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War and Peace: A Summary (Book Nine)
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues…
Book Nine
It is Book Nine, and we have reached, in this summary exercise, the halfway point of War and Peace. It is also now, and will till the end remain, 1812: a pivotal year for European history, and, it transpires, this novel. For henceforward the book [...]
An Evening with the Femme Fatales in Edinburgh
Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Friday 8th April, 6.00pm - 8:00pm WATERSTONE’S, EDINBURGH
Join Femmes Fatales Alanna Knight, Alex Gray and Lin Anderson for an intimate evening of crime reading. These prominent Scottish Crime Writers will be reading some of their back list, answer any questions from the audience and sign their books at Waterstone’s, 83 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 [...]
Wednesday Cover Story: The Revival of Inspector Ghote
Wednesday, March 30th, 2011
This week we mourn the loss of revered crime writer HRF (Harry) Keating (read more in News…), best known for his inimitable Inspector Ghote series, set in India and comprising an impressive list of 24 titles. Although the series ended in 2000 (after 22 books), readers saw the return of Ghote in 2008 when we [...]
Destined for literary greatness…
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Later on this year we are reissuing Absolute Beginners, one of Colin MacInnes’s cult classic London Novels. Reading his biography, which mentions his mother Angela Thirkell I got to thinking about how small writing circles must have been. Thirkell, herself a writer, was a first cousin to Rudyard Kipling and her godfather was JM Barrie. [...]
VETERAN CRIME WRITER HRF KEATING DIES AGED 84
Tuesday, March 29th, 2011
Award-winning veteran crime writer HRF Keating passed away on Sunday 27 March 2011 leaving a legacy of over 50 novels including his long-running and much-adored Inspector Ghote series set in India.
A Reading Census
Monday, March 28th, 2011
The other night I dutifully sat down and read through our census forms. Frankly I thought there would be more questions, and more in-depth questions at that. So to fill this woeful lack of insight (or should that be nosiness?) by the Census people, I’ve decided to compile an A&B Reading Census and had a [...]
Spotted anything sinister in the Cotswolds lately?
Friday, March 25th, 2011
I spent this past weekend in glorious Cotswold country. Quaint little villages, stunning scenery, wholesome pub food, and antique shops galore. But I knew I shouldn’t allow myself to get too swept up in the idyllic landscape. It’s Rebecca Tope country after all. And if you’ve read her highly addictive Cotswold mystery series you’ll know [...]
War and Peace: A Summary (Book Eight)
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues…
Book Eight
We finished Book Seven with Sonya blissfully enraptured with a fiancé by her side, and Natasha desperately pining for a fiancé many miles away, having a whale of a time in the Swiss Alps. But in Book Eight it soon transpires that Natasha, despite all [...]
Wednesday Cover Story: The changing face of DI Charlie Priest…
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
The series design for the D I Charlie Priest crime novels by Stuart Pawson have undergone various changes over the years. First we had the rather dark look…
Then we had the bottom-half-white look…
Then we played with a monochrome design….
And now we’ve gone with a more eye-catching urban style…
What do you think of all these [...]
Wannabe a writer? Be a Figmentling.
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
Talk about the internet and inevitably the words “there is just so much out there” will crop up in conversation. It’s a fact - trawling the web can be truly overwhelming…which is why I particularly love the last page in Easy Living magazine where they select websites that have caught their eye that particular month, [...]
The perfect compromise…?
Monday, March 21st, 2011
It struck me last week that the last four books I had read had been digital editions. They were downloaded to my iPhone either through Kobo’s app, a handy PDF reader that has meant I’ve read some upcoming A&B titles before they’ve gone to print, and finally through my new discovery of the Overdrive Media [...]
Who do you write like?
Friday, March 18th, 2011
Nothing like a bit of self-analysis to distract one from replying to very important emails. This little gem made itself known to me on Twitter (source of many time-wasting titbits). Simply insert your latest blog, chapter of your unfinished book or whatever sample of writing you have to hand, and discover which famous author’s style [...]
Afternoon Tea with Edward Marston in Ludlow
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
Wednesday 13th April, 4.00pm LUDLOW
Hosted by Castle Bookshop, enjoy afternoon tea with historical mystery writer Edward Marston, in conversation with Kate Charles, at a private venue in Ludlow, Shropshire. Marston will be signing copies of his bestselling Railway Detective books including the new releases Railway to the Grave and Blood on the Line. And [...]
War and Peace: A Summary (Book Seven)
Thursday, March 17th, 2011
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues…
Book Seven
If Tolstoy had ever written a brochure for the Russian tourist board, book seven would surely be it. Called home to help sort out his family’s dire financial problems (don’t be deceived by their owning several houses, thousands of serfs and, thanks to Nicky’s [...]
Wednesday Cover Story: From advertising to publishing
Wednesday, March 16th, 2011
Horror of horrors, I had to endure the journey home last week with no book to read, and there’s only so many times I can play solitare on my phone, you know. To add to my chagrin, the cover to the book being read by the woman opposite me was familiar in a niggling way [...]
E-books and self-publishing
Tuesday, March 15th, 2011
Amanda Hocking. I am fascinated by this author. She is 26 years old and has self-published her books. Her sales are in the hundreds of thousands (various sources quote numbers from 185,000 to 500,000) and the overwhelming majority of these sales are e-books. Film rights have been optioned for her Trylle series and she is [...]
Uncomfortable with the notion of women who kill?
Monday, March 14th, 2011
A new series Snapped: Women Who Kill starts tonight on the Crime and Investigation Network chronicling the lives of seemingly ordinary women who suddenly became killers. Looking at various cases such as Tracey Andrewes, who stabbed her fiancé thirty times with a pen-knife after an argument whilst driving home, and Lady Sarah Ferguson’s aide who [...]
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Get Carter
Friday, March 11th, 2011
Today marks the start of a weekend of events in Newcastle to celebrate 40 years since Get Carter, the novel by Ted Lewis, was immortalised on screen. It has become one of the most iconic films in British cinema, starring Michael Caine in the lead role of Jack Carter as he goes on a rampage [...]
War and Peace: A Summary (Book Six)
Thursday, March 10th, 2011
My summary of War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy continues…
Book Six
In Book Five, as you studious little blog-followers no doubt remember, quite a lot of good ink was spilt telling the tale of how Pierre sought to pull himself out of the mire adulterous Helene had sunk him in. Well, you’ll be happy to hear [...]
Wednesday Cover Story: Win a commission to create a Vintage Classics cover
Wednesday, March 9th, 2011
I love it when the public is asked to take part in competitions to showcase their creativity - giving a voice to so many talented individuals that might otherwise go unnoticed. So for today’s Wednesday Cover Story, I am delighted to flag up the fact that Vintage Classics are sponsoring The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition [...]
Wednesday Cover Story: Don’t read this book if you’re stupid
I bought this collection of short stories by Tibor Fischer, some years ago and must admit, purchased it solely on the basis of the title - the most blatant and yet brilliant marketing ploy I’ve ever seen. It’s a challenge, encouraging you to think: ‘well, I’ll prove to you I’m not stupid by reading it!’. [...]
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