Category: fiction

I’m sharing a fab post from crime novelist Ian McFadyen about writing ‘The Twist’ to celebrate the release of The Corpse Bell #blogtour #newrelease #mystery

I’m sharing a fab post from crime novelist Ian McFadyen about writing ‘The Twist’ to celebrate the release of The Corpse Bell #blogtour #newrelease #mystery

The Twist

Having a clever and enticing plot and introducing a range of vivid, life-like and interesting characters are paramount for any successful murder story. However, in my view, the kernel of all the best and most memorable whodunits has to be the twist. 

I read once that ‘plot twists can be a thrill for the reader, but they’re overwhelming for the writer’. I’d agree with that.   

If the novel is constructed in such a way that the reader has absolutely no inkling it’s coming, and when it’s revealed to the audience it is as plausible to them as it is surprising, then the twist will elevate the story to a new level. 

And why just have one twist, if the book has sub-plots or a series of red herrings, why not introduce a little twist with those, to add even more intrigue and, dare I say, confusion in the reader’s mind – particularly if your twist reveals that a character high on the reader’s list of suspects is, in fact, innocent of the main crime and there’s a credible reason why they have been behaving in a way you ( the reader) thought was suspicious.  

If you don’t agree with me, I’d ask you to just think of your favourite murder mystery books. I’m sure they all will have many, many truly wonderful elements – the setting, the use of language, the plot, the characters for example. However, I’d wager it’s the twist that you remember.

When thinking about a new Carmichael book it’s the twist that almost always comes first. Whether it’s a character who isn’t all they seem to be, a misunderstanding which only comes to light late on in the story, or a lie that’s not unearthed at first, the twist is my starting point. 

For my books, it’s only once the twist is fleshed out in my head that I feel I can then create a storyline. A plot that builds up to that twist being revealed to the reader. Then using my team of ever-present detectives and introducing new characters, I attempt to take the reader on a journey that leads to the twist.   

One of my favourite twists is in ‘The Death of Roger Ackroyd’ by Agatha Christie. I’ll not share the details here, for obvious reasons, but if you’ve not read that particular book, I’d recommend you give it a whirl. 

However, if pushed, I’d say my favourite twist was in the TV programme, Tales of the Unexpected in 1979. In an episode written by Roald DahI, called ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’; the twist is delicious!  If you haven’t seen it, look it up on YouTube.    

I’ll obviously not be sharing the twist in my latest book, ‘The Corpse Bell’, but I hope you enjoy it when it arrives. 

Here’s the blurb

The last thing Penny Carmichael expected when she joined the local bellringing group was for her debut to be thwarted by the discovery of a body just yards from the belfry door. As her husband and his loyal team painstakingly sift through the evidence and delve deep into the dead man’s past, it’s clear that solving Peter Mackenzie’s murder may prove a challenge, even for someone with DCI Carmichael’s renowned detective prowess.

What was a man who’d lived for decades in North London doing in Moulton Bank?  Was his chequered past a factor?

And what about the other members of Penny’s bellringing group. Did any of them have a reason to do Peter harm? 

As the case unfolds, DCI Carmicheal and his trusty team seek answers to a complex puzzle which leads them along various paths and, at times, way outside the comfort zone of their rural Lancashire surroundings. 

This fast-paced, cleverly crafted whodunit is the eleventh murder mystery in the gripping Carmichael series from the pen of Ian McFadyen.

Purchase Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/

https://www.amazon.com/Corpse-Bell-Ian-McFadyen-ebook/dp/B0FY34NBPK/

Meet the author

IIan McFadyen was born in Liverpool and enjoyed a successful career in marketing before becoming a writer. Ian’s titles are available in Italian and Czech and, although the author isn’t totally convinced it’s true, he’s been favourably compared with Wilkie Collins and Colin Dexter. He lives in Hertfordshire with his wife but spends a great deal of his time writing in his bolthole retreat on the Norfolk / Suffolk border. The Corpse Bell is the eleventh in his series featuring DCI Carmichael.

Author image for Ian McFadyen

https://www.ianmcfadyenauthor.com/

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I’m sharing my review for The Little Black Book Killer by Fiona Walker, the third book in her The Village Detectives series #bookreview #cosycrime #newrelease

I’m sharing my review for The Little Black Book Killer by Fiona Walker, the third book in her The Village Detectives series #bookreview #cosycrime #newrelease

Here’s the blurb

Matchmaking has never been so murderous… 💔🔪

Juno is feeling ready – at last – to start dating again, after losing her husband some years ago. She is sure she can make time from being a Village Detective, indeed it might help distract her from her crush on hunky (but far-too-young!) pub landlord – Mil.

So she’s signed up to an exclusive new dating app and cannot wait. But when one of the founding investors in that same dating app drops dead in front of fellow Village Detective Phoebe in a nearby hotel – and then a second investor is found hanging in the local cricket pavilion just days later – Juno knows she’ll have to put her love life on hold.

Teaming up once more with Phoebe, Felix and Mil… the Village Detectives are back. And this time Juno – who’d thought she was getting under the covers with a new lover – is going undercover to catch a killer…

Wickedly funny cozy crime, from million-copy bestselling author Fiona Walker! Fans of The Thursday Murder Club and A Death on Location will love the Village Detectives!

Purchase Link

https://amzn.to/3VV9aAh

My Review

The Little Black Book Killer is the third book in the Village Detective Series, and I definitely think it’s my favourite so far. I laughed so hard at one line in particular, and I think all readers will love it. 

Freddy is out of her ‘funk’ (which has been a running theme). Juno is certainly ‘dialled down’ a few notches (yay), and their switching narratives ensure the reader almost always knows what’s happening. The characters involved in the actual mystery are a delightful mix of local villagers who all bring something to the table. The graveyard vandals and the missing underwear also add a delightful side story. 

The mystery itself is quite complex, and there are a ton of red herrings (yay), so I didn’t work out all the elements of the resolution, which I always appreciate.

As I said, this is the third book in the series, and my favourite so far.

Check out my review for The Poison Pen Letters, the second book in the series. I have read book 1 too, but clearly not popped it on the blog.

Meet the author

Fiona Walker is the million copy bestselling author of joyously funny romantic comedies. Most recently published by Head of Zeus, she will be turning to cozy crime for Boldwood.

Fiona Walker author photo

 

Connect with the author

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/FionaWalkerNews

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/fiona-walker

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I’m welcoming Then Came The Summer Snow by Trisha T Pritikin to the blog #HistoricalFiction #Downwinders #AtomicJustice #1950s #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub 

I’m welcoming Then Came The Summer Snow by Trisha T Pritikin to the blog #HistoricalFiction #Downwinders #AtomicJustice #1950s #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub 

Here’s the blurb

In 1958, Edith Higgenbothum, a housewife in Richland, Washington, downwind of the massive Hanford nuclear weapons production site, discovers that the milk her young son Herbie drinks contains radioactive iodine from Hanford’s secret fallout releases. Radioactive iodine can damage the thyroid, especially in children.

When Herbie is diagnosed with aggressive thyroid cancer, Edith allies with mothers of children with thyroid cancer and leukemia in communities blanketed by fallout from Nevada Test Site A-bomb tests on a true atomic age hero’s journey to save the children.

Praise for Then Came the Summer Snow:

“In Trisha Pritikin’s crisp and sweeping novel, the Cold War comes home to live with a family in Richland, Washington. Not the Cold War of ideologies, but the one that included 2,000+ nuclear tests, and the production of hundreds of tons of plutonium; that contaminated our homes, food and communities; that actually took family members.” 

~ Robert “Bo” Jacobs, Emeritus Professor of History at the Hiroshima Peace Institute and Hiroshima City University, author of Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha (Yale 2022).

“Then Came the Summer Snow is like an unexpected gift in its surprise and freshness.  Absurdity informs its realism, its poignancy, and its humor. A troubling, hilarious, weird, and wonderful novel.”

~ Mark Spencer, author of An Untimely Frost

Triggers: misogynist culture of 1950s; no violence, but cancers in children are a focus, and thyroid cancer treatment.

Purchase Links

https://books2read.com/u/bOOqKE

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Meet the author

Trisha is an internationally known advocate for fallout-exposed populations downwind of nuclear weapons production and testing sites. She is an attorney and former occupational therapist.

Trisha was born and raised in Richland, the government-owned atomic town closest to the Hanford nuclear weapons production facility in southeastern Washington State. Hanford manufactured the plutonium used in the Trinity Test, the world’s first test of an atomic bomb, detonated July 16,1945 at Alamogordo, NM, and for Fat Man, the plutonium bomb that decimated Nagasaki on August 9, 1945.  Beginning in late 1944, and for more than forty years thereafter, Hanford operators secretly released millions of curies of radioactive byproducts into the air and to the waters of the Columbia River, exposing civilians downwind and downriver. Hanford’s airborne radiation spread across eastern Washington, northern Oregon, Idaho, Western Montana, and entered British Columbia.

Trisha suffers from significant thyroid damage, hypoparathyroidism, and other disabling health issues caused by exposure to Hanford’s fallout in utero and during childhood. Infants and children are especially susceptible to the damaging effects of radiation exposure. 

Trisha’s first book, The Hanford Plaintiffs: Voices from the Fight for Atomic Justice,  published in 2020 by the University Press of Kansas, has won multiple awards, including San Francisco Book Festival, 1st place (history); Nautilus Silver award (journalism and investigative reporting); American Book Fest Book Awards Finalist (US History); Eric Hoffer Awards, Shortlist Grand Prize Finalist; and Chanticleer International Book Awards, 1st Place, (longform journalism). The Hanford Plaintiffs was released in Japanese in 2023 by Akashi Shoten Publishing House, Tokyo. 

Author photo for Trisha Pritikin

Connect with the author

Follow the Then Came The Summer Snow blog tour with The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Come with me to Great Witcombe Roman Villa #locations #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic #nonfiction

Come with me to Great Witcombe #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

Great Witcombe Roman Villa

Great Witcombe Roman Villa is no longer open to the public, but it is managed by English Heritage, and it’s possible to get a glimpse of it, although you do need to be careful. I think it’s currently closed due to safety concerns, so be mindful, and stay behind all the barriers, especially as the location is pretty remote.

From what I could see of the remains of Great Witcombe Roman Villa, it does seem to have been set in a beautiful place, and it quite appealed to me. I relied heavily on the idea of the location when devising the home for one of the tribes that features in the Dark Age Chronicles. (It probably helped that I visited on a lovely sunny day.)

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out the Dark Age Chronicles page or the blog posts below.

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #non-fiction
Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Links (click on the images)

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain? #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain? #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

What languages were being spoken in Post-Roman Britain?

As with everything to do with this period of the ‘Dark Ages,’ much was in flux. It’s believed that many languages were spoken by the inhabitants of the island of Britain. From the native Brythonic (also often termed British) who would have spoken a version of Welsh, to the Latin of the Christians, the Old Norse (or even older versions of Old Norse) being spoken by those emigrating to Britannia, as well as Pictish, and potentially other languages as well.

Our only written source commonly believed to be from this period, that of Gildas’ On The Ruin of Britain, was written in Latin, but then, he’s said to have been an educated Christian, raised in the ways of both Rome and Christianity. If he spoke Latin on a day to day basis, I’m unsure. I know scholars complain about his grasp of the written Latin language being somewhat convoluted, but whether that’s due to him, or the way his writings have been transmitted to us through the years, I’m unsure.

How then might these people have communicated with one another if so many different languages were being spoken? There must have been translators who could facilitate trade between the tribes. It would be amazing to discover one of these individuals in the archaeological record, but it seems unlikely.  

I’ve worked hard to find names for my characters which feel authentic for the period. The Eorlingas have Brythonic names, Meddi has been shortened from Meddiwysti for fear it was impossible to pronounce, whereas Wærmund and his warriors, while having names that feel very Saxon, are, I hope, ones I’ve not used before, and according to the resource I used, are deemed as ‘early’ Saxon names. Other characters also have Latin names, and some have slightly made-up Latinised names i.e. Terricus who was named after one of my readers, who wanted to be a warrior, but became a blacksmith instead. I think he’s still one of my readers:)

I’ve also used different names for the settlements, again to reflect the mix in language. The Eorlingas, Gyrwe and other tribal names are from the Tribal Hidage a contentious (later and difficult to date) source but one believed to document the very small tribal affiliations that might have existed at this time. Uriconium/Viriconium has its Latin name, although I used a version of the name I found that’s not the most commonly used one. Corinium (Cirencester), Glevum (Gloucester) and Verulamium (St Albans) have their Roman-era names. The River Severn, has its Old Welsh name, Habren, and so, as I was writing the trilogy I was being mindful of reflecting the hodgepodge of names and languages my characters might have known and heard being spoken. 

It also added to the drama to make it difficult for my characters to easily communicate with one another.

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out the Dark Age Chronicles page or the blog posts below.

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #non-fiction
Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Links (click on the images)

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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It’s the first day of the blog tour for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing a recording of me ‘trying’ to say the character names correctly #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s the first day of the blog tour for Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing a recording of me ‘trying’ to say the character names correctly #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

How do you say that?

You can follow the Warriors of Iron blog tour

Bookish Jottings Review

Sharon Beyond the Books Review

Scrapping & Playing Review

Amy McElroy Review

Let us Talk of Many Things Review

Ruins & Reading Review

TBHonest Review

StoriedConvo Review

Listen to the beginning of Warriors of Iron

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #non-fiction
Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Links (click on the images)

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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I’m excited to share the cover for The Pumpkin Pact by Charlie Dean #coverreveal #newrelease

Here’s the blurb

Welcome to The Pumpkin Patch at Pickle Grove.

Andi is worried that her relationship with Drew has become dull and boring. They never do anything exciting these days, in or out of the bedroom. So when a swoon-worthy stranger appears she is instantly swept off her feet.

When they unexpectedly meet again, they realise they have more in common than they thought possible so draw up a pact to spice up their lives! The plan they conjure up while working together at The Pumpkin Patch, to make their partners jealous, brings them closer than ever.

Andi plucks up the courage to finish with Drew but there are no signs of Andrew doing the same and she thinks she’s lost him forever.

With meddling exes, misunderstandings and miscommunication getting in the way, can The Pumpkin Pact bring them back together?

Purchase Link

 https://amzn.eu/d/iAh5Mtx

Follow Charlie Dean on X

It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing some photos from my visit to Sutton Hoo #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy. I’m sharing some photos from my visit to Sutton Hoo #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

Sutton Hoo

As part of my research for the trilogy, I visited Sutton Hoo in July 2024. While it was a fascinating place to visit (see the images below of the surviving grave mounds), it was actually something else my Canadian guide told me that resonated with me for the series. It was that while this area gets a lot of interest, a further gravesite has also been found under where the car park for the visitor centre is now. This gravesite contained thirty-six graves (I think I’ve got the figures correct), twenty-nine of which were burials while the rest were cremations. The car park burials are believed to date to between 510 and c.600, and so before the Sutton Hoo burial of such fame. Fourteen of the graves were warrior graves, buried with shield and spear.

You might wonder why that intrigued me so much, and you’d be correct to do so. But, of course, I wanted to write the series before the advent of what we know as Saxon England, and this was therefore where I needed to be researching. The ‘shiny’ helmet and sword (reconstructions, I know), have a strange allure for us as we live in a time where we don’t need such things (hopefully), but did the earlier warriors have the same? This trip to Sutton Hoo certainly influenced the way I wrote about Wærmund and his fellow warriors. And the trip to the Norfolk Broads reminded me of how pesky bugs can be, and how much they like to nibble me. I came straight home and added that to the storyline. It always pays to remember the little elements that make characters feel very real to readers.

  • Board showing the burial mounds at Sutton Hoo
  • View of one of the burial mounds
  • View of one of the burial mounds from a distance
  • One of the other burials
  • View from the viewing platform
  • Another view from the viewing platform
  • The viewing platform over the Sutton Hoo Burial Mounds
  • Research photo dump with the Sutton Hoo Helmet and image of the burial mounds
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by author MJ Porter. The cover shows three mounted warriors and also a sword, all with a blue fiery background. The tag line is 'deceit threatens even the strongest.'

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction
Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Links

https://books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

https://books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Warriors of Iron, the second book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #histfic

Listen to me waffle about it.

Listen to me read ‘The Story So Far’ from Warriors of Iron

Curious? Check out my blog for more details below

Blog links

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction
Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map

Purchase Link

https://books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

https://books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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I recorded myself introducing the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #WarriorsOfIron #histfic

It’s happy release day to Men of Iron, the first book in the Dark Age Chronicles Trilogy #newrelease #MenOfIron #histfic

Listen to me waffle about it.

Listen to me (almost competently) introduce you to the Dark Age Chronicles and my two main characters, Meddi and Wærmund, or Wærmund and Meddi (you’ll have to listen to find out:)

Curious about the trilogy? Check out my blog post for more details below (or the really nerdy one below that)

The Dark Age Chronicles
To what extent can we – or should we – select one date or event as ‘the end of Roman Britain’? #nonfiction

Purchase Link for Men of Iron

books2read.com/Men-of-Iron

Warriors of Iron (book 2) Coming 13th July

Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

Preorder Link (releases 13th July)

books2read.com/WarriorsofIron

Here’s the blurb

During Britannia’s tribal age only the strongest prevail…

Britain AD541

Seeress Meddi has been restored to her rightful position of influence within the Eorlingas tribe. But a heavy cloud hangs over the tribe’s survival with the escape of the treacherous Elen who seeks to exact a bloody vengeance following Meddi’s reinstatement and her downfall.

Meddi knows Elen will return to settle the blood feud and the tribe must be ready to face this deadly threat with iron. They must toil day and night to harness the power of the lost magiks to make the weapons needed to overpower Elen.

Meanwhile, Wærmund, a warrior of Saxon descent, has escaped his enforced captivity and vows vengeance against his captors. He too hungers for the promise of sharp blades and travels West to find those who can fashion iron into blades sharp enough to kill. But when a lone woman befriends the band of warriors, promising him even more than that, he’s beguiled by her tale of deceit amongst her own tribe, so reminiscent of his own.

Unbeknown, Meddi and Wærmund share a common enemy and one who is just as belligerent as they are…

The all important map for the series

Image shows a map of Early England showing the places mentioned in the text of the book
The Dark Age Chronicles Map
Image shows the book cover for Men of Iron by historical fiction author MJ Porter
Image shows the book cover for Warriors of Iron by hstorical fiction author MJ Porter

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