How can you build a new life on toxic foundations?
So how does it turn out for the Willshire family in Lies Behind the Ruin? Will their impulse buy of a dilapidated property solve their deep problems, or will their plans for a new life evolve into something darker?
The house is silent and empty. The garden is deserted. There is birdsong, and the robin who visits daily to peck in the plant pots makes an appearance as if to say goodbye. Sixty-three years as a family home. Soon and forever, destined to be occupied by strangers.
These characters were mainly from the East End, judging by their accents, although some were Essex locals apparently. Mostly men, who carried themselves with a certain swagger and self-confidence, they were well-known and 'respected' by the criminal classes to which they belonged. When they entered the bar a reverent hush descended. All eyes turned to them.
Blokes in black suits with lace ties and interesting bulges - in their jackets - squared their shoulders at one another other, whilst whispering into each other's ears as they drank their cocktails. Huge designer wristwatches flashed as others gesticulated, and every now and again there was a glimpse of a huge gold bracelet or a medallion nestling on top of an abundance of chest hair poking through tight-fitting shirts, jackets open exposing paunches of varying proportions. Their dyed black hair betrayed the lie their wrinkles proclaimed on faces stiff from too much sun.
I have been published before, but not in a book. I'd written articles for Music Magazines and I'd written biographies and press releases for some of the recording artists, record producers, singers, songwriters, and musicians when I lived another life managing their careers. Being included in a book was such a thrill.
Are you sure this is what you want? Your plan had better be watertight, without any plot holes. You can run but you cannot hide!
Thanks for your kind messages.
Thanks to everyone who has visited, supported, and taken the time to read my ramblings and my writing this past year. I appreciate each and every one of you and I wish I could express my gratitude personally. I have been missing in action throughout December due to a family illness and consequent bereavement and I hope you understand the […]
Penance by Jane Risdon: I really enjoyed this one, Jane Risdon isn’t an author whose books I’ve read before, but I loved this ghostly Christmas tale. This one also gave me goose pimples, but they were mostly caused by a feeling of dread as Gabrielle looks for his missing wife and daughters. Christmas should be a time when families get to spend precious time together, and yet Gabrielle missed these special days, putting work first, leaving him full of regret. There’s something sinister about reading a story based around Christmas and the big man himself, especially when a crime's committed. I was impressed with how well-written this short story was, the author creates a spooky atmosphere with an undercurrent of tension and unease, but ultimately it’s a touching story that pulls on the heartstrings.
What I hadn’t expected was the cathartic effect my writing would have on me! During my time with the police, I had to witness and deal with the worst of what society is capable of. In fact, my own life was put in serious peril on nine occasions – I’m outliving a cat! And, as one advances through the middle and later years of life, I have found that I am naturally less resilient. Things I would have shrugged off in my thirties sometimes replay in my mind and make me shudder.
I enjoy wandering with my camera. Sometimes I use the locations I visit, for my stories, other times I just enjoy taking photos and making memories.
I thought I'd share some photos with you. Every year I spend a lot of time taking photos of gardens, woods, villages, churches, cathedrals, and other places and items of interest.
Writing from memory should be easy, you'd think. After all, we all have memories, and putting them down on paper or onto a computer screen should simply be a case of organising one's thoughts, and getting on with it
Undercover: Crime Shorts is once again featured - 14th September 2022 - on the global author podcast, The Authors Show, where I chat to my fab host, Linda Thompson, about writing my collection of short stories, and the inspiration for them.
Leon Cazador is on FBI liaison duty in Charleston, South Carolina when a dead child is found with a kidney missing. Suspecting an old foe, he jumps into action when a convoy of trucks with kidnapped children hits a snag, and a boy escapes. But what starts out as a simple cat and mouse chase turns into a convoluted web of deceit involving an underground organ transplant ring that surpasses Leon’s wildest expectations—and abilities. Years later—and carrying around the weight of unresolved burdens—Leon runs into suspicious activity in Córdoba, Spain which makes his heart stop cold. Organ traffickers are running rampant, and a three-man investigating team has gone missing. Eager to put an end to this corrupt organization’s misdeeds once and for all, Leon makes finding its leader his top priority. But will he have what it takes to bring an evil like no other to its knees?
My friend and I were invited to spend the week from the end of July to early August, during the time the Regatta runs. We were given full board and lodgings in return for light duties such as cleaning guest bedrooms and changing their sheets. Once we'd finished our chores the day was ours as long as we returned in time for dinner.
The Innocence Project is a non-for-profit organisation, based in New York, New York, USA, committed to exonerating individuals who have been wrongly convicted - through the use of DNA testing - and working to reform the Criminal Justice system to prevent future cases of wrongful conviction.
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!'
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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...
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 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.
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!
When I was a little girl I lived in Singapore with my parents. My memories part one.
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...
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
A collection of Nature photos taken by me at various locations at different times. I hope you like them. x
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.
Never a dull moment in my life. In the Music business, or whatever, there was always something to inspire my writing.
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.
When a book is released, we hear all about the story, so with Pen2Publish, we’d like to find out more about the process, and the people who helped it along the way. Why are we featuring this book? I read this book and found it a fascinating insight into the swing sixties. Jane was part… Source: Pen To Publication with Karen J Mossman, featuring Only One Woman by Jane Risdon
Today I’m delighted to feature author Linda Green. Linda is the bestselling author of eleven novels, which have sold more than 1.5million copies and been translated into 12 languages. Her latest novel, In Little Stars, is out in ebook, audio and was published in hardback by Quercus Books this week. Her previous novel, One Moment, […] Five on Friday with Linda Green @LindaGreenisms @QuercusBooks — Jill’s Book Cafe
Originally posted on damppebbles.com:
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived by Sam at Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three questions below and leave a link to your post in the comments. No blog? No problem! Just leave a comment with your responses. Please take…
Originally posted on Smorgasbord Blog Magazine:
The definition of Public Relations in business is “Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between businesses and the public” In the past my focus has been on book marketing, which did include how to reach potential readers with blogs, social media and as part of the writing community.…
Undercover: Crime Shorts and me
Only One Woman written by two friends
Only One Woman
Only One Woman
Signing with Langtons International Literary Agency
Undercover: Crime Shorts in paperback & eBook
Graham Bonnet Rainbow, Alcatraz, MSB and Blackmore etc
Guest Author August 2019
https://wnbnetworkwest.com/channel/6
Only One Woman
Caroline Munro with Madame Movara's Tales of Terror
Jane Risdon 
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