A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

fiction

Thriller of the Month – Bloodie Bones, by Lucienne Boyce

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Forced to read Georgette Heyer at school, I avoided historical fiction for years.  “Bloodie Bones”, a gritty detective mystery set in 1796, is as far removed from genteel Georgette as James Patterson is from Barbara Cartland. The award-winning story follows Bow Street Runner Dan Foster as he goes undercover to catch a murderer in the Somerset village of Barcombe.

Barcombe is not a happy place. The local squire, Lord Oldfield, has annexed its woodland and is about to take more land away from the villagers. His gamekeeper has been murdered and threats have been made against his life by the mysterious Bloodie Bones. Rumour suggests this is a phantom. Dan Foster, however, doesn’t believe in ghosts – he believes in bringing villains to justice.

As a policeman, Dan has a respectable, middle-class lifestyle, but dark memories underpin it. A former street urchin and bare knuckle fighter, he has known poverty. He is not, therefore, a great fan of Lord Oldfield, who is effectively stealing the villagers’ land from them under the Enclosure Acts. Nevertheless, the lord is acting within the law, and those who kill his gamekeeper and poach his game are not. Dan cannot allow sympathy for the villagers to stop him doing his job. Accordingly, he puts his life as risk – and comes within a whisker of losing it – to bring the culprit to justice.

This is not only a rollicking, twist-filled read, but a slice of social history. Writer Lucienne Boyce explains movingly how the dice were loaded against ordinary working people in the 18th century. Dan Foster is lucky to have escaped the horrors of his upbringing – and, in “Bloodie Bones”, he is lucky to escape with his life.

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Take a look at crime thriller “Bloodie Bones” on Amazon – click on the cover to look inside. If you’d like to read some of my own stories, subscribe for my newsletter and I’ll send you a free e-book of short stories.

 

Crowdfunding fiction

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The Thriller of the Month is taking a back seat in March (not least because I’m busy writing my fourth crime thriller), so I’ve asked writer Pete Sutton for a guest blog explaining why he’s using crowdfunding to publish a bunch of short stories. Pete is the editor of Far Horizons magazine, and he’s crowdfunding in order to publish not just one, but THREE BOOKs of short stories that first appeared in Far Horizons! Here’s why…in his own words…

Far Horizons started with a simple idea. A bunch of writers on a Facebook group who were either unpublished or self-published wanted to create an anthology. That simple premise became Far Horizons e-magazine and we got enough stories and art to make a second then a third etc. Two years later the team and magazine have grown.  Our original remit hasn’t changed though. We exist to give new writers a voice. We will edit new writers until they become publishable. It is a labour of love.

The magazine has always been free. This has been to get the widest possible reach for the stories which are mostly from writers learning their craft. No-one gets paid at the moment and we offer adverts for the author’s work in payment for sending us their stories.

Our original idea to create an anthology is still sound, and so we have now created three.  Our hope is that by selling anthologies we’ll raise enough money to start paying our contributors. This is the main reason we are crowdfunding. The anthologies will be published regardless of how much money we make via the crowdfund. But we hope to raise enough money to cover our costs – and our real desire is to raise enough money to start paying our contributors.

We will do more anthologies and we will continue to publish the magazine (although the form may change after our second birthday). We also hope to publish some of the serials we have featured over the months as a thank you to the authors that have given us those serials.

Former Heroes we previously published but have remastered for this launch. It has stories in from published and self-published authors including David Gullen (Author of Shopocalypse and Open Waters), Gaie Sebold (author of the Babylon Steel and Shanghai Sparrow books), Sara Jayne Townsend (author of Soul Screams and Whispering Death) , Andrew Goodman (author of the Emperor Initiative series), Kate Charles (Author of Faisollus), Jim King (author of Trouble at the Docks) and Pete Sutton (author of A Tiding of Magpies and Sick City Syndrome). These are tales of men and women, and in one case a building, that have had a heroic heyday but that is now in their past. What do heroes do when they are no longer heroes?

Our most popular issue was our Zombie special so we saw there was an appetite for braaaains, er for well-told tales of the shambling undead. This anthology was filled through open submissions. We had a lot of fun reading all the stories and choosing the best to highlight.

Fantastically Horny started as a Facebook IM conversation. One of the staff writes erotica under a pen name and inquiring minds wanted to know if they put aliens or elves in, since they also write SF&F. We then wondered if anyone had ever put together a SF&F Erotica book. Which then inevitably led us to wanting to put together a SF&F Erotica book…

So we have ended up with not one, but three anthologies to launch. We hope that people feel inspired by our magazine and want to help us help new writers. Please head over to the Indiegogo and pledge. 

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Writer Pete Sutton is signed to Kensington Gore Publishing, who are about to launch his collection of short stories, “A Tiding of Magpies”, very soon. His novel, “Sick City Syndrome”, will follow later in the year. Read Pete’s excellent blog here, and follow him on Twitter at @suttope.

7 Tips for Live Fiction Success

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Last week, I explained why writers should read their work to a live audience. Here are my top tips for success when you do!

#1 Be Prepared – Once you’ve decided what you’ll read, practice it aloud until you know it back to front. Read aloud in front of your mirror, your housemate, your cat; until you’re comfortable performing it. This will mean you’ll avoid stumbling over words or burying your face in the book on the night!

#2 Don’t Bore Your Audience – This one may seem obvious but audiences can be fickle. My mantra is: “If in doubt, leave it out.” Keep your readings short – a maximum of 15 minutes. Make it interactive, at the very least ensuring to look up from the page and make eye contact. Even better, have the audience participate in the reading in some way.

#3 Promote the Event – Whether through social media or word of mouth you should be prepared to publicise any live fiction event you are at. Twitter and Facebook are great for boosting your audience numbers, as is gently coercing friends, family and co-workers to attend. I tell readers about events via my newsletter (if you haven’t signed up, please do so – I’ll send you a free ebook of short stories).

#4 Go Beyond the Bookshop – Live reading events don’t have to be in bookshops. A live fiction event held at a theatre, coffee shop or art gallery makes for a memorable alternative, and can create a vibe a bookshop can’t. My favourite venue ever (among stiff competition!) was the Grosvenor Casino in Birmingham, where I launched The Bride’s Trail – it’s a crime thriller about a missing croupier, after all!

#5 Get Personal! – Audiences coming to an author reading are looking for a more personal experience than they might get simply reading the book for themselves. Talking about what inspired the story you are about the read, or extra information about the characters etc is a great way to connect with your audience.

#6 Be Courteous – This means always honouring your commitment to attend if you are able to, and aiming to arrive early. This will be appreciated by the event host, and will give you time to familiarise yourself with the venue and prepare.

#7 Have Fun! – Live readings can be nerve-wracking (at least to start with), but they can also be a lot of fun. Remember to relax and enjoy the experience, because it will create a buzz for the audience. It’s a chance to showcase your writing, so use drama and suspense to make it memorable.

If you’re organising a live fiction event, or know a venue that would like to, please get in touch at aaabbottstories [at] gmail.com. I’d love to help!

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I’m a British crime thriller writer, author of three full-length crime thrillers and numerous short stories. Here’s a video clip of a live event where I’m reading one of them!

Bringing Literature to Life – Five Reasons Authors Should Read Their Work Aloud

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One of the best decisions I ever made was joining a writing group. It’s given me the support to raise my game, and it’s helped me find my voice. I don’t mean just choosing to write crime thrillers, but being prepared to read them to an audience – injecting drama and suspense.

Here are 5 reasons why writers should read their work aloud:

#1. It can help the writing process. Grammatical errors, typos and other mistakes are much easier to spot when you’re reading aloud. You’ll still need help from beta readers (who read the first draft for you) and an editor, of course. Although I read the first draft of my last crime thriller The Bride’s Trail, out loud to myself, it was still immeasurably improved by the feedback I received from beta readers and editor Katharine D’Souza.

 

#2. Being prepared to read your work in front of an audience opens up a whole world of live fiction events, with the chance to meet other authors like you, and share your writing with a wider audience. I’ve read at some great live events, including evenings at Brewsmiths in Birmingham, Foyles in Bristol and the Big Comfy Bookshop in Coventry.

 

#3. Social media is a powerful tool for almost any profession, and authors are no exception! Reading live means plenty of picture and video opportunities to share on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, which is great for building a profile and an audience. Check out this story about school tutors, cocaine and gambling….

 

#4. Just as a poem comes to life when performed, a spoken story often takes on new dimensions and meanings when read aloud rather than from a page. This review of a Halloween fiction evening at Brewsmiths says it all. Richard Clay’s use of Black Country accents enhanced his gritty thriller, while Pat Spence dimmed the lights and brought a magic crystal for her chilling supernatural tale.

 

#5. It’s good for your health! Reading aloud has been shown to help with memory and depression, and even dementia. Check out this article from The Scottish Book Trust about authors reading their work at a care home for the elderly and why spoken literature is beneficial to author and audience alike.

 

Have you attended or performed at a live fiction event? I’d love to hear about your experiences – drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook or to aaabbottstories[at]gmail.com.

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I’m a British crime thriller writer. My latest thriller, The Bride’s Trail, is available on Amazon and through bookshops. I love reading short stories and chapters from my thrillers at live fiction events. Please get in touch if you’re planning one!

Strong Women in Fiction

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I’ve been invited to the Midlands Women of the Year lunch this Friday, 9th October. Men and women alike are welcome should you care to join me! As well as meeting strong women in real life, I adore reading about them in fiction. While heroines abound, not all have a core of steel. I’d happily share a cup of tea with Jane Austen’s Lizzie Bennett, but I wouldn’t rely on her to save me from a tight spot. Here are a few fictional characters who really kick ass, though…

#1. Brienne of Tarth and #2. Arya Stark from George RR Martin’s fantasy series, Game of Thrones. Famously gory, bad things happen to practically everyone in Martin’s books. Misfortune is the making of some characters and the breaking of others, while for a few, it is simply endured. Unlike a conventional heroine, Brienne is no beauty, but her determination, physical strength and skill as a fighter enable her to hold her own among the knights of the land. Arya trains as an assassin to avenge her father’s death. Both are women you’d want firmly on your side. The alternative is too scary to contemplate.

#3. Dr Joanna Hunter in Kate Atkinson’s third Jackson Brodie detective story, When Will There Be Good News? Resourceful Dr Hunter may be the target of crime, but she’s definitely not a victim.

#4. Dagny Taggart in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is a businesswoman who runs a railroad and takes lovers on her own terms. While I find Ayn Rand’s novels lack subtlety (the heroes are intelligent and capable, the villains spineless), she firmly believed a woman could do anything a man could, and reflected that in her fiction.

#5. Terry Pratchett’s Granny Weatherwax. A beacon of common sense, guile and barefaced cheek, the old witch can take care of herself and others. There’s a fabulous chapter in Witches Abroad where she turns the tables on a bunch of conmen, robbing them blind in a card game. On another occasion, she cheats Death at the same game.

#6. Lisbeth Salander in Stieg Larsson’s thriller, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Salander’s tribulations, and her reaction to them, are every bit as extreme as anything George RR Martin could concoct. Although she lacks social skills after her troubled childhood, she’s a computer hacking genius. Evildoers can’t hide from her, and nor can their money.

Should you be celebrating great real-life role models at the Midlands Women of the Year lunch this Friday, do drop by to say Hi. I’ll be signing copies of my latest crime thriller, The Bride’s Trail – featuring an enigmatic heroine whose disappearance sparks off a trail across two British cities…

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AA Abbott’s crime thrillers, Up In Smoke, After The Interview and The Bride’s Trail, are described by readers as “racy and pacy”, “stylish” and “funny and fast”. Grab one at a bookshop, peek inside each book on Amazon or read tasters here.