Cripes! Seriously? I Never Expected That…
And it is that surprise at the end of the story that I try to give my readers. I want them to sit back like I have when I've written the end, and say, 'Cripes, seriously?' I never expected that!'
Inspiration for Murder
Like most writers I watch people, I listen to them. Call me nosey - if you will - but I know I'm not alone in making use of free material when it seems to me that people are unaware of how loud they talk in public places such as restaurants, pubs, and even on buses and trains. Some of the juiciest tidbits have been overheard in supermarket queues.
Laurel Canyon: Tripping Back in Time
The studio where the photo (below) was taken faced Ringo Starr's then home across the canyon, It was possible to hear them entertaining their dinner guests if the studio glass doors were open to allow fresh air in.
A Life of Crime, Intrigue, and Adventure
A few years ago, shortly before he died, I had the joy of seeing David Cornwell, aka John le Carre, in conversation about his writing, and it was manna from heaven for me. I didn't want it to end. What a writing career he had, not to mention his career as a spy.
Short Stories: I Love Writing Them
I love writing short stories. It's a challenge to get a complete and satisfying tale over to a reader within a limited number of words.
Singapore, Johor, Melaka: A very busy time…
We had great fun filming a video documentary over a few weeks featuring our artist and we were fortunate enough to have had access to various venues, temples, and other locations.
Location, Location, Location…
Reviewed in the United Kingdom Fast-paced, well-written page-turner that had me so engrossed my train journey flew by. The author clearly has done a lot of research, these short stories all felt very authentic and each had me gripped and on the edge of my seat wondering how they would play out. It’s been a long time since I read anything quite so intriguing and twisty. It certainly got my heart beating faster and I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great murder mystery.
It’s Quite a Week: A Golden Week
Earlier in the year, I hit a seriously big birthday. I still think I've been fooled and I'll wake up aged 18 and - like Bobby Ewing in Dallas - find it's all been a dream. But I have a sneaking suspicion it's not and time has really flown by almost in the blink of an eye.
Former Entertainment Attorney and Award Winning Mystery Author Susan Lynn Solomon is my Guest Author
Libby Bridgeman, a stringer for the Village Voice, balks when Max Howard, her editor, insists she interviews Alicia Kane. Though a campus rebel, a rock superstar, and an icon in the 1970s, Kane hasn’t been heard of in forty years. A Brooklyn court case involving a Black Lives Matter protest seems far more relevant. But you don’t say no to Max Howard.
Multi-Genre Author and Blog Talk Radio Host Dellani Oakes is my Guest…
Dellani Oakes. I've been writing since I was a child. I began my illustrious career when I was six or seven, writing terrible verse. I wrote a poem for my grandmother and illustrated it. I don't remember exactly what I said, only the repeating line, "When you get a coffin, you never will grow cold, if you make sure that the coffin's made of 14-carat gold." No clue what she really thought of it, but she thanked me very graciously.
Benny the Fence handed the Money over for the Diamonds…
Undercover: Crime Shorts.
Benny the Fence handed over the money for the diamonds, no questions asked. He didn't know her name, didn't want to. The sulky blonde had been using him for years and so far things had worked just fine. They spoke little. She always wore huge dark glasses and a navy overcoat with the collar turned up over her face covering her features. In moments she was gone. Picking her out in a line-up would've been impossible. He had protection so she wasn't a threat to him. She knew it too.
Standing with Ukrainian Literature
Ukrainian authors need to enable readers from around the world to find out about their work. And to reach that audience, their books need to be translated into other languages. So, what “The Authors Show® “ can do, is to give these books exposure, and through that exposure facilitate initial contact between authors and publishing industry professionals on all continents.
Multi-Award-Winning Author Janice Spina is my Guest Author…
Janice Spiner is my guest author. Her books books have received 30 book awards in total - Mom’s Choice Awards – Silver Medals (6), Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards (17), Readers’ Favorite Book Awards (5), Book Excellence Award (1), Authorsdb Cover Contest Silver Medal (1).
The Jazz Singer with a Sting in her Tale.
Closing the safe door quietly and with an expert spin of the dial, the black-clad woman straightened up, slinging the grip with her haul over her shoulder. She stood listening intently before moving towards the office door. Again, she waited, her ears straining, before gently prizing the door open and stepping silently into the corridor of darkened offices; she eased the door closed, calculating she had barely two minutes before the night-watchman made his rounds, trying the doors and checking the building was secure.
Anna Legat talks about featuring Children in Fiction for Adults and her latest Suspense Thriller, Broken…
When writing my suspense thriller, Broken, I had to put myself in the shoes of an eight-year-old boy. The story required me to write a couple of chapters from his point of view, reflecting not just the events in his life but also his attitudes and feelings. Writing those chapters wasn’t easy. Getting into a child’s mind and conveying their emotions and thoughts with authenticity is a tall order, even more so when one is writing a book for adults.
Stephen Bentley Co-Author of Operation George – The True Story of an Undercover Sting – is my Guest Author.
Sharing the previously untold story of Operation George, former Detective Sergeant Stephen Bentley takes the reader through the audacious and brilliantly executed undercover sting on the English mainland that brought down a former Northern Irish terrorist and murderer and one of his followers.
Welcome back Mystery Novelist Margot Kinberg with her Streets of Gold
Staci’s had to learn to do what she needs to do to survive. And sometimes, that means taking things from shops and restaurants, or dumpster-diving. She’s also not above lying if it’ll keep her safe or get her food. She doesn’t always like the things she has to do, but she has a strong survival instinct. And anything is better than going back to her stepfather...
Spring is Bursting out in England
Join me on my walk around Savill Garden, Windsor Great Park, Berkshire. Park of the Crown Estate. Windsor Castle is within walking distance. My idea of heaven.
The Girl in the Van by Helen Matthews: published 17th March 2022…find out all about it here.
The Girl in the Van has multiple sub-plots with three main characters (Laura, Miriana, and Ellie), each of whom has a story to tell.
One of the sub-plots of The Girl in the Van turns on a vicious contemporary crime that I want to expose and bring to greater public awareness. For this reason, I’m relaxed about it being a (small) plot spoiler. ‘County lines’, as it’s known in the UK, is a form of modern slavery where vulnerable children and teens are groomed by criminal gangs and used to carry drugs from cities out to smaller towns or rural areas, often far from their home.
Another Anniversary for me…
My 11th anniversary of becoming a published author.
How I almost missed this I've no idea. Until another author reminded me about the 10th anniversary of our inclusion in an anthology together, I would have missed the 11th anniversary of being a published author. She made me think!
Singapore: My Memories of a Changing Country part one…
When I was a little girl I lived in Singapore with my parents. My memories part one.
Undercover: Crime Shorts Introduction to Literature Course…
Benny 'the fence' handed over the money for the diamonds, no questions asked. He didn't know her name, didn't want to. The sulky blonde had been using him for years and so far things had worked just fine...
Blog Birthday: My blog is 10 years old this week.
My thanks and gratitude to everyone who has visited, read and contributed to my blog over the last 10 years. It has been a privilege knowing you here.
Only One Woman: the Ultimate St. Valentine’s Day Read
Secrets, lies, evasion, and snatched moments of happiness. One guitarist, two girls, and an epic love triangle. Only One Woman the ultimate St. Valentine's Day read.
Winkworth Arboretum: one of my favourite ‘jollies.’
A great place to wipe away the cares and troubles of the day surrounded by a variety of trees, lovely shrubs, and hedgerows any time of the year.
Chatting to Linda Thompson about Undercover: Crime Shorts, Forensics, Inspiration, and more…
The Authors Show is a global podcast network for authors to share their work and experiences and for readers to discover books and authors from around the world in all genres.
Short Stories, Poetry Anthologies, Singing our Spelling and Times Tables, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton…
I love writing short stories. Transporting someone with little time to read a full novel, or who doesn't enjoy full-length books, into another world or reality. Getting them to suspend their disbelief as they dive into a good yarn for an hour or less.
What’s in a Name?
For an up-and-coming band working the circuit in the UK, Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, life was hard. They often went without food for days, most of their income went on fuel for their van. They were lucky, in that they had a manager who paid their rent and expenses out of his own pocket in the beginning, otherwise, they'd have had to have given up or starved to death.
To Commit An Act Of Evil Do You Need To Be Evil?
What lengths would you go to inherit from a will? A will requiring you to fall from grace, to do something against your nature, to do something evil - would you do it, could you do it? Would you consider yourself evil, if you carried out an evil act?
Enjoying Nature when I can…
A collection of Nature photos taken by me at various locations at different times. I hope you like them. x
Harbury Green, Phone Boxes, Oxford Station, Christ Church Meadow, and ‘The British Restaurant’…
I was sure they'd be able to hear my heart thudding at the end of the road as I closed the telephone box door behind me, piled my stash of sixpence and shillings on the shelf above the phone directory, and wiped my sweaty palms down my baggy black trousers... from Only One Woman Christina Jones Jane Risdon.
Imagine…using experiences to write.
Never a dull moment in my life. In the Music business, or whatever, there was always something to inspire my writing.
Authors, Artists, Autographs, and the odd places fans want signing…
Asking someone you don't really know and have never met before to sign their name and write a message for you - wherever they want it - strikes me as an odd thing to do.
Music to Our Ears and a Trip Down Memory Lane…
If you love music, then you will enjoy a trip down memory lane with Only One Woman, and there are so many musical references, venue shoutouts, and lots to keep musicians entertained too. Guys love our novel as much as girls do.
Oh! And there is an epic love triangle at its heart.
There aren’t any Cosy Christmas Stories when I write…
I must have a criminal mind.
Writing about Christmas in a 'mince pie and Christmas pudding' way, isn't my style. My mind works strangely. I'd be tempted to poison the pies and pudding before feeding them to the victims in my stories. The only times Christmas appears in anything I write it has been to juxtapose the cosy atmosphere of the season of goodwill, with something horrible about to happen.
Thank You For Purchasing and Borrowing My Work…
Wow, it has been a fabulous few months, and I want to thank everyone who has purchased copies of Only One Woman, and Undercover: Crime Shorts, in paperback, and eBook. Also, thank you for purchasing many of the anthologies in which I have contributed stories, some have been on sale in aid of various charities, such as Help4Heroes, The Children’s […]
International Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Inventor, Lizzie Chantree, Author of The Woman Who Felt Invisible, is my Guest Author
The Woman Who Felt Invisible by Lizzie Chantree.
A gorgeous romantic story of love and new beginnings. Learning to love herself and be content on her own is the first step. But will Olivia be able to leave her past behind, follow her heart and find lasting happiness? A read full of humour, romance, and tear-jerking reality, from international bestselling author, Lizzie Chantree.
Autumn Walks in the Sunshine…
It has been wonderful getting out again and into the fresh air and countryside after being up inside for the last 20 months. Trees, flowers, hedges, gorgeous skies, and space - I couldn't live without them. I always take lots of photos and here are a few taken on various visits to places I love. Jane Risdon Photos
Das Rat Haus, The Harkortsee, The Canadian NAAFI and the Stomp Club…
If you are enjoying Renza's diary entries, listen in to The Authors Show Channel 6 to hear an extract from her diary, and to find out more about Renza's time in Germany in 1968/1969 and how she and Stella came to fall in love with the same musician. Only One Woman is on The Authors Show Channel 6 Podcast
Benny the Fence, and Desi Garcia’s Syncopators are Music to Her Ears…
Hollywood 1939 and Jazz singer Sweet Sable prepares for her set with Desi Garcia's Syncopators, but first, she has an appointment with a safe and its contents. Undercover Crime Shorts by Jane Risdon
Karen J. Mossman is my lovely Guest Author
A woman is dead, and another is missing. The only person who can save her is Cassie.
With no clues and time running out, her brother, Detective Newbold, desperately needs her help. He is counting on Cassie’s clairvoyant and empathic abilities to locate Chantelle.
When Chantelle’s brother, Pedro, seeks out a psychic for help, he meets and falls for Cassie. Though he wants answers, neither Cassie nor Detective Newbold can give any, which complicates their relationship. To make matters worse, his overbearing mother adds further damage with her meddling.
Meanwhile, the killer has been caught, but he refuses to talk. Now, it’s up to Cassie to read the signs and rescue her lover’s sister.
Will she find the answers in time?
The Diplomat, The Honey Trap, when Government Business is an opportunity for…
He cleaned the bathroom quickly and expertly.
The plastic sheet and forensic suit returned to his bulging briefcase he changed back into his clothes, and with a last glance around the hotel room - checking he had left no trace of his presence - he silently let himself out of the room and made his way down the back stairs to the deserted alley where his driver waited for him...
Sally Cronin: Author, Poet, and Blogger, is my Guest Author with her latest, Life is Like a Mosaic
Sally Cronin: Life is Like a Mosaic...
It is fair to say Miss Lavinia Lloyd was not the most popular teacher in the girl’s grammar school she had taught in for over thirty years.
The Best Christmas Ever with Bestselling Author Karen King. The Perfect Christmas delight.
A heart-warming Christmas romance, perfect for fans of Sarah Morgan, Mandy Baggot and Milly Johnson.
The Best Christmas Ever by Karen King
Maggie Tideswell is my Guest Author on her Book Tour for The Haunted Bride
The Haunted Bride Book Tour with Maggie Tideswell.
A marriage of convenience - no strings attached - suited both Holly and Joshua just fine; a virgin marriage, so that they could both walk away… But they made a crucial mistake: they didn't take chemistry into account.
Showboat TV Equinox Festival – I’m reading my flash Fiction live…
September 25th you can catch me on SHOWBOAT TV reading my 100 word piece of Flash Fiction live for their EQUINOX FESTIVAL of the Spoken Word with Music, Poetry and Flash Fiction.
My Flash Fiction story is called PAYBACK.
Be Warned: Reading may cause Earworms…
Only One Woman is all about music - the music of the late 1960s - and how it influenced the lives of two fashionable and exciting teens - Stella and Renza.
Follow their adventures in Only One Woman, read their most secret and innermost thoughts, live the 1960s though their eyes... and ears!
Only One Woman features the bands and singers followed by the girls and many others. This novel has authentic venues and locations, celebrities and up-and-coming new groups to discover.
Come with Me: Enjoy more Twists and Turns than Spaghetti Junction.
Undercover: Crime Shorts is back on the fabulous global podcast, The Authors Show, where I'm chatting with my lovely host, Linda Thompson, discussing my crime collection of short stories.
With more Twists and Turns than Spaghetti Junction and edge of the cliff suspense and tension...
Phyllis Entis: My Guest Author on tour with The Silver Star Caper – a new Damien and Millie Dickens novel.
After a string of arson fires drives migrant farm workers from their homes and threatens Millie’s daughter-in-law, Damien agrees to go undercover to infiltrate the white-supremacist, neo-Nazi militia responsible for the fires and unmask the identity of their leader.
Millie covers his absence by spreading the news that they have separated, while he travels back to Atlantic City. When Damien reappears in California, it’s in the guise of a former cop with neo-Nazi sympathies.
Left alone to run their detective agency while maintaining a brave front, Millie dives into an investigation of a friend of the new mayor of Carmel-by-the Sea, a local resident she suspects of being a Nazi war criminal in hiding.
The action is non-stop as Damien and Millie risk their lives to eradicate the spectre of violence and racism from their community.
Could she, should she, would he, will he? Dark secrets call for dark measures…
I am chatting to my host, the lovely Linda Thompson about writing short stories, my interest and subsequent study of Forensic Science and Criminal Justice - with various online universities in the UK catering for Crime Writers... And I read from Undercover: Crime Shorts which was great fun. We chat about my previous careers in the Civil Service and the International Music Business and so much more.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now! – Guest Round Up – Part One – Claire Fullerton, Noelle Granger, Pete Johnson, Sharon Marchisello, Jane Risdon, Balroop Singh, Pete Springer, Carol Taylor D.Wallace Peach, Sue Wickstead
Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:
Over the last three months, I have been privileged to share the thoughts and wisdom of friends within the writing community in response to the prompt ‘I Wish I Knew Now What I Knew Then!’. In case you have missed any of these guest posts I will be sharing their links in this catch…
Five on Friday with Jane Risdon @Jane_Risdon
Originally posted on Jill's Book Cafe:
Today I’m delighted to feature author Jane Risdon. Jane is the co-author of ‘Only One Woman,’ with Christina Jones (Headline Accent) and ‘Undercover: Crime Shorts,’ (Plaisted Publishing), as well as having many short stories published in numerous anthologies. She writes for several online and print magazines such as Writing Magazine, Electric Press, and…
Smorgasbord Afternoon Video – Sally’s Favourites – That’s my Dad up there….Toddler steals show
Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:
A toddler is determined to steal the show and ends up as backing dancer Thanks to coffeysouthernman
Smorgasbord Bookshelf – Summer Book Fair 2022 – First in Series – #CrimeThriller Sue Coletta, #SupernaturalThriller JP Mclean
Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:
Over the course of the next three months I will be sharing the authors who feature in the Smorgasbord Bookshelf with the books that I have reviewed and can personally recommend. In this first part of the summer fair, I am sharing books that are the first in a series in both adult and…
Smorgasbord Bookshelf – Summer Book Fair 2022 – First in Series – #Psychological Thriller Lucinda E. Clarke, #Paranormal Romance Staci Troilo
Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:
Over the course of the next three months I will be sharing the authors who feature in the Smorgasbord Bookshelf with the books that I have reviewed and can personally recommend. In this first part of the summer fair, I am sharing books that are the first in a series in both adult and…
Jane Risdon 
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