Random Bits #4 - 2012

Novelicious.com launches writing competition in association with Avon (HarperCollins), Books and the City (Simon & Schuster UK), and Literary Agent, Diane Banks

Popular Chick Lit and Women’s Fiction website Novelicious has launched a writing competition in association with Avon Books, Simon & Schuster UK’s Books and the City initiative and Literary Agent, Diane Banks.

Novelicious Undiscovered, which kicks off today (February 14^th), invites aspiring commercial women’s fiction writers to submit the first 3000 words of their novel to undiscovered@novelicious.com before April 3^rd.

The top twenty entries, as chosen by the Novelicious.com team, will be showcased on the site during May and put to a public vote in June. From these top twenty entries two winners will be chosen.

The People’s Choice award winner (the entry with the highest amount of public votes) will win:

·         A full manuscript critique with Avon Commissioning Editor Caroline Hogg over tea and cake in their London offices

·         A £50 voucher for writersgifts.co.uk

·         An introduction to and entry critique from Literary Agent Diane Banks of Diane Banks Associates Ltd

·         A selection of 10 Avon Titles

·         A Kindle

The Books and the City Choice award winner (chosen from the top 20 entries by the Fiction Editorial department at Simon & Schuster UK) will win:

·         A full manuscript critique from a member of the Fiction Editorial team at Simon & Schuster UK

·         Author Mentoring and meeting with Sunday Times Bestselling author of RSVP, Helen Warner

·         A £50 voucher from writersgifts.co.uk

·         A Selection of 10 Books and the City Titles

Maxine Hitchcock, Fiction Editorial Director at Simon & Schuster UK says:

“We're thrilled to play a part in the brilliant Novelicious Undiscovered competition. Simon & Schuster / Books and the City prides itself on finding new talent and in recent years has discovered wonderful new voices such as Jane Costello, Milly Johnson, Helen Warner and Ali Harris who have gone on to hit the bestseller lists. We're honoured to be working with Novelicious, such a supporter and champion of female fiction, to find potential new stars.”

Diane Banks of Diane Banks Associates Ltd says:

"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to critique the winner of Undiscovered and the option to offer them representation.  A competition which is judged by readers is a promising way to discover new talent and I'm excited about seeing the shortlist"

Caroline Hogg, Commissioning editor at Avon says:

“It’s such a pleasure to be involved with the Novelicious Undiscovered competition. For years Novelicious has been championing fantastic women’s fiction and the team there sum up everything that’s best about publishing: a genuine love of good writing and the boundless energy and good humour it takes to keep trying new things. At Avon we’re always on the look-out for brilliant new voices to add to our list of stellar authors – among them bestsellers Miranda Dickinson, Trisha Ashley and Claudia Carroll – so who knows what we might find through Novelicious Undiscovered!”

Kirsty Greenwood, Founding Editor of Novelicious.com

“I am so excited to able to extend such an amazing opportunity to Britain’s aspiring writers. Novelicious is passionate about women’s fiction, and we are hopeful that the ‘Undiscovered’ competition will unearth some sparkling new talent in the genre.”

The Winner of Novelicious Undiscovered will be announced on 26^th June. For full entry details and terms and conditions please visit http://www.novelicious.com/noveliciousundiscovered2012

Books and the City’s website can be found at http://www.booksandthecity.co.uk

Avon Books information can be found at http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/about-harpercollins/Imprints/Avon/Pages/Avon.aspx

Diane Banks Associated Ltd’s Website can be found at http://www.dianebanks.co.uk/

Helen Warner was Head of Daytime for Channel 4, where she was responsible for shows such as Come Dine With Me and Deal Or No Deal.  Previously she worked for ITV where she launched the daytime talkshow Loose Women and was editor of This Morning. She lives in East Anglia with her husband and their two children. RSVP, her first novel was a Sunday Times bestseller. Her second novel, IOU is published in March 2012.

For all further enquiries about Novelicious Undiscovered 2012 please contact kirsty@novelicious.com

The Lost Relic by Scott Mariani

Some secrets should stay buried…

A web of deceit – and Ben Hope is caught in the mayhem. . .

Whilst visiting a former SAS comrade in Italy, a distracted Ben nearly runs over a young boy – and unwittingly walks into his deadliest mission yet.

Ben’s involvement with the boy’s family runs deeper as he witnesses their brutal murder at a gallery robbery. A seemingly worthless Goya sketch was the principal target in the bloodbath heist. Now it’s up to Ben to find out the truth behind the elusive painting.

Wrongly accused of murder and forced to go on the run,he must get to the heart of the conspiracy while he still has the chance. . .

Scott Mariani’s newest offering The Lost Relic has to be his best so far. Having read all of his novels (loved them all) from the day they were released, I have become a fan of the writer but also a big fan of the main character in all the books.

In this, Ben’s sixth outing, a visit to a friend in Italy turns into a nightmare. Deciding to take the scenic route back to Rome where he is due to fly off to London to meet up with his girlfriend Brooke, Ben narrowly misses a young boy chasing a cat across a dusty road.

When Ben walks the little boy back home, it transpires that the boy is the son of one of the guests at an exclusive gallery. Ben, being the kind of guy that he is, charms the little boy’s mother and she invites him to join everyone at the gallery for a showing of some rare pieces of art. They chat amicably and Ben relaxes a bit, enjoying her company and the art around them. That is until another guest accidentally bumps into Ben and spills his drink. Ben heads upstairs to clean it off when he hears some gunshots from below. Being Ben he quickly susses out what’s going on and becomes involved in one of the ugliest one-to-one scenarios I’ve read in ages. He takes out several of the attackers through intelligent planning and really doesn’t mess around when it comes to incapacitating them. I approved.

The sequence reminded me of Die Hard a little bit, but I suppose it will be difficult writing anything like this and not have it be a bit of a homage to the flick. However, back to Ben. The action moves swiftly on from here with several fist-punching moments but also a moment of deep emotion and I found myself hunched over the book, holding my breath. It’s tense, probably one of the most tense from Mariani yet.

After some time, Ben finds himself in Rome, facing the consequences of the attack on the gallery. Everyone sees him as the hero of the gallery when in fact all he can think about are those he did not manage to save. The thing about Ben is he’s not really a glass half full, kind of guy. He is inclined to deeper, darker, more negative thoughts and it is really well portrayed within this section. We completely understand where he’s coming from, the choices he’s been making and the direction he does decide to take in the end.

When external forces intervene and decide to turn Ben into a scapegoat for a crime he did not commit, Ben has the opportunity to dig deep and hard to figure out what exactly the attack on the gallery was really about. And like Bourne, even on the run, he manages to piece things together, whilst successfully evading capture.

Ben is still a darker hero than normal but we know his reasons. We see where he makes his mistakes and we want him to succeed and come out on top. I’d say out of all the books thus far, this is the most action packed yet, and although it is grim, I felt at times that it was a less dark novel than some of the other Ben Hope books I’ve read.

The story rockets along at a great pace with enough pauses for the reader to catch their breath. The plot is tight and only twisty. Mariani’s voice has grown stronger and more adept and as Ben’s puppetmaster he excels at giving the reader what they want: an intelligent fast paced thriller to rank up there with the best of them.

Also, a word to those who have not yet read Scott Mariani’s Ben Hope books. You don’t have to start at the beginning. You pick up exactly who Ben is and where he comes from in The Lost Relic - the backstory is there, it’s done well and exposition is kept to a minimum, which really is a quality that Mariani excels in. Each story is pretty much standalone with some strands carried over to the next.  But a warning: they are ridiculously addictive reading.

And finally, I know that Mr. Mariani is going to hate me for saying this but honestly, I cannot wait for the next Ben Hope adventure. Most of the plot strands within The Lost Relic gets tied up, save for developing the more personal relationship story with his girlfriend Brooke. *waits impatiently*

Find Scott Mariani's website here.  The Lost Relic is out now.

The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani

Synopsis

Ex-SAS operative Ben Hope has settled down in rural France – until an unexpected phone call shatters his newly-found peace. Egyptologist Morgan Paxton has been brutally murdered in Cairo and Colonel Harry Paxton wants Ben to find his son’s killer.

Ben is unable to refuse the man who once saved his life – but is torn when Harry asks him to avenge Morgan’s death. To make matters worse, he finds himself attracted to Zara, Harry’s new bride.

But searching for Paxton’s killer plunges Ben into one double-cross after another. His mission leads him from Europe to the banks of the Nile, climaxing in a terrifying showdown in the Sudanese desert.

At the end of the trail lies the ultimate priceless treasure, concealed from destruction during the reign of the ‘Heretic’ Pharaoh Akhenaten – a find that guarantees such riches that some people will murder to attain it…

There is much to admire about Scott Mariani's writing which goes from strength to strength in this the fourth Ben Hope book.

As a reader I have become quite spoilt by Scott's writing, his planning, attention to detail and the solid creation of his main character Ben Hope.

When we are reintroduced to Ben as he lives the quiet life in the rural countryside of Normandy, things are almost perfect and idyllic for him. His new career as owner of a renowned school where he could pass on his particular set of skills to employees of wealthy corporations when dealing with kidnappers, body guarding and contingency planning, seems to fit him to a t. He appears content, has a good relationship with his friend and colleague helping out at the farm and the minor interest from one of the on-off staff at the farm, highlights Ben's movement towards a healthy lifestyle.

Until a fateful phone call lures him away to meet with an old friend, the man who had saved his life back in the days when Ben was in the army. Colonel Harry Paxton calls on Ben to help find the murderers of his son and to bring them - brutally - to justice. Ben agrees to investigate the younger Paxton's death and sets off for Cairo, deeply conflicted, not just by his old friend Paxton Snr's quest for blood, but also torn about his growing affection for Paxton Snr's younger wife, Zara.

Ben does what he does best - he sniffs out a nest of trouble and catapults himself into a series of adventures that have horrifying consequences for himself and for the Paxton's. He struggles to survive the double crosses and the twists and turns his investigations reveal.

We follow him across the bustle of Paris, the quiet countryside in Normandy to the blazing sands of the deserts in Egypt and the Sudan. Each step of his quest becoming more and more dangerous.

If you've read any of the other Ben Hope novels by Scott Mariani and you've thought that he was harsh with Ben's character, you ain't seen nothing yet. Poor Ben - the stuff he goes through in The Heretic's Treasure is just eye-popping. But there is payback and once you close the covers of the book you sit back and heave a sigh of relief and thank your lucky stars Scott Mariani does not get to play God for a day with your own life. The man is devious and brilliant at exploiting the storylines to an inth of their lives. History and present day all combine to form a plot that will satisfy the hardest of thriller readers. A non-stop actioner of the highest calibre deftly woven to move Ben's story forward.

The Heretic's Treasure is out now and available in all good bookshops. Find Scott Mariani's website here. He is published by Avon, an imprint of Harper Collins.

The Doomsday Prophecy by Scott Mariani

Synopsis

When ex-SAS operative Ben Hope decided to give up his life rescuing kidnap victims and return to the Theology studies he abandoned years before, he should have known that fate would decide differently.

When his old professor begs him to find his missing daughter, the wild and wayward biblical archaeologist Zoë Bradbury, Ben soon finds himself saddled with his most dangerous mission yet. What is the ancient biblical secret that Zoë uncovered? And who will stop at nothing to protect it?

As Ben’s quest leads him from the Greek Islands to the American Deep South and the holy city of Jerusalem, he comes to realise that it’s not just his and Zoë’s lives on the line, but those of millions. The stakes are unimaginably high as he finds himself racing to prevent a terrible disaster that could kick-start nothing less than the End Times foretold by the Book of Revelation...

Scott Mariani is back with a new adventure for Ben Hope, his main character whom the author seems to delight in throwing in the deep end. In both The Alchemist's Secret and The Mozart Conspiracy, you get to know Ben's character very well, you learn what makes him tick, his skill sets and you form a pretty good idea of what his world is like.

At the end of The Mozart Conspiracy I was in floods of tears. I was totally devastated by what had happened to Ben and was tempted to write a stern note to tell Mr. Mariani that he should ease off on Ben and that he should pick on someone else. Fortunately I didn't and Ben's back for a wildly conflicting novel.

The Doomsday Prophecy is, at its heart, a fantasic character driven novel with a depth that many thriller and adventure novels lack. Oh, there is action aplenty and dastardly deeds get done by mean men in dark suits BUT what puts this head and shoulders over other novels of the same ilk is how well Mr. Mariani balances out the action, the drama, suspense and the character development.

Zoë's disappearance sets off the thrills and spills of the adventure. I was fully prepared to like her and was therefore pleasantly surprised when she turned out to be a nasty little piece of work - and I loved it. Again, my preconceived expectations came into play. I should know better than that by now, knowing Mr. Mariani's writing.

Ben is called in by her parents who are devastated at the disappearance of their one and only. Ben is hesitant, having sworn off his previous life, wanting to make a new start after all he's been through. He capitulates in the very end and goes to Greece where things become really wild. He almost dies in an explosion - the description will leave you gasping, I kid you not - and he ends up doing what he does best: puts his head down and follows the leads, no matter where it leads him.

He sojourns to America and makes a turn in Savannah, following up clues. He is kidnapped, shot at, gets into trouble with the police, finds the girl, rescues the girl, gets shot at even more, snatched by men in suits for nefarious reasons and ends up in Jerusalem - it is a thrilling ride, one heavily anchored in modern culture, playing on our fears and beliefs - no matter if you are Christan, Muslim, Jewish or an atheist.

In no way am I giving anything else away - especially not the rest of the plot. It twists and turns and it is sneaky.

The end of the novel is a showstopper and 100% satisfying. You know you are rooting for the guy and he does something so cool you do a mental fist-punch in the air (the equavalent of running the length of a football field with your shirt over head) and you have to bite the inside of your mouth not to shout out "YES!" in case you get arrested on the train. Awesome thrilling stuff - I know, it sounds a bit silly as I gush about it, but it IS Ben Hope afterall and he is top of my list for dark damaged and tortured heroes.

Can you really have a crush on a fictional character...apart from Mr. Darcy, I wonder?

But even BETTER news than this is: more is to come...THE HERETIC’S TREASURE will be released in June 2009. This fourth instalment of the series will see Ben travel to the sands of Egypt to crack an ancient mystery and repay a debt to an old SAS comrade. Find Scott's website here.

The Mozart Conspiracy, Scott Mariani

Synopsis:

Who really murdered Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1790s Vienna? Was he poisoned by a jealous rival composer? Was he killed for breaking the Freemasons’ code of silence? Or was a shadowy historical Order somehow involved in his death? Was the bizarre and brutal murder of pianist Oliver Llewellyn two centuries later somehow connected?

These are the questions facing troubled former SAS soldier Ben Hope in a breathless quest to find the killers of his friend Oliver. At the centre of the mystery lies an old letter, rediscovered after many years, which may or may not have been written by Mozart himself.

From the city of Oxford to Ravenna, Venice, Vienna and the snowy mountains of Slovenia, Ben and his old flame the world-famous opera singer Leigh Llewellyn must race across Europe to uncover the truth and stay one step ahead of a determined group of killers bent on erasing all trace of THE MOZART CONSPIRACY…

I received my second Ben Hope adventure from Avon recently and this week, finding myself in an adventure reading mood, because of the new job, I couldn't resist this attractive looking book and it's premise.

I genuinely thought, in Scott Mariani's first book, that he dropped his main character into a whole world of trouble. I expected The Mozart Conspiracy to start of slowly and build up. I thought Scott would take it easy on Ben.

He doesn't. Boy, does he pull the rug from underneath Ben's feet and literally have him on adventure mode right from the start. I loved it! I seriously did - I'm not saying this out of loyalty to the author or the brand or anything of the kind. It is written in a filmic way, with short concise scenes that move the story along at a cracking pace.

Scott's writing, although it was good in the first Ben Hope adventure, has lost it's bit of hesitancy in this, the second adventure. You immediately pick up how comfortable he is with Ben, the storyline and the surroundings. He seems to sit back and let the story flow, like a good writer and ref should.

The plot is tight and puts paid to the rambling adventure novels like the Bourne books. Here you know exactly what's what and you can't help but enjoy it. I knew Mozart used to be a Freemason, mostly because of Falco's song back when I was growing up called "Rock me Amadeus". I've never watched the movie, Amadeus and knew little enough about the composer or his life. The way Scott Mariani conveys the story, bit by bit, as you watch the characters put it all together is good fun - the suspense and thrilling adventure is cranked up to a scale of John Woo.

Again, this is very filmic and if you are a fan of adventure stories, be they movies or books, this is definitely someting for you. There are "boy bits" to the book - expounding on guns and fight scenes - but then there is the mystery, suspense and research bits to it. It really forms up very well into a strong read and I'm even more in love with the tortured Ben Hope who, you have to say, sounds like he could put the world to rights, if he had the chance to. We leave Ben at the end of the book in quite a state and I have to say, I was shocked. Shocked by what happened at the end and the twist in the tale. But it did not detract from my enjoyment.

All in all, a worthy follow up of The Alchemist's Secret. The supporting cast is brilliantly chosen and Leigh, Ben's first love, is a pleasant surprise and I genuinely enjoyed reading her. The grumpy cop, Kinski, excells at being what a cop in these novels should be: stubborn, grumpy, good at what he does, and prepared to walk that very thin line between being a bad man for a good reason or just plainly being a bad man.

At the end of the novel is a fun interview with Scott Mariani and I am happy to report, the next Ben Hope adventure is in the process of being put together. Hurrah! Again, this is Scott's website and you can find Avon's site here.

Avon calling: the rise and rise of a new fiction imprint

You may recall that I did the review for Scott Mariani's excellent book, The Alchemist's Secret, published by a newly created imprint of Harper Collins called Avon.

Well, Avon's just celebrated their very first birthday and I thought it would be a fun thing to pester them for a bit of a "press" release about who they are and where they are going. This is what I received from them:

Since it hit the UK publishing scene a year ago, Avon has seen thrilling growth and is now the most successful fiction imprint to have been launched in the UK for over two decades.

Launched in July 2007 by former Tesco book buyer Caroline Ridding and HarperCollins Editorial Director Maxine Hitchcock, Avon specialises in publishing commercial, accessible women's fiction and crime and thrillers, with a focus on the UK’s fastest-growing sales channels. Avon has gone from strength to strength in its first 12 months and now boasts a stable of titles that includes 3 Sunday Times bestsellers, numerous Heatseekers and an exclusive book club with Closer, one of the UK’s bestselling women’s magazines.

2008 sees Avon consolidating their position as a fast-growing, fast-moving company and their output will grow from 33 to 42 titles, including a move into non-fiction with Undercover: the Adventures of a Real Life Gigolo set to raise pulses everywhere in Autumn 08.

In addition, Avon are discovering that crime definitely pays, as Spring 09 sees the release of a haunting, multi-layered thriller from New York Times bestseller Laura Lippman, a nail-biting novel set on the mean streets of Manhattan from James Lee Burke’s daughter Alafair and former James Patterson co-writer Peter DeJonge’s debut novel.

This is Avon's website. I find it thrilling as a reviewer and booklover that new imprints are being established by large publishing houses. It gives new authors a platform and opportunities to become known and it gives readers an opportunity to get to know new authors and discover established authors brought over from the States and Europe and further abroad.

Avon also has some tremendously fun competitions on their site, so do keep an eye out!

Scott Mariani Interview

Here is my interview with Scott Mariani I've promised! The Alchemist's Secret is out at the moment at all good book stores, with The Mozart Conspiracy being published on the 14th of July. Over here, at Avon, you can read an extract and find more information about Scott and his books and the other books Avon currently carry.

1. Congratulations, firstly, on your publishing deal with Avon. What is the very first thing you did when you found out that you were to be a published fiction author?

Thanks! It wasn’t quite the first time for me, as the book had previously been out in hardback with a different publisher and a slightly different title. But to be elevated to mass market paperback status by a publisher like HarperCollins is definitely a big step up and one of ‘those’ great moments for an author. I seem to recall there was a lot of champagne-drinking going on for a while…

2. Has it changed your life a lot?

Not so much in terms of lifestyle as I’ve worked from home for a long time already, as a literary consultant among other things. In career terms, though, it’s a radical change. Because the deal was for four books, for the first time I was able to immerse myself totally in that magical story world for an extended period of time. It’s a world I love to dwell in, though if you don’t come up for a gulp of reality sometimes you might get a little crazy!

3. The main character in The Alchemist’s Secret, Benedict Hope, is a tremendously tortured character. But his grief is very real and as a reader I became to empathise with him. How hard was he to create?

In real life a lot of people can be tortured long-term by a burden of guilt stemming from some mistake or accident that might not always be their fault. I think that’s something we can all identify with to some extent. It was interesting to create a hero whose life path had been dictated by this incident in his past, steering him in a whole new direction. As a result of it, it’s Ben’s destiny to have to help others, even though happiness is not something he can find easily for himself… As a character, he gradually came together in my mind over a period of time out of various different ideas. Then he just seemed to click into place. Looking back, I wouldn’t say he was very hard to create. He comes naturally to me, in his actions, his way of thinking and speaking.


4. Did you create the religious order in Alchemist or did you loosely base it on an existing religious order?

I’m pleased to say that Gladius Domini – Sword of God – is entirely fictitious, which is probably good news for the world. However I did do quite a bit of research into the rise of fundamentalist Christian cults, which is a very real phenomenon.

5. Do you read widely in the thriller / adventure genre you write in?

Fairly widely – I like to keep abreast of things and have certain favourite authors I keep up with. But my main passion is film, and so I see a lot more thrillers than read them. Many readers comment that my writing is very visual, just like watching a movie, and I guess that’s probably due to the fact that my process is more akin to directing a film inside my head than writing a book!

6. Your research into the alchemy, which formed such an integral part of the plot, is of a very high standard. Was this something you enjoyed doing?

Very much. It’s a gigantic subject, and in fact I ended up having sacrifice a lot of really fascinating material to avoid bogging the story down with facts. I fully resonate with my character Roberta Ryder’s interpretation of alchemy. At its best, it’s a much more profound and important science than history has really given it credit for.

7. It was refreshing to find an initially grumpy female side-kick in Dr. Ryder. When we first meet her she is a bit defensive (understandably so) but she comes about in her own way and time. How did you plan the escalation in their relationship?

Firstly, I wanted to create a heroine who wasn’t about to swoon at the hero’s feet! To me, the really compelling heroines in fiction are the strong, edgy ones – Sarah Connor in Terminator 2 is a favourite. Their relationship more or less develops naturally from their respective viewpoints as danger draws them together: she’s initially a bit wary of this guy who’s clearly not a journalist as he claimed, has certain lethal skills and isn’t afraid to use them. And Ben initially regards her as dead weight, an impediment to his quest. So yes, it starts out as a slightly frosty relationship in some ways. I wanted to draw that out for a while, letting the reader see the chemistry between them while the characters themselves are blind to it. Then later on, of course, they open up and come to realise how much they really care for one another.

8. Do you write to music and if so, do you think it influenced what you wrote?

Yes, I do. Depending on what you’re writing, and the kind of tone and atmosphere you’re trying to create, different kinds of music can really help. For The Alchemist’s Secret I listened to a lot of sacred choral music. The modern composer Arvo Pärt brings a slightly dark, dissonant edge to it – that’s what I was listening to for some of the more spooky, gothic-tinged scenes, such as the opening in the graveyard with the priest and the madman. Then if you’re doing car chases and gunfights, it helps to get your pulse thumping with something a bit more rocky.

9. Did you get to travel for your research at all?

I was fortunate enough to be pretty familiar with the locations for The Alchemist’s Secret, having spent a lot of time in France. There are a couple of locations in the next two Ben Hope books that I visited during the writing process, just to be able to bring an authentic flavour to the page. I think it’s important to take the reader there, make it feel real to them.

10. What is the most important thing you have taken away from completing your first novel?

Aside from the obvious sense of achievement, for me the most important and pleasing reward is knowing that this character I’ve created, who I always believed had ‘legs’ as a returnable thriller hero, will definitely be coming back at least three more times. That really allows me to extend his scope as a character, and I think the readers will find themselves more and more involved in his life and adventures as he goes on.

11. What can we look forward to for Ben in Mozart and Doomsday?

The next two books will really deepen the reader’s sense of this rather complex guy Ben Hope, while the plots get thicker and the action gets faster. In The Mozart Conspiracy we delve back into his past to see another side to him, and it’s through meeting up with his old love (opera singer Leigh Llewellyn) that he’s plunged into another intrigue, this time surrounding the death of Mozart in 1791. It’s a very intense chase thriller. Ben will be up against some seriously nasty villains, including my favourite, Jack Glass. The Doomsday Prophecy isn’t out for a while yet, but I can tell you that the action is ramped up another step again.

12. Would you consider writing in any other genres, maybe do a teen/young adult novel in the same vein?

It’s funny you should mention that… the idea of a kind of ‘son of Ben Hope’, aimed at a slightly younger readership, has been floating around for a while. Who knows, we’ll see. But I have lots of other ideas too. I noticed you’re a big fan of Kelley Armstrong. Me too, and I have a vampire / supernatural story on the back-burner. Though if the demand keeps up, maybe I’ll just keep writing Ben Hope stories until I eventually drop dead at the keyboard!

13. Do you have any literary heroes?

There are definitely authors I admire a great deal, but if I had to name heroes they would be more from the world of film, masters of the craft like Hitchcock, James Cameron, Peter Weir. I am a huge fan of what Paul Greengrass did with the Bourne franchise, and I also love – and am probably quite influenced by – the early work of Italian horror maestro Dario Argento, things like Deep Red. And lots more… they’re too numerous to list!

14. You wrote a how-to book called “How to write a Thriller” and it looks pretty interesting. Did you find the task daunting at all?

Actually, it was a lot of fun to write. I was really glad to have the opportunity to do it, drawing on my experiences as an author and literary consultant. I’ve had a lot of very gratifying feedback on the book – I got a letter from one reader who used it to revise their whole manuscript and got himself a publishing deal as a result. It’s tough out there, and I’m delighted if the book has been able to help a few prospective authors on their way.

15. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers out there?

Have your story in your head before you begin to write, or you’ll torture yourself staring at blank pages. Don’t give up. Don’t be put off, or embittered, by rejection. Believe in what you’re doing. And in the midst of all the blood, sweat and tears, don’t allow yourself to forget that you love this!

I will shortly be running a competition to win copies of Scott's book, The Alchemist's Secret so make sure to check back and oh yes, swot up on your Alchemical sigils!

Hobnobbing at an Author Event and other news

Because I am an incredibly fast typist on the draw and subscribe to numerous ezines and newsletters, I managed to nab tickets to an event held by Legend Press at the Phoenix Arts Club in London earlier this evening. I had a chance to meet new upcoming author Mark Liam Piggott and got him to sign my review copy of Fire Horses. I also got to meet the incredibly charming and lovely Candi Miller who wrote Salt & Honey. I will get a copy to read and review shortly, I think. It sounds an amazing book!

Kevin Chandler, a very dashing gentleman with a George Clooney chocolate-coated voice read a part of his short story which appears in the 8 Hours anthology and I was smitten. I then had to go and nag him too and managed to corner him into a bit of a chat and as luck would have it, I had my copy of 8 Hours handy which I made him autograph.

Yes, I am a happy booknerd with signed books.

It was a fantastic venue and for £50 a year you can become a member. I am, to be honest, very tempted to join. I also realised that I need to get business cards for the site...everyone I spoke with handed me their cards and I had to scribble the site's details down furiously in my Moleskine and tear pages out and hand it out - which is not ideal.

I also met a top-secret literary agent who will - I hope! - be making a guest appearance on here shortly. I'm not saying anything more as things are currently a bit up in the air for her so once she's settled in, we will get to chat to her about her life as a lit agent.

And that's me for now. I've got three books on the go and some studying to do this coming weekend. I also have an interview lined up with Scott Mariani which should go live during the course of tomorrow (Friday), if I can get blogger to format things properly. And because the girls over at Avon are the absolute best, I'm being given the opportunity to run a competition for The Alchemist's Secret by Scott Mariani, to celebrate his newest book being published in July. Yay! So keep a beady eye out for that.

Remember, three days to go for the Steve Berry competition! I have 2 books left, people! I have received some answers but again, no snail mail addresses...so check again! If you are stuck with the questions, go seek the answers over at Steve's site. Honestly, it's all there for you to find...