Thursday 18 January 2018

BEST OF CRIME with C.J. Tudor

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 

C.J. TUDOR

for her The Chalk Man blog tour

to share her BEST OF CRIME ...




... AUTHORS
Tough to pick just one but I’ll plump for Harlan Coben. I’ve read every one of Mr Coben’s books. I love his twists, his humour and his colourful characters. 


... FILMS/MOVIES
Memento. I don’t watch many crime/thriller type films. I tend to avoid anything too serious – the last film I watched was Paddington with our little girl. I love Memento though. Surprising and clever. And I’m a big fan of tattoos! 


... TV DRAMAS

CSI (Vegas) – sorry, you can keep your serious, gritty British drama. Give me OTT, tongue-in-cheek stuff like this any day. The thing is with CSI, it’s actually very self-aware. Plus, the characterization is great and the plotting – although often outlandish - is spot on. I was gutted when it finished - I’m just about to start my box sets from the beginning. 


... FICTIONAL KILLERS
Has to be Hannibal Lecter. I like my killers charming, evil and partial to human flesh.


... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 
Columbo. The raincoat, the stoop, the cigar. Plus, I love that Columbo turned crime drama on its head because you knew who had done it right from the start. You were just rooting for Columbo to prove it. Oh, and just one more thing . . . 


... MURDER WEAPONS
I always remember an episode of Tales of the Unexpected in which the wife killed her husband with a frozen joint of meat. Then she cooked it and served the ‘evidence’ to the detectives! Oh, and there was an episode of CSI where someone was killed with a bee. I kid you not. 
    

... DEATH SCENES
Hmmm. One that always stayed with me was when Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling dine on the Deputy Assistant Attorney General’s brain while he is still alive before Hannibal kills him with a crossbow. Euergh – still makes my stomach turn. 
  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES
I don’t really have a ‘go to’ site – I’m a bit of a Google magpie. When it comes to writing guidance I always turn to my well-thumbed copy of Stephen King’s On Writing. 


... WRITING TIPS
Write what you love – not what you think people want to read. Don’t submit too soon – let your ms rest a little. And my favourite from Mr King – enter the scene late. Leave it early! 


... WRITING SNACKS
Pre 7pm – tea, biccies, sweets
Post 7pm – Wine/G&T and crisps



About C.J. TUDOR
C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter.
Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, waitress, radio scriptwriter, voiceover, television presenter, copywriter and dog walker.
Her love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Her English teacher once told her that if she didn’t become a successful author he would be ‘very disappointed.’
That was thirty years ago.

He may also have told her to turn her homework in on time.

Find C.J. Tudor on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @cjtudor


About THE CHALK MAN




Publisher's description
The Chalk man is a creepy coming-of-age murder mystery. It’s set in 2016 and 1986 - that’s when we first meet twelve-year-old Eddie and his friends. They invent a game: drawing chalk figures on the ground to pass secret messages. But the game turns sinister when the figures start to appear on their own and lead them to the body of a girl.
Thirty years later, Ed thinks the past is behind him Then he receives a letter containing just two things - a drawing of a stick figure and a piece of chalk . . .

Read a snippet of my review
'The Chalk Man reads like a timeless 'old school' classic with an '80s vibe, yet the hint of horror and supernatural flavour give it a definite contemporary feel.'

To read the rest of my review, click here.

The Chalk Man was published by Penguin on 11 January 2018.


Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

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