Guest post.
I served in the UK police for 30 years mainly as a detective Sgt. In this capacity I was required to write in-depth reports on points to prove in criminal cases, these had to be concise factual and to the point, whilst some speculation and embellishment was used the facts as they say, speak for themselves. This is why I find that some books by some authors over embellish and I end up wondering how the sentence began; sometimes I have put a book down never to be picked up again due to being bored with the over embellished paragraphs. I then wonder is it just to fill more pages. Anyway with my previous skills learned in case handling and report writing I stick to mainly the core of the topic in question.
I try to pull the reader into the page and the character, making them feel the frustrations and frailties of the individual, the fears; the human side of people. None of us are angels we all have a few skeletons (some more than others) in the wardrobe. Especially human interaction, lustful looks and affairs happen every day; divorce is so common due to extra marital relationships. It is with this in mind that I write.
It is with this history of report writing and investigation that I began writing as a hobby and after many torn up and thrown away attempts I wrote my first book. Then I entered into the disappointing world of rejection and no reply associated with publishing houses. I came to the conclusion none of them have any empathy at all; except Ravenswood.
Anyway ‘Gift or Curse’ Having undertaken a marital separation (we both decided that we wanted different things in life after the kids had gone) I moved to Spain, and whilst standing in a queue at the bank: grindingly slow but that’s Spain. I started to talk to a woman, she introduced herself as Michaela, we had coffee we sat and talked for an hour, when she mentioned she was a tarot card reader. Anyway since that chance meet I have become good friends with both her and her husband.
It was as a result of that chance meet that the cogs in my head began churning over, it was then I began to research tarot and its meaning. I asked Michaela for a reading so I had first-hand knowledge of her way of working (she explained that no two readers work the same). She worked the cards and gave me her interpretations and uncannily many of her predictions have materialised (Spooky). I informed her of my book and characters and as an acknowledgement to her agreed to name one of the central characters after her. I then informed her of the title I thought of; which she loved.
The story was never going to be where it ended up, it was so far from the early thoughts; the twists and turns were so many and far flung; where I dragged them up from I have no idea, (well I do but then if I told you I would have to kill you), but all I can say is thanks for Google and wikepedia for the search capacity.
The beginning of Gift or Curse was going to be my attempt at a romance novel, (yeah right) it ended up partly as that; but with many blind alleys, intrigue, murder, detective interviews and then into the secret deviousness of the world’s intelligence services, where no one is who they say they are.
The world of honey trappers trained and used to get into bed with targets then be photographed and blackmailed, so the sexual nature continues with the flaunting of attractive women and men being blackmailed into it because of threats to families etc. (I really enjoyed writing this book it became fun)
The characters are totally fictitious so are the plots, but the end is great leaving it open perhaps to a sequel.
Soundtrack
I have such a diverse listening ear sometimes, sixties music, then country and western, classical such as Ravel’s Balero, and then easy listening like Ray Coniff singers.
Then it can be solid rock, Whole lotta love, Stairway to heaven etc. So yes a wide variety of music the only thing I can’t stand is Rap; sorry to all the fans; but just not me.
Anything else
I would like to sing the praises of my daughter Amy for her cover designs amyparledesign.co.uk very talented.
Far from me to give advice to authors being a novice myself, but I give the advice given to me.
A) Don’t say in a hundred words what you can say in twenty.
B) When two people are talking give the reader the intelligence to work out who is saying what, rather than he said, then she said, and then he said, if the thread of the conversation is there let the reader interpret who is saying what.
That’s it really other than believe in the characters you create.
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