A.A. Abbott

GREAT CRIME STORY WRITER

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the bride's trail

Characters I Hate, and Why

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Some fictional characters are a joy to write about. I paid tribute to them in my blog last week. There are others, by contrast, that I hate. Every word added to the page is a triumph of willpower. Because I immerse myself in each character’s mind and thoughts, that’s a big challenge when his or her values are very different from mine.

Nowhere was that more evident than the chapters devoted to Jeb in my latest crime thriller, The Bride’s Trail. Apart from loving his mother, he has no redeeming features. Jeb is an East End villain, selling Class A drugs and running a string of prostitutes whom he’s hooked on his wares. Greed is his sole motivator. He lies, steals and kills without a second thought. The mind of a psychopath is a depressing place indeed. You can meet Jeb, and Kat, who gets the better of him – just – in short story The Gap, a “5 minute crime thriller”.

After The Interview brought Boris, a coward, womaniser and murderer. While I hoped to make his emotions and actions understandable to readers, I doubt that he was loveable. I couldn’t love him myself. His infidelity, the bullying treatment of the Polish concierge and the paranoid execution of his best friend were almost enough to drive a writer to drink. Boris hit the bottle instead…

By comparison, I said last week that autistic Jed Gardner was my favourite character in After The Interview. That’s not the whole story. His episodes of anger and misery cast a grey cloud over my life, and a huge sigh of relief when he finally found peace of mind. I was challenged by outrageous Tony, the womanising tobacco chief executive of Up In Smoke, too. An unreconstructed chauvinist and Big Tobacco poster boy, he was fun – but I still gritted my teeth as he sold tobacco to smugglers and treated attractive women as every bit as disposable as a piece of Kleenex. Interestingly, Tony wasn’t based on a real person, but several readers thought they knew him! A case of truth being stranger than fiction?

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Which fictional character do you love to hate, and why? Please drop me a line at aaabbottstories[at]gmail.com and let me know! As a British crime thriller writer, I’m open to feedback and suggestions for new angles. In fact, reader feedback is so important to me that every draft crime thriller is read by a panel of 20 beta readers before a final rewrite!

Characters I Love, and Why

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As it’s St Valentine’s Day (read my thoughts in last year’s blog about it), I’m penning a tribute to the characters I really love. They may not share my values, but boy, these people were fun to write about. Here are the ones I love – and why:

Alicia, the amoral merchant banker in Up In Smoke. She has two aims in life – climbing the corporate ladder, and having fun. If a fling ticks both boxes, she’ll go for it. Never self-pitying, always resourceful, she’s hardly a role model, but she’s always interesting.

Tony, also from Up In Smoke (hear a chapter from the crime thriller here) is a textbook villain. A womaniser and a homophobe, he runs a tobacco company and uses his power to seduce every woman who catches his eye. Bad boys are just so entertaining…

…but the good guys are too. Jed Gardner, the autistic hero of After The Interview is my favourite character ever. Deeply flawed, struggling to understand and be understood, he makes mistakes and loses everything – but bounces back. As does Andrew Aycliffe, who would be my ideal boss.

Crime thriller The Bride’s Trail, on the other hand, stars strong women – orphaned Kat and her loyal flatmate, Amy. Both have a dry sense of humour, an excellent foil to the arrogant men they meet. I deliberately chose to keep Kat’s point of view hidden and reveal her personality through the eyes of others. That will change in the sequel planned for release this summer…

Although hardly characters in the conventional sense, buzzy Birmingham and frenetic London feature in all three crime thrillers – and many of my short stories, available free on this website.

I aim to build empathy for all my characters, but I don’t love them all. Some are simply too challenging. Find out more next week, when I tell you which characters I hate – and why!

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I’ve been a British crime thriller writer for several years, and an occasional writer of short stories for many more. If you like my blog, why not invite me to speak at your book group, social circle or business network? Please drop me a line at aaabbottstories[at]gmail.com!

Thriller of the Month – The Firm, by John Grisham

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John Grisham, crime thriller writer extraordinaire, describes himself as “America’s favourite writer”. His British sales aren’t exactly small either. His classic, The Firm, illustrates why his books sell by the million.

For a thriller, it has a slow and gentle start. Mitch McDeere, about to graduate from law school, is offered the job of his dreams at Bendini, Lambert & Locke. The law firm lures him with a fantastic salary, a BMW and a swanky house. His young bride is unimpressed that she’s expected to transform into a Stepford wife, but Mitch throws himself heart and soul into his work. Grateful for the riches heaped upon him and ambitious for more, he works a hundred hours a week. Sometimes, he slaves at his desk all night, popping home for breakfast and a quick shower at the crack of dawn.

I can assure you, having worked with many lawyers in my corporate career, that this is horribly realistic. Indeed, there appears to be a macho culture that prizes the ability to pull “all-nighters”. So far, so normal, then. But, just as Mitch settles into his new position, he’s approached by the FBI. Suddenly, the tension mounts and Grisham’s pace escalates to a breakneck speed, keeping the pages turning once Mitch realises he’s becoming trapped in a web of crime. He faces a race against time as he tries to escape with his life.

Mitch is by no means the perfect hero – he’s swayed by hard cash, and he hates his in-laws – but Grisham still makes him a sympathetic, and credible, character. His world and his troubles easily hold the reader’s interest. Do give John Grisham a go, if you haven’t already!

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Although proudly British, I’m also a crime thriller writer. Corporate skulduggery features in my books The Bride’s Trail, After The Interview and Up In Smoke, along with heady emotions, crime and suspense…

 

Thank You!

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Happy New Year! As we race into 2016, it’s time to thank everyone who’s made 2015 great for me. Most of all, I owe a debt of gratitude to the readers who bought my latest crime thriller, The Bride’s Trail. From your reviews, it seems you liked it! Please tell your friends!

Thanks also to…

…the 20 readers who gave me feedback on the draft book. It’s a much tighter, colourful and interesting read because of you. Special thanks to Liz Ascott, RIP and much missed.

…Katharine D’Souza for her skilful and diplomatic editing.

…Pete Sutton for his fantastic Bristol Litfest events – it was a pleasure to take part in two of them.

…Foyles Bookshop, Brewsmiths, the Grosvenor casino, the Haggerston Tearoom, the Happy Heart Café, Waterstones and others who hosted live fiction events and book launches – they were brilliant.

…Donna Marie Finn of Twitter’s #TheCultureHour and Dave Massey of #BrumHour for their faith, support and inspired ideas. Teamwork is dreamwork after all (take a look at this guest blog I wrote for authorpreneur Amy Morse).

…Glenn Richardson, who suggested the secret tunnels under Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter as the setting for action scenes in The Bride’s Trail – and local librarian Jackie Molloy, who took a cameo role in the book.

…New St Authors, Pigeon Park Press, Simon Fairbanks, Suzanna Stanbury and other writers who helped me out. I love your work too!

…all the authors whose fabulous fiction I enjoyed in 2015 – too many to mention!

…my newsletter subscribers. I hope you liked your free e-book, Something In The City.

Wishing you all great things in 2016!

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I’m a British crime thriller writer, author of full-length crime thrillers The Bride’s Trail, After The Interview and Up In Smoke. My New Year’s Resolutions boil down to read, write and be nice! More in my last but one blog.

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 Social Media Tips for Writers

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Social media is a fun and fabulous way of connecting with others who love books, and it needn’t take a lot of time. Of course, I love writing above all else, but meeting kindred spirits online has enriched my life enormously. Here are my 7 social media tips for writers: – please share yours!

#1.Choose Your Platform – With so many social media sites available, it can be a struggle knowing where to begin. Be aware that different sites serve different purposes. For example, Twitter is great for making impressions, sharing content and engaging with new people, while Facebook is suited to longer, more personal interactions. Do your research about each site before you jump in!

#2. Be Consistent – It’s no use having a social media profile if you rarely ever use it! Posting at regular intervals at times when you know your followers are online too is the best way to build your social media platform. I’ve found Twitter works best for me in the early morning and evening, while my Facebook friends are online during the day.

#3. Don’t Be Shameless! – It can be hard to resist when you’re dying to tell everyone how great your book is…but the majority of your content on social media should not be about your book at all! Shameless self-promotion can drive people away. Far better to post relevant and engaging content to your audience – then they’ll be more likely to pay attention when you do talk about your own work.

#4. If You Don’t Have Anything Nice to Say – Don’t say anything at all. Negativity and online controversy is not a good way to attract an audience. Steer clear of controversial topics, and resist the urge to respond to critics and detractors in kind. Posting online when you’re drunk is best avoided too…

#5. Have a Schedule – Keeping up with social media can seem like a chore, especially when you have a book to write. You should set aside time each day to maintain your social media profiles, and stick to it, however tempting another fifteen minutes on Twitter may be!

#6. Don’t Be Afraid To Repeat Yourself – Given the nature of many social media platforms, it can be easy to miss something the first time around. If you have a piece of content that failed to get the traction you hoped it would, don’t be afraid to post it again. Experimenting with posting at different times of the day can help you gauge when your audience is online (see above).

#7. Be Yourself – Injecting your own personality into your content and posts will attract likeminded contacts, and expand your audience. I also send a free e-book to my newsletter subscribers – if they like what I write, they’ll stay subscribed and we can get to know each other better.

Do you agree? Connect on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+ and let me know!

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Although I spend far too much time on Twitter (especially addictive chat hours like #TheCultureHour and #BrumHour), I also find time to write crime thrillers like The Bride’s Trail! I love meeting other readers and writers both on and offline, so feel free to get in touch.