Well, the plan to post more blogs is not going well. We are nearing the end of October and this is just the second of the year (although that is 2 more than I posted last year). My targets are also well behind schedule, however, I did complete one of them and I’m delighted about that.

I started writing the third DI Joanne Christie novel in January and completed this in August. Following some edits, I have finally published the follow up to Five Against One. Lightning Bolt is named after Pearl Jam’s tenth studio album and again I used the track list as inspiration for the book’s ‘Parts’. The premise that I came up with for this one revolves around a series of stabbings in Edinburgh. What is unusual is that the attacker is only aiming to cause discomfort for their victims, rather than fatality. They also ensure that their victims call for an ambulance and recite a cryptic saying before fleeing. All the main characters from the series make an appearance and I enjoyed reacquainting myself with them.

This has been my only writing completed this year, however, I had been working on a short story project that will now develop into a novella. The hope is that I can get this published to raise funds for charity, however, I need to complete the project before approaching various people to try and get it off the ground. The short story that I did have out for consideration has gone quiet and it looks like the anthology may not go ahead. If not, I may rewrite it for consideration elsewhere as I did enjoy writing what was my first attempt at a locked room style mystery.

The second novel target has not progressed as my focus has been on getting Christie book 3 out, however, I do have an idea for a new book (and possible new series). There is a publisher that is running an opening line competition that I may send it to as the winners would get the competed novel published by them and I do like the idea/premise of this one. I’ve already started planning Christie number 4 and would be aiming to have that completed and published before Christmas next year.

In regards to reading, I wanted to try and read more female authors this year. My preferred genre of crime fiction is awash with amazing female authors, so it has not been a difficult task. Thus far, I have only read female authors, so will complete the year in that vain. I also joined a virtual bookclub at work which started up half way through this year. With a book a quarter, the first two chosen were also by female authors and this will give me a chance to read books that I may not otherwise chosen to do so.

I’ll try and get a least another couple of posts out before the end of the year, but in the meantime please check out Lightning Bolt and let me know what you think. If you are an avid reader, please remember to review and/or rate books (especially for new/developing/independent authors). It takes a lot of work to get a book out and it’s all worth it if someone takes their time to let you know what they think.

Lightning Bolt is available in paperback and eBook from Amazon. To access the link to this and all my other books, please visit the Books page on this website.

I knew that it had been a while since I last wrote and posted a blog, but I was somewhat startled (and a little ashamed) that it was 31st December 2021. That means that I failed to post anything in 2022, so as well as sharing what I’ve been up to I promise to upload more frequent updates. To help with this, I’ll also cover my plans for 2023 so that I can see if these targets get hit.

To begin with writing, I started and abandoned/put aside 2 new novels, both of which I may come back to. I think I was somewhere in the 20,000 words mark in each when for whatever reason I felt I needed to leave them for now. I don’t necessarily see this as a failure, as I would rather work on a project that felt like it was going in the right direction. The first one is a story regarding a modern day musician who wanted to find out the real story about the death of his father, a Grunge-era singer who died in mysterious circumstances in the 1990’s. The second is a new crime series set in East Lothian. I liked how this started but I’ve not quite worked out where it is going and I think it will need some development before continuing.

My love of writing short stories was more successful and I managed to get three stories published in 2022. Stories were published again by the fine people at Darkstroke Books as part of their charity anthologies. This time, the stories were set in New Orleans and Venice. A third story, which I am really proud of, was selected for publication in Issue Number One of ‘Tangled Web’ a new magazine which specialises in Tartan Noir (my genre) and Speculative Fiction. This magazine will be free to readers and subscribers and there is a link to my story ‘Deadly Night Shades’ in the Books section of this website. The idea started with a colleague challenging me to write a 50 word story about sunglasses (which I did), which then grew to a 2,600 word short story for publication.

I read a total of 21 books in 2022, a little less than usual, however I set my target lower in the hope of doing more writing. Following my A-Z of crime writers reading challenge of 2021, last year I read some books outwith the genre, including a couple of autobiographies. Another change for me was enjoying books through the medium of audiobooks, a format of reading that continues to grow in popularity. Part of the reason for this was the new canine member of the family and I enjoyed a number of the Rebus novels whilst walking Ludo around East Lothian. There were a few books that could have been chosen as my favourite of the year, but I’ve gone with The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz. I was not sure if I would enjoy Anthony as a character in his own book, but it worked so well. I actually was given the third in the series as a birthday present, so I will definitely be continuing with this series.

So on to 2023 and my ambitions within the writing community.

1 – Continue writing short stories – I believe this is a great way to continue developing my writing and story telling. I have one being considered at present and the aim is to find new ways to get published in this format.

2 – Write and publish DI Christie book 3 – following my decision not to complete two books, I’ve decided to write the third book in the DI Christie series. Again, this will help me develop my writing skills and revisit characters that have been developed already. Feedback about the first two have been really positive, so I hope that I can continue to improve this series. It was the eighth Rebus novel that really took off for Ian Rankin, so patience is not a bad thing.

3 – Write and polish a 2nd novel – I’m not sure if this will be one of the two I’ve started or something separate. I have a couple of ideas for other stories, so I will take some time to plan this before starting. It’s important that I get the characters, story and plot correct because this will be the basis of ambition 4.

4 – Query for an Agent – I started writing properly in 2011 with my debut novel ‘Alive’ and since then have seen writing as a hobby. Having considered how best to develop further, I have decided that I need to polish a new piece of work and send it out there for consideration. Many people have encouraged me to take this step before, so now feels a good time to finally take the plunge. I am (as author Will Dean suggested in one of his excellent YouTube videos) ready for 100 rejections!

Thanks for reading my blog, I promise to be more prolific and provide updates on my 2023 Ambitions. Please do check out ‘Deadly Night Shades’ and the Dark Stroke charity books. Links to these as well as ‘Alive’ and the first two DI Joanne Christie novels are available in the ‘Books’ Tab.

At the end of last year, I had the idea to try and read the alphabet in authors. As the thought grew, I decided it would be fun if they were all crime writers. A quick internet search confirmed that it was possible and thus began my journey.

I felt that this would give me the opportunity to read authors I had wanted to read for while, re-visit authors I had enjoyed before and discover new authors by way of what letter their surname began. I won’t go through the full list here, but if you visit my Reading List page, you will see the full list. I included a Mc at the end as this gave me the chance to read an author I admire as well as reading my now traditional end of year festive book.

I enjoyed the vast majority of the books I read, although there were a few disappointments too. I won’t dwell on these as it’s all a matter of personal taste at the end of the day and going by some of the reviews, there are plenty who would disagree.

Out of the 27 books on the alphabet list, I gave 5 of them the full 5 star rating of which I will now choose my book of the year –

1 – Fifty Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

2 – Threat by Hugh Fraser

3 – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

4 – The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson

5 – A Fine House In Trinity by Lesley Kelly

I’m not normally a fan of American based crime, but Fifty Fifty was an exception and I was hooked on this one from the start right until the end. Hugh Fraser has previously been one my books of the year, and the follow up novel was just as good as the first. Anthony Horowitz is simply a genius and I was bowled over by this ‘book within a book’ story. The Darkness illustrated everything that is great in Icelandic and Scandinavian crime and I found the lead character refreshing. Finally, Lesley Kelly managed to produce a book that felt like Ian Rankin and Irvine Welsh were writing together.

In the end, I have gone with Steve Cavanagh’s Fifty Fifty. I’ve been a fan of the Two Crimewriters and a Microphone podcast for years and this was my first novel of his that I have read. Getting so many plaudits, it’s the novel which may have finally given him the recognition he deserves. I already own more of his novels which I will dip into next year. The only downside is that his time is now limited to do the podcast – I’ll just have to go back and listen to the old ones and hope that he makes some more in the future…

I hope you enjoyed this blog and my list. It was written on 31/12/21 which is also publication day for a new charity anthology called Dark Paris, which includes my crime story Nothing As It Seems. If you fancy reading some Parisian dark stories, please order a copy – it’s all for a good cause. The link is in the Books tab of this website.

A return to book/writing subject matter this month with a blog about ‘Book Pimpage’.

Now before I begin, I must credit the title of this blog to the very excellent Mark Billingham who mentioned it in a recent tweet and I thought that it was the best writer’s expression in the history of Twitter. He may not have been the first to coin the phrase, but I am giving the credit to him unless otherwise corrected.

Before I go on to do some Book Pimpage of my own, I wanted to talk about the importance of the practice, both to established author and independent authors such as myself. Established authors have many routes to this practice, such media interviews, newspaper/online articles, book festivals (in person or, as more common recently, remotely) and their Social Media platforms. Of course, this is how these authors make their living so it is understandable that they will use all the avenues available. It can be a big risk to take the leap to full time writer, so I wish them all well.

For the independent author, it is more of a challenge. Once all your family/friends/colleagues have been politely asked to consider buying your book, you need to try other ways to reach out. Social Media is awash with Book Pimpage, and unfortunately most people just keep scrolling. Some try other methods such as book blogger tours or (ahem) blogging on their own website. I may do a blog in the future about book bloggers/reviewers as this is something that I have considered approaching before but need reach out to the right people first.

So, here follows some Book Pimpage of my three, self published, independent novels –

1 – ALIVE

Alive is my debut novel, written via the diary of Steve Hamilton, a 30 something ordinary guy living in Edinburgh. He receives an anonymous letter that states that he is to be killed that year.

I came up with the idea as I wanted to do a different crime novel – not police or detective led and not from the point of the killer. I decided to write from the crime’s ‘target’ perspective and what it resulted in was a Who’s Doing It/Why Are They Doing It/Will They Do It…

2 – CHRISTIE’S EARLY CASES

I decided to write a traditional crime series with a strong, young, female lead. Rather than go for a full novel, I started writing short stories to introduce the character and her colleagues. With a classic rock obsessed sidekick, the stories were named after the track list of Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 Rumours album. The book contains 10 short stories, concluding with a novella.

3 – FIVE AGAINST ONE

A few people who read the first Christie book mentioned that they would like to read a full novel with the characters. Five Against One was born out of an idea I had of two linked cases running side by side – a present day murder that DI Joanne Christie had to investigate that was connected to a crime her sidekick had investigated previously.

Keeping with the classic rock theme, the book’s parts are named after the track list of Pearl Jam’s second album Vs. The original name of the album was to be Five Against One, hence the novel’s title.

There are two reasons for my book pimpage. Firstly (most obviously) is to sell copies of my books. Now, I do not write books for the money. I get around £1 for every sale regardless if eBook or paperback. To date, I have not earned enough to cover the cost of this website, but that is fine by me. I just love writing and do so as a hobby with no pressure to have to feed my family with the proceeds (I work a full time job to help with this).

The second reason (and the most important) is the joy I get when someone has read a novel (or all of them) and tells me how much they enjoyed them. I do get constructive feedback too, and that is equally good, but when you spend months writing a novel it is nice to hear when someone has enjoyed it. In that respect, if you enjoy a novel – let the author know, either via their Social Media or by leaving a review. I know many established authors say they don’t read reviews so, if that’s the case, do so for the lesser known authors.

Perhaps, you might just make their day…

All novels are available on Amazon in eBook and Paperback format. Links are available at the ‘Books’ page of this website.

For this month’s blog, I wanted to pay tribute to the Crime Drama sidekick. Before I begin my countdown and wanted to touch on some of my own thoughts for these characters and my considerations when I was writing my own crime novels and how these sidekick(s) would be part of the stories.

In the list I have chosen characters that I admire, whether it was due to what they bring to the series, their own stories or the brilliance of the performances on screen. Some characters may not play a big part in the solving of the crime, but they all contribute in their own way.

When I started writing the DI Joanne Christie stories, I was focused on two things. Firstly, I wanted a strong, hopefully memorable, sidekick. I love writing DS Mike Lyle, with his obsession with Classic Rock music and his traditional policing skills. I also wanted a sidekick who would be instrumental in the cases that Christie would be working on. Often in the stories Lyle, and other members of the team, provide the leads that lead to the resolution. So many sidekicks are left out of this, chasing red herrings and leaving all the solving and glory to the main character.

Anyway, here is my top 10 Sidekicks…

10 – Barbara Havers (Sharon Small) – The Inspector Lynley Mysteries

I really enjoyed this series and I didn’t realise that Sharon Small was actually Scottish so perfect was her accent. As with many good sidekicks, Havers’ back story added to the series and was superbly portrayed.

9 – Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia) – The Bridge

It’s perhaps a bit unfair to call Martin a sidekick, but such was the performance of Saga he was often playing catch up. Kim played the role brilliantly and he may just have the best laugh in the history of crime dramas. Although I thoroughly enjoyed all four seasons, I felt that something was lost without Martin in the later series.

8 – Dr Watson (Edward Hardwicke) – Sherlock Holmes

One of the most famous sidekicks in crime literature, and should therefore be higher up in the list. Many actors have played the role, but I really enjoyed Hardwicke’s performance as Sherlock’s partner.

7 – Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) – The Unforgotten

Bhaskar expertly plays the sidekick in this excellent drama. He shows more of a caring side than many sidekicks with his own back story and career progression. The big question on everyone’s lips (of course), is ‘What is in the backpack?’

6 – Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey) – Midsomer Murders

The original and best sidekick from the Midsomer Murders series. Probably a prime example of a sidekick that didn’t add much to the various investigations, but he did add to the drama. His bad driving was added to the scripts following a close call with John Nettles and provides some humour to the stories.

5 – Robert ‘Robbie’ Lewis (Kevin Whately) – Inspector Morse

A sidekick who went on to have his own series, Lewis was the grounded support to the genus of Morse. Whately played the character so well, it was no surprise that he reprised the role many years after Morse finished.

4 – Samantha Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks) – Foyle’s War

Strictly speaking, Milner should really be Foyle’s sidekick, but the character of Samantha ‘Sam’ Stewart is my pick. Honeysuckle Weeks played the role so well that she became an integral part of the series. With the brilliant writing, the character grows throughout the various seasons and becomes so important to the lead that he keeps going back to her.

3 – Siobhan Clarke (Claire Price) – Rebus

Many Rebus fans (including myself) were delighted with the casting of Ken Stott in the title role, however, I thought the choice of Claire Price as Siobhan was an equally clever move. She captures the strength and compassion of the character and is the perfect opposite to Stott’s brilliant portrayal.

2 – Captain Arthur Hastings (Hugh Fraser) – Poirot

Captain Hastings is probably my favourite ever sidekick and Hugh Fraser plays him to perfection. Written more for Poirot to bounce his ‘little grey cells’ off of, he occasionally unwittingly provides the spark required for Poirot to solve the mystery. A crime writer now himself, Fraser had to be high up on my list.

1 – Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh (Alison O’Donnell) – Shetland

My top pick is Tosh from the Shetland series, expertly played by Alison O’Donnell. What is interesting about this sidekick, is that she was created for the television series and is not actually in the books. I went to a Bloody Scotland event where Ann Cleeves admitted that she wished that she had created Tosh and I think that is the highest honour that can be bestowed to the series writers. Spoilers will prevent me from saying too much, but Alison’s performance as the series progresses is breath taking. I am so happy that there is a new season on the horizon.

So that was my pick of sidekicks. I am sure that I have missed some out that deserved a mention, but that us the fun of these lists. If you want to find out more about DS Mike Lyle, you can find the Christie novels in the ‘books’ section of this website.

I’ve done a few posts with a ‘Desert Island’ theme and thought I would move onto Crime Drama Boxsets for my latest blog. Most of these are British and European crime dramas, which is the bulk of what I watch. I find many American series tend to go on too long and lose their impact. It’s a debate that I may have started, but apologies to any American readers and feel free to let me know if there are any exceptions that I need to check out.

As usual, this list is in no particular order.

1 – Agatha Christie’s Poirot

This is one of the few DVD collections that I still own and watch regularly. David Suchet is outstanding in the lead role and the series really developed over the years. The support cast is also exceptional and I could go on forever naming the great performances. Changes were made from time to time with the stories, but I believe that this is the closest we may ever get to witnessing a perfect Poirot portrayal.

2 – Wallander

I was torn between the Swedish and the British versions of this as the latter is based on the novels whereas the former deals with new stories. In the end I chose the Swedish version mainly due to the performances and the native language.

3 – Vera

If there is a theme about lead character performances, then Brenda Blethyn’s turn as Vera had to be included. With a strong support cast, great guest performances and the rugged North East England landscape, this is a series that is right up there with the best.

4 – Line of Duty

Although the strong performance theme can continue with my next choice, the main reason for the inclusion of this one is down to the mind-blowing writing of the series. Each season has you gripped from the first episode and involuntary shouting at the screen is common place when watching the seasons unfold.

5 – The Bridge

I have watched many, many Scandinavian crime dramas, but this one is head and shoulders above the rest. The portrayal of Saga is stunning and her interaction with Martin is a joy to watch, whilst the writing of each season is of the highest quality. The series that cemented my love affair with Denmark, Sweden and the bridge that joins them.

6 – Rebus

There are many a debate over the actors chosen to play Rebus, with many thinking that Ken Stott is very close to the written character. Being a big fan of the novels, I loved witnessing some of them come to life on the small screen. The only criticism may be that they didn’t make enough of them.

7 – Midsomer Murders

I’ve been watching Midsomer Murders from the beginning and it may be classed as a bit of a guilty pleasure for a serious crime drama lover as myself. Yes, there are more than a realistic number of murders in each episode and some of the methods are silly, but this just adds to the charm.

8 – Foyle’s War

If there was ever a lesson required for excellence in crime drama writing, then Foyle’s War is it. Superb characters, brilliant plots and a real lesson on the devastation caused by the war. Add to that the outstanding performance by Michael Kitchen and you have everything you need for near perfection. I do wonder, however, how many facial expressions made by Foyle were written by Anthony…

This was a real difficult list to choose, and some of my favourites were left off the list – Miss Marple, Shetland and Jonathan Creek to name just three. I know as soon as I publish this, I will remember one that I have missed out or someone will suggest something that should have made the final cut.

Suggestions and recommendations very welcome…

For those who do not know my geographical background, I was born and raised in the West of Scotland before moving to Edinburgh in 2005. When I started writing, around 2011, I knew that my books would be set in Scotland’s beautiful capital city. So much has been been written about Edinburgh and some of the greatest crime writers have written novels based there, with one of the world’s best continuing to produce best sellers well after the main character’s retirement. In fact, when I tweeted about my Edinburgh based crime novel, a replier wished me luck and reminded me of the particularly large shoes I had to fill.

DI Joanne Christie is based at the Corstrophine Police Station, chosen as I passed there every day for many years on my way to work. I was also fascinated by the architecture of the building, which I think would make a great setting should anyone be interesting in televising the series…

After 15 years living in one of the world’s most endearing cities, we decided it was time to move to pastures new. With our hearts well and truly grabbed by Auld Reekie, we decided to stay within close proximity and chose the stunning East Lothian as our new home.

Around this time, I had noticed a request for short story submissions. There were two requirements, firstly it had to be set in Scotland and secondly it had to fit the banner of ‘Dark Fiction’. Now confession time from me, I had to Google ‘Dark Fiction’ as I had not heard of this particular genre. To my pleasant surprise, rather than a genre it is more an umbrella term for many genres which just happened to include crime fiction.

Deciding to embrace my new home county, I set my story in East Lothian. Famed for its coastline of sandy beaches and geologist’s rocky paradise, I knew that I wanted to capture some of that beauty and darkness. The slither of an idea was tumbling about the creative part of my little grey cells and very quickly ‘In Hiding’ was written. The story revolves around a doctor with an obsession with scalpels and an ex-offender hiding out in rural East Lothian. I submitted the story to Darkstroke books and a few months later, I received an e-mail confirming that it would be included within the anthology ‘Dark Scotland’.

Published on Burn’s Night this year, the anthology donates all proceeds to two Scottish based charities. Feedback so far has been incredibly positive and I am delighted with the end result. It did, however, leave me with somewhat of a conundrum.

Should DI Christie move to East Lothian with me…

Dark Scotland and the first 2 DI Christie novels are all available in paperback and eBook at Amazon. Links to the books are available in the ‘Books’ section of this website.