She Receives the Night Short story collections are often used to display a writer’s range of skills – whether in dialogue and description, or in their ability to handle a variety of different writing styles and genres. On the other hand, such collections can equally present a handful of the crap at the bottom of…
Category: Writing
‘The Butcher’s Bill’ by Martin Roy Hill
The Butcher’s Bill (The Linus Schag, NCIS, Thrillers Book 2) When a severed head and a bloody message are left at a security company, NCIS agent Linus Schag finds himself hunting down his closest friend, Bill Butcher. Linking the murder to a missing hoard of cash, Schag can’t believe his former colleague is responsible, but…
‘The Sweet Oil of Vitriol’ by Daniel Eagleton
The Sweet Oil of Vitriol: A Tom Glaze Hit Mossad agent Thomas lands in hospital after his first hit goes badly wrong. Left without a job, he’s offered another opportunity when his former handler asks him to assassinate the head of the African Union. However, in order to make it look like an accident, Thomas…
Creating Inspiration – Where to Start
Embarking on the task of writing a new book is always a thrill, but that thrill doesn’t start for me until I have the title, because until then, I don’t have a clue where to start. I little while ago, I wrote about coming up with the idea for a series of books in the…
‘Now and Then in Tuscany’ by Angela Petch
Now and Then in Tuscany: Italian Journeys A sequel to the author’s first novel, ‘Tuscan Roots’, this volume follows the journey of Giuseppe Starnucci, in the early part of the last century, as he exchanges an unhappy life at a seminary for one travelling with shepherds, herding sheep to new grazing lands near the Tuscan…
‘Weird: A Henry Ian Darling Oddity’ by Julie Elizabeth Powell
Weird: A Henry Ian Darling Oddity This is the first in a series of stories concerning the title character – Henry Ian Darling – and his adventures. The words ‘quirky’ and imaginative’ sprang to mind as I devoured this witty and distinctive tale. Having said that, when I reached the end, I wasn’t entirely sure…
How to Turn (Another) Idea into a Novel…
A little while ago, I wrote about the inspiration behind my last book ‘Death on a Dirty Afternoon’ which came out in November. With three other books currently germinating away (ie being written), I hadn’t intended embarking on another one just yet, however… A few weeks back, author and blog queen Vicki Turner asked if…
Holiday Heartwarmers: An Anthology of Short Stories
Holiday Heartwarmers: An Anthology of Short Stories Festive-themed collection of fifteen short stories penned by writers from around the world. There’s a nice variety of tales here, including not-quite traditional family get-togethers, some interesting takes on Christmas and its meaning and a few stand-out tales from some very talented authors. I particularly enjoyed the strange…
‘Creed’ by James Herbert
Creed When freelance photographer Joe Creed sets out to capture a series of photos at the funeral of a famous actress, he gets the chance to take a few snaps of a strange old man at the graveside. But developing the pictures leads him into a mystery – one he can’t easily explain. Learning the…
Author Interview – John Ukah
John Ukah is a Nigerian author whose career has taken him into the world of banking and finance. However, his first novel, ‘Murder at Midnight’, is a far cry from his everyday life. Q. Coming from a background in banking, how did you get interested in writing crime novels? A. The books I grew up…
Colin Garrow 