A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

short stories

Book review – A Saintly Grave Disturbed by Nikki Copleston

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A deeply satisfying short read

A Saintly Grave Disturbed by Nikki Copleston is a short read set in the English West Country

Short reads are having a moment. This detective story is a stunning example, packing tons of twists and emotional development into two hours. It’s a deeply satisfying read. 

Fleeing his demons to fight crime

Detective Inspector Jeff Lincoln has fled a failing marriage and personal tragedy to fight crime in England’s West Country. The city of Barbury might seem sleepy, but a stabbing on the local council estate and thefts from the museum keep him busy.  Then there’s the archaeological dig near the abbey, where volunteers appear to be falling victim to a mysterious assailant, perhaps even to each other.

Intriguing characters

While Nikki Copleston focuses on Jeff’s point of view, she also gives us insights into the thoughts of his colleagues, and other leading characters. There’s Beth Tarrant, for example, leading the dig and hoping to solve a family mystery while she uncovers the remains. Meanwhile, Trish Whittington, local librarian and Jeff’s lover, isn’t too besotted to ignore a sexy archaeologist.

Twists layered upon twists

Twists multiply and build upon each other, as Jeff links the crimes together and then finds his theories unravelling. Despite the complexity of the plot, the flow of the story is smooth, its separate strands neatly woven together at the end.

Flawless writing

Nikki Copleston is a class act, writing flawlessly and covering an amazing amount of detail in this interesting novella. It is the second book in a series about DI Jeff Lincoln (the others are all longer), but can be read as a standalone. ‘A Saintly Grave Disturbed‘ is a great way to dip a toe in the water and see if you enjoy Jeff Lincoln’s world. I suspect you will be hooked!

Do you like short crime reads? Then you’ll love ‘A Hint of Crime’, an anthology of short crime stories by the Bristol Fiction Writers’ Group. I’ve contributed three tales, all with a tantalising hint of mystery.

Thriller of the Month – The Woodcutter, by Reginald Hill

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“I lived in a fairytale,” Wolf Hadda tells his psychiatrist from his prison cell. As far as he’s concerned, he achieved the impossible and won his fair lady.

Trouble is, they’re no longer together. In fact, Wolf, a former financial whizzkid, is now a convicted paedophile and fraudster. He’s penniless and his youthful good looks are gone, ravaged by an accident during an unsuccessful escape bid. Needless to say, he’s been abandoned by family and friends.

Elf, his psychiatrist, finally achieves the breakthrough that at first seems impossible. Wolf admits the crimes he’s been denying for seven years. He’s released on parole. Elf congratulates herself on a job well done. She visits his remote country cottage and even begins to acknowledge that she feels attracted to this reformed character. Then, as bad things begin to happen to those who have crossed Wolf Hadda, she starts to question her own judgement.

This isn’t so much a fairytale gone wrong as an allegory, especially as it features the shadowy JC, a spymaster with the power to put wrongs right. In a tale with many twists, it’s not always easy to tell who the good guys are, but at least we know by the end.

Reginald Hill sold millions of his Dalziel and Pascoe detective mysteries. The Woodcutter is another type of book altogether. With dodgy Russians, bent coppers, cokeheads and toffs, there are enough crazy characters and action scenes in The Woodcutter to please any thriller fan, but a heart-warming seasoning of humour and romance too.

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Like Reginald Hill, I’m a British crime thriller writer (my most recent book is The Vodka Trail), but I have other strings to my bow too. Get a free e-book of short stories – including crime, horror and romance! – by signing up here for my short and sweet newsletter.

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.

Short Stories for your Coffee Break

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In today’s frenetic world, stopping for a coffee is one of life’s pleasures – a precious pause to relax and reflect. It’s a great time to read a short story too. E-books can even be carried on a Kindle or smartphone, ready to slip a few minutes of sheer entertainment into that busy lifestyle.

I suggested a few superb short stories for you in a blog last summer. Do take a look at those recommendations – and some new ones below!

You don’t have to know Britain’s second city to enjoy The Sea in Birmingham from the respected Tindal Street Fiction Group. Writers include wonderful Kit de Waal and rocker Ryan Davis (seriously! Google him). The stories are beautifully written urban tales, each one thoroughly enjoyable. For me, they’re still more…Kit’s story sent a wave of nostalgia to carry me back to summer days lounging in my landlady’s garden. The Kindle book costs less than a latte – great vfm.

Ruth Rendell (whose The Tree of Hands was my Thriller of the Month in November) was arguably the greatest British crime thriller writer of her generation. Her Collected Short Stories are also a joy to read.

Breadcrumbs by Simon Fairbanks is next on my reading list! His full-length sci-fi fantasy novels The Sheriff and The Curse of Besti Bori overflow with chills, thrills and spills – so a good read’s guaranteed.

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I’ve written some sparkling short stories too, including five minute crime thriller The Gap free on this website. To receive my free e-book, Something In The City, just sign up for my newsletter here!

My Writing Resolutions for 2016

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While still enjoying a whirl of festive celebrations, it’s never too early – or too late – to set goals. You’ll probably suspect my top goal for 2016 is to write another crime thriller, but can you guess the rest?

Studies show that the most successful New Year resolutions are those that begin after 1st January, and it’s best to concentrate on achieving a few key objectives. These, then, are mine.

#1. Write a sequel to The Bride’s Trail. I’ve written one book a year as well as many short stories, and I’ll do the same in 2016. Until now, each of my three crime thrillers has been a stand-alone story, with a completely different cast of characters. Although writing a series will be a change in direction, I think cunning Kat, awkward Amy and arrogant Ross are worth it. The biggest challenge will be shaping the book into a story in its own right, so first-time readers can pick it up from scratch. I’m looking forward to it – starting in mid-January once the parties are over.

#2. Write more short stories. They’re a great way to relax – I find them fun and fast to write, and I hope readers love them too. After all, in the frantic world, it’s great to grab five minutes for a coffee and an entertaining tale or two. There are plenty on this website, and you can receive more by subscribing to my newsletter. Also…if you are or know of a publisher for short crime stories, please get in touch!

#3. Do (at least) one good deed every day. Sounds trite, perhaps, but over the year that’ll be 366 rays of sunshine in the lives of others. Whether it’s a compliment, a contribution to the local foodbank or helping another British writer out – I’ll be smiling, and so will someone else!

#4. Read, read, read. Hardly a resolution, more a way of life. As much as I love writing fiction, I adore reading it too. (Last week’s 12 Books of Christmas rather hint at that).

What are your resolutions for 2016? Tell me on Facebook!

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I write crime thrillers, mostly set in the British cities of Birmingham and London, but watch this space – the sequel to The Bride’s Trail may travel further afield!

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!