I have the pleasure of welcoming Alexis Lantgen to Chat About Books today 🙂

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

Of course! I’m Alexis Lantgen, and I’m a writer, a teacher, and a classical musician. I love all things science fiction and fantasy. My most recent book, Saints and Curses, is a collection of my fantasy short stories. It has both light and dark stories–think snake cults, vampire cats, and Christmas elves. My first book, Sapience, is a collection of my science fiction short stories. Many of the stories are set on a colony on Jupiter’s moon Europa. I choose that setting because according to NASA scientists, Europa is one of the places we are most likely to find extraterrestrial life in our solar system!

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

I get story ideas from my life and the things around me. I taught sixth grade science for a while, and I got very enthusiastic about learning science, which inspired many of my science fiction short stories. I especially love learning about space. I’m also a super huge history nerd (I know an unreal amount about the history of Medieval/Renaissance England. Seriously, I could talk a lot about the Wars of the Roses if anyone would ever listen without me boring their pants off.) I think my love of history inspires my fantasy writing. I also try to be very curious. There’s usually something or someone interesting around if you pay attention.

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

No Comment! (For real, did my mother tell you to ask me this question?)

How do you pick your characters’ names?

I actually have a couple of baby name books floating around from when my husband and I were looking up names for our children. But mostly I just look for names that sound or feel right. Sometimes I’ll choose a name that has a symbolic or meaningful purpose. I choose the name “Chaya” for one of the characters in Sapience because it means “life” in Hebrew.

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

Write when the kids are asleep! Try to keep writing! Honestly, it’s hard when you work a fulltime job and have children. I just try to keep going, and I don’t beat myself up too much if I need a break sometimes.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

Hmmm, I’m going with Connie Willis, Neil Gaiman, Jane Austin, Katherine Addison, and Terry Pratchett, though I will say that this list is very flexible.

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

I’d like to meet someone who wrote an ancient work of literature, like Homer, Ovid, or maybe Euripedes. I just think it would be interesting to learn what it was like to be a writer in their time.

Were you a big reader as a child?
Yes, I read like crazy, both kids’ books and some writers/books I now know were pretty highly advanced. I read Slaughterhouse 5 and a lot of Graham Green, weirdly enough. I read anything I could get my hands on.

When did you start to write?

I wrote a few stories in high school, but didn’t really do much more until I started working as an English teacher. It was my first year teaching, and I was having an absolutely miserable time. I started writing reader’s theater plays for my students to read, because reading plays kept them engaged.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
Is there a book you wish you had written?

I don’t know about books, but I would certainly re-write the ending to “Game of Thrones” if I could. As for the question about books I wish I could have written, I don’t really think about writing like that. Sure, I wish I could be as rich and famous as J.K. Rowling, and I’m glad I had the chance to read Harry Potter. But I guess I just don’t see that story, or any story written by another author, as mine. It’s a bit like asking if I would want to live someone else’s life. That would mean giving up my life and what’s meaningful and wonderful about the life I have now.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

“There and Back Again.” Just kidding, maybe “Tales of a Non-Alcoholic Writer: My Life in Root Beer.” Or “I Swear I’m Not Crazy I Don’t Care What That Doctor Said.”

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

Gandalf! And I’d be terribly disappointed if he didn’t take me on an amazing adventure where we could brew our own cup of coffee from magic elvish beans.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a MG/YA fantasy novel about children who can turn into birds.

Tell us about your last release?

My last book, Saints and Curses, is a collection of fantasy short stories. Some of them are dark, sort of Edgar Allan Poe meets the grim aftermath of the Russian Revolution, while others are light and (I hope) funny. Think Christmas elves or magical coffee that takes you on a zany adventure!

Do you have a new release due?

My last book came out June 5, 2019, and I honestly have no idea when my next book will come out. It depends a great deal on my toddler’s nap schedule.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

Oh my goodness, are we supposed to celebrate on publication days? Is that something I didn’t know about? I just usually umm, quietly stare at the computer screen and hope the sales numbers move.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

You can find me via my website, https://www.lunarianpress.com/, my Twitter account (I’m @TheWiseSerpent), or my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/alexislantgenauthor/).

I’d also love to meet more people on Goodreads! https://www.goodreads.com/alexislantgen

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Check out my books on Amazon!

Saints and Curses: Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RQQKM9G

Amazon USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQQKM9G

Sapience: Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N74LCGH

Amazon USA https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N74LCGH

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

What kind of life will we find in the depths of Europa’s oceans? What kind of life will we allow an AI with human level intelligence? The ten stories in Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories explore these questions and many more.

In the near future, humanity builds a colony on Europa, one of the moons of Jupiter. They tunnel into the ice to explore the dark oceans beneath the moon’s surface, searching for signs of extraterrestrial life. What they find will change them forever, setting humanity on a path to the stars. But the old conflicts and hatreds of Earth are not so easily escaped. Will human colonists on distant planets and moons create a paradise or a horrifying dystopia?

happy reading 🙂

WOW! What a start to a new series!!

Those who know me well will know I’m a massive fan of LJ Ross and her DCI Ryan Mysteries. I was SO excited when I discovered there was going to be a new series featuring forensic psychologist Alexander Gregory and I couldn’t wait to read it. It will be released on 31^st October and you are in for a real treat!

A quiet town, with a close-knit community, in Ireland is shocked by the devastating death of a young mother. She has lost her life at the hands of another and it’s clear her murder has been planned and meticulously executed. This was no random act of violence.

Alexander Gregory’s help is requested as a profiler and although reluctant he decides to assist in any way he can. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to become involved in, but his expertise proves to be crucial in finding this killer.

Nothing could prepare me for that ending! SO clever!

I loved the characters in this book, some very complex. I loved learning more about Gregory. I loved the setting, the whole everyone knowing everyone’s business (or thinking they do) aspect of a small town. The disbelief that one of their own could be capable of such horrific crimes is very believable. There is such depth to the characters that LJ Ross writes so they very easily seem like real people to me. The plot and twists throughout the story are genius, but the characters really make it for me. Once again, I was instantly drawn in and invested in their stories.

This is another book which commanded my attention from the very first to the very last page and I will have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. I can’t wait for book 2!

A big thank you to LJ Ross for my review copy.

Pre-order now…..

happy reading 🙂

Happy Publication Day, Deirdre Palmer!

The Wife’s Revenge

Sometimes the lie is safer than the truth.
Fran made the biggest mistake of her life when she had an affair with Ben. Both families live in the village of Oakheart; their children are friends. Fran’s guilt shadows her days. But it’s no more than she deserves, or is it? At least she’s managed to protect her husband, Hector, from the harsh truth.
But for how long?
Tessa has left her troubles in the past and now has the perfect life. Ben might have his faults, but his life has not been easy. They need each other, and Tessa will do whatever it takes to eliminate any threats to her marriage.
Threats from women like Fran.
A cliff overlooks a disused chalk-pit. The locals call it High Heaven. It’s a place of secrets. And it’s where Oakheart newcomer Maria died. When Fran discovers a link between Maria and Ben, disturbing questions arise to which she has no way of knowing the answers.
Faced with an ultimatum from Tessa, time is running out for Fran. She’s scared, every minute of every day.
But where does the real danger lie?

Purchase Links

US – https://www.amazon.com/Wifes-Revenge-Deirdre-Palmer-ebook/dp/B07X3KJ523/
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wifes-Revenge-Deirdre-Palmer-ebook/dp/B07X3KJ523/

Author Bio –

I live in Brighton with my husband and a tabby cat called Chester. After a career in public sector admin, most recently at the University of Brighton, it was time to stop dreaming about being a writer and actually do something about it! Fast forward to the present, and now I’m both traditionally published and self-published, with five women’s fiction novels under my own name, and five ‘cosy’ reads, writing as Zara Thorne. I’ve also published a book of short stories, most of which were previously published in The People’s Friend magazine. ‘The Wife’s Revenge’ is my first foray into the psychological suspense genre.

Social Media Links –

http://deirdrepalmer.com/
https://www.facebook.com/deirdre.palmer.735
https://twitter.com/DLPalmer_Writer

happy reading 🙂

Anything For Love

Leah Jensen, Yorkshire lass born and bred, needs money and she’ll do anything – yes, anything – to get it. Her Grandad Thomas is in pain and the cost of an operation on his bad knee is way beyond the family’s means. Leah tries everything to earn the fee – but in the end, and like so many before her, she turns to the world’s oldest profession.
Madam Butterfly’s exclusive escort agency in London is a different world to where Leah comes from. In Whitby, the sea air is sweet, and legends of Dracula jostle with jet-mining and whaling history; it’s a place where dog lovers meet and tourists come to marvel at the views.
Leah may be out of her comfort zone, but one daring, brief encounter will bring many surprises in this memorable romantic comedy full of pithy Yorkshire humour.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anything-Love-Gracie-Bond-ebook/dp/B07XCQBGF1/
US – https://www.amazon.com/Anything-Love-Gracie-Bond-ebook/dp/B07XCQBGF1/

Author Bio –

Gracie Bond loves a good romantic comedy, either to read or to watch on Netflix. Her favourite go-to novel is (Pride and Prejudice)- and she’s always happy to watch ( Bridgett Jones) any time of the day. Among Gracie’s interests are Newfoundland dogs, horses, and handsome Yorkshire men. Her idea of fun would be to ride a spirited horse along a Northumberland beach, followed by a pack of her favourite dogs.
Gracie lives in Yorkshire with her partner John and she has close connections with Whitby, the setting for this novel.

Social Media Links –

https://www.facebook.com/graciebondauthor/
https://twitter.com/gracie_author
https://www.instagram.com/graciebondauthor22/

Follow, like and share the book love with these awesome book bloggers…..

happy reading 🙂

CHASE THE BUTTERFLIES

Monica James

“Victoria, will you marry me?”
Those words changed my life forever…just not in the way it would for most. I had it all until one fateful evening transformed my life in ways I never imagined.
Nine months later, I move to a sleepy little town, hoping to escape the demons of my past. As I attempt to claim back my life, Jude Montgomery enters my world, and things begin to change.
I thought running would appease the nightmares, but I soon discover my past won’t let go. Things are not what they seem, and I begin to question the world as I know it. Jude may hold the answers, but will my love for him blind me to the truth?
Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? In my case, yes, it does.
Will the truth set me free? Or will it imprison us both?
My name is Victoria Armstrong, and this is my story…I think.

“With heart and heat and a depth we adore for in our favorite reads, James has penned an absolutely stunning novel.” Christina Lauren, NYT and #1 International Bestselling Authors of Twice in a Blue Moon.

Check this out

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Beautiful!

Pre-Order your copy NOW!

Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/y6cz6ba6
Nook: https://tinyurl.com/y4y4wtzd
Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/y6hcmtc3
iBooks: https://tinyurl.com/y52pg948
Goodreads: https://tinyurl.com/y2fbwm2h

UK
Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/y4mfje2p
Australia
Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/y2o3pfxw
Canada
Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/yxdvu2ts

Bio

Monica James spent her youth devouring the works of Anne Rice, William Shakespeare, and Emily Dickinson.
When she is not writing, Monica is busy running her own business, but she always finds a balance between the two. She enjoys writing honest, heartfelt, and turbulent stories, hoping to leave an imprint on her readers. She draws her inspiration from life.
She is a bestselling author in the U.S.A., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, and the U.K.
Monica James resides in Melbourne, Australia, with her wonderful family, and menagerie of animals. She is slightly obsessed with cats, chucks, and lip gloss, and secretly wishes she was a ninja on the weekends.

Stalk Me

Facebook: facebook.com/authormonicajames
Twitter: twitter.com/monicajames81
Goodreads: goodreads.com/MonicaJames
Instagram: instagram.com/authormonicajames
Website: authormonicajames.com
Pinterest: .pinterest.com/monicajames81
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2E3eCIw
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2EWZSyS
Reader Group: http://bit.ly/2nUaRyi

I am absolutely honoured to be taking part in the cover reveal, and the blog tour, for When Stars Will Shine, which is an anthology put together to raise vital funds for Help For Heroes! I am married to a veteran, so this is a charity very close to my heart and, I’m sure, one which no-one will hesitate in supporting!

When Stars Will Shine is a collection of short stories from your favourite authors who have come together to deliver you a Christmas read with a twist.

With true war tales that will break your heart, gritty Christmas crimes that will shake you to your core, and heart warming tales of love lost and found, this anthology has something for everyone. And, with every penny made being sent to support our troops, you can rest assured that you’re helping our heroes, one page at a time.

From authors such as Louise Jensen, Graham Smith, Malcolm
Hollingdrake, Lucy Cameron, Val Portelli, and Alex Kane, you are in for one
heck of a ride!

Pre-order link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07Z9LPYHX/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=when+stars+will+shine&qid=1571477725&sr=8-5

A Note From Emma Mitchell:

As the blurb tells us, When Stars Will Shine is a multi-genre collection of Christmas themed short stories complied to raise money for our armed forces and every penny made from the sales of both the digital and paperback copies will be donated to the charity.

Working closely with Kate Noble at Noble Owl Proofreading and Amanda Ni Odhrain from Let’s Get Booked, I’ve been able to pick the best of the submissions to bring you a thrilling book which is perfect for dipping into at lunchtime or snuggling up with on a cold winter’s night. I have been completely blown away by the support we’ve received from the writing and blogging community, especially the authors who submitted stories and Shell Baker from Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, who has organised the cover reveal and blog tour.

When Stars Will Shine is available for
pre-order now and will be published on 9 December 2019.

There isn’t anyone in the country who hasn’t benefited from the sacrifices our troops, past and present, have made for us and they all deserve our thanks.

It has been an honour to work on these stories and to create this anthology and I hope you enjoy reading the stories as much as I have.

Are you ready to see this awesome cover?

Check this out!

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Stunning, or what?

It makes me feel quite emotional!

I can’t wait to read it and support the promotion of this collection in anyway I can.

If you haven’t already, click that pre-order link above!

Thanks in advance for your support!

Darkest Hour (Battle Ground #3)

Bex Ellman and Ketty Smith are fighting on opposite sides in a British civil war. Bex and her friends are in hiding, but when Ketty threatens her family, Bex learns that her safety is more fragile than she thought.
The Battle Ground series is set in a dystopian near-future UK, after Brexit and Scottish independence.

Purchase Link:

https://tallerbooks.com/battleground/ 

Author Bio –

Rachel Churcher was born between the last manned moon landing, and the first orbital Space Shuttle mission. She remembers watching the launch of STS-1, and falling in love with space flight, at the age of five. She fell in love with science fiction shortly after that, and in her teens she discovered dystopian fiction. In an effort to find out what she wanted to do with her life, she collected degrees and other qualifications in Geography, Science Fiction Studies, Architectural Technology, Childminding, and Writing for Radio.
She has worked as an editor on national and in-house magazines; as an IT trainer; and as a freelance writer and artist. She has renovated several properties, and has plenty of horror stories to tell about dangerous electrics and nightmare plumbers. She enjoys reading, travelling, stargazing, and eating good food with good friends – but nothing makes her as happy as writing fiction.
Her first published short story appeared in an anthology in 2014, and the Battle Ground series is her first long-form work. Rachel lives in East Anglia, in a house with a large library and a conservatory full of house plants. She would love to live on Mars, but only if she’s allowed to bring her books.

Social Media Links – 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rachel_Churcher 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelchurcherwriting/
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/RachelChurcherWriting
Blog: https://blog.tallerbooks.com

Follow, like and share the book love with these awesome book bloggers…..

happy reading 🙂

I am thrilled to be kicking off Jodi Gibson’s The Memories We Hide blog tour, with Love Books Tours!

Many thanks to Kelly @ Love Books Tours for arranging the following interview with Jodi Gibson…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
I’m an Australian author and I live in regional Australia on a mini-in-town-farm with my husband, daughters, dogs, cat, chickens and a horse. I enjoy writing across two genres – contemporary drama with a hint of romance, and more light-hearted rom-com. I like balancing out the drama of life with some fun! My debut novel was released in September 2019 and is a contemporary drama called The Memories We Hide.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?
I love this question because I truly believe that ideas are everywhere, you just need to be open to receiving them. I get my ideas from reading (books, newspapers, magazines, blogs), watching movies & TV, people watching, eavesdropping, and sometimes ideas even pop into my head through dreams! The key is to write the idea down as soon as possible to capture it, otherwise I find it disappears!

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
Not really. I think there’s sometimes some element of those you’ve been exposed to in the characters you write, but I would never base a character on someone I know!

How do you pick your characters’ names?
Naming characters is particularly hard sometimes, but usually I find their personality lends themselves to their name. Also googling baby names always helps!

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
The more I write, the more I am becoming a plotter. I do usually have an idea loosely plotted, but I like to let the first draft out without thinking too much about where it’s going, rather letting the characters and story dictate the direction. Second/third draft is where I tend to make sure I have some sort of plot going on and work from there. I usually write three drafts before sending it to my editor – then the fun, or should I say, hard work, really begins!

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
It’s always a hard question to answer as I read quite widely, and my answers could vary from day to day as to who is fresh in my mind, but if I had to I’d say who my go-to authors were they would be:
Liane Moriarty
Jane Green
Marian Keyes
Rachael Johns
JoJo Moyes

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?
Probably Marian Keyes. She seems so down to earth and fun. I’d ask her about her writing process and how she developed such a strong voice in her novels and how she writes such great characters.

Were you a big reader as a child?
I wasn’t a bookworm as such but I was always reading a book here and there. I loved The Famous Five, Dr. Seuss, Goosebumps and Choose Your Own Adventure books. Then in my tween and early teens I loved Sweet Valley High books.

When did you start to write?

I first began writing in around 2010 when I began writing a story that had been swirling around my head for years. While that story will probably never see the light of day, it did make me realise how much I loved writing and began my journey as an author.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
Is there a book you wish you had written?

I don’t think I would change the ending of a book. Maybe before I was an author but knowing how much hard work goes into writing a book and knowing that each writer has a vision for their story, I probably wouldn’t change an ending. But, I do wish I’d written Me Before You or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. To me those books are close to perfect.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
Finding Jodi. I think of life as a constant journey of discovering oneself.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Bridget Jones, but we’d skip the coffee and head out on the town for some drinks!

What are you working on right now?
I’m working on another contemporary drama as well as my debut rom-com series. I’m planning on 2020 being a big year of releases!

Tell us about your last release?

The Memories We Hide was my debut novel released September 2019. It’s the story of Laura Murphy who returns to her home-town ten years after the tragic death of her boyfriend Ryan Taylor. Upon her return, she finds herself unable to keep the memories she’s hidden for so long from resurfacing. She realises she must reconcile memory and truth and find out what happened the night Ryan died so she can move on with her life and possibly even open herself up to finding love.

Do you have a new release due?

2020 will see me release my second contemporary drama, as well as my rom-com series, but I haven’t got firm dates as of yet. I’ll keep you posted!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

My debut publication day was great fun. I was spoiled with so many well wishes, comments, tweets, shares and messages. My husband and girls showered me with hugs and love, and my best friend gave me a huge bunch of flowers. I spent that evening with a box of chocolates, a glass of champers and a few close friends and readers on my Facebook page live launch event.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

I can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @jfgibsonwriter, or on my website/blog http://www.jfgibson.com.au. I also have a monthly newsletter which can be signed up to on my website.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

Just that my books can be found on all online retailers such as Amazon, Kobo, GooglePlay, Apple Books, B&N and more! https://books2read.com/memorieswehide?

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

Blurb

Can you trust your memories?

Laura Murphy thought she could, but that was before she returned home.

When 27-year-old Laura returns to her home town ten years after the tragic death of her then-boyfriend, Ryan Taylor, she isn’t prepared for the nostalgia and memories that resurface. After discovering a newspaper clipping alluding to the fact that there may have been more to Ryan’s death than first thought, Laura is compelled find out what happened that fateful night.

Reconnecting with childhood friend Tom Gordon, she begins to unravel the blurred lines of truth and memory. But Tom holds a secret of his own. Not only is he facing losing his family farm, but what he knows could destroy any chance of a future with Laura.

Will Laura have the strength to confront her memories? Or will Tom’s secret be the key to unlocking the truth?

Dealing with the complexities of friendships, love, depression and the consequences of secrets and split-second decisions, The Memories We Hide is a compelling story exploring how memories can’t always be trusted but how they can set you free. 

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/2UP9Ira

happy reading 🙂

Welcome to my stop on William Knight’s XYZ blog tour, with Love Books Tours!

Many thanks to Kelly @ Love Books Tours for arranging the following interview with William Knight…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?
Rather like the character Jack Cooper in the book (XYZ) I am a middle-aged grumpy old bastard working in computers for a day job, struggling with the ridiculous pace of change and trying to keep up with the young’uns. Where I am unlike him, I also write Public Relations content for technology firms. Once upon a time, I was a freelance writer in the UK but that all changed when we came out to New Zealand in 2009 (that’s me and the family). That’s where I live now, in the coolest capital city in the world, Wellington.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?
XYZ is a departure from my first book (and the numerous unpublished manuscripts) in that it’s not a thriller. My first, The Donated, took its inspiration from science-gone-wrong in the pursuit of profit, where as XYZ is a sort-of reality-drama-cum-comedy-observational-family-breakdown-thing taken from my own experiences working in the computing industry.

Somebody once said that ideas are like a***holes (uk spelling), everybody’s got one. Lucky for me, and possibly unlucky for everybody else, I’ve had more than one or two ideas over the years and I do have an engineering/science bent to my overindulged grey matter.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?
I took a job with hip-young firm at the same time my daughter was entering nano-wri-mo and to support her I began recording my own hyperbolic observations. One thing led to another and Jack Cooper’s miseries were born (he’s the hero/anti-hero).

I cannot possibly comment on whether or who some of the other characters might be based upon, otherwise I’d probably be killed — or at least horribly maimed.

How do you pick your characters’ names?
Jack — Good, solid, generation X/Boomer kind of name – conservative and perhaps a bit grumpy.
Cooper — British, white, some obscure reference to beer and wine.

Other names I’ve chosen to represent popular generational names (such as Emily for Jack’s twenty-two year old daughter, and Freya for his younger lover). The generation gap is a theme all the way through and I tried to show that in the names as well as everything else.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?
OMG yes! I’m excited about this question because during the writing of XYZ I came across a new technique called, strangely, “The Pomodoro” — which is Italian for tomato.

In this technique you make a pact with yourself to focus utterly, totally, without question and without distraction, on writing for 25 minutes at a time. That means no internet research, no quick looking up of etymology, leaving Bryson’s mind the gaffe on the shelf, no coffee, no loo, no answering phones etc etc. You write.

After twenty five mins you get a five minute break to do all those other things, and then you get back into it for the next Pomodoro.

It’s amazing. I doubled my effective word rate per hour and found a voice for the main character that flowed from my mind like wine from a barrel. I’m very happy with this way of working, and I use it for all my content work now.

In case you’re wondering, it’s called pomodoro after those timers shaped like tomatoes.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?
Nick Hornby — he lived near me when I was a kid (I never met him) but I love his writing.
Ian McKewan – awesome characters and dialogue.
John Steinbeck – East of Eden is magnificent.
Ben Elton — I’ve just started getting back into him since a bit of a rest (twenty year rest).

Were you a big reader as a child?
Absolutely yes. I devoured books from Asterix the Gaul to James Herbert’s Rats and from The Time Machine to LOTR and Dickens (when I got a bit older).

When did you start to write?
Jan 27th, 1975, about 2.30 pm.

(LOL!!!)

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?
I’ve always wanted to know what happens after they clear all the Triffids from the Isle of Wight in John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids. He just left the next part of the book hanging. I mean, it’s post-apocalyptic, the world’s closed for business and they could have a fresh start from Shanklin Sands and Osbourne house. What was he and his publisher thinking?

I would have them slowly recolonise the UK mainland and face pirates and evolved triffids. They would attempt to establish a fair, socialist government, but be challenged by those that were determined to rebuild the old world order and use the triffids against them. Imagine legions of genetically modified and mutated triffids bearing down on the Dorset coast to blind the Islanders of their red vision.

Is there a book you wish you had written?
Err… Day of the Triffids?

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?
Love your partner, love your kids, drink wine.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?
Zaphod Beeblebrox, and I hope he would take me to the restaurant at the end of the universe.

What are you working on right now?
Back to the day job at the moment. Though I have started to make notes for a kind-of sequel to XYZ about a man and his dog that have more in common with each other than either the dogs or the people around them. I think it might be called “Neither in nor out” — (seeing that written down for the first time it sounds as dull as an old bell — the name will have to change.)

Do you have a new release due?
It’s already available for the Christmas rush! Go buy!

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?
I sit in terror and wonder what on earth have I done. Holy f**k, now I have to start the marketing!

How can readers keep in touch with you?
Facebook or twitter or via my website
…https://www.facebook.com/WilliamKnightAuthor
http://www.williamknight.info
@_william_knight

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, William! I have throughly enjoyed this interview 🙂

Blurb

From a former Guardian and BBC writer, and author of The Donated, comes a hilarious story of mid-life crisis, family, technology, and coping with the modern workplace.

Jack Cooper is a depressed, analogue throwback; a cynical, alcoholic Gen-Xer whose glory days are behind him. He’s unemployed, his marriage has broken down, he’s addicted to internet hook-ups, and is deeply ashamed of his son Geronimo, who lives life dressed as a bear.

When Jack’s daughter engineers a job for him at totally-lit tech firm Sweet, he’s confronted by a Millennial and Zoomer culture he can’t relate to. He loathes every detail – every IM, gif and emoji – apart from Freya, twenty years his junior and addicted to broadcasting her life on social media.

Can Jack evolve to fit in at Sweet, or will he remain a dinosaur stuck in the 1980s? And will he halt his slide into loneliness and repair his family relationships?

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/2ZWuO7O

happy reading 🙂

Author Info

William Knight has written for the Guardian, the Financial Times and the BBC, among many other publishers. He is a journalist and technologist currently living and working in Wellington, New Zealand.

A graduate engineer, he’s chased a varying career starting in acting, progressing to music, enjoyed a brief flirtation with handbag design, and was eventually wired into technology in 1989.

By 2003 his non-fiction was being regularly published in Computing newspaper in the UK, and he has since written about the many successes and failings of high-technology

The Donated (formerly, Generation), his first novel, was conceived from a New Scientist article in 2001 and was ten years in development. Subsequent novels, XYZ, Foretold, The Fractured, will be available, he says, “Sometime in the future. Hopefully not as long as ten years.”

Welcome to my stop on Clio Gray’s Archimimus blog tour, with Love Books Tours!

Blurb

The stunning new historical thriller from Clio Gray, the acclaimed author of the Scottish Mysteries series.

Lukitt Bachmann is waiting in his Lanterne de Mortes, a Tower of the Dead, in the middle of a cemetery.

He’s had a complicated life: son of a Herrnhuter Brother thrown out of his sect; help-meet to a pastor; sailor; fisherman; boar-hunter; and student and lecturer, exploring the varied histories of the Knights Teutonic and the bone-chapels their descendants left behind them.

He has become an assassin and a murderer, learned the terrible highs and lows of friendships made and lost, and is awaiting now his last remaining friend to set him free so he can put right past wrongs.

As Lukitt is let loose on a world gone mad, can this avenging angel finally find solace for his soul?

Buy Link 

https://amzn.to/2LKLhHk

happy reading 🙂

Author Info 

Clio was born in Yorkshire, spent her later childhood in Devon before returning to Yorkshire to go to university. For the last twenty-five years she has lived in the Scottish Highlands where she intends to remain. She eschewed the usual route of marriage, mortgage, children, and instead spent her working life in libraries, filling her home with books and sharing that home with dogs. She began writing for personal amusement in the late nineties, then began entering short story competitions, getting shortlisted and then winning, which led directly to a publication deal with Headline. Her book, The Anatomist’s Dream, was nominated for the Man Booker 2015 and longlisted for the Bailey’s Prize in 2016.