The Crime Warp

This is a an article with something in it for everyone. Dylan fans will be engrossed, aspiring authors will be inspired and crime writers will see what a bit of luck, a dash of chemistry and a shed load of talent can produce. Thanks so much to Carol and Bob for this guest blog piece. The Crime Warp is humbled by your sincerity and chuffed to bits that you took the time for us. So, over to ..... drum roll ... The very lovely Bridgestocks ...

James Swallow is the author of Nomad, released on 2nd June by Bonnier Zaffre publishing Click here  to view it on Amazon.  Nomad has been described as 'A terrific white- knuckle, lip chewing thriller' by Rhianna Pratchett.  Whilst Ben Aaronovitch describes Nomad's hero Marc Dane as 'An intelligent, likeable and, above all, believable hero.'   Here on The Crime warp (5th June 2016) I described this amazing book as being  'the sort of book you finish reading and then, hours later, you've still got adrenalin fizzing around your system.'  The Crime Warp warmly welcomes James Swallow.

I find inspiration comes from many different sources. I read the newspapers and watch the news and process the facts as they are presented to me. It tends not to be one particular news item which inspires me but over time a character or part of a plot will develop in my imagination and it’s about taking the time to listen to those snippets and, of course, noting them down. Then eventually a pattern will emerge and the ‘form’ of the story will become clear.

Tony Lee Moral is the author of Playing Mrs Kingston, a novel inspired by Alfred Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock had the greatest of all things, a story to tell. In finding ideas to adapt to film and television, he often turned to newspaper articles, short stories, plays and novels. Audiences knew that with a Hitchcock story they would have a good time, they may be frightened, or they may be amused, as Hitchcock had an individual personality as a storyteller. As the author of three books on the Master of Suspense, including a ‘how to’ write a thriller, called Alfred Hitchcock’s Movie Making Masterclass, I was naturally inspired by his stories when constructing my crime novel, Playing Mrs. Kingston, particularly Strangers on a Train and The Wrong Man. For Hitchcock, the themes behind his thrillers must blend two important elements. Firstly, they should hang on one central idea that the audience or reader must always be thinking about. A good story should state in the f...

YOU ARE DEAD – RESEARCH NOTES by Peter James 12/05/15   We can understand the motives of many murderers.  A loved one killed in a fit of jealous rage, a ruthless armed robber who shoots out of greed, the terrorist who kills out of warped ideology, the professional hit man who kills for a fee, the husband who buries his wife beneath the kitchen floor because he’s fallen in love with someone else…  But what about the serial killer?

I was so lucky to get hold of a proof copy of Past Crimes recently and quickly realized this is one of those “stand out” books that are simply a joy to read .   The protagonist, Van Shaw, receives a note from his estranged grandfather, asking him to come home.   Only five words – “ Come home, if you can ”.   It’s the last three words – “ if you can ” - that echo in his head.   Three words that make Van Shaw travel back to Seattle to find his grandfather shot in the head.   Van Shaw decides to stay in Seattle and resurrects the criminal skills his grandfather taught him to track down the killer and find out the reason that made someone finally kill the old man. Having enjoyed the novel, I was pleased when Glen Erik Hamilton agreed to guest blog on The Crime Warp – here he is, talking about his inspiration and that chain of thought that created Past Crimes and the story of Van Shaw. A few years ago, my wife and I had a decision to make. ...

Lisa Cutts is the daughter of a former Metropolitan Police officer and obtained her first degree in Law, working in a number of jobs in London and around the South East area, before becoming a police officer herself in 1996. She later achieved a second degree in Applied Criminal Investigation. She balances working full- time for Kent Police with writing crime fiction.

Photo: Poppy Berry Today’s guest on The Crime Warp is A. N. Widdecombe, former politician, part time dancer and fiction writer.   I only recently found out that Ann was an author when her first foray into crime fiction, The Dancing Detective, was published on Amazon in July this year.   I thought Ann would be a perfect guest for The Crime Warp and here she is! So, welcome to The Crime Warp Ann.   My first questions are about writing in general - how important is writing and when did you start writing? What kind of things did you write about? I always wanted to write and finished what I grandly described as “my first book” when I was about nine or ten. In reality it was a couple of exercise books stuck together. I also wrote a play which friends and I used to act for the neighbours. By the time I was 18 I had produced a full-length novel but I am glad I did not try to get it published as it was set in Ancient Rome and I think the estate of Quo Va...