Crime Scene NI

New Review Policy

2012-01-26T13:38:00.007Z

Last year I began writing shorter reviews to (I had hoped) allow me to produce more of them for the blog. It turned out I averaged about one review a month which represented only a small fraction of my actual reading. And I'm not even sure that the reviews did any real good for the books. So this year, I'm changing my approach again.

One thing that I've found since I released THE POINT and WEE ROCKETS is that the reviews that seem to have the most traction are those on Amazon. Now, this could well be because I'm relying heavily on Kindle sales, but I'm pretty sure that many other writers attach a lot of value to them too. I took a little time to think about whether or not it was 'professional' to review other writers on Amazon and came to the conclusion that most people don't give a feck about that sort of thing. And so, from now on, when the fancy takes me, I'll be reviewing my latest reads on Amazon. But just so the blog still has a bookish element to it, I'll be gathering them up every once in a whole and posting them on CSNI.

My main concern in this endeavour is how seriously people will treat my reviews. I'm not a fan of the 5-star system but that's what I have to work with. Thing is, when I'm reading a book that isn't floating my boat I do this really wacky thing... I stop reading it. So the majority of my reviews are going to be in the 4 and 5 star range. I suppose you could argue that the challenge is getting me to finish reading your book. Then again, most people don't give a feck about this foible either.

So, constant visitors, the latest Amazon reviews:

The Cold, Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

Adrian McKinty is one of my favourites. He's a forerunner in the latest generation of Northern Irish crime writers. And this is the book he was born to write. A police procedural featuring a catholic RUC officer set against the backdrop of the 1981 hunger strikes. Talk about ambitious... But McKinty is a master of the craft and he has applied all of his talent to The Cold, Cold Ground.

The writing is electrifying, the characters top notch and his ability to spin a great yarn is enviable. If you want to learn a little about that crazy chapter in Northern Irish history and read an excellent story as well, you need look no further.

Buy this book.

Stolen Souls by Stuart Neville

Stuart Neville brings us back to his dark version of Belfast in the latest Jack Lennon investigation. Set over Christmas, this novel delves into the murky depths of human trafficking in Northern Ireland and the gangs that control it. It's set at a relentless pace throughout with all the now distinctive hallmarks of a Neville crime novel. If you're a fan of the Belfast series there are plenty of little references to the previous books to delight and intrigue the constant reader. But they never distract from the main force of the story. I look forward to his next instalment.

Stolen Souls is 24 meets Die Hard in Belfast. Come on, tell me you don't want to read that and I'll tell you you're a liar.

All The Young Warriors by Anthony Neil Smith

This was officially my first Kindle read and I have to say, this book alone is pretty much worth the price of the Kindle reader. Just a pity the author couldn't get a percentage off that price-tag.

The story is set in Minnesota and Somalia, places of opposite extremes in temperature and culture. The narrative is split between a recently widowed, angry cop and a terrified American-born Somalian who has gone to his father's home country to join the 'ragtag army'. This is a big, ambitious story and it is handled with expertise by Smith. A tremendous novel with a distinct and confident voice. I actually slowed my reading down around the 80% mark to make it last a little longer. I'll be reading more from this guy.

All The Young Warriors is an emotional gut-punch. I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come.

Why I Write - Part 3 of 3

2012-01-25T12:12:00.000Z

So, is writing an escape for me? I don’t think so. I have a nice life. Apart from a dull day job, the rest of my existence is packed with blessings. I have a supportive wife who I still love very much. Then there are my three children: Mya (age 7), Jack (age 5) and Oscar (age 1). Those kids fuel and exhaust me in equal measure and they are three very different examples of pure brilliance. We also have a puppy that is so cute and fluffy that I can only walk him when it’s dark enough to hide my blushes. I’m broke most of the time, but make just enough money to provide my family with the essentials and the occasional extravagance. So, what’s to escape?

Is it a psychological impulse? Possibly. Though I have other impulses that can be acted upon as and when I decide. For instance, no mater how stressed I am, I rarely drink before the kids go to bed. Certainly never enough to get drunk. When I’ve been cut off on the M1 by some tube in a BMW 3 Series, I don’t drive my Nissan Micra into the back of his wank-mobile to teach the impudent prick a lesson. And when I pop a tube of Pringles, I often stop just to feel that little bit superior to the lost souls who make up the company’s marketing department. So, if I decided it was inconvenient, I’m confident I could quash the urge to write.

So, what is it?

Here’s a theory.

I am descended from a clan of highwaymen and bank robbers. And I am unhealthily fascinated with criminals. In fact, I believe that I have a criminal mind. However, I lack a criminal’s stomach. I simply do not have what it takes to actually commit a legal transgression. So, is the skill for figuring out inventive ways to break into a house or rob a high street shop wasted on this yellow-bellied man? Well, I usually write crime fiction, so maybe not.

Crime fiction has become my legal means of experiencing the joy of law-breaking. I want to be an outlaw but don’t want to risk a criminal record. The idea of a prison sentence captures my imagination, but I have no intention of spending any time in a cell. There are times when my temper gets the better of me and I threaten violence (from a safe distance) yet in my adult years I have yet to throw a punch that wasn’t in self defence. But in my mind, I’ve gone that extra mile so many times. Robbed, shot, stabbed. Danced, kissed, shagged. Lived, fought, died. Vicariously, I have had the most colourful lifetime I could imagine thousands of times and have infinite potential to live many more.

Surely the question is not, ‘Why do I write?’ but, ‘Why the fuck wouldn’t I write?’

That’d be a nice line to finish up on, but I haven’t addressed my skill for listening (remember I mentioned that in Part 1?), so humour me for a further paragraph or two.

I am a listener with an armoury of questions that draw conversation from others. This is useful in social situations that I can’t avoid. It is also essential for my writing inspiration. Other people have stories and I collect them, melt them down and reform them to suit my vision of a character in a story or novel. By listening to others, I refill my inkwells.

And when I can do so without it becoming too obvious to those concerned, I eavesdrop. It’s a little creepy and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I have heard some fantastic conversations on buses and in restaurant. It’s fuel to the creative fire, and a wonderful way to pass the time. But with all that information filling my brain it’d be a real shame to do nothing with it. So what do I do?

I choose to write.

Actually, that’s not a bad line to end this on either, is it?

Why I write - Part 2 of 3

2012-01-24T12:12:00.001Z

At an early age I’d set my sights on becoming a writer and spent the rest of my time at primary school, and a few years of grammar school, thinking that it was a viable possibility. Unfortunately, by the time it came to choosing my GCSEs I had been disillusioned. We were given flowcharts and instruction manuals by our careers teacher. The poorly photocopied literature provided suggested ‘pathways’ to professional careers. Accountant, barrister, doctor… Writer as a profession was glaringly absent. Bollocks.

As far as St Colman’s College, Newry, was concerned, you studied to go to university. In university you studied to acquire a vocation. If you didn’t have the aptitude to contribute to an exemplary level of achievement and advance the school’s league records, you could expect to receive advice of NVQs, GNVQs and apprenticeships. These were options my parents persuaded me to avoid. So I found myself aimlessly slogging through GCSEs and then A Levels with limited enthusiasm. I showed some flair for English, especially the restricted amount of creative writing permitted, but this was salt in the wounds really. I gleaned some praise for my imaginings but no real advice that would help me turn it into a career. Journalism was the closest possibility but on an island obsessed with politics I barely understood, I had little love for the idea.

I was accepted into Queen’s University, Belfast, after underachieving in my A Levels. I had discovered alcohol and girls by then and enjoyed them with the lack of sophistication expected from a teenager. Studying was not high up on my list of priorities. I also played in a band at the time. Bass guitar, because it was easier than lead guitar, more prestigious than rhythm guitar and there were less bassists than guitarists in my neck of the woods which increased your chances of getting into a decent four or five-piece. At one point I played for three groups. Anyway, with my focus split this way, it was not very surprising to me that I bombed out of Queen’s. I was too hungover to sit my exams and too distracted to really consider the consequences of such idiocy. But, Jesus, I had a great time that year.

So, there I was, a failure and not particularly heartbroken about it. Sure a degree in English Literature would do fuck all for me anyway. Would it get me published? No. It’d just get in my way. I needed to learn how to live life, then I could write, damn it.

So I got a job at a timber yard. Got some experience there. Learned some new and inventive ways to swear, developed a rash on my chin that wouldn’t let up and saw somebody lose a finger in a vicious machine. The lost finger was enough to send me looking for a new job. I decided to work somewhere that wouldn’t endanger my digits. After a brief stint of stacking pancakes at the Mother’s Pride bakery I landed a cushy number in a public sector office. The Belfast Education and Library Board, to be precise. Found it mind-numbing but less dangerous than manual labour. And it’d pay the bills until I figured out how to get into the writing racket.

Twelve years have passed since then and I still work in the same building.

I am grateful for my day job, though, even if I’m less than enthusiastic about it. Over the last twelve years it has provided me with a home, a series of cars, paid for my wedding, supported my children and funded my unhealthy relationship with alcohol. And each job I’ve done within the organisation (I have been promoted a number of times, and quite recently, demoted) has been just uninspiring enough to urge me to find an alternative source of satisfaction.

So I write.

Why I Write - Part 1 of 3

2012-01-23T14:20:00.003Z

It seems like a straightforward question, that. Why do I write? Well… it’s not straightforward. Not at all.

The urge to write is not an easy thing to pin down. There are psychological, social and emotional elements to it. It’s a philosophical question. There are raw nerves to be struck in such thoughts. Memories better left repressed. Cans that contain less worms. Heartstrings one should never tug.

But the question has been asked and it is my duty to provide some attempt at an answer. Here goes.

The first time I told somebody that I wanted to be a writer, I was about seven or eight years old (memory is a sketchy thing). I’d been collecting the works of Roald Dahl and savouring every word the man wrote. He was the king of gross-out comedy then and I’ve yet to discover a writer who can compete. The declaration happened over lunch with my mother and grandmother – a Dahl-esque cast, as it happens. My grandmother was always fond of the question, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” She used it often: icebreaker, tension breaker, ball breaker. On this occasion I suspect it was to get me talking. I was a quiet child, more than happy to let my loquacious younger sister do the talking and entertaining. Me, I was happy to sit and listen. Listening… I have to come back to that. It’s very relevant to this topic.

Anyway, my answer at the time was set to disappoint her. Again. You see, my grandmother wanted a specific response from me when she asked this question. She wanted me to tell her that my vocational ambition was to join the priesthood. Become a man of the cloth. There had not been a priest in her family for a number of generations and I was a bespectacled little fellow which usually inferred a certain level of intelligence not usually bestowed on those with perfect eyesight. Surely I’d be clever enough to study the bible or whatever texts are required to earn that white collar. But time and again I managed to disappoint. Previous answers included lorry driver, boxer and cowboy; and a couple of times, when the whimsy was in me, taller.

Here’s the interesting thing, though. When I said, “I want to be a writer and I’ll probably illustrate my own books,” both my grandmother and mother looked a little surprised. Pleasantly so, I thought.

“Do you hear that?” Mum said (she was always concerned about Granny’s hearing ability). “He’s going to ‘illustrate’. How does he even know a word like that?”

Granny mouth-shrugged and pushed her false teeth past her lower lip with her tongue.

Mum waited until she slurped the dentures back into place and said, “It’s all that reading he does.”

There and then, I felt the tinniest surge of something. Excitement? Power? Whatever it was, I liked it. The ability to spit out a word like ‘illustrate’ at such a young age taught me something. Words could impress people. I later went on to learn that words could flatter, hurt and strike fear. If used well sometimes you could achieve all three of these effects at once with a single sentence. But then you also had to learn how to take a punch. I’ve earned myself a fat lip or bloody nose, thanks to my smart mouth, more times than I care to count. That’s okay, though. We learn from such things. I now know that I’m not made of glass.

To be continued...

A Message for the Kindle Junkies - Support the CSNI Guy!

2012-01-22T23:30:00.000Z

Now follows a shameless plug for my Kindle offerings:

WEE ROCKETS does for Belfast what Irvine Welsh did for Edinburgh. It’s a frank look at the drink and drug-addled youth ejected onto the streets of a socially deprived community as they smirk in the face of authority and play Russian Roulette with their adolescent lives.

Praise for WEE ROCKETS:

“The Wire? This is Barbed Wire. A cheeky slice of urban noir, a drink-soaked, drug-addled journey into the violent underbelly of one of Europe’s most notorious ghettos, WEE ROCKETS make The Outsiders look like the Teletubbies.” – Colin Bateman

“Gerard Brennan stands apart from the Irish crime fiction crowd with a novel rooted in the reality of today’s Belfast. The author’s prose speaks with a rare authenticity about the pain of growing up in a fractured society, shot through with a black humour that can only come from the streets. WEE ROCKETS is urban crime fiction for the 21st century, and Brennan is a unique voice among contemporary Irish writers.” – Stuart Neville

“In WEE ROCKETS Gerard Brennan has written a fast paced, exciting story of West Belfast gang culture; brimming with violence, authentic street dialogue and surprising black humour. This is a great debut novel. Brennan takes us into the heart of Belfast’s chav underclass, in a story that lies somewhere in the intersection between The Warriors, Colin Bateman and Guy Ritchie. This is the first in what undoubtedly will be a stellar literary career.” – Adrian McKinty

WEE ROCKETS, Amazon UK

WEE ROCKETS, Amazon US

Praise for THE POINT:

“Gerard Brennan is a master of gritty violence.” - Colin Bateman

“...a Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast... Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of Northern Ireland..." - Ken Bruen

"The Point is the real deal -- the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." - Brian McGilloway

"It needs to said that Gerard Brennan’s The Point is terrific. Scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and the most inventive car theft ever!" - Arlene Hunt

"The Point is top stuff. Engaging from the start, the characters are loveable, the story is strong and the pace never lets up." - Adrian McKinty

"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." - Wayne Simmons

THE POINT, Amazon UK

THE POINT, Amazon US

Please note, THE POINT is also published in paperback and is available at the wonder emporium that is No Alibis, Belfast (still the only bookstore with signed copies!), and in selected branches of Waterstones across NI. If your favourite bookshop doesn't have it on the shelf, just order it in.

I thank you for your indulgence.

Belfast Telegraph Competition

2012-01-21T14:03:00.004Z

There's a competition in the Belfast Telegraph today to win a rather spiffy presentation tin edition of Wee Rockets as pictured above.

There are ten up for grabs and the question is pretty easy. But if you need any help with it, feel free to get in touch. I'm happy to give readers of the blog an unfair advantage.

Catch-all Catch-up

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000Z

I never did do one of those introspective end of 2011, start of 2012 blog posts. So this attempt to pull my thoughts together will serve as a belated one. It seems I had a very good year in 2011 when I list out some of the highlights:

- Generally enjoyed marriage and fatherhood
- Got accepted onto the MA for creative writing at QUB
- Took a demotion to allow more time for writing and family
- Saw the publication of my novella, THE POINT
- Warmed to my wife's fluffy puppy and now refer to him as 'our dog'
- Lost an agent and gained a publisher when I signed with Blasted Heath
- Began calling myself a writer

And 2012 is off to a great start with the official release of WEE ROCKETS and a Spinetingler Award nomination for THE POINT. But this writing malarkey is hard work. I finished my MA ssignments a few days ago and now I'm trying to muster up the enthusiasm to rewrite the novel I had hoped to have done before Christmas. It seems like a huge task right now and I'm feeling a little unfit for purpose. Hopefully I'll shake that off soon because self-pity irritates the hell out of me.

Anyway, in an attempt to shake myself up a bit I listened to a great Writing Excuses podcast about the Hollywood Formula and how to apply it to books. And in it, they recommended Ian MCDonald's latest science fiction epic, The Dervish House. And it reminded me of one of my highest points of the year that was enhanced by the attendance of one Ian McDonald. Here's a pic of me and Arlene Hunt at our joint launch at No Alibis, and in the background, to the right, you can see the award-winning science fiction great, Ian McDonald.

Yeah, man. It was a great frickin' year. And I need to work even harder to make this one top it.

Kindle Surprise

2012-01-19T12:06:00.001Z

Last Saturday my wife surprised me with a lovely present. After the clan had demolished the bacon and eggs served up for our now traditional Saturday morning brunch, we cleaned the yolk out of the one-year-old's hair and fed the dog his share of the leftover bacon. Then I was handed a little cardboard box from Amazon. I knew what it was from the dimensions right away as me and my siblings had chipped in and bought one for my dad at Crimbo. Plus the product name was stamped on the box. It was a Kindle!

My wife thought it was a bit mad that I was pushing my novel, WEE ROCKETS, only available as an ebook, when I didn't own an ereader. And to be honest, I felt a bit bad about that too. I'd bought a few ebooks for the Kindle app on my iPod Touch but they were a pain in the arse to read that way. And while I tried out the Kindle for PC app, I found that wasn't for me either. But this thing... wow. I'm currently blazing through Anthony Neil Smith's All The Young Warriors (bloody brilliant it is too) and have lined up a host of exciting ebooks when I'm done with it. Yesterday I was able to eat a big sloppy sandwich and read at the same time as the Kindle sat on my desk without me having to battle a paperback spine with my thumb. And I love the font size I picked for my poor, punished eyes.

I say all this a little grudgingly, though. I'm usually a fan of the underdog, and these days Amazon is the alpha in most consumer packs. Maybe a different brand of ereader would salve my conscience a little, but I hear Kindle is simply the best in the price range, so why bother messing with an inferior product? What I can do, however, is support writers who haven't landed that mainstream publishing deal but are very much worth reading. Writers published by Blasted Heath, for example. That makes me feel a bit better.

I don't think I'll ever give up on real books, though. It's a different product than an ebook. Its packaging is part of its charm; part of the reading experience. And the feeling of calm I get simply browsing through a bookstore? It's a mini holiday for me. So, whether or not I'm a little giddy with techno-joy, I'm still a bibliophile at heart (but not really a book-sniffer).

If you think Kindle is the devil or that books are a dead god, do share your views. My interest in the subject is peaked right now.

The Fall is Coming...

2012-01-18T21:05:00.003Z

There's a new Northern Irish crime fiction writer on the scene, folks. Claire McGowan was kind enough to stop by for a Q&A last week and introduce herself to the CSNI readers. She grew up in a village just a few miles away from The Point, she has fine taste in puppies (hi, Eddie the Beagle) and she's got a blurb from Peter frickin' James! Her book comes out in February and I for one am looking forward to it. Check it out:

'One of the very best novels I've read in a long while...astonishing, powerful and immensely satisfying' - Peter James

What would you do if the man you love was accused of murder?

Bad things never happen to Charlotte. She's living the life she's always wanted and about to marry wealthy banker, Dan. But Dan's been hiding a secret, and the pressure is pushing him over the edge. After he's arrested for the vicious killing of a nightclub owner, Charlotte's future is shattered.

Then she opens her door to Keisha, an angry and frustrated stranger with a story to tell. Convinced of Dan's innocence, Charlotte must fight for him - even if it means destroying her perfect life. But what Keisha knows threatens everyone she loves, and puts her own life in danger.

DC Matthew Hegarty is riding high on the success of Dan's arrest. But he's finding it difficult to ignore his growing doubts as well as the beautiful and vulnerable Charlotte. Can he really risk it all for what's right?

Three stories. One truth. They all need to brace themselves for the fall.

2012 Spinetingler Nomination -- Best Novella

2012-01-16T23:44:00.005Z

I wanted to blog about this earlier but I had an assignment I needed to get done first. And it's now done, so -- DRUMROLL, PLEASE! -- my novella, THE POINT, has been nominated for a Spinetingler Award. Oh, yeah. The little book that could, just did. I'm frickin' dee-lighted. I'm also fully aware that a nomination is as far as it will go. Have a gander at this cluster-feck of insane talent and wonder at the confidence trick I played to get lumped in with them.

California - Ray Banks
Barracuda - Raymond Embrack
Everything I Tell You is a Lie - Fingers Murphy
Every Shallow Cut - Tom Piccirilli
Felony Fists - Jack Tunney
Follow Me Down - Kio Stark
Old Ghosts - Nik Korpon
The Point - Gerard Brennan
Shotgun Gravy - Chuck Wendig
Smoke - Nigel Bird

But hey, I don't mind losing to any one of those guys. All I want to do is go down swinging. So, if you have the time -- and you feckin' do or you wouldn't be reading this, would you? -- Go to the Spinetingler website and throw a vote my way. It only takes one click and you don't have to register for anything or agree to any dodgy terms and conditions. Just clickety-click and you're done. What are you waiting for? If you'd stopped reading a sentence or two ago, you'd be done by now!

Thank you in advance, kind souls.

P.S. Why not buy some or all of the novellas on the list? I know I will. They're there for a reason, like. Purchase links to all of them can be found on the Spinetingler site.

An Interview - Claire McGowan

2012-01-12T14:28:00.004Z

Claire McGowan was born in Rostrevor, Co. Down. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. She is currently the Director of the Crime Writers’ Association. THE FALL is her first novel and is published by Headline on 2 February.

What are you writing at the minute?

I’m working on a re-write of my second book for Headline, which is due out in 2013. Publishing schedules often run very far in advance! When I have time I’m dabbling with other book ideas for the future. Having the ideas is fine, it’s just finding the time to write/edit/polish them that’s the problem for me.

Can you give us an idea of Claire McGowan’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

As well as writing I have a part-time job running the Crime Writers’ Association. So I work from home full-time now, and it’s up to me to set the routine. I have to say that, having always been quite disciplined, I’ve been disappointed by how difficult I’ve found it working from home. At the moment I’m trying to do it like this: some time for emails in the morning, plus internet faffing (a full-time job in itself if you let it be), several hours of writing, then a few hours of CWA work. I have a puppy so taking him out for walks/stopping him from eating important things also gives me a good break from the laptop.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I don’t understand the question? In all seriousness, it’s tempting when you work from home to always be working in some capacity, often without actually being all that productive. For a break I read a lot – I’m trying to read more as I think it’s essential if you’re going to write – and I walk the dog, and I also watch a lot of films. I realise this is making me sound really boring so I’m going say that, as befits an Irish crime writer, I go out a fair bit too. As part of my job I quite often go to crime-writing parties and events – those people know how to have a good time!

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

I’d say congratulations on identifying your work as part of a genre. So many first-time writers seem to have no idea that genre even exists, and instead are trying to shoe-horn their work into the nebulous general-literary-mainstream fiction area. If you use it properly, genre can be hugely valuable to your work and you career. Think of it as a ladder, not a frame – you don’t have to be bound by the rules, but it can help you get where you need to go.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

In 2011, as part of my job, I read a very wide spectrum of crime, from noir to action to fantasy crossover. My personal favourite has always been the psychological thriller, in the vein of Barbara Vine, and so I probably most enjoyed books by Sophie Hannah, Erin Kelly, Julia Crouch, and Kate Atkinson. All women, for some reason.

What are you reading right now?

I just finished reading A Clash of Kings, the second in the ‘Game of Thrones’ books. It was brilliant but I’m feeling quite daunted at the thought of another five 900-page tomes full of intrigue and twists. I might need a rest or else I’ll start stomping round in cloaks and commanding my dog to tear out people’s throats.

Plans for the future?

Looking ahead, I’d love to write some crime set in Northern Ireland. It’s so exciting to see writers emerging from back home and I’ve already drafted up the first in what I hope would be a series. I once read something Ian Rankin wrote, where he said that compared to Scotland, there was very little Northern Irish crime, perhaps because we were too busy dealing with the real-life effects of violence. But it seems now that Irish crime is having a real moment, and I’m keen to be part of that. Northern Ireland’s such a rich setting for a crime writer. There’s so much dark history, both related to the Troubles and otherwise, but coupled with humour and a strong culture.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Without wishing to boast, I was comparatively young when I got my publishing deal, so I don’t have too many regrets so far. Even so I feel like I wasted several years before knuckling down to writing. It was what I’d always wanted to do, but I never really tried because I was so sure I’d fail. It’s unlikely I would have got published any earlier, but I could have spent a lot of time writing instead of watching Friends repeats. My advice to anyone who wants to write would be to get on with it and not worry about failing. And don’t listen to your parents when they want you to do a law degree.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s not been THAT bad, I suppose, but I’ve found the second book more difficult than I expected. Maybe because I wrote the first in happy ignorance of how publishing worked, or that it was a crime novel, or of pretty much everything. Now I’m doing it professionally I’m putting myself under more pressure and worrying a lot more. But hopefully it will have paid off in the end.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

As a native of County Down (Rostrevor), it’s great to be interviewed by someone local!

Thank you, Claire McGowan!

Writing in 3D

2012-01-11T20:59:00.003Z

I was listening to the Joe Rogan Experience podcast (#171) on the journey to and from work today. He had this boyo, Everlast, on as a guest. Here's a tune from the album he was promoting:

I like it. Can't believe it's the same guy that brought us Jump Around when he was rapping with House of Pain, though.

Anyway, what I thought was even more interesting was his take on writing songs. He doesn't write them down. For Everlast, writing them onto a page makes them flat, literally and figuratively. He believes that when the song exists only in his head he can think of it as music in 3D and when he plays it, that's how it comes out. He also mentions that he likes to smoke a little weed but I'm not suggesting there's a direct connection.

But it makes me think of all the writers out there who churn out their manuscripts by the seat of their pants rather than going through the arduous outlining process other writers swear by. Is this also a form of writing in 3D? A direct link from the subconscious to the keyboard without flattening the spirit of the work?

Who knows? Now that I see it on the screen it seems a bit of a half-baked notion. I can assure you though, I am not a half-baked writer. I can't afford to buy weed.

In other news, I have a guest post up at Spinetingler and Katy O'Dowd has posted a cracking review of Wee Rockets on her website.

My cup overfloweth.

Cover Story

2012-01-10T18:53:00.003Z

I'm really digging the similarity between these two covers...

Click here to buy WEE ROCKETS for £0.99!

Click here to download HILDA'S BIG DAY OUT for FREE!

Hosts With The Mosts

2012-01-09T20:55:00.005Z

A couple of fine folk have me featured on their blogs today. Please do stop by Paul D Brazill's You Would Say That, Wouldn't You? for a short, sharp interview and then skip on over to Fiona 'McDroll' Johnson's I Meant To Read That for my guest post about an element of writing. Many thanks to both these kind souls and to Jay Faulkner who gave me a topic for the guest post.

And here's a great wee tune, just because.

It's a cheery number. NSFW, though.

The Bonnevilles - Pure Savage

2012-01-04T19:31:00.007Z

I don't buy a lot of albums these days because... well, I don't buy a lot of anything these days. But I watched this video and couldn't resist ordering The Bonnevilles, Good Suits and Fighting Boots:

Cracker, right?

Well, you can vote for this video over at the Pure Savage: NI Music website as video of the year. It got my vote. Stop by if you think it deserves yours.

The album arrived today and I can confirm that it makes great driving music and excellent dishwasher-emptying music.

Facebook Cold Turkey

2012-01-03T10:39:00.003Z

Yesterday was my first day without Facebook for many years. I've been using it at an increasing rate in recent times having around the clock access via my phone, iPod and laptop and it was getting to be a serious time bandit. So I deactivated the account on Sunday night. At first I feared I had done the wrong thing. How much was I going to miss out on? Would my brother and sisters forget I exist? How was I going to know what was going on in the world!?

Well, yesterday I had a lazy, housebound bank holiday and I decided to list the things I did in those moment where I thought, You know, I'd be on Facebook right now if I had an account.

1. I read a few chapters of Stuart Neville's Stolen Souls.

2. I pulled a little more weight in the housework department.

3. I thought about the writing work I have ahead of me this year.

4. I began to face the reality that I needed to get up earlier to cope with my ongoing to-do list.

5. I watched TV with the kids.

6. I put on some music and sang along as loud as I could.

7. I bathed the mancubs.

8. I bathed the puppy.

9. I played an Xbox game for 45 minutes.

10. I watched two and a half movies (Burke and Hare, Super and Limitless).

11. I allowed myself to think.

12. I drank a few beers.

13. I spent a little time on Twitter.

14. I came up with the idea for this blog post.

15. I asked my wife what was going on with everybody on Facebook.

Wee Rockets Official Release Date

2012-01-01T20:41:00.006Z

Happy New Year!

I've a pretty good reason to be chipper today. My debut novel, Wee Rockets, has officially been released by Blasted Heath. If you haven't seen it yet, have a look at the Blasted Heath page devoted to Wee Rockets which includes a video, a voice recording of an excerpt and links to purchase it.

And since I'll be killing my Facebook account in a few minutes, I'll probably start posting music vids here. In fact, why wait? Here's a tune that ran through my head quite a lot when I was writing, rewriting and editing Wee Rockets.

2011 Books

2011-12-31T14:39:00.006Z

I didn't review a lot of crime fiction for the blog this year so I figure I'll use what I did review as a top whatever-the-amount for 2011. It was a funny year for reading. I took on the entire Booker shortlist for an event at Derry Library and critiqued a lot of unpublished fiction from classmates on the creative writing MA at Queens. Oh, and there were five novels on the essential reading list for one of the modules. But here's the skinny on a bunch of cracking crime fiction:

The Burning Soul by John Connolly - This is an outstanding novel. It’s chockfull of dense and powerful prose that isn’t intimidating but, in fact, is addictively consumable. The portrayal of a violent and unpredictable Boston Irish mob (post-Bulger) in constant crisis is chilling. And the supernatural twist? Cross your heart and bless your burning soul. This one’s coming to get you.

Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black - Truth Lies Bleeding is a brutal read; dark as the author's name, some of the characters will haunt your thoughts for a very long time after turning the last page. Gritty, urban and heart-wrenching, Black has discovered a darker shade of noir.

Collusion by Stuart Neville - Neville proves yet again that he is a writer to be reckoned with. His writing style pulls no punches and he is a master of creating tension. This Belfast thriller will take hold of you like a fire ravaging a stately home. Brutal, ruthless, breathtaking... Collusion is a blistering read.

Bloodland by Alan Glynn - Bloodland follows the trend set by Glynn’s previous novel, Winterland. It explores the far-reaching ramifications of corruption in politics and global business right down to the frontline casualties. Shit runs downhill. Glynn’s writing is engaging and urgent. Each line counts as he expertly develops his characters and plot without sacrificing his wonderful skill for evocative prose. Bloodland will enrage that sleeping anarchist within. More of the same, please, Mister Glynn.

Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway - Little Girl Lost is quite a different book from anything McGilloway has written in the Devlin series. From the protagonist to the writing style, McGilloway has made a lot of changes, and all for the better. It should come with a warning, though. This one tugs, pulls and gnaws at your heart strings. Prepare to invest a lot of emotion into this read and don't expect to be paid back with the perfect Hollywood ending. McGilloway has gone all out. Little Girl Lost is darker than a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Word on the street is that this is the start of a new series (though we can expect a new Devlin book in the coming year) and this book proves that DS Black will be a welcome addition to the Northern Irish crime scene.

The Back of Beyond by CJ Box - Back of Beyond is an expertly plotted and paced wilderness thriller; a great example of Box’s literary forte. He brings Yellowstone National Park to life and impresses upon the reader the awesome power of nature with his skill for descriptive prose. But he is equally adept at exploring the darker side of humanity. He constantly juxtaposes the beauty of nature with the brutality of mankind and vice verse. Tense, tumultuous and ever-twisting. Back of Beyond proves yet again how C.J. Box is worthy of the prestigious crime fiction awards he’s collected over the course of his career.

I also reviewed a couple of books for Culture NI this year:

The Dervish House by Ian McDonald (technically science fiction but there's a tonne of crime and a boy detective in there) - McDonald serves up a master class in writing that would give the literary elite the sweats. The novel doesn't rely on high concepts or geeky gimmicks to sell itself (although the ‘cepteps’ the characters wear are an enviable projection of smart-phone techno-joy). McDonald is, above all, a wordsmith. Interestingly, since his novels rarely stray too far ahead of the present day, we’ve already caught up with his early novels. Sacrifice of Fools portrays a pretty bang-on version of Northern Ireland in the early 2000s (sans the aliens) and yet it was written in 1996. If McDonald's observations and predictions about trends in technology, politics and sports in The Dervish House have even a grain of truth to them there are exciting times ahead. If you read one science fiction book this year, pick this one. McDonalds fans already have.

Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty - McKinty takes advantage of this being the most contemporary setting of his canon to dabble in social commentary; in particular the global economic recession, how it affected Northern Ireland’s property crash, and the place of Irish Travellers in contemporary Irish society. He provides a measured and intelligent account of Irish Traveller life, which might go some way to debunking the lazy, sensationalist drivel churned out by that awful reality TV show that shall not be named. Falling Glass cuts deep and leaves its mark. If you haven’t discovered McKinty yet, brace yourself and pick this one up.

I kind of wish I'd kept a better track of my reading this year. I know I read (and in most cases enjoyed) a hell of a lot but I just didn't get time to review them all... I should keep a list in 2012 but I can't be arsed with resolutions.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Merry Christmas from CSNI

2011-12-24T19:29:00.003Z

Well now... just a quick post to wish anybody who stumbles upon this page a very happy holiday season (whatever the heck ye choose to believe or not believe) and urge you to remember to take the opportunity wherever you can get it to power down for a few days at least. Go on. You know you deserve the break.

I for one am in a terribly good mood. This is the first time I opened the laptop today. The baby is in bed, the older two kids are about to go brush their teeth after the Phineas and Ferb Xmas special and the first piece of feedback I've gotten on Wee Rockets can be read here (bottom right-hand corner).

It doesn't get much better, folks.

CSNI Social Satire?

2011-12-16T12:32:00.003Z

Brennan’s Existentialist and (not so) Literary Bollocks

Waste of Space Department

Minutes of a meeting of the Waste of Space Management Team (WoSMT) held on Tuesday 31November 2011 at 2.00 pm in Meeting Room 7

Present: Gerard Brennan (Chair), Aaron Aardvark, Angel, Michael Jackson, MC Hammer, JoJo Monkeybrains and Nigel Zombie

Apologies Sam Adams Beer

1 Previous Minutes

The minutes of 31 September 2011 were considered to be a true record.

2 Matters Arising from the Minutes of 31 September 2011

Classified.

3 Existentialism Reports

3.1 Gerard Brennan reporting

GB posed the question: What the fuck’s the point, really?

Board Members told him to shut up. GB threatened to take the ball home and tell his ma. BM reminded GB of his flexisheet projections and extended teabreak violations. GB huffed and refused to participate further.

3.2 Aaron Aardvark reporting

“Apologies. Am apparently absent and apathetic. Am attending attitude alignment and astrology assembly afterwards.”

Ah.

3.3 Angel Reporting

Angel wished to raise a personal issue. When reminded by the chair that this was not the venue the chair was in turn reminded that he was on huff leave and so had surrendered all pretences of actual power in a system that rewards diligence and enthusiasm with career dead ends and panders to the ineffective through legislation and fear of anachronistic unions. GB returned to huff leave.

Angel regained control of the meeting. She reminded the chiefs (and by assumption all their indians) that it is against inequality legislation to remark that there is space at the top of the Christmas tree in a knowing and (allegedly) humorous manner. Attending chiefs (and by association all their indians – including those on long term sick leave, disciplinary suspension and suicide watch) apologised profusely. Nigel Zombie offered a pedicure and fellatio as a quantitative measure of repentance. He was referred to HR for a refresher course.

3.4 Michael Jackson Reporting

MJ complained that he wasn’t taken seriously… It was close to impossible to make out anything else he said after this point as the board members began to mock him in high-pitched harmony. GB’s PA believes that he may have said something along the lines of “Sha-mon” but reserves the right to withdraw this remark should evidence be presented to the contrary. Fortunately, MJ has had to develop a sense of humour since he came to the organisation on a graduate entry scheme and he isn’t really entitled to the same level of respect as wee Mickey No-Stars who should have gotten the job, in fairness. Mickey’s been loyal to the organisation since his ma pulled the glue bag out of his hands and pushed him through the door in the early seventies. People don’t even mind his nervous tics anymore.

3.5 MC Hammer Reporting

Stop. Hammer Time. Just for a minute, the board members did the bump. Do-do-do-do-do dooooo dooooo.

3.6 JoJo Monkeybrains reporting

JM apologised for throwing faeces at the last meeting. GB remarked that it had become a regular feature of the meetings that, though unpleasant, was almost bearable so late in the fiscal year. JM asked if her duties could be revaluated. MJ sniggered and said, “You said doodies.” JM threw faeces at him and the BM approved the motion.

3.7 Nigel Zombie Reporting

Austerity Report Workshops: Workshops to help departments with their austerity reports are ongoing. The Waste of Space department’s workshop took place on 31 November and it was reported to have gone very well. A workshop will be held for other equally wasteful departments on 32 December. Staff are getting used to the new format and it is hoped to carry out a quick review of austerity for 2012/13 after Christmas. This will contribute to society in no way whatsoever, nor will it imbue participants with a feeling of job satisfaction. It will, however, justify the inflated salaries of the upper-middle and middle-upper management drones. This will strain the economy a little but eventually improve consumer spend in Marksies. However, GB is still not permitted to camp out on Writers’ Square with all the interesting-looking hippies who have pet dogs on strings and instant barbeques bought from ASDA (AKA Walmart) using JSA payments funded by the 99 percent who are actually at work and not really to blame for the global deficit, whatever that is. #occupybelfast

Admin Review: Officers noted that AA and JM represented the Waste of Space department on the working group set up to conduct a review of the board’s administration. AA offered JM a prayer book. JM said something very off-colour about AA’s higher power.

4 Strategic Issues

4.1 Keep the staff demotivated.

No need for further clarification. Staff wouldn’t understand it.

4.2 Savings Delivery Plan:

‘Strategic’ redundancy payments will save money in twenty years time.

4.3 Severance

GB explained that there had been a number of expressions of interest for voluntary severance across the organisation and that business cases had been submitted to the ether. Fortunately, many of the applicants did not read the small print. Medical research will be very interesting this year.

4.4 Vacancy Control

Sick Pay has been cast as the bad guy to distract from the real forces of deceit at play. Smoke and Mirrors, baby.

4.5 Business Cases

GB extended his thanks to A for her work on the business cases for voluntary severance and for the refreshments provided at the meeting. He did not get the irony intended in serving finger foods.

On behalf of the finance management team, GB wished all staff a very happy and peaceful Christmas. HR will issue him with a memo to reprimand him for only wishing Christians a happy holiday season.

There being no further business and an absence of Sam Adams Beer, the meeting ended at 3.20 pm.

Culture NI

2011-12-15T13:20:00.005Z

I'm getting a bit of attention over at Culture NI. And they were kind enough to feature both the digital reading from Wee Rockets and this here Blasted Heath vid.

What with this and the radio bit with Arts Extra I'm feeling like Media-Man today. Thank the higher power that so many other people have the talents that allow me to show up and start talking, eh? I'd never get so many opportunities to spread the word about my books without those kind souls in my life. Thank you all.

Arts Extra

2011-12-14T21:05:00.007Z

I was on BBC Radio Ulster's Arts Extra programme today. Here's a link to the Listen Again thing.

I forgot to mention that:

Signed copies of The Point are available at No Alibis.

~~I will be doing an author event in Waterstones Belfast on Saturday 17th December at 2PM and Waterstones Ballymena on Monday 19th December at 6:30PM.~~ These events have been postponed. Details of new dates to be confirmed.

The kindle edition of Wee Rockets has popped up on Amazon a little ahead of its release date in the UK and US.

I'm a terrible salesman.

Still, it was nice to chat to the delightful Marie-Louise Muir.

Wee Rockets Reading

2011-12-03T12:01:00.007Z

Jeezum Crow. It's December. Probably a good time to point out that my novel Wee Rockets will be released by Blasted Heath in less than a month! If you fancy a taster of said novel, have a listen to this here reading:

Wee Rockets by Gerard Brennan

You gotta love the way these Blasted Heathens roll, right?

For those of you who don't know, or have forgotten (highly likely given my absence from the blogging world these past weeks), the official release date of Wee Rockets is 1/1/12. And here's what some rather excellent writers have said about it.

“The Wire? This is Barbed Wire. A cheeky slice of urban noir, a drink soaked, drug addled journey into the violent underbelly of one of Europe’s most notorious ghettos, Wee Rockets make The Outsiders look like the Teletubbies.” - Colin Bateman

“Gerard Brennan stands apart from the Irish crime fiction crowd with a novel rooted in the reality of today’s Belfast. The author’s prose speaks with a rare authenticity about the pain of growing up in a fractured society, shot through with a black humour that can only come from the streets. Wee Rockets is urban crime fiction for the 21st century, and Brennan is a unique voice among contemporary Irish writers.” - Stuart Neville

“In Wee Rockets Gerard Brennan has written a fast paced, exciting story of West Belfast gang culture; brimming with violence, authentic street dialogue and surprising black humour. This is a great debut novel. Brennan takes us into the heart of Belfast’s chav underclass, in a story that lies somewhere in the intersection between The Warriors, Colin Bateman and Guy Ritchie. This is the first in what undoubtedly will be a stellar literary career.” - Adrian McKinty

Feels like Santa's already pulled some strings for me...

The Point on Kindle

2011-11-07T12:25:00.000Z

Here it is! My first Kindle outing.

Kindle UK

Kindle US

The Point, a novella by Gerard Brennan

Small time crook Paul Morgan is a bad influence on his brother, Brian. When Paul crosses one thug too many, the cider fuelled duo flee Belfast for Warrenpoint, the sleepy seaside resort of their childhood memories. For Brian a new life in The Point means going straight and falling in love with Rachel while Paul graduates to carjacking by unusual means and ‘borrowing’ firearms from his new boss. Brian can’t help being dragged into his brother’s bungling schemes but Rachel can be violently persuasive herself . . . and she isn’t the only one who wants to see an end to Paul’s criminal career.

Willard Grant Conspiracy - A No Alibis Event

2011-11-03T13:36:00.007Z

No Alibis Bookstore and Strange Victory present an evening of spoken word and music with The Willard Grant Conspiracy and Ian Rankin on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th November at 8:30PM. Doors for this unique event mixing the finest in Indie Americana with the best of writing in the crime genre will open at 8:00PM. Tickets are now on sale, priced £12.50 (£8.50 concession) for each night.

We're pleased to announce that BBC Radio Ulster’s Ralph McLean will be on stage, interviewing Robert and Ian. Ralph will be in his element as a lover of all things Americana and a devotee of Crime Fiction.

Willard Grant Conspiracy is an alt-country band currently based near Palmdale, California. Originally formed in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin, the band operates as a collective, with vocalist Fisher the only permanent member. Up to thirty other musicians occasionally contribute to the band, both in the studio and during live performances.

The band toured extensively in 2005 and 2006 visiting twenty-three countries, including a showcase at the South by Southwest music festival. Fisher's voice and Americana style have been compared to both John Cale and Johnny Cash, with most songs being acoustic. Their 2003 release Regard The End, featuring Kristin Hersh as well as Chris Eckman of The Walkabouts, received critical acclaim with UNCUT magazine naming it album of the month.

Robert Fisher will be joined on stage by James Youngjohns (Viola) (Anna Kashfi/Last Harbour).

Ian Rankin needs no introduction...born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960,he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

His latest novel “The Impossible Dead”, will be available on the night and Ian will of course be signing copies.

Malcolm Fox is back...

Fox and his team are investigating whether fellow cops covered up for Detective Paul Carter. Carter has been found guilty of misconduct, with his own uncle - also in the force - proving to be his nemesis. But what should be a simple job is soon complicated by a brutal murder and a weapon that should not even exist.

A trail of revelations leads Fox back to 1985, a year of desperate unrest when letter-bombs and poisonous spores were sent to government offices, and kidnappings and murders were plotted. But while the body count rises the clock starts ticking, and a dramatic turn of events sees Fox in mortal danger.

Malcolm Fox returns in the stunning second novel in Ian Rankin's new series...

TV presenter, Radio DJ, respected arts commentator, producer, scriptwriter and newspaper columnist; Ralph has done it all in his impressive career. His life long passion for music and the arts has served him well as the popular presenter of entertainment TV shows such as First Stop, 11th Hour, Belfast Festival At Queens and many more.

On radio he has presented his own two hour roots show, the ever popular McLeans Country, for more than five years now on BBC Radio Ulster and made more series and one-offs than even he cares to remember.

He is 6 feet 4 inches tall and dreams of the day that Liverpool FC will win the Premiership.

Well a man can dream can’t he?

We expect this event to be very popular, so avoid disappointment and book your tickets now. Tickets can be obtained directly from the Crescent Arts Centre's event page.

Press Your Point

2011-11-02T23:05:00.004Z

Today I bought copies of three local papers that had three different but equally flattering pieces on the release of The Point. If you can, pick up copies of The Newry Democrat, The Mourne Observer and The Newry Reporter. You'll get enough change for a decent jar of coffee if you pay with a fiver, or the Kindle edition of The Point. Fair warning. The £1.14 price for the Kindle edition is only going to be available for another week, possibly two, so don't put off buying a copy if you want to get it cheaper than chips. It'll still be cheap as a curry chip when the price goes up to £2.29, but why pay double when the novella is just a click or two away?

While I'm on the topic of publicity, I may as well throw out a question about self-promotion. How much is too much? The topic of this blog has narrowed somewhat in the past few months. It's been mostly about me. And sure, most blogs are completely about their authors, but this particular one was originally set up as a means to draw attention to the growing community of Irish crime writers; and lend a little more focus to those writers from the North. That's still something I'm keen to do, but in reality, I'm just not as good at it as Declan Burke over at Crime Always Pays.

Every so often, Declan will post an 'advertisement' for one of his books. That's great. It's only his blog, like, but he's subtly excusing his own intrusion onto it. But take today as a snapshot. I scroll down his blog and he's got a post about Stuart Neville, then Lee Child, then his own Irish Book Award nominated novel Absolute Zero Cool, an interview with some tube and a post about Colin Bateman's excellent Starkey series. Five posts in five days and only one of them about his own novel. Me? Bar a great interview with Nigel Bird (who isn't one wee bit Irish, BTW), my last five posts have been all about The Point and I haven't even posted those daily.

Now, don't get me wrong, Dec's cool and all, but I'm more than happy to be me and for him to be him. It's just that his is the most obvious blog to compare mine to. I'm sure if I looked at Rob Kitchin's very cool blog, The View from the Blue House, as a further example I'd be equally outclassed. But I'm too lazy to do that. And hey, I'm not beating myself up here. My mood is pretty damn chipper right now. I'm just wondering if this blog has really got anything to offer its remaining reader(s) these days... It's something I'll think about when I'm driving, I guess.

But hey! I won't end this on a bum note but instead (big surprise) I'll make this post all about me and my writing -- here's a link to the super swanky Blasted Heath website. Have a wee look around and you might find a little bit of it with me reading from Wee Rockets. Or just go here and you will find it.

Quick Report

2011-11-01T08:05:00.003Z

Thought I'd rattle out a short blog post for those interested in how the No Alibis launch went last night. It will be short, though. I've to get to Uni pretty soon and things might get uncivilised here after this episode of Barney ends.

Anyway, thanks, as always, to Dave Torrans who let me and Arlene take over his shop for the evening. No doubt the talented and successful Ms. Hunt is well used to this sort of thing but it was a real treat to act like a proper writer for a few hours and sign copies of the book. Was delighted to see Sheila, Martina and Michael from the MA there as well as some of my favourite writers, Stuart Neville and Ian MacDonald (too surreal and awesome for words). And of course, I have a tonne of gratitude for the family and friends who took the time and spent the money. I'm a lucky guy.

Great night. Thank you to all who came.

Gotta go.

No Alibis Event - Arlene Hunt and Gerard Brennan

2011-10-28T14:07:00.005+01:00

No Alibis are pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of two books by two of Irish crime fiction's rising stars. Dublin-based Arlene Hunt will be launching her latest novel, THE CHOSEN, while Northern Ireland's Gerard Brennan will be launching his novella, THE POINT. This event will take place in No Alibis bookstore on Botanic Avenue at 6:00PM on Monday 31st October.

Arlene Hunt is a unique voice in Irish crime fiction. Her dark and atmospheric stories perfectly capture the grimy underworld of Dublin and beyond. She began writing at the age of 27, and produced her first novel, Vicious Circle, within the year. This book was eventually published by Hodder Headline at the end of April 2004. Her 7th novel, ‘The Chosen‘ will be published in October 2011. It is a standalone thriller based in the USA.

Arlene has contributed to various anthologies, including Down These Green Streets – edited by Declan Burke, Requiems for the Departed – edited by Gerard Brennan, and Moments – a book to raise money for the Asian tsunami. Arlene is an avid reader and enjoys the works of Robert Crais, George Pelecanos, James Ellroy, James Lee Burke, John Connolly and others.

She lives in Dublin with her husband, daughter, 3 cats and faithful basset hound.

On a hot summer’s day in the sleepy American town of Rockville, Jessie Conway, a teacher at the local high school, notices a car driving slowly around the school grounds.

Twenty minutes later Jessie is fighting for her life and Rockville is plunged into living nightmare after a gun-toting student unleashes bloody mayhem.

For Jessie the horror is just beginning. Traumatized and hounded by the media she retreats to her home and tries to rebuild her shattered life.

Caleb Switch watches the developments in Rockville with interest. A skilled and diligent killer, his recent selections have disappointed him, offering challenge to a man of his predilections. Jessie Conway interests him: for she is no ordinary woman and a fine choice for a less than ordinary man.

As Jessie struggles to hold onto her marriage and her sanity she has no idea that she has become The Chosen.

In October 2006 Gerard Brennan was selected to partake in the Belfast Creative Writers Network’s Mentoring Programme, where he worked with award-winning Northern Irish writer, Ian McDonald.

He was commissioned by Morrigan Books to co-edit a short story anthology. REQUIEMS FOR THE DEPARTED is a collection of crime fiction stories based on Irish Myths. It was released in June 2010 and won the Spinetingler Award for Best Anthology in 2011. In October 2010, he performed a short one man show at the Black Box in Belfast. The play was based on his short story, AN IRISH POSSESSION which was adapted for the stage by the director, Conor Maguire. Among numerous short story publications he counts as his most prestigious to date a place in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME edited by Maxim Jakubowski (Constable and Robinson), released in April 2011.

DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS (Liberties Press), edited by Declan Burke, features his article on Northern Irish Crime fiction.

Earlier this year, he signed with Pulp Press to publish his novella, THE POINT, set for release in October 2011.

Small time crook Paul Morgan is a bad influence on his brother, Brian. When Paul crosses one thug too many, the cider fuelled duo flee Belfast for Warrenpoint, the sleepy seaside resort of their childhood memories. For Brian a new life in The Point means going straight and falling in love with Rachel while Paul graduates to carjacking by unusual means and ‘borrowing’ firearms from his new boss. Brian can’t help being dragged into his brother’s bungling schemes but Rachel can be violently persuasive herself...and she isn’t the only one who wants to see an end to Paul’s criminal career.

“Gerard Brennan is a master of gritty violence.” - Colin Bateman

“...a Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast... Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of Northern Ireland..." - Ken Bruen

"The Point is the real deal -- the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." - Brian McGilloway

"It needs to said that Gerard Brennan’s The Point is terrific. Scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and the most inventive car theft ever!" - Arlene Hunt

"The Point is top stuff. Engaging from the start, the characters are loveable, the story is strong and the pace never lets up." - Adrian McKinty

"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." - Wayne Simmons

Book your spot now by emailing David (david@noalibis.com), or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

Spinetingler Rocks

2011-10-26T14:17:00.003+01:00

Check out this post on Spinetinger. The mighty Brian Lindenmuth gives THE POINT a high recommendation, which fairly put a spring in my step for the day.

Nigel Bird (interviewed here yesterday) gets the same treatment. With the kind of prices our publishers are charging, why not pick up both and see if you agree? You know you want to.

Pulp Press

Trestle Press

An Interview - Nigel Bird

2011-10-25T16:26:00.008+01:00

46 years. It's been a long journey. I've been a primary school teacher for almost half of them, moving from mainstream to exceptional needs to additional support needs. I'm most happy with and most proud of my own family. Second to them comes my involvement in writing and peripheral projects. I co-edited the Rue Bella magazine for 5 years or so and am mighty proud of that too. Recently I've been more involved with writing my own pieces. I've been lucky enough to find spaces for some of my work and I'm hoping that one day I'll write a novel that's worthy of publication. I've given up gambling, alcohol, smoking and any kind of unnatural highs over the past few years and am looking for a new compulsion - maybe I've found it in Twitter. Yep, 45 years. I haven't always known it, but I've been a very lucky man.

What are you writing at the minute?

Very unusually, I’m on a break. Really.

It’s the first time in at least seven years that I haven’t had something on the go. My novel is out with readers gathering helpful tips (feedback so far, so good) and as soon as my novella SMOKE was finished it was put out by Trestle Press.

When I realised I had no new ideas or work on the plate, I decided I’d take a month just to chill. A week in and my empty head is filling with thoughts I’d rather not be having, like metal weights collecting there and telling me to go for a swim (come on in the water’s fine), so I’ve come to conclusion that breaks are for bones and for poorly-matched couples.

Can you give us an idea of Nigel Bird’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I get up around 6:45 and check in with sales and emails. ‘Dirty Old Town’ continues to clock up a handful of sales a day, so it’s not quite as crazy as it seems. Lately I’ve been following ‘Into Thin Air’ in the Waterstone’s top 10 short story chart (it’s currently at number 7).

Work and family will keep me very busy from then until about 8pm.

Tea cleared away, packed lunches made for the next day, a token effort at housework done, I set to writing. I’ll be knackered and way past my best, but I force myself (starting’s the hard part, the rest falls into place).

An hour later, I stop and move on to the writing-related aspect of things – emails, blogs, Tweets, interviews, Sea Minor, cover-design, editing, Face-booking and the like. If I’m lucky, I’ll have something really exciting to work on such as Pulp Ink – that was a real buzz.

I might have time for a bit of TV then, but I’m a real believer in the importance of reading, so I try and read something (anything) before getting back on to the computer to much around (much the same as I did earlier) and then it will be time for bed.

Somewhere in that time, my wife and I say hello. At least I think we do.

Basically, writing has all my spare time and steals a little more of the rest than it should.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

As my life concentrates upon offering my children rich experiences of the world, that’s what I spend most of my time doing, mainly in the role of facilitator it has to be said. A big part of that is the experience of nature (sounds really naff) whether by the sea or on walks or making dens and pretending to cook things that are really leaves and berries and twigs.

I also spend a lot of time coming up with clever tricks which will allow me to sneak onto the computer (on far too regular a basis).

Solitude, reading and nature are important to me. Damn.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

If you want to write genre fiction, make sure you enjoy the genre. Read lots of the best available within that genre and plenty of work of the people who are freshening things up. Connect with people who write and read similar things and keep in touch. Above all, write to the best of your ability and then raise your ability.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

For the purposes of this question, I’m sticking to work I’ve read this year which is also pretty new.

Heath Lowrance did a fantastic job with ‘The Bastard Hand’ and ‘Dig Ten Graves’; Simon Logan produced ‘Katja From The Punk Band’ and it left me breathless; Eric Beetner and JB Kohl wrote something very special indeed in their collaboration, ‘One Too Many Blows To The Head’. Paul D Brazill and Darren Sant are Trojans at Trestle; Josh Stallings sets the page on fire and ‘The Adventures Of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles’ by David Cranmer is very special indeed.

Each and every one of the contributors to Pulp Ink, the collection I edited with Chris ‘Death By Killing’ Rhatigan (a writer whose work I also love) gave me a buzz. Each and every contributor in there is a hot potato with salt and butter.

One writer in there who always excites me, whether it be poetry, micro, flash or short fiction is Bill (AJ) Hayes. The guy is ripe for the picking and I hope some publisher out there gets a sniff of him before I force him to act himself.

What are you reading right now?

I’ve just finished ‘Bucket Nut’ by Liza Cody. It’s a remarkable book in so many ways and I can’t believe I haven’t come to it earlier – it was released in 1994 (I think) and if I’d read it then, I think it would have changed my direction to crime fiction much earlier.

The amazing thing is that I felt I was reading something that had influenced my own work. I guess it must be that she had a big impact on other writers whom I love to read and I’ve benefited second or third-hand.

Plans for the future?

Plans and dreams are things I easily confuse.

My pleams are that I’ll be able to give up a day or two more of my teaching time in order to be able to work on my writing during the day. Being fresh and alert must improve output, and I really want to do little else but improve as a writer and to expand my readership as I do so.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I don’t think I could have, no.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

It’s not a zap-pow moment or anything.

My worst writing experience is the novel ‘Orinoco Pony and his Dandelion Adventures’.

It’s a novel you won’t know because it will never make it. It will never make it because to do so, I’d have to change so much it would be a different story.

It soaked up all the emotional and physical reserves I had for over a year and the fact that some of my best friends were never to breathe life was devastating.

On the plus side, it did interest one of my favourite authors, Allan Guthrie, and without writing it that would never have happened.

Things were slightly better with my second attempt at a novel. I managed to salvage the novella ‘Smoke’ from it and managed to keep a little more of a distance between me and it as I set about it.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

What am I most excited about? No question – Blasted Heath’s launch in November. It’s going to be my favourite publisher, I just know it. And I can hardly wait.

Thank you, Nigel Bird!

Oh Lordy, Ken Bruen's Bringlodi

2011-10-24T20:41:00.004+01:00

Psst, did you know that Ken Bruen has a new blog?

His first post was dedicated to Adrian McKinty's next novel, Cold, Cold Ground.

His second?

The Point!

Go see.

No Alibis Event - Michael Connelly

2011-10-24T08:37:00.004+01:00

There won't be many tickets left to this event so phone David Torrans now to avoid dissapointment - 02890 319601

No Alibis are very pleased to welcome Michael Connelly back to Belfast, and invite you to spend an evening with him, to celebrate the launch of his latest novel THE DROP, on Thursday 27th October at 7:00PM in the Lecture Theatre of the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast. Tickets, priced £6 each, are now on sale.

Michael will be interviewed by Brian McGilloway.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing, a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.

After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.

After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles , was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels. His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus, Dilys, Nero, Barry, Audie, Ridley, Maltese Falcon (Japan), .38 Caliber (France), Grand Prix (France), and Premio Bancarella (Italy) awards.

Michael lives with his family in Florida.

Harry Bosch is facing the end of the line. He's been put on the DROP - Deferred Retirement Option Plan - and given three years before his retirement is enforced. Seeing the end of the mission coming, he's anxious for cases. He doesn't have to wait long. First a cold case gets a DNA hit for a rape and murder which points the finger at a 29-year-old convicted rapist who was only eight at the time of the murder. Then a city councilman's son is found dead - fallen or pushed from a hotel window - and he insists on Bosch taking the case despite the two men's history of enmity. The cases are unrelated but they twist around each other like the double helix of a DNA strand. One leads to the discovery of a killer operating in the city for as many as three decades; the other to a deep political conspiracy that reached back into the dark history of the police department.

Brian McGilloway is author of the critically acclaimed Inspector Benedict Devlin series. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. After studying English at Queen’s University, Belfast, he took up a teaching position in St Columb’s College in Derry, where he is currently Head of English.

His first novel, Borderlands, published by Macmillan New Writing, was shortlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger 2007 and was hailed by The Times as ‘one of (2007’s) most impressive debuts.’ The second novel in the series, Gallows Lane, was shortlisted for both the 2009 Irish Book Awards/Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year and the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2010. Bleed A River Deep, the third Devlin novel, was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of their Best Books of 2010. Brian's latest novel, Little Girl Lost, which introduced a new series featuring DS Lucy Black, won the University of Ulster's McCrea Literary Award in 2011.

Brian lives near the Irish borderlands with his wife and their four children.

The event will take place in the Lecture Theatre in the Ulster Museum. Entrance will be gained through the Stranmillis Road entrance (opposite Cafe Conor).

Booker Night in the City of Culture

2011-10-19T12:15:00.000+01:00

So, it was announced last night that Julian Barnes won the 2011 Man Booker Award. Not a huge surprise to the bookies who had him pegged as the favourite. For the first time this year, I read all six of the shortlisted books and if it were up to me (stranger things have happened) I'd have gone for Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch with Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan and The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt coming in at joint second place. I know that Garbhan Downey, Kate Newmann and Kevin Quinn would disagree with me, but hey, they disagreed with each other as well.

As per the previous CSNI post, I attended the Derry Central Library annual Booker event having blagged my way onto a spot on the panel. Another great learning experience that allowed me to witness how something like this should be done and then try to imitate and hope nobody sent me home under a hail of No Alibis-supplied Booker tomes. It was all right on the night, though, and I realised that I can be politely disagreeable without resorting to name-calling. Should be a given to most decent people but it's an achievement for me.

Thanks to Kevin Quinn who organised and moderated the event and seeya later to the panelists, novelist, Garbhan Downey and poet, Kate Newmann.

If time allows, I'll post some thoughts on each of the shortlisted novels over the next few weeks.

Booker Night Event

2011-10-15T22:18:00.004+01:00

No Alibis Event - Stuart Neville

2011-10-12T11:12:00.006+01:00

No Alibis are pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of Stuart Neville's latest novel, STOLEN SOULS, on Friday 14th October at 6:30pm.

Stuart Neville has been a musician, a composer, a teacher, a salesman, a film extra, a baker and a hand double for a well known Irish comedian, but is currently a partner in a successful multimedia design business in the wilds of Northern Ireland. STOLEN SOULS is his third novel, the followup to the hugely successful and award winning THE TWELVE and COLLUSION.

It is snowing, she’s barefoot, but Galya runs. Her captors are close behind her, and she won’t go back there, no matter what. Tricked into coming to Belfast with the offer of a good job, all she wants now is to go home to her family. Her only hope is a man who gave her a cross on a fine chain and a phone number, telling her to call if she escapes. He seems kind. She puts herself at his mercy, knowing she has nowhere else to turn.

Detective Inspector Jack Lennon wants a quiet Christmas with his daughter. When an apparent turf war between rival gangs leaves a string of bodies across the city, he knows he won't get it. As Lennon digs deeper he discovers the truth is far more threatening. Soon he is locked in a deadly race with two very different killers.

Book your spot now by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

Please note, this event has been moved from The Crescent Arts Centre to No Alibis Bookstore.

Pulp Press

2011-10-11T14:30:00.004+01:00

So, you wait your whole life to see what the cover for a book you wrote would look like, then two come along in the same week...

Behold, THE POINT!

Ain't it a beauty? The scene depicted actually happens in the book (something you can't always assume with some covers) and Pulp Press couldn't have done a better job with it. Right down to what the characters are wearing, it's as if they reached into my head and pulled that image right out.

So now I'm two for two with wicked covers I love. Best week ever, and it's only Tuesday.

The Point will be available on Kindle as of tomorrow and in print from 31st of October 2011 when I'll launch the novella from No Alibis Bookstore, Belfast. If you can't make it on the night, drop in to No Alibis before or after the launch. If anybody is going to have it stocked early, Dave Torrans will.

I'll post the link to the Kindle edition as soon as it goes live.

Blasted Heath

2011-10-10T14:41:00.007+01:00

My novel, WEE ROCKETS, has found a home. Blasted Heath, the ebook publishing house with an 'indie record label' vibe (to quote Anthony Neil Smith and Kyle MacRae), has adopted my little tale of Belfast spides/chavs/neds and, once nursed back to health following a lifetime of abuse and emotional trauma, will set the feral little beast on the general public in January 2012.

Ladies and gentlemen, the cover:

I love it, don't you?

Now, Blasted Heath is brought to you by Allan Guthrie and Kyle MacRae. Click here to visit the holding page for the site. You'll find an intro video and a timer that ticks off the seconds to the release of the five launch titles on the 1st November. We're talking books from Anthony Neil Smith, Ray Banks, Douglas Linsay, Gary Carson and Brian Pendreigh. It's gonna be epic. Bookmark that site now.

What's that? Yes, Al was my agent but to become part of this revolution, I had to opt out of our contract. A crying shame, as Al has been a terrific influence in my writing career, but we've put a lid on that aspect of our professional relationship to eliminate any potential conflict of interests that might arise from the new venture. Feck it, though. I'm delighted to be part of Blasted Heath and I look forward to the future.

Motivation

2011-10-04T16:09:00.006+01:00

It's been a turbulent few weeks. I've started my course at Queen's and found it to be a little more challenging than I expected but also a little more enjoyable, so that's kind of balanced out nicely. Having to fit it around my day job has been a little trickier, but I think I've hit my stride today. This sudden adjustment to the aul work-life balance hasn't been without it's problems and I've been close to losing my temper on more than one occaision. Once or twice I let it off the leash for a mad dash and snarl but managed to keep it in sight so most people didn't even notice. My missus always notices, though. You get to know a person when you're as close as me and Michelle are. But she's been brilliant throughout this wobbly patch and made me smile when I needed it the most. Pretty impressive as she has our three kids and the fluffy puppy to deal with as well. This week alone she's faced down chicken pox, tonsilitis and a flu jab. I'm a lucky man.

Another wee thing I've drawn serenity from is the picture above (if you haven't seen Office Space, seek it out). The message may not be very positive, but I'm totally digging the vibe. It's now my desktop wallpaper on my computer at the day job. Everytime I log on, it makes me smirk.

A Wee Review - The Burning Soul by John Connolly

2011-09-30T14:55:00.006+01:00

Randal Haight is at wits’ end. Somebody is sending him pictures that prove you cannot escape your past. You see, Haight hasn’t always been Haight. The person he was before – the child he was before – murdered a little girl. And now the town he’s settled in is in a frenzied uproar over the disappearance of a fourteen-year-old girl. Cue Charlie Parker, a private investigator with a tragic past, as Haight’s protector. The only thing is, Parker doesn’t believe his client is as innocent as he claims.

John Connolly’s latest, The Burning Soul, is a Charlie Parker thriller (number 10). Excellent news for fans of the series, but equally great news for those yet to sample Connolly’s work (if there’s anybody out there who hasn’t, that is). This is a very self-contained book that is faithful to the series but is not loaded with back story. Parker’s arc as a character continues but there are no huge developments in a broader sense that require chronological reading from the very start of the series. If you’re not on the Connolly train already, this is your boarding platform. But set aside some time. You’ll want to make this a round trip.

This is an outstanding novel. It’s chockfull of dense and powerful prose that isn’t intimidating but, in fact, is addictively consumable. The portrayal of a violent and unpredictable Boston Irish mob (post-Bulger) in constant crisis is chilling. And the supernatural twist? Cross your heart and bless your burning soul. This one’s coming to get you.

KREEPED OVT RELIGIOUS KVLT KOOL

2011-09-26T22:37:00.004+01:00

"The artist and curator, Miguel Martin, speaks to Gerard Brennan on Platform Arts' latest exhibition."

Read the interview over at Culture NI.

Bash of the Titans! (Featuring me.)

2011-09-23T19:27:00.003+01:00

Come along and see me.

I'm getting too old for this shhh.

2011-09-22T23:16:00.004+01:00

An interesting day today. I enrolled in the Queen's University Belfast MA for creative writing. It was a bit of a challenge to get to this point. First the stress of getting accepted onto the course. I applied thinking it was a long shot but in the time it took to get word back I began to believe that I needed that offer more than anything in the world. I'm good at torturing myself that way. But the offer came and then I had to figure out a way to actually attend the classes. Turned out I would have to take a demotion at the day-job if I was going to make the classes. After considering the finances and whatnot, and with the support of my perfect wife, it looked like it would be a reality. Then I had to pay the fees. Not easy on my newly reduced income. But we worked it out.

And I got what I wanted in the end. So today I spent a lot of time marvelling at the fact that I'm so much older than the majority of folk milling about the Queen's campus during freshers' week. I passed down many an offer for a free shot at a nightclub or a reduced rate pizza from young hipsters armed with a stack of coupons positioned at strategic points on campus. And I accepted the reality of the work I'll have to put in to gain that piece of paper that will validate me as a serious student of creative writing. And I got a student card that will entitle me to money off clothes from shops I wouldn't dare set foot in.

But hey, now I can dream of a day-job in the arts sector. And I feel accomplished.

In other news, I got a further ego boost when I read an article in the Belfast Telegraph that names me as a writer to look out for in the future. Gob bless Colin Bateman and read the article here.

Kill List Review

2011-09-21T15:40:00.003+01:00

I reviewed a movie called Kill List for the Culture NI website. At first glance it looks like the kind of thing I'd love. Did it satisfy or disappoint? The answer is only a click away.

Wayne Simmons on Point

2011-09-19T13:46:00.004+01:00

And today's blurb has been brought to you by Northern Ireland's leading zombie expert, Wayne Simmons. The only thing cooler than Simmon's tattoos is his writing. And to get an endorsement from this dude just plain rocks. Here's what he had to say after reading The Point:

"Noir from Norn Iron! A lean slice of grindhouse from Belfast's new crime hack." - Wayne Simmons, bestselling author of Flu and Drop Dead Gorgeous

I really like the idea of myself as a 'crime hack'. Though hacking usually takes on a more sinister meaning in Simmons' work. Thanks, Wayne! I'd buy you a pint if you hadn't absconded to Cardiff.

A Wee Review - Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black

2011-09-16T15:18:00.002+01:00

Following a spell as a desk jockey, DI Rob Brennan is back on Edinburgh's mean streets. And his first case could very well unravel all the emotional healing done during his recent psychiatric leave. A murdered teenager, dismembered and found in a dumpster puts him through the mill. He has a lot to prove and minimal support from his colleagues but he is determined to show them all that he can handle the job.

Truth Lies Bleeding, a police procedural, is a bit of a departure for Tony Black who, until now, has written a series of PI novels starring Gus Dury, an alcoholic ex-journalist turned crime-fighter. Brennan isn't as likeable a Dury, which is strange as one's an upstanding citizen and the other isn't all that good at standing quite a lot of the time. However, like him or not, Brennan is an interesting character and Truth Lies Bleeding is Black's most cereberal novel to date. The narrative works hard to present the tangle of thoughts and emotions that haunt and fuel Brennan on his quest for justice and respect (though not always in that order).

Truth Lies Bleeding is a brutal read; dark as the author's name, some of the characters will haunt your thoughts for a very long time after turning the last page. Gritty, urban and heart-wrenching, Black has discovered a darker shade of noir.

Michael Connelly - A No Alibis Event

2011-09-15T12:58:00.004+01:00

Michael Connelly
Thursday 27th October at 7:00PM
Tickets: £6
Venue: Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast

No Alibis are very pleased to welcome Michael Connelly back to Belfast, and invite you to spend an evening with him, to celebrate the launch of his latest novel THE DROP, on Thursday 27th October at 7:00PM in the Lecture Theatre of the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast. Tickets, priced £6 each, are now on sale.

Michael Connelly decided to become a writer after discovering the books of Raymond Chandler while attending the University of Florida. Once he decided on this direction he chose a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing, a curriculum in which one of his teachers was novelist Harry Crews.

After graduating in 1980, Connelly worked at newspapers in Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, primarily specializing in the crime beat. In Fort Lauderdale he wrote about police and crime during the height of the murder and violence wave that rolled over South Florida during the so-called cocaine wars. In 1986, he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. They wrote a magazine story on the crash and the survivors which was later short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing. The magazine story also moved Connelly into the upper levels of journalism, landing him a job as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times, one of the largest papers in the country, and bringing him to the city of which his literary hero, Chandler, had written.

After three years on the crime beat in L.A., Connelly began writing his first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch. The novel, The Black Echo, based in part on a true crime that had occurred in Los Angeles , was published in 1992 and won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly has followed that up with 18 more novels. His books have been translated into 31 languages and have won the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity, Shamus, Dilys, Nero, Barry, Audie, Ridley, Maltese Falcon (Japan), .38 Caliber (France), Grand Prix (France), and Premio Bancarella (Italy) awards.

Michael lives with his family in Florida.

Harry Bosch is facing the end of the line. He's been put on the DROP - Deferred Retirement Option Plan - and given three years before his retirement is enforced. Seeing the end of the mission coming, he's anxious for cases. He doesn't have to wait long. First a cold case gets a DNA hit for a rape and murder which points the finger at a 29-year-old convicted rapist who was only eight at the time of the murder. Then a city councilman's son is found dead - fallen or pushed from a hotel window - and he insists on Bosch taking the case despite the two men's history of enmity. The cases are unrelated but they twist around each other like the double helix of a DNA strand. One leads to the discovery of a killer operating in the city for as many as three decades; the other to a deep political conspiracy that reached back into the dark history of the police department.

The event will take place in the Lecture Theatre in the Ulster Museum. Entrance will be gained through the Stranmillis Road entrance (opposite Cafe Conor).

One third of the tickets for this event are already gone. To avoid disappointment, we recommend that you book your ticket now, by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

Brian McGilloway on Point

2011-09-14T10:51:00.003+01:00

Another day, another blurb. Brian McGilloway made me smile on this grey, dreary, damp day in Belfast.

"The Point is the real deal -- the writing is razor sharp, the characters engaging, the ending a blast. From start to finish it's true Northern Noir, crafted with style and wit." - Brian McGilloway

Brian's work is top notch, especially his latest offering, Little Girl Lost, which just about broke my black heart. As with the previous blurbs I've received for The Point, I've been reading this one over and over and pinching myself to make sure I'm not having some sort of cruel coma dream. It all seems legit, though.

Arlene Hunt on Point

2011-09-13T13:42:00.005+01:00

The good vibes are still coming. Today Arlene Hunt tweeted (as @arlenehunt) her opinion on my novella, The Point, and it's all good!

"It needs to said that @gerardbrennan The Point is terrific, scorchingly funny, black humour at its finest and most inventive car theft ever!" - Arlene Hunt

I'm continually bowled over by the generosity of the Irish crime fiction set. These are the writers I admire the most and they're taking the time to read my wee novella. And they actually seem to be enjoying it. It's just awesome, man.

Check out Arlene's website for more information on her books and upcoming author events.

Web Slingin'

2011-09-13T09:50:00.004+01:00

My author website -- http://gerardbrennan.co.uk/ -- has just been revamped by my old pal, Gareth Watson. His own personal website -- http://comickata.com/ -- showcases some of his awesome comicbook art (such as the image above) and opinions on new comics and graphic novels. Kind of a Comic Scene NI angle, if you will. Hop on over there for a nosey (but visit my site first).

One of the coolest features that the G-Wat has included in the site is that I control ALL the content. So, in the coming weeks I'll be adding new links and some more short fiction. If you want to get in on the link-love, drop me a line here, through the website or shoot me an email.

A Wee Review - Collusion by Stuart Neville

2011-09-09T11:54:00.005+01:00

Collusion is Stuart Neville's second novel. Following on from the chaos created by Gerry Fegan in The Twelve (or The Ghosts of Belfast in the US), a police officer, Detective Inspector Jack Lennon, needs to track down his estranged daughter and her mother before they become casulties of the war between Gerry Fegan and Bull O'Kane. But O'Kane has employed the Traveller, a foul-mouthed terminator, to 'take care of' all the players involved in his feud with Fegan. So Lennon has to untangle the web of lies and collusion that leads to his daughter before the Traveller can track them down.

Neville proves yet again that he is a writer to be reckoned with. His writing style pulls no punches and he is a master of creating tension. This Belfast thriller will take hold of you like a fire ravaging a stately home. Brutal, ruthless, breathtaking... Collusion is a blistering read.

Adrian McKinty on Point

2011-09-08T11:03:00.004+01:00

Got a most welcome email from Adrian McKinty this morning sharing his thoughts on my novella, The Point.

The man said:

"The Point is top stuff. Engaging from the start, the characters are loveable, the story is strong and the pace never lets up." - Adrian McKinty

Nothing could tickle me pinker than the seal of approval from one of my favourite writers. This week I got it from two of my favourite writers! Everything's coming up Milhouse at the moment.

Ken Bruen on Point

2011-09-06T14:14:00.004+01:00

The publication date of my novella, THE POINT, is getting closer. It’s due out on the 31st October 2011 and it’s really just starting to sink in that I’m going to have an actual book to plug that I wrote myself (as opposed to plugging Requiems which in my mind isn’t really my book but that of the contributors).

Anyway, to get a bit of a head start on said plugging I thought I’d share the blurb I received from, Ken Bruen. He said:

“Brian and Paul Morgan would be a Coen Brothers dream, via Belfast.
But our shifty small time crooks have to get out of Dodge and fast and take their shabby hilarious act to Warrenpoint...
The Point.
Hooking up with the lethal Rachel.
And a mad Mick in every sense, hot on their cider-ed trail.
What a joy of a novel, with a perfectly timed setting of unexpected violence every six pack of Special Brew or so.
And the book is moving in ways that sneak up on you.
The ending is pitch perfect, a Mexican stand off that is NI to its complex core.
Gerard Brennan grabs the mantle of the new mystery prince of NI and the appeal of the novel is wide ranging as it is peppered with the Belfast wit.” - Ken Bruen

Needless to say, I’m floored. I mean, this is Ken “GODFATHER OF IRISH CRIME FICTION!!!” Bruen we’re talking about here! And he’s writing about my wee novella… the mind boggles.

Just wow, man.

Alan Glynn in the Gutter

2011-09-05T13:04:00.004+01:00

Click the image to enlarge.

Another Fine Night

2011-09-02T09:47:00.005+01:00

Yesterday I attended the No Alibis launch of John Connolly's The Burning Soul and Alan Glynn's Bloodland with a musical intro from the uber-talented Isobel Anderson. The authors drew such a crowd that David Torrans had to pull a few strings and get the event moved to the Crescent Arts Centre for the sake of public safety. And I'd wager that every person who showed up enjoyed the evening as much as I did

I've been to a number of John Connolly readings and he was as charismatic and entertaining as usual. His talk raised more than a handful of chuckles, though it was a few shades darker than his usual quasi-stand up routine. But it was a fitting tone, considering the hard-hitiing nature of his latest tome

Alan Glynn read two stand-out passages from Bloodland. He fared very well in the company of the seasoned Connolly and his excerpts drew perfect responses from the tuned-in audience. What really made my night was his introduction, though. He quoted from my review of his most recent offering! Little hat-tips like that can be a powerful motivator to continue my often waning mission to spread the word about the quality Irish crime fiction that is out there. I was chuffed to bits

David Torrans then hosted an interview with the scribes that covered a range of subjects. From Alan Glynn's Hollywood experiences on the set of Limitless to John Connolly's eye-opening episodes amongst the London Irish in the years he worked as a journalist, the content was far-reaching, to say the least. What really captured my imagination was the subject of violence in crime fiction and the degrees of responsibility utilised within the genre. Fascinating stuff.

Author spotters would have been delighted to see Stuart Neville and Brian McGilloway in the audience.

Can't wait for the next event!

No Alibis Event - John Connolly and Alan Glynn

2011-09-01T09:00:00.001+01:00

No Alibis are very pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of John Connolly's latest Charlie Parker novel, THE BURNING SOUL, and Alan Glynn's latest novel, BLOODLAND, on Thursday 1st September at 6:00PM. A musical introduction will be provided by Isobel Anderson.

Please note: due to unprecedented demand for this event, it will now take place in the Crescent Arts Centre, rather than the shop. If you have already booked a spot, you do not need to do so again, as we have already transferred the reservations.

Randall Haight has a secret: when he was a teenager, he and his friend killed a 14-year-old girl.

Randall did his time and built a new life in the small Maine town of Pastor's Bay, but somebody has discovered the truth about Randall. He is being tormented by anonymous messages, haunting reminders of his past crime, and he wants private detective Charlie Parker to make it stop.

But another 14-year-old girl has gone missing, this time from Pastor's Bay, and the missing girl's family has its own secrets to protect. Now Parker must unravel a web of deceit involving the police, the FBI, a doomed mobster named Tommy Morris, and Randall Haight himself.

Because Randall Haight is telling lies...

A private security contractor loses it in the Congo, with deadly consequences, while in Ireland the ex-prime minister struggles to write his memoir.

A tabloid star is killed in a helicopter crash and three years later a young journalist is warned off the story.

As a news story breaks in Paris, a US senator prepares his campaign to run for office.

What links these things and who controls what we know? With echoes of John Le Carré, 24 and James Ellroy, Alan Glynn has written another crime novel of and for our times – a ferocious thriller that moves from Dublin to New York via West Africa, and thrillingly explores the legacy of corruption in big business, the West’s fear of China, the fate of ex-military, the role of back room political players, and the quick fix of online news.

Alan Glynn is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, where he studied English Literature, and has worked in magazine publishing in New York and as an EFL teacher in Italy. His second novel, Winterland, was published to huge acclaim in 2009, while his first novel The Dark Fields was released as the film Limitless - starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro - in Spring 2011.

Isobel Anderson will be providing a musical introduction to the evening.

As usual with John's event, we expect this one to be extremely popular, so please do book a spot to avoid disappointment. Book your spot now, by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

A Wee Review - Bloodland by Alan Glynn

2011-08-31T10:52:00.003+01:00

Alan Glynn’s Bloodland begins with the mental breakdown of a private security operative in the Congo and then follows the shockwaves that it creates in Ireland and the US. An out-of-work journalist is warned off writing a book about Irish TV star, Susie Monaghan. An ex-Taoiseach gets knocked off the AA wagon. A once-successful property developer skates along the brink of bankruptcy. A US senator with presidential aspirations needs all the spin his people can provide to explain a broken hand. The senator’s brother wants the respect of his octogenarian corporate mentor. And they’re all linked by a helicopter crash that claimed Susie Monaghan’s life.

Bloodland follows the trend set by Glynn’s previous novel, Winterland. It explores the far-reaching ramifications of corruption in politics and global business right down to the frontline casualties. Shit runs downhill. Glynn’s writing is engaging and urgent. Each line counts as he expertly develops his characters and plot without sacrificing his wonderful skill for evocative prose.

Bloodland will enrage that sleeping anarchist within. More of the same, please, Mister Glynn.

Collusion - Stuart Neville

2011-08-28T22:47:00.003+01:00

A Wee Review - Little Girl Lost by Brian McGilloway

2011-08-21T12:30:00.003+01:00

Brian McGilloway gives Inspector Ben Devlin a bit of a holiday and introduces us to his new protagonist, DS Lucy Black of the PSNI Personal Protection Unit in Derry. During an investigation into the kidnapping of a local businessman's teenage daughter DS Black discovers a little girl wandering through a forest on a snowy night in nothing but her nightdress. It soon becomes apparent that the girl has been witness to something incredibly traumatic. So traumatic, in fact, that she retreats into herself and is unable to communicate. DS Black takes it upon herself to take the girl under her wing and try to get her to speak, but can she deal with an additional responsibility? She already cares for her senile father and has more than enough on her plate trying to crack the kidnapping case.

Little Girl Lost is quite a different book from anything McGilloway has written in the Devlin series. From the protagonist to the writing style, McGilloway has made a lot of changes, and all for the better. It should come with a warning, though. This one tugs, pulls and gnaws at your heart strings. Prepare to invest a lot of emotion into this read and don't expect to be paid back with the perfect Hollywood ending. McGilloway has gone all out. Little Girl Lost is darker than a Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Word on the street is that this is the start of a new series (though we can expect a new Devlin book in the coming year) and this book proves that DS Black will be a welcome addition to the Northern Irish crime scene.

Writers' Writers (a short report)

2011-08-19T11:28:00.004+01:00

Adrian McKinty and Declan Burke made for an awesome double act at last night's No Alibis event. Both writers opted not to read from the books they were there to launch (McKinty's Falling Glass and Burke's Absolute Zero Cool). Instead they entertained the audience with a frank and oft times scathing dialogue about the state of the modern publishing model. A lot of what was said I wouldn't dare write about here for fear that I might be sued for libel. What I can tell you is that it was a fascinating insight into the minds of a pair of excellent writers who are masters of their trade.

Incidentally, Stuart Neville, David Park and Andrew Pepper were among the crowd. I wish I had the presence of mind to snap a few pics but I haven't been at the top of my game this week. I'm sure they'll pop up on the No Alibis website and/or Facebook page at some point. I'll post a link when they do.

If you didn't get to the event you should make it up to yourself by buying Falling Glass and Absolute Zero Cool as soon as humanly possible. Both books are a master class in crime fiction that doesn't conform to the old and tired model.

No Alibis Event - Burke and McKinty

2011-08-18T12:05:00.002+01:00

Declan Burke and Adrian McKinty
Thursday 18th August at 6:00PM
Tickets: FREE

No Alibis are very pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of Declan Burke's latest novel, ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL, and FALLING GLASS, the latest novel from Adrian McKinty, in the shop on Thursday 18th August at 6:00 PM.

Declan Burke was born in Sligo in 1969. He is the author of EIGHTBALL BOOGIE (2003) and THE BIG O (2007). He is also the editor of DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS: IRISH CRIME WRITING IN THE 21st CENTURY. His new novel, ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL, is published by Liberties Press in 2011. He lives in Wicklow with his wife Aileen and baby daughter Lily, and hosts a website dedicated to Irish crime fiction called Crime Always Pays.

Absolute Zero Cool is a post-modern take on the crime thriller genre. Adrift in the half-life limbo of an unpublished novel, hospital porter Billy needs to up the stakes. Euthanasia simply isn’t shocking anymore; would blowing up his hospital be enough to see Billy published, or be damned? What follows is a gripping tale that subverts the crime genre’s grand tradition of liberal sadism, a novel that both excites and disturbs in equal measure. Absolute Zero Cool is not only an example of Irish crime writing at its best; it is an innovative, self-reflexive piece that turns every convention of crime fiction on its head. Declan Burke’s latest book is an imaginative story that explores the human mind’s ability to both create and destroy, with equally devastating effects.

Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Carrickfergus. After studying philosophy at Oxford University he emigrated to New York City where he lived in Harlem for seven years working in bars, bookstores, building sites and finally the basement stacks of the Columbia University Medical School Library in Washington Heights. In 2000 he moved to Denver, Colorado where he taught high school English and started writing fiction in earnest. His first full length novel, Dead I Well May Be, was shortlisted for the 2004 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award and was picked by Booklist as one of the 10 best crime novels of the year. In mid 2008 he moved to Australia. He is currently working on a new crime novel for Serpents Tail called The Cold Cold Ground. His website can be found here.

An old associate of regular McKinty hero Michael Forsythe, Killian makes a living enforcing other people's laws, collecting debts, dealing out threats. Now Forsythe sets Killian up with the best paid job of his life. A prominent, politically connected, Irish businessman, Richard Coulter, needs someone to find his ex-wife and children - for half a million. Reluctant to take it, but persuaded by the money, Killian travels across the world for his briefing from Coulter himself. Once on the trail, Killian discovers the real reason Coulter's ex is running, and helps her take refuge amongst his people - a community of Irish Travellers, who close ranks to look after them. McKinty is at his continent-hopping, pacy, evocative best in this new thriller, moving between his native Ireland and distant cities within a skin-of-his-teeth timeframe.

We, expect this event to be very popular, so avoid disappointment and book your spot early. You can email David, or call the shop on 9031 9607.

A Wee Review - Plugged by Eoin Colfer

2011-08-11T15:31:00.005+01:00

Dan McEvoy was once an Irish soldier. He did two tours of the Lebanon -- by choice -- which resulted in him spending a little time with the army shrink. A few years later, he left Ireland and found a job at a seedy casino in Cloisters, New Jersey. And there he worked until the day his friend (to use the term loosely) Zeb disappeared. Then Connie, a stripper he had a crush on, ended up dead in the casino parking lot. Now Dan has to find his missing friend-by-default and his dead nearly-girlfriend's killer. Unfortunately, this is going to lead him into the path of a brutal gangster, Mike Madden. And now that his friend Zeb has somehow become the voice of his concscience and a constant companion throughout the adventure, the question is, can Dan hold it together long enough to survive? And what the hell is going on with his hair?

Plugged is Eoin Colfer's first novel aimed at adults and this read will leave you wishing he'd gotten around to this career move a hell of a lot sooner. The characters (especially the protagonist) are big, brash and a bucket-load of fun. The story shoots off on tangents quite regularly yet never seems to drag towards the gut-punch ending. The tone... well, it's got to be read to be fully appreciated. Pick this book up ASAP. The opening pages accost the reader, drag them to all the worst places and charm their metaphorical pants off along the way.

Top shelf.

Declan Burke Event

2011-08-10T14:22:00.006+01:00

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE.

A Wee Review - Dr Yes by Colin Bateman

2011-08-09T14:07:00.007+01:00

DR. YES is the third in the Mystery Man series of books that feature No Alibis Bookstore in Belfast. Picking up where Day of the Jack Russell left off, the still nameless protagonist invites unholy chaos into his life when he allows a shaken and seemingly unhinged crime fiction writer to take cover in his shop. Augustine Wogan, a critically acclaimed scribe lost to obscurity, believes that Dr Yes, a plastic surgeon based in Belfast, is responsible for the death of his wife. And a grisly turn of events soon convinces the mystery man and his pregnant girlfriend/sidekick that there may be more to this case than the ramblings of a confused author.

Bateman maintains his knack for creating a great story enhanced by the kind of comic genius that is guaranteed to make the most dour reader laugh out loud. As the series develops so does the protagonists lists of physical and mental hypochondriacal foibles. But he is forced to overcome his obstacles by the allure of another mystery. And so, pregnant girl wonder in tow, Belfast's premiere private eye and bookseller is back in business. DR. YES is that oh so Northern Irish mix of the bleak and comedic that has become a hallmark of Bateman's work. Another winner.

A Wee Review - Back of Beyond by C.J. Box

2011-08-05T12:15:00.000+01:00

Back of Beyond features Cody Hoyt who first appeared in Three Weeks to Say Goodbye (2009). He’s an unpredictable and sometimes violent cop who has problems with alcohol. A stereotype of sorts but intentionally so. It is clear that Box wanted to take a break from his series character, Joe Picket, who is an upstanding family man and all-round nice guy. And Box clearly had a lot of fun (if that’s the right word) with this one.

Detective Hoyt suffers the loss of his close friend and AA sponsor, Hank Winters, in a devastating fire. At first glance the tragedy could be written off as an accident. However, Hoyt’s discovery of an empty bottle of bourbon plays on his mind. Winters is the last man he expected to fall off the wagon. Unfortunately, Hoyt’s resolve to stay off the bottle isn’t as strong as his sponsor’s and he soon spirals into his old self-destructive ways. But he needs to hold it together for the sake of his teenaged son. Justin Hoyt is out of reach in the depths of Yellowstone National Park. He’s on a wilderness adventure and a tenuous lead in Winters’ murder investigation suggests the killer is on the same trip. Detective Cody Hoyt has no choice but to delve into the Back of Beyond to protect his son.

Back of Beyond is an expertly plotted and paced wilderness thriller; a great example of Box’s literary forte. He brings Yellowstone National Park to life and impresses upon the reader the awesome power of nature with his skill for descriptive prose. But he is equally adept at exploring the darker side of humanity. He constantly juxtaposes the beauty of nature with the brutality of mankind and vice verse. Tense, tumultuous and ever-twisting. Back of Beyond proves yet again how C.J. Box is worthy of the prestigious crime fiction awards he’s collected over the course of his career.

Less is More

2011-08-04T12:15:00.000+01:00

I had a quick trawl through CSNI earlier and realised that I've only posted one review here in 2011. This seems a bit out of sync with the number of books I've received and read in that time. In fact, it's completely out of whack. I've written a few of them for Culture Northern Ireland but that still doesn't account for the discrepancy. Without digging too deep, I think I've discovered the problem.

I've developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder about not being paid to write. When I first started the blog, the only reason I needed to pen a review was the simple joy of sharing my thoughts with like-minded individuals when a good book tickled my fancy. Then it afforded me a chance to get in contact with some of my favourite writers. And soon after that came the free books. Spoilt, I was.

But like any other spoilt child, I started to take everything I had for granted and set my sights on the next step. Money, money, money, money, money. Of course, there aren't many people out there paying for reviews right now. Not from a lowly blogger like myself, anyway. And, disheartened, I lost sight of the reason I began to share my thoughts in the first place.

Time is a factor too, of course. I have my wife and kids to think about. And a wee fluffy puppy and thirty-something tropical fish too. And somewehre between that and my day-job. I need to find time for my fiction, and maybe an hour or two on the Xbox. Banging out five hundred words on my last read barely makes it to the top of my list of priorities these days. But I feel bad about that. Especially since I still get a fair amount of free books every month.

So, what to do?

Well, this week's solution is to write reviews that are much shorter. Fifty to one hundred words. More like blurbs, really. And you know, that's probably a better length for internet consumption anyway, right? At least I'm not shrinking them down to Twitter proportions, right? I'm still contributing to the crime fiction community, right? Oh, you don't care? Right.

Anyway. I just finished reading Back of Beyond by CJ Box, so I expect that to be the first one I review in my new lean, stripped-down blogger fashion. Then I'll go back to the great books I've read but avoided reviewing over the past six months and run a series of short, blurb-like reviews of those. And with any luck, I'll post more regularly and feel just a little less guilty about all those free books that keep my bookshelves stocked.

Cheers

gb

Fancy a Cool One?

2011-08-01T19:36:00.005+01:00

Over at Crime Always Pays you can throw your hat into the ring in the hopes of winning a copy of Declan Burke's Absolute Zero Cool. Just answer one question and put your faith in the gods of good fortune. It's a great prize, by the way. In an early incarnation I got to read Absolute Zero Cool and said something like:

Absolute Zero Cool is a slightly psychedelic trip into the workings of Declan Burke’s rather odd mind. The characters leap off the page and the ending twists again and again with more enthusiasm than Chubby Checker and the Fat Boys ever mustered.

Dec's also done a guest spot at Tony Black's Pulp Pusher blog. It's a week in the life of a writer and if you don't crack a smile at it... you're probably not a writer.

And, in my usual blog-neglecting manner, I forgot to point out that I have a story over at Pulp Pusher. Nothing But Time first appeared on the original version of Pulp Pusher and Mister Black was kind enough to resurrect it in case there's somebody out there who might be interested in taking a look. So, click here, kind soul.

(Left to right: Declan Burke, Tony Black and Gerard Brennan)

An Interview - Thomas Fitzsimmons

2011-07-29T11:31:00.005+01:00

Thomas Fitzsimmons didn't need to go to the public library, interview participants, or hire a team of high-priced researchers to write gritty stories. For Fitzsimmons, a former New York City police officer, NBC television personality, Ford Model, and soap-opera/TV commercial actor, business associate and friend to some of the country's most rich and famous, it was as simple as recalling his life.

Fitzsimmons, who has written two novels, a memoir, a short story collection, and three screenplays has sold stories in Esquire Magazine, and New York Magazine. He has optioned film treatments to Doug Wick, Academy Award wining producer of "Gladiator," to the actor Ray Liotta and Larry "JR" Hagman's Majlar Productions.

What are you writing at the minute?

I’m writing a third book with the “confessions” theme. First there was “Confessions of a Catholic Cop,” then “Confessions of a Suicidal Policewoman” (coming soon!), and now “Confessions of a Celebrity Bodyguard.” Since I’m a former New York City cop who comes from a family of cops, and have been a bodyguard to A-list celebrities for the past 20years (the last nine spent bodyguarding Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas), I guess I’m uniquely qualified to write these types of books.

Can you give us an idea of Thomas Fitzsimmons’ typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

Since I’m on call 24/7 when CZJ & MD are in town, I’m forced to structure the days I’m free to write. I rise around 5:30 a.m., read the New York Times, and drink about six cups of coffee. Then I answer emails, speak to my identical twin brother (a retired cop; we speak every day), eat breakfast. I’m usually at the computer by around 8 a.m. at the latest. I’ll work non-stop until around noon, break for a sandwich, then back to writing. I knock off around 4 p.m., head down to the gym for a workout. Shower. Shave. Off to a pub for a pint or two followed by dinner at one of Manhattan’s fabulous restaurants.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

As mentioned above, I’m a full-time bodyguard and private investigator. The bodyguard work can be most challenging. Unfortunately, there are a lot of crazies in the world (they grow on trees here in New York) and my team and I must be alert and ready for anything and everything; from insensitive, overzealous fans to predatory stalkers.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

How about I quote Stephen King? “Fiction writers, present company included, don’t understand very much about what they do—not why their writing works when it’s good, not why it doesn’t when it’s bad.”

Write what you feel, what you believe, what you’ve lived.

And every aspiring writer should read the “Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

Dennis Lehane—he keeps getting better. Donald E. Westlake—always makes me laugh. Walter Mosley—for his unique voice.

What are you reading right now?

I read several books at once: “Alone” by Lisa Gardner, “Early Autumn” by Robert B. Parker, and “Eightball Boogie” by Declan Burke.

Plans for the future?

I plan to keep writing as long as the ideas keep flowing. Seeing that I’m of Irish decent (Cavan, Donegal) and grew up in the Woodlawn section of the Bronx, I never seem to be at a loss for the blarney.

Also, I’d like to be a snowbird someday, live and write on a sunny beach in the winter, be home here in Manhattan in the summer.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I wished I’d started writing seriously earlier. But I was too occupied with women and beer—still am to a lesser degree. I wish I hadn’t listened to early critics who advised me to write for the marketplace—no author should.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

Since the book business is subjective, the worst thing about being a writer is dealing with publishers. When my publisher Tor/Forge published “City of Fire,” which I have re-released as “Confessions of a Catholic Cop,” they published another book by the same title, with a similar theme, and similar cover art at the same time. When I objected, the publisher insisted that having the two thrillers in the same mystery/thriller sections in book stores at the same time wouldn’t be a problem, that there’d be no conflict. They, of course, were dead wrong. There’s also the fact that an author is forced to deal with the publisher’s totally overworked and grossly underpaid editors, marketing and public relations people. There’s no way they have the time to “get behind” a book.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about? -- What’s it like to be an A-list bodyguard?

It’s a high pressure job. The hours are brutal. You must be vigilant; watch everyone, trust no one. What makes my job worthwhile are my clients. I happen to work for decent, thoughtful, down to earth people who put their family first and above all else.

Than you, Thomas Fitzsimmons!

Crime Fiction in the Wilderness

2011-07-25T14:39:00.002+01:00

Fresh from a revitalizing pint of the black stuff at the Crown bar in Belfast the Wyoming-based author, CJ Box, looks very comfortable as he sits by the window of the first floor lounge in the Europa hotel. He sets his Stetson to one side, crown down to protect the brim, and offers a firm handshake and easy smile. In a few hours, he’ll launch his latest novel, BACK OF BEYOND, at No Alibis bookstore on Botanic Avenue, but for now, he’s happy to discuss his latest release and the Joe Pickett series which is currently being published by Corvus at a rate of one a month.

BACK OF BEYOND, set in Yellowstone National Park, features an alcoholic detective by the name of Cody Hoyt and he’s the polar opposite of his series character, Joe Pickett. Box believes it’s easier to write the more traditional flawed hero in crime fiction than a family oriented man. For one thing, they have so much freedom in that they don’t have to go home at night to check in with the wife and kids. Cody Hoyt is ‘stripped down’ and unpredictable and so the reader will never really know how far he might go in a given situation. And Box has enjoyed immensely the opportunity to explore a dark side through this broken man.

Box himself could be a character from one of his wilderness thrillers. He’s a keen fisherman and has been on the kind of outfitting adventure featured in BACK OF BEYOND. And his experiences very much inform his writing style. One of his strengths lies in the way he can bring nature to life through prose. Does he go on hikes with a notebook in hand?

“No, just like it’s easier to write about the summer in winter it’s easier to write about the wilderness when you’re not in it.”

An interesting element to Cody Hoyt’s back story is that he’s a keen crime fiction reader and one of the writers he’s a fan of is Ken Bruen. This is a little Stetson-tip to Box’s friendship with the Galway writer. They met at Bouchercon, an American crime fiction convention, a few years back when Bruen introduced himself as a fan of the Joe Pickett series. Since then, they’ve sent each other their novels and share a mutual respect. In fact, CJ Box described Bruen’s novel, AMERICAN SKIN, as his ‘…biggest, boldest, most sweeping and heartfelt novel yet.’

When asked if any other Irish writers have captured his imagination he cites Adrian McKinty and in particular his Colorado-set novel HIDDEN RIVER.

‘I was kind of blown away by his dark Irish sensibility in sunny Colorado. It’s very well done.’

And like so many others he believes McKinty’s work should be much wider read. And in fact, there and then in the Europa lounge, he jots down a reminder on a napkin that he should download McKinty’s FIFTY GRAND when he gets back to his Kindle.

He may be a man of nature but he has not shied away from the new e-publishing phenomenon. The first of a series of short stories available in electronic format can now be downloaded. The information and links can be found on his website, as well as a full bibliography of his printed novels. It’s an impressive backlist and a reader could do much worse than get stuck in at the start of the Pickett series with the thrilling debut, OPEN SEASON.

A burned out cabin in the woods. A dead body. A dinner table set for two

Detective Cody Hoyt is called to the scene. A brilliant cop, Cody is also an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety. So it doesn’t help that the body in the cabin is his AA sponsor Hank Winters. It looks like suicide, but Cody is convinced it’s foul play.
So who was at Hank’s cabin? Data pulled from Hank’s fire-damaged hard drive leads Cody to a website running wilderness adventures deep into the most remote parts of Yellowstone National Park. Their big trip of year has just left – a two-week horseback journey into the wild. The very same trip that Cody’s estranged teenage son, Justin, has signed up for.

Cody has no choice but to trek deep into the wild himself. In America’s greatest wilderness, Cody is on his own, he’s out of time, he’s in too deep. He’s in the Back of Beyond!

CJ Box is the author of nine novels including the award-winning Joe Pickett series. He’s the winner of the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award, and an Edgar Award and L.A. Times Book Prize finalist. Box was named 2007 Writer of the Year by the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. His short stories have been featured in America’s Best Mystery Stories 2006 and limited-edition printings. The novels have been national bestsellers and have been translated into 13 languages.

Gerry McCullough Event

2011-06-27T14:09:00.004+01:00

Belfast Girls in Town

An hour of readings from bestselling local author Gerry McCullough’s sparkling romance/action-packed thriller, Belfast Girls, currently at No. 6 in the Amazon.com bestsellers list for Contemporary Romance and in the top 100 bestsellers list for the last five months in Amazon.co.uk’s Women’s Literary Fiction.

Take the plotting agility of Desperate Housewives, mix in the romance of Sex in the City, add the humour and warmth of Friends, give it the depth of Andre Maltroux’s The Human Condition, set it in Ireland and you’ve got Belfast Girls. Gerry is joined by guest musicians Raymond of Celtic Roots Radio, and Dave, late of the Debonaires. Come and have fun!

Venue: The Gallery, Market Place Theatre, John Hewitt Summer School 2011.

Date and Time: 6.30 - 7.30 pm, Tuesday 26 July.

You can buy the paperback of Belfast Girls for £7.50 plus postage here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belfast-Girls-Gerry-McCullough/dp/1456387103

and the Kindle version for £1.39 here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Belfast-Girls/dp/B004DNWS3W

And we hope there will be some post free copies on the bookstall which Gerry will be happy to sign!

Box in Belfast

2011-06-24T13:23:00.004+01:00

2011: ONE WHOLE YEAR OF C.J. BOX.
AND NOW, THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SEASON…

A new stand-alone novel and the first UK
tour by the multi-award winning US crime writer

‘One of today's solid-gold A-list must-read writers'
Lee Child
BACK OF BEYOND
BY C.J. BOX

2ND AUGUST 2011, CORVUS PUBLISHING
UK TOUR: 18th – 24th JULY 2011

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL HARDBACK PRICE £7.99

New York Times bestselling author CJ Box will be launching his new novel, BACK OF BEYOND, at Belfast's No Alibis bookshop on Thursday 21st Julyat 6:30 PM.

BACK OF BEYOND is the highlight in a thrilling year for C.J. Box. Over twelve consecutive months and showing undivided commitment to the fastest rising star in American crime writing, Corvus is publishing one spine-tingling book a month from the eleven existing novels in Box’s award-winning Joe Pickett series. Back of Beyond, Box’s heart-wrenching, sleep-stealing stand-alone new novel is published mid-way through on 2nd August.

C. J. Box ventures deep into the wilds of Yellowstone National Park with Cody Hoyt, the maverick cop last seen in the bestselling breakout THREE WEEKS TO SAY GOODBYE

A burned out cabin in the woods. A dead body. A dinner table set for two

Detective Cody Hoyt is called to the scene. A brilliant cop, Cody is also an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety. So it doesn’t help that the body in the cabin is his AA sponsor Hank Winters. It looks like suicide, but Cody is convinced it’s foul play.
So who was at Hank’s cabin? Data pulled from Hank’s fire-damaged hard drive leads Cody to a website running wilderness adventures deep into the most remote parts of Yellowstone National Park. Their big trip of year has just left – a two-week horseback journey into the wild. The very same trip that Cody’s estranged teenage son, Justin, has signed up for.

Cody has no choice but to trek deep into the wild himself. In America’s greatest wilderness, Cody is on his own, he’s out of time, he’s in too deep. He’s in the Back of Beyond!
This is classic Box terrain: the flawed hero who will always do right by his friend, the beguiling wilds of America’s Midwest looming large across every page and the ultimate moral question: what would you do if your child’s life is in danger? A hugely popular formula that has already proved a big hit with female and male readers in the US and now, with the superb Back of Beyond, Box is destined for the major league of thriller writers in the UK.

ABOUT C.J. BOX

C.J Box (Chuck) is a proud native of Wyoming. He has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a newspaper reporter and editor for a small Wyoming weekly newspaper. With his wife Laurie, he currently owns and runs an international tourism marketing firm. In 2008, Box was awarded the "BIG WYO" Award from the state tourism industry. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. They have three daughters. Box lives in Wyoming.

He is the winner of the Anthony Award, the Prix Calibre 38, the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award and the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Novel. His novels are US bestsellers and have been translated into 24 languages.
Visit his website at http://www.cjbox.net/

PRAISE FOR C.J. BOX

‘…Box introduced us to his unlikely hero, a game warden named Joe Pickett, a decent man who lives paycheck to paycheck and who is deeply fond of his wife and his three daughters. Pickett isn't especially remarkable except for his honesty and for a quality that Harold Bloom attributes to Shakespeare -- the ability to think everything through for himself’
New York Times

'One of the best thrillers of the year. It kept me up most of the night, the way few books have ever done. C.J. Box owes me a night's sleep!'
Tess Gerritsen

'In the crowded field of crime fiction, C.J. Box has quickly established himself as an original voice... Box is exploring new territory. He is fresh, captivating, and has something to say'
Michael Connelly

THE BOX-SET
January 2011 Blue Heaven [paperback] £7.99
February 2011 Open Season [Joe Pickett #1] £7.99
March 2011 Savage Run [Joe Pickett #2] £7.99
April 2011 Winterkill [Joe Pickett # 3] £7.99
May 2011 Trophy Hunt [Joe Pickett #4] £7.99
June 2011 Out of Range [Joe Pickett #5] £7.99
July 2011 In Plain Sight [Joe Pickett #6] £7.99
August 2011 Back of Beyond [hardback] £7.99
August 2011 Free Fire [Joe Pickett #7] £7.99
September 2011 Blood Trail [Joe Pickett #8] £7.99
October 2011 Below Zero [Joe Pickett #9] £7.99
November 2011 Nowhere to run [Joe Pickett #10] £7.99
December 2011: Cold Wind [Joe Pickett #11] £12.99

On The Verge

2011-06-22T12:15:00.000+01:00

It's been a remarkable couple of weeks so I guess I should, you know, remark on them.

Thanks to Declan Burke's willingness to drop his standards a little I was included in his excellent offering, DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS. The book is basically a collection of essays, interviews and stories on the subject of Irish crime fiction. The list of contributors is a who's who of the Irish crime fiction scene with me taking up the rear by quite a distance. Check out these names:

Adrian McKinty
Alan Glynn
Alex Barclay
Andrew Nugent
Arlene Hunt
Brian McGilloway
Colin Bateman
Cora Harrison
Cormac Millar
Declan Hughes
Eoin McNamee
Gene Kerrigan
Gerard Brennan
Gerry O’Carroll
Ingrid Black
Jane Casey
John Banville
John Connolly
Ken Bruen
Kevin McCarthy
Neville Thompson
Niamh O’Connor
Paul Charles
Ruth Dudley Edwards
Sara Keating
Stuart Neville
Tana French
Tara Brady
Foreword by Michael Connelly
Introduction by Professor Ian Ross of Trinity College
Afterword by Fintan O’Toole

What a line-up, right?

And so, it was with a great big goofy grin plastered to my face that I attended both the Belfast and Dublin launches of this fine tome. And what a treat these wee outings were for a small fish like me.

In Dublin I got to meet Ken Bruen for the first time. And he was with Eoin Colfer. So I got them both to sign my copy of Eoin Colfer's PLUGGED which is dedicated to Ken. AND Tony Black bought me a pint. Who says the Scottish are stingy? I also got to chat briefly to Arlene Hunt (though let's face it, any chat with Arlene is too brief. Charm? This lady has it in spades) and got to shake hands with and nod dumbly to the likes of John Connolly and Declan Hughes. And of course, I got to say hiya to Declan Burke again. I wish I'd introduced myself to Alan Glynn but it's too late to do anything about that now.

And then Belfast. Not only did I get to attend the event with my missus, Michelle, and watch some real pros in action in the form of a panel made up of Colin Bateman, Brian McGilloway and Stuart Neville (with Declan Burke introducing the event and David Torrans asking questions of the panel between book sales), but I got to say hello to Eoin McNamee again and be in the same room (unknowingly, dammit) with David Peace. But even better than this, me and my lovely missus got to have dinner with a bunch of the contributors at a pretty decent Chinese Restaurant on Botanic Avenue. And so my lovely wife and I got to chat to Niamh O'Connor and Kevin McCarthy for the first time and listen to a less formal panel on Irish crime fiction, life the universe and parenting.

And what did I learn from these two events?

Well, I still have quite a distance to go before I can consider myself anywhere near the bottom of their league. These writers represent the cream of the crop of the genre I'm trying to crack into. But with the release of my novella, THE POINT, in October (God bless Pulp Press) and a few other exciting things on the horizon that I can't talk about until some details have been hammered out (not a book deal), at least I can say I'm heading in the right direction. Let's hope I don't get lost or run out of juice along the way.

Bloomsday

2011-06-16T13:40:00.004+01:00

Let's face it. If you haven't read James Joyce's ULYSSES by now, you're probably not going to. But what you could do instead on this fine day is check out Adrian McKinty's THE BLOOMSDAY DEAD. It's the book I describe as the "bastard child of Tony Soprano morality and James Joyce literacy". Gotta be good, right?

Right.

Guest Post - Andrez Bergen, author of Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat

2011-06-10T09:50:00.006+01:00

At one stage the thought did cross my mind about blagging my way onto the Crime Scene NI blog by intimating that I had strong Irish connections.

I mean I have a grandfather who was named Paddy (from Patrick) and my dad’s called Desmond. I often say “ta” in place of thanks; I was baptized a Mick, and I do like to celebrate the alcoholic excesses of St. Patrick’s Day.

But these little truths lilt a bit when you shove them under the spotlight of reality.

My grandparents were first- or second-generation Aussies (I’m still not sure which) who lived in Richmond, Melbourne. Even though I was dunked to appease the Catholic side of the family, I was brought up Anglican – which meant never going to church at all, and stumbling across the story of Adam and Eve only when I was about 10.

Although my nickname is Andrez (long story, but it involves Zorro), my real name is Andrew – the patron saint of Scotland, the origin of my mum’s side of the family.

And while Bergin is a pretty common Irish family name, we spell it with an extra added “e”, as in Bergen – which is also the name of the second biggest city in Norway and leads me to suspect that marauding Vikings floundered on the shores of the Emerald Isle a millennium ago and were forced to place their roots in County Cork.

My dad reckons that we’re descended from Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, aka Brian Boru – the high king of Ireland in the 11th century – but he also claims that a castle in that city of Bergen, in Norway, belongs to us.

So, with the Irishness squeezed out of the equation, I then thought about pushing my new novel Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat, published in April, since it’s described as post-apocalyptic noir. The noir most certainly is its underpinning strength; it references and pays tribute to authors like Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett and Graham Greene, as well as the whole cinematic film noir genre.

There’s crime, murder, and mystery here. Three ticks.

But then there’s the post-apocalyptic bit, which intimates the future, and therefore a sci-fi and/or dystopian bent that many admirers of hardboiled, noir and crime fiction find distasteful – like we’re adding inner city tap water to a fine blend of Irish whiskey.

So I ditched the pitches and was honest instead, and lucky for me Gerard Brennan’s proved to be an open-minded, exceptionally supportive individual who anyway gave me the keys to his kingdom (or at least a posting on his blog). Ta, mate!

Andrez Bergen
http://www.anothersky.org/in-print/tobacco-stained-mountain-goat-andrez-bergen/

Monday Night Tipple

2011-06-06T21:27:00.006+01:00

I have a few good reasons for enjoying this glass of plonk (it's got ice in it 'cause I'm dead classy that way) on a Monday night. First off, I'm taking leave from the day-job tomorrow. Secondly, I've a pretty exciting trip to Dublin planned. I managed to blag my way into Declan Burke's excellent Down These Green Streets and it's getting the launch treatment down at the Gutter Bookshop, Temple Bar, at 6PM -- and they've not barred me yet (full details can be found at CAP). And thirdly, I got word today that my short story, Aul Yellah Belly, will be included in Maxim Jakubowski's Mammoth Book of Best British Crime Volume 9 (due to be published in Spring 2012).

Yes.

YES.

YES!

Not too shabby for a Monday.

I'll need to get my finger out from Wednesday, though. Danny from Pulp Press sent me a wee email today to let me know there's an edit coming my way. And as of last week I've got a shit-tonne of work to do on the novel-in-progress. You see, uber-agent, Allan Guthrie (happy birthday, Al!), has had a read and pointed out the bits that need a spit-shine as well as the chunks that need the chainsaw treatment.

But for right now... glug, glug, glug.

Andrew Pepper at No Alibis Tonight!

2011-06-01T12:21:00.003+01:00

No Alibis invite you to celebrate the launch of Andrew Pepper's latest Pyke novel, BLOODY WINTER, on Wednesday 1st June at 6:30PM.

Andrew Pepper is a lecturer in American Writing and Contemporary Crime Fiction at Queen's University, Belfast. His first novel, THE LAST DAYS OF NEWGATE, was shortlisted for the CWA NEW BLOOD AWARD. He lives in Belfast with his partner and children.

A body is discovered in a ditch outside the town of Dundrum in County Tipperary. The local land agent tells Knox, a young Irish policeman with divided loyalties, that it is the body of a vagrant and that the landowner Lord Cornwallis wants the case dealt with swiftly and quietly. The potato crop has failed for a second time and the Irish people are dying in their thousands. However when Knox examines the corpse it is clear that this man died wearing a Saville Row suit. Keeping his investigations secret, it becomes clear to Knox that the stranger came from London. Three months earlier Detective Inspector Pyke receives a letter from the daughter of a family friend. She has married a wealthy industrialist who owns ironworks in Merthyd Tydfil and her son has been kidnapped. Lured by the promise of a substantial fee and wanting to escape the tensions of Scotland Yard, Pyke agrees to go to Wales to investigate. There, he discovers a town riven with social discord following the brutal suppression of a workers strike and the importation of cheap Irish labour. The kidnapping is linked to a group of rebels but Pyke soon begins to suspect the case is not as clear cut as it seems. What are the links between the rebellion in Wales and the unrest in Ireland, and has Pyke finally bitten off more than he can chew?

To book your spot, email David, or call the shop on 9031 9607.

LA Noire

2011-05-24T12:15:00.000+01:00

There's an interesting article over at Culture NI on the art of video gaming, penned by Peter McCaughan. He takes a look at the latest Rockstar Games offering, LA Noire, and contemplates its artistic value. James Ellroy is cited as an influence...

In the last few weeks, I've taken advantage of some writing downtime to get reaquainted with gaming. I'm currently button-mashing my way through Red Dead Redemption, LA Noire's Rockstar Games predecessor, and enjoying the mind-numbing stress relief it brings. The cut scenes are too long and you spend a hell of a lot of time trotting from one place to another on your trusty steed but all in all it's pretty good fun. I'll probably give this LA Noire one a turn when the price drops in a few months time, provided I'm not neck deep in a new project.

And yes, I realise I'm almost 32 years old, but hey, I'm from the Super Mario generation.

Anyway, to bring this back to Northern Irish crime fiction, Culture NI are also hosting an article by Garbhan Downey on Brian McGilloway's latest release, Little Girl Lost. Check that out too.

Badass Reflections

2011-05-23T12:30:00.000+01:00

Born in the summer of ’79, Gerard Brennan lives in a small seaside town in the North of Ireland with his beautiful wife Michelle and his incredible daughter Mya. When he is not studying to become a soulless accountant he writes dark fiction and bad poetry. He also writes kung fu movie reviews for www.steelsamurai.co.uk. To keep tabs on his writing success (or lack thereof) visit http://gerardbrennan.livejournal.com.

So reads my biography in the BADASS HORROR anthology published by Dybbuk Press in 2006. My contribution, Pool Sharks, was the first short story I sold for actual money. Fifty dollars, in fact. It was a benchmark that took quite a while to surpass in my fledgling writing career. But I’m not rattling these keys to whinge about money. My kids are fed and clothed thanks to my day job. It’d be ungrateful of me to complain about the lack of readies I receive from my part-time (for now) career as a writer. What I’m more interested in is how much has changed since I sold this story.

My birthday remains the same and I still live in that small seaside town (Dundrum) with my wife and daughter. Michelle and Mya remain beautiful and incredible. In fact they both get more beautiful and incredible every day. I fear for my heart. But in the last few years we’ve introduced two more kids to the family, my sons, Jack and Oscar (both awesome little dudes). We also have a wee fluffy puppy called Charlie.

I gave up studying to become an accountant when my job stopped funding it. To be honest, as the family grew and time became more precious I was looking for an excuse to throw in the calculator. So I’m part-qualified (half-assed) but still working in finance. I haven’t written a poem in some time.

www.steelsamurai.co.uk no longer exists and my reviews are lost in cyberspace. The driving force behind that site, my childhood pal, Gareth Watson, is working on a re-launch of my website, though. He’s not the type of guy to let skills and learning experiences go to waste. The design is looking great so far.

And I’ve drawn a line under my Live Journal account. Nothing personal, I just couldn’t run this blog and that journal at the same time.

So I think I need to write a new short biography in case I write (and hopefully sell) a short story in the next few months. Here goes:

Gerard Brennan lives in Dundrum, Northern Ireland with his wife, Michelle and their kids, Mya, Jack and Oscar. He co-edited Requiems for the Departed, a collection of crime fiction based on Irish myths which won the 2011 Spinetingler Award for best anthology. His novella, The Point, will be published by Pulp Press in late 2011.

I’ve had to cut a few recent achievements of which I’m proud as these things are generally around fifty words long. Looking at the bio originally printed in BADASS HORROR I can’t help but think I had to pad it out back then…

Incidentally, BADASS HORROR is available on Kindle at the very low price of £0.69 until the end of this month (also available on Amazon.com). It’s also how I met Mike Stone, my co-editor on Requiems for the Departed. And it’s got a story by the accomplished actor, Michael Boatman, who I’ll always remember as Carter from Spin City.

Yes, I would say that...

2011-05-21T16:02:00.004+01:00

I was very kindly invited to do a guest blog over at Paul D Brazill's excellent blog, You Would Say That, Wouldn't You? Stop by if you want to hear me slabberin' about the lack of time I have to write and what I try to do about it.

It starts like this:

A few weeks ago I was Tweeting or Facebooking or LinkedIning with Paul D Brazill (the dude gets around so it’s hard to keep track) and I happened to mention that I was trying to give my web presence a bit of a boost now that life was returning to some semblance of normality. You see, last July, me and my lovely missus welcomed our third child into the world. Oscar Brennan. A little blessing; healthy, hardy, handsome as hell, but he also had a killer case of insomnia. On top of this, I was lucky enough to secure a promotion at the day job which brought in an extra slice of bacon each month but sucked up a lot more of my time and energy in return. So my blog, Crime Scene NI, went on hiatus, as did my social networking, but much worse than this… I hadn’t the energy to write.

For the rest, click here.

I'm dead cultured, me...

2011-05-19T22:48:00.004+01:00

My review of Adrian McKinty's Falling Glass is now up at Culture NI.

You can also read a feature on the very spiffy site in which Adrian chats about his previous novel, Fifty Grand, making the Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year long list.

Four Irish writers on that list this year, which is a fantastic representation on the great work coming out of this island. Huge congrats to Adrian McKinty, Stuart Neville, Alan Glynn and William Ryan. Peruse the list here.

Open Season by C.J. Box -- A Thought or Three

2011-05-06T13:49:00.009+01:00

I've just finished reading Open Season by C.J. Box. Corvus are part way through a mass release of Box's titles and I'm a few months behind... but after reading the first in the Joe Pickett series, I wish I'd picked it up sooner.

For some reason I can't quite put my finger on, I did not expect to enjoy this book. Maybe the story just seemed quite alien to my own experiences. Plus I've drenched myself in Northern Irish crime fiction for the last few years. Could be I've fashioned myself a pair of literary blinkers, so it's probably a very good thing that I've gone for something completely different this time.

The story follows Pickett, a game warden in Twelve Sleep, Wyoming, who is thrown into the ordeal of his life after a man who once terribly embarrassed him in the line of duty, arrives in the middle of the night and dies from gunshot wounds in Joe Pickett's backyard. Pickett fixates on the fact that his visitor, Ote, carried with him an empty cooler. Well, not quite empty. He finds some small droppings that he, a man of nature, can't identify and his imagination is captured. From this point the conspiracy begins to untangle. Pickett must face many challenges, both physical and emotional, in an attempt to do the right thing and protect his family.

The most appealing aspect of this novel, to me, is the depth of Joe Pickett's character. C.J. Box gives us an endearing protagonist with a strong set of morals and a few special skills that sets him apart from Joe Ordinary. However, Box also expertly implants a few flaws that will keep the reader in a constant state of worry. Joe has many "bone-head" moments that seem to bring him as much trouble as any of the sinister outside elements he encounters. It is impossible to dislike this character, though at times you can pity him a little too much. I'm interested in seeing how he develops throughout the rest of the series.

Another element of this novel that kept me turning pages is the otherworldliness of the setting. This was first published in 2001 and as such, mobile phone technology (to take one example) is pretty much absent (which at times heightens the tension). Also, Wyoming is a part of the world that I knew relatively little about before approaching this book. But after living in Joe Pickett's head for almost 300 pages, I feel like I've learned a little something about a society that is highly passionate about guns and seasonal hunting (hence the need for game wardens like Joe Pickett, I guess).

So, if you're looking for something altogether different, maybe Open Season, in the heart of a beautifully portrayed Wyoming, is the book for you this summer.

Friday, and I'm feeling good...

2011-04-22T13:13:00.008+01:00

Cracking day, isn't it? But if, like me, you're stuck in the office for the next few hours, you could do worse than to check out a few of the notable reviews I've enjoyed this week.

Wayne Simmons on Somebody Owes Me Money by Donald E Westlake

Bookwitch on Falling Glass by Adrian McKinty

Culture NI on the experimental short film Unsound

And then there's this feature on e-publishing by Declan Burke.

But if you're outside, enjoying the sun, maybe sipping on a cool drink (alcohol optional), then more power to you. Come the fourth hour, I'm out of here. I'm only an hour away from home. Reckon there'll be time to lounge in the back garden with a Carlsberg for an hour or two before putting the kids to bed... Bliss.

Best of the Brits (and a few Irish)

2011-04-21T09:01:00.004+01:00

Today's the official release date of The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8. And they're flogging it on Amazon for a measly £5.11 in paperback... And what are you getting for this sum? Here's the official info from the publisher's website:

Over 35 new short stories from the UK's leading crime writers. The must-have annual anthology for every crime fiction fan – the year’s top new British short stories selected by leading crime critic Maxim Jakubowski.

This great annual covers the full range of mystery fiction, from noir and hardboiled crime to ingenious puzzles and amateur sleuthing. Packed with top names such as: Ian Rankin (including a new Rebus), Alexander McCall Smith, David Hewson, Christopher Brookmyre, Simon Kernick, A.L. Kennedy, Louise Walsh, Kate Atkinson, Colin Bateman, Stuart McBride and Andrew Taylor.

The full list of contributors is as follows: Ian Rankin, Mick Herron, Denise Mina, Edward Marston, Marilyn Todd, Kate Atkinson, Stuart MacBride, David Hewson, Alexander McCall Smith, Nigel Bird, Robert Barnard, Lin Anderson, Allan Guthrie, A.L. Kennedy, Simon Kernick, Roz Southey, Andrew Taylor, Sheila Quigley, Phil Lovesey, Declan Burke, Keith McCarthy, Christopher Brookmyre, Gerard Brennan, Matthew J. Elliott, Colin Bateman, Ray Banks, Simon Brett, Adrian Magson, Jay Stringer, Amy Myers, Nick Quantrill, Stephen Booth, Paul Johnston, Zoë Sharp, Paul D. Brazill, Peter Lovesey, Louise Welsh, Liza Cody, Peter Turnbull and Nicholas Royle.

So, come on now! Get your copy today, people. Click here.

Simmons on Faust

2011-04-18T14:04:00.008+01:00

Wayne Simmons has plenty to say about Christa Faust's Money Shot over at the excellent Dark Central Station website. I've read (and recommended) this book so I'm delighted that it's struck a chord with Northern Ireland's answer to (a young) Stephen King. At the time I read it, baby Oscar had just arrived at the Brennan household and I was in no shape to be writing reviews. Luckily, I agree with everything Wayne Simmons says in his piece.

Will this foray into pulp fiction be enough to set the cogs whirring in Wayne's twisted mind? Maybe send him to some dark, pulpy places in his next project? I do hope so.

Enjoy the review!

It Takes Two to Eightball Boogie

2011-04-12T14:28:00.002+01:00

This review was first posted on CSNI in November 2008, but since the book has recently been published in e-format for the first time, I figured it wouldn't hurt to fire it up again. Please excuse any dated references. gb

Mike Stone: Hiya, mate. I finished Declan Burke’s Eightball Boogie yesterday. Give it a day or two and the dust will have settled enough for me to do a write-up. Assuming you want one of course?

Gerard Brennan: Hey, man. Yeah, I could well use a review of Eightball Boogie. Thing is, I’ve only just read it myself. And I’m kind of in the mood to review it too. Not sure what to do. I like to get other opinions on CSNI when I can, but... hmmm, what say you?

MS: Well, I daresay you’re better qualified. I was going to prattle on about the banter – that for me was this novel’s signature. The story and characters were very good, but what raised the bar were the rapid one-liners and putdowns.

GB: Don’t know about my qualifications. I’m not much smarter than Burke’s protagonist, Harry Rigby. Wish I had his knack for one-liners though. As you say, they’re a defining feature of the novel. I didn’t do a formal count, but there has to be at least a couple of wisecracks on every page. I think Declan Burke mentioned in a recent blog that Rigby was one of the most autobiographical characters he’d ever written. Probably explains why he comes across as such a complete character. Wise mouth, cocky attitude, low self-esteem. If I ever meet Dec in person, I must give him a hug.

MS: Ah, you beat me to it. I was going to ask you if Dec’s anything like Harry Rigby. The dialogue – spoken and internal – just felt so natural. And there were sentences to die for. I’d give my eye-teeth to have written this one:

The shoes were Italian and suede because women look at your eyes first, shoes second, and I had eyes that made women take a long lingering look at my shoes.

You know when you asked visitors to CSNI to give you a page number and you’d recite a cracking piece of prose from Ken’s American Skin? I reckon you could do that with Eight Ball Boogie.

GB: And I reckon you’re right. Except as popular as that git Burke is on the blogosphere, I’d be inundated with comments if I did. I loved the book, but I’ve got a life, you know? It wasn’t just the cool dialogue that got me. The twisty-turny plot kept me guessing right up to the final pages. Okay, so that’s supposed to happen in crime fiction, and should be a given rather than a point of praise, but I think Burke is especially adept at this. It was equally apparent in The Big O and A Gonzo Noir.

MS: You anticipate me again. PI Harry Rigby’s poking into the goings on of crooked auctioneers, bent cops and politicians on the make was bound to be complex -- and for the most part Declan handled it well -- but were you able to keep with it? Because I got a bit lost towards the end. I got the gist of it . . . I think. The problem for me, in part, was that rapid-fire narrative we talked about earlier. When it came to Rigby unpicking the double dealings and backstabbings, I could have done with more elaboration.

GB: Hmmm. Good point. Personally, I didn’t feel short-changed when it came to figuring out who did what. I went away with a clear enough idea of all that went on. I do think that he resolved an awful lot in a very short space of time, which might have made the book a little ending-heavy. Is that what you mean?

MS: Yeah, it became too dense for me, or I’m too dense for the ending, one or the other. I was determined to give it a five star review up until then. As it stands, I’d probably chip a point off for making me feel thick. Any idea if there’s a sequel. I want to see more of Harry Rigby. And how does Eight Ball Boogie stack up against The Big O?

GB: Ah, man. Great question, thanks. As you know, I’m a regular reader of Dec’s blog, Crime Always Pays. Not so long ago he mentioned Eightball Boogie and how the publisher (a now defunct imprint of Lilyput Press) passed on the opportunity to buy a second Harry Rigby novel from him. Publishers, eh? What do they know? So I know there is more to come from Harry Rigby, but when we’ll get to enjoy it is anybody’s guess. I’m hoping the recent success that The Big O has enjoyed will bring with it an opportunity for Dec to launch a whole series of Rigby novels, starting with a shiny new hardcover of Eight Ball Boogie, because (and this brings me on to the second part of your question) I think The Big O rocks, but Eight Ball Boogie has a bit of an edge on it. Right, listen. Which one of us is going to write this review, then?

MS: Well, you could always stick the heading “A Wee Review” above this exchange. I daresay that McKinty fellah will have a dig and call us the Chuckle Brothers, but I can live with that. To me!

GB: Sounds like a plan, you savvy devil. To you!

Best Week Ever!

2011-04-02T14:56:00.005+01:00

Well, maybe not the best week ever. This kind of stuff doesn't surpass the births of three wonderful kids, or marrying the girl of your dreams in Cyprus (I'm a very lucky guy in the family department). But in terms of writing achievements, this is the kind of week that's up there alongside signing with my agent, Allan Guthrie, working with so many of my favourite writers as a co-editor, publishing a novella to Pulp Press and those ever-important nods from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in the form of SIAP awards.

This week I wrote 'The End' on a manuscript that's taken over a year to get close to right (from planning to writing), received my contributor copies of The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8 and found out that Requiems for the Departed has been nominated for a Spinetingler Award. So frickin' sweet.

If you want to vote for Requiems for the Departed, click here.

If you want to pre-order The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime, click here.

If you want to read a recent article about me and my writing, click here.

And as if things couldn't get any better, I've read the first few chapters of Adrian McKinty's Falling Glass today. Why the hell did I wait so long to crack open that one? Well, I'll tell you why. As with all of McKinty's books, I knew I wouldn't have been able to put it down once I started it. It was already hard enough to open that damn manuscript I was working on every night after the kids went to bed (every night? Really, Gerard? ed.). I didn't need to make it even easier to slack on it. (Shut up, ed. gb.)

Stuff I've Done

2011-03-21T13:38:00.003Z

Hi guys

I'm updating my writing CV and if you have the time I'd like your opinion on how the statement below works (or doesn't, as the case may be). I also intend to use it on my horribly out of date linkedin profile which is why I'm happy enough to throw it up here for all and sundry to see.

All criticism welcome.

gb

GERARD BRENNAN

Representation – Allan Guthrie, Jenny Brown Associates

Personal Statement

In October 2006 I was selected to partake in the Belfast Creative Writers Network’s Mentoring Programme, and had the pleasure of working with the award-winning Northern Irish writer, Ian McDonald. He read a collection of my short stories and helped me improve each one over six one-to-one sessions.

Between 2007 and 2010, I have received awards from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Support for the Individual Artist Programme) three times to assist me in completing three novels, THE WEE ROCKETS, SHOT and FINAL SCORE. I also received funding from Northern Ireland Screen through the Script Development scheme for my screenplay, THE POINT.

Morrigan Books commissioned me to co-edit a short story anthology. REQUIEMS FOR THE DEPARTED is a collection of crime fiction stories based on Irish Myths. It was released in June 2010.

In October 2010, I performed a short one man show at the Black Box in Belfast. The play was based on my short story, AN IRISH POSSESSION which was adapted for the stage by the director, Conor Maguire.

Among numerous short story publications my most prestigious to date is a place in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF BEST BRITISH CRIME edited by Maxim Jakubowski (Constable and Robinson), released in April 2011.

DOWN THESE GREEN STREETS (Liberties Press), edited by Declan Burke, features my article on Northern Irish Crime fiction. This collection of essays, interviews and short fiction regarding Irish crime writing in the 21st century will be published in April 2011.

I have recently signed with Pulp Press to publish my novella, THE POINT (which my aforementioned screenplay is based on) and it is set for release in October 2011.

Emerald Noir - Val McDermid on Irish Crime Fiction

2011-03-08T15:00:00.000Z

My "Irish Crime Fiction" Google alert has been pinging me with links to this listen again link all day.

Peace in Northern Ireland and the economic boom and bust in Southern Ireland have led to a recent rise in crime fiction.

Val McDermid looks at the way real life violence has been dealt with in the work of authors including Tana French, Eoin McNamee, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Stuart Neville and Declan Hughes. We meet David Torrans - whose bookstore in Belfast has been fictionalised in Colin Bateman's series of crime novels. Declan Burke - author of the blog Crime Always Pays - takes us on a tour of Dublin locations featured in crime novels from the modern Docklands offices which inspired Alan Glynn's novel Winterland to the hotels and shops of 1950s Dublin featured in the crime fiction of Booker winner John Banville - who writes under the name Benjamin Black.

I had a listen and enjoyed it very much. It's great that the Irish crime fiction movement has garnered this level of interest. Kudos to Val McDermid for her efforts.

If you listen to the show and your interest is piqued, there's a collection of crime fiction short stories that ties into it nicely. Requiems for the Departed features stories from Brian McGilloway, Stuart Neville, Arlene Hunt and Ken Bruen, to name just those who were mentioned in the programme. It was also blurbed by Colin Bateman, 'Taut, terrifying, terrific.' and reviewed by Declan Burke at Crime Always Pays. And it was launched at No Alibis. Could it be more Emerald? How about this...? It's stories are based on Irish mythology...

Why not give it a lash?

I've also come away from my listening experience with an unsettled feeling. It's about time I was finished with my latest novel-in-progress. If I can get this ending sorted out, it might stand a chance in the publishing world. The Irish crime fiction bar has been set extremely high, though. I'm beginning to worry that I might not reach it.

No Alibis Event - Robert Frickin' Crais!

2011-03-03T08:00:00.001Z

(This event could well be sold out, but give Dave a call if you want to attend. You could catch a cancellation.)

No Alibis Bookstore is very pleased to announce that internationally-renowned crime novelist

Robert Crais-The Sentry

Fri March 4th 7pm

will be returning to Belfast to celebrate the launch of his new novel, THE SENTRY.

We are pleased to announce that the event will take place in the Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens Belfast.

Entrance to the event will be via the Stranmillis Road access, opposite Café Conor.

Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. He purchased a secondhand paperback of Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister when he was fifteen, which inspired his lifelong love of writing, Los Angeles, and the literature of crime fiction.

After years of amateur film-making and writing short fiction, he journeyed to Hollywood in 1976 where he quickly found work writing scripts for such major television series as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Miami Vice, as well as numerous series pilots and Movies-of-the-Week for the major networks. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on Hill Street Blues.

He is most proud of his 4-hour NBC miniseries, Cross of Fire, which the New York Times declared:

"A searing and powerful documentation of the Ku Klux Klan’s rise to national prominence in the 20s."

Upon the death of his father in 1985, Crais was inspired to create Elvis Cole, using elements of his own life as the basis of the story. The resulting novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, won the Anthony and Macavity Awards and was nominated for the Edgar Award. It has since been selected as one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association.

Elvis Cole’s readership and fan base grew with each new book, then skyrocketed in 1999 upon the publication of L. A. Requiem, which was a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller . Booklist added, "This is an extraordinary crime novel that should not be pigeonholed by genre. The best books always land outside preset boundaries. A wonderful experience."

Crais followed with his first non-series novel, Demolition Angel, which was published in 2000 and featured former Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Technician Carol Starkey. Starkey has since become a leading character in the Elvis Cole series. In 2001, Crais published his second non-series novel, Hostage, which was named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times and was a world-wide bestseller. Additionally, the editors of Amazon.com selected Hostage as the #1 thriller of the year.

A film adaptation of Hostage was released in 2005, starring Bruce Willis as ex-LAPD SWAT negotiator Jeff Talley.

Elvis Cole returned in 2003 with the publication of The Last Detective, followed by the tenth Elvis Cole novel, The Forgotten Man, in 2005. Both novels explore with increasing depth the natures and characters of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. RC’s third stand-alone novel, The Two Minute Rule, was published in 2006, and was followed in 2007 by

The Watchman, the first novel in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike series to feature Joe Pike in the title role.

The novels of Robert Crais have been published in 42 countries and are bestsellers around the world. Robert Crais is the 2006 recipient of the Ross Macdonald Literary Award.

Tickets for this event are available from No Alibis Bookstore, price £5.

Payment can be made with all major credit cards by calling 028-90-3019601.

No Alibis Event

2011-02-17T10:00:00.002Z

Simon Kernick

THE PAYBACK

Friday 18th February at 6:00PM

Free!

No Alibis Bookstore are pleased to invite you to an evening of with crime writer Simon Kernick on Friday 18th February at 6PM to celebrate the launch of his new novel,Simon Kernick, author of No. 1 bestseller The Last Ten Seconds, is one of Britain’s most exciting thriller writers. His debut novel, The Business of Dying, featuring Dennis Milne was highly acclaimed, but his big breakthrough came with the novel Relentless, which became the bestselling thriller of 2007. Truly committed to his work, Simon’s research is what makes his books so credible. He talks to members of Special Branch, the Anti-Terrorist Branch and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency both on and off the record to hear first hand about the dark underworld of UK crime.

Born and brought up in Slough, Simon now lives in Oxfordshire. To find out more about his thrillers, visit his website. Dennis Milne, jaded former cop, is back. Corrupt, he’s earned his living killing the bad guys – drug dealers and crooked business men - who, in his opinion, deserve death. Biding his time in Manila, he lies in wait for his next target: a young woman with some bad life choices and some powerful enemies. DI Tina Boyd is a woman on a mission. Hell-bent on retribution, she’s looking for the man she blames for her lover’s death. Tough, spiky and determined, she heads to Manila to kill him, before he kills her... Two renegade cops with pasts that haunt them are about to collide, with spectacular results... The Payback sees three of Kernick’s most memorable characters meet: Dennis Milne, DI Tina Boyd and Paul Wise.

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

Pulp Me

2011-02-09T13:36:00.003Z

Serendipity, thy name is… Brennan?

Last week, some kind soul at Preface sent me a copy of Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black. Happy days. Love Tony’s work. I’ve read three of his four Gus Drury novels and they all got a double thumbs-up from me. But this one’s a little different from those Drury novels that I love so much. It’s a police procedural. And the cop’s called Rob Brennan. Interesting. Well to me it’s very interesting. If the character had a brother called Gerard I’d probably die happy… (you reading this, Mr Black?) I look forward to reading it.

Tony Black talks about it in greater detail over at the Do Some Damage blog.

Another interesting thing I learned about Tony Black is that he’s signed a deal to do a novella for Pulp Press…

Know what else is interesting? Yes, I said interesting again. If this were a short story or a novella I’d fix that, but it’s a blog post so allow me a lazy-ass foible or two, please. Anyway, I was saying, I’ve another interesting thing to mention. Pulp Press have done a deal through wonder-agent Allan Guthrie of Jenny Brown Associates to release a novella by Gerard Brennan.

Yeah, that’s me. I’m going to be published by the same people who had the wherewithal to get Tony Black into their stable.

Sweet!

It’s early days yet, so I’ll say no more than this: It’s titled, THE POINT. Whether or not that title makes it through editing is yet to be determined, but if you're interested, I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

An Interview - C.J. Box

2011-02-01T13:57:00.006Z

C.J. Box (Chuck) is a proud native of Wyoming. He has worked as a ranch hand, surveyor, fishing guide, a newspaper reporter and editor for a small Wyoming weekly newspaper. With his wife Laurie, he currently owns and runs an international tourism marketing firm. In 2008, Box was awarded the "BIG WYO" Award from the state tourism industry. An avid outdoorsman, Box has hunted, fished, hiked, ridden, and skied throughout Wyoming and the Mountain West. He served on the Board of Directors for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. They have three daughters. Box lives in Wyoming.

He is the winner of the Anthony Award, the Prix Calibre 38, the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award and the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Novel. His novels are US bestsellers and have been translated into 21 languages. Visit his website at www.cjbox.net

What are you writing at the minute?

I'm working on the first 150 pages or so of a stand-alone that will be a sequel to BACK OF BEYOND. But within a week or so, I'll have to set that aside and begin the 12th Joe Pickett novel. I've never switched up like this so it will be a new experience, but luckily the projects are very dissimilar in plot and scope so I think it will go (fairly) smoothly.

Can you give us an idea of C.J. Box’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

After conceiving the new novel, doing the research on the topics and issues to be included within it and writing a bare-bones outline, I begin. Each day starts with a workout in the morning and then I go either to my home office in the basement (or, if I'm at my cabin -- my writing corner) and get going. I usually read over and edit the previous day's work, then plow ahead. I try to complete at least one thousand words a day but many days I double or triple that. Some days, unfortunately, I accomplish less. I take breaks to run my dogs (if in Cheyenne) or hike and fish (if I'm at my cabin) and conclude in the early afternoon to concentrate on other work or correspondence. Sometimes, I go late into the night but that's usually as I approach the end of a novel.

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I like to be in the outdoors. Luckily, there's plenty of that in Wyoming. So depending on the season and the weather, I fly-fish, float rivers, hike, hunt, ski, bike, or simply wander.

Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Read! Too many fledgling writers don't read enough, or read widely enough. Reading is better than writing if the purpose of reading is to deconstruct what a good author is doing and how they're doing it. Then complete a first novel. Agents rarely have interest in ideas or concepts -- they want a finished novel. And keep in mind the publishing industry is incredibly low-tech. What should take months takes years. So have a good day job.

Which writers have impressed you this year?

Denise Mina, T. Jefferson Parker, Michael Connelly, Deon Meyer, Thomas McGuane, Pete Dexter, Edmund Morris. To name a few.

What are you reading right now?

"Colonel Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris. The third in his trilogy of Theodore Roosevelt. I read the first in college, and thirty years later I'm reading the third.

Plans for the future?

It will be an incredibly busy year. In the U.S., I've got two new novels coming out in 2011: COLD WIND in March and BACK OF BEYOND in August. Plus the roll-out of all my books in the UK. I'll be doing lots of traveling, talking, and writing. I hope I have some time for fishing.

With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

I'm very pleased with the way things have gone and continue to go. Each book outsells the last, and it's a great job overall.

Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

My very first agent died and I didn't know it for six months. Needless to say, that didn't exactly jump-start my career.

Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Corvus is an incredible publisher and the UK is lucky to have them. They're enthusiastic, creative, and optimistically reckless. I'm pleased to be published by them.

Thank you, C.J. Box!

Open Season by C.J. Box is published by Corvus on 1st February 2011, £7.99 paperback. The first book in Box’s acclaimed series featuring Wyoming game-warden Joe Pickett, there will be a further ten Joe Pickett novels published monthly throughout 2011.

The Prodigal Blog

2011-01-24T22:25:00.006Z

Right, I've been an absentee blogger these last few months but it seems that my home-life has turned a massive corner. My six-month-old son, Oscar, has decided that he would quite like to sleep now. So, he no longer wakes every hour or so looking for a kiss and a cuddle and the house is that little calmer, the whole family is better rested and hopefully I can go back to spending stupid amounts of time at the computer.

But first a quick update.

I've very nearly completed the first draft of my current novel-in-progress, FINAL SCORE. I may have some interesting writing-related news in the next few days. Last Thursday I went to Edinburgh for a writers' development day where I met my agent, Allan Guthrie, and some of his other clients, Kim Elliot, Kate Horsely and (more briefly) Helen Fitzgerald and Doug Johnstone. People, I'm in good company. Visit each of their sites and learn a little about them, why don't you?

There's more but I don't want to make this post an info-dump. I'll write about it all in the coming weeks, no doubt.

To ease my way back into the blogosphere, I intend to run a short series of single-paragraph reviews of some of the books I've read in the last six months. We'll see how that pans out, eh? I hope to kick it off with a few words on COLLUSION by Stuart Neville. And with any luck I'll get back into the swing of things and bring you the odd snippet of news before that irrepressible fiend, Dec Burke, reports it. I don't really fancy my chances, though.

Right, now that I've centred myself a little, I better get back to this damn manuscript. I promised myself I'd finish it this month.

Eoin McNamee at No Alibis

2010-11-10T14:14:00.004Z

Eoin McNamee is set to launch his latest masterpiece at the most excellent No Alibis bookstore in Belfast tonight. I'd highly suggest you go (in a do as I say not as I do kind of way -- my missus booked tonight off so I'm babysitting the three amigos tonight).

Orchid Blue is an amazing novel. I was tuned in to every poetic sentence, which was no mean feat as I read it in the early days of young Oscar's arrival into the Brennan household. And the author in no less interesting as I experienced first hand at a recent event in Derry.

And if you do make it, please let me know about it. I know I'm missing a great one.

Details from the No Alibis newsletter below.

###

Eoin McNamee
Wednesday 10th November at 7:00PM

No Alibis Bookstore are pleased to invite you to celebrate the launch of Eoin McNamee's latest novel, ORCHID BLUE, on Wednesday 10th November at 7:00PM.

Eoin McNamee was born in Kilkeel, County Down, in 1961. He was educated in various schools in the North of Ireland and at Trinity College, Dublin. His first book, the novella The Last of Deeds, was shortlisted for the Irish Times Literature Prize and his novels include Resurrection Man, which was later made into a film, and The Blue Tango which was longlisted for the Booker Prize. He lives in Sligo.

January 1961, and the beaten, stabbed and strangled body of a nineteen year old Pearl Gambol is discovered, after a dance the previous night at the Newry Orange Hall. Returning from London to investigate the case, Detective Eddie McCrink soon suspects that their may be people wielding influence over affairs, and that the accused, the enigmatic Robert McGladdery, may struggle to get a fair hearing. Presiding over the case is Lord Justice Curran, a man who nine years previously had found his own family in the news, following the murder of his nineteen year old daughter, Patricia. In a spectacular return to the territory of his acclaimed, Booker longlisted The Blue Tango, Eoin McNamee’s new novel explores and dissects this notorious murder case which led to the final hanging on Northern Irish soil.

We expect this free event to fill up quickly, so avoid disappointment and book your spot by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

NO ALIBIS BOOKSTORE
83 BOTANIC AVENUE
BELFAST BT7 1JL
david@noalibis.com
ph. 02890-319601
fax. 02890319607

For my non-facebooking friends...

2010-10-22T13:33:00.006+01:00

Time - Friday, October 29 · 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Location

The Black Box
Hill Street

Belfast

From Martin McSharry @ The Black Box

Following on from last month's excellent 'For Want of the Call', Lunchtime Theatre @ The Blackbox presents a brand new play this Friday!

Jim O'Neill is possessed and it looks like all his mother's love and valiums are powerless to save him. Can he put his faith and hope in Belfast's last Exorcist? Enter the mighty Father Silver of Clonnard Chapel. Things are about to get mental!

The perfect play to get you in the Halloween state of mind.

'An Irish Possession' was written by Gerard Brennan, and has been adapted for stage by Conor Maguire.

Gerard will make his stage debut in this one man show, and Conor directs.

Please pass this event on to as many of your friends as possible!

Tickets available at the door: £3

Food served in the front Cafe so get there early and make a meal of it.

Hardback Super Sale, One Day Only...

2010-10-08T11:02:00.003+01:00

That's right, the Irish crime anthology, chock full of top names in the crime field: Ken Bruen, Maxim Jakubowski, Stuart Neville, Brian McGilloway, Adrian McKinty, Sam Millar, John McAllister and many others... is on sale to you today, on not one but two formats:

The UK hardback edition price has been dropped from £12.99 (+ shipping) to only £7.99 (+ shipping). (To overseas buyers: if you contact me today, I will offer the book at a similar discount to your country - e-mail me a request and we can discuss.)

But not only that, the e-book edition (for all formats) is now $3.99 (USD) over at Smashswords! (Please make sure to use the coupon code: FA25T when ordering to get your $2 discount)

Remember, today only!

Culture Night Buzz

2010-09-23T13:41:00.006+01:00

I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow's Derry Library event in which I'll interview Stuart Neville and Eoin McNamee. I just wanted to post a quick thank you to Dec Burke for blogging about it and to Jenni Doherty of Guildhall Press for the many Facebook shout-outs as well as the rest of you good folk from my Facebook friends page who shared the love. I also wanted to share this link to Radio Foyle's Sarah Brett show in which Michael Bradley asked me a bunch of interesting crime fiction-related questions and I attempted to supply him with worthy answers. Did I succeed? Click the link and decide for yourself. My bit starts about 47 mins into the show.

Guess Who's Back...

2010-09-22T23:16:00.003+01:00

The Demon Dog is returning to Belfast.

Once again, David Torrans of No Alibis will play host to James Ellroy.

The details:

No Alibis Bookstore are very pleased to announce the return to Belfast of James Ellroy, and to invite you to spend an evening with the man on Thursday 7th October at 7:00PM to celebrate the launch of his latest book, THE HILLIKER CURSE. This event will take place at the Belfast Waterfront Studio. Tickets are now available, priced £8 each.

James Ellroy was born in Los Angeles in 1948. He is the author of the acclaimed 'LA Quartet': The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential and White Jazz. His most recent novel, Blood's a Rover, completes the magisterial 'Underworld USA Trilogy' - the first two volumes of which (American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand) were both Sunday Times bestsellers.

America's greatest living crime writer gives us a raw, brutally candid memoir - as high intensity and as riveting as any of his novels - about his obsessive search for 'atonement in women'. The year was 1958. Jean Hilliker had divorced her fast-buck hustler husband and resurrected her maiden name. Her son, James, was ten years old. He hated and lusted for his mother and 'summoned her dead'. She was murdered three months later. "The Hilliker Curse" is a predator's confession, a treatise on guilt and the power of malediction, and above all a cri de cuur. Ellroy unsparingly describes his shattered childhood, his delinquent teens, his writing life, his love affairs and marriages, his nervous breakdown and the beginning of a relationship with an extraordinary woman who may just be the long-sought Her. A layered narrative of time and place, emotion and insight, sexuality and spiritual quest, "The Hilliker Curse" is a brilliant, soul-baring revelation of self. It is unlike any memoir you have ever read.

Anyone who attended the BLOOD'S A ROVER lanuch last year will tell you that this is an event not to be missed. Book your spot now by emailing David, or calling the shop on 9031 9607.

And to keep you going until then, courtesy of No Alibis TV, you can check out the man in action.

And yeah, I get the half-assed irony of using my blog to show a clip of the this rascal in which he dismisses "...the internet invaders." What are you going to do, like?

Night of Crime at Derry Central Library

2010-09-20T22:56:00.004+01:00

Yes, I'm still alive. It's just been an insanely busy couple of months, but I thought I should break the silence with this bit of news from the Libraries NI website:

Thanks to the City’s first ever Culture Night, Libraries NI, in partnership with Derry City Council, is inviting fans of crime thrillers along to Derry Central Library’s ‘Night of Crime’ event.

Culture Night Derry takes place on Friday 24th September, which will see the city being joined by twenty towns, cities and counties across Ireland, who will come together to celebrate cultural activity. There’s also an international dimension with Culture Nights also taking place in Leuven in Belgium and in New York.

Over half a million people are expected to explore and engage with culture on the evening of 24th September and at this Derry Central Library event, fans of crime thrillers will be able to enjoy readings by two renowned local authors of crime fiction, Eoin McNamee and Stuart Neville, who read from their work from 8pm to 9.30pm. This will be followed by an open discussion, led by Gerard Brennan of the blog Crime Scene NI, about the emerging crime writing scene in Northern Ireland.

Trisha Ward, Business Manager with Libraries NI explains:
“Culture Night is a night of entertainment, discovery and adventure and Derry Central Library is proud to be involved. Arts and cultural organisation, including libraries, will open their doors with hundreds of free events, tours, talks and performances for you, your family and friends to enjoy – and Libraries NI is delighted to be working with Derry City council to make this ‘A Night of Crime’ event, featuring respected crime thriller novelists and bloggers, a success.”

Eoin McNamee, is originally from Kilkeel, County Down and saw his first book, the novella The Last of Deeds, shortlisted for the Irish Times Literature Prize. In his new novel, Orchid Blue, due out in November, he returns to the territory of his acclaimed Booker longlisted The Blue Tango. The evening will include readings from this book as well as from the crime fiction titles McNamee has published under the name John Creed.

Stuart Neville burst onto the crime writing scene in 2009 with his Belfast set novel The Twelve. The sequel to that award- winning debut, Collusion, has just been published. Both books confront in an unsparing manner post-ceasefire Northern Ireland.

Gerard Brennan, of the Crime Scene NI blog, will also be in the library to chair the event and to stimulate discussion. He has edited Requiems for the Departed, published earlier this year, an anthology of short stories inspired by tales from Irish mythology. His work is due to appear in the Mammoth Book of best British Crime 2010

Eugene Martin, Branch Library Manager of Derry Central Library , said:
“We are certainly very excited to welcome two well established writers, Eoin McNamee and Stuart Neville, to the Foyle Street Library along with Gerard Brennan, who runs the Crime Scene NI blog. Eoin and Stuart will talk about their books, what inspires them and what drives them to write crime fiction. There will also be a general discussion of the recent explosion in the writing and following of crime fiction. Crime thriller enthusiasts must come along to what should be an enjoyable evening.”

The Night of Crime event will be held on Culture Night (Sept 24th) at Derry’s Central Library at 8pm. For more information, please call into the Foyle Street library, telephone 028 7127 2300 or email derrycentral.library@librariesni.org.uk. For details of all events taking place in Derry Central and Belfast Central Libraries to mark Culture Nights, go to the Libraries NI website at www.librariesni.org.uk

For details of the full programme of events for Derry’s Culture Night visit www.cityofculture.com

The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 8

2010-08-17T12:15:00.001+01:00

Thanks to Paul D. Brazill for the heads up on this. From the Constable and Robinson website:

Over 35 new short stories from the UK's leading crime writers. The must-have annual anthology for every crime fiction fan – the year’s top new British short stories selected by leading crime critic Maxim Jakubowski.

This great annual covers the full range of mystery fiction, from noir and hardboiled crime to ingenious puzzles and amateur sleuthing. Packed with top names such as: Ian Rankin (including a new Rebus), Alexander McCall Smith, David Hewson, Christopher Brookmyre, Simon Kernick, A.L. Kennedy, Louise Walsh, Kate Atkinson, Colin Bateman, Stuart McBride and Andrew Taylor.

The full list of contributors is as follows: Sheila Quigley, Nigel Bird, Jay Stringer, Paul D. Brazill, Adrian Magson, Colin Bateman, Gerard Brennan, Matthew J. Elliott, Andrew Taylor, Lin Anderson, Christopher Brookmyre, Ray Banks, Declan Burke, Liza Cody, Simon Kernick, Stuart MacBride, Allan Guthrie, Ian Rankin (two stories, including a new Rebus), Nick Quantrill, Edward Marston, Nicholas Royle, Zoe Sharp, Robert Barnard, Simon Brett, Peter Lovesey, A.L. Kennedy, Roz Southey, Phil Lovesey, David Hewson, Amy Myers, Marilyn Todd, Peter Turnbull, Keith McCarthy, Alexander McCall Smith, Stephen Booth, Denise Mina, Mick Herron, Kate Atkinson and Louise Welsh.

Flippin' heck, would you look at that list of talent? I have books on my shelf by Colin Bateman, Christopher Brookmyre, Ray Banks, Declan Burke, Allan Guthrie (who is also my agent) and Denise Mina. Why I haven't invested in an Ian Rankin or Stuart MacBride novel yet is as much a mystery to me as anybody else, but hey, I'm still a whipper-snapper. There's time to rectify this.

I've also read short stories by Paul D. Brazill, Nick Quantrill and most recently, Nigel Bird. Needless to say, I'm humbled by the company my tale now keeps.

According to the website, the collection will be released in April 2011 so I've plenty of time to get acquainted with some of the writers that I've yet to read. Must get on to that ASAP.

An Interview - Wayne Simmons

2010-08-06T15:46:00.004+01:00

Belfast born, Wayne Simmons, has been loitering with intent around the horror genre for some years. Having scribbled reviews and interviews for various zines, Wayne released his debut horror novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, through PERMUTED PRESS. The book was received well by both fans of the genre and reviewers alike. In April 2010, the rights to DROP DEAD GORGEOUS reverted back to Wayne. An extended version of DDG will be released through SNOWBOOKS in 2011.

Wayne released the zombie apocalyptic horror novel, FLU, through SNOWBOOKS in April 2010.

In what little spare time he has left, Wayne enjoys running, getting tattooed and listening to all manner of unseemly screeches on his BOOM-BOOM Box…

(www.waynesimmons.org)

Q1. What are you writing at the minute?

At the minute, I'm writing the follow-up to FLU. It's to be called FEVER and will be both a prequel and sequel to the first book. All the surviving characters from the FLU will return (as well as some who haven't survived!) and there'll be new folks for readers of the series to get to know. With FEVER, readers can expect more of the same from me - Belfast-based, character-driven survival horror. With zombies, of course.

Q2. Can you give us an idea of Wayne Simmons’s typical up-to-the-armpits-in-ideas-and-time writing day?

I try to write most days, aiming for at least 1000 words. The challenge is to fit my writing around the rest of my life: that's proving more and more difficult the busier I get. With FLU's ongoing success (the first print-run has completely sold-out), there's more promotion work, interviews, anthos etc. to give attention to alongside trying to maintain prolific writing output. Plus, I still work full time.

I find myself writing a lot on the train to and from work, transferring the scribbled notebook pages into my PC when I get home. I get inspired when surrounded by people and find I write best when in the company of others. I know that's not the norm, but it works for me!

Q3. What do you do when you’re not writing?

I think about what I'm going to write. Hah! To a certain extent, that's completely true. I'll often be sitting at work or having a conversation with someone and an idea will suddenly come to me. Generally, I try to have a fairly healthy social life - getting out and about to gigs, eating sushi, drinking beer and collecting as many tattoos as my skin and modest wages allow.

Q4. Any advice for a greenhorn trying to break into the genre fiction scene?

Self-promotion is key. Get out to genre conventions and onto genre message boards and get the word out on who you are and what you're about. Talk to people in the industry - you'll find most folks are very approachable via facebook etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Oh, and my golden rule is to keep your feet on the ground - remember that no matter what success you enjoy as a writer in the genre (whatever genre(s) you decide to write within), you're a fan first and foremost.

Q5. Which writers have impressed you this year?

This year I've enjoyed writing by Simon Logan (Katja from the Punk Band), David Moody (Hater, Dog Blood), Rupert Thomson (Death of a Murderer), Jack O'Connell (The Skin Palace), Tim Lebbon (The Thief of Broken Toys), Stephen King (Duma Key, Cujo, On Writing) amongst many others. I'm interested in character-driven fiction that draws an emotional investment out of the reader. I don't always read sci-fi or horror stories.

Q6. What are you reading right now?

Fiction-wise, I'm just finishing Tim Lebbon's The Thief of Broken Toys (which is an astounding read). Non-fiction wise, I'm reading a book on different variations of Left-Libertarianism and Rupert Thomson's autobiographical This Party's Got to Stop. I tend to read about three books at a time. Silly, I know!

Q7. Plans for the future?

A cleaned-up and extended version of my debut novel, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS is due for release in January 2011 (Snowbooks). I'm also keen to get FEVER on shelves next year as well as DOLL PARTS, the sequel to DDG. I've a cyberpunk thriller written at first draft stage which I'm keen to tidy up. After that, I'm seriously considering writing an Urban Fantasy set in Belfast.

Q8. With regards to your writing career to date, would you do anything differently?

Not really. I've made a few mistakes along the way, but those were a necessary part of my journey to date. I think the key thing for any professional writers starting out is to seek appropriate advice on contracts. the Society of Authors is a good resource. Basically, they're a trade union for writers.

Q9. Do you fancy sharing your worst writing experience?

When I was in my early teens I tried writing a super-hero novel but lost faith in myself after about ten scribbled file pages. I ended up burying the fruits of my labour in a ditch in Portadown. I was a troubled child, let's just say...

Q10. Anything you want to say that I haven’t asked you about?

Just thanks for the interview, Gerard! It's a pleasure to be on the CSNI blogspot. If anyone wants to find out more about my writing, ask me questions etc. they can catch up with me on my website: www.waynesimmons.org

Thank you, Wayne Simmons!