NEWS: Deja Review

Hail Mighty Readers,
Here's this months round up of previously reviewed titles that have either been released in PB format or have undergone new binding/artwork. (Covers in review may differ from current incarnation.)

This month you'll find:
05/05/11 BANKS, Iain M - Surface Detail
05/05/11 HUTSON, Shaun - Epitaph
12/05/11 THOMAS, Rhys - On the Third Day
12/05/11 LLOYD, Tom - The Ragged Man
12/05/11 SMITH, Gavin - Veteran
12/05/11 SPRUNK, Jon - Shadow's Son
26/05/11 ERIKSON, Steven - The Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach
26/05/11 SANDERSON, Brandon - The Way of Kings

If we've missed one please let us know,


Gareth

INTERVIEW: Chaz Brenchley

As readers will know, we absolutely love the chance to start a new series, especially when you get to hear on the grapevine about something special just about to break such as this title, Desdaemona, the Urban Fantasy debut, of Ben Macallan (pseudonym of Chaz Brenchley.)

Here we chat to him about life, about the writing and his obsession with sport...


Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?

Chaz Brenchley: I have been heard doing my very best to discourage wannabes, and telling students that if there’s anything else they can do, they really ought to do it. I enjoy trying to discourage people, and spotting the ones who just absolutely refuse to listen to me. There are no universals in this business, but nine times out of ten those are the real writers. I have also been heard lamenting that I really should’ve been a merchant banker. And yet, here I am: thirty-four years a writer, and struggling desperately to make it to thirty-five. Apparently I don’t want to give up yet.


FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?

CB: When I was five, or thereabouts: the day the scales fell from my eyes and I understood that these wonderful things called books were written by actual people and it was a job and you were allowed to do it. Ever since then, it’s been the only thing I ever wanted to do with my life. And, as it happens, the only thing I ever have done.


FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this POV?

CB: I hadn’t even heard that, certainly not phrased quite that arrogantly. It’s nonsense, of course. There is plenty of debate over whether short stories do or don’t provide a gateway into novels; there’s a fine tradition of it, especially in genre fiction, but a counter-argument that they really are two different media demanding wholly different skill-sets. I guess the truth lies somewhere in between: that some writing skills are universal, while each form demands specialised techniques. I did start out writing short stories, because they were easier to sell and less of a commitment; a failure meant a couple of days’ work lost, rather than a year or more. I didn’t finish a novel until I had my first commission - but that was a revelation, just how much I didn’t know about writing novels.


FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?

CB: Mostly, I’d try to hide at the other end of the bookshop. If I was cornered, though, I’d call it urban fantasy and make sure that they understood that didn’t mean paranormal romance (tho’ it does feature both those things); I’d stress the fact that the vampires & werewolves are really only there to establish the milieu early on, and we meet more unusual creatures later; I’d talk about how totally awesome Desdaemona actually is; and I’d wind up by just making them look at the cover, which is by Vinny Chong and just sensational.


FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?

CB: Again, I would try very hard to avoid that; if I wanted to pitch, I’d be in movies. I don’t think books boil down that way. (The first person I ever heard propose the elevator pitch as a good thing, a measure of a novel’s quality? Was Jeffrey Archer. Which should tell you plenty both about the technique and about my own attitude towards it.)

PS - oh, all right, then. “No problem is so big or so complicated that it can’t be run away from.” Except that sometimes they run faster.


FT: Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?

CB: Ooh. How long have you got? *takes a deep breath* Neal Stephenson. Guy Gavriel Kay. Ursula Le Guin. Diana Wynne Jones. Any one of a dozen cookery writers. Iain Banks. Gwyneth Jones. Dorothy L Sayers. Rudyard Kipling. Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Kari Sperring. John Irving. T S Eliot. I could go on. I could walk through my house and make a list - but then I would have catalogued all my books, which is just too much to contemplate. The internet is not big enough.


FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your ideas develop as you write?

CB: I’ve never written a character profile in my life. I do write outlines, when agents or editors insist - but I hate them and I don’t use them, don’t refer to them at all once the book is sold. Editors have been heard to complain, that a book does not much resemble its outline - but nor should it. We do not much resemble a photofit image of ourselves. Someone once said that being asked to write a synopsis for a book they hadn’t written yet was like being asked to draw a map of a country they haven’t visited. That’s exact, I think: for me, a book is a journey. I know where I’m going - Samarcand, here I come! - but I learn the roads as I travel, hand in hand with the reader, encountering what comes along the way. Which sounds madly romantic, and is actually grief & sweat & turmoil, but I think it makes for better books.


FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?

CB: Relax? What is this relax...?

No, but seriously: I cook. A lot. Which gets me all uptight but in a totally different way. And I spend time with friends, often in pubs or over drinks some other way; alcohol is my friend too. And, of course, I read books. Recently? I reread Stephenson’s Anathem, because I had transatlantic flights to survive (the previous read had been in hospital; apparently it’s a book I turn to when trapped). And then the English translation of Let The Right One In. And now Jo Walton’s Among Others.


FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?

CB: Heh. You think I’d tell you that...? (People are always surprised to learn that I’m a sports fan. And that I play snooker, fanatically badly. And that I travel with my teddy bear. And that I love the Chalet School books of Elinor M Brent-Dyer. Will those do?)


FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)

CB: I live with two cats. Once I lived with two girl-cats, who were douce and obliging and small and sweet. Now I live with two boy-cats, who are evil incarnate. I thought Barry was a fiend in feline shape, until Mac moved in. Mac appropriates food - but it is the most inappropriate food. Cats aren’t supposed to taste sweet thingts, but the first thing he did was suck all the chocolate off my chocolate-coated coffee beans. I have to keep my mushrooms locked away. Also my broccoli. Are you getting the idea yet? Mac eats everything. Including me. (They’re not in a book yet, but they do appear frequently in my blog.)


FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?

CB: Heh - for the Daniel Fox books, that would definitely be the dragon. For the Ben Macallan book, it’s probably Desdaemona. The cod psychologist in me would love to draw parallels - something about dark, dominating females with suffering in their pasts - but I don’t think I’m actually that obvious. The dragon was all challenge, to make a potent creature utterly unhuman, and yet comprehensible and maybe sympathetic; Desi is almost the opposite, to make an utterly sympathetic character still seem potent.


FT: How similar to your principal protagonist are you?

CB: Not at all - except in the sense that all my characters are products of my own mind, and therefore by definition images of myself. All fiction is autobiography; we give ourselves away on every page. But half my characters are cooler than I am, and the other half are more broken.


FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?

CB: As before, I cook; I’m a total foodie. And more than one review has said, more or less, “Chaz Brenchley is clearly obsessed with food.” I used to be a hobby smoker, and most of my characters smoked; but that was long ago. These days, I guess my hobby-time is mostly consumed by blogging and other internet engagement. Which must impact my work, but not directly in the writing (except for research, obviously): I don’t write the kind of books which have characters use computers. Much. There is a laptop in Desdaemona, but it makes only a brief appearance.


FT: Where do you get your ideas from?

CB: All over. My first novel came from a poster at a bus-stop; my first fantasy sequence came from an advertising brochure, for a reprint of a history of the Crusades. It’s just about keeping yourself open, being ready. Desdaemona happened because I saw “Desdemona” written down and thought, oh hey, how’s about if you misspelled it, if you put a daemon at the heart: what would that be about? In my first thoughts it was science fiction, set in Hong Kong in a cyberpunk future; but I kept on thinking, and it ended up being urban fantasy set in contemporary UK. That’s the way it works.


FT: Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?

CB: J T Edson (a British writer of many many Westerns) said that every time he got writer’s block he dug out his old postbag, filled it with bricks, and trudged around his former post round. In the rain. Then he came home, dried off and got back to work.

That’s more or less how I feel. There are many many reasons not to be writing, but I find the notion of a block just too convenient; I’d rather find a reason I can fix.


FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?

CB: I used to be entirely nocturnal: rise in mid-afternoon and write all night, go to bed more or less with the dawn. But that was when my friends were students or unemployed, and I could always find company at any hour. When they started getting jobs and having children, I had to adjust my own hours to match or I’d never have had a social life. And as I get older, I wake earlier. These days I do my best work in the mornings - but that’s partly because I take the laptop to the Lit & Phil (a private library here in Newcastle) and sit down in the basement Silence Room with no distractions. Including no cats. The boys love to help, sitting on my lap or on my desk, coming between me and the monitor, pouncing on the keyboard, spilling the wine, running off with the pens...


FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?

CB: I not only write in silence; I write mostly in the Silence Room, where even the clocks are hushed. (Seriously: there is a ticky-clock, and every time someone sets it going, someone else will stop it.) I have tried working to music, but I keep stopping to listen. Like if I work with the internet, I keep stopping to browse. Endlessly distractable, alas. *pets cat*

I deeply envy my friends who can or must have music while they work; I love the notion of posting soundtracks to a novel; but I will never do it.


FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?

CB: Heh. I thought it would all get easier: that once you had a backlist and a reputation, both the writing and the earning-a-living aspects would be less demanding. Turns out the opposite is true, in both instances. It all gets harder, all the time.


FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?

CB: “If architecture is frozen music, then music must be defrosted architecture.” I’m sorry, I have trouble taking this kind of comparison seriously. And I don’t think music is the food of love, if “food” is taken to mean something that is sustaining on a daily basis and throughout a life. Music is more like a drug of love, immediate and potent and completely not good for you. Writing, on the other hand: well, as an activity, for me it’s crucial. I can’t survive without telling stories. As a product, I think it’s also crucial: stories are how we teach each other about the world and about ourselves, how we moderate dreams with reason and call it imagination, how we learn to understand each other.


FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?

CB: Well, at the moment it’s called House of Doors and it’ll be published as by Chaz Brenchley. It’s a ghost story, set in a house that I’ve written about before (in The Keys to D’Espérance). I always wanted that to be the first in a sequence, to tell the history of the twentieth century in England through the medium of this strange, haunting house. Then an old editor-friend of mine asked my agent if I’d be interested in working with her; so I said, “Well, I always wanted...” and that was that. I wrote a two-page summary, and we did a two-book deal in two days. I’ve just delivered the first, and am waiting to hear what she thinks of it.


FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?

CB: LiveJournal; Facebook; Wikipedia; DreamWidth; chazbrenchley.co.uk - all a bit obvious, alas. I’m desperance on LiveJournal and DreamWidth - and yes, the blogging name is intimately associated with the name of the haunted house.


FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.

CB: I am the last of my kind, for whom writing was a lonely business. When I was a babywriter, there weren’t common classes: two MA courses in the country, and little else bar your local writers’ group in the library. Mostly we learned to write by reading and by writing. Then the internet came along, and these days everyone has beta-readers and critiquing groups and a history of writing classes and and and. Everyone but me. (And even I contribute occasionally, teaching on an MA course or running workshops and so forth. Mentoring, judging competitions, all these things that didn’t exist when I was young and needy.)


FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?

CB: Oh, I skipped past them, mostly. I submitted a few short stories to a few magazines when I was a teenager, and was mildly outraged when I didn’t win instant praise, awards and money; but I sold my first stories when I was eighteen, and I’ve sold most of what I’ve written since. Of course I do still get rejected, and indeed criticised - but these days I lean on the fact that I’m twice the age of my critics, and so obviously twice as wise, so by definition I’m right and they’re wrong. That gets me by, mostly. Tho’ I can still cite chapter and verse for every bad review I’ve ever had, and I believe steam still comes out of my ears. Nobody’s immune.


FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?

CB: Oy. Well. The best - obviously? - is that I can look around at everything in this house and the house itself that contains it all, and think “I paid for all of this by writing: by sitting at a keyboard and telling stories.” The worst is the thought that follows, a reminder that half of it isn’t actually paid for yet, and if I’d been a merchant banker I’d have made a lot more money and not been in debt the way I am. Thirty-five years ago, Frank Muir said to me that only bestsellers sell. It was true then, but it is so much more true now. And yet, this is still the only life I would ever have chosen. Even if it’s not a living so much as a surviving. It’s still worth it. Stories matter.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Desdaemona - Ben Macallan (Chaz Brenchley)

Release Date: 31/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

Jordan helps kids on the run find their way back home. He’s good at that. He should be – he’s a runaway himself.

Sometimes he helps the kids in other, stranger, ways. He looks like a regular teenager, but he’s not. He acts like he’s not exactly human, but he is. He treads the line between mundane reality and the world of the supernatural.

Desdaemona also knows the non-human world far too well. She tracks Jordan down and enlists his aid in searching for her lost sister Fay, who did a Very Bad Thing involving an immortal. This may be a mistake – for both of them. Too many people are interested now, and some of them are not people at all.


REVIEW:

Urban Fantasy is an area that is getting a good amount of attention these days and whereas with some, America is an exotic place to visit (at least it is to those in the UK) the home-grown talent for UF tends to focus itself more with the big cities. What unfurls in this UF offering from Ben Macallan (pseudonym of author Chaz Brenchley) is a story that concentrates on character and personal relationships over the big exotic landscape. It’s cleverly written the overall arc intriguing but when you add a whole mythos of its own devising into the mix it’s a tale that is very different to a lot of the other titles out there.

Which, to be honest, is pretty much what I’ve come to expect from Solaris. As usual, they don’t compromise on talent but with so many titles treading along a well-worn path, the ones released by this publisher like to hack their way through the undergrowth to create something different. All in its well done, it has some great prose and with a protagonist that many will be able to associate with it’s a title that deserves to be explored at the very least.

INTERVIEW: Imogen Robertson

Authors are an unusual breed and to quote Richard Castle’s opening speech “There are two kinds of folks who sit around thinking about how to kill people: psychopaths and mystery writers. I'm the kind that pays better.“ Which to be honest pretty much sums up Imogen Robertson.

Now with her third book released we felt that it was high time we dove into the mind that blends historical fiction with crime and looked to what unfurled when we did. Here in this interview we chatted about music, writing and the training of “Boyo”…


Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?

Imogen Robertson: No, not an affliction. I love doing this for a living. That said, it is hard work and I often finish a writing day exhausted. The desire to communicate and create is, I think, a hard-wired necessity in human beings. It comes out in different ways for different people. For me, that way is writing, but then I can’t draw.


FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?

IR: I remember hammering out poems on my brother’s typewriter from the age of 10 onwards, but I didn’t really think being a writer was a possibility until I hit my thirties. Before then it seemed as distant and unlikely as being an astronaut or a ballet dancer.


FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this POV?

IR: I think if you can write a good short story, it shows all the skills you need to write anything else, but when you come to a novel you are wrestling (or that can be how it feels), with a great beast. It is a big undertaking and you have to bring to it a level of commitment that you don’t need for a short story.

It is said you have to be more precise with a short story, but that makes it sound like you wouldn’t be as rigorous with your prose in a novel. Every piece of writing should be approached with that level of care and craft.


FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?

IR: A series of historical mysteries written for people who want good writing and a good story. Actually I wouldn’t say any of that. I’m English. I’d point at the books vaguely and say ‘these are ok, I think.’ Then blush.


FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?

IR: Ahh, I can use my publisher’s line for this. ‘CSI meets Daphne du Maurier.’


FT: Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?

IR: Sarah Waters. An amazing writer, I never want to finish her books. Also Nikki Gerrard, Amanda Vickery, Amanda Craig and Terry Pratchett.


FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your ideas develop as you write?

IR: Yes and no. I spend weeks working out my plots, but they always change so I’m constantly replotting as I write. Often you’ll have characters behave in a way that makes sense when the novel is in outline, but as you start to write them, they come alive and you have to rethink their actions and motivations. I don’t often do character profiles, the character emerges in action.


FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?

IR: I run a couple of times a week. That always clears out my brain. I also play the cello, means I can’t think of anything else as I’m playing. And there’s heavy drinking because… hey I’m seeing a pattern here.

I just read Alex von Tunzelmann’s Read Heat about the cold war in the Caribbean. Alex is a friend of mine, but I forgot that as soon as I started reading and got completely caught up in it. It also lead me to order The Whole Island. It’s a volume covering six decades of Cuban poetry. I’m dipping into that with great delight at the moment, and I’m sure will carry on doing so for months.


FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?

IR: My boyfriend is a fantastic chef and does all of the cooking at home. When he’s not about I eat fish-finger sandwiches and cold baked beans out of the tin. And enjoy it.


FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)

IR: I don’t have any pets, but when I decided wanted Jocasta to have a dog in Anatomy of Murder I asked my boyfriend if I could name the dog after him. He said no, so I called the dog Boyo, then I started calling Ned Boyo. Oops. When Ned was reading Anatomy for the first time, I noticed he was frowning and asked him why. He said ‘sometimes the way Jocasta talks to Boyo is how you talk to me.’ Read into that what you will!


FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?

IR: My favourite new character in Island of Bones is Casper Grace. He is the cunning-man of the area, a sort of local wise man and healer. The book is set in Keswick in the Lake District in 1783. He has a freedom about him, and I admire how in tune he is with the landscape.


FT: How similar to your principal protagonist are you?

IR: I have two contrasting personalities at the centre of my books. Harriet Westerman who is independent, out-going, impulsive, and Gabriel Crowther who is much more reclusive and inward. He’s rather proud, rather suspicious of other people. I would like to be more Harriet, I suspect I’m more Crowther some days.


FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?

IR: The cello is the main hobby. I really love the baroque and early classical repertoire and Anatomy in particular is full of music and musicians.


FT: Where do you get your ideas from?

IR: Asking questions. You begin to have an idea of a character or a scene and then you start thinking, who is this person? What has happened? What do they want? Why do they want it?


FT: Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?

Hmm. Every book has problems you can’t write through, moments where just writing is no help and you have to stop and really think again. I never feel that I have no ideas, but I often feel I haven’t found the right one yet. You just have to breathe deep and do the thinking. I believe that feeling of drying up is always a symptom of a bigger problem in the book, so you have to find where that problem is and solve it. After that you normally get another surge of words and enthusiasm.


FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?

IR: I like the daylight hours. I need to feel fresh when I write. That said, once you are into a book you enter a phase of ‘never really not working’. I’ll be jotting down thoughts or mulling over plot problems fairly continuously.

My boyfriend is very understanding about being ignored when I’m working at the words. I think the reason so many authors work late at night is that they know no then one is going to remind them about a dentist’s appointment or ask what they want for dinner. I’m very lucky that Ned knows to leave me alone, so I get to work in the day.


FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?

IR: I often work with music on. It can help block out the rest of the world and keep my mind focussed on what I am doing. Only some things work though! Lots of baroque concertos and sonatas - great. If I listen to Beethoven, opera, or any music with lyrics I get too caught up and forget to write. Writing Island of Bones I listened a lot to Boccherini’s Quartet in C major, made famous by the Master and Commander film. Right mix of drama, surprise, joy. It is still a shot in the arm.


FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?

IR: I knew absolutely nothing, so a lot has come as a complete surprise. One thing is how well I’ve been looked after by my publishers, and how hard they work to make me feel valued. I was used to the rough and tumble of TV work, so it’s a bit strange to be handled so… sensitively! The other main thing is how little I know about all the work that goes into turning the book from a manuscript to a finished product, and then selling it. But then, there’s a limit to how much I should get involved with that. They’re the professionals, and my job is to write.


FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?

IR: Writing is the chef of the imagination! Hmm, you know, I think I actually mean that. It’s all about taking what your subconscious and research offers you and moulding that into a complete story. Just the way a chef takes the raw ingredients and creates a meal.


FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?

IR: I’ve just sent the fourth manuscript to my editor at Headline. Harriet and Crowther find themselves in the Court of an Duke in the Holy Roman Empire. They discover the secrets and conspiracies that lie behind a mysterious killing for which their friend has been arrested.


FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?

IR: Amazon, googlebooks, boinboing.net, facebook and slate.


FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.

IR: I have been going to a poetry workshop for many years now. It’s an amazing group, and a couple of hours a week really concentrating on poems, word by word, is of immense help to me. I also read a lot of books about writing and story. Particularly Stephen King, Lawrence Block and Robert McKee. Those years in TV were a good training too. You have to think about pace and structure all the time in TV.


FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?

IR: Well, poetry workshops mean you have to learn to listen without being too defensive, and TV producers will tell you what they think before worrying about your feelings too much. I did have some great encouragement early on though. My first submission anywhere was published in Mslexia, I was commended in the National Poetry Competition, then the big boost came when I was one of the winners in a Telegraph competition. Rejection is always horrible and always will be, I feel like curling up and crying anytime anyone criticises my writing. Bad reviews suck. But you’ve just got to remind yourself that there are people who like what you do, breath deep and keep going. And we all need criticism. If everyone tells you you are wonderful all the time, you aren’t going to get any better.


FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?

IR: Best? The freedom to do what you love and pay the mortgage. No commute. Fellowship with people you admire. Not having a boss. And the worst, well that’ll be the nagging self-doubt and the isolation. But it’s still the most fun way I’ve ever found of earning a living.

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: Anatomy of Murder and Island of Bones - Imogen Robertson

Release Date: 12/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

'Makes you want to read every word...the plot is serpentine and satisfying, with enough false trails and distractions to create a genuine mystery' Telegraph The streets of London seethe with rumour and conspiracy as the King's navy battles the French at sea. And while the banks of the Thames swarm with life, a body is dragged from its murky waters. In another part of town, where the air seems sweeter, the privileged enjoy a brighter world of complacent wealth and intoxicating celebrity. But as society revels in its pleasures, a darker plot is played out. Yet some are willing to look below the surface to the unsavoury depths. Mrs Harriet Westerman believes passionately in justice. Reclusive anatomist Gabriel Crowther is fascinated by the bones beneath the skin. Invited to seek the true nature of the dead man, they risk censure for an unnatural interest in murder. But when the safety of a nation is at stake, personal reputation must give way to the pursuit of reason and truth.


REVIEW:

History is not only written by the victors but, at times, by authors as it should have been rather than it was. Whilst they can’t take huge leaps with the events of the recorded they can play around with the minutae that leads to possible connections and as such that is what Imogen has done extremely well in this, her second novel.

Whilst it won’t appeal to everyone it is a title that has a great deal of imagination, a wonderful sense of 18th Century London and when backed with convincing almost background details brings the city of that century to life within the readers imagination. Add to this backdrop, strong lead characters who balance each other’s strengths and weaknesses well and it’s a title that many readers will have a hard time putting down. Finally add to the mix a wonderful sense of unrecorded history, a decent story arc and a touch of the flamboyant and it’s a title that will please as well as enthral many to Imogen’s writing style.




Release Date: 14/04/11

SYNOPSIS:

Cumbria, 1783. A broken heritage; a secret history...The tomb of the first Earl of Greta should have lain undisturbed on its island of bones for three hundred years. When idle curiosity opens the stone lid, however, inside is one body too many. Gabriel Crowther's family bought the Gretas' land long ago, and has suffered its own bloody history. His brother was hanged for murdering their father, the Baron of Keswick, and Crowther has chosen comfortable seclusion and anonymity over estate and title for thirty years. But the call of the mystery brings him home at last. Travelling with forthright Mrs Harriet Westerman, who is escaping her own tragedy, Crowther finds a little town caught between new horrors and old, where ancient ways challenge modern justice. And against the wild and beautiful backdrop of fells and water, Crowther discovers that his past will not stay buried.


REVIEW:

Coming from Cumbria I have more than a passing acquaintance with the area’s mentioned by Imogen within this title so to be honest with you, I was a little apprehensive at first as I did end up wondering if she would be able to bring the whole thing together as well as give a flavour of the area for the reader to enjoy. What unfurls in this book is part prehistory of Gabriel as well as continuing his current timeline as he seeks to come to terms with not only his past but also his emotions as things are revealed that were previously unknown.

It’s cleverly done, the interweaving of the various threads wonderfully thought out and when backed with clear, almost photographic descriptions, the reader will have a treat in store. What I would advise however is that you look up some of the area’s within the book on various image sites as the landscape to Derwent Water hasn’t hugely changed in order to give yourself a fuller picture of the land. Finally add to all this Imogen’s trademark prose as well as decent dialogue and characterisation and it’s a title that makes a wonderful addition to this established series.


Please click on the following link for a short film about some of the locations in Anatomy of Murder.

INTERVIEW: Nishi Serrano

Whilst we're currently exploring the possibilities of an E-Reader (or the Steamnautics Plasma AethaManualizer V.2 Prototype) we get to hear from writerly friends about a publisher or two that we really should be looking at. Thanks to one of our writerly pals (PJ Schnyder), we've been pointed towards Nishi Seranno who we thought we'd bring to your attention. So here, for your viewing pleasure an interview with the charming authoress who's currently recruiting.

Discover the unknown, adventure to extraordinary heights, steampunk needs you...

Falcata Times: Writing is said to be something that people are afflicted with rather than gifted and that it's something you have to do rather than want. What is your opinion of this statement and how true is it to you?

Nishi Jean: Perhaps afflicted with a gift is how I would term it, and as with any gift (passion) you have to want to do it, because if you weren’t afflicted with said gift, would you want to do it?


FT: When did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?

NS: One day in the fourth grade, I arrived at school and the class was promptly ushered to assembly for story time. The school had hired a professional storyteller, complete with puppets and costumes. I don’t rightly remember the yarn—it was some bit of folklore—but I do recall being enthralled, and thinking to myself, “I want to tell stories!”

My fascination of all things fantastical and morbid only grew, and living in unique situations, like deep dark forests and the surreal streets of Hollywood fueled my imagination.


FT: It is often said that if you can write a short story you can write anything. How true do you think this is and what have you written that either proves or disproves this POV?

NS: Hmm … I was petrified of writing short stories at first. Back in the 80’s, when I was a teenager (sigh), I wrote a short vampire story. At a sleep-over I asked my friend to read it, she did, and demanded her parents be called to pick her up. She never came to my house again. Secretly, I was happy.


FT: If someone were to enter a bookshop, how would you persuade them to try your novel over someone else's and how would you define it?

NS: Okay, let’s say you walked into a bookshop, and picked up a novel by one of your favorite fantasy authors, I would stroll over and tap you on the shoulder. You would turn and look askance. I would query what you have in your hand; we would banter. I’d hand you a flyer for my novel Wandering Hallows Night. “What’s this?” you say … I’d tell you this: In College I took archaeology and volunteered on paleontological digs, you know, the kind where they dig up the bones of creatures past? Well, let me inform you, when people tell you monsters aren’t real—they’re lying through their pearly whites! I discovered there are more things dug up from the ground never sent to the public eye; instead studied, catalogued, and stuffed in a climate controlled vault. Even beasts resembling what today looks like an honest-to-goodness walking upright werewolf! My treasure is monsters and the supernatural, something we think possible to exist, but deny, one of life’s mysteries. And that’s what I put into my writing. Straight up adventure, on the dark side, shaken, not stirred. If your courageous enough, join me for a ride into worlds and creatures just out of sight, but most definitely real!


FT: How would you "sell" your book in 20 words or less?

NS: WHN is like Jane Eyre dosed on hits and starring in a Burton film co-written by Gaiman, Barker, and Mieville.


FT: Who is a must have on your bookshelf and whose latest release will find you on the bookshops doorstep waiting for it to open?

NS: Truly, I cannot have less than five top ones I love with equal fervor on my bookshelf: Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, F. Paul Wilson, and Robert R. McCammon.

As to waiting at the bookshop and breathing heavily on the glass, my guilty pleasure is for a certain albino Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast; my heart is twitterpatting.


FT: When you sit down and write do you know how the story will end or do you just let the pen take you? ie Do you develop character profiles and outlines for your novels before writing them or do you let your ideas develop as you write?

NS: The funny thing about stories and characters is they tend to have mind-control. Don’t laugh, I’m serious. They must be alive somewhere, because the oddest synchronicities occur when they do. For example: last night I wrote a piece for my blog titled ‘Chimera’, after a character in WHN whom I’m particularly fond of, after posting it, I treated myself to an episode of X-files before retiring. The title of the episode happened to be—Chimera—I couldn’t stop laughing.


FT: What do you do to relax and what have you read recently?

NS: Um, what I really do to relax, I probably shouldn’t mention, but it involves gadgetry. I do not do this while I’m reading; however, reading has been known to be a precursor.

‘Draculas’ by Crouch, Kilborn, Strand, and Wilson is a most recent read. It was relentlessly awesome!


FT: What is your guiltiest pleasure that few know about?

NS: Ha, ha, ha … Oh, if only I could tell. Few know my love for designing atmospheres (I used to work in spfx and haunted houses), and creating monsters. Hopefully, my love of these will soon be known through the expression of my writing, were I can build worlds and joyfully imagine creatures pulled from my darkest fantasies.


FT: Lots of writers tend to have pets. What do you have and what are their key traits (and do they appear in your novel in certain character attributes?)

NS: Aw, I love animals! They are the one thing in my novels you will never hear about being tortured or hurt, I don’t condone cruelty to animals. Goo is my fuzzy child. She is a healthy and rambunctious cat who is spoiled beyond belief. There are no characters yet who have her personality, which is lazing about while obsessing over food. Her favorites are corn chips, and crack cheese.


FT: Which character within your latest book was the most fun to write and why?

NS: There are two (so far): Maira Annwyn from Wandering Hallows Night, and Abigail Bertram from my steampunk erotica. Maira because she is a totally innocent hearted monster (think Dexter, except I wrote her long before the first episode of Dexter released). And, Abby because she is tough as nails, but wishes a man would treat her like her inner delicate flower. If you care to read a little back story about Maira, you can visit my blog at: www.nishiserrano.blogspot.com.


FT: How similar to your principal protagonist are you?

NS: In the fact she is constantly being tested, I would say we have that in common. Due to the fact I’m morbid, I probably identify with certain other characters in my work. Then again, because they have mind-control, I must have dual personalities.


FT: What hobbies do you have and how do they influence your work?

NS: Oh, my. I’m an avid ghost hunter, adventurer, and event attendee. Burning Man has been a huge influence, I love Black Rock City!


FT: Where do you get your ideas from?

NS: I don’t, they get me. They find me in dreams, on walks, during sex, you name it, I’ve tried to hide, but there’s no escaping them!


FT: Do you ever encounter writers block and if so how do you overcome it?

NS: Lucky to say, no writers block yet. The only block I have is called W-O-R-K; since I’m new to the scene I still work in the real world too.


FT: Certain authors are renowned for writing at what many would call uncivilised times. When do you write and how do the others in your household feel about it?

NS: My partner is very understanding of my whims, the bonus is he’s an offshore diver, so he’s hardly home anyway.


FT: Sometimes pieces of music seem to influence certain scenes within novels, do you have a soundtrack for your tale or is it a case of writing in silence with perhaps the odd musical break in-between scenes?

NS: Music helps to clear my brain and take me to the places where my characters wait for me, and then, the earth could be crumbling to pieces, and I wouldn’t notice.


FT: What misconceptions, if any, did you have about the writing and publishing field when you were first getting started?

NS: Too many misconceptions to mention. I started putting my feelers out right about the time the publishing world seemed to be falling apart. On top of all that, I had a few strange experiences with a number of agents, maybe because of all the re-organizing and absorbing of companies. It was difficult, and time consuming, very, very time consuming. I still don’t understand what’s going on. I do know I’m proud to be an author with two smaller publishing houses: Hellfire Publishing, Inc. and Decadent Publishing. They rock!


FT: If music be the food of love, what do you think writing is and please explain your answer?

NS: Is music the food of love? I thought steamy unbridled sex was? Yeah, writing is orgasmically cerebral, totally!


FT: What can you tell us about the next novel?

NS: Currently, I’m writing multiple projects. The second book to ‘Wandering Hallows Night’, adult version and young adult version: A post-apocalyptic world taken over by the Sidhelie (but I can’t divulge any more! I’ve already said too much!). A steampunk erotica companion novella to ‘Mile High Airship Club’: the further adventures of Lady Rose, and her friend Abigail, filled with undersea peepshows, naughty contraptions, and tons of sex. A steampunk dark fantasy with a twist of Sherlock Holmes meets Hellraiser. And, a young adult novel about a boy’s Lovecraftian quest at sea.


FT: What are the last five internet sites that you've visited?

NS: Falcata Times, The Steampunk Empire, Netflix, Lovecraft eZine, Goodreads.


FT: Did you ever take any writing classes or specific instructions to learn the craft? If so please let us know which ones.

NS: Only in high school, where I won a few awards in English and creative writing.


FT: How did you get past the initial barriers of criticism and rejection?

NS: You just have to understand before you even begin that some people will love your work, and some people will hate it, there is no in-between. It’s never easy though. As a writer, you want people to admire your work, to fall into the stories and be carried away from life.


FT: In your opinion, what are the best and worst aspects of writing for a living?

NS: The best is writing itself. The worst is, as a struggling artist, writing as a hobby and not as a living.

To keep up to date please visit:
Nishi's Blog

For E-Books from her publishers please go to:
Decadent Publishing
Hellfire Publishing

WRITING ADVICE: Writing the Paranormal Novel - Steven Harper

Release Date: 25/03/11

SYNOPSIS:

Writing a paranormal novel(those with ghosts, telepaths, vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and more) takes more than tossing in a sexy vampire or adding a magic wand. It takes an original idea, believable characters, a compelling plot, surprising twists, and great writing.

Broken down into four parts, Writing the Paranormal Novel explores:
Prewriting - what a paranormal book is, how to choose supernatural elements, deciding what impact the supernatural will have on your fictional world, research tips, and how to deal with cliches;
Paranormal Character Building - techniques for creating different types of supernatural protagonists and antagonists, supporting players, and - of course - the non-human;
World Building - developing a strong plot and complementary subplots, controlling pacing, writing fight scenes and flashbacks, using dialogue, and much more;
Submitting - tips for preparing your work for submission, polishing sample chapters, and more.


REVIEW:

As a part time writer I do spend a certain amount of my free time going through advice titles to make sure that area’s that I know I’m weak within I can improve not only through hard work but through words of wisdom from people who have trodden the same path before.

In this title by Steven Harper you get a lot of advice pertaining to the Paranormal novel and whether you like the elements or Kelley Armstrong’s Werewolves or you want Stacia Kane’s Ghosts or even perhaps the Wizarding world of JKR or Jim Butcher it helps you identify what you need to do in order to keep the rules constant so that the book wouldn’t be one singular element or character to place it within the genre.

What really works for the majority of these books from the Writers Digest, in my opinion, is the fact that they’re written clearly, they have some great pieces of advice that can take years to learn and even the pieces you do do well can be improved and worked upon almost as if you were creating a mural with words as your paint.

Finally add to this helpful information for what some would term as standard writing practices such as character growth alongside dialogue and it’s a book that has taught me more than a few lessons as well as giving me a greater understanding for why some of the writing I do works well whilst others don’t.

HISTORICAL FICTION REVIEW: Vespasian 1: Tribune of Rome - Robert Fabbri

Release Date: 10/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

ONE MAN: ONE DESTINY 26 AD: Sixteen-year-old Vespasian leaves his family farm for Rome, his sights set on finding a patron and following his brother into the army. But he discovers a city in turmoil and an Empire on the brink. The aging emperor Tiberius is in seclusion on Capri, leaving Rome in the iron grip of Sejanus, commander of the Praetorian Guard. Sejanus is ruler of the Empire in all but name, but many fear that isn't enough for him. Sejanus' spies are everywhere - careless words at a dinner party can be as dangerous as a barbarian arrow. Vespasian is totally out of his depth, making dangerous enemies (and even more dangerous friends - like the young Caligula) and soon finds himself ensnared in a conspiracy against Tiberius. With the situation in Rome deteriorating, Vespasian flees the city to take up his position as tribune in an unfashionable legion on the Balkan frontier. Unblooded and inexperienced, he must lead his men in savage battle with hostile mountain tribes - dangerous enough without renegade Praetorians and Imperial agents trying to kill him too. Somehow, he must survive long enough to uncover the identity of the traitors behind the growing revolt.


REVIEW:

With a whole host of books out there featuring the roman army in action, an author has to do something a little different or special to get their title not only noticed but also read by the literal army of potential fans out there. What Robert Fabbri does in his debut novel is place one of the most intruiging Roman Emperors who rose to this elevated position during the “Year of the Four Emperors” (AD 68-69).

Here Robert takes Vespasian from his young beginnings and weaves a magical tale for the reader that will see him rise due to his natural talents. It’s cleverly written, the principle protagonist comes to life within the pages and the reader really is in for a treat as the book unveils its tale through clever prose and steady pace almost matching the legionaries of ancient Rome itself. All in this book is a decent beginning for a great story and a solid debut for a new author. It’s definitely going to be interesting to see how Robert develops over subsequent titles.

GUEST BLOG: Berserkjahraun - Michael Ridpath

Here at Falcata Times, we love it when one of our author friends takes time out to write a special guest piece for ourselves. Here Michael Ridpath, author of the Fire and Ice Series writes about the special are he visited on his last trip that he brings to life for the readers within his second book, 66 Degrees North.

Enjoy...

Well, he was very happy with the plot, which revolves around a disparate group of Icelanders who are angry at the credit crunch and want to take revenge on the people they feel are responsible. But he wanted a bit more myth, a bit more history, a bit more atmosphere. That was what he had liked about Shadows, which featured an ancient saga that had inspired Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and he wanted more.

Now, I am quite capable of standing up to editors when I disagree with them: but it’s a lot harder when secretly you know they are right. My problem was that a bunch of Icelanders upset at their modern bankers did not lead itself to much history or myth. I mulled this over for a few days and realised that there was a sub plot concerning Magnus’s childhood and dark goings on in his own family that might provide me with the opportunity I was looking for. I needed somewhere atmospheric and full of myth and history for Magnus to be brought up.

I read through my notes and reread Magnus Magnusson’s book Iceland Saga. The Snaefells Peninsula looked like a good candidate. This is about 200km from Reykjavík as the car drives. At one end is an old volcano under an icecap, the Snaefellsjökull, which was Jules Verne’s entry point for his Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

I booked a flight to Keflavík, and a hired car for two days, and read The Saga of the People of Eyri on the plane. This recounts the adventures of the Viking settlers who arrived in the Snaefells Peninsula at the end of the ninth century. There was a particular story that intrigued me.

There were two brothers, Vermundur the Lean and Styr whose farms were separated by a frozen torrent of lava. Vermundur went “raiding and trading” as Vikings did in those days, and returned home with two Swedish berserker servants. Berserkers were powerful warriors who could whip themselves into a frenzy in combat whereupon they were almost invincible. Vermundur couldn’t cope with his new employees and passed them across the lava field to his brother Styr. Styr has trouble with them too, especially when one of them wanted to marry his daughter. He was frightened of the berserker, but said that he would allow the marriage if the berserkers cut a path through the lava field to his brother’s farm.

This they did, after working themselves into a frenzy. They returned exhausted to Styr’s sauna. He turned the heat up, and when they rushed out, he ran them both through with a spear. Then he buried them in the middle of the lava field.



A nice story I thought. So when I landed at Keflavík, I drove north through magnificent countryside to the Snaefells Peninsula. I crossed the Kerlingin Pass through the mountains that form the backbone of the peninsula and pulled over. In front of me was a view that took my breath away. In the background was Breidafjördur, “Broad Fjord” and the mountains of the West Fjords in the distance. To the right was the tiny Helgafell or “Holy Mountain”, and in the foreground was a tumult of stone, grey waves lapping around conical mountains of black and orange, a motionless torrent gushing about ten miles down to the sea. On the edge of the fjord on either side of the lava field were two white farms, Bjarnarhöfn and Hraun, the places where Vermundur and Styr lived. Over to the east were other farms that I recognized from the saga, where Snorri Godi and other warriors farmed, plotted and squabbled.

I drove down to the Berserkjahraun, or “Berserkers’ Lava Field”. I parked the car where the frozen lava tumbled into a small bay, right by the farm of Hraun. There was a little path, only about nine inches wide, but a couple of feet deep, cut into the stone. I walked along it until I came to a squat cairn, big enough to hold two bodies. I sat down on the moss covered rock, and surveyed the twisted silhouettes of lava around me. A couple of yards away were the bones of those men who had cut the path beside me a thousand years ago. It was completely quiet, save for the wind rustling the bilberry leaves and the odd cry of an eider duck.

I flew back to England the following afternoon, my mind teeming with ideas for Magnus’s childhood. Problem solved.

Michael Ridpath

CRIME REVIEW: Fire and Ice 2: 66 Degree's North - Michael Ridpath

Release Date: 12/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

Iceland 1934: Two boys playing in the lava fields that surround their isolated farmsteads see something they shouldn't have. The consequences will haunt them and their families for generations.

Iceland 2009: the credit crunch bites. The currency has been devalued, banks nationalized, savings annihilated, lives ruined. Grassroots revolution is in the air, as is the feeling that someone ought to pay... ought to pay the blood price. And in a country with a population of just 300,000 souls, in a country where everyone knows everybody, it isn’t hard to draw up a list of exactly who is responsible. And then, one-by-one, to cross them off.


REVIEW:

Having read Michael’s original release I fell in love with Iceland, not that I’ve ever visited but the descriptions of not only the landscape but the peoples really struck a chord with me as they’re not just a snapshot but a fully rounded gathering of a culture that is not only fascinating but reminiscent of a time long gone in the UK where everyone knew who was who locally.

It’s beautifully written, the prose sharp with an overall arc that keeps the story moving at a wonderful pace as well as allowing the reader the chance to gather their thoughts as each clue pops up. Add to this a friendly as well as authoritative writing style and it’s a title that I really couldn’t put down. The only thing that could have been better I suspect would be to have read this book in the land to which it walks through the lava fields and visiting the rich heritage of the saga’s. Wonderful.

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: The Damned Busters - Matthew Hughes

Release Date: 05/05/11

SYNOPSIS:

A hilariously demonic romp through Hell and Back. When mild-mannered actuary Chesney Artstruther accidentally summons a demon and refuses to sell his soul, Hell goes on strike - but with no demons to tempt mankind, the world slows down. No temptation means no ambition, and no drive - the world's manufacturing and agriculture suffers, and something must be done! Chesney agrees to help, but in return he wants to be a superhero with a demonic sidekick!


REVIEW:

On reading the book blurb for this title I really wasn’t sure what I was going to get. Yes I knew that there was going to be superhero antics, yes I knew that heaven and hell were involved and yes I was aware that humour was to take all these concepts and blend them together in one unholy amalgam.

The trouble with humour though is that its subjective to the reader, especially when you think that the whole Heaven and Hell angle has only really been tackled in two humour titles previously in recent years, Lamb by Christopher Moore and of course the now lauded Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Why just these two? Well it’s a tricky blend to achieve and to be honest very few do it well enough to get away.

What Matt achieves in this title is not only chock full of humour but a title that has an unlikely hero, a devilishly intriguing sidekick and above all else a plot that moves along at its own pace keeping the humour very much in the fore. It makes no bones about what it is, it has some novel solutions and it was a title that gave me a lot of fun with my reading time, so much so that I really couldn’t wait to get back to it. All in the prose is decent, the characters outstanding and the overall arc very pleasing to the reader. Great stuff.

BLOG QUESTIONS: Reading Ape

Hail Mighty Readers,
I’ve had the privilege of being a member of Book Blogs for a little while now and every so often there’s a thread that comes up that you really has to dive into and give some honest answers to. Skip at the Reading Ape has just asked a set of questions that were not only thought provoking but insightful so here are my own responses to them:


1. What does book blogging do best?

It gets the word out to readers about titles that are worth their money, it gives new authors a voice and to be honest it gives everyone the chance to say what they like and thus hopefully influence the market in the future.


2. If you write a book blog, why do you?

I write because I love to read. Whilst I also dabble in creating fiction, its just for my own pleasure and as such would never be of publishable quality. Blogging gives me chance to voice what I think of a book and, hopefully, allows authors to know what I appreciated in the title that, for some, has taken years to write.

Other than that, as I mentioned in question one, it allows readers to make a more informed choice about where to spend their hard earned money.


3. What do you think the future of book blogging is?

The future of blogging I think is something that’s going to evolve. As more become internet dependent for purchasing as well as research, book blogging is going to be something that will always be there to entertain as well as inform. Yes in twenty years time we may be more Electron destroyers than trees but in essence we’ll all still be there in one form or another.


4. What do your favorite book bloggers do?

This is tricky to answer, the blogs that I tend to read often are the ones that engage me with their review style. I like the way they get their point across, I like the way that they have some tastes similar to me and perhaps best of all I like it when they bring a new author to my attention that I may have missed and I also like the way that they bring me author interviews so that I can gage if I like their personality.


5. If you could tell all book bloggers one thing, what would it be?

It doesn’t matter how small you are, there will be people out there that agree with your point of view and whilst you may worry about being honest about a title, you have to be as without integrity you lose your readers.


6. If you could change one thing about book blogging, what would it be?

The countless hours spent typing. LOL Seriously, I’d like to have it so that people wouldn’t tell me the books story from start to finish, by all means utilise the book blurb but other than that leave the rest a mystery by commenting on the writing style, the characters and the prose.


7. How do you think book blogging fits into the reading landscape?

Blogging is there to help people choose how to spend their hard earned money on titles that will entertain. In the past I used to get annoyed as well as upset when I spent money on a title where I felt that I didn’t get value for money. I’m not saying that this is a common occurrence but at the end of the day, with money becoming tighter, luxuries like books are often overlooked due to a poor experience. By blogging we can help people find that gem that they’ve been looking for.


8. What about your own book blogging would you like to do better/differently?

To be honest I’m not sure. I do look at how I do things quite often, and where possible implement changes to help make it a better experience not only for readers but for me. When thinking things through, I suppose I’d like to be able to spend more time reading and perhaps plan further into the future than I do but when you work to a rough six month schedule things can get hectic at the beginning and completely change by the end due to publishing changes.




Gareth