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Thriller Writer Claire Stibbe

23/11/2015

Claire Stibbe

Today I am delighted to welcome an author of many talents - and several genres - to my Guest Blog. Claire Stibbe is originally from England but lived in Hong Kong for three years before eventually finding a second home in New Mexico, USA with her husband and son. Her genres include Historical Fiction, Action and Adventure, Psychological Thriller, Mystery and Suspense.

Claire's latest novel, a psychological thriller, 'The 9th Hour', has just been released by Crooked Cat Publishing and is available on Amazon as an eBook. and she is currently working on the second in the series, 'Night Eyes.' Claire has written two historical fiction novels, 'Chasing Pharaohs' and 'The Fowler's Snare', both set in ancient Egypt during the 18th Dynasty and several short stories for an anthology of fantasy and crime tales. The collection won Best Anthology of 2014 in the Independent Book Awards hosted by eFestival of Words.

Hi Claire,
Welcome to my Guest Blog. I know that this is a very exciting week for you; the first novel in the Detective Temeke Series, ‘The 9th Hour’, was released last Tuesday by Crooked Cat Publishing. Why don’t you start by telling us tell us a bit about ‘The 9th Hour’?

The first book takes place in Albuquerque, New Mexico where a nine-year-old African American girl has been abducted. Temeke, a detective working for violent crimes against children, is called out one early December morning to take over a case nobody wants. Why? Because former lead Detective Jack Reynolds was found dead under the bridge on Exit 230 to San Mateo. He had a gunshot wound to his head.

With a new partner, a new case and a new set of wheels, Temeke takes to the roads in search of a man who keeps the body parts of his eight young victims as trophies and has a worrying obsession with the number nine.

How did you research ideas for the novel? And did you enjoy that part of the process?

Researching ideas for The 9th Hour, the first in the Detective Temeke Series has been so much fun, especially driving around Albuquerque through all the areas Temeke & Malin would go.
With so many state parks here in New Mexico, the hiking trails are numerous and great places to soak up the mood and learn about the history of the southwest. Big blue skies, palisade cliffs and all kinds of fauna only add to each scene. With the help of detectives in the local police department, this has been crucial in piecing together the steps of a serial killer.

‘The 9th Hour’ is a very atmospheric and brooding thriller. What inspired the mood of the book?

Slate-grey skies, a sheet of rain one minute and the growl of thunder the next has provided the right mood for my book. I love the characters and the way they lead each chapter to who knows where. And yes, normally I have a structure, only this time it all went out of the window.

New Mexico National Forest

Why was that?

It’s David Temeke’s fault. His dry wit always goes for the jugular, rubbing the Duke City Police Department up the wrong way. Unit Commander Hackett is clearly suspicious of Temeke, an African/British ex-pat, and has reluctantly assigned him a new east coast transfer, Malin Santiago. It’s a high profile case where her Hispanic/Norwegian roots are a valuable asset to the team. Can’t say why. You’ll just have to read the book. Only, Temeke believes that Santiago lacks the necessary experience for such a case which is adding a considerable strain to their professional relationship. Not to mention her physical attraction to him which is about as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party.

You talk about your characters as if they were real people. Is that how they feel to you?

Oh, yes. I often sit in my favorite coffee shop and ask my characters questions. It’s amazing what they come up with. I wrote a scene for Santiago that would change Temeke’s view of her; maybe give him something to chew over. But being despicable Temeke, he wanted to leave things as they are. Unrequited love in the Northwest Area Command is much too much fun to watch. And Malin isn’t all smiles and teeth. There’s a certain metal in her psyche that gets stronger with every book. She might have started out as a pit-dweller, but she’s sure making up for it now.

It sounds a fabulous thriller, Claire! Thank you for taking the time to be my guest. I’ve really enjoyed talking to you.

‘The 9th Hour’ (November 201) Crooked Cat Publishing is available to buy as an eBook on Amazon here.

Claire is also the author of two Egyptian Fiction books, ‘Chasing Pharaohs’ and ‘ The Fowler’s Snare.’ For more information on Claire Stibbe, please visit:

http://www.cmtstibbe.com/
https://clairestibbe.wordpress.com/

Feel free to follow us on https://twitter.com/CMTStibbe and Facebook http://buff.ly/1NPgLIH

1 Comment

William Burton McCormick

25/8/2015

1 Comment

William burton mccormick

William Burton McCormick

I am delighted to welcome historical novelist, William Burton McCormick, to my Guest Blog. And I am also pleased to announce that he has sent me a link to a FREE short story, On Record, for my readers. (Scroll down to the end of this interview for the link.)

Originally from the U.S.A., Bill (as he prefers to be known) now lives in Latvia and writes historical fiction set in the Baltic States and Russia. He was elected a Hawthornden Fellow in 2013 and a member of Mystery Writers of America, the Crime Writers Association and International Thriller Writers. Three of his short stories have been finalists in the prestigious Derringer Award and he is, quite simply, one of my favourite writers.

'Lenin's Harem', is set in the small Baltic state of Latvia, It is an epic and enthralling novel of love and war, which sweeps the reader and the characters through the first three tumultuous decades of the nineteenth century. William Burton McCormick brilliantly recreates the tensions and horrors of war-torn Latvia as it struggles to assert its identity and gain its independence, while being ripped apart by successive invaders and treacherous politics. McCormick’s prose has a lyricism which fascinates the reader and wards off revulsion as he steers us through the gas-filled trenches of World War One...

For my full review of Lenin's Harem
follow this link

Hi Bill,
So how did you first get into this crazy world of novel writing?

I had been a natural storyteller since youth and in a previous life I was a video game producer, so the creative juices I guess were always in my nature though in very different forms. After I left video games, friends in the industry would still hire me to write dialogue scripts for sports games and even a gaming adaptation of the movie Scarface. Apparently, they felt, I had a naturalistic style that communicated a lot in little words. Well, I enjoyed writing these scripts and this lead me to toying with the idea of writing more fleshed-out fiction. Around this time I heard about the MA in Novel Writing Programme at the University of Manchester. I was living near Washington D.C. at the time but I made a bet with myself: If I could get in the programme, I would go. So I whipped up two chapters of a World War II thriller set in Latvia, and sent it in with my application. I was successful. That was probably my first big break. My second was when the editor at Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine accepted two of my stories in one year - and actually paid me for it! Well, then I was off and running as a professional fiction writer.

What attracted you to the genres of Crime Fiction and Historical Fiction?

I've been a gigantic fan of crime fiction since I read The Maltese Falcon, Hound of the Baskervilles and The Whitechapel Horrors back-to-back-to-back one summer when my then girlfriend marooned me at the beach. I got more than sunburn, though, I was inspired. I'm also a big Hitchcock fan and loved how he played with audience's expectations. I found I wanted to make stories that manipulated my audience in the same way.

However, when it came time to write that first novel, I quickly knew I wanted a historical setting. I've always loved history if told correctly. There are so many wonderful stories there. I was an Ancient Studies as an undergraduate mainly because it was an excuse to do two things: listen to great stories and imagine what it was like living in civilizations of the past.

So, it was pretty natural that my novel and most my stories have both a crime element and a historical element. Probably always will.

How easy –or hard - was it for you to find ideas for your more recent works?

Easy. It's too easy in fact. Since my time at the University of Manchester I've lived in Latvia, Estonia, Manchester (again), Russia, Ukraine and now a second stint in Latvia. For this American guy, living in these locales inspires stories daily. I've such a backlog I know I'll never get to write them all. But inspiration is not the problem, getting them all down and done is the challenge.

How do you ensure that the setting, characters and details in your novels are authentic and unique?

By living there. Going to the places I'm writing about. Wandering about and making notes of my reactions to these locales, cultures and people. If it’s a more serious work like my novel Lenin's Harem, then in addition to living in Russia and Latvia, I'll meet with historians, museum curators, sometimes even politicians and descendants of of survivors of the events I'm describing. When my draft of Lenin's Harem was finished, for example, I sent it to four historians and asked them to read it for historical accuracy. I was pleased that they none of them suggested anything more than trivial changes. But I had to get it right.

Of course, I don't do such things for every story. If the work is essentially a fantasy or adventure I can trust my own research alone. The history isn't the main focus. But with a work that is supposed to dramatize actual events like my novel, you have to be accurate. Too many people died to get it wrong.

What was the most surprising thing you learnt about the publishing industry after you had been part of it?

How hard it is to get published, and even more so, how hard it is to get paid.

What are your next writing projects?

I've nearly finished a murder mystery novella set in late 19th century Odessa that I think will be quite good. Writing it gave me an excuse to visit Odessa a couple of times and journey down into those unending catacombs. I've also working on another murder mystery novella set in modern Riga with a somewhat light cosy tone as a change of pace. The protagonists of both novellas have already appeared in stories in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine so I know there will be an audience.

Then in it's onto another historical novel, which features some of the characters from Lenin's Harem in World War II.

What is the most rewarding experience you have had in your writing career?

Lenin's Harem is set in Russia and Latvia (mainly the latter). Despite all my careful research, when I was writing it, I was very apprehensive of what ethnic Latvians would think of the book. I thought they'd catch culture mistakes I made and odd perspectives that I was bound to have as a foreigner, even one living in their country. To my surprise the book was embraced by the Latvian-American community, and then, when published in the native language, by European Latvians as well. I did a book signing in Riga and there were people in tears telling me stories of how their grandparents went through these events, that I depicted them so accurately, and that it meant so much that someone wanted to tell the world about what happened in their country. One Latvian man who had read the book couldn't believe it was written by a foreigner. He insisted it was ghost-written by a Latvian. It was quite an honour for me.

What is the best part of being a writer?

The inspiration. Waking up in the middle of the night with a story you know will be good, stumbling around to get a pen or turn on the laptop so you can write it down before it's gone. That's the part I love - the imagining of it. That first moment of inspiration, then assembling the puzzle in your mind. The rest is just work. Sometimes highly enjoyable work, sometimes absolutely tortuous work. But work nonetheless.

Have you any advice for newbie authors?

Understand that it’s a craft. That with practice you're writing will get better, the words will come faster, but be willing to throw away a lot of what you write, especially at the beginning. Learn to take criticism. Find a focus group to read your drafts. Find a good publisher you can trust, it will make everything easier.

And enjoy the journey.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, Bill. It was fascinating. Good-luck with your future projects!

You can read more about Bill and his fiction on his
Facebook Page

and follow him on

Twitter

To read
'On Record'
by
William Burton McCormick
click here

1 Comment

J. Sydney Jones

1/3/2013

1 Comment

J. SYDNEY JONES

J. Sydney Jones

Gentlemen are like buses. You don't get one for a year and then three come along all at once. This week I am delighted to welcome to my Guest Blog the third man in a row: the acclaimed crime-fiction author, J. Sydney Jones. It is really fitting that Syd should be my 'third man,' as his popular series of crime novels are also set in Vienna - just like the famous film: 'The Third Man.'

J. Sydney Jones is the author of over a dozen books of fiction and nonfiction, including four novels of the Viennese Mystery series, The Empty Mirror, Requiem in Vienna, The Silence, and The Keeper of Hands. He lived for many years in Vienna and has written several other books about the city, including the narrative history, Hitler in Vienna: 1907-1913, the popular walking guide, Vienna walks, and the thriller, Time of the Wolf. Syd has also lived and worked as a correspondent and freelance writer in Paris, Florence, Molyvos, and Donegal. He and his wife and son now live on the coast of Central California.

Hi, Syd. Thank you for being my guest. Perhaps I could start by asking what attracted you to the genre of Crime Fiction?

I've always loved both reading and writing thrillers and mysteries, and I have an abiding passion for history. I lived in Vienna for almost twenty years and have been researching the history of that city, especially the turn of the 20th century, for even longer. I had written several nonfiction books on Vienna, and I finally decided to put all of this together in the Viennese Mysteries series.

How easy –or hard - was it for you to find ideas for the second or third novels in your series?

My Vienna series has a hook that helps me to come up with story lines. Each of the books features one or more of the luminaries of Vienna 1900--and there is an ample supply of those folks in the arts, literature, sciences, music, politics, philosophy--you name it. These real-life characters force me to build my story with a close eye to the historical record. Thus, it is not so much a matter of coming up with new ideas for the series, as it is culling and refining the wealth of stuff available to me.

For the first in the series, The Empty Mirror, I have the painter Gustav Klimt accused of being a serial murderer, a tale that morphs into a thriller dealing with royal assassinations. The second in the series, Requiem in Vienna, finds my fictional private inquiries agent, Karl Werthen, and his sidekick, real-life father of criminology, Hanns Gross, hired to protect the composer Gustav Mahler from attacks on his life. Book three in the series, The Silence, features the ten-year-old future philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, the modernist architect, Otto Wagner, and the demagogic mayor of Vienna, Karl Lueger, in a tale of political chicanery and personal vendetta.

Your fourth book in the series, The Keeper of Hands, has just been released in the U.K. What can you tell us about this novel?

The Keeper of Hands was published in the U.K. by Severn House at the end of February 2013. It features literary Vienna (Arthur Schnitzler and others), a famous fictional madam, and the pacifist writer, Bertha von Suttner (who convinced Alfred Nobel to establish the prize named after him) all caught up in an espionage thriller.

Tell us a bit more about your sleuths: your fictional private inquiries agent, Karl Werthen, and his sidekick, real-life father of criminology, Hanns Gross.

My cast of regulars not only includes Werthen and Gross but also Werthen's very capable wife, Berthe. The books are set about a year apart, so that I can also use the back story of the domestic life of Werthen and Berthe as an anchor for the entire series. In essence, I have two story lines in each book--the mystery-thriller that forms the bass line, and the marriage and working lives of Werthen and Berthe.

How do you ensure that the setting, characters and details in your novels are authentic and unique?

I was fortunate to live in Vienna in a time when it was still Central Europe. In the late 1960s, Vienna still felt and showed the effects of WWII and harkened back to an even earlier time. I remember as a student waking in the pre-dawn to the clopping of hooves on cobbles as horse-powered wagons brought fresh milk into town. There was a rawness and a faded elegance to the city that I loved. Gone now, of course, in the modern Eurozone. But I have that breath from the past in me and use it with each of the novels in the Viennese Mysteries. There is also the research--I love that part of the process and I indulge myself with it for several months with each new instalment before getting into manuscript. I also spend hours and hours living in the photographs and the newspapers of the time. Not that long ago, doing such archival research would have necessitated a trip to Vienna, but so much of it is online now. And for accuracy, I also do beta testing of my manuscripts with a small and very discerning group of readers as familiar with and enamored of Vienna 1900 as I am.

What are your plans for the future?

I have a story arc for the Viennese Mysteries that takes my characters up to the first years of World War I. The series opener was set in 1898; I am currently working on book five, which is set in 1901. So I think I'll stay busy with this series for a number of years yet.
I also have several stand alone projects--thrillers set just after World War II and in the days before World War I, and one just after the reunification of Germany. Like I say, I love thrillers, mysteries, and history.

Wow! You have a lot of projects on the go at the same time, Syd (I love a man who can multi-task.) Good luck with the U.K. publication of the The Keeper of Hands - and thank you for being my guest. This was a fascinating interview and I now have book one in the series, uploaded onto my kindle.

Visit the J.Sydney Jones at his home page:

http://www.jsydneyjones.com/

or at his blog, Scene of the Crime:

http://jsydneyjones.wordpress.com/

The Keeper of Hands, due out in England on February 28, 2013, is available at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Keeper-Hands-Viennese-Mystery/dp/0727882694

or as of June 1, 2013 in the U.S. at:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Keeper-Hands-Viennese-Mystery/dp/0727882694

1 Comment

Keith Houghton

3/2/2013

4 Comments

KEITH HOUGHTON

Keith Houghton

This week I am delighted to welcome Keith Houghton as a guest onto my website. Keith is the successful author of the Gabe Quinn crime thriller series.

Thank you for joining us, Keith. Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I’m English. An Englishman. Made in England. I’d get it tattooed on my rump, but I’m scared of needles.

People on the Continent mistakenly think I’m Swedish or Dutch. Sometimes German. My passport says I’m British. A citizen of the UK. Some Americans hear my English accent and think I’m Scottish. Is it any wonder why I spend half my life wondering who the heck I am?

Some facts I am clear of: I’m middle-aged. Probably less years ahead than behind. I’m losing hair. What remains is slowly succumbing to the grey. That which is lost huddles in the plughole like a damp rodent. My joints ache. I broke a collarbone when I was 19 and it has a nasty habit of reminding me how silly it was to try and leap over a rubbish bin with more alcohol in my veins than haemoglobin. My eyesight is going. I keep looking for it, but it’s sneaky. My skin sags in places – namely anywhere I’m standing. And the smile lines around my eyes no longer think it’s funny.

Aside from that, I am a proud father, giggling Grandpa, weary master and lucky lover. Proud, because I have raised fantastic children who display all the attributes of being fine Human Beings – so I did something right somewhere. Giggling, because I am one of those silly ‘let’s play monster’ grandpas who love acting the fool with my beautiful granddaughters. Weary, because I run around like a demented fool on the tail of my beastly Cairn Terrier, Jake – the mutt with 666 tattooed behind his doggie ear. Lucky, because somehow I managed to attract (and keep) the most wonderful and wise woman a man could ever hope to have. I walk in her shadow – mostly because sunlight burns.

So how did you first get into this crazy world of novel writing? When did you first start writing fiction and how did you get your first break?

Right from an early age I wanted to be an author. I remember reading Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ series under the bed sheets by torchlight when I was an impressionable eight or nine year old. I loved the sense of adventure, of mystery and intrigue. Over the following years, I discovered science fiction and loved it so much that I started writing my own other-worldly stories when I was eleven. My first real break came with the success of my crime thriller “Killing Hope” – which broke into the Kindle Top 20 in the US and the Amazon UK Top 40 in January 2012.

What attracted you to the genre of Crime Fiction?

It has always been my intention to earn a living from my writing. My first literary love is science fiction. But it’s a small hotel with not many vacancies. In order to make a living, I had to change genres. I chose the thriller category simply because it’s a larger bank with more opportunities for breaking in. This meant writing in a style which was less flowery and more gritty – basically, adopting a more commercial voice. It was strange at first, since I’d never read any crime thrillers. The only commercially successful author I knew of was James Patterson. So I picked up his first book and set about learning the craft.

How easy –or hard - was it for you to find ideas for your second novel or second series?

When writing “Killing Hope” I always had in mind the essence of its follow-on novel “Crossing Lines”. I knew by introducing past scenarios for my main protagonist throughout the first book, I’d help set the stage for future stories. Even before finishing “Hope” I had the plot of “Lines” worked out – so it wasn’t too difficult to continue in the same vein. Coming up with book #3 is much more demanding. Both “Hope” and “Lines” have been a success. The third outing has to be just as good, if not better. And therein lies the challenge.

How do you ensure that the setting, characters and details in your novels are authentic and unique?

Once I have a plot worked out, I pretty much know what kind of settings and characters will be involved in it. Setting my thrillers in the real world means that the locations must be exact and true to life. I spend a lot of time doing research, browsing location information and studying photographs. I want to make absolutely sure my settings feel as real as possible, and this takes time and patience to get the details right. The one thing my readers always comment on is my locations – whether they’re dark and scary or sunny and cheery. Character-wise, I let my characters surprise me as I go along. They don’t necessarily need to be completely unique (we all share similar traits), but they do need to be believable and act true to form in any given situation, depending on mood, mind-set and influencing factors.

Are we Northern novelists at an advantage or a disadvantage, in any way?

The only disadvantage I find is our common use of northern slang and northern sayings – some of which can creep into our stories if we’re not too careful. The last thing I want my Los Angeles American-born-and-bred detective saying is “Ey up, lass, put kettle on.” Somehow it just wouldn’t hold water. I work really hard making sure my characters speak in a way they would in real life, staying true to their roots, and this won’t change until I have a Mancunian or a Scouser working in the LAPD.

The one advantage we have is our humour. We northerners share some of the best humour on the planet, and I think this can sometimes make us see things slightly differently, which filters through into our writing.

What was the most surprising thing you learnt about the publishing industry after you had been part of it for six months/a year?

The most surprising thing I’ve learned over the last 12 months is how supportive my readers can be and also how nasty my critics can be. Kind words of encouragement are always uplifting and remind me to stay humble and keep ploughing away. Hate comments remind me that as an author I am exposed to the big bad world out there and that jealousy is one of our worst emotions.

What do you predict will happen in the future to the publishing industry?

Over the coming years, I think there will be a steady transition from hardcopy publishing to electronic publishing, especially in the fiction market, which will see the steady decline of the traditional high street book store. More and more readers are abandoning print books altogether and are switching to electronic readers, mostly out of convenience. I think in years to come, the only books to still go into hard print production will be non-fiction, such as educational books, encyclopaedias etc.. Sadly, paperbacks will go the way of the vinyl record, existing only as a niche product in a small hard core market.

What are your own plans for the future?

I intend to write a third installment of my Gabe Quinn Series this year and then spend the next couple of years concentrating on standalone thrillers. I have several ideas I want to try out. They keep buzzing round in my head. They need to come out before I go insane.

I do intend to explore print publication with future standalone novels, but for now I publish my Gabe Quinn Series books directly to Amazon for the Kindle and Kindle Apps for smart phones and tablets.

What is the most rewarding experience you have had in your writing career?

By far, the most rewarding experience is the feedback I get from my fans. I have been lucky enough to pick up some very loyal readers along the way. I value their input and genuinely appreciate all their support. The best part about being a writer is I’ve finally managed to earn some money from it after thirty years slogging away – which means I can finally quit my day job and concentrate on doing what I love most.

Have you any advice for newbie authors?

Believe.

Thank you, Keith, for finding the time to answer my questions - I loved the Northern humour! The first Gabe Quinn book is now on my kindle and I can't wait to start reading it. Good luck for the future.

Read more about Keith Houghton on his webpage and follow him on Face book and twitter.

Web: www.keithhoughton.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithHoughtonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KeithHoughton

Buy his books on amazon:

“Killing Hope” – Amazon UK
“Killing Hope” – Amazon USA

“Crossing Lines” – Amazon UK
“Crossing Lines” – Amazon USA

“Two Ways To Die” – Amazon UK
“Two Ways To Die” – Amazon USA

4 Comments

Thriller Writer Claire Stibbe

Claire Stibbe

William Burton McCormick

William burton mccormick

J. Sydney Jones

J. SYDNEY JONES

Keith Houghton

KEITH HOUGHTON

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