Michael J Malone's Writing Toolkit

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for House of Spines by Michael J Malone. Michael is taking part in my new blog feature, sharing his essential writing toolkit. House of Spines was published by Orenda Books on 15 September 2017.

I am delighted to welcome 

MICHAEL J MALONE

AUTHOR OF HOUSE OF SPINES

TO SHARE HIS WRITING TOOLKIT

Background TV
When I moved in to my current home the floored attic space was a big draw. The plan was to get a nice desk, line the walls with bookcases – and have a comfy armchair for writing breaks, or for reading my research. It would be quiet and peaceful and without distractions. I did all that, but I’ve never actually written there, Instead, I write at my dining room table with the telly on in the background.

Laptop stand
That initially caused me neck and shoulder pain. Not sure why. A combination of the table height and my chair perhaps. A quick question to my friends on Facebook and someone recommended a stand for my laptop to lift the top of the screen to eye level. This necessitated a free sitting keyboard and mouse (you try typing into a laptop keyboard that’s sitting at an angle.) From the very first writing session, the pain vanished.

Coffee
Coffee is a must, to get me going in the morning. I use an espresso pot and it has to be my favourite thing in the house.

YouTube
It turns out I need some noise in the background while I’m writing. Hence the neglect of my noise- free zone in the attic. I’ll either have the TV on a low volume – without choosing any programme in particular. Or I bring up YouTube and select a musical backdrop. The last one I worked to was a two hour long selection of Mozart. Apparently listening to him increases your I.Q. I have no idea if it worked or not. My son gave me a strange look when I told him why I had chosen that. As if to say, yeah, right.

Notebooks
I use a notebook for each book I’m writing. I’ll take notes for research purposes and also jot down ideas for plot and character development as they occur. I can’t be arsed with the time it takes to set up any writing apps  – some writers swear by them – but I do need to keep track of the book as I write. So, I write up a very short breakdown of each chapter as I finish it, which means it’s less likely that I forget what the hell I’m banging on about.

Gym (& paper towel & pen)
I need to exercise to help keep me sane, so I always make sure I take a break to hit the gym. And often that break works well to help me winkle out plot problems as I often come up with solutions while sweating over a piece of exercise equipment. Cue me tearing off a piece of paper towel and borrowing a pen from a passing gym instructor.

WiFi
A famous author said (I’m paraphrasing) that no writer could work with a functional WIFI signal. Don’t you love a generalisation? It’s crucial for me. A quick search on Google – other search engines are available – often gets me out of a bind. I also take regular breaks online. A quick scan of FB or twitter – it’s like I need to temporarily connect with the world beyond my writing space - and I’m good to go again.

Huel
Despite my willingness to allow a social media distraction, I can’t be doing with the disruption of having to make myself a meal when I’m in the zone. So I found this stuff called Huel. Perfect nutrition apparently. I just add a few scoops to 500ml of water with some frozen fruit and Bob’s your whatsit.

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, MICHAEL!

About Michael J Malone

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In- Residence for an adult gift shop. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers. Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call (a non-fiction work about successful modern-day Scots); A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage and The Bad Samaritan. His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number one bestseller. Michael is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.

Find Michael on his website and on Twitter - @MichaelJMalone

About House of Spines

Published by Orenda Books (15 September 2017)

Publisher's description
Ran McGhie's world has been turned upside down. A young, lonely and frustrated writer, and suffering from mental-health problems, he discovers that his long-dead mother was related to one of Glasgow's oldest merchant families. Not only that, but Ran has inherited Newton Hall, a vast mansion that belonged to his great-uncle, who it seems has been watching from afar as his estranged great-nephew has grown up. Entering his new-found home, it seems Great-Uncle Fitzpatrick has turned it into a temple to the written word - the perfect place for poet Ran. But everything is not as it seems. As he explores the Hall's endless corridors, Ran's grasp on reality appears to be loosening. And then he comes across an ancient lift; and in that lift a mirror. And in the mirror... the reflection of a woman...

Here's a snippet of my review
In House of Spines, I felt like I was living the story with Ran - seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. The pictures the author paints within his prose, of the smells, sounds and sights of old Newton Hall, are as chilling and disturbing as the story itself.

To read the rest of my review of House of Spines, click here.

Follow the Blog Tour

House of Spines by Michael J Malone

House of Spines
By Michael J Malone
Published by Orenda Books (e-book: 16 August 2017; paperback: 15 September 2017)

Publisher's description

Ran McGhie's world has been turned upside down. A young, lonely and frustrated writer, and suffering from mental-health problems, he discovers that his long-dead mother was related to one of Glasgow's oldest merchant families. Not only that, but Ran has inherited Newton Hall, a vast mansion that belonged to his great-uncle, who it seems has been watching from afar as his estranged great-nephew has grown up. Entering his new-found home, it seems Great-Uncle Fitzpatrick has turned it into a temple to the written word - the perfect place for poet Ran. But everything is not as it seems. As he explores the Hall's endless corridors, Ran's grasp on reality appears to be loosening. And then he comes across an ancient lift; and in that lift a mirror. And in the mirror... the reflection of a woman... 

My verdict
House of Spines is a gothic tale of love, lust, loneliness and lies.

When struggling writer Ran McGhie learns he has inherited Newton Hall, he jumps at the opportunity to move in straight away. The vast mansion belonged to Ran's great uncle, someone he not only never met but never even knew existed. Ran knows very little about his parents, who died when he was 18.

With its huge library, Newton Hall is an ideal place for a poet. His great uncle's will stipulates that if Ran chooses to live in the house, the books there must never be moved. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? But Ran, who suffers from bipolar disorder, seems overwhelmed by his new living arrangements, with its endless array of rooms and corridors, gardens and swimming pool and an ancient lift. He has strange visions, feels a woman's touch, hears her voice - but is everything all it seems or is his grasp on reality swinging out of control?

Michael J Malone is a very vivid writer, putting the reader right into the head, and heart, of his protagonist. In House of Spines, I felt like I was living the story with Ran - seeing what he saw, feeling what he felt. The pictures the author paints within his prose, of the smells, sounds and sights of old Newton Hall, are as chilling and disturbing as the story itself.

The plot builds up gradually, immersing the reader in Ran's daily life as he explores his surroundings and meets some of the locals. It's creepy and unsettling, with a unreliable protagonist - in fact a whole host of unreliable characters. I worked out some things, but not everything, and there were plenty of surprises to come.

For me, this was less of a 'psychological thriller' than a great gothic mystery of a man's descent into mania and a family steeped in secrets and lies.

Highly recommended if you like creepy spine-tingling twisty tales.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher.

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