Tuesday 4 April 2017

BEST OF CRIME with Michael J Malone

Welcome to my latest BEST OF CRIME feature, looking at crime writers' top picks, from their favourite author and fictional detective to their best writing tip. 



Today I'm delighted to welcome 

MICHAEL J MALONE

for his Dog Fight blog tour

to share his BEST OF CRIME ... 





... AUTHORS
When you crack open the spine of a James Lee Burke novel you are never in doubt that you are in for something special. There is a richness to this man’s writing that cannot fail to delight. His words transport you so that you feel you are on location with the characters and I find his poetry combined with the vitality and violence of his characters to be a potent combination. 


... FILMS/MOVIES
One of my favourites is Amadeus. Hard to believe it came out over thirty years ago. It was a stroke of genius from the writers to choose to portray the great man through the eyes of his rival, Antonio Salieri.
Knowing nothing about classical music, I came to this movie on a wet, winter’s afternoon, expecting little, and it completely captivated me. Such human drama. The emotions warring across Salieri’s face (F. Murray Abraham) –envy, resentment, admiration - as he takes dictation from the dying genius knowing the worth of the music and knowing he would never ever manage anything nearly as good – was a truly brilliant piece of acting.


... TV DRAMAS
There’s so many good stuff on TV these days, but I’ll plump for Breaking Bad. This was another one that sneaked up on me and what a bravura performance from Brian Cranston. As he moved from mild-mannered chemistry teacher to drug lord, I was completely hooked. 


... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Sorry to be so cliché, but Hannibal Lecter really caught my imagination. I remember reading the end of Silence of the Lambs, internally cheering the fact that he got away and asking myself, what the hell? He’s an unconscionable killer! And I realised for the author to have elicited such a reaction from me it had to be a great piece of writing.



... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux. He constantly breaks the ethical code during the course of just about every case he works on. He is a recovering alcoholic who is haunted by his service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and his impoverished, tough childhood in Louisiana; his mother abandoned the family (and was later murdered) and his father was killed in an oil rig explosion. There’s a complexity to Robicheaux that I find endlessly fascinating. 


... DEATH SCENES
I can’t recall much detail on this, but I do remember laughing out loud at a fictional death during a Carl Hiassen novel – not sure which one – which involved some big game hunters importing an old and half-infirm rhinoceros into the Everglades in Florida. In a hilarious set-piece the old rhino got his revenge on the hunters.


... WRITING TIPS
Make writing a daily habit – or as close to that as you can given your lifestyle and commitments. As the saying goes, this is a marathon not a sprint and you have to turn up, get your arse on the chair and write on a regular basis if you want to achieve your writing goals. 


... WRITING SNACKS
I’m not one for snacking as I write, that comes later. So it’s mostly coffee.



About MICHAEL J MALONE
Michael J Malone is the author of over 200 published poems, two poetry collections, six novels, countless articles and one work of non-fiction.
Formerly a Faber and Faber Regional Sales Manager (Scotland and North England), he has judged and critiqued countless poetry, short story and novel competitions for a variety of organisations, and for a number of years was the Scottish correspondent for Writers’ Forum.
Michael is an experienced workshop leader/ creative writing lecturer to writers’ groups, schools and colleges as well as a personal coach and mentor. He has a Certificate in Life Coaching and studied as a facilitator with The Pacific Institute.
As a freelance editor he has edited and mentored writers in a variety of genres and for traditionally published as well as self-published authors.
He is a regular speaker and chair at book festivals throughout the UK– including Aye Write, Bloody Scotland, Crimefest and Wigtown.

Find Michael Malone on his website, FB page and on Twitter - @michaelJmalone1


About Dog Fight




Publisher's description

Kenny O Neill, a villain with a conscience, returns in a hard-hitting thriller of exploitation, corruption and criminal gangs. When Kenny s cousin, Ian, comes to the aid of a fellow ex-squaddie in a heap of trouble, he gets caught up in the vicious underground fight scene, where callous criminals prey on the vulnerable, damaged and homeless. With Ian in too deep to escape, Kenny has no option other than to infiltrate the gang for the sake of his family. Kenny is an experienced MMA fighter, as tough as they come, but has he found himself in the one fight he can never win?

Born Bad is being published by Contraband on 6 April 2017.


Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.


Follow the Blog Tour



No comments:

Post a Comment