EXCITING RELEASES OF TOP NOTCH CRIME...

Richard Godwin's critically acclaimed, APOSTLE RISING is now available as an ebook, at the ridiculous price of £2.05. It's a (very) dark, psycho-logical, police procedural-cum-horror novel, that resonates after each reading session.  In this ebook you also get an excerpt from MR GLAMOUR and four noir stories.

Prolific north-eastern author, Julie Morrigan has a new crime 'twin-pack' due out on September 7th called WIRED, featuring two shorts, Barbed Wire and Razor Wire. To get tasters from each story go here.

Hull's finest crime writer, Nick Quantrill has a novella, BANG, BANG YOU'RE DEAD, coming out on September 17th via Byker Books. For a nosey at the first chapter click here.

People may know Steven Miscandlon for his cool book cover designs, but the man can write too. Check out INTO THE SHADOWS for ten dark short stories.

As is my wont, I'm currently reading the novels of two gents I was honoured to meet and hang out with at Harrogate.  Both have gripped me by the throat and not let go (not the authors, the novels!).  For just over a quid apiece (WTF?), Michael Malone's, BLOOD TEARS and Howard Linskey's, THE DROP introduce exciting new lead characters with strong potential for longevity.

In other news, I was relieved that that Scouse bloke, Luca Veste accepted my short story, EYES WIDE SHUT for the forthcoming OFF THE RECORD 2, as I knew the standard was high after reading the first, OFF THE RECORD.  But this time the theme is film titles as opposed to song titles.  And, again, it's for charities helping kids to read both sides of the big pond. What could be better, eh?  If you've not already, you can buy the first edition here for .77p - talk about value! ;-)


Laters,
Col

A HAT TRICK OF GOOD 'CRIME' NEWS!

GOAL 1: My good bud, David Barber's taken his long-awaited plunge into the eBook world with his hard-hitting collection of short stories, FROM A CROWDED MIND Vol. 1 (what a crackin' cover too!).  It includes some of Dave's best online shorts with several new ones.  I've read it and it's a beaut.  Back of the net!

Grab a copy on Amazon UK or Amazon.com.


   GOAL 2: It's cool to see that Nick Quantrill's second novel, THE LATE GREATS, is being very well received. His first, BROKEN DREAMS, is a cracking noir look at Hull through the eyes of P.I. Joe Geraghty.  In this latest jaunt, when Geraghty goes searching for the lead singer of a reformed band, the shit hits the fan big time.  In off the bar!



GOAL 3: I got an email the other day from Maxim Jakubowski, the editor behind THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME series.  I was was honoured to be in Volume 9 last year alongside some stellar names.  For Volume 10, Maxim would like to use my short story, FISTS OF DESTINY, from my eBook MANCHESTER 6.  To say, I'm well chuffed is an understatement. Get in! ;-)

Laters,
Col

Mammoth Book of Best British Crime Stories, vol. 9 ... I'm in!

Just had an email from Maxim Jabowski, the editor of the 'Mammoth' series. My short story MOPPING UP (as in, the streets) won an online comp', 18 months ago, to be included in 'Even More Tonto Short Stories'. Well, it's now been accepted for next year's 'Mammoth Book of Best British Crime Stories, vol. 9'. So, cheers, Maxim!

To say I'm humbled and honoured is an understatement. I know this year's volume included a few of my writing friends, alongside the likes of Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin.

As I sit here drinking my celebratory cider (proper Manc!), I've just discovered that I'll be proudly sharing the pages with my writing buddies, Nick Quantrill and Ian Ayris! Well done chaps.

Thanks also, to Tonto Books head honcho, Stuart Wheatman, for originally publishing 'Mopping Up'.

Well chuffed.
Col

Hooking up, with a trio of writer buds...

Recently I took a hard-earned break and headed up to Scotland to spend some time with my long-time writing bud, David Barber. It was great to finally see where Dave and his lovely family lived, and to take in the stunning scenery up in 'the heart of Scotland'. The snapshot (top left) was taken a stone's throw from Dave's home. And, despite Dave positioning himself, on that rock, to look taller than I, we all know the truth. The cool dude at the front is my lad. It seemed fitting to celebrate the finishing of my crime novel and the good news on the agent front, with my old school pal. We had a damn good laugh, 'chewed the fat' about writing, and I sampled not only a few bottles of a dark Scottish ale, but also Dave's age-old whisky. Needless to say, I can't recall much else of my trip!However, one place I couldn't forget was Loch Lubnaig, where Dave says he beat me at skimming stones. Funny how every time I did a 'sixer' or 'niner' he seemed to be looking away, so it didn't count. Dave 'n' Lisa took us all over the place during our short stay... to several lochs, water falls, castles, a wildlife park, and Rob Roy's grave, to name a few. And our kids got on just great. One thing's for sure: we'll be back again next year.
On our return I couldn't possibly miss out on hooking up with a man who's been not only a great mate, but also an inspiration to me, and many other aspiring writers... thriller author, Matt Hilton. We met in Carlisle and, as a thank you for all his support, I bought him 'dinner'. We celebrated my recent good news in true northern style... with a cappuccino at McDonalds! (The champagne's on ice - just hope it dunt melt).
Then we were off again, eastwards, to a family wedding in Lincoln, which was thoroughly enjoyable. However, since the kids wanted to see The Humber Bridge, and I wanted to meet up with another writing bud, we took the scenic route home, and headed for Hull... Nick Quantrill territory...
Hands up if you've ever played football on the shores of the The Humber with a crime novelist... Yep, Nick, me lad 'n' I did just that, as we had a good old chinwag about this writing lark and the (mis)fortunes of our respective footy teams: Hull and Manchester City. At 1.4 miles long, the Humber Bridge is mightily impressive, akin to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. But I think that's where the similarities with Hull end! Nuff said.

It was great to see Dave, Matt 'n' Nick, three better lads you couldn't wish to meet.

Ps. 'Stuff' is happening re' the novel, but I'm frankly too scared to tempt fate. It's somewhat surreal, as I'm at the 'wondering' stage in a kind of torturous limbo...

An interview with debut crime novelist, Nick Quantrill...

Nick Quantrill's debut novel, Broken Dreams, is released by Caffeine Nights this week and I had the pleasure of meeting up with Nick at the Trafford Centre in Manchester recently where we chatted about crime fiction, our aspirations, Nick's road to publication and, of course, football! (I can hear the sarcastic comments already about my Caribbean blue jumper... and don't worry, am not squeezing Nick's hand too tight - that's the normal expression of a hardened Hull City fan!).

So tell me about this unassuming bloke, Nick Quantrill from Hull. How did you become a crime writer?

I think I became a crime writer first and foremost as a consequence of a being a big reader. As I child, I loved mystery stories and read anything I could get my hands on. As an adult, I worked my way through Steinbeck and Hemingway before moving onto more contemporary stuff like Roddy Doyle and Irvine Welsh, but the love of mystery had got under my skin. I was also reading the likes of Ian Rankin and Elmore Leonard and I could see links and overlaps between all these different writers, and joining the dots lit a path for me to follow.

Many people probably haven't heard of Hull, so please enlighten us and why did choose it as a setting for your novel?
Hull’s an isolated sea port out on the east coast of England. The reason people probably don’t know the city too well is that it’s not the kind of place you pass through by accident, or on your way to somewhere else. You need a reason to visit. What strikes me in terms of it being different to other cities is the curious inward looking mentality of the place. Sometimes it can be a strength, like during the floods of 2007 when the city looked after its own, but sometimes it breeds an air of cynicism and wariness of new ideas which really drags the place down. Why write about Hull? Because it’s home.

Tell us about your previous successes, be it short stories, articles and the progression up to writing Broken Dreams.
So why a PI and not, say a procedural or a straight crime novel?

Before writing novels, I tried a few different things. I started out by writing reviews of CD's, restaurants, anything I fancied, for a local website. Once I made the decision to write fiction, there was no looking back. My first short-story, ‘Punishment’, won the Harper Collins Crime Tour competition back in 2006, which really was the definition of beginner’s luck! After writing a fair few more shorts, I had a crack at a novel, ‘Black and White’, and although it had some elements I liked, it turned out to be more a vehicle for learning how to actually write a novel, rather than something I seriously thought I might get published. I’ve messed around with a few different characters, police, PI, assorted low-life, but nothing felt completely right until Joe came along. I wrote a proto-type PI story and the reaction to it was far, far better than it had been for the others, so I knew I was out onto something. Without the nagging doubt of trying to get police procedure right, I was able to get under Joe’s skin a bit more easily than with some of the other characters I’d created.

How did the acceptance from Caffeine Nights come about and did you try other publishers or agents first? And how did it feel to see your name on front of your own novel?

I’ve always posted short-stories on my website http://www.hullcrimefiction/ and had pages on MySpace and Facebook, so I was networking from day one. The pay-off was that when I was ready to punt ‘Broken Dreams’ about, I had a good feeling of what was out there. I had a wish-list of independent publishers I liked the look of and I was very fortunate to agree a deal with one of them. It’s taken about a year to get from signing the contract to publication, and there’s been some great moments along the way, but seeing the cover and holding the final product in my hands – brilliant.

Give us a quick Bio of Joe Geraghty.

Joe’s a former rugby league player, turned PI, once he learns the hard way that he has an aptitude for the work. He works in the Old Town of Hull in a small office with his colleagues, Don and Sarah Ridley, who are father and daughter. When Joe’s wife died in a house fire, it was Don who took him under his wing, and with Sarah’s help, he started to put his life back together. Joe’s an ordinary man trying to do a difficult job. He’s nothing special, he’s not hard, he’s just trying to make a living the best way he can.

Give us a quick blurb of Broken Dreams.

How about the blurb from the back of the book? I’ve also started to think, rightly or wrongly, that’s it’s the story of a neglected city’s past, present and possibly its future:

‘Joe Geraghty, Private Investigator, is used to struggling from one case to the next, barely making the rent on his small office in the Old Town of Hull. Invited by a local businessman to investigate a member of his staff’s absenteeism, it’s the kind of surveillance work that Geraghty and his small team have performed countless times. When Jennifer Murdoch is found bleeding to death in her bed, Geraghty quickly finds himself trapped in the middle of a police investigation which stretches back to the days when the city had a thriving fishing industry. As the woman’s tangled private life begins to unravel, the trail leads Geraghty to local gangster-turned-respectable businessman, Frank Salford, a man with a significant stake in the city’s regeneration plans. Still haunted by the death of his wife in a house fire, it seems the people with the answers Geraghty wants are the police and Salford, both of whom want his co-operation for their own ends. With everything at stake, some would go to any length to get what they want, Geraghty included.’

Any tips for aspiring crime writers?

I have two tips, neither hugely original, which probably means they have some value. Firstly, reading is a necessity. I love crime fiction and I’m as likely to pick up a Lee Child novel as I am the latest from, say, George Pelecanos. The trick is not only to read for pleasure, but to work out what you like and what you don’t like about a particular author’s style. The other tip is to not hide your work away. Now’s a great time to putting stories out on the Internet and beyond. There’s great websites like http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/, http://a-twist-of-noir.blogspot.com/ and http://bykerbooks.co.uk/default.aspx, to name but three, and they’re all hugely supportive of new and emerging writers. It’s a great way to learn.

Do you think Hull City will stay up!!?

You’re asking me this on the back of a massive thumping at the hands of Everton! It’s always going to be tough for a small club like us to compete with the biggest clubs in the world, but I think we’re making a decent fist of it, despite what the detractors may say. I’d be gutted if we were relegated at the end of the season, but ultimately it doesn’t matter too much. I’ve been a pass-holder for a number of years, and like most sports fans, Saturdays are about the excitement of the game, catching up with friends and having a laugh. The opposition is secondary. What I’ve learnt over the last couple of years is that it doesn’t matter whether it’s Everton or Exeter who thump you 5-1, it still hurts the same. Will we stay up? I think we will. Just. But don’t quote me on that.

So what's next for Nick Quantrill?

The main aim is to get a decent draft of Joe’s next story, ‘The Late Greats’, in my hands over the summer. It’s coming on nicely, but there’s still work to do. I’m starting to think about the book after that and have a couple of things in mind, so I’m fairly happy with what I’ve got in the pipeline. I’ve also had some interesting offers come my way, so it’s just a case of working out what there’s time to do. I’ll also be doing my best to promote ‘Broken Dream’. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage and I don’t want it to stop just yet.

Thanks for the interview, Nick, and good luck with Broken Dreams. Let's hope it's the start of something big for you.

Check out Nick's cool website here and order Broken Dreams here.

I'll be reviewing Broken Dreams in the not too distant future on this blog.

Ps. Hull have sadly parted company with manager, Phil Brown (pictured)... but, hey, at least Nick's got his novel out!!!

NIck Quantrill's debut novel, BROKEN DREAMS, coming soon...

Just a quick heads up for lovers of the PI story - debut novelist and Hull's finest, Nick Quantrill, unleashes his protag', Joe Geraghty, on the world on March 20th.

Click the title of this post to learn more about what makes Nick tick...

And be sure to check back here on the publication date for an in depth interview with this exciting new talent on the crime author scene.

Three new novels for crime fiction fans...

Firstly one that was officially launched on October 22nd 2009 is my Thrillers, Killers 'n' Chillers co-editor, Matt Hilton's second in the Joe Hunter series entitled JUDGEMENT & WRATH. A crime thriller novel I'm half way through reading - and thoroughly enjoying - and is shaping up to be even better than the first, DEAD MEN'S DUST which, simply put, means it's a cracker!

Another one to look out for is talented northern crime novelist, Sheila Quigley's THE ROAD TO HELL - publisher Tonto Books - which is officially launched up in Newcastle on November 5th, so there should be fireworks (sorry). Sheila has a series of gritty novels featuring characters on THE SEAHILLS ESTATE.

And last but certainly not least, debut novelist, Nick Quantrill, over at Hull Crime Fiction, unleashes his Private Investigator, Joe Geraghty in BROKEN DREAMS to be published by Caffeine Nights late 2009.

Amendment/update from Nick: as the publisher is still awaiting confirmation of cataloguing/ordering for libraries & shops, plus the ongoing postal strikes (the proof copies are still in transit somewhere), the publishing date for BROKEN DREAMS will be March 2010.