Category Archives: Culture

What are the Essential Ingredients for a Gritty Crime Novel?

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The crime thriller genre has always been a big seller. It has evolved over the years along with readers’ tastes. A few decades ago it was all about slick gangster flicks, driven by a morbid nostalgia for criminals like Capone, Dillinger and the Kray twins. At the turn of the century the gritty crime thriller ruled and now, thanks to a collective obsession with Nordic noir, that genre is making a return.

But what makes for the quintessential gritty crime novel? Here, author Eli Yance, whose new novel Consequences is best described as a high-octane blend of classic Brit gangster flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Get Carter and Sexy Beast, provides his top tips.

Humour

I am a firm believer that there should be humor in every genre. I write comedy novels under a different pen name, so I’m a little biased, but it’s something that has worked for me in every genre. In horror, it’s a great tool to help move the story along, keeping the reader interested before you get to the scary parts. In the crime genre, it can help the reader to associate more with the protagonist and the story—it just makes everything feel a little more realistic.

Humour helps to break down barriers. It’s why we use it to break the ice; it’s why we use it more when we’re anxious and it’s why it works so well in introducing readers to characters in a story.

Multiple Stories

The best crime stories involve a multitude of characters and storylines and they invite the reader into each of these. Writing the story from multiple perspectives, following completely different trajectories and then bringing them all together in the end is the best way to keep the story interesting.

It also allows the author to tell the same story from different perspectives, bringing multiple protagonists into the same narrative and ultimately reaching a climax where they all clash.

The Unexpected

Most stories are better with a twist and it’s almost a necessity for this genre. It doesn’t have to be big but it should leave the reader guessing. Just make sure it’s not clichéd and it’s not disappointing. A reader can love your writing style and your

story, but if they arrive at an ending that lets them down, they’re going to hate the book.

I find that the best way to write a twist ending is to just see where the story takes you, stop when you reach the climax and then let a few friends read it. Ask them how they think it will end and how they think it should end and then write an ending that none of them mentioned.

If you can throw a few twists in as you are building towards the climax, even better.

A Bad Good Guy

If all the bad guys are funny and entertaining and the protagonist is a clean-cut detective, it’s just not going to work. The readers won’t side with someone who goes by the book. The best protagonists are always flawed, because that makes them more relatable, but in gritty crime novels those flaws should be bigger and more obvious.

You don’t want to create a psychopath who has little regard for human life and literally does what he or she wants. But readers are always happy to get behind someone who wears their heart on their sleeve, gets angry and violent when the bad guys get their way and is always prepared to bend the rules. It’s a cliché, yes, but for a reason.

 

Consequence by Eli Yance (Skyhorse Publishing) is out now, priced £12.99 in paperback. Visit Amazon UK.

 

 

25 Things Every New Mom Should Know: Essential First Steps for Mothers

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This little book is full of lots of great information. Being a first time mother is very scary and this book will definitely help. It is American, so some of the vernacular is more for that audience. Some of the advice will not suit all mothers too, like the stuff on baby-wearing and co-sleeping. I did this but it will not fit into everyone’s life. I do recommend this however. It is well-written and  very helpful indeed.

Becoming a new mother is a time of joy, hope, and sometimes a little uncertainty.

In this warm and heartfelt book, America’s most-trusted childcare experts help brand-new moms meet the challenges and changes of motherhood with reassuring advice on how to bring out the best in their babies, and themselves. Above all, they encourage new mothers to trust their own instincts and thoroughly enjoy their new babies.

25 Things Every New Mom Should Know: Essential First Steps for Mothers 

 

Merry and Bright: A Christmas Novel By Debbie Macomber

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A delightful festive novel. Just what you need when it is cold outside. The book equivalent of a fun romance film. Perfect to get lost in for a few hours. 

 

A novel about first impressions and second chances.

It’s Christmas, the season to be snowed under.

Merry Smith is overworked. Between family responsibilities, preparing for Christmas, and staying out of the crosshairs of her boss there’s room for little else. Her social life is the last thing on her mind, much less finding love.

Jayson Bright is feeling the pressure. Christmas is his most stressful time of year. Deadlines are looming, the holidays are coming, and employees are winding down. He’s the one left in the office pulling late and lonely nights.

Luckily for these two, their friends and family take matters into their own hands, and Merry and Bright are about to discover that love can be found where you least expect it . . .

Merry and Bright: A Christmas Novel By Debbie Macomber is available here. 

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: TWITTERQUETTE – Jane Cable’s personal foibles

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Twitter is looming large in my mind this week. Not just because the potential to be rude to each other has doubled with the letter count, but because Chindi Authors has launched its pre-Christmas social media campaign. Normally we have an event where we sell festive books but this year we’ve chosen to do the same thing online and of course we’re tweeting about it like crazy.

Twitter is a great forum for authors. It’s a place we meet each other, form into street teams and groups (both formal, like @RNATweets, and informal), link up with readers and bloggers, and generally share news about our books. We all have our own styles, but if I was making the rules they would go something like this.

  1. Be nice to each other. Social media can make it very easy for some people with bullying tendencies to be rude. It’s cowardly in the extreme. Don’t do it. I will block you. Twitter should ban you.
  2. Retweets should be reciprocal. While likes and thank yous are nice to have they aren’t the same. If I’m retweeting you the chances are that you’re an author so our followers are likely to be bookish people. They will be as interested in my tweet as my followers will be in yours.
  3. Use pinned tweets. For those lovely, lovely people who do retweet, please make it easy for me to return the favour. I’m not lazy but I’m time poor and I don’t have hours to scroll through pages and pages of your generous retweets looking for your own original content. So please pin it. And change your pinned tweet regularly.
  4. Use a picture. Just because tweets are more noticeable that way. If the picture tells your story, so much the better. That goes for page headers too. There are no excuses – even I can make them using Canva.
  5. Your profile includes a space for words. If you don’t tell me who you are, how can we connect?
  6. Don’t play follow back. This one’s going to be controversial but I only follow back for other RNA, SoA and Chindi members. Otherwise I will thank you for the follow in a personal way which I hope you’ll respond to. Then we can connect properly and share common ground.
  7. Don’t blitz me with the same tweet over and over again. I think we can all be a bit guilty of this but I’m more likely to click through to interesting content such as a blog you’ve written or a review. I’ve actually had to block some accounts which pre-programme the same tweets to fire like bullets. My publisher did it with Another You when it was on free offer and I was more embarrassed than pleased.

    Although these are my personal foibles my fellow @ChindiAuthors contributed to the debate. So thank you @carol_thomas2, @chirosie, @angela_petch, @julia76871430 & @michael_parker.

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction

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Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction by Caroline Foster

Becoming a writer is hard. To go from beginner to professional means you will need all of the help you can get. This book has a wealth of advice on becoming successful in non-fiction writing. Practical and thorough, it has plenty of advice to help you become a non-fiction writer. Recommended for anyone who wants to write professional non-fiction from a woman who knows her stuff.

 

Do you want to become a writer? Would you like to earn money from writing? Do you know where to begin?

Help is at hand with Write From The Start – a practical must-read resource for newcomers to the world of non-fiction writing. It is a vast genre that encompasses books, newspaper and magazine articles, press releases, business copy, the web, blogging, and much more besides.

Jam-packed with great advice, the book is aimed at novice writers, hobbyist writers, or those considering a full-time writing career, and offers a comprehensive guide to help you plan, prepare, and professionally submit your non-fiction work. It is designed to get you up-and-running fast.

Write From The Start will teach you how to explore topic areas methodically, tailor content for different audiences, and create compelling copy. It will teach you which writing styles work best for specific publications, how to improve your chances of securing both commissioned and uncommissioned work, how to build a portfolio that gets results, and how to take that book idea all the way to publication.

Comprised of 16 chapters, there is information on conducting effective research, book submissions, writing for business, copyright and plagiarism pitfalls, formatting, professional support networks, contracts and agreements, the value of humour, ghostwriting, and much more…

By the end of this book – full of practical advice and proven results – you will be well on your path to writing success!

> Discover how to write not just good copy but great copy
> Learn the submission techniques that will increase your chances of publication
> Develop ways to earn money by writing about your skills, experiences, and hobbies
> Understand how to write for magazines, the web, businesses, and books
> Master freelance content writing for sites such as Textbroker
> Explore traditional publishing, self-publishing, and eBook options for books you write
> With additional contributions and guidance from other writing industry experts


Publisher Insists Author Writes Her Own Press Release

When author Caroline Foster’s first book, Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-fiction was published by Bennion Kearny, she was somewhat surprised when they asked her to write her own press release.

Bennion Kearny, a publisher of specialist non-fiction titles, explained their logic, ‘Caroline’s book is a comprehensive guide to writing non-fiction; its content contains everything novice and improving writers want to know about writing in this genre, including how to write your press releases and market your book. It seemed an obvious notion – given Caroline’s knowledge and experience in this field – that she would want to write her PR.’

In response, Caroline said, ‘To be fair, I know Bennion Kearny have a team of first class marketing professionals who will do their best to market not just my book but those of my fellow authors on their lists. I understand their reasons for asking to me write my own press release and given the content of my book is about writing, I probably would have been slightly miffed if they hadn’t!’

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-fiction is a practical must-read guide for newcomers and aspiring writers to the world of non-fiction. Not only does it cover writing, marketing, and publishing books including memoirs, autobiographies, and titles on specialist topics, its chapter list includes writing for magazines, for online markets, and for businesses. Readers will also learn ‘how’ to write and submit great copy that will attract editors and publishers.

 

About Caroline Foster. Caroline Foster is a writer with more than 20 years of experience writing for national and regional publications on a variety of topics. She is also one of the founding partners of a successful Copywriting, PR and Digital Marketing company based in East Anglia.

 

Write From The Start: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Professional Non-Fiction is available here.  

 

The Penguin Book of Puzzles by Dr Gareth Moore | Frost Loves

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The Penguin Book of Puzzles by Dr Gareth MooreFrost is a huge fan of this puzzle book. A collection of challenges from throughout history, featuring some of the greatest ever puzzle masters

From the riddles of the ancients to puzzles that perplex the greatest minds of today, The Penguin Book of Puzzles is a glorious compendium of conundrums from throughout history that have been brought together for the first time in one collection.

These challenges will require all the reader’s wits to solve, but range from the easy to the brain-bending and are suitable for novice and veteran puzzlers alike. There is something here to suit every taste, including crosswords, mathematical challenges, word games and logic conundrums, as well as some surprising and intriguing puzzles that date back to the earliest recorded periods of human history.

Timeless and entertaining, there are hours of fun waiting in this miscellany of puzzlement.

Dr Gareth Moore is on the board of the World puzzle Federation, and is the author of a wide range of brain-training and puzzle books for both children and adults, including The Mammoth Book of Brain Games, The Brain Workout, The Mammoth Book of New Sudoku and The Rough Guide Book of Brain Training.

The Penguin Book of Puzzles by Dr Gareth Moore

 

 

The Sleighmaker: A Christmas Story That’s Never Been Told By Ian Shepherd

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A novel that could well become a seasonal classic, this traditional Christmas tale is sure to win the hearts of children and adults alike.

Set just before the turn of the 20th century, The Sleighmaker is an unapologetic homage to the traditional children’s stories of the Victorian era, and is a richly rewarding tale of the importance of companionship and hope overcoming loss.

It is the debut of author Ian Shepherd, but you wouldn’t think it is his first book with the mastery of description, characterisation, plot and pacing that make it such a pleasure to read.

It’s aimed predominantly at children aged seven and up and, while it might be a little challenging for seven-year-olds to read by themselves, grown-ups are sure to enjoy reading along.

The story’s central character is Drummond, a master craftsman and gentle giant once known far and wide as the most talented sleighmaker around.

However, after a personal tragedy he shuns his trade and the company of the others.

Eventually, he is persuaded to work on the estate of Lord and Lady Harrington and is enjoying the solitude of his new work until a cheerful little boy named William appears.

William possesses unusual calming abilities with both people and animals alike and demonstrated his gift by preventing a nasty accident involving Henry, the Harrington’s young son, and his father’s horse, Jonty, after it becomes spooked by a wild boar during a ride.

Taken into the household, William becomes an apprentice to Drummond. At first, the craftsman wonders how he can be of any use, but quickly falls for William’s innocent charm and finds himself opening up emotionally for the first time since the tragedy.

One room in Drummond’s workshop had always been out of bounds, but William finds a way in and discovers a broken sleigh. With the emotional support and encouragement of his apprentice and a young kitchen maid called Marny, he is persuaded to restore the wrecked sleigh back to its original splendour.

Along with William, he calls on his old friend, the French artist Auguste, and together they create a magnificent sleigh for the winter parade.

Towards the close of the book there is a special twist that I don’t want to spoil, but it’s OK to say that the sleigh goes on a festive ride like no other and Drummond is finally able to move on and look to the future once more.

Author Ian Shepherd comes from a large family where Christmas has always been an extra-special occasion. In The Sleighmaker, he has succeeded admirably in crafting a timeless tale celebrating the true spirit of the season.

It might not have the whistles and bells of modern Christmas gifts, but that’s really the point. It’s a perfectly-wrapped present in itself, aimed at taking kids away from electronic screens if only for a little while.

With its snowy setting and rich descriptions, characters you care for and fair share of mysteries to uncover, this novel will appeal to children and parents who yearn for a simple, magical story packed with more yuletide spirit than a Christmas pud.

The Sleighmaker by Ian Shepherd is out now through Raj Joshi Publishing and priced £11.99 in hardback, £6.99 paperback and £4.60 as a Kindle eBook. It is available on Amazon UK

The Sleighmaker by Ian Shepherd is available here. 

 

Win a copy of The Sleighmaker by Ian Shepherd

We have three paperback copies of The Sleighmaker by Ian Shepherd, usually priced £6.99,to give away. To be in with a chance of winning, just email frostmagazine@gmail.com with your name and address.

The three lucky winners will be notified by 1st of December and will receive their prizes shortly
thereafter.

 

THE BUSINESS OF BOOKS: PRINTING PLUS – Jane Cable meets Nigel Mitchell of Biddles

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For a number of reasons I won’t go into here I have a personal dislike of Createspace paperbacks, so when I wanted a short print run of Another You, another author recommended Biddles. Not only do they print and design books, but they do all the ISBN legwork, including taking orders from wholesalers. So I delighted to introduce Nigel Mitchell who worked in book manufacturing with Biddles for 41 years and now runs the company as Biddles Books a book print management company.

WHAT IS YOUR BOOK RELATED JOB OR BUSINESS?

I left school at 16 and after spending two weeks at an accountants which I didn¹t enjoy, I found another job working at Biddles Limited in Guildford who had just started the transition from commercial printers to book printers. I worked in the office at Guildford for nine years and then transferred to the Kings Lynn factory in 1982. Biddles continued to be successful and expanded over the years and eventually employed nearly 200 people. In 2011 I was made redundant and at 54 wondered who might employ me at that age and started my own business Shore Books and Design and received design work from the company that I used to work for. In 2013 Biddles, who were then owned by the MPG Printgroup went into liquidation and myself and a colleague bought the Biddles name from the administrator.

Since October 2013 I have run Biddles Books as a book print management company using my experience gained from the book manufacturing environment to help self publishers, design consultants and professional companies who want to produce anything from 10 mono paperbacks to 4,000 colour hardbacks.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING PART OF IT?

The rewarding elements of the job are giving advice and help to customers from the inception of their idea for a book they would like to produce so that they can have a book produced for a price that they can afford. Then receiving some compliments after they have received the completed book which they can hold in their hands.

Meeting so many people from so many different ways of life including Greek Orthodox nuns, Vice-president of British Aerospace, Boycie from Only Fools and Horses, men who fought in the Korean War and pop music promoters. After meeting all these people you realise that people have so many different reasons for producing a printed book.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR MAJOR SUCCESSES?

I think it must be in becoming self employed and running your own business for over six years. When I was being made redundant, it was one of the scariest times in my life because when I was employed I wouldn¹t have thought of running my own business whatsoever. I was in the comfort of being employed and getting a reasonable wage each month. There are so many things to learn and at the end it must be a profitable business to survive. You cannot do it all on your own and you have to rely on a good team to help make the business work. Biddles Books has continued to grow each year that it has been trading and at the end of 2017 we would have helped produce over 650 different titles, a 30% increase from 2016.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS LOVED BOOKS, AND WHAT ARE YOU READING AT THE MOMENT?

I think I enjoy books more now than when I was growing up. Certainly in my formative years I read a lot of children’s books with Enid Blyton and A A Milne being favourites and in my youth I remember reading all of Tom Sharpe’s books which I found hilarious and remember on many occasions laughing out loud at some of his bizarre descriptions. These days I love reading novels as I find them so relaxing after a busy day at work. I have read quite a few of the novels that we have arranged to print and enjoyed the many different but at the moment I am reading The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly.