Books - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I'm a writer, I'm also a reader.

 

My reading time is precious, I'm an inpatient and belligerent reader. I have a full time job, a house with a husband and needy old cat in it and a side business as an Authorpreneur, I use my reading time wisely.

I read slowly, consuming and digesting every word, reading a book for me is a marathon rather than a sprint. The most I can manage is usually one or two books a month (woeful, I know!).

What all this means is that I am insufferably intolerant of books that don't move me, excite me or grab me by the throat and pin me to a chair.




Here are a selection of the Good, Bad and Ugly of books I've read:

The Good

1) The Labyrinth of Osiris, by Paul Sussman

As a writer, Paul Sussman can do no wrong. I've loved all of his books, I'm not embarrassed to admit that his work has been a huge influence on my own books:


Here's my review on Goodreads. I gave it 4 stars as there was a dip in the middle where it slowed down and I found myself skimming, but it soon picked up again.

The Labyrinth of Osiris by Paul Sussman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've just finished reading this book. It's the only book I've ever read that has made me cry. Partly grieving for a character that dies at the end and partly mourning the fact that this is the last book Paul Sussman ever wrote. (It's so embarrassing sat on a bus trying to hide the fact you're crying)

View all my reviews

 2) The Winter Ghosts, by Kate Mosse

I'm a big fan of Kate's work. She's the only well known female author in the same genre as my own work and again, her writing style definitely influences mine. I'd like to be able to paint such delicate pictures as she does with words. I'm still honing my writing craft, which still daubs stuff on the page to create impact.

Here's my review of this book on Goodreads. A few words were enough:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6450212-the-winter-ghosts

The 'Bad'

I would never be so unkind as to describe a book as 'bad', hence the quotation marks. This  book wasn't bad, it just didn't hold my attention and I gave up on it.

Watchman, Ian Rankin


Watchman by Ian Rankin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book started with promise but I just couldn't relate to the main character. I also got tired of all the mid chapter head hopping. I gave up half way through.




View all my reviews




The 'Ugly'

The word 'ugly' is open to interpretation here.

 Eyewitness, by Stephen Leather


I loved this book and was hooked from page 1. I've classified it as 'ugly' for the horrific and disturbing issues explored in the book. 

 
Here's my review on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1260985.The_Eyewitness

Tweet: The anatomy of a great read has 3 essential elements  

For me, the anatomy of a great read has 3 essential elements:

1) A Light Touch of the Brush
The writing must be simple, accessible with clever metaphors. Less is more when it comes to words - I have no patience for long flowery sentences that are pretty but say very little. I'm not interested in pretentious displays of a writer's vocabulary.

2) Engaging Characters
Characters need to have depth and a vivid identity. I want them to keep me guessing and I want them to move me in some way, even if that way is revulsion.

I recently watched the fantastic Spanish historic drama series, 'Isabel' about the reign of Queen Isabel I of Castille.

 
When an especially nasty character was killed off near the end (I won't say who, I wouldn't want to spoil it) I cheered at the TV.

3) A Great Story
Above all, there must an absorbing and action packed story. 
When I say 'action' I don't just mean shoot outs and explosions (although these are good), I mean; emotional and physical action, pace, intrigue and lots of meaty layers to get stuck into. I invest so much effort into reading, it needs to sate me. 

What turns you on or off when it comes to books?

A Face for Radio

This week for

Operation Author: 365 Actions to Becoming a Successful Author

I am still working through Gabriel's Game for NaNoWriMo and dedicating any time I can spare towards that goal. I'm still doing some small acts of marketing, but November's priority is writing.

This week, I have been preparing things for my launch events for Solomon's Secrets, despite my diversion to NaNoWriMo, I've still managed a few of my weekly seven actions:

1) I'm having a celebration event next Saturday, which is invitation only, where I will be sending my guests of a treasure hunt / pub crawl around King Street in Bristol. I've been putting together the clues and making up goody bags.

2) I fluttered my eyelashes at the nice man in Timpson's at Asda Bedminster and acquired a big handful of old keys for the treasure hunt.

3) Anything left over from Saturday's event will get used at the Launch Event at Small Bar on Wednesday 26th.

This is an open event and I'll be talking about my book and selling signed copies.

If you are in Bristol that evening and want to come along the details are on Eventbrite:

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/solomons-secrets-book-launch-tickets-14242701303?aff=eac2

My biggest news this week, and most exciting was that I was interviewed on BBC Radio Bristol on Friday.

I always said I had a face for radio...hopefully a voice for it too...

It is possible to listen to the interview for 7 days after it was on, so hurry if you'd like to hear it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02b4vdg

I was interviewed by Steve Yabsley on the lunchtime show.

Here's some notes from part of it, in case you see this after the recording is available;

Steve: Amy has come to tell us about her new book, her second book, called Solomon's Secrets, written under a different name, Amy C Fitzjohn. It's a mystery adventure, a bit Indiana Jones-ish. Let's find out about you. You were born in Swansea, any memories of Swansea?

Me: Not really, I was a wee nipper when we moved away. We moved to the East Midlands, my mum's family come from the Leicester area

Steve: Then you moved to the South West. Where did you live in Somerset?

Me: Wellington, I don't have many memories of the East Midlands, we moved as a family when I was about 10 or 11

Steve: What about eduction, did you go to university?

Me: I didn't, well, I did for a week but that's another story.

Steve: Did they not like you or did you not like them?

Me: Well...I couldn't possibly say.

Steve: What were you hoping to study?

Me: English and teaching. I always thought I'd quite fancy being a teacher, but when it came down to it I didn't want to work in a school. I ended up taking a year out and my dad, who's probably listening, got me a job at the VAT office. I did that for a while and discovered a world beyond education. 

Steve: These days you're a business trainer and entrepreneur and you have connections to Bulgaria. You lived there fore while, tell us about that?

Me: A few years ago my husband and I had a couple of properties which we sold and he was made redundant from his job. We'd always talked about living overseas.

Steve: What is it like as a country to deal with, is it safe?

Me: Yes, we got there when they'd just joined the EU, there is still corruption there but the solicitor we used was the most honest solicitor I've ever met, we also had some great agents there.

Steve: Were you selling property there?

Me: No, we bought an unfinished new build and did it up. We were thinking about starting a business but just wanted to experience living there.

Steve: What's wonderful over there is how the coast is quite well developed but you only have to go a few miles inland and it's like stepping back in time.

Me: It's amazing, our property is in an village called Nevsha with stunning scenery. Most people there are farmers and there are chickens and geese in the street. There are more horses and carts than cars.

Steve: :Let's talk about your passion for writing

Me: I started my first book as a teenager and got a lot of encouragement from my teachers. I finally finished that book, Running Free, while we were in Bulgaria. I'm now writing my fifth book. I had to write three pretty terrible books before I wrote something worth publishing.

Steve: Let's talk about your first book, published last year, The Bronze Box. Tell us about the characters, Sasha Blake and Tom Sheridan?

Me: They are the hero and heroine of all the books. Sasha is quite conflicted and a bit of a loner. Much of Solomon's Secrets is set in Bristol and she's working at Bristol University but in the first book she's a student, working on a dig site in Bulgaria. An artefact goes missing and she is recruited by a covert organisation, The Agency, years later to find it. Her mentor at the site is suspected of stealing it and she is determined to clear his name.

Read a short story about Sasha Blake, here: http://ideaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/get-to-know-sasha-blake-i-met-someone.html 

 

Steve: What about Tom Sheridan?

Me:  He is an Agent working for The Agency. Have you seen the movie, Monuments Men? Well I read the book and it inspired me to come up with an organisation that specialises in repatriating stolen antiquities.

We talked about the movie at this point - I'd have liked to have said more about Tom Sheridan, but there wasn't time. If you'd like to know more about Tom, read a short story about him, here:http://ideaism.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/get-to-know-tom-sheridan-interview-with.html

Steve: Have you always had an interest in archaeology?

Me: I've always been interested in history and exploring. I travel quite a bit, especially around Europe, and I like to research the history of a place, spending time in museums and exploring.

Steve then described the books as:

Combining history and intrigue, travel guide and crime novel

I talked about my favourite writer, Paul Sussman, who influenced the genre I write in.

I then went on to talk about crowdfunding Solomon's Secrets and about the sales of my first book, The Bronze Box.

We discussed marketing and my mini manuscripts.

I've since updated the short stories about Tom and Sasha and will publish these versions another time