Monday 21 October 2019

Why write and why write crime?

I had my nails done last week. Now I have moved house to a centre of civilisation, I can easily access a nail salon that does acrylic nails. However, that is not the subject of this blog. During the nail appointment, my technician asked what made me want to write and what made me want to write crime.

For a few moments, I was completely stuck and gave a pathetic answer about loving puzzles and having a weird mind. But it made me think. A lot. So, what is the answer, what made me want to start writing anything, but why crime in particular?

Parents always influence a child, sometimes not in a good way. My mother loved reading crime and she loved reading history. Both of those loves, she bequeathed to me. She had a wonderful grasp of what-if? That’s the good bit. She also became obsessed with the Moors Murders: I suppose because one of the victims was the same age as me. She kept a tight grip on my freedom after that, which sometimes made life difficult but developed my devious mindset. In retrospect, that is perfect soil in which to nurture a crime writer. I was always good at essays at school and had what one of my teachers called an over-active imagination. Brilliant for a writer, but Miss Dunning didn’t know that.

The physical act of writing I have always loved. And pens. From an early age. I remember being about 10 and buying a new fountain pen ready for exams. I have an impressive collection of fountain pens now and different coloured inks. They are useful in ways I never imagined.

Although these days, I write directly onto the computer, there are some occasions when I switch desks – yes, I have two. The one for working out plot complications is an old pedestal desk, set across the French doors in my office, looking out over the garden. (And before you ask, there are so few occasions I would need the doors open, it makes sense to take advantage of being able to see the garden.) If I am stuck on a plot point or overcoming a piece of evidence that need negating, I might use several different pens and different coloured inks to work through the problem. I used to think I was weird because of that, but there are more than a few writers who do the same.

Does that answer the question why crime? It is the puzzle, I think. I’m not one for crosswords but give me a situation that requires an answer and I will sit and try and work out the solution. A writing friend of mine, wrote a mangled word the other day in error and only when she read back what she had written did she come across it. And couldn’t work out what she had meant to say, so she posted it on Facebook. I spent about two hours trying to work out what that word could be. Was it one word or two? Had she shifted her hands across from the home keys to one key either side? I never asked for the context, but at the last communication, she still had no idea what she had meant to write. And neither did I. But trying was fun. I like to make the puzzles in my books as convoluted as is feasible and, for me, that is more than half the fun. 

In marrying my love of music and singing, it was a logical progression to write the Georgia Pattison Mysteries and, for readers who might be interested, I always include links to the music mentioned in the books. Georgia always has a Christmas adventure and this year is no different. While Shepherds Watched will be available in mid-December

And history? Again, it was a logical progression to mix that with crime and adding a bit of magic led to The Tudor Enigma books. Now I have ventured further back and hope to have Loyalty in Conflict, the first of the Gideon Rooke Chronicles, set in the Wars of the Roses, available early in 2020.

Have I answered the question? Not sure, but I hope you will have a clearer idea of why I write.

You can read more about April Taylor here:



Thursday 3 October 2019

Want to meet an amazing man...?


Seumas Gallacher is an amazing man. He was Blogger of the Year in 2013 and has an eye-watering number of followers. I met him - once - and he is warm, welcoming and gives you his entire attention. He has what used to be called the ‘common touch’ and it is clear this stems from the fact he is interested in people. When I heard he had written his autobiography Strangely, I’m still here, I wondered why the title included the word ‘strangely’. When I read the book, I discovered why. 


Seumas is very open about his, now defunct, relationship with alcohol. He is not quite as open about having to travel around parts of the Far East in a bullet-proof car with two armed bodyguards in constant attendance, but you certainly get the picture of a very genuine human being who hates bullies, is endlessly supportive of fellow writers and who repays good fortune in his own life by paying it forward to others whenever he can. 

It is also a life story where I cried, giggled and laughed so hard I was unable to read the relevant paragraphs aloud to my husband. I also winced a few times, especially the part when, as a child, Seumas was outraged about treatment of a friend of his at the hands of two bigger boys. 

He is very upfront about saying that he isn’t telling you his story warts ’n all and that is fine with me because although I am interested in somebody’s life enough to want to read their story, it is very right and proper that some things are kept private. However, there were some things I felt needed further explanation, so I asked a few questions. Read on. 

Q : In the book you show a Puckish sense of humour. Where did it come from or was it a bequest from one of your parents?

A : Humour is in the Glasgow DNA – I think it derives from the history of the large influx of Irish and other immigrants in the 19thcentury – my comedic God is Billy Connolly, who tells stories with wit and humour, rather than jokes per se. Dark, gallows humour is also strong in Govan and other districts of Glasgow, for obvious reasons – and we enjoy poking fun at ourselves and our real pals… but we reserve the ‘take-downs’ for snobbish posturing and the ‘establishment’.

Q : It has to have been frightening facing down people who put out a contract on you. How do you summon the wherewithal to confront such people calmly and what were their initial reactions when it became clear you weren’t intimidated by them?

A : I hate bullying of any kind. All my life I’ve faced it down, finding that most of the time the bullies are cowards with runny mouths. With the rogue cop captain in the book, he could easily have shot me and claimed I was resisting arrest – these things can and do happen in some of the places and situations I worked in. It’s not a case of courage, it’s more a case of being more scared of backing down.

Q : Tell us three things you are thankful for every day.

A : My life. My sobriety. My faith.

Q : It’s clear from the autobiography that you are persistent when you set your mind to it. Let’s say that you have decided you want to go to the Moon in 5 years. Take us through your thinking process for giving yourself the best chance of success.

A: Preparation, preparation, preparation. Research as much as I can about every detail of what would be required - cost, vehicle, material, support, physical and mental fitness, proper assessment of survival and decision on how much risk I would be prepared to take. 

Q : One thing that shines through the book is your ethos of paying things forward, something the world desperately needs right now. Tell us more about how that ethos developed.

A : You will have noted, I’m sure, that at several, not just one, but several, critical junctures in my life, some amazing people were put in my sphere. Some I recognised at the time, some I came to understand and appreciate much later. The biggest was the gift of sobriety, in understanding that I was not a bad guy because I drank to excess, but that I had an illness that could be tackled with the magnificent help of others just like me, who gave unconditionally of their time and love, Reciprocation of that comes so easily, and so gratifying, that it truly is an inherent core of my life now.

Q :I have to talk about Jack Calder. Now we all know why we haven’t seen Book 6 yet. Is he anywhere on your horizon and if so, can you give us a taste of what we can expect him to be fighting next?

A :Jack Calder and the other characters are never far from my author’s mind. Book six, ‘NO IMPUNITY’, is work in progress. I never put deadlines on my writing, but I expect it to be ready before the end of the first quarter, 2020. The story will have the team tackling organised biker drug gangs across Europe, who are not averse to murder in the wake of their business and who also coerce young ladies into prostitution. A few bad authorities also have to be dealt with along the way.

And there you have it - from the man himself. But don't take my word for it. Not only has he written the aforementioned thrillers, but also a guide to promotion and marketing for writers, not to mention the poetry! You can't say this man isn't proactive! 

All his books are available on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. You can find his new book, Strangely I'm Still Here here: https://amzn.to/2oL18xq for Amazon UK and here: https://amzn.to/2o82vqb for Amazon US


























    






















Schemes, Mice and Men.

      In 1785, Robert Burns wrote one of his most famous poems, “To A Mouse”. It contains the lines:   The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men...