Today I am delighted to welcome Tess Makovesky 🙂

Tess’s short stories have darkened the pages of many magazines and anthologies. Her psychological novella ‘Raise the Blade’ is out now from @caffeinenights

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I’m Liverpool born and bred, but after half a lifetime of bombing around the British countryside I’ve finally settled in the Far North of England (as the weather reporters like to call it), where I roam the fells with a brolly, dreaming up new stories and startling the sheep.

I write psychological crime and noir fiction, often with a thread of dark humour running through it, and almost always in the form short stories. To give you a taster, you can find my most recent short story, ‘Troubled Waters’, at Pulp Metal Magazine. I also have a psychological noir novella, ‘Raise the Blade’, out at Caffeine Nights Publishing. This examines the theory that certain people contribute to their own downfall through the choices they make, whilst referencing Pink Floyd’s brilliant track Brain Damage – and the odd elephant or two.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Ideas pop out at me from all sorts of sources. Often, it’s an obscure news item in the press that kick starts a story – the very first inspiration for ‘Raise the Blade’, for instance, came from a news report about a body being found in a Birmingham canal. But I also get ideas from books, TV series, music, dreams, and ‘what-if’ conversations with other people.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

To an extent, yes, although I would never simply plonk a real person, unaltered, into one of my books or stories. More typically, elements of several people I know go to make up each character. For instance, Gillian the religion-obsessed dog owner in ‘Raise the Blade’ was loosely based on a neighbour of my parents, but with other characteristics thrown into the mix.

How do you pick your characters names?

I find names are important, and colour the way I perceive the characters, so it’s an important process. Mostly, they come to me on an instinctive level, but if I’m stuck for names for male characters I’ll often scour the squad lists from football (soccer) teams for inspiration.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I get an overall idea first. What if this happened? How would certain characters react? Then I need a title, a feel for where the book or story will end up, and the first few lines. And then I simply plunge in and start writing. It’s a risky approach as I sometimes (often!) end up in a complete muddle, but I can’t do detailed outlines, plots or notes because it sucks up all my creative energy and I have nothing left to actually write the book.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Oh dear, I hate questions like this because I tend not to stick to favourite authors, but devour anything that interests me and love discovering new authors and new genres. However, in modern crime probably Ann Cleeves and Peter May (I love the sense of place they bring to their novels); in classic crime Dorothy L Sayers; and outside of the crime world, Tolkien. And yes, I know that’s only four. But the rest of the list would take up this whole blog!

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I’m tempted to list a few here with the question ‘what were you even thinking’! But being serious, I think it would have to be Mark Mills (author of ‘The Savage Garden’ and ‘The Whaleboat House’ amongst others). I’d love to find out more about the inspiration behind ‘The Savage Garden’, a wonderful mix of whodunnit and garden design with a mystery dating back to the sixteenth century.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Always. I had a relatively unhappy childhood and took refuge in books, reading several a week at the very least. I devoured almost anything but from the age of about twelve I developed a taste for classic crime (Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Ngaio Marsh) which seems to have stayed with me for life. I’d have been happier in a book world than my own half the time – and there are times when that still applies!

When did you start to write?

I wrote my first story at the age of five, and it was always my dream to be a writer. Having to support myself for many years put paid to that, but once I met my husband I was able to give it a go, and have been writing ever since.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

This is a hard one. Like most readers I get frustrated when a book doesn’t end the way I think it should (I’m not usually keen on sudden, perhaps unnecessary deaths of major characters in the final pages). But on the other hand, the author has deliberately chosen to finish their book that way and just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. However, the book that ended with the Archangel Michael rescuing the hero and heroine from an impossible dead-end has to be a strong candidate…

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Loads! Usually to the point of ‘why do I even bother’ if I’ve just read something really good. I’m envious of authors who can write long, beautiful descriptions, or whose characters are so strongly drawn that you feel you could meet them on the local streets in real life. But on a specific level it would have to be ‘The Lord of the Rings’ for the sheer storytelling skill and the ability to keep readers sitting on the edge of their seats for the entire duration of such a long book.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Am I allowed to cheat and specify a real person? I’d love to take Jeremy Clarkson to Birmingham. He’s famous for saying it’s horrible and has nothing on offer but Sixties concrete. I’d like to take him to the Edwardian tea rooms at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, or the café in Cannon Hill Park, or the café in Kings Heath Park, or any one of dozens of fascinating and beautiful venues in what is actually a lovely city. Okay, I’m biased because I lived there for many years and base most of my books there. I’ll stop ranting now.

What are you working on right now?

A re-write of a crime novella called ‘Embers of Bridges’ which is set in Birmingham and involves a bizarre getaway on a canal boat! Like most of my longer works, the title is taken from the lyrics of a Pink Floyd song – in this case High Hopes – and seemed appropriate as the book is about loyalty and the burning of bridges amongst close friends.

Do you have a new release due?

Not immediately, no, but I have a book under consideration with a publisher and new short stories appearing every now and again, so do watch this space!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I tend to pop up all over the internet with monotonous regularity. I have a web page, blog, Facebook account, Twitter account, and I’m also on Goodreads and Linked-In. Feel free to ‘friend’, ‘follow’ or link to me – I hope to see some of you there.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Only that in spite of the content of some of my stories, I don’t have a criminal record! And if I’ve whetted your appetite for more, you can find my psychological noir novella ‘Raise the Blade’ (Caffeine Nights Publishing) at Amazon.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Tess 🙂

Thank you for the opportunity to witter about myself! There were some really thought-provoking questions in there – I enjoyed the challenge.

Publisher: Caffeine Nights Publishing (25th August 2016)

Like a spider wrapping flies…

When psychopath Duncan leaves a trail of duct-tape-wrapped bodies scattered across the suburbs of Birmingham, there’s nothing to link the victims except his own name and address, carefully placed on each new corpse.Six very different people follow his clues, each convinced they can use Duncan to further their own selfish or naïve ends. Is there a reason Duncan’s driven to target these particular individuals, or does their very nature contribute to their fate?Will any of them be strong enough to break the cycle and escape a painful death? Or will Duncan reel them in and rearrange them to his own insane ideal?

“Raise the Blade is a gloriously gruesome read, riven with the very blackest of humour. And I loved it.”Ian Ayris, author of ‘Abide With Me’ and ‘April Skies’.

Buy your copy HERE

Enjoy!

Today I am over the moon to welcome Barbara Copperthwaite! 🙂

Barbara is a crime novelist. Author of INVISIBLE and FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD. She is a lovely lady and is very supportive of other authors and book bloggers.

Now, I have to confess that Barbara’s books have been waiting patiently on my kindle for far too long already. I have seen many glowing reviews for these books which makes me all the more ashamed to admit that I haven’t had the chance to read them, yet. I will be rectifying this as soon as I can, I promise!

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

Hello! My name is Barbara Copperthwaite, and people have always said that with a name like that I ought to write books. That wasn’t the only reason I decided to start writing, though. I’ve been a journalist for over twenty years, writing features, and working my way up to become a magazine editor. I’ve always loved the buzz of it. But I needed a new challenge and had an idea that refused to be ignored any longer…

That idea turned into my first novel, Invisible. The psychological thriller is told in the form of a diary; the diary of a woman in an unhappy marriage, whose mundane life explodes one night and she becomes the most hated woman in the country.

Flowers For The Dead is my second novel. It is told across two timelines. In the present, Adam, a serial killer, is stalking his latest prey, Laura. In the past we discover Adam’s back story. I loved exploring how he was warped from an innocent child, who loved fairy tales, into a monster.

Both novels have been Amazon bestsellers. In December I signed a four-book deal with Bookouture and am really excited about the future.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Anywhere, really. Invisible came as a result of a short stint working in Glasgow’s high security men’s prison when I was in my early twenties. Many of the men in there seemed perfectly normal and chatty; it fascinated me that they could hide their dark side so well. From that moment, I always wondered how well people can ever know each other. That thought drove a lot of my journalism, too.

Flowers For The Dead came to me randomly, courtesy of a carton of milk! One day I opened my fridge to use the last of it. But it wasn’t the last, there was another full carton beside it that I must have bought and forgotten about. 

“It must have been me, there’s no one else who could have done it,” I shrugged to myself. Then I laughed: “Unless there’s a crazed stalker breaking in just to leave me milk.”

From that moment came the inspiration for Adam, a stalker who wants to do kind, thoughtful things for the woman he loves. Right up until the moment he kills her. I kept thinking about how creepy it would be to have someone doing things around your home, and how easy it would be at first to write them off as absent-mindedness. No one would realise what Adam was doing until it was too late…

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

As a general rule my characters are a thing apart from the real world. I write mini-biographies about them, which includes not just their age, height, weight, eye colour, mannerisms, etc, but also background information which explains why they are the way they are now. Although much of it may not make it into the book, it helps to create a rounded, realistic character whose thoughts and feelings make sense.

How do you pick your characters’ names?

Names are important, as they provide a subtle indicator of social status, age, even location. More than anything, though, I try to choose names that fit the character’s personality. Laura Weir, in Flowers For The Dead, has a tumultuous background, hence the surname of ‘weir’. I chose Adam for the serial killer because he is so alone, and unique, and the biblical connotations appealed to me. His surname is Bourne to reflect the fact that, although he is a murderer, in some ways he is almost an innocent. It’s fair to say he’s a complex character!

The first names simply have to ‘feel’ right to me, and it’s something I can’t really explain. I annoy myself no end by spending ages going through names and rejecting them for no real reason. When I finally settle on one that is right, though, everything feels better.

But in Invisible, the main character is never named. She is almost literally invisible, with even her husband only ever referring to her as ‘babe’ or ‘gorgeous’. It seemed the perfect choice for her.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I usually start with a skeleton of an idea, with some ideas for key scenes which I write out. Then it’s just a question of head down and get on with it. I’m a big believer in research, though, thanks to my journalistic background, and that can often spark more scenes and plot-drivers, too.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Gosh, that depends on my mood! Today, I’ll say Peter Swanson (twisted plots and complex, unlikeable characters), John Lewis-Stempel (stunning, lyrical prose about nature – a passion of mine), Patricia Highsmith (crime queen, in my opinion), Elizabeth Haynes (psychological thrillers extraordinaire), and Terry Pratchett (brilliantly funny look at the world, from a whole new angle, transposed to a whole new planet).

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would love to meet Charles Dickens. The journalist in me would insist on us sitting down and doing a full interview – I’d love to hear about his childhood from his own lips, and how that influenced him as a person as well as his writing. I’d like to know more about his process as a writer, too, particularly as his characters were so often larger than life, and he enjoyed acting them out.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Huge! I always had my head stuck in a book. I was read to a lot, but the moment I became a reader myself was when my mum handed me The Children of Cherry Tree Farm, by Enid Blyton. It had an orange, hardback cover and some of the leaves were loose, and mum explained that I had to be very careful with it because she had read that exact copy herself when she was my age. It underlined how precious words were – and of course the story inside was fabulous.

I suppose my crime fascination began as a child, too. I was addicted to Enid Blyton’s ‘Mystery’ series, and was reading ‘The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat’ when I figured out whodunit a whole page before the big reveal. To this day, I remember the feeling of pride at that moment, as I announced to my mum my thoughts. Clearly even as a nipper I was obsessed with crime fiction!

When did you start to write?

I’ve been a journalist since I was nineteen years old, starting out on my local weekly, and moving up to write on national women’s magazines and newspapers. I even edited a couple of mags, which was wonderful. But I didn’t write fiction until I was thirty-nine, and was suddenly hit with the burning desire to create a novel, mainly because I’d had the idea for Invisible and genuinely believed it was a unique tale that needed to be told.

I bought a cheap laptop, and started tapping away during my commute and lunch breaks. Writing again was great after so long running magazines (when you’re an editor there is no time to write features yourself). But soon, stolen moments weren’t enough for me. A few months later I decided to take voluntary redundancy. It’s possible it was a mid-life crisis! A week before my 40^th birthday, I became a freelance journalist – and an aspiring author. At the same time, I moved from my home in Colchester, Essex, to be with my partner, Paul, in Birmingham. From the start he was fully supportive of me chasing my dream.

My first novel, INVISIBLE, was published eight months later, in April 2014. I can honestly say I have never regretted my decision to give in to my mid-life crisis!

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

Ooh, no, I would never do that. It’s the author’s decision, so whether I wish the ending had been different or not, I couldn’t possibly rewrite it. Though I admit, I wish I could give happy endings to books such as The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas…but it then wouldn’t be the incredible, powerful book it is, would it.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Every time I read a brilliant book, I wish I had written it!

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I’d buy Bathsheba Everdene (from Thomas Hardy’s Far From The Madding Crowd) a large slice of cake and a hot chocolate at my local café, and I’d tell her to stop mucking about and settle down with Gabriel Oak from the start. It would save a whole lot of heartache on everyone’s part if she did. I’ve a feeling we’d also end up having a glass of wine or two, as it might take her a while to be persuaded – she’s quite stubborn!

What are you working on right now?

Right now, I’m finishing off my second book for Bookouture, which will be out later this year. It’s another psychological thriller, with a very tense countdown…

Do you have a new release due?

Coming soon is my first Bookouture novel. It’s an exciting new psychological thriller out in spring, the title and exact date are going to be announced soon. I can’t wait to share it with you all!

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I love keeping in touch with readers, so am on Facebook, Twitter, and have a blog and a website!

www.facebook.com/AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite

www.twitter.com/BCopperthwait

www.barbaracopperthwaite.wordpress.com

http://www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Barbara 🙂

Publisher: Barbara Copperthwaite (31st March 2014)

THERE’S ONE VICTIM OF CRIME NO ONE NOTICES…
Something is wrong. With her marriage, with her husband, with her. But as she pours her heart out to her diary, it’s clear she doesn’t know what.
Until one explosive night she finds a possible answer.
Suddenly hated and vilified by everyone, she clings to her relationship – even while wondering if she really knows her husband at all…
INVISIBLE is a stunningly powerful, gripping and original psychological thriller of subtle insight that takes you on a twisted journey through one woman’s marriage.
Perfect for fans of THE WIDOW and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN.

“Totally gripping and scarily believably characters. One of the most assured debuts of the year” BELLA
“Dark, gripping, twisted – we loved it!” REAL PEOPLE MAGAZINE
“This psychological thriller will stay with you for a long time after you’ve put it down” CRIME CONFIDENTIAL
“Seriously impressed. Such a powerful psychological thriller… Monumental character development” MANY BOOKS, MANY LIVES
“Totally and utterly convincing,” POSTCARD REVIEWS
“Quietly brilliant,” BY THE LETTER BOOK REVIEWS
“All-consuming. I lived and breathed this book. An absolutely gripping read, and quite unforgettable,” BEING ANNE

Buy your copy HERE

Publisher: BLC Publications; 1 edition (21st September 2015)

ADAM WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY. EVEN IF IT KILLS YOU.
Adam Bourne is a serial killer who thinks he is a saviour. When he murders young women and cuts off their lips, he believes he has done it to make them happy.
How did he become warped from the sensitive four-year-old who adored his gran and the fairy tales she read to him? What turned him into a monster who stalks his victims? And what is he trying to say with the bouquets he sends?
When he meets Laura Weir, Adam weaves a fairy tale romance around them. A tale she has no idea she is part of. As he hatches his twisted plan for their fairy tale ending, can anyone stop him before he creates the ultimate sacrifice to love?

“A chillingly drawn serial killer. Will have you looking over your shoulder and under your bed… Original, gripping, with a deep psychological impact,” Sunday Mirror

“Enthralling, tense and moving,” Real People magazine

Buy your copy HERE

Enjoy!

Today I am thrilled to welcome Clare Pedrick 🙂 Clare is the author of Chickens Eat Pasta: Escape to Umbria, published with Troubador Publishing.

Clare and her house

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book please?

Hello everyone, and thank you Kerry for inviting me here today. My name is Clare Pedrick and I’m a British journalist living in Spoleto, which is a beautiful town in the central Italian region of Umbria. I’m also the author of a book called Chickens Eat Pasta: Escape to Umbria. It’s the story of how I bought a crumbling old ruin outside a medieval hill village some years back, and all that the adventure led to. Now you might think that this sounds familiar. But my tale is rather different from most of the well known books in this genre. That’s partly because it’s also a love story, and it’s written more like a novel than a memoir. I hope that gives it more of a sense of suspense and drama, and I’m told it’s quite a gripping read. The other difference is that Chickens Eat Pasta is not a foreigner’s view through rose-tinted spectacles. It’s quite a warts-and-all vision of life in this part of Italy, especially from a young woman’s perspective, which I was at the time, and some of the experiences described are fairly raw.

Clare’s house, as it is now

Clare’s house, when she first saw it

Where did you get your ideas from?

This was really a book that was waiting to be written, so I didn’t have to look too hard. It tells the story of how aged 26, I left my comfortable life in England, together with a rather good job and a very pretty Regency house that I owned in Brighton, all on a total whim after watching a video showing chickens eating spaghetti in the courtyard of an old but very picturesque Umbrian village. I was on a plane three days later to buy a house – if you can call it that, as it had no roof, water or electricity – triggering a series of events that was to change my life forever. So there was no shortage of material at all, or of colourful characters for that matter. It was really just a question of finding the time to write the book, and doing it in a way that was entertaining, but also moving. I reworked the book five times before it was published, so I hope I got it right.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Yes, all of them actually! The entire cast is taken from real life, and most of them are people I met once I bought my old house here in Umbria. I had an extraordinary amount of help and was shown great generosity by people who had no real reason to display such kindness. I often wonder why that was, and the only answer that I can come up with is that people felt sorry for me, as I was all on my own, in a very remote part of Italy, at a time when young women simply didn’t do that kind of thing, cavorting around without a family, or at least a husband! That’s the question people asked me the whole time at first. “Where is your husband?” “Or what do your parents think of you coming over here, all alone?” They just couldn’t understand. Of course, as the book shows, there were a few people who tried to capitalise on this, and take advantage of the fact that I was single and vulnerable, but luckily, my new friends always rallied round to protect me.

The village that became Clare’s second home

Just around the corner from Clare’s home

How do you pick your characters names?

Aside from members of my immediate family back in England, I changed all the characters’ names in the book. I thought it was only right, to protect their privacy, as none of them asked to be part of my story. The person I was most worried about was Ercolino – not his real name, but not far off. He is one of the central characters in the book, and many readers have really grown to love him, and his English wife Angela (not her real name either), who virtually adopted me as their daughter. Ercolino is a larger-than-life person, who is also very comical, in an extremely loving way, and I was concerned that he wouldn’t like my portrait of him, or enjoy being thrust onto the pages of my book. But on the contrary, he absolutely loved Chickens Eat Pasta, and always asks me how the sales are going when I see him, which is very often. Sometimes, as we sit and talk over a glass of wine, he will start reminiscing about one of the anecdotes described in the book – and which really happened in real life. And then his eyes almost disappear into the rest of his face as he starts laughing and crying at the same time. He really is quite a character, in every sense of the word.

Ercolino with Mamma outside their house in the village of San

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

As I said, I’m a journalist, so the business of sitting down to write is not a problem at all. I’m used to having deadlines and having to produce a certain amount of words in a given time, whether I feel inspired or not. So there was never going to be any question of the blank page syndrome. But strangely enough, the fact that I write for a living proved a drawback in some ways. After I had finished my first draft of the opening chapters, I sent them to my agent in London and she called me over for a chat. I was rather taken aback when she told me that the story was written too much as a journalist would write it – someone who is indeed concerned with meeting deadlines and getting the facts out as quickly as possible.

“It’s all so breathless,” she told me. So I was sent back to rewrite the whole thing, taking much more time to develop the characters and draw the narrative out. It wasn’t easy at first, but it was very satisfying once I got into the swing of it. And my agent was right. It makes for a much better read.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

I have a weakness for really good travel writers, so I love Norman Lewis and H.V. Morton, who wrote extraordinarily vivid accounts of their journeys and the people they encountered, including some memorable portraits of Italy. I’m also very fond of the books of British author and – funnily enough, former journalist – Robert Harris, who has a wonderful talent for portraying fictional stories against a historical background. His Pompeii, the story of the eruption of Vesuvius, is quite spellbinding, and really takes you there, even though the actual events happened more than 2000 years ago. I still have a very soft spot for Charles Dickens, whose wonderful characters always bring a smile to my face, or send a shiver down my spine. And my fifth choice would definitely be Graham Greene. I’m just rereading Brighton Rock, and enjoying every minute. His portrait of the main character Pinkie is a mesmerising study of pure evil.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Well in a way I’m cheating here, as it would be Graham Greene, and I’m proud to say I did indeed meet him, one evening many years ago at a reception when I was working in Brighton as a reporter on the local paper, the Evening Argus. I’m afraid I can’t recall what I asked him, although I know we chatted for several minutes. But I can well remember his demeanour, which was quiet and extremely poised, modest and unpretentious. He made quite an impression on me, and I think his writing is really outstanding.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes I always had my nose in a book, even on car journeys, though I’ll never understand how I didn’t get car sick. I read just about anything that I could get my hands on, and luckily there was never a shortage of books in our home. My father was a prolific reader, and always had books piled high on his bedside table, a habit that I have inherited, as has my son. And of course the local library was a wonderfully rich source of books, and one of which I made full use. That’s something I miss greatly here in Italy, for although libraries exist, they are nothing like as well stocked as the English ones.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I think it would probably be the ending to One Day, the otherwise captivating best-selling novel by British author David Nicholls. Like many people, I think I felt rather cheated when, after all the trials and tribulations of the on-off relationship between Emma and Dexter, it all ends in tragedy, and rather banal tragedy at that. I hope I’m not ruining the story for anyone – so stop reading here if you don’t want to know what happens. But killing her off in an accident with a pushbike just didn’t seem right, especially when things were at last going well between them. It almost seemed as if Nicholls couldn’t think how to end it and wanted to be done with the whole story. I’m not one for schmaltzy endings, but this one should definitely have been changed!

Is there a book you wish you had written?

A great many, starting with just about any of the books written by my five favourite authors, as described above. But most of all, I wish I had more time to devote to writing, and could sit down day after day and give myself over to planning and researching ideas for a really good novel. But I have to earn my bread and butter as a journalist, which is quite a demanding job that involves travelling from time to time, and I certainly couldn’t afford to give that up. I know some people manage to combine writing and a day job, but I suspect that means giving up your social life and just about any other form of pleasure if you do it for long. As I discovered when I wrote Chickens Eat Pasta, writing a book is incredibly time consuming. If I had known that at the beginning, I might never have started, so it’s just as well that I didn’t.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I think that would probably be Marcus Attilius Primus, the young engineer in Pompeii, who arrives in the Bay of Naples from Rome at the start of the book to take charge as hydraulic engineer or aquarius of the Aqua Augusta. This is the aqueduct that supplies water to the many towns in the region, including Pompeii itself. Actually, we probably wouldn’t go for coffee, as I don’t think it existed in those days, so it would have to be a glass of wine, which is fine by me. And I’d probably take him to my local bar in Piazza del Mercato here in Spoleto. These days it’s called the Caffe degli Artisti, but I’m sure there was a bar there even then, as it’s right on the corner of Spoleto’s ancient Roman Forum, so a great location. I’d love to chat to Attilius about his unusual job, and hear him explain some of the astonishing hydraulic engineering feats of those times, which are still in evidence today. Hydraulic engineers like him were responsible for building a network of aqueducts throughout the ancient Roman Empire – many of which were very beautiful architectural constructions in their own right – drawing water from often distant sources into cities and towns, supplying private households, fountains, and of course public baths. The other thing I would like to talk about to Attilius would be his plans for August 24 of that fateful year AD 79. I think I’d advise him to take a break, go on holiday, but at all costs to keep away from Pompeii, which was obliterated when Vesuvius erupted. Spoleto is lovely in August, as it’s in the hills so there is always a slight breeze. They would be very welcome here! I’d also tell him to bring his girlfriend Corelia, who he goes back to rescue as Pompeii is covered in ash and rubble.

Roman aquaducts

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I have a blog, which mainly tells stories from my Umbrian village, or other parts of this beautiful part of Italy, along with showing photos, so that readers have an idea of just how lovely it is. Oh yes, and there are one or two recipes too, as food plays a very important role in this part of the world.

Chickens Eat Pasta also has a Facebook page and I have a Facebook profile and Twitter account (@ClarePedrick). I’d be delighted to hear from readers through any of these channels.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Clare 🙂

CHICKENS EAT PASTA
The love affair between Clare
Pedrick and an old, Umbrian ruin
she bought on a whim that started
a new life in Central Italy

“I am always being asked how I ended up living in Italy and what brought me here in the first place.
Most people assume it must have been a man. But actually it was a love affair with a house – which led to a love affair with a man.”
Clare Pedrick was just 26 years old when she decided to buy a beautiful old ruin in Umbria on a whim after spotting
a newspaper advert one rainy Sunday morning. She was entirely alone when she embarked on her adventure, which
eventually led to a love affair with a man who is now her husband.
Unlike some other recent bestsellers, this is not simply an account of a foreigner’s move to Italy, but a love story
written from the unusual perspective of both within and outside of the story. As events unfold, the strong storyline
carries with it a rich portrayal of Italian life from the inside, with a supporting cast of memorable characters. Along
the way, the book explores and captures the warmth and colour of Italy, as well as some of the cultural differences –
between England and Italy, but also between regional Italian lifestyles and behaviour. It is a story with a happy
ending. The author and her husband are still married, with three children, who love the old house on the hill (now
much restored) almost as much as she does.
“I wrote the book partly for our children, who have grown up spending their weekends and summers there. The house has been
completely restored – it’s hard for the children to understand how dilapidated and basic it was when I was first bewitched by the place.”
Chickens Eat Pasta is primarily a love story – of Clare’s love for the house that she saw one day and decided to buy, of
the man she met there and went on to marry, of the children that they have and of the country that is now their home.
CLARE PEDRICK is a British journalist who studied Italian at Cambridge University before
becoming a reporter. She went on to work as the Rome correspondent for the Washington Post
and as European Editor of an international features agency. She still lives in Italy with her
husband, whom she met in the village where she bought her house.
PUBLICATION DATE 28th July 2015
ISBN: 9781784623517

Buy your copy –

http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=3313

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chickens-Eat-Pasta-Escape-Umbria-ebook/dp/B012GZXOPY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1484817839&sr=8-1

Publisher: Cornerstone Digital (1st September 2016)

Well, this is an emotional roller-coaster of a read.

I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters, especially the rich and somewhat entitled ones, but their story is completely captivating.

The story switches between 1980, when 17 year old Kelly Lund is convicted and jailed for the murder of a seemingly well respected Hollywood director, John McFaddon, and her teenage life prior to her murder charge, and 2010 when Kelly is free, but living an odd existence with her husband, Shane, who stood by her throughout her prison sentence. They don’t have an intimate marriage, they don’t even share the same bedroom, and Shane is very understanding. Kelly blames her struggle with intimacy on being in prison for 20 years. I did feel quite sorry for Shane.

We get to know two very different Kelly’s as the story progresses. Teenage Kelly, prior to 1980, hanging out with and getting high with her Hollywood friends. Spiralling out of control as she grieves for her sister and learns that John McFaddon isn’t the man he is portrayed to be. 2010 Kelly is much quieter. Grown up, but somewhat detached from the world. She only seems happy when in the arms of her neighbour, Rocky 3.

When her Father-in-Law is found shot dead, Kelly is obviously a prime suspect, but did she really risk her future by killing again? Was she ever guilty of killing anyone?

I hope that has piqued your interest because I don’t want to say much else for fear of giving anything away, but I totally recommend you read it then I’d love to have a chat with you about it. What Remains Of Me is thoroughly gripping. There are many twists and turns, some shocking and totally unexpected. I didn’t have a clue what was going on for most of it, although I thought I had it sussed a few times. It kept me guessing the whole time. Quite complex characters with far from straight forward secrets to reveal. Brilliantly written with all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together nicely by the end.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for approving my request on Netgalley.

Buy your copy HERE

Description

People don’t need to know you’re a murderer.
They just have to think you could be…

June 1980: 17-year-old Kelly Lund is jailed for killing Hollywood film director, John McFadden

Thirty years later, Kelly is a free woman. Yet speculation still swirls over what really happened that night.

And when her father-in law, and close friend of McFadden is found dead – shot through the head at point-blank range – there can only be one suspect.

But this time Kelly has some high-profile friends who believe she’s innocent of both crimes.

But is she?

‘You’ll stay up late to read this’ Laura Lippmann

‘Full of crackling energy and heartache’ Megan Abbott

‘An exceptional book by an exceptional writer’ Alex Marwood

I am delighted to welcome Catherine Hokin today 🙂

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

My name is Catherine Hokin. I’m a Glasgow based writer and my debut novel Blood and Roses, a work of historical fiction about Margaret of Anjou and her role in the fifteenth century Wars of the Roses, came out in paperback and kindle in 2016. I also write contemporary short stories which are a bit twisted!

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

My historical fiction is based on real people, strong women who have played an important part in history but whose voices have either been forgotten or distorted. Margaret of Anjou, for example, was turned into a mad witch by Shakespeare and that stuck even though it’s completely wrong! When I’ve found the character who interests me, then I go hunting for the ‘gaps’ – the things that they did/which happened to them that we know about but we don’t know the reasons why. That’s where the story telling starts.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

I do use personality traits from people I know that I think will fit the character – like a lot of writers I’m always collecting quirks – and I also use myself. I used my experience as a mother of a teenage boy in Blood and Roses – he’s read it and he forgave me! There’s a mad tyrant in book 2 who’s based very much on a real person but I’m not saying who…

How do you pick your characters names?

A lot of them are real but for supporting characters I use common period names. For my short stories I use ones that match with a particular characteristic: Alice in Stolen Moments lives in a macabre fantasy world, Cara in Kitchen Nightmares is very caring.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I’m a planner. Lots and lots of research with masses of notes, pinboards and Pinterest; a first draft which is a research/story dump and then storyboarding. I’m a big fan of Story by Robert McKee – it’s my template.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

AL Kennedy, Angela Carter, Emma Donoghue, Terry Pratchett, Kate Atkinson

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Gabriel Garcia Marquez – I want to know how he managed to hold all the crazy plot strands of One Hundred Years of Solitude together and write such an amazing book. And George RR Martin – seriously, how can it be taking this long…

Were you a big reader as a child?

Huge, I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I’ve always loved stories.

When did you start to write?

I wrote my first pieces about 25 years ago but life and children got in the way and I put it all aside. I started properly again about 4 years ago when I could find headspace to do it. For the last 6 months I have been writing full time which is an absolute joy – it may not last so I’m relishing every minute.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

That’s a toughie – being honest probably The Handmaid’s Tale as I loved it but didn’t think the ending worked. Although I’d prefer Margaret Atwood to do it than me.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

One Hundred Years of Solitude, it’s a breathtaking sweep of genius – I don’t think my brain is big enough though.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

The Chance sisters, Nora and Dora, from Angela Carter’s Wise Children. Afternoon tea at the Savoy and then cocktails – they’d have a wealth of stories and hopefully a few tricks to help us get away without paying.

What are you working on right now?

I’m in that strange writer place of being involved with 3 books at different points. I’m still doing a lot of promotional stuff round Blood and Roses, my second novel (set in the fourteenth century) is with my agent and I’m at the first draft/nervous breakdown stage of book 3 which is set in the twelfth century, sort of.

Do you have a new release due?

My lovely agent is sending out book 2 and we are keeping everything crossed. It’s tough out there – she is looking for a different publisher and it’s not easy. At least she gets the rejections first though…

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Through my website at https://www.catherinehokin.com/, on twitter @cathokin and through my author Facebook page Cat Hokin Please say hi at any or all!

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I blog on the 22^nd of every month for the History Girls author collective – there’s 30 of us and there’s some great stuff on there.

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Catherine 🙂

Buy your copy HERE

Publisher: Yolk Publishing (11th January 2016)

Blood and Roses tells the story of Margaret of Anjou (1430-82), wife of Henry VI and a key protagonist in the Wars of the Roses. This is a feminist revision of a woman frequently imagined only as the shadowy figure demonised by Shakespeare – Blood and Roses examines Margaret as a Queen unable to wield the power and authority she is capable of, as a wife trapped in marriage to a man born to be a saint and as a mother whose son meets a terrible fate she has set in motion. It is the story of a woman caught up in the pursuit of power, playing a game ultimately no one can control…

Wow!

I’m not very good at reviewing short stories, but when Dan Klefstad sent me a copy of The Caretaker, which is to be published on 1^st February in the lit journal Crack the Spine (Issue 210), I read the first page as my curiosity got the better of me. I do like a vampire story! Needless to say, that first page ensured I read the rest. It might not be many pages long, but they are captivating and chilling. It’s a vampire story, but quite unique.

I have permission from the author to share this quote with you all, from the opening page –

“Dear Applicant, Congratulations. Out of hundreds of applications, yours stood out…..But, I must warn you: The more you read, the more my employer will consider you a threat if you decline our offer. If you have no intentions of taking the job, delete this message now before reading further.”

I’m sure you can see now why there was no way I could not read the rest!

I liked how the story starts as a job interview of sorts, leading to initial training, for a job which is far from conventional. That first contact would have had scared the **** out of me, but I guess the generous salary and benefits would more than pique the interest of many!

We learn how Daniel started his career. He offers his advice and shares his initial experience with the new applicant.

Well written, creepy and brutal!

I’m glad to hear that Dan Klefstad hopes to expand this in to a full length novel. I think it will prove to be a great read.

Many thanks to Dan Klefstad for sending me a manuscript of this intriguing vampire story.

I will share the link when The Caretaker is published on 1st February.

In the meantime, you will find Dan’s other books on his Amazon author page

And if you missed it, check out my Q&A with Dan here – Q&A with author, Dan Klefstad

I am delighted to welcome Tracey Sinclair to my blog today 🙂

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

I’m an author and freelance writer and editor who lives in Brighton and I write in a mix of genres – including a romcom set in my hometown of Newcastle, Bridesmaid Blues, and a series of funny, snarky paranormal books set in London, called Dark Dates.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

Everywhere! Sometimes from life – the basic plot of Bridesmaid Blues, in which the heroine has to be bridesmaid at a wedding where her ex was best man – came from my life (really!), but otherwise I’m inspired by lots of things.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Yes! I do weave a lot of my own traits into my protagonists – both Luce in Bridesmaid Blues and Cass in Dark Dates have a lot in common with me – and I often base characters on people I know, albeit it very loosely. I don’t want to make someone too close a fit in case I offend them, or have to kill them off!

How do you pick your characters names?

That’s always a struggle – though I did name Laclos, the vampire in Dark Dates, after one of my favourite authors. But often characters go through several names before one sticks.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I tend to scribble down ideas, scenes and characters sketches in long-hand for a few weeks – or even months – before I start a first draft, which I then write long-hand: sometimes I do a second long-hand draft then type them up and do multiple rewrites. As someone once said, most writing is rewriting!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Oh, god, this changes all the time, but consistent favourites are Terry Pratchett, Jim Butcher, John Connolly, Barbara Kingsolver and A L Kennedy.

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

Alas I will never get to do this, but I would have very much liked to have had a pint and a chat with Terry Pratchett.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Oh, yes – I’ve always read voraciously.

When did you start to write?

I’ve been writing as long as I remember, but I had my first short story published when I was 17.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

I wouldn’t, but there are scenes I would rewrite or omit, or small things I would change. I don’t think anyone is ever completely happy with their final version.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

Whatever I am reading at the time, if it’s good. I’m currently reading Samantha Ellis’ biography of Anne Bronte and envying her light but informative style, and I just finished Michelle Paver’s Thin Air and wanted to be able to write so eloquently and creepily.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

Ooh, tough one. I would happily have a night out with either of the hot guys from my books: Cain would want to go to the pub, Laclos to a trendy bar, I’d be happy to just stare at them!

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a sequel to the last Dark Dates book, Angel Falls, which ended on a cliff-hanger so I feel I have to keep reassuring people I’m writing the next one, and a few other projects at the moment. Lots in the pipeline, hopefully.

Do you have a new release due?

Nothing immediate – I put out 2 books last year so I’m still in the drafting stage of things now.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

Via my website, Facebook or Twitter:

www.facebook.com/darkdates

www.darkdates.org

@thriftygal

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I love interacting with readers and bloggers so do come say hello…!

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, Tracey 🙂

Luce knows she should be thrilled when Jenna asks her to be bridesmaid – after all, they’ve known each other since childhood and Jenna is the best friend any girl could have. But it’s hard to get excited about weddings when you’re terminally single and the best man is the boy who broke your heart: Jamie, the groom’s dashing and irresistible brother. How can she face the man who dumped her when she’s still so hopelessly in love? Then again, maybe this is the perfect opportunity – after all, where better to get back together than at a wedding?

So Luce has six months to figure out how to win back her ex, but she has plenty else on her plate – from an old friend returned to Newcastle with an announcement of her own, to a youthful colleague who may or may not have a crush on her and a mother who is acting very strangely indeed… and that’s all before a mysterious, handsome American walks into her life.

Sometimes being a bridesmaid isn’t all confetti and champagne…

‘A smarter, funnier Bridget Jones’ Diary for the 2010s – great pithy writing and instantly likeable characters’ Caroline Green, award-winning author whose books include Dark Ride, Cracks and Fragments.

All Cassandra Bick wants is to be left to get on with doing her job. But when you’re a Sensitive whose business is running a dating agency for vampires, life is never going to be straightforward – especially when there’s a supernatural war brewing in London, a sexy new bloodsucker in town and your mysterious, homicidal and vampire hating ex-lover chooses this moment to reappear in your life…

Witty, sharp and entertaining, Dark Dates is a heady mix of vampires, witches and werewolves – with the occasional angel thrown in – and introduces Cassandra Bick, a likeable heroine destined to join the ranks of fantasy’s feistiest females.

After narrowly averting a supernatural war in London, Cassandra Bick just wants life to get back to normal. Or as normal as life can be when you run a dating agency for vampires, your best friend is a witch and the oldest, strongest and sexiest vampire in town is taking a very personal interest in your business. But when a vicious new supernatural enemy threatens her friends, Cass finds herself once again fighting for the fate of her city – and having to face some demons of her own.

Snarky, sexy and fast paced, Wolf Night will leave you breathless.

Wolf Night is Book 2 in the Dark Dates series, the Chronicles of Cassandra Bick.

It isn’t easy to surprise Cassandra Bick. When you run a human-vampire dating agency, your colleague is a witch who is engaged to a shifter and your business partner is one of London’s most powerful (and sexiest) vampires, there’s no such thing as a normal day at the office.

But when a mysterious Dark Dates client brings a dire warning of a new threat to the city’s supernatural community, Cass and her friends realise they are up against their deadliest foe yet – and that this time, the danger is far closer to home than they could ever have imagined.

Sexy, snarky and with more bite than a crypt full of vampires, Angel Falls is the latest in the Dark Dates: Cassandra Bick series.

The hunter just wanted to be left alone – one last drink before leaving London forever. Then the vampire Laclos walked into the bar, and suddenly his night wasn’t looking so quiet after all…

There’s a new hunter in the city and he’d targeting Dark Dates – the vampire/human dating agency run by Cassandra Bick, who also happens to be the woman that both Cain and Laclos love. These two fierce rivals must work together to stop him before he drags London’s vampires into the spotlight and destroys Cassandra’s life – that’s if they don’t kill each other first.

It’s Christmas in London but Cassandra Bick, owner of the human/vampire dating agency Dark Dates, doesn’t feel much like celebrating. There’s a rogue vampire running loose on the streets and Cassandra and her friends must try to stop him before he strikes again – even if that means enlisting the help of Laclos, the flirtatious vampire with very definite ideas of what (or who) he wants to unwrap this Christmas…

You will find all of Tracey’s books on her Amazon author page

Enjoy!

Tuesday 7 February, 7pm

Dark in the Day

We’re used to weird dreams, but what about the wide-awake weird?

Dark in the Day is a collection of short stories penned by established writers of the weird and by writers new to the genre… and what better way to celebrate the publication of this anthology than with a reading at City Central Library? Hosted in conjunction with Staffordshire University, you are invited to join Storm Constantine, Rosie Garland, Paul Houghton and Staffordshire University Creative Writing graduates for an evening of delightful and alarming tales of oddness.

This is a free event. Contact City Central Library to book your tickets (01782 238455; central.library@stoke.gov.uk)

Tuesday 14 March, 7pm

6X6 Reading Café

Six writers – Six readers – Six minutes

We’re thrilled that 6X6 Reading Café is entering its second year. If you’d like the chance to take part, take a look at the 6X6 blog at https://6x6writingcafe.wordpress.com/ for writing guidelines and submission details. There’s no theme this time, and you have until 27 February to submit your work.

Anyone is welcome to attend the reading café, and hear the best writing from the local area.

This is a free event. Contact City Central Library to book your ticket (01782 238455; central.library@stoke.gov.uk)

Friday 28 April, 7:30pm

Harry Baker

We’re very excited to welcome World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker to Stoke-on-Trent.

Harry Baker published his debut anthology ‘The Sunshine Kid’ with Burning Eye in December 2014. The subsequent show of the same name was voted ‘Best Spoken Word show’ of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015. Now a fully-fledged maths graduate and full time poet/adventurer, his work has been viewed millions of times worldwide, as well as being translated into 15 different languages. Amongst other things he is currently working on the joint ‘Harry and Chris’ project with Jazz Musician Chris Read, following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh fringe 2016 and UK Spring 2017 Tour.

Tickets: £3, including refreshments. Contact City Central Library to book your tickets (01782 238455; central.library@stoke.gov.uk)

Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Books; Main Market Ed. edition (11th February 2016)

My review

We meet Caddy who, in her own eyes is very ordinary. Too ordinary! Living in a nice house with a Dad who is a Doctor and a Mum who works with the Samaritans. She goes to a private all girls school, which she knows costs a fortune, and she wants for nothing. Other than a more interesting life.

As she turns 16 she vows that this will be the year she will find a proper boyfriend, lose her virginity and experience a “Significant Life Event”. She shares this goal with her best friend, Rosie. She has been best friends with Rosie for years and they are still the best of friends, despite attending different high schools. They tell each other everything and spend all of their spare time together. That is until Suzanne comes along. Suzanne attends Rosie’s school and they become close, much to Caddy’s annoyance. She’s not used to sharing her best friend. However, over time, she too becomes close to Suzanne. Suzanne is exciting. She seems to not care about school or anything really. For Caddy, Suzanne is exactly what she needs to bring her out of her shell. However, Suzanne has a painful past and one she’s likely to never get over. She obviously needs more help than she is receiving and I felt so sorry for her, despite her destructive behaviour.

As a parent, I could totally sympathise with Caddy’s parents. What parent would want their 16 year old daughter sneaking out in the middle of the night? We don’t want our well behaved children being led astray by so called bad influences. Their reaction to things that go on throughout the story was very believable for me. As much as I respect my children’s right to choose their own friends, I would certainly have something to say if their behaviour put them at any risk.

However, this story does highlight just how we never know what someone else might be going through and that their reckless actions can be a cry for help.

It was interesting how the dynamics of the friendship between Caddy, Rosie and Suzanne shifted over such a short time. Rosie soon became the jealous one as Caddy and Suzanne became close, but this jealousy turned to concern as Caddy took more and more risks just to spend time with Suzanne. I felt sorry for Rosie then as feeling left out is awful.

It was hard to guess where the story might lead. My heart was breaking for Suzanne and I truly hoped she would get the support she needed to start building a new, positive life for herself.

I could totally see why Caddy was drawn to Suzanne. At such an impressionable age, a lot of teenagers are trying to fit in and be what they see as interesting. No-one wants to be the boring one.

They’re having a great time until an accident happens during one of their many middle of the night adventures, and their friendship changes forever.

Beautiful Broken Things is so beautifully written, I was drawn in from the very beginning and it didn’t let me go until the very last page. It’s a very powerful story about friendship, family, child abuse and mental illness. It’s aimed at a teenage/YA audience, but honestly, I have thoroughly enjoyed it as an adult. It is most definitely a book that will stay with me and one I will happily recommend.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for approving my request on Netgalley.

Buy your copy here – Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard

Description

I was brave
She was reckless
We were trouble

Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated. As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realizes, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

About the author

Sara lives in Brighton and does all her best writing on trains. She loves books, book people and book things. She has been writing ever since she was too small to reach the “on” switch on the family Amstrad computer. She gets her love of words from her dad, who made sure she always had books to read and introduced her to the wonders of secondhand book shops at a young age.

Sara is trying to visit every country in Europe, and has managed to reach 13 with her best friend. She has also lived in Canada and worked in India.

Sara is inspired by what-ifs and people. She thinks sad books are good for the soul and happy books lift the heart. She hopes to write lots of books that do both. BEAUTIFUL BROKEN THINGS is her first book and a dream come true.