Like many writers, I’m a big fan of Stephen King, and have taken on board most of his advice about storytelling, character development and the routine of writing. However, his suggestion that ‘Stopping a piece of writing just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea,’ doesn’t always work for me. Having…
Category: Books
Best Reads of 2024
A little while ago, I shared some of my all-time favourite murder mysteries on Shepherd, while at the same time promoting one of my own books. The service is free for authors, so it’s worth giving it a go. You can see my page here: The best murder mysteries featuring unusual amateur sleuths. This time…
A New Way to Find Great Books Online
A little while ago, Ben Fox of Shepherd got in touch with me, asking if I’d be interested in recommending some of my favourite reads, while at the same time promoting one of my own books. The service is free for authors, so I gave it a go. Last week my page on Shepherd was…
Book Titles vs Synopses
As a reader, I’ve never liked knowing what’s going to happen in a book before it happens. Those troubled individuals who have to read the last page before reading the rest make my head spin. With writing, it’s exactly the same. Way back in the summer of 2013, when I began to write novels seriously,…
Book Reviews and the Coming of Wisdom
Having always been an avid reader, it wasn’t until I started publishing my own books that I realised the importance of having them reviewed on sites like Amazon and Smashwords. When I started writing reviews of the books I read, the early ones were either books I’d wanted to read for a while, or those…
Heroes and Collectives
How many central characters should a novel have? One or two? Three? Or… Most novels have a hero or heroine, or in some cases, a pair of heroes or heroines. In creating what I hoped would be a new thriller series, I realised I’d gone a bit overboard in character-creation mode and for a while,…
‘The Storms of Padstow’ by Joy Mutter
My Review (5 stars out of 5) This is the second book in the Nuru and his Crows series, another dark erotic thriller steeped in magical realism. Model Eloise Le Brun falls foul of African fortune teller Nuru and his two pet crows. As the magician’s weird spells start to work, Eloise finds her life…
‘And Brother it’s Starting to Rain’ by Jake Needham
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Now retired from Singapore CID, Sam Tay has time on his hands. When John August comes calling asking a favour, Sam isn’t sure what to make of it. August needs help tracking down a woman involved in a murder plot – a plot to kill John August. Knowing…
‘Postmortem’ by Patricia Cornwell
My Review (5 stars out of 5) Richmond, Virginia. A serial killer has murdered three women in their own bedrooms. With no obvious connection between the victims, the police are baffled. Chief Medical Officer Dr Kay Scarpetta is called in when a fourth body is discovered. With few clues and lots of unanswered questions, Scarpetta…
‘The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories’ by Johnny Mains
My Review (3 stars out of 5) The series known as the Pan Book of Horror Stories ran for 30 volumes between 1959 and 1989. In this latest version, editor Johnny Mains has collected a host of new stories along with several from the original series. As a teenager, this series was one of…
Colin Garrow 