably, but would also need to be able to portray the sensitivity of the troubled hero. And of course, it wouldn’t hurt ratings if he was extremely good-looking too!

What writing projects are next for you?

I have just finished the first draft of book seven of the Bernicia Chronicles, Fortress of Fury. In it Beobrand is stretched to the limit as Bebbanburg is besieged, and he has to confront old enemies and struggle with a forbidden passion that threatens to destroy him and the kingdom.

Next up, who knows? There will be more Bernicia Chronicles, but I have recently had an idea for a novel that I might just have to investigate a bit more before making a decision on which book I should tackle next. Exciting times!

Many thanks to Matthew for his time and an ace interview. Read the books, and connect with Matthew, right here: 

The Bernicia Chronicles

http://getbook.at/TheSerpentSword

http://getbook.at/CrossandCurse

http://getbook.at/BloodandBlade

http://getbook.at/KillerOfKings

http://getbook.at/WarriorOfWoden

http://getbook.at/StormOfSteel

https://getbook.at/FortressOfFury

 

Wolf of Wessex

https://getbook.at/WolfOfWessex

 

Novella – Kin of Cain

https://getbook.at/KinOfCain 

 

Website: www.matthewharffy.com

Twitter: @MatthewHarffy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MatthewHarffyAuthor

 

Interview: Ger Hogan

Tags

Books, Crime, Novel

It’s all about you, what’s your name and what’s your story?

I’m Geraldine Hogan, a writer, reader, dog walker and a bit of a hyphen-obsessive!

I’ve written four contemporary fiction novels – published by Aria under the name Faith Hogan. All feel good, Uplit books based in Ireland, The Girl I Used To Know is in bookshops now in paperback.

This year, under my own name, I’ve got two crime books hitting the ebook shelves. The first, called Silent Night is out on August 23^rd with Bookouture.

I live in the west of Ireland with my husband, four children and a very happy Labrador called Penny.

Tell us a bit about your latest book

Silent Night is described as a gripping, unputdownable start to a crime series…

It is the first in a series set in Corbally station in Limerick, with Iris Locke and Ben Slattery working in the south-eastern murder team. Iris’s first case throws her back in time to an unsolved case of her father’s and she finds herself catapulted into a no-mans land where soon it is very hard to figure out which way is home.

What do you love about your chosen genre?

I started off writing crime, but as luck would have it, I turned to contemporary fiction and managed to get picked up by a fantastic publisher. Still the crime bug wouldn’t go away and so I tinkered with old manuscripts until I had something I was really proud of.

I’ve always read crime – like most readers I started out on Secret Sevens, graduated to Miss Marples, discovered John Grisham as a teenager and there was no going back from there.

I have to say, that at the end of the writing journey, having dipped my toes in both puddles, I love writing in either genre and would find it difficult at this point to chose between the two.

The fact is that whether I’m writing crime or contemporary fiction, all of my novels are character driven, so for me, it’s all about those voices in my head and getting them on the page!

What are you reading at the moment?

At the moment, it’s The Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryzanda. I tend to read wide, unless I’m asked to read something in particular and while I’ve had this book a while, it’s only now I’m getting round to it and I must say, I’m really enjoying it!

Next up is Minna Howards new book That Long Lost Summer (Aria- Head of Zeus) and after that, I’m diving into Louise Candlish’s Our House (Simon & Schuster UK)– which I’m told is very smart and sharp, so I’m looking forward to it!

Movie Magic – what actors would you cast in the big screen movie of your book?

Oh, dear… obviously, if I had a choice, I’d cast Keanu Reeves – who wouldn’t? But he wouldn’t look anything like Ben Slattery, who’s a bit more… Ray Winstone!

As to Iris – well she starts off as a bit of a Cadbury’s Bunny girl, but ends up by book two being a lot more careworn – I certainly think Saoirse Ronan would be well able to carry this one off!

What writing projects are next for you?

At the moment, I’m knee deep in edits – I’ve spent the summer going from editing one book to the next! Currently, I’m working on the structural notes for Book 2 – the follow up to Silent Night. Then, after a few weeks for summer holidays, I’m looking forward to diving back into a book I wrote a few months ago which is going to be shipped into shape hopefully in the Autumn.

All this editing, is making me a little cabin crazy to get at something new though and there are a few ideas bubbling away waiting to get on that page….

Thanks so much!

Connect with Ger here:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B07S9XPT9TCover
Apple Books: https://apple.co/2EFNp00
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2JLt7qm
Googleplay: http://bit.ly/2IhXz8n

The Family – the thriller of the year, out now!

Tags

Crime, Debut novel, fiction, Novels, Pat Black, PR Black, The Family, Thriller, writing

My debut novel, The Family, is available now for Kindle, Kobo, Google Play Books, Apple Books and NOOK.

Becky Morgan is a survivor.

Her family were wiped out by a serial killer in France 20 years ago.

She was the girl who got away.

Now, she’s looking for the killer – but he has his own unfinished business to take care of…

Who will win this deadly game of cat and mouse?

 

Interview: Lisa Hobman

Tags

Author interview, Books, fiction, Lisa Hobman, Novels

It’s all about you – what’s your and what’s your story?

I’m Lisa Hobman and I grew up in West Yorkshire. In 2012 my family and I relocated to Scotland after falling in love with place during holidays. It was after this that I began my writing career and have since published 14 books.

Tell us a bit about your latest book.

A Summer of New Beginnings is set along the stunning north coast 500 route in the Scottish Highlands. It tells the story of broken hearted, luxury travel writer, Zara, who is suddenly catapulted front her comfort zone and asked to cover the route by bicycle! She expects to hate every second but along the way learns lots of new things about herself and human nature in general. It’s a romantic story with a few giggles and a wee bit of a The Proclaimers along the way.

What do you love about your chosen genre?

I’m a total romantic at heart, so I love to be the weaver of spells that sprinkle a little love into my characters’ lives.

What are you reading at the moment?

I’m reading the Ann Cleeves’ Shetland series and absolutely loving it. I like to read outside of the genre I write to expand my horizons. I’ve just finished binge reading all of Lisa Jewell’s suspense novels too.

Movie magic: what actors would you cast in the big-screen version of your book?

Ooooh now then… I think Richard Madden would have to play Lachy, dark and brooding but with a sense of humour. And I think Charlotte Ritchie would play a great Zara! Quite demure and very pretty but with an inner strength and great comedy timing!
What writing projects are next for you?

I’m currently working on the first of what I hope will be a series set on the Isle of Skye. Having visited a few times it feels like the perfect setting for a story. The scenery is breathtaking and I’m excited about bringing it the attention of my readers.

Many thanks to Lisa for dropping by The Ox. You can connect with her right here: 

Twitter: @LisaJHobmanAuth

Facebook: facebook.com/LisaJHobmanAuthor

Instagram: @Lisahobmanauthor

Interview: Karen Osman

Tags

Books, Interview, Karen Osman, Psychological thrillers, Thrillers

Another interview with a team-mate from Aria fiction – psychological thriller author Karen Osman!

It’s all about you – what’s your name and what’s your story?

My name is Karen Osman and I’m an author, writing psychological thriller books. I have always written in some form or another from a very young age. I loved it and it was, and continues to be, a daily part of my life – even on holidays! I started writing novels in 2016, when I won the Montegrappa Writing Prize for The Good Mother, which then led to a three-book deal.  Prior to that, I set up my own business, Travel Ink, offering content writing services to the travel and tourism industry which still runs today.

Tell us more about your latest book, The Home.

My second novel, The Home, is a psychological thriller, set between the 1970s and 1980s, about successful career woman Angela whose memories of an abusive children’s home affect her adult life. The book delves into the darkness of living in a children’s home, casting a shadow over family ties and what it means to belong. Abandoned as a baby, Angela is desperate to escape her supposed refuge, yet despite being adopted and taken into the hearts of a wealthy couple, the scars of her childhood remain. When Angela discovers the identity of her birth mother Evelyn, their reunion is no fairy tale and as sinister events start to unfold, Evelyn fears she may not survive her daughter’s return.

It was motherhood that inspired the plot; As a mother of two young sons (aged 2 and 4) myself, I still remember that double-edged maelstrom of emotion of those new-born days – a mix of joy and worry – and it’s been a powerful influence in my writing for my new book, The Home. At the same time, I was researching about the horrors of children’s homes in the ‘60s and ‘70s, much of which only came to light many years later.

It’s incredibly disturbing that such events could have happened in places which are supposed to protect children. From here, I started to develop the outline of a plot and the character of Angela was born.

What do you love about your chosen genre?

I love everything about psychological thrillers including the pace, the plot, and the whole premise that even the best of people can be driven to carry out chilling deeds. I also like the fact that this genre makes the reader think and try and work out the twists.

What are you reading at the moment?

Cecilia Ahern’s Roar – a fabulous book. I run an online show called Karen’s Bookshelf and it’s actually the book of the month for that.

Movie Magic – what actors would you cast in the big-screen version of your book?

Angela, one of the main protagonists, is 27 years old, ambitious and career driven and the 1980s, when the book was set, was an interesting time for women. On the one hand, Margaret Thatcher was a powerful example of what could be achieved by women, but on the other hand, sexism was very much present. I could imagine someone like Margot Robbie playing the role. The hardworking personality of Angela is the polar opposite of her birth mother Evelyn, the other main character, who is content to rely on government support and often plays the role of the victim, abstaining from as much responsibility as she can get away with.  Maybe Jessica Lange?

What are you working on next?

My third novel, The Perfect Lie, is about a lawyer who is representing a young woman who has been raped. As the case develops, the lawyer is reminded of a past she would rather forget and her perfect life starts to unravel. It’s out in September 2019.

For more info, visit www.karenosman.com

Interview: Anita Davison

Tags

Anita Davison, Aria, Author interview, Books, Interview

 

Here’s an interview with my Aria fiction team-mate Anita Davison – author of the Flora Maguire mystery series! 

It’s all about you – what’s your name and what’s your story?

Anita Davison and I’m long enough in the tooth for my story to take up far too much of this blog so I’ll just go with frustrated historian who took to writing when the kids left home. Not because I suffered from empty nest syndrome but, with them out the way I finally had some time to write.

Tell us a bit about your latest book.

My most recently published novel is The Bloomsbury Affair from Aria Fiction which is the fifth book in the Flora Maguire Mysteries, a series of Edwardian cosy mysteries set in London and Cheltenham.

What do you love about your chosen genre?

Historical fiction has always been my preferred genre to read, but when I began to write, I was conscious of the fact that authors writing stories about real historical characters did a far better job than I could. I love murder mysteries so decided to use the historical aspect to create atmosphere, interest and flavour with an additional problem for the heroine to solve. My amateur sleuth has to wheedle out culprits without most of the modern methods of crime detection and forensic science, so the research aspect was great fun not to mention fascinating.

What are you reading at the moment?

A much-anticipated murder mysteries series written by an author friend of mine, Alison Stuart, the first of which is called Singapore Sapphire due for release this year.

Movie magic: what actors would you cast in the big-screen version of your book?

All the romantic looking ones who look good in period costume – Rupert Friend, Matthew McFadden, Aiden Turner, Tom Burke, Dan Stevens, Kit Harington, Daniel Day Lewis –  Ooh sorry did you want some girls too?  OK then here’s a few-

Saoirse Ronan, Jenna Coleman, Eleanor Tomlinson, and I would love Kelly Riley to play Flora’s mother. [She’ll need ageing a little though – sorry Kelly]

What writing projects are next for you?

I’m toying with a possible sixth book in the Flora Maguire Series but need to have a serious discussion with my publisher about that. Another project I have in mind is a murder mystery in London set in 1915. While my heroine’s husband is fighting on the Western Front, she discovers her best friend murdered and is determined to find out who killed her with the help of her suffragette aunt who persuades her to volunteer at the Women’s Military Hospital on Endell Street, staffed entirely by women to treat war wounded. Similar to the Flora Maguire stories but with more drama.

Many thanks for inviting me onto the blog!

No, thank you!

Connect with Anita right here: 

Website: www.anitadavison.co.uk

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/anita.davison

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/AnitaDavison

TWITTER: @AnitaSDavison

This Thing You Humans Call Love

Tags

Amazon Kindle, Bargain books, Book launch, Celtic FC, Glasgow, Kindle, Loch Lomond, New authors, New books, Road to Loch Lomond, Scotland, Seville, Short stories, Visit Scotland

These days, days, days, run away like horses over the hill

My brand new short story collection, This Thing You Humans Call Love, is now available for you to order.

Don’t be misled, there are no space aliens in this book, though there are a lot of odd creatures and strange new worlds.

Short stories are my favourite things to write. You don’t take an eternity to plan and draft one, you can get right down to business, and if you get it wrong, it’s no big deal to redraft, or simply move on to the next one. If there is such a thing as a professional short story writer, then that’s what I’d like to do when I grow up.

With one glaring exception (which you can read here), these stories are all set in and around Glasgow, or have a very strong connection to the place.

I’ve chosen July 3rd 2016 as my launch date quite deliberately. It marks 30 years since I first started writing a big project, when I was just a kid. It’s the equivalent of Hal 9000 coming online, or Roy Batty being born… hang on, it’s nothing like any of these things.

It’s also the 30th anniversary of the day I found 50p in the street and bought a comic with it. I was delighted with that result.

Anyway, I like the symmetry of it. Hey, I bullshit for a living.

I hope anyone out there crazy enough to buy this book enjoys the tales. I put a lot of me into them. Comparatively speaking, it won’t cost you very much at all.