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Make Your Dreams Come True

January 13, 2021 by aaabbott

Make Your Dreams Come True by Writing A Book

Make Your Dreams Come True Day

Imagine you had a magic wand that could make all your dreams come true. Wouldn’t that be brilliant? Now, step back from fantasy to reality. There is a way to realise those dreams without magic or megabucks. It’s called setting goals. On Make Your Dreams Come True Day, why not take time out to do it? Even ten minutes can take you closer to achieving your desires.

Realistic Goals

It’s crucial to have realistic goals. That might mean breaking down a task into chunks, or setting less arduous goals as stepping stones. For example, if you want to write a novel but you haven’t even written a short story yet, set yourself the target of producing a short tale first. You’ll feel good when you achieve that first success and you’ll have developed skills that will help you in your ultimate aim.

We can learn from big corporations here. If you’ve ever worked for one, you’ll be used to agreeing SMART objectives with your manager – that is, you’ll agree on tasks which are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. Employers do this for a reason. They know that SMART goals are likely to succeed.

A Case Study in SMART Objectives – The Vodka Trail

Looking back at my writing resolutions for 2016, #1 was to write a sequel to my British mystery thriller, The Bride’s Trail. This ticked all the SMART boxes – it was:

Specific – I would write another thriller about glamorous Kat, shy Amy and arrogant Ross.

Measurable – the objective would be met when the book was published.

Achievable – I’d already written and published one thriller a year from 2013 to 2015.

Relevant – I’m a writer, after all.

Time-bound – I announced to the world that I’d do it in 2016, but in my mind, I gave myself 6 months from mid-January.

The Vodka Trail, the twisting tale of Kat’s kidnap by terrorists, was published on 18 July 2016! The rest of the thrilling series – The Grass Trail, The Revenge Trail and The Final Trail – followed in 2017, 2018 and 2019. As with my latest novel, dark psychological thriller Bright Lies, I plotted each book in advance and planned chunks – chapters – before sitting at my laptop to write them.

My Top Tip

My Top Tip is: Share Your Goals! Just as I did when announcing my writing resolutions for 2016, tell others of your plans and they’ll help you to stay accountable for them.

Whether your dream is to change jobs, write that novel or make the world a better place, I wish you the very best of luck!

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Bright Lies, heralded by respected American review site Readers’ Favorite as “5 star compelling drama” had its origin in a dream 30 years ago. In that dark night-time fantasy, Emily emerged fleeing from danger and finding sanctuary with troubled nightclub DJ Jack in his Birmingham squat. It has taken many years to channel that dream into a book, but the great reviews prove it was worth it. Click on the book’s cover here to start reading.

A woman dreaming about psychological thriller BRIGHT LIES

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birmingham, book, bride, bright, bright lies, british, british mystery thriller, dj, dream, dreams, emily, goals, jack, lies, make your dreams come true, make your dreams come true day, mystery, nightclub, objectives, psychological, psychological thriller, smart, the bride's trail, the vodka trail, thriller, vodka

Book Review – Blood Red Rabbit, by Tom Bryson

July 20, 2019 by aaabbott

Tense psychological thriller about the Troublesblood red rabbit tense psychological thriller northern ireland troubles

British writer Tom Bryson is uniquely qualified to write a psychological thriller about the Troubles in Northern Ireland – he’s a Derry boy who lived through them. “Blood Red Rabbit” begins in the aftermath of a terrible crime: a bomb blast in a busy town centre. Neither side of the sectarian divide claims responsibility, possibly because both are affected by it. Protestants and Catholics alike have lost loved ones, and the survivors are hurting. Guilt gnaws at Tony, who saw a fellow football supporter lose a hand. Teenage student Neil should have a bright future, but is overwhelmed by grief for his dead sister. John wishes he’d died instead of the colleague who swapped shifts as a favour.

Deadly ripples

Deadly ripples spread. Alcoholism, mental illness and revenge stalk the town. There will be further deaths before green shoots of reconciliation emerge. Slowly, they do. From the mourning family who laugh as they speculate whose bomb it was, to the hate crime victim who just wants to move on, to an accidental romance that bridges the divide – hope springs in unexpected places. Ultimately, the greatest gulf is between those who stay damaged by the past, and those who put it behind them.

Should be a bestseller

The characters in this tense thriller are well-drawn: distinct, interesting, not always lovable, but wholly believable. Through them, the historic differences and present-day experiences of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland are explained and contrasted. The plot is sad, mad and finally, inspiring. Tom Bryson writes with a sure hand equal to any book in the bestseller charts.

“Blood Red Rabbit” is 99p  as an ebook (paperback also available) – an absolute bargain for writing of this quality.

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If you like a tense thriller with its roots in the past, try “The Vodka Trail”. Birmingham businessman Marty Bridges made a fortune when the Soviet Union imploded, but Kat White, daughter of his dead business partner, is convinced he has blood on his hands…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: bargain, blood red rabbit, book, british, bryson, crime, derry, northern ireland, psychological thriller, rabbit, thriller, tom, troubles, vodka trail

Book Review – The Locksmith, by Jo Ullah

July 31, 2018 by aaabbott

A good read in the gothic tradition

Book Review of The Locksmith Suspense Thriller by Jo Ullah a good read and a page turnerThe Locksmith is a good read for the summer holidays – not just because it’s about a mother taking her children to stay on a farm during the long vacation, but because the light evenings are less conducive to book-induced nightmares. While the book is written in a deceptively simple style, it’s a suspense thriller in the gothic tradition. An air of menace pervades the pages, mounting as twists unfold. Like the boobytraps placed around the farm, it’s evident that tragedy will strike, but it’s only at the last minute that we find out how and when.

Scars of the past

Artist Jude has escaped a violent marriage and found contentment with a new lover, Spider. Together, they have a young baby as well as Jude’s two children from her first marriage. Family life in Bristol’s Bohemian Montpelier district seems idyllic, but cracks are beginning to show. Middle child Immy displays unsettling signs of a sixth sense. Adolescent Ben chafes at the restrictions imposed on him and resents his stepfather’s authority. Spider bears the scars of an unhappy childhood, but refuses to talk about it. Jude decides the answer for her is more physical and mental space. When Spider’s mother invites her to bring the children to stay on the family farm for the summer, the offer is too tempting to ignore.

Page turner awash with surprises

Despite deepening unease, the story abounds with gentle humour, especially in the clash of urban and rural mores. The children discover that nature is red in tooth and claw. There is also a priceless trip to a snobby town near the farm. Jo Ullah strikes the perfect balance between entertainment and edge-of-the-seat fear, creating a page turner awash with surprises to keep you guessing.

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Read it and sleep – if you dare…

Do you like sinister stories with a Bristol edge? If so, try “A Dark Imagined Bristol”, a collection of short tales that are just that. Although I’m a crime thriller writer, I turned my hand to a disturbing supernatural story, “First Blood”, especially for a “A Dark Imagined Bristol”. Read it, and sleep – if you dare…

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: book, bristol, crime thriller, crime thriller writer, good read, jo ullah, page turner, stories, story, summer holidays, supernatural, suspense thriller, thriller, twists, writer

Book Review – the Mind Cops

March 30, 2018 by aaabbott

A book review looking at 3 great psychological profiling specialists, or mind copsSometimes, the most gripping crime stories are true tales written by the law enforcers charged with bringing criminals to justice. The Netflix show, “Mindhunter”, cast a spotlight on psychological profiling, a relatively recent weapon in the fight against crime.  Qualified psychologists on both sides of the Atlantic have written about their successes in solving cases by getting under the skin and into the brain of an unknown perpetrator.

Their skill produces uncanny results. John Douglas, writer of “Mindhunter”, tells the cops to look for a man with a speech impediment. When they get their man several murders later, he turns out to have a stutter. How spooky is that?

 

A serial killer template

In fact, he isn’t the first stammering killer John Douglas has encountered, and he won’t be the last. Douglas’ book and similar chronicles from British psychologists David Canter and Paul Britton, reveal that many serial killers are stamped out of the same mould. They‘re socially inadequate, with a history of bed-wetting, fractured relationships and minor sex offences. As their experience and confidence of delinquency grows, their activities increase in severity. Douglas, Canter and Britton practically provide a template for a serial killer, and I’m sure some fiction writers use it.

All three writers briefly explain how they became involved in this line of work, then get into the real meat: a detailed account of cases they’ve solved. Douglas also built his knowledge by interviewing serial killers who had already been captured. Bored after long years inside the prisons where they would see out the rest of their lives, many agreed to talk to him.

Netflix & Hollywood

Based in the FBI’s special unit at Quantico, Virginia, John Douglas inspired the Silence of the Lambs as well as his own Netflix series. His case studies – based on the maxim familiar to HR managers, that past activities predict the future – are interesting and well-written. The only downside is an occasional hint of arrogance. This is not the case with Paul Britton, who has a more self-effacing, perhaps typically British, approach to his abilities. In his first book, “The Jigsaw Man”, he includes a chapter on a case where he was unsuccessful. When a beautiful young model, Rachel Nickell, was murdered in a London park, Britton’s lengthy and expensive sting operation led to the arrest of the wrong man. It is sad that, twenty years later, Britton is still pilloried by the media for this failure. He’d applied scientific rigour in the case and had made it clear that it wasn’t open and shut. It unfortunately overshadows his numerous successes. For instance, his work was instrumental in bringing murderer Rose West to justice and to identifying Michael Sams, who held estate agent Stephanie Slater as a hostage in a wheelie bin and killed another woman. Britton’s “The Jigsaw Man” is a thrilling read, as is its sequel, “Picking up the Pieces”.

David Canter, another Englishman, was heavily influenced by the FBI’s techniques. His book, “Criminal Shadows”, is more academic than the others, but still a page turner. The chapter on Criminal Maps – plotting the location of crimes to identify the villain – is especially compelling. Thanks to him, police arrested London’s evil Railway Rapist (who also murdered three women) and the young Brummie sex offender who dragged his OAP victims onto the roofs of tower blocks.

All three writers offer fascinating insights into the criminal mind, as well as an entertaining read. Even if fiction is usually your bag, you’ll find Douglas, Britton and Cantor have plenty of true tales to interest you.

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I’m an English crime thriller writer, and invested in these books as research: to understand how a serial killer thinks. Not all fit the socially inadequate sex offender model – some are charming psychopaths, while others fall under the spell of a sadistic lover. One day, this research will find its way into another tense and twisting crime thriller, so do sign up for my monthly newsletter to find out more! You’ll also receive a free e-book of short stories.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: book, book review, brummie, crime, criminal shadows, david canter, english, fbi, john douglas, london, mind cops, mindhunter, netflix, paul britton, profiling, psychological, stories, the jigsaw man, thriller

Book Review – To Die For, by Colin Ward

October 1, 2017 by aaabbott

Angela Marsons’ tough but tortured Detective Inspector Kim Stone featured in my blog in April. Ironically, only 6 miles from Kim’s base in the Black Country, Colin Ward’s DI Mike Stone is operating out of Aston CID. Are they perhaps related?

Another detective with a troubled past

I sometimes think Ruth Rendell cornered the market in crime stories about happily married detectives with her Wexford series, set in rural Sussex. Kim and Mike Stone, in the dynamic and densely populated West Midlands, face completely different personal and professional challenges. Just like Kim, Mike lives a single life, has a troubled past and is tasked with tracking down a serial killer. That’s where the similarities end. Mike is by no means a loner. He enjoys the buzz of managing his team of sleuths. The pages of the book crackle with the excitement of the incident room as ideas are captured on the whiteboard and underlings despatched to follow leads. A depraved murderer is slaughtering young mothers, and Mike must find him before more families are smashed apart. There is a heavy focus on police procedure. This is fascinating, yet doesn’t detract from the rising tension when more bodies are found and the killer begins taunting Mike with texts.

Twists in the tale

Birmingham provides a kaleidoscopic background to this thriller, from smart bars to parks to the sprawling estates that ring the city’s outer perimeter. I suspect anyone who knows Brum will work out how the killer is transporting his victims well before the nerve-racking showdown. However, other readers are unlikely to guess. There are still plenty of twists in the tale. For example, although Colin Ward sprinkles clues throughout the book, it was an agreeable shock to me when the killer was finally unmasked. I didn’t see it coming.

A Book Review of Colin Ward's Birmingham crime thriller To Die For

Carries the reader with it until the very last word

The book isn’t perfect – as a writer myself, I tend to spot typos and repetition, and I found a couple of dozen. However, the story is well-written and so compelling that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. Mike Stone’s life, sanity and love hang in the balance unless he can stop the killer. To Die For carries the reader with it until the very last word.

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Birmingham is a fascinating backdrop to Colin Ward’s book, and it also features in three of the tales in my short story collection, Something In The City – get it free here

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: angela marsons, birmingham, black country, blog, book, brum, colin ward, crime, crime stories, di kim stone, di mike stone, free, killer, seriial killer, short story, thriller

Thriller of the Month – Dark Fragments, by Rob Sinclair

March 12, 2017 by aaabbott

An unreliable narrator isn’t often used in a thriller, perhaps because it requires a great deal of skill to keep a reader engaged once it’s clear the “hero” is anything but. John Grisham did it well in “The Racketeer”. Now British writer Rob Sinclair joins him with “Dark Fragments”.

“Dark Fragments” is a departure for Sinclair, who has previously written tense third person spy thrillers about secret agent Carl Logan. This, his first book for crime publisher Bloodhound, is told in the first person by Ben Stephens. At first, management consultant Ben seems a nice, ordinary guy. He adores his children and his wife. Yes, he’s down in the dumps, but who wouldn’t be in his situation? After all, he’s being threatened by gangsters over a soured business deal, he’s haunted by the unsolved murder of his first wife, and his career has plateaued. We can all imagine struggling with that kind of baggage.

This is where Rob Sinclair is very clever. Having made us sympathise with the man, perhaps even identify with him, alarm bells ring as Ben takes extreme actions to solve his problems. Rash and impulsive, he resorts to infidelity and violence, all the while seeing himself as a victim. The level of self-justification is such that the dramatic finale of the book is easy to believe, although it still comes as a surprise.

Sinclair’s style is pacy, energetic and liberally punctuated with cliff hangers. In consequence, “Dark Fragments” is a quick read, which leaves the lingering feeling that the ordinary people you meet every day may not be quite what they seem.

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“Dark Fragments” is set in Birmingham, England. I also write crime thrillers that are (at least partly) set in the city and I very much enjoyed Rob Sinclair’s descriptions of its swanky and seedy areas. Do you like to read about places you know? Email me at aaabbottstories[at]gmail.com.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: birmingham, bloodhound, book, british, crime, dark fragments, england, john grisham, quick read, rob sinclair, the racketeer, thriller, unreliable narrator, writer

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