Rereading Jane Eyre

Letter R The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘R’ is for Jo Robinson, author of African Me & Satellite TV

Why do I recommend African Me & Satellite TV?

Where to begin telling you why I loved African Me & Satellite TV? Perhaps because it’s the only novel which has brought a tear to my eye, or perhaps because Jo has summarised the heart-wrenching story of Africa, or even more of Colonisation, in a beautiful and moving novel.

In the true Postcolonial style, like Lessing or Gordimer, Jo gives a voice to the minor character in her novel, because she knows that real history is not made up of the names of Kings and Queens, but of the names of anonymous, apparently secondary, previously unseen and unheard characters, like Christopher, a seemingly mentally retarded gardener, who acts as a catalyst for the moral awakening of Suzette, and her whole town.

I suffered as I read about the lies, repression, silence, hatred, racism, intolerance, and worst of all indifference, until Suzette realises that when injustice reigns, happiness is impossible because, as she reminds her neighbours, ‘he who allows oppression shares the crime.’ However, realisation and compassion will not come easily, many human and emotional sacrifices are to be made, as black and white South Africans are able to understand and forgive, although Suzette reminds us that, ‘not everything is forgivable.’

This novel is about empowerment, redemption, positive action, and second opportunities. Christopher’s childhood friend, Terry, reminds us that, ‘if we’d all been pacifists we’d probably still be slaves.’ Although the ending is optimistic, the reader is aware that there are many people missing at the funeral, many of them who would prefer the injustice to continue. In fact, the battle for justice has only just begun.

Do not read this book if you’re not prepared to feel torn apart and then stitched back to hopefulness. Do not read this book if you want a light and easy read. Do not read this book if you don’t care about injustice, freedom, discrimination, or cruelty. This book is for people who still have hope in making the world a better place. Do you?

What is African Me & Satellite TV about, Jo?

African Me & Satellite TV is about standing up for what you believe in, and speaking out against injustice. It’s about a woman who has lived in fear of others finding out what she truly believes – especially her own family, because she has some very well hidden but powerful beliefs. She lets life pass her by rather than rocking the boat, the same way that most of us do on one thing or another. We let things go. We look away from the pain of others rather than face the wrath of the majority. Something happens in this story though that leaves Suzette no other path, and she finally finds the courage to do the right thing.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on finishing at least two of the books in my Shadow People series which I plan on publishing at exactly the same time, as well as three non-fiction books. I love to write mainstream fiction as with African Me, but I also write other genres. The Shadow People series probably covers a couple of genres just on its own. As well as aliens including dragons, water dwellers and a race of sentients that resemble giant Earth chickens, it encompasses many things from spirituality to angels, demons, and ancient legends. The multiverse has reached a tipping point where evil must be stopped from being the major force in it if all is not to be lost forever. A small group of people join forces with others, including the mysterious living spaceships – the Vimana, and an equally mysterious group of angelic beings.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’ve been a writer for much, much longer than I realised. I wrote courses and put together brochures, and translated and typed stories for others for a while. Even as I wrote the first paragraph of African Me & Satellite TV, which was the first fiction I ever wrote, I still believed that to be a writer you had to be taught – go to college and learn it. I was wrong though. Writers just are. From the books that they read, and the fiction that has probably always played out in their head way before they scribbled their first word. As well as writing I also love a bit of art. I’m well aware that I’m not as good at painting and sketching as “proper” artists, but lately having discovered the joy of digital art and photography (also not as good as the “propers”), I’ve discovered a brand new love of cover design. What more could I ask for than books and their covers? I’m probably seen as eccentric by those around me, apart from my feathered horde of two parrots and two weaver birds, who just see me as theirs.

How can we find out more or contact you?

Global link for African Me & Satellite

My Blog

Find me on Google+

Find me on Goodreads

My Twitter

My Amazon Author Page

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Letter Q The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge and Follower 300

Letter ‘Q’ is for the Quest for Followers and my Celebration of Follower Number 300

April Author Spotlight 2015 Karen Long, author of The Safe Word

I started blogging regularly last May, 2014. A few weeks ago, when I realized my number of followers was close to 300, I decided I’d celebrate such a special occasion with a spotlight on the blogger.

Karen Long became my Follower 300, and it so happens that she’s an author, so today the Author Spotlight is for Karen, Author of The Safe Word and The Vault.

As this happened a couple of days ago, it’s the only novel in the A to Z Blogging Challenge I haven’t read yet (although I’ve started and I’ll be writing a review once I finish reading), so I’ll let Karen do all of the talking about her novel.

What is The Safe Word about?

Toronto has become the backdrop to a macabre set of artistic installations: women kidnapped, tortured and horrifically displayed by a killer with a vision.

Only someone capable of understanding the killer’s creative desire will be able to stop the murders and D I Eleanor Raven is uniquely qualified. Driven by a complex personality she pursues only the facts, only the things she can see, but never casts a judgement.

But she also has a dark and dangerous secret – one that will threaten her very survival.

What type of reader would like to read it?

I’d say The Safe Word is considered to be quite dark crime fiction, probably closer in taste to Mo Hayder, Thomas Harris and Jo Nesbo than Agatha Christie. I have a strong but troubled female protagonist, whose tendency to indulge in less than safe sexual practices adds to the conflict surrounding her. I love a good twist and believe that great plotting is the secret to a good read, as are complex and believable characters. The first two novels in The Eleanor Raven series are less ‘who’ and more ‘whydunnit’. Exploring the psychopathic mind is a big part of my writing, though ‘The Cold Room’, which I’m writing at the moment, is all about the ‘who’.

What are you working on now?

I’m balancing writing a screenplay with book three in the Eleanor Raven series, The Cold Room and hoping it’ll be ready for publication in the summer. I also write a weekly blog about my life and my interest in forensic matters. I’m a big fan of authenticity, so if my character has a fight, I go and learn how hard it is and how much it hurts (a lot!). Eleanor Raven uses a Glock .19 and I have to learn how to take one apart, reload and shoot it. It’s all great fun but essential if you want a reader to stay hooked. It really matters that my descriptions of a post mortem are accurate, so not only do I read and study a lot I make sure that I go watch and experience as much as possible.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I was born and raised in the English midlands, educated at Bangor University and taught English and Drama for fifteen years. During my teaching years I studied biology and neurology with the Open University and this interest in medicine, forensics and forensic psychology is reflected in my writing. My husband films all over the world, so a great deal of my time is spent abroad, where I indulge my love of wildlife. I’m a keen amateur naturalist with a deep and abiding love for the crow family and have dedicated time, love and several fingers in an effort to rehabilitate crows, magpies, rooks and ravens. I’m due to take possession of a baby female raccoon in the next three weeks.

How can we know more or contact you?

Amazon UK The Safe Word

Amazon US The Safe Word

Amazon author page

My Facebook

My Blog:

My Website

Find me on Goodreads

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Silent Sunday 19th April 2015

Add a picture taken by you this week. No words. Have a look at some of the other pictures here http://www.cosmicgirlie.com/2015/04/19/silent-sunday-107/#idc-container

Stream Of Consciousness Saturday #SoCS: ‘Peace’

This post is written in response to Linda G. Hill’s prompt on Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Today’s theme is “piece/peace.” Make one or both your theme or just include them somehow in your post. Anyone can join in! Enjoy posting and/or Reading other posts here!

Inner Peace versus World Peace

I used to think about world peace.

When I was young(er), I thought big; the world was my oyster. Ironically, at that time, in the 1970s, Internet, google, smart phone, low-cost travel, etc. were not in our vocabulary. So the information we had about the rest of the world was reduced to documentaries, and occasional news from a few friends and relatives scattered around the globe, but that didn’t matter, I thought very big. Why not?

Anything and everything, such as world peace, was possible, although I never really thought about how it would ever come about, as if just willing it would be enough.

I would talk about it, take part in debates, sometimes even marches. I also wrote letters to newspapers, or my local MP, as if it were possible just by talking and writing about it.

When I started working, in the 80s, I was busy paying my bills and bringing up a family, and in spite of still having the same ideals, I was no longer doing anything towards them, except believing. I still believed world peace was possible. Why not?

I can’t pinpoint exactly when it all started, but as I’m approaching my retirement, I no longer believe in grand issues such as world peace. Don’t get me wrong, I wish it would happen, I just no longer believe it will in my lifetime, and I’m even more convinced that I’ll never have anything to do with it, if it does happen.

It doesn’t mean I don’t have dreams any more, I do. It’s just that in spite of all the technological and digital innovations and massive worldwide communication, my dreams have become more realistic. Despite having friends and acquaintances (some I’ve met, others I never will. I say this knowing it doesn’t matter, or does it?) in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, Canada, as well as Europe, the US and parts of South America, my dreams have become intimate and local. Very local.

Now I dream with my own inner peace, because it’s the only one which is in my hands, and it’s the only one I now value.

I’m aware that ‘peace’ is an arbitrary word, so I feel obliged to clarify what it means to me.

Being at peace with myself and my surroundings means I’m not interested in races or arguments, being right, or being perfect. I just want to be at peace with myself and those I interact with and care about.

I try to do the things that make me happy, and I also make sure I feel happy about the things I do, so I make sure those around me don’t sweat the small stuff, and look at the bigger and nicer picture, as I do.

I’ve found many things which make me feel at peace:

Reading and writing, talking and thinking about reading and writing, meeting other writers and like-minded people, being with my children and grandchildren, going to the cinema, for a walk, or a coffee with my friends, and valuing the routine, wonderful, little things I enjoy as often as posible, such as a walk by the beach, a stroll in the countryside, an interesting conversation, or an occasional glass of wine.

And when I have to do things which are not my choice, I make an effort to enjoy them. I refuse to argue about unimportant things. Fortunately, my job does not involve life and death situations, so very few things are important enough to argue about. I make an effort to see people’s good points, and work at them, overlooking their worse points, and if I really can’t see any good points (I’m still an optimist, so this doesn’t happen often), I make sure I avoid them as much as possible.

I’ve come to believe that if I’m at peace with myself and can transmit that peace to those around me, locally and internationally, by paying in forward and having as my only aim to bring peace to myself and those around me, then the world will be a more peaceful place.

I take part in initiatives such as #Speak1000, which posts on compassion, bullying, etc. and I occasionally cooperate with local volunteer organisations and initiatives, too. I can manage that. Can’t we all?

If we all brought peace to our lives and those around us, world peace might be posible, might it not? So perhaps I do still believe in world peace after all, don’t I?

What gives you peace?

How do you avoid or cope with things or people who take away your peace?

Letter P The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘P’ is for Dominic Piper, author of Kiss Me When I’m Dead

Why do I recommend Kiss Me When I’m Dead?

Kiss Me When I’m Dead is a contemporary detective novel narrated in the first person, present tense, stream-of-consciousness style, by witty and shrewd Daniel Beckett, in the classic style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.

The use of language is so skilled that every single paragraph, page, and chapter moves the story on, or tells us something about Beckett and the array of characters who come to life. Nothing is wasted, every word kept me alert, as I was literally immersed into Beckett’s mind, and rushed around London, encountering an eclectic array of unconventional, and often larger than life, characters. There were times I thought I was living inside a comic, others it was like watching a film by Howard Hawks, except often it was more like Tarantino, with plenty of action and sex, although neither is graphic, which I was grateful for.

Finally, the plot is full of twists and turns, most of which I didn’t even suspect. I didn’t realise how perfect the title of the novel was until I read the last chapter. Kiss Me When I’m Dead is a fun and exciting ride. I loved it!

What kind of reader would like Kiss Me When I’m Dead, Dominic?

Kiss Me When I’m Dead seems to attract the attention and appreciation of people who would never usually read a detective novel of any sort. They are surprised by the wit and particularly the personality of the main character, womanising private detective Daniel Beckett. But Beckett’s womanising is not of the sleazy, alpha-male variety and I think this is why many female readers like the novel and like him. Beckett, as a person, is quite a mystery and reveals nothing about himself. He has a skill set that alludes to an unusual, possibly sinister past. What that past may be is left up to the reader to decide, though there are clues everywhere. One review mentioned that the novel was ‘beautifully written’, which I was pleased to see. I take care over the words I use and try to put interesting pictures in the readers’ minds.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently writing the second novel featuring Daniel Beckett. This doesn’t have a title yet, as that’s usually the last thing I think of. I keep having to check back to the first novel to get various details of Beckett’s life consistent. That was a problem I didn’t face with the first one as it was all new. I’ve drawn a couple of flow charts detailing the plot, but I rarely stick to it. It’s more interesting for me if I don’t really know what’s going to happen. Often, some random event or comment will take the plot in a totally new direction. This is what happened when I was writing Kiss We When I’m Dead. It’s tempting to make a follow-up a kind of ‘part two’ of the first one, particularly when it’s been critically acclaimed, but I hope I’m avoiding that. I’m starting out of the window a lot.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That’s a good question. Whenever I’m reading books, I prefer to know nothing about the author as I don’t think it’s important. I’m aware that many authors write about themselves and their own experiences, but I’m not one of those. There’s been a boom in indie publishing since it became easier to do, and I often notice that a lot of indie writers are writing about personal issues that are often mentioned in their biographies. I don’t think I’d ever do that as I don’t think it exercises the imagination enough. Part of the fun of writing for me is making huge imaginative leaps into worlds that you have no experience of and hopefully those leaps will excite and stimulate the reader.

How can we find out more or contact you?

Dominic Piper on Twitter: @DominicPiper1

Dominic Piper on Facebook: Dominic Piper

Dominic Piper Amazon Author Page:

Kiss Me When I’m Dead on Amazon US and Amazon UK

Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Letter O The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘O’ is for Lara Ormiston, author of Unequal Affections

Why do I recommend Unequal Affections?

When I finished reading Unequal Affections, I felt as if I had been transported through a time-tunnel to Longbourn and Pemberley and into Elizabeth and Darcy’s lives two hundred years ago. I had been an invisible visitor, observing them both throughout their month of courting. I loved the way Lara Ormiston gets inside both their minds equally, something I always miss in Austen. I felt I knew them, and understood their reasons and motivations perfectly.

Unequal Affections is one of the most beautiful, engrossing, and haunting books I’ve read. It’s clever, original and enthralling, and I relished every chapter, every page, and every word, and I’ll no doubt be reading it again, because it’s a book to be savoured slowly and repeatedly. Absorbing reading if you’re in a romantic mood.

By the way, I’m begging for a sequel. I hope Lara S. Ormiston writes one, because I need to go back and see how they coped with the challenges their marriage would no doubt face.

What kind of readers would enjoy Unequal Affections, Lara?

I think my book would appeal to anyone who enjoys character-driven romances, and in particular anyone who loves period stories—and of course, Jane Austin fans! It’s a character study, really, that focuses on attitudes toward love and marriage, in the early 19th century but now too. People were more practical about marriage then, but questions of physical and emotional intimacy are just as complicated as they are now. Among other things, it asks: how far will the desire to love someone take you? What does it mean to truly love? How can you begin to build a life and relationship with someone you don’t really know?

What are you working on now?

I am working on way too many books! I have a hard time focusing on just one project, with the result that I can write a lot and still not get much of anything finished. I’ve never been a very quick writer, either. I think a lot and write a little most of the time. The next thing I hope to publish is a volume of humorous short stories and novellas featuring the cast of Pride and Prejudice. I’m very fond of writing comedy, and Austin’s characters provide all sorts of possibilities for the inventive writer. The stories in question range from a few thousand words to almost 40,000, and all of them are very funny.

What would you like readers to know about you?

That I’m a Christian. While I don’t always write directly about faith or religion, the things I believe definitely form the philosophical basis for all the ideas that permeate my writing. Someday I hope I will be able to write a truly Christian novel, but in the meantime, I enjoy writing about both some of wonderful things that God created and put in human hearts, such as love, laughter, imagination, courage, honor and beauty.

How can we find out more or contact you?

My Facebook

My Blog (not very active, but has lots of my shorter stories):

Find me on Goodreads

Unequal Affections on Amazon.com

Unequal Affections on Amazon UK

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Letter N The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘N’ is for Noelle Granger author of Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail

Why do I recommend Death on a Red Canvas Chair and Death in a Dacron Sail?

Death on a Red Canvas Chair is book one of the Rhe Brewster Mysteries. I was drawn into the novel immediately, from scene one when the body is unexpectedly found on the playing fields, and it was a pleasure to read, due to the well-written, vivid, and flowing language. Rhe is an unlikely and loveable heroine. She’s a hard-working nurse, police consultant, loving mother, supportive wife, and good friend. She’s the best friend or neighbour we’d all love to have. Sounds like a boring heroine, well, Rhe is anything but boring! Although she is highly regarded professionally, on a personal level, she struggles with important issues, and there are plenty of exciting moments to keep you on the edge of your seat, in a plot which is carefully woven with plenty of twists and turns!

Our heroine has first-hand knowledge of forensics, so at times, reading is like watching an episode of CSI, but Rhe is also prepared to work outside the lab, and put her life at risk confronting the bad guys, in action-packed scenes.

The second book in the series, Death in a Dacron Sail, is even better. Rhe is all set to solve another complex mystery, yet I was hooked by Rhe’s character and her personal conflicts.

You’ll love them both if you enjoy cosy, yet exciting, crime mystery, with masterful plots and great character development.

What is Death in a Dacron Sail about, Noelle?

On an icy February morning, Rhe Brewster, an emergency room nurse with a nose for investigation, is called to a dock in the harbor of the small coastal town of Pequod, Maine. A consultant to the Pequod Police Department, Rhe is responding to a discovery by one of the local lobstermen: a finger caught in one of his traps. Thus starts the second book in the Rhe Brewster Mystery series.

The subsequent finding of the body of a young girl, wrapped in a sail and without a finger, sends the investigation into high gear and reveals the existence of three other missing girls of the same age, plus a childhood friend of Rhe’s. Battered by increasingly vitriolic objections from her husband, the pregnant Rhe continues her search, dealing with unexpected obstacles and ultimately facing the challenge of crossing an enormous frozen bog to save herself. Will she survive? Is the kidnapper someone she knows? In Death in a Dacron Sail, Rhe’s nerves and endurance are put to the test as the kidnapper’s action hits closer to home.

Rhe Brewster is a different kind of sleuth – a wife, mother, and emergency room nurse, juggling all of her roles, this time while pregnant. She’s snarky and tends to leap before she looks, which makes for a lot of excitement. While this book is mainly a cozy – set in a defined locale, with no sex and little gore – it should appeal to women from 18-90, mystery readers, and believe it or not, men. I’ve had a number of men read my first book and report they enjoyed it!

What are you working on now?

Right now, I’m working on my third book in this series, Death by Pumpkin. I promise even more excitement and interesting things. The research for this book has involved cranes, small planes, firearms training and large pumpkins. You’ll have to wait to see how I weave all this together.

I am also doing the groundwork for a book of historical fiction, based on the life of Mary Allerton, the longest surviving Pilgrim who made the trip to the New World on the Mayflower. I’ll be back in my hometown of Plymouth, MA, to do more this summer.

What would you like readers to know about you?

Rhe and I have a lot of things in common. We both like to sail, work at cooking, and enjoy a lot of day to day interpersonal contacts. This latter took a hit when I retired, but I’ve conquered the solitary activity of writing with blogging, critique groups and interviews for my research. I’d like to think that teaching anatomy for 40 years and earning my EMT license has given me enough knowledge to make Rhe’s career real and to provide a basis for some of the forensics in my books.

Other than that, I am not happy unless I’m in or on the water (swimming and sailing), the beach is my happiest place in the world, pizza is my favorite food, and I love to travel. My husband and I go to Maine in August each year because Maine in August is spectacular. Of course we love lobsters and Maine blueberries, but there is a lot to explore there and I’ve used information garnered there in my books and this year for the A-Z Blog Challenge. We did hit Maine in February last year for more research, and I’m not sure I’ll repeat the adventure. Brrrr….

How can we find out more or contact you?

My blog

My Face book

My Author Facebook

Twitter account: @rhebrewster

Amazon US for Death in a Red Canvas Chair

Amazon UK for Death in a Red Canvas Chair

Amazon US for Death in a Dacron Sail

Amazon UK for Death in a Dacron Sail

Goodreads

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Letter M The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘M’ is for Matt Cairns author of Cold Blooded

Why do I recommend Cold Blooded?

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to follow the absorbing plot of this exciting, action-packed, surprising, and thrilling read. I was impressed by the plausible, supernatural element, which is associated with scientific experiments related to genetic engineering in a paramilitary organization. I loved the idyllic setting, in a small rural and remote location in New Zealand, in the middle of a severe thunderstorm, which adds to the tension and atmosphere.

All the characters are well-developed so that I cared about what happened to the ‘good’ ones and felt terrified of the ‘evil’ ones. There are some violent scenes, but not more than are necessary to push the plot forward. I liked the way I was challenged to consider that violence could be the only option when ‘good’ and ‘evil’ come face to face.

The novel is very well-written, while the plot is well-woven, and most importantly, well-unravelled and concluded; the ending is unexpected, partly poignant, and wholly satisfactory. I’m impatiently looking forward to more novels by Matt Cairns.

Tell me about Cold Blooded, Matt.

With Cold Blooded I wanted a no-holds-barred action novel that hooked readers from the start and kept them turning the pages ‘til the end, at which point they’d sit back and take a deep breath and say something like: Damn—how cool was that? Wonder when the next one’s due out…

I took all my favorite authors—Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Wilbur Smith, Jack Higgins, Terry Brooks, and a handful of others—and rolled them into one.

A modern-day thriller-slash-horror with elements of the unreal (sci-fi or fantasy or supernatural/paranormal—you decide which genre fits best), with as much dark (or sick, or twisted, or disturbing…again, you decide) humor I could muster.

…a cross between X-Men and Jack Reacher…

…move over Quentin Taratino…

…this novel kicks ass…

I’m not sure which comment I like best. Kicks ass sounds pretty good.

What are you working on now?

Right now I’m working on the next Tom Jade novel—Tom Jade being the main character in Cold Blooded.

It’s a follow on of sorts, in that Jade (and a few other originals) will feature, and it will expand a bit more on the events of the previous story. But it will also go in entirely new directions as far as plotlines are concerned. And there will be more characters, more action, and all going to plan, a bit more blood.

And because I like humor, especially the dark (or was it sick?) kind, there’ll be more of that too. As much as my agent and publisher will allow, of course, bless their li’ll white cotton socks.

What would you like readers to know about you?

In a perfect world…nothing!

I’d prefer to have people imagine for themselves: Me in a cold dark castle (or cave), hidden away from the world, hunched over an antique typewriter the size of a massive church organ (with pipes rising from it—don’t ask me why), candles burning, music playing (Phantom of the Opera seems to fit), nodding and grinning while I slam away at the keys…

But we don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a social media world. Where everyone wants (bless their li’ll white cotton socks) to know everything.

So what the hell: ‘When in Rome…’ and all that jazz…

Click on the links and come visit the cave. (Cue organ music…) Or castle. Or house. Or whatever hovel I’m living in.

You’ll probably find out one day, if you’re lucky.

When I figure out how to use Instagram…

How can we find out more or contact you?

Buy Cold Blooded

Amazon author page —

Facebook author page

Twitter

LinkedIn

My Blog

My Publisher

Literary Agency

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Letter L The April A to Z Blogging Challenge #AtoZChallenge

April Author Spotlight 2015

Letter ‘L’ is for Geoff Le Pard author of Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle

Why do I recommend Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle?

I’ve been waiting to read a book like Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle for almost twenty years, or perhaps longer. How to describe Geoff Le Pard’s sense of humour is not an easy task. It reminds me of Townsend’s Adrian Mole, and yet it’s more sophisticated and complex, more like Greene’s Travels With My Aunt, but more bawdy, although certain moments, especially the slapstick final scenes remind me of Monty Python’s Life of Brian, ‘Free Brian’, Dear God, I cried, ‘Free Harold!’ Unique.

Harold Spittle’s first person narration of his unforgettable summer holidays is hilarious. I’m still in stitches after reading about his eccentric family, friends, co-workers, neighbours, and vicious cat, causing havoc throughout the chaotic weeks, while he inadvertently and naively barges into a hazardous world. It all takes place in an unsuspecting and quiet village in the English countryside, whose inhabitants have seemingly turned crazy (perhaps due to the unusual heat-wave?!?) and become inexplicably teeming with drugs, crooks, rapists, voyeurs, adulterers, adolescent pregnancies, pumpkin thieves, family feuds and secrets.

Warning: Don’t read it on the bus or train, people will stare as you burst out laughing.

What is Dead Flies and Sherry Trifle about, Geoff?

Dead Flies is funny and poignant. It is the sort of book where you know the people, know their dilemmas, even if you wouldn’t quite end up in the same scrapes as the characters. It is set in 1976 so for some it will be a memory jogger and for other’s a glimpse into the world recently passed. The story moves quickly with lots of twists and turns and is an easy read. Deep philosophy? Nah, but belly laughs for sure. I think it will appeal to anyone prepared to have a laugh as well as enjoy a well-told story, so long as they are happy with a bit of recent history. I know they are biased but both my 20 something kids enjoyed it as have a number of their friends.

What are you working on now?

I have a second book with my editor. Provisionally called ‘My Father and Other Liars’ (please ignore the title on the cover below – that’s out of date). It is a different genre and style to Dead Flies. While it retains the same pacey story telling this one takes the reader across three continents as Maurice (British journalist) and Lori Ann (American Geneticist) seek to discover something about their respective family histories. They tangle with Federal agencies, ex-CIA operatives and, as the title suggests their fathers as they try and put to bed some of the duplicities passed down to them by the previous generation. While that is being edited I’m working on two other projects (a novel that is ready for its final edit before going to my editor (which will follow My Father…) and the completion of the first draft of the Dead Flies Sequel (I nanoed 75,000 words of it last year but it needs another 40-50,000 to finish it)

What would you like readers to know about you?

I’m a busy blogger (geofflepard.com) who is a passionate proselytizer for London, long walks, messy cooking and his grown and not quite flown family. My perfect day would involve a long walk with Dog, a leisurely stop for good coffee and even better cake, some creative if random cooking for the family, a sweaty hour in the garden digging another important hole and plenty of time to write both my blog, read others and then continue my books.

How can we find out more or contact you?

My blog:

My twitter: @geofflepard

My Amazon Author Page

Amazon link (UK)

Amazon link (.com)

Kobo

Goodreads

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Please take some time to check out some of the other blogs on the A-Z Challenge. There are plenty of interesting and varied topics.

Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction Challenge 8th April

This 99-word Flash Fiction was written in response to this week’s Prompt: Life’s Semicolons

The Letter

‘It’s arrived.” He said grimly.

My unsteady fingers ripped the envelope. I held the folded letter in my hands and looked up at his furrowed brow, ‘I want to stay with you.’

He nodded and forced a smile, ‘It’s your decision, but your mother wants you to know the truth. He may be your father.’

‘The truth is that you will always be my father, whatever it says.’

‘Aren’t you going to read it?’

‘She chose to leave us for him, but I want to stay with you, dad.’

‘We’ll have to move away, new school, friends…’

‘We’ll manage.’

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Families break up for different reasons, and often this leads to a change of home, school, friends, and the incorporation of new members into the family. This is often a traumatic situation, especially for the children who are innocent bystanders. Children, after a certain age, can choose which parent they want to live with. In my flash, the child wants to stay with his father, which will mean starting a new life far away from his mother, biological father, friends and family. It’s never an easy decision, but after the family has broken up, there is no going back, they must all move forward and start a new life.

April 8, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a renewal story that proclaims, “This isn’t the end; I will go on.” Think of the mythical phoenix that rises up from the ashes; of Cinderella after midnight on the night of the ball; of a hero that faces certain death; of love after tragedy; of renewing life’s lemonade transitions. Go where the prompt leads and own your story; the ones you’ve lived and the ones you imagine for fiction. Stand in solidarity with others to find the semicolons in life that chooses to nurture and not succumb.

Respond by April 14, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!

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