Tag: Arts

Daily Ponder: Book spotting on the Train

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Kindle

Kindle (Photo credit: Simply Bike)

In just a few hours I’ll be heading up to London for the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) hosted panel discussion “Is crime the new literary fiction?” that’s being held at Kings Place.

One of the things I always like to do on the train ride to London and back (and on the tube) is to check out the books my fellow travelers are reading. Are they crime thrillers, romance, science fiction, fantasy, historical or something else? And, more importantly, have I read them, and do they look like the type of thing I’d like to read.

I’ve even had quite a few bookish conversations with fellow commuters, and got some excellent recommendations from them. But, it’s not quite as easy as it used to be. That’s because of eReaders. I just can’t (or not as secretly) take a sneaky peep at the cover of the book being read. Although, that said, if I’m standing on the train, and someone sitting nearby is reading on an eReader (especially if the font size is set to large) it is possible.

But, not to be deterred (and, of course, being of a rather nosy disposition!) I’ll be book spotting on the train as I travel.

I wonder what crime thriller books I’ll glimpse today …

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Book Review: Love is Murder – Thriller 3 edited by Sandra Brown

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Love is Murder book cover

Love is Murder book cover

I don’t often read short stories, but this book is a little different.

The dust jacket promises:

“Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today … Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, woman (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers – these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.”

And it doesn’t disappoint.

But be warned, this is romance with a deadly twist! From Lee Child’s ‘I Heard a Romantic Story’ – an explosive tale of tough choices in the face to duty – to Roxanne St Claire’s ‘Diamond Drop’ – following Donovan Rush on a diamond pick-up with a sexy twist – and Patricia Rosemoor’s ‘Hot Note’ – a glimpse into Detective Shelley Caldwell’s romantic life as well as working a case – there’s something for romantics and crime fiction enthusiasts alike.

What’s especially great about this collection is the bite-sized nature of the stories – you can devour a whole story in your lunch break, a short train ride, in the bath, or whenever you’re able to grab a few stolen moments to read. Although, if you’re going to carry the hardcover book around with you, be warned, it’s pretty big and heavy!

Highly recommended.

Competition Alert: CWA Debut Dagger has opened!

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Entries have opened for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger competition. Budding crime writers can enter the competition from now until the closing date of 2nd February 2013.

The competition offers a prize of £700 and all shortlisted entrants receive a professional assessment of their entries.

The shortlist will be announced at CRIMEFEST in May, and the winner announced at the glitzy CWA Awards Ceremony in July 2013.

To enter you’ll need a 500 – 1000 word synopsis and the first 3000 words (or fewer) of your novel, plus you’ll need to complete the entry form, pay the entry fee and ensure you’re abiding by the competition rules.

To find out more about the competition and how to enter, head over to http://www.thecwa.co.uk/daggers/debut/index.html

While you’re there, you can also sign up for regular competition updates, and check out the wealth of writing hints and tips.

So what are you waiting for?

My Reading List

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Piles of books

Piles of books (Photo credit: ollily)

So many crime fiction books, not enough time!

I’ve always been a real hoarder of books, but recently my ‘To Read’ pile seems to have grown far more than usual.

On my list at the moment I’ve got:

  • BAPTISM by Max Kinnings
  • Heart-Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne
  • Snakes & Ladders by Sean Slater
  • Dark Eyes by William Richter
  • Sleep Walkers by Tom Grieves
  • The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
  • 11.22.63 by Stephen King
  • A Wanted Man by Lee Child
  • Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz

And with the darker nights drawing in, it’s the perfect time to curl up by the fire and read my way through them.

What’s on your ‘to read’ list at the moment?

Daily Ponder: Remembering … Columbo

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English: Peter Falk as "Columbo".

English: Peter Falk as “Columbo”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday I got one of those emails from Amazon telling me about the great deals they’re doing on TV box sets.

Now I have to admit, I watch a lot of box sets, well, box sets and films.  That’s because I don’t watch programmed TV.  In fact, the TV isn’t connected to an aerial at all.  So if I watch a programme it’s on box set, and I’ve bought that box set on a trusted recommendation.

Anyway, the Amazon email was about retro crime series, and the first on the list was the full box set of Columbo (played by Peter Falk).

Wow, that took me back.  I used to love watching Columbo re-runs when I was a kid.  It was out-dated even then, but there was something about the seemingly bumbling, but oh-so-sharp detective that always had me hooked.

With his unassuming manner, he was rather like a less smug version of Poirot.  And his characteristic, ‘one last thing,’ style has inspired many a more recent character.  To name one, I personally think there are quite a few similarities between Columbo and Patrick Jane in The Mentalist.

And, of course, Columbo was a pioneer of the Detective-in-a-Mac look – a personal favourite of mine!

So maybe I might just order that box set.

Have you been inspired to write by any TV characters?

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Writing Prompts: “A Great Place for Murder”

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English: The Old Land Port

English: The Old Land Port (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The other week, along with several of my writing friends from The Nomad Novelist Writers Group, I joined a walking tour of Dickens’ Portsmouth.  It was a fabulous tour, fill of great little insights into the life and world of Dickens.  But the thing I got most from the tour was the opportunity to have a good look around Portsmouth’s nooks and crannies.

A fellow writer had set his recently completed dark thriller in the city.  I was a beta reader of his first draft, and as we walked he gleefully pointed out all the locations that had featured in the novel.

As we neared the end of the tour we came across the Landport Gate. At this point I turned and said, ‘Wow, wouldn’t this make a great place for a murder.’  He agreed.  And as we were discussing how it might happen, we noticed the other people on the tour (non writers) quickly moving away from us.

Perhaps we should have explained we were plotting for a book!

What places have inspired your writing?

 

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Writing Prompts: Stalker-ish Lyrics

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English: Nancy Wilson of the American rock ban...

English: Nancy Wilson of the American rock band Heart (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As I drove home from work yesterday, the song ‘Alone Again’ sung by Alyssa Reid featuring P. Reign came on the radio.

I loved the rockalicious version by Heart in 1987. I was in my early teens, and that song was the perfect accompaniment for all my teenage angst!

But last night, as I sang along (don’t tell anyone!), I realised just how stalker-ish those lyrics can sound.

To me, as a budding crime thriller writer, the line:  How will I get you Alone? sounds like a fantastic prompt for a whole lot of story.  How there’s an idea …

What lyrics inspire you to write?

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