Today I'm delighted to welcome
SAM BLAKE
to share her BEST OF CRIME ...
... AUTHORS
Daphne du
Maurier’s Rebecca is my favourite
book of all time, it has everything – intrigue, mystery, romance, and it’s multi
layered with a great twist. Lee Child is my favourite contemporary author, I
love the pace and detail of the Reacher books -what’s not to love about a 6 foot 5 inch ex US Military Police hunk?
... FILMS/MOVIES
The
Shawshank Redemption based on Stephen King’s short story. Morgan Freeman’s
voice is as important as the superb script by Frank Darabont. It shows the best and the worst of human nature, and is
all about integrity and hope. The concept of freedom is paramount – it shows
how your spirit can be free even if you are incarcerated, and that even people
who are essentially free on the outside, can be trapped by their thoughts or
outlook. One of the central scenes when the corridors of Shawshank State
Penitentiary are filled with the
Mozart’s ‘Letter Duet’ from The Marriage of Figaro is unforgettable.
... TV DRAMAS
I rarely get time to watch TV, but I adore House of Cards. I was also completely hooked by the Making a Murderer series, appalled in equal measures by the system and the individuals involved.
I rarely get time to watch TV, but I adore House of Cards. I was also completely hooked by the Making a Murderer series, appalled in equal measures by the system and the individuals involved.
... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Dr Hannibal Lecter is just completely
chilling. Educated, a match for his pursuers, in Thomas Harris’ books he is
antagonist, protagonist and antihero.
... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES
There are
so many brilliant ones - I love Karin Slaughter’s Sara Linton, she’s red
haired, calm and intelligent but I’m also mad about Alex Barclay’s bi polar FBI
agent, Ren Bryce – she’s always on the edge of getting into serious trouble.
... MURDER WEAPONS
One of the more gruesome murder weapons I read about recently was a nail gun. A Chinese student was murdered with one in Australia in 2008. His body was found wrapped in a carpet and bound with electrical wires - 34 nails had been fired into his skull.
One of the more gruesome murder weapons I read about recently was a nail gun. A Chinese student was murdered with one in Australia in 2008. His body was found wrapped in a carpet and bound with electrical wires - 34 nails had been fired into his skull.
... DEATH SCENES
Janet
Evanovitch’s Stephanie Plum series is utterly hilarious and just brilliant – I
can never think about a funeral home without thinking of Grandma Mazur. There are more mad, crazy deaths
in her series than any other!
“And
don’t shoot him or gas him or fry his hair with your stun gun.”
“You
got a lot of rules,” Lula said (Fearless Fourteen)
... BLOGS/WEBSITES
Couldn’t
live without Google Street View – I visit all my locations but sometimes I need
to check something and it’s invaluable. I also use a site called Myhome.ie to
get the interiors of my characters houses right. Very practical and boring. But
for IN DEEP WATER, the second book in the Cat Connolly series I did a lot of
trawling around the Deep Web. I won’t give you addresses in case you end up on
an NSA watchlist.
... WRITING TIPS
Just keep
writing was the best advice I was ever given. And if you get stuck, go back to
where it was working and retrace your steps, usually a character has said
something out of character or you’ve made a mistake and your subconscious is
putting the brakes on.
... WRITING SNACKS
Tea,
gallons of it. I try and drink more than eat – unfortunately brain power
doesn’t burn calories.
About SAM BLAKE
Sam Blake is a pseudonym for
Vanessa Fox O'Loughlin, the founder of The Inkwell Group publishing consultancy
and the popular national writing resources website Writing.ie. She is Ireland's
leading literary scout who has assisted many award winning and bestselling
authors to publication. Vanessa has been writing fiction since her husband set
sail across the Atlantic for eight weeks and she had an idea for a book.
Little Bones
hit the No1 slot when it was released in Ireland staying there for four weeks
and remaining in the top 10 for another four. It was shortlisted for the Irish
Book Awards Irish Crime Novel of the Year in 2016.
Find Sam Blake on her website, FB page and on Twitter - @samblakebooks
About LITTLE BONES
Publisher's description
Good intentions can be deadly . . .
Cat Connolly is back at work after the explosion that left her on life support. Struggling to adjust to the physical and mental scars, her work once again becomes personal when her best friend Sarah Jane Hansen, daughter of a Pulitzer-winning American war correspondent, goes missing.
Sarah Jane is a journalism student who was allegedly working on a story that even her father thought was too dangerous.
With Sarah Jane's father uncontactable, Cat struggles to find a connection between Sarah Jane's work and her disappearance. But Sarah Jane is not the only one in deep water when Cat comes face to face with a professional killer . . .
In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking, can Cathy find Sarah Jane before it's too late?
Cat Connolly is back at work after the explosion that left her on life support. Struggling to adjust to the physical and mental scars, her work once again becomes personal when her best friend Sarah Jane Hansen, daughter of a Pulitzer-winning American war correspondent, goes missing.
Sarah Jane is a journalism student who was allegedly working on a story that even her father thought was too dangerous.
With Sarah Jane's father uncontactable, Cat struggles to find a connection between Sarah Jane's work and her disappearance. But Sarah Jane is not the only one in deep water when Cat comes face to face with a professional killer . . .
In the world of missing persons every second counts, but with the clock ticking, can Cathy find Sarah Jane before it's too late?
In Deep Water was published by Zaffre on 6 April 2017.
Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.
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