Claire Dyer's Writing Toolkit

WRITING TOOLKIT gives you an idea of an author's writing process through the tools they use. The tools can be anything (real or virtual) that they think is essential for their writing - serious, fun or even a fetish (that they're willing to own up to)! 

I am delighted to welcome 

CLAIRE DYER

AUTHOR OF THE LAST DAY

TO SHARE HER WRITING TOOLKIT

FOR HER BLOG TOUR

The Last Day was published on 15 February 2018 by Dome Press. 

Swimming

I swim every other morning and find it invaluable for clearing my head. As I swim, all I do is make sure I know which length I’m on and then let my mind wander. Many plot points or next sentences have come to me this way.

Silence
I don’t like noise when I’m writing: the best place for me would be a cottage on a remote hillside with only sheep for company. Unfortunately, real life isn’t like that and so I normally have to contend with building noise, traffic noise and when my husband is working from home, his music!

Footrest

I couldn’t write without this. It’s been invaluable in getting me to sit up straight when I’m at my desk. 

Sleeplessness
I love that moment when the day is over, the house is quiet and I’m lying in bed staring into the dark. Like with swimming, these are the times that I see things more clearly and in the quiet, can listen to what my characters are telling me.

Facebook and Twitter
Keeping in touch with people on social media is such a comfort. Being able to provide support to others and seek it for myself reminds me that I’m part of one big writing community.

TV
I obviously value my friends but I also love watching ‘Friends’ reruns on TV or, if I have a bit more time, I adore murder mysteries such as Morse, Lewis, Poirot, Foyles War, etc. For me, watching these programmes is like kicking off my shoes, getting under a blanket and having forty winks.

My characters
I couldn’t write without them. There’s that marvelous moment when I’m writing (at about 40,000 words) when they move in to my head and my heart and it’s almost as though they start dictating the plot. I see and hear them so clearly that when I reach ‘The End’ I find I mourn their going.

Boiled eggs and soldiers
This is what I promise myself after swimming and after a daily target of 1,600 words. If I’ve done both of these things and ‘Friends’ is on TV, making myself boiled eggs and soldiers is a little slice of heaven!

THANKS FOR TAKING PART, CLAIRE!

About Claire Dyer

Claire Dyer’s novels, The Moment and The Perfect Affair and her short story, Falling For Gatsby are published by Quercus.

Her poetry collections, Interference Effects and Eleven Rooms, are published by Two Rivers Press.

She has an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London and teaches creative writing for Bracknell & Wokingham College. She also runs Fresh Eyes, an editorial and critiquing service.

In 2016, Claire penned and performed a poem for National Poetry Day, called The Oracle, for BBC Radio Berkshire. 

Find Claire on her website, on her Facebook page and on Twitter - @ClaireDyer1

About The Last Day

Published by Dome Press (15 February 2018)

Publisher's description

Every ending starts with a beginning; every beginning, an end. 

Boyd and Vita have been separated for six years when Boyd asks if he can move back in to the house they both still own, bringing with him his twenty-seven-year-old girlfriend, Honey. 

Of course, Vita agrees: enough water has travelled under enough bridges since her marriage to Boyd ended and she is totally over him; nothing can touch her now. Boyd and Honey move in and everyone is happy - or so it seems.

However, all three are keeping secrets.

Here's a snippet of my review: 'This was one of those books that I had to read out loud at various points to appreciate the author's well-crafted words and beautifully observed character descriptions and interactions. It's tightly plotted, with a underlying sense of mystery about events to come.'

Read my full review here.

Follow the Blog Tour

BEST OF CRIME with Tim Baker

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 

TIM BAKER

to share his BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

It is astonishing to realise that Ross Macdonald’s series of books featuring P.I. Lew Archer (two of which were made into the Paul Newman Harper movies) began life 70 years ago. There is a freshness and modern relevance in his work that you just don’t find in the novels of his contemporaries – including Chandler and Hammett.

If Macdonald is the summit of the shamus, Patricia Highsmith is the highest peak of psychological suspense, whether in her best known novels such as Strangers on a Train or her unjustly lesser-known works, such as the superb, Mexican-set thriller, A Game for the Living.

... FILMS/MOVIES

From the stunning cinematography to the haunting theme, Chinatown is hard to beat, and even boasts the creepy presence of the man who invented the Private Eye movie, John Huston.

Out of the Past is a prime example of romantic, doomed existentialism, as is Sweet Smell of Success, with Sidney’s smug code for the completion of a successful crime, “The cat’s in the bag and the bag’s in the river”, one of film noir’s most memorable lines. 

But perhaps best of all is René Clément’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s masterpiece, with Alain Delon playing Tom Ripley in Plein Soleil (Purple Noon in English) – oh, that ending! 

... TV DRAMAS

The Sopranos and The Wire created the template for the contemporary crime saga. Breaking Bad broke ground with its superb character development and insanely good plotting. And Life on Mars was memorable for its humour and humanity.

But if I had to choose one show, it would be season one of True Detective. Everything about it felt epic, from the extraordinary six minute, single take, tracking shot in episode four to the dual themes of darkness and redemption and the relationship between Rust and Hart – best of enemies, worst of friends. Amazing.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

Firstly, I personally prefer killers who remain safely fictional. Secondly, as much as I love Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen as actors, I can’t get my head around Hannibal Lecter being this loveable, charismatic killer everyone wants to hang with – probably because I was never a fan of either fava beans or Chianti.

So, if you have to buddy up with a killer, you better find one who’s fun to be around. Enter the perfect insane killer companion: Emilio Largo from Ian Fleming’s Thunderball. He has a cool eyepatch, a girlfriend called Domino, a villa in Nassau and spends his days tooling around in a souped-up super yacht called the Disco Volante – what’s not to like? Plus if you hang with him long enough, you’ll end up meeting James Bond… or at least Austin Powers. 

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

Special agents Dana Scully (X-Files), Clarice Starling (The Silence of the Lambs) and Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks) are all top-drawer, kick-ass investigators – but they also all work for the Bureau – not my favourite outfit (J Edgar was a nasty character in my novel, Fever City).

So I’m going for an old-fashioned, independent detective, Hercule Poirot: a brilliant mind, a seeker of truth and justice, and an amusing and generous companion. He is also that most undervalued of persons at the moment: a European resident of the UK. I can only imagine how hurt he would have been by the Brexit vote. Mon Dieu, even his little grey cells would short-circuit trying to understand that mess.

If Monsieur Poirot were to be deported back to Belgium, I’d choose The Dude from The Big Lebowski – provided that someone would promise to rescue me after three days in his company. Nothing much would get solved with the Dude around, but at least there’d be good music, plenty of bowling and more White Russians than you could shake a Persian rug at. 

... MURDER WEAPONS

I was about seven years old when I heard my mother cry out in shock, and then, inexplicably, start laughing. I ran into the lounge room just in time to see the already familiar figure of Alfred Hitchcock intoning his farewells on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The TV episode in question was called Lamb to the Slaughter and was written by Roald Dahl. There may possibly be a better murder weapon in crime fiction, but there has never been a better means of disposing of one. 

    

... DEATH SCENES

The best death scene I can recall is actually a near miss: the almost assassination of President Charles de Gaulle in The Day of the Jackal. It is as if all of Frederick Forsyth’s brilliant attention to the minutiae of French life and society has been in service to this one, brilliant scene. 

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

Twitter is great if you’re just starting out writing: it not only offers you direct insight into what agents and editors are currently looking for, it also affords an opportunity to interact with other crime writers – who tend to be a pretty congenial bunch. Just don’t forget to mute the accounts of Donald Trump, Morrissey and Katie Hopkins first. 

... WRITING TIPS

Never Plan Your Books. A crime novel is an investigation; a search for meaning and truth – and that search begins with the writer. Never be afraid to stumble along in the dark, follow red herrings, or get cold sweats when you run into a dead-end alley. So what if sometimes you’ll find yourself contemplating arson with your very own manuscript? The chills and thrills you’ll get flying blind will translate into your work – and remember: if something doesn’t make sense, you can always fix it in the end! It’s called cheating and no one’s ever going to catch you as long as you wear gloves, cover your tracks, and avoid using your credit card close to the crime scene. 

... WRITING SNACKS

Snacks are indispensable as I tend to forget to eat lunch when I’m writing. In summer, it’s unsalted cashews and rosé. In winter, Russian Earl Grey tea and dark chocolate. Life is too short and your editor isn’t going to be kind to you, so pamper yourself a little! 

About TIM BAKER

Born in Sydney, Tim Baker has lived in Rome, Madrid and Paris and currently lives in the South of France with his wife, their son, and two rescue animals, a dog and a cat. His debut novel, the neo-noir thriller, Fever City, was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger award and Highly Commended for the CWA Debut Dagger award, and was also nominated for The Private Eye Writers of America’s Shamus award for best first novel. He was named as an 'Author to Watch More Closely in the Future' by J Kingston Pierce in Kirkus Reviews. 

Find Tim Baker on Twitter - @TimBakerWrites

About CITY WITHOUT STARS

Publisher's description

In Ciudad Real, Mexico, a deadly war between rival cartels is erupting, and hundreds of female sweat-shop workers are being murdered. As his police superiors start shutting down his investigation, Fuentes suspects most of his colleagues are on the payroll of narco kingpin, El Santo. Meanwhile, despairing union activist, Pilar, decides to take social justice into her own hands. But if she wants to stop the killings, she’s going to have to ignore all her instincts and accept the help of Fuentes. When the name of Mexico’s saintly orphan rescuer, Padre Márcio, keeps resurfacing, Pilar and Fuentes begin to realise how deep the cover-up goes. 

City Without Stars was published by Faber & Faber on 11 January 2018.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.

Top 5 Worst Christmas Presents by Susi Holliday

I am delighted to be today's stop on the blog tour for The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday. Today, Susi talks about the top 5 worst Christmas presents. The Deaths of December was published by Mulholland Books on 16 November 2017.

The Top 5 Worst Christmas Presents

By Susi Holliday

5. Household electrical appliances

Seriously, it’s never ok to buy someone an iron for Christmas, even if they really want one. Don’t be too surprised when they channel Little Mo in Eastenders and smack you in the face with it.

4. Out-of-date chocolate

We know you bought it in the January sales, and no we don’t think that flaky white stuff around the edge is put there on purpose to look like snow.

3. Bath salts

They smell funny, they’re gritty, they don’t dissolve properly, and honestly, how old do you think I am? Also, they are really difficult to use when you don’t have a bath.

2. Fitness DVD

What exactly are you trying to say, pal?

1. A “re-gift” to the person who gave it to you last year

Um . . . OOPS?! I totally understand you didn’t really want that ceramic lizard-shaped tea caddy but you really should’ve just thrown that thing out with the wrapping.

Avoid these disasters and play it safe with a gift of books. Or novelty socks. Because everyone loves novelty socks.

About Susi Holliday

S.J.I. (Susi) Holliday has written three crime novels set in the fictional Scottish town of Banktoun, East Lothian, which are a mix of police procedural and psychological thriller. They are: Black Wood, Willow Walk and The Damselfly - all featuring the much loved character, Sergeant Davie Gray. Her festive serial killer thriller, The Deaths of December, is out now. 

When she's not rehearsing with her Slice Girl bandmates, you can find Susi on her website, on her FB page and on Twitter - @SJIHolliday

About The Deaths of December

The Deaths of December

By Susi Holliday

Published by Mulholland Books (16 November 2017)

Publisher's description

The hunt is on for a serial killer in a thrilling festive crime novel.

It looks like a regular advent calendar. 

Until DC Becky Greene starts opening doors...and discovers a crime scene behind almost every one. 

The police hope it's a prank. Because if it isn't, a murderer has just surfaced - someone who's been killing for twenty years. 

But why now? And why has he sent it to this police station? 

As the country relaxes into festive cheer, Greene and DS Eddie Carmine must race against time to catch the killer. Because there are four doors left, and four murders will fill them...

It's shaping up to be a deadly little Christmas.

Here's a snippet of my review: The Deaths of December was a perfectly wrapped festive read for me. And I'm sure it will be a perfect Christmas stocking filler for other crime fiction fans too. Buy it!!

Click here to read the rest of my review.

Have you followed the Blog Tour?

BEST OF CRIME with A J MacKenzie

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 

A J MACKENZIE

(Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel)

to share their BEST OF CRIME ...

... AUTHORS

ML:  So many to choose from, but I've decided upon Lawrence Block, who was introduced to me by David Torrens of No Alibis Bookshop in Belfast.  Block writes a range of series from the comic to the very hard boiled, and most are imbued with the soul of New York. Reading his novels awakened a real interest both in harder edged crime fiction and in the city where they are set.

MW: Almost impossible to choose with so much talent out there, but Donna Leon hits the spot for me. The stories are simple but subtle, the characters are great, and they’re set in Venice. What more could you ask?

... FILMS/MOVIES

ML: Rear Window. Not only is it a wonderful film with terrific performances by James Stewart and Grace Kelly and the ever-fabulous Thelma Ritter, but it is also an excellent mystery.  The audience is invited to join the film’s characters in their attempts to solve the puzzle of the Thorwalds and become co-voyeurs.

MW: Key Largo, with Humphrey Bogart and the great Edward G. Robinson. It’s about a gang of criminals, rather than a murder mystery per se, but the writing is terrific. Nothing much happens, but it always feels like something is just about to happen.

... TV DRAMAS

ML:  I have happy memories of watching James Garner as Rockford with my mother as a child; more recently, I have really enjoyed Foyle's War; the final post-war series was particularly well done. 

MW: Sherlock. Great stories, great villains, great plots and inspired casting. Nuff said.

... FICTIONAL KILLERS

ML: For meticulous planning (although not for strong morale fibre) it is hard to beat Lawrence Block’s hit man, Keller who is the anti-hero of 4 collections of short stories and one novel.

MW: this is a toughie, because killers in most crime fiction are either rather weak or rather unpleasant or both. So I’m going for a rather obscure one:  Ivan Dragomiloff, played by Oliver Reed in the film The Assassination Bureau. Stylish and deadly, he even accepts a contract that names himself as the target to be killed. Okay, some people would say The Assassination Bureau is a thriller, not a crime story. But it does have ‘assassination’ in the title. Surely that’s not cheating?

... FICTIONAL DETECTIVES 

ML:  VI Warshawski. She is brave, with a complex character and interesting back story. The books are different in nature and there is a development of VI's character over time.  They are intense reads, but with a leaven of humour.

MW: Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is up there, but top of the list for me comes Marcus Didius Falco from Lindsay Davis’s excellent series set in Rome in the time of Vespasian. He’s a man of action but also very human, cocky and self-deprecating, arrogant and fallible, constantly fighting with both his family and the Roman bureaucracy, and not always winning. He has some great one-liners, too. 

... MURDER WEAPONS

ML:  The one that really intrigued me the first time I read it was in Dorothy L Sayers

Unnatural Death was the use of an tiny air bubble as a murder weapon, which I learned later was not possible (at least not with small bubble). A warning to all crime writers to check before using an ingenious method to kill someone off!

MW: I’ve just finished re-reading Robert van Gulik’s The Chinese Maze Murders and can’t stop thinking about a writing brush that, when heated, releases a small compressed gas capsule, which in turn shoots a poisoned knife into the victim’s throat. We’re going to have to steal that at some point, that is simply too good.

    

... DEATH SCENES

ML: both of my favourites involve wine. The first is in Vintage Murder by Ngaio Marsh where the victim is killed by a jeroboam of champagne descending onto his head. The second is in an episode of Midsomer Murders where the victim is staked out on the ground and killed by bottles of wine being launched at him.

MW: the killing of the Roman spy Anacrites by Falco and his friend Petronius at the end of Nemesis. I like the subtlety; the killing takes place in a dark alley, and is described using only a few sounds, no visual images at all. And yet, if you have followed the series, there is such satisfaction in knowing Anacrites is dead. Why Falco didn’t rub him out a long time before is beyond me.

  

... BLOGS/WEBSITES

ML:   https://www.kent.ac.uk/english/ladys-magazine/index.html The University of Kent’s The Lady’s Magazine (1770-1818): Understanding the Emergence of a Genre project has been a great help in providing at guide to a superb resource for the lives and interests of women in the late 18th century.  The free availability of the relevant years of the journal for our Hardcastle & Chaytor mysteries has also be very useful, but the Project’s index has saved a great deal of time (although browsing through the journal is always a temptation...)

MW: www.timeanddate.com enables you to know the day of the week and the phase of the moon at any time in the past. From the phases of the moon you can also work out tide times. Our novels are set on the coast of Romney Marsh in the 1790s, and it’s great to be able to get these details right.

... WRITING TIPS

ML: I like a bit of public writing, either on laptop or tablet or with pen and notebook.  Years of working in noisy records offices (yes, really, the can be very noisy places) has made me very comfortable working amongst the busyness of others.  Sometimes I spend a day with an antiques dealer friend as she buys in auctions rooms.  They always have good chairs and I get a lot done!

MW: Everyone writes differently. Find out what recipe – location, type of chair, music on or off, etc – works for you and then stick to it. Don’t worry about what other people are doing or how they write; do what enables you to write and be happy.

... WRITING SNACKS

ML: Tea, lots of tea.  On particularly cold days (we have a draughty old house) hot chocolate is required.  Also, the excellent cake made by Helen, a local friend and farmer’s wife who makes the best coffee cake in the world.

MW: Chocolate hobnobs are the fuel that keeps the AJ MacKenzie writing machine turning over.  Dark chocolate ones for preference, the milk chocolate ones are too sweet.

About A J MACKENZIE

A J MacKenzie is the pseudonym of Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel, an Anglo-Canadian husband-and-wife team of writers and historians. They write non-fiction history and management books under their own names, but 'become' A J MacKenzie when writing fiction.

Find A J MacKenzie on their website, on their Facebook page and on Twitter - @AJMacKnovels

About THE BODY IN THE ICE

Publisher's description

On the frozen fields of Romney Marsh stands New Hall; silent, lifeless, deserted. In its grounds lies an unexpected Christmas offering: a corpse, frozen into the ice of a horse pond.

It falls to the Reverend Hardcastle, justice of the peace in St Mary in the Marsh, to investigate. But with the victim's identity unknown, no murder weapon and no known motive, it seems like an impossible task. Working along with his trusted friend, Amelia Chaytor, and new arrival Captain Edward Austen, Hardcastle soon discovers there is more to the mystery than there first appeared. 

With the arrival of an American family torn apart by war and desperate to reclaim their ancestral home, a French spy returning to the scene of his crimes, ancient loyalties and new vengeance combine to make Hardcastle and Mrs Chaytor's attempts to discover the secret of New Hall all the more dangerous.

A Body in the Ice was published by Zaffre in paperback on 2 October 2017.

Look out for more BEST OF CRIME features coming soon.

Click here to read more BEST OF CRIME features.