Wordy Wednesday with Claire Colley

Today on Wordy Wednesday I am excited to introduce Claire Colley, who writes contemporary dark fiction, the 'read if you dare' sort. Her new book Season's End is due out soon, and the filming for the script she co-wrote has just finished filming and is now being edited.  

Season's End is a novel about demons, fear and family ties.  It is a disturbing and uncomfortable tale set in a traditional British fun fair, and will make you avoid roller coasters forever!

And so, feeling suitably creeped out, here are the questions I put to Claire, and her excellent answers:

When and why did you start writing? 
I have never lied, but I have always told stories.  As a kid, I would create elaborate stories to get me out of trouble for something I had done that perhaps I shouldn't.  I now just tell my husband that the fairies did it when I perhaps eat his chocolate, or drink the last of the coffee.

What 3 things (not including paper, computer, pens) would you like to facilitate a good days writing?
Without doubt, coffee.  I have an addiction.  I am besotted with my coffee percolator and often leave notes on the front door telling visitors to bugger off unless they are bringing me more coffee.  Strong, black and no sugar, thanks.  Also, my cats.  I talk to them as sounding boards, because they don't tell me what to do.  Finally, erm.... darkness.  Miserable days appeal to me. Black(?) cats, black coffee, black nights...I'm sensing a theme

Picture credit KGHH Design

Do you write to a schedule, eg every day or three times a week, set times, etc or do you write as and when the mood strikes?
I write for at least an hour a day.  I am an insomniac, so very often, I am awake in the early hours of the morning and find the dark and the peace perfect for writing.

Who is your favourite fictional character (that you've written) and why?
Ruth in Wake Up.  She is an arrogant bitch when you first meet her, but as you discover why, she grows on you and you start rooting for her.

Is writing your main source of income? Can you survive on book writing alone? if not, what else do you do?
I don't survive on book writing alone, but I do live on my writing!  I write for a range of companies, doing SEO blogs, CVs, employment documents and stuff like that.

What are your favourite biscuits?
Bourbons.  Dipped in coffee.  Nom nom nom.

Where do you do most of your writing?
I am so bad, I have a proper study/library and I go in there to chill rather than write.  Drives my husband insane, but I often work from the sofa with Christmas movies on in the background.

What book are you reading at the moment?
Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King.  I only just started it yesterday, so can't tell you anything yet.

Is truth really stranger than fiction?
Oh hell yes.  Yes indeed.  I can tell you some crazy arsed stories that are completely true that sound so incredible that they feel like fiction.

If you could genetically cross and animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently keen on a melon hippo, green and water-loving, juicy and HUGE.
Hmmmmm......  A cat with a coffee plant.  I would love if my cats smelt of coffee.  Unfortunately, Tinker Stinks has a rancid bum and Zorro smells fishy.

If reading and writing were banned on pain of death, what would you do instead?
Die. (I think it's only fair to tell you other authors have started an underground writing resistance so I'm sure you could join, as long as the smell of coffee brewing didn't give you all away!)

If you could bring a dead person back from the dead for one day to have tea and a natter with them, who would you choose and why?
This is pretty much the easiest question of the lot.  My Mum.  She passed away in 2015 and I miss her so, so much.  She was the person I talked to about anything and everything.  I was her live in carer too, so I spent everyday with her.  Losing her was the hardest thing that ever happened.  However, I am very close to her 2 remaining sisters, and they are both awesome.  I am off for a weekend away with Auntie M at the end of November because she told me I needed a rest!! Aw! I hope you have a fabulous time.

Claire's website is www.clnorton.co.uk and she is on social media :

On Facebook
On Twitter
On Instagram

Wordy Wednesday with Bill Kieffer

Today I'm pleased to introduce Bill, Writer of The Goat: Building the Perfect Victim from Red Ferret Press. Now Available via Amazon: Adult, Dark Urban Fantasy

From beginning to end. If you ever want a book to slap you in the face as hard as possible, this…this is for you. ~Thurston Howl, editor-in-chief of Thurston Howl Publications

Bill Kieffer was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA.  A brain injury at an early age left him with some mild issues and just enough aphasia to be amusing at parties. He tries to be very open about these. He doesn't drink, having the bare minimum of inhibitions to begin with. Bill is happily married. He is a member of the Furry Writers Guild and has recently published short stories in several Furry anthologies put out by Fur Planet. Past writing credits include comic books like "Billy Joe Van Helsing: Red Neck Vampire Hunter" and "Great Morons in History, the Dan Quayle Bio."

And so to the interview - grab a chair, get comfy...

When and why did you start writing? When I was very young, I had a speech defect and then a bit of brain damage that just made that worse. That caused a bit of anxiety that just snow balled everything. My family situation was sort of chaotic as I was growing up and the written word was something I could control. Almost always the only thing I really could control. Sometimes, I feel like not much has changed; but I am confident behind a keyboard, if no where else.

What 3 things would you like to facilitate a good days writing? Isolation, to a certain extent... Friends and family tend to make arbitrary decisions about how much time spent writing is appropriate. Tea or sparkling water. It used to be diet soda, but I began to buy into that "diet soda makes one fat" thing. As if sitting at a keyboard for hours at a time isn't the real problem. The Internet or an encyclopedia: I write a lot about animals in allegorical & fantasy terms. My readers are often furries with a lot of knowledge of zoology, so I best be correct (unless I need to be wrong on purpose). (wait is that 4 things? I'll allow it...)

Do you write to a schedule, or do you write as and when the mood strikes? I write mostly short stories, so there's almost always a submission deadline to goad me on. However, I'm in charge of the housework at home, so I try to limit myself to just an hour of tv a day and one chore (like laundry or changing the cat litter). It was a good plan until the current administration came along and every day is like a horror story in the press here in the USA.(we feel your pain here in the UK - our local version of the dollar store, Poundland, has Trump themed Halloween items...)

Who is 'your' favourite fictional character? The answer to this is almost always the main character in whatever the "Work In Progress" is that day. Brooklyn Blackie, however, is probably my most recent favourite. I've written a lot of backstory for him and he has a lot of the same baggage I do, so he's a bit of my Mary Sue. His command of language is so much greater than mine, however. I've never been able to learn another language and that eats at my soul. (Brooklyn Blackie is a bisexual private detective in a furry version of 1940s New York City and I love the sound of him!)

Is writing your main source of income, I read lots of articles saying writers make no money, and my readers asked this question a lot! Can you survive on book writing alone? if not, what else do you do? Oh, no, my niche is so small, I could never live on the income. I write to be heard. My ego wears spurs.(I love that!) Until very recently, I used to dispatch tradespeople for a facilities maintenance company with lots of clients. However, they relocated to the bread basket of America, Kansas. That's a... really long commute, so I chose to stay here on the East Coast.

What are your favourite biscuits (cookies)? Oh, my American tastes are going to show here. Nutter Butter cookies. (these sound amazing - I am determined to try some)

Where do you do most of your writing? I write in one of our guest rooms, the Mardi Gras room, because unlike most of the other rooms in the house, the three cats and the great dane are not allowed in here.

Where the writing happens...

What book are you reading at the moment? I just finished HOTBLOOD: A Centaur in the Old West by Toril Orlesky. I am in the middle of Transcendent from Lethe Press currently. It's been very thought provoking so far and it contains the story "Not Equally Yoked" by Alexis Hunter, which I thought was the best story I read in 2016.

Is truth really stranger than fiction? Truth doesn't obey the rules, so I find that very annoying. However, my fiction involves talking goats and sadistic mages, so I might not be the best person to ask.

If you could genetically cross and animal with a fruit or vegetable what would you choose and why? I'm currently keen on a cauliflower/caterpillar, a cauli-pillar, a bumpy white caterpillar affair that would be nice with cheese... Oh! My Vore readers will love this question, so let me put some thought into it. I think I would cross a cockroach with a watermelon seed, because, you know... when you see a roach, every one hopes for a split second that what they are really looking at is a misplaced watermelon seed. So, now, you can be right about that for a change. Plus, watermelon seeds are totally edible and can be dried and ground into flour. So, if we got them to breed like roaches, we'd be that much closer to ending world hunger. My Vore reader focus group reports that they'd like something that screams a little bit more than a roach might. But they are a fickle bunch. I once offered them a breed of goat that vomits up it's own curry sauce at the moment of slaughter, but they were no impressed.

If you could bring a dead person back from the dead for one day to have tea and a natter with them, who would you choose and why? Helen Thomas, a member of the White House Press Corps. Before her death in 2013, she was frequent guest on the Colbert Report (as well as appearances as herself in a handful of politically themed movies) and I'd love to talk to her about the current political situation here in the states.

Thank you Bill for your candid and fun replies, and for not shying away from the horror of the moment in real life as well as fiction!

You can find Bill all over the web

Blog: https://typinghorse.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGoatNovella Twitter: https://twitter.com/Greyflank Publisher: http://www.redferretpress.com/ Bookcrossing: http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Greyflank/ GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14249456.Bill_Kieffer

and for no other reason than I can...here is a gratuitous photo of me and my favourite Furry, Cosmic Wuffy

Wordy Wednesday with Sarah E Smith

Welcome back to Wordy Wednesday. This week I would like you to meet Sarah Smith, author of several mystery books. I asked her to introduce herself, so grab a cup of tea and settle down for a chat.

Hello, my name is Sarah. I'm nearly 50 on the outside and almost 18 on the inside! I love rugby, Doctor Who, and history.
I've had four books published so far. Three time travel, mystery books for YA (16-90ish) The Secret of Aldwych Strand; and my first crime fiction book set at the turn of the 20th century – A Cowardice of Crows, which introduces Symington Earl Byrd, Gentleman. Playboy. Detective. My books are as historically accurate as I can make them; and - I hope – a little witty, mixing as they do first and third person perspective.

The Secret of Aldwych Strand revolves around Canvey teenagers Mark and Lucy who go to Southend Pier in the October half term of 2013; travel in time, and never come home. Well why would you when you are trying to stop someone destroying the whole of time itself?
In a Cowardice of Crows Symington, Earl Byrd is called in to investigate the murder of a woman who's pushed from a train. A murder that draws the Prince of Wales' best friend in to a world so seductive he is in danger of losing his soul.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?
Oh, I only wish I was a spy, or anything that exciting! I'm not. I don't even write full time. Though I can dream. That's got to wait for retirement. Or a VERY large lottery win. No, I'm a teacher of hormones in an 11-19 school in North Essex. I'm not sure if I'd say I like it, but I've been doing it for 28 years, so I can't really dislike it that much, can I?

Why did you start writing?
Because I couldn't draw and had to be creative some how. But it wasn't serious. Not until I ended up as a history teacher doing a maternity cover as a Head of English in the school I'm currently at, and suddenly there were these voices in my head screaming to have their story told, so I decided I'd better do what they wanted.

Which 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?
The Goon Show
A dog running in the great out doors (I totally misread this as 'a dog running into a door, and thought it funny if a little cruel!)
A student finally 'getting' something that they've really struggled to understand

Do you have any pets?
I wouldn't say I have pets, I'd say they have staff.(haha Princess Fizz, my border terrier feels the same about us!)
Until last year there were 6 cats: the infamous Rover Blofeld of Twitter, Agent Z(orro); Bomma and Alistair, the Bombays, Callie and CleoKatra; and of course there was Clwyed-dog Dog, a scatty Labrador. Clwyed and Rover went over the rainbow bridge last year, forcing Zorro to step up to the role of chief cat. I'd love to get another dog, one with an expressive face. But that's a decision for a few years down the line. Dogs shouldn't be rushed.
The bombays are so self centred that they hinder the writing process. They have no understanding of computers. Or keyboards. Or that the delete key is not for dancing on! Everything is fuss me fuss me now, with pedigree cats.
The girls ignore me. They exist to sleep in sun-puddles. No, it's Zorro -a white and black bruiser - who's the real critic. He's the cleverest cat I've ever been owned by. An engineer in previous life, he sits and watches you write. Then when you read it back, he listens. If it's good he walks off. If it's not good he shakes his head and stares. So you delete and start again.

Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?
As a child, I wouldn't say I had a favourite author. I devoured books like a true book vampire. But looking back - although I love Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers, and Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett - my favourite writer has to be Terrance Dicks. I have so many of his Doctor Who novelisations on my shelf at Mum and Dad's that I would be a fool to argue otherwise. He has such an easy reading style and a way of writing. Whether you're in the mood to devour or dip in and out. His style fits all moments. I suppose as my first three books were scifi he has to have had some influence on me, hasn't he?

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
This is a bit of a cheat of an answer. I'm back teaching English – due to a couple of maternity covers – so I'm currently reading:
Much Ado About Nothing with my year 10s
The Woman in Black with Year 9
And Great Expectations with Year 8
And I've been reading a lot of history coursework, but I don't suppose this really counts does it?
I've also had to re-read Cowardice because we've just moved and my context notes are in a box somewhere in storage. Rooky error!

Where do you do most of your writing?
We've just been camping for the first half of this half term, so I've been writing outside the tent, or inside when it was raining. But if I'm honest, I do my best writing in hotel lounges! My favourite hotels for writing are the Haycock in Wansted, Cambs; the Travelodge in Bishops Stortford (our current home whilst the boat is being built) and The Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate. They're all used to me sitting with a laptop, drafting and cursing away. At the Walpole the staff know me so well that sometime after 2pm a bottle of chilled prosecco arrives! One day, I'm going to wear pink and change my name to Barbara Cartland.

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
Toughy! I enjoyed Valentin from the Aldwych Strand Trilogy, he was complex and mercurial and I was drawn to him. But whilst Symington CC, Sampson and CC are all great, there's something about the Pawnbroker from A Cowardice of Crows that captured my imagination the moment he appeared. Mordecai Gold is a very black and white individual. Very moral in an immoral kind of way. He's ruthless and at times very violent, but he inspires such loyalty from those who work for him that you just have to love him. Even if he is soulless.

What is your favourite biscuit?
Until I found out I was wheat intolerant, I would have said Nice biscuits. They were my Nana's favourite and our little secret. She would sneak them to me when Mum wasn't looking. Mum didn't hold with me eating biscuits. Something to do with not eating my dinner. Now any biscuit that I shouldn't eat, is my favourite!

In the film of your life who would play you? (why)
Alec Guinness. Or possibly David Tennant. Obviously in drag. Why? As anyone who knows me will tell you, I'm eccentric, so why go for an obvious casting?

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a potato and a sloth...could you get a lazier creature? (my soul mate)
I quite like the idea of crossing a dragon with an aubergine. You'd end up with a dragon's head, tail and legs sandwiched between a smooth slightly bulbous purple body. He'd have to be careful where he breathed. Otherwise you'd have a bit of a crispy dragon! But it would be fun to watch him take off! A bit like a flying dachshund me thinks!

Find her here Sarah E Smith Author page

Here on her Blog

and of course on Twitter here

Big thanks to Sarah for answering my silly questions - now dear reader, do pop off and check out her books and say hello to her on Twitter.

Wordy Wednesday with author Michelle Birkby

This week on Wordy Wednesday an interview with Michelle Birkby, who writes historical crime fiction, focusing on women.

So of course I asked her why and she said:
I love history, and crime, and think there aren't enough female detectives - or villains for that matter - out there, so I wrote some. I'm currently writing the Mrs Hudson and Mary Watson Investigations, which starts in The House At Baker Street and continues in The Women of Baker Street.

Mrs Hudson is, of course, Sherlock Holmes' housekeeper and Mary Watson is Dr Watson's wife. In The House at the Baker Street they take on a case Sherlock Holmes rejects, dealing with a blackmailer and it becomes far more dark and dangerous then they could imagine. In The Women of Baker Street, Mrs Hudson finds herself in hospital, and sets about investigating mysterious deaths there, as Mary investigates the disappearance of street boys. They soon find the two cases are linked.

Intriguing indeed! and now, knowing more about Michelle's books, we must move on to the probing questions you all know and love, don't worry, she is asked the biscuit question...but first

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?
I was surprised as anyone when I woke up the day after my first book was published and found I wasn't immediately as rich as J.K. Rowling! So, until that happens, I do agency admin work. It means I get to work in lots of different places, doing lots of different things, meeting lots of different people. It can be fun, and it can also be awful. I would prefer to write full time.

Why did you start writing?
I've always written, ever since I was a child. My head is just full of stories that I had to get out. It wasn't enough just to tell the stories to myself, I wanted everyone to read them.

3 things that are guaranteed to make you smile.
Sunshine!
Victoria Wood
A new book to read

Do you have any pets? 
No pets now.I did have a Russian Dwarf hamster called Boris once. He kept biting people and was very bad-tempered, so suppose pets do become like their owners. (I don't actually bite...)

Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?
Just one favourite author? No, I need two. I love Charlotte Bronte - all that dark passion and angry, independent heroines. And I love Agatha Christie. She writes perfect crime stories. They totally influence my writing. Would Jane Eyre stand for this? Could Miss Marple solve this?

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
The Crusades by Thomas Asbridge. I've read about this era in historical fiction so many times, I wanted to read a non-fiction book about it. Les Parisennes by Anne Sebba, another non-fiction book, this time about the women of Paris during World War Two. I just finished Die of Shame by Mark Billingham, which was really good, and I'm just about to start The Shadow Queen by Anne O'Brien. She's one of my favourite historical fiction authors and this one, about Joan of Kent, looks really good.
I can never stick to one book at a time.

Which three cities would you most like to visit and why?
Paris, again! I've been to Paris so many times, but I'm always happy to go again. I love wandering around Montmartre.
Venice. It's beautiful, and it's disappearing.
Rome. All that history! I've read all the Mary Beard and Tom Holland books about it and now I want to see it.

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
I'm tempted to say Mary Watson, as I like her ability to just charge straight into any situation. But I think it's Mrs Hudson. She's quiet and still and stands in the background and everyone ignores her. However she sees and hears everything, and she's clever, and when the moment is right, she steps into the limelight and is magnificent. I always cheer when she does that.

What is your favourite biscuit?
Bourbons. I like to pull them apart and eat that cream then the biscuit. I am aware that this makes a monster in some people's eyes!

In the film of your life who would play you?
Olivia Colman! Because I just think she's wonderful, and she's so good at playing those characters everyone underestimates, and seems so ordinary and clumsy, but have brilliant moments. And she got to act with David Tennant and Tom Hiddleston. Lucky woman.

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of asparagus and a giraffe...tender neck
A tomato and a small dog. So you'd end up with something small and round and furry and eminently cuddleworthy, and also bright red, my favourite colour.

Grab a copy of The House at Baker Street here

and a copy of The Women of Baker Street here

And find Michelle on Facebook here

Do check out her words this Wednesday (or any day!) and as always a big thanks to our author this week, Michelle Birkby.

Wordy Wednesday with Children's Author Michelle McKenna (and a giveaway)

Welcome to another Wordy Wednesday, this week's wordsmith is Michelle McKenna, who is not only answering silly questions, but has offered a signed copy of her book as a giveaway! read on to see how you can be the proud owner of a copy of The Yellow Bills.

So Michelle, grab a comfy spot and tell me about yourself...
I’m a child of the 1970’s, my favourite colour is Sky blue, and I like anything with carbs, particularly spuds.

My book, The Yellow Bills is aimed at children aged 6-9 and is about, ducks!

 "Mya loves planes and wants to be a pilot when she grows up. As luck would have it, she comes across a flying school run by Lieutenant Drake who awards his pupils splendid pilot hats when they graduate. Mya wants to join the class, but there’s just one problem. She’s not a duck!
Could Goose the little duckling with big flying ambitions be the key to Mya getting her pilot’s hat? Or will Mr Sour the teacher who never quite made the grade have other ideas…"

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (lumberjack?) what is it and do you like it?
During the day I work part time in an office in London and then get home to my full time job looking after two little fab ones. I use to think I knew what the word busy meant in my younger days - pfff who wants to lounge around watching box sets anyway!

Why did you start writing?
I enjoy creating characters. I use to try and write YA fiction on and off for years but it was awful - I never found my Twilight moment. Then I had my first child and I don't know if it was hormones or lack of sleep but I just wanted to write children's fiction and it was fun. It also helped that when I read it back it didn't make me cringe, so I think I've finally found my writing niche.

List 3 things that are guaranteed to make you smile.
Apart from my kids (who also make me cry and laugh) I would say: magical books, a cuppa and catching a train you thought you'd missed.

Do you have any pets?
No I don't have pets. Love animals but I wouldn't want a pet right now although I'm sure we will be badgered to have one in the coming years.

Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?
I loved Lewis Carroll's AIice in Wonderland. I think he inspires part of my writing in that anything is possible when writing fiction.

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
Just about to start The Hate You Give I've heard lots of good things about it and when I saw an interview with the author it gave me goosebumps and I ordered the book there and then.

Which three cities would you most like to visit and why?
New York - I'd love to see the Empire State Building  
Monaco - my other half has got me into formula 1 and it looks so glam there. However I suspect we should bring our own sandwiches as eating out might be a tad expensive
Krakow - the salt mines. I was inspired by an episode of Go Jetters - yes CBeebies is now my go to for travel information  

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
I like Goose who is a little duckling helping the main character Mya. He's always so positive and looks on the bright side no matter what. I find that trait infectious

What is your favourite biscuit? Note to author - Jaffa cakes are no longer an acceptable answer to this question 😂
You can keep your Jaffa cakes. It was suggested that eating them during labour would help boost energy. Well I think you can guess how that went down. No, give me a lovely boring rich tea to dunk in my brew any day. (controversial!)

If you were in a cartoon what sort of character would you be?
I'd like to be a character set in the Jetsons but not the 1950s style mum. I'd love to be driving flying cars.

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a frog and a gooseberry, mmm prickly frog.
I would go for a carrot and a mole so that the poor thing could see well in the dark. (I approve of velvety orange moles)

Thanks Michelle for playing along! 

You can follow this weeks author on Twitter at @michellemckenna

You can buy a copy of The Yellow Bills on Amazon

And check out Michelle's own website www.theyellowbills.com

To win a signed copy of The Yellow Bills, Just enter via the Rafflecopter thingy below! Good luck! (UK Only, no purchase necessary ends 19th May 2017)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Alice May

Today on the blog I'd like to welcome Alice May. She has written a book that went straight on to my GoodReads 'To Read' pile , and when you see the synopsis I think you'll understand why!

‘Accidental Damage – Tales from the house that sat down!’ by Alice May

‘Accidental Damage’ is the tale of a family of six (mum, dad and four kids) who suddenly find themselves homeless after their old cottage falls down completely out of the blue one day. With nowhere to go they are forced to move into a tent in the garden. The tent is supposed to be a temporary solution but then they find out that their house insurance policy doesn’t cover them and the tent becomes a more permanent fixture.

Told retrospectively from the mother’s point of view, ‘Accidental Damage’ is packed with both humorous anecdotes and brutally honest emotional reactions to what it is like to live in your garden whilst working out how you are going to rebuild your home.

It is a tale of family love and loyalty, proving that if you pull together as a team and look after each other you can survive anything.

Living in a tent! Yes dear reader a story I can get to grips with. I can't wait to read and discover if the family/tent relationship is love or hate, and will the family find out more about themselves than they expected? After all, living in a tent can give you lots of time to think about things in its limited confines.

And so we must interrogate our author Alice May...grab a camping chair and a marshmallow on a stick and we shall begin

Who would be at your dream dinner party?
I would love to hold a dinner party for Katie Fforde, Trisha Ashley, Anne McCaffrey, J.K. Rowling, H. T. King and Kate Fenton. All are authors whose books have kept me going through the years and I would enjoy cooking up a feast for them to say thank you!

What's the best advice you have ever received?
‘Never ever give up!’ My parents have been instrumental in encouraging me to pick myself up and dust myself off after every setback in life. They are right. Anything is possible, you just sometimes have to believe in yourself, grow a thick skin and get on with it.

What's the worst advice you have ever received?
“Do a French A-level. You’ll be really good at it!” Hmmmm – I passed, but only just!!!

Who is your hero or heroine?
Soppiness alert! My Beloved Husband is my hero. Just because! awww!

Where are you happiest?
I am happiest walking along the beach, whatever the weather, listening to the waves and just ‘being’.

A post shared by tattooed_mummy (@tatmummy) on Apr 9, 2017 at 1:46pm PDT

Who would you like to star in the film of your life?
Victoria Wood. She was such a talented lady. I have thoroughly enjoyed all her work, especially her poignant portrayal of Ella Last in ‘Housewife 49’.

Describe your best ever holiday.
Surfing (I really mean body boarding but I like to pretend I can surf) in Cornwall with my husband and kids. A whole day on the beach followed by chips and a pint of cold lager (lemonade for the kids of course) in the evening is my idea of heaven. Maybe I will take a learn-to-surf course one of these days.

If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do?
If I could be invisible for a day I would probably sleep if, I am being completely honest. As a busy working mother, I spend my life running from one spinning plate / disaster issue to another. If I was invisible no one would see me just relaxing. Could I be deaf to all the people grumbling that I am not doing what I am supposed to be doing too, please? Ooh nice choice...

If I joined you on your perfect day, what would we be doing?
My perfect day would involve sunshine and good coffee. Probably cake as well! I don’t have terribly high maintenance needs.

What do you think is the best thing about social media?
The best thing about social media is connecting people with similar interests and the opportunity to share knowledge. I totally agree!

And the worst...?!
The worst thing is how much of the day can slip away if you are not careful to limit the time you spend on social media. (Also true, due to recent Twitter changes I'm on there less than before and have rediscovered reading!) As an author you need to be really firm with yourself or you find that all available writing time is used up scrolling through Facebook or Twitter and not finishing that next chapter you need to write.

Big thanks to Alice for some fun answers (I'm now thinking about beaches, chips and snoozing as well as tents) Follow Alice (but try not to distract her) on Twitter and Facebook and check out her book Here

This post is part of the Accidental Damage Blog Tour find out more:

Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Dave Hutchinson

Today's Wordy Wednesday is a little chat with Dave Hutchinson, author of several novels about..well Let's ask Dave to tell us more; what are your latest books about Dave?
Since about 2015 I’ve been working on a series of near-future thrillers set about eighty years from now when the European Union has collapsed.Sounds horribly close to reality...

What about you Dave? Tell us something about yourself.
I was born in Sheffield in 1960 and did American Studies at the University of Nottingham, and I now live in London. I’ve been writing since I was about sixteen, pretty much exclusively science fiction, with some odds and ends of fantasy. I’ve published six collections of short stories and four novels and I’ve edited a couple of anthologies.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author?
I worked as a journalist on Fleet Street for about twenty-five years, but I was made redundant in 2010 and I’m now writing full-time, although if anyone wants to put any copy-editing work my way as well, I wouldn’t turn it down.

When did you start writing?
I usually date that to my mother buying me a typewriter on my sixteenth birthday, but I’d been scribbling stuff in notebooks for a few years before that.

What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?
These days it’s tough to raise a smile about anything, but cats will always make me smile. Really awful puns. The company of close friends.

Do you have any pets?
Yes, we have a cat, who is very sweet and gentle but possibly the dimmest cat ever to walk the face of the earth. Our previous cats, who were all Persians, were Machiavellis in comparison. He mostly neither helps nor hinders the writing process, unless he decides he needs to be chased around for a while.

Photo credit Cecilia Weightman

Who is your favourite author?
This is always a tough one to answer. I’m not sure I can point to a single author and say, “They’re my favourite.” I’m very fond of espionage fiction – Len Deighton and John le Carre have been big influences. There’s a fabulous American writer named Alan Furst, who has been a huge influence. And then there’s the guv’nor, Raymond Chandler. In terms of science fiction, the British writer Keith Roberts had a seismic effect on me when I was just setting out with my own stuff; his work fundamentally changed the way I wrote and the things I wrote about. As a benchmark, a bar to clear, I hope one day I manage to write something half as good as Chris Priest’s The Prestige, which I still think is a monumental work.

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
For the second year in a row, I’m one of the judges of the Crime Writers’ Association’s John Creasey Debut Dagger Award, for first-time crime writers. So I’m slowly climbing a tottering pile of debut crime novels. Ooh how exciting! Good luck, I can't imagine how hard it is to judge writing.

Where do you do most of your writing?
At the moment, in our spare bedroom, but in the past I’ve done a lot of writing in libraries, and if I may be allowed to bang a drum for a second, libraries are a massive resource, not just for borrowing books, and we lose them at our peril.

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
I’m very fond of Rudi, the central character of the Europe books. He’s an Estonian chef who works in a restaurant in Krakow. He’s basically quiet and unassuming and doesn’t want any trouble, but the world gets upended around him and he finds himself fighting unseen forces. And he never gives up, even when he doesn’t understand what’s going on. He just keeps plodding along, head down, shoulders against the wind. I like that about him. He’s basically the little voice in my head, and it’s been quite a surprise to discover that other people like him too.

What is your favourite biscuit?
Dark chocolate Kit-Kat. Food of the Gods.

Tea or Coffee?
Tea and coffee.

In the film of your life who would play you?
Haha! I have no idea; whoever it is it’ll have to be somebody that looks really tired all the time.

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why?
Oooh, that’s a good one. It would have to be something utterly ridiculous, like a honey badger and a pumpkin or a rhinoceros and an onion. So you would cry while being trampled? nice

You can stalk Dave via his blog Which can be found here 

The most recent of the Europe books is Europe in Winter, which is here: Europe in Winter by Dave Hutchinson

Thanks to Dave for answering my ridiculous questions - go and investigate his books, and why not check your library too? Maybe nag them to get a few extra copies! 

Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Rebecca Ann Smith

Hello and welcome once again to Wordy Wednesday - today with Becky Smith, her first novel, Baby X, has just been published by small press Mother’s Milk Books. It’s a psychological thriller about motherhood, technology and medical ethics.

“Alex Mansfield, the doctor leading a groundbreaking project to grow a human foetus in an artificial uterus, has gone on the run and taken the newborn baby with her. While the child’s parents wait anxiously for news, and the world’s media clamour for answers, Alex’s colleagues are shocked by her actions. Has Alex stolen the baby, or is there another motive behind her disappearance?
Baby X weaves science and medical ethics into an intimate thriller; asking questions without offering easy answers.”

Ooh sounds most intriguing, and the sort of story I really like to read. So let's find out more about our author of the day.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?
I’d love to say I was an international spy, but I’m actually an Associate Director of an arts and education charity based in Lewes, East Sussex. I do enjoy it – we do a lot of varied and interesting projects – but I do wish I had more time to write.
At the moment – between work, family and work to promote Baby X all my time is committed. So I’m getting up very early in the morning to write my next book.

When did you start writing?
I started writing stories and poems when I was tiny and wrote all throughout my teens. I lost confidence with it in my twenties – I think doing a degree and then a Master’s in English Literature didn’t help… And then I started again in my thirties when I finally admitted how much I missed making things up.

What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?
I listen to a lot of podcasts, some serious science ones but also quite a lot of comedy. Current faves for a guaranteed giggle include Adam Buxton and Answer Me This.
The look on my kids’ faces when they do something they think is hilarious (like a silent-but-deadly fart).
If all else fails, Emily Gilmore makes me smile.

Do you have any pets?
No pets I’m afraid. One day I’d like to own a bearded dragon which would sit on my shoulder as I write.

Who is your favourite author?
The greatest influence on Baby X was Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. I wanted to combine serious ideas about technology, society, and feminism with a good story full of suspense and tension, the way Atwood did in that book – although I know I’ve got a long way to go before I could claim to write as well as her.

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?
I’m beta reading a book by a friend of mine, Neil McIntosh. It’s a thriller about memory and it’s creepy as hell – I’m not sure what the final title will be but he’s a name to watch out for.
I recently read Laura Lipman’s Wilde Lake and absolutely loved it. And My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal made me cry.

Where do you do most of your writing?
I write at my desk which is in our living room, so is only ever quiet either very early in the morning, or when everyone else is at work and school.
I’m quite good at filtering out distractions, and have been known to wear earplugs to get some writing done whilst blocking the sound of Saturday morning cartoons.

Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!
My favourite character in the book is the doctor, Alex. She’s clever, hard-working and committed, but also spiky and difficult, and there are times we might have reason not to trust her version of events. She’s likeable, but not too likeable, if you know what I mean.

What is your favourite biscuit?
And now onto serious matters! I must admit there aren’t a lot of biscuits I *don’t* like. We brought a box of all butter Breton biscuits back from our holiday in France this year and I could eat those by the fistful.

Tea or Coffee?
Both please!

In the film of your life who would play you?
Probably Susan Sarandon (although she’s quite a bit older than me, so I’m not sure how that would work). I like how tough and no nonsense she is. Plus, great hair.
If a time machine was on offer, Katherine Hepburn.

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a sweet potato panda, a soft of soft orange bear....
The sweet potato panda sounds very cute. Or a bright orange mango kitten.

Baby X is available from Amazon or direct from my publisher Mother’s Milk Books http://www.mothersmilkbooks.com/
Becky has a website and blog at www.rebeccaannsmith.co.uk and you can find her on Facebook
On Twitter as @beckysmithhurst
Becky is always up for chatting with other writers on Twitter – it’s one of her favourite procrastination techniques.

Wordy Wednesday with Rob Tamplin

Good morning Wordy Wednesday fans and random travellers that have stumbled into this wood panel walled room of words and the faint whiff of desperation, yes that's writing you can smell! (or maybe writers, who knows) anyway today I have the pleasure to introduce the fabulous Rob Tamplin! I know, you are beside yourselves, calm down, grab a cushion, sit nearer the fire, mind the cat, and let us begin

Rob, tell us about yourself and your books, what genre do you write?
Hi! I’m Rob, I’m 33, and live in London.
I’m currently writing a young adult thriller called Cats of War. It’s about Shanti, who is conscripted as a cat trainer to help fight the Great Bird War of 2023.
Before this I wrote a mystery novel in my twenties. It was rewarding and frustrating in equal measure, but the book didn’t end up going anywhere. So I’m taking every lesson I learned from writing that book wrong and using it to write this book right.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?

Wordy Wednesday with Kate Harrad

Wednesday again! and so I have another author-y treat for you all - this week we can sit down to a cup of  something hot (but what...?) and a gluten free brownie and meet Kate Harrad

Let us begin with the basics, Kate, tell us about yourself and your books, what genre do you write?


Hi, I'm Kate Harrad. I live in London (UK) and I'm a writer, parent, activist and project officer. Only the last one pays any money, sadly. I tend to write fiction somewhere round the urban fantasy genre - my novel All Lies and Jest (which has a new edition about to come out from Ghostwood Books) is probably either a thriller, or a vampire novel with no actual vampires in it. I like fiction that's hard to classify, apparently. However, my current project is non-fiction - Purple Prose: Bisexuality in Britain, published by Thorntree Press, which looks at the British bi community.

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?

Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Oliver Clarke

Good day Wordy Wednesday fans. Another Wednesday another author to quiz, another brain to poke about in. Today it's rather a joy as I've known this author (via the medium of twitter) for quite some time and I've read a fair bit of his writing, so I know something you might not, he is a great write with a very dark, warped view of things, a creepy, disconcerting view of the world, but I'm leaping ahead, allow me to introduce Oliver Clarke, and let us ask him to tell us about himself and his books

I'm in my early 40s (just) and am married with a young son. We live in Sussex with and an overweight cat. At night, when a story grips me, I write. Genre is a tough one for me to pin down, but most of my work has an element of crime or horror in it. I've published 2 novels to date, the first 'Sunliner' is a mix of 50s noir and sci fi, the second 'One Night' is a more traditional romantic thriller about a young woman who meets a bad boy on the run.

Aside from the novels I've written a bunch of short stories, including 5 about a plucky cat. That series ('A Cat Called Hope') started life as a bit of a joke, because people kept telling me I never wrote anything nice, but has ended up being my most successful work by far. I've sold more copies of those than everything else but together (a few times over) and the first book in the series is now available in French too ('Un Chat Nomme Espoir'!)

Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?
My "real" job is very dull, I'm a project manager for a big high street bank, specialising in telephony based projects. Most of the time I like it, I work with some great people and delivering something new is always satisfying.

When did you start writing?
As a child, I still remember the first short story I wrote for a school project when I was about 10 - it was a sci fi tale of an astronaut who crash lands on a planet inhabited by vicious robots. Through my teens, twenties and thirties I kept at it but never really managed to finish anything. My new year's resolution at the start of 2012 (the year I turned 39) was to stop pissing about and make it happen. The result was Sunliner, which I wrote in about 6 weeks and published in the February.


What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?

My son telling me about the latest crazy invention he's dreamed up

That thing where you take photos of 2 people who look alike but reverse the name captions underneath - a fan of Private Eye no doubt then!

Early Adam Sandler films


Do you have any pets? If yes, what, and do they help or hinder the writing process?

We have a cat, Venus, who is fairly saggy and lazy. I don't think she either helps or hinders my writing, but she is good company and very chatty.


Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?

Stephen King, without hesitation. I've struggled a bit with his more recent stuff, but I LOVED his books as a teenager and he has been a massive influence on me.Oh I totally agree, weirdly for an author I think his early stuff was better, proper fear inducing stories.

Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?

I generally have a few books on the go and flit between them - at the moment those are 'A Princess of Mars' by Edgar Rice Burrough, 'Shogun' by James Clavell and 'Alone in Berlin' by Hans Fallada


Where do you do most of your writing?

Anywhere I can! I used Google Drive which gives me real flexibility. Most of 'Sunliner' was written on my phone whilst walking to work and then edited at the dining room table in the evening. Writing books on your phone, what a world we live in


Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!

Tough choice, as there are a few I really like. The most popular with readers is Marx, the feline protagonist of the 'Cat Called Hope' books, who I think of as being a bit like a moggy version of Jack Bauer (he does the right thing no matter how hard it is).

My own fave is probably JJ, the villain in Sunliner. Writing someone utterly evil is great fun and really cathartic!


What is your favourite biscuit?

Custard Cream, no competition


Tea or Coffee?

Tea. I like coffee but only drink one cup a day compared to about 5 or 6 cups of tea


In the film of your life who would play you? (why)

I'd like to say Bradley Cooper, but that's probably wishful thinking. I genuinely don't know!

If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a potato and a sloth...could you get a lazier creature? (my soul mate)

My cat crossed with any vegetable would be lazier (trust me).

How about an onion crossed with a 3 legged puppy for when you need a good cry?


Here's the link to Oliver's Amazon UK page

It is VERY IMPORTANT to note that there is someone else called Oliver Clarke who publishes on Amazon. He writes dirty books and is not me! (I'm sensible enough to publish my dirty books under a pseudonym ;)) This made me laugh!


And here's a link to One Night, which is probably my most accessible book (and is only 99p at the moment!)

Massive thanks to Olly, and do check out his books, they are ...well good is the wrong word...fascinating maybe, creepy definitely and if you read Camera Phone v1 don't do it alone ...oh same for Doorbell, actually maybe read them all in a friendly spot ....

Do follow Olly on twitter, (I'm on Twitter too you know!) and pop over to Facebook to like my page and have a natter.

Wordy Wednesday's author interview with Alec McQuay

Hello Wordy Wednesday fans, another Wednesday and another author, this week Alec McQuay

Hello Alec, let's get to know you, tell us a little about yourself and your writing,

Hi, and thanks for the invite to come have a natter. Other than work and writing I’m a (rubbish and too heavy) martial artist (less Sammo Hung, more Kung Fu Panda) and a powerlifter, which makes me strong and healthy but allows me to eat a lot and call it “training.” Writing wise I don’t tend to stick very rigidly to any particular genre (I’m a bit chaotic (annoying) in my approach) but I’m mostly a sci-fi and action fan, so my writing tends to look to bleak futures and can be a little violent. My debut novel Emily Nation is a post-apocalyptic cyber-punk western about an assassin, whose arrogance almost destroys everything she cares about. I’ve toyed with horror in the past and I can’t wait to go back and sink my teeth into it. oooh I like the sound of this!


Do you have another job or are you a full time author? If you do something else (international spy?) what is it and do you like it?

Oh dear… I’m an Architectural Ironmonger. I make sure all the hardware on building projects is specified correctly so it’s safe and up to legal requirements. It can be interesting work to do, but to people outside the industry it’s generally like conversational cyanide. hahaha a man of railings...



When did you start writing?

I’ve written on and off for as long as I can remember but I started taking it seriously about six years ago when my eldest son was a baby. Can’t always get back to sleep after those night feeds so it’s good to have a quiet hobby!



What 3 things are guaranteed to make you smile?

My sons, new achievements at the gym and bunnies. If bunnies don’t make you smile there’s something up.


Do you have any pets? If yes, what, and do they help or hinder the writing process?

I’m up to my neck in pets. I have a collie / lab cross called Piran, three cats (Betty, Honey and Mordred) and a Siamese fighting fish called Thanos. We also have a pond full of Koi Carp with Disney names… Writing wise they’re mostly pretty neutral as Piran would rather be in front of the fire and two of the cats are elderly and just want somewhere quiet to snuggle down, but Mordred… he was taken from his mum too early and he’s a strange mixture of lethality and neurosis. He’ll sneak up and start licking me if he wants attention and he won’t. Ever. Stop…

Who is your favourite author? Do they influence your writing or are they a total break from the sort of thing you write?

Terry Pratchett without a doubt. His work and mine are nothing alike but from what I know of the man, some of our motivations are similar - alongside the love he had for the world and its people there was a great deal of anger about some of what there is to see out there. If I’m ever half the world builder he was, or if I were to ever receive an unprompted comparison to him in any way, I’d be delighted.  He was indeed a fine fine chap who I had the pleasure to meet several times, a sad loss to the world of writing when he died, but what an amazing legacy to leave, a whole world!


Which book(s) are you reading at the moment?

I’ve got a few open at the moment. The First Heretic by Aaron Dembski-Bowden, Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche and Brian Blessed’s autobiography “Absolute Pandemonium.” I try and read from as broad a spectrum as possible to keep my brain churning away but I have to block out time to do nothing but read or none of them ever get finished. As needs must I’ll go a while without getting to read much, then I’ll binge until my eyes hurt.

Where do you do most of your writing?

Most of it is done either at work during my lunch break or late at night in my front room. When I can I sit up late with music on, a glass (or several) of JD and Coke and write until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore. Or I can’t see the keyboard… I thrive on sleep deprivation. It’s a good job too because it’s not like I have much choice! Probably a throwback to when the boys were first born.


Tell us about the character that you've written that you like the most - no spoilers!

Naturally Emily Nation is about its titular character but one of the side characters, Jemima Clayton, is my favourite. She’s a confident, foul mouthed girl who takes absolutely no crap from anybody and in many ways is probably the best adjusted of the whole cast. All characters have their own history and sometimes that’s pretty damn dark, but Jemima owns her past better than any of my other characters do and doesn’t let anyone else determine how she should feel about it.

What is your favourite biscuit?

Dark chocolate Hobnobs!


Tea or Coffee?

TEA!

In the film of your life who would play you? (why)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson would be a good fit – there aren’t many people who could pull off my special mixture of antisocial awkwardness and mad fighting skills. I’d love to say Henry Rollins but damn it I’m just not sexy enough.


If you could genetically cross an animal and a vegetable, what would you pick and why? I like the idea of a potato and a sloth...could you get a lazier creature? (my soul mate)

An excellent question worthy of considerable thought… I’d cross a rabbit with a carrot because I kinda want to see what would happen. We’d either end up up to our necks in tiny little chantenay bunnies or it’d be a very quick, very sad little massacre.

Thanks for taking part in my blog series Alec, and dear reader, if you are inspired to know more why not download a copy of Emily nation for your Kindle or even treat yourself to a paperback

This is my debut novel Emily Nation, to which I am currently writing a sequel. There are buy links to get the book cheaper but they’re a big shower of lying gits. They don’t have stock and can’t get it because the paperback is print on demand and I hope all their shoes catch fire. Sadly, these entirely pointless seller links have been a bit of a pain in the butt as they promise delivery of an item that will never turn up.

Alec's Twitter wotsit is @VampiricChicken – He doesn't use Facebook at the moment.


I use Facebook though! Come and give my page a like at Tattooed Mummy's Randoms and follow me on Twitter at @Tattooed Mummy