Author Spotlight no.89 – Fran Metzman

Complementing my daily blog interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the eighty-ninth, is of short story author Fran Metzman.

Fran Metzman, author, had a short story collection published, February 1, 2012 (Wilderness House Press) and was nominated for a Dzanc Books award, “Best of the Web” 2009. In addition to invitations to speak on panels of various writing conferences (such as; Philadelphia Stories and Marymount Manhattan College), she has given workshops at various universities such as Temple University, Bryn Mawr College, Penn State, and many others. Also, she presently teaches creative writing/memoir workshops at Temple University’s Adult School. At Rosemont College, she taught publishing skills to grad students. As a fiction editor for two literary journals, Schuylkill Valley Journal and The Wild River Review, she selects and edits the submissions. In addition, she writes articles for http://wildriverreview.com/metzman entitled, “The Age of Reasonable Doubt” which deals with mature dating/relationships and aspects of society that influences all relationships (sometimes tongue in cheek).  

And now from the author herself – I asked her what inspires her, what she likes to read, how food influences her writing and what advice could she give aspiring authors…

I’m inspired to write because I want to make sense of the chaos I find in the world. What makes people behave the way they do? I have always been fascinated with the motivation behind behavior — especially with actions that go to the edge. Writing, for me, is also a way to heal old wounds — sometimes present ones. Most often I do it with fiction which helps me distance myself if I’m extracting a tad from real events or from a trauma I’ve experienced. I can take a nugget of reality and fictionalize it. Some of these tidbits from the real world can instigate an entire story and it can come from someone else’s experiences as well. To be a fiction writer one has to listen carefully to the undercurrents of what people say. It is just as important to observe the behavior as well as listening to the words. It is hard for a person to be objective about one’s own inner world. I happen to think that is how most writers invent stories even if they say they are totally disconnected from the story.

Favorite authors and books – here’s just a smattering of novels: All of Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oates, I’ll Take You There, Jonathan Franzen, Freedom, Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe, Alice Hoffman, The Ice Queen, Jane Smiley, A Thousand Acres, and books of that order. I love literary works as well as high quality commercial. I look for psychological drama as well as insights about life. I want to know how the protagonist got through hurdles and obstacles to remain standing tall at the end. What did they learn about themselves that could help me in my life?

There are nuggets of reality that are then totally fictionalized. This helps lessen the ache of a painful piece of memory. In the end, what I write is totally fiction. It doesn’t even have to be from my bank of experiences. It could have happened to a friend or acquaintance or even a total stranger. But it has to be something that resonates with me. For instance, one of the stories is about a woman who lived in an attic, spying on her ex-husband and his new wife who was the cause of the divorce. I never lived in an attic nor was divorced. The story emanated from a friend who had been stalked in a unique way by her ex-boyfriend. I found it so fascinating that it inspired an entire story — of course with many, many edits.

Having food intersect life is something that I experienced. My mother was a truly fabulous cook, but not eating every morsel could incite her to anger or bring her to tears. I had to eat everything on my plate. Once I sat for hours because I didn’t want to eat something she cooked. Dieting in my house was a no-no big time. That was the nugget that developed into a story, Getting Closer. Of course, none of the actions in the story happened in real life. But that is how a seed of a story might be born and raised and become a fiction.

The advice I’d give to emerging writers is work on fictional structure. It is vital you have a working knowledge of how fiction is made seamless when read. Read how-to books, take workshops and then write until you drop. After you have that under your belt you can experiment all you want. My impression is that it is 30% talent and 70% work. Once the work is created than you must edit endlessly. It’s in the editing that the story takes on a life of its own. All the while, observe, listen to conversations, watch body language and the way people look and talk. Rent or go to movies, and theater (dramas in particular). Listen to the dialogue and the interaction between people.

I’m hoping to get my trilogy published so I do appreciate your advice.

Getting published is difficult. I suggest a new author learn the short story form for within that realm you must make every word count. Then, once you feel you have learned that form adequately and have gone over and over the story with a fine tooth comb send it out to journals that are interested in your genre. For instance, if you write mystery, sci-fi, literary, psychological, commercial, romance or any other genre, make sure you send your work to a journal that is seeking your style. Don’t get too uptight about rejections. It’s part of the process, so keep sending and writing. Write as much as you possibly can for that keeps up a level of creativity. When I don’t write for a period of time I find it hard to get back. Block out the time whether it’s every day, 3 times a week or even once a week. Keep up a pattern and make it as often as possible. It also keeps the connections to your unconscious open.

Thank you, Fran. You can find Fran’s site at http://FranMetzman.com. And some of the reviews of her writing:

Fran Metzman’s short stories are a feast, dig in and devour them quickly. Story after story, they will tease your palate, fill you with emotion, and keep you longing for more. Each character comes alive. This is a beautifully written book. — Gloria Mindock, Cervena Barva Press

In Fran Metzman’s collection THE HUNGRY HEART we meet mothers and daughters, lovers, career women, wives and husbands, and feel that we know them all. – Joy E. Stocke, founder & editor-in-chief of Wild River Review and author of a memoir, Anatolian Days & Nights

“THE HUNGRY HEART” is an apt and striking title because it reveals what centers this short story collection – the need for the heart to find sustenance and the gathering at a meal, which is so often the intersection of our lives. Metzman is a deft storyteller who gets into her characters to reveal them and tell us something about the world we live in. — Peter Krok, author of Looking for an Eye

Wilderness House Press: available Amazon.com, B&N and all fine bookstores, or orders can be taken via Fran’s website http://FranMetzman.com.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with YA author Edward R Yatscoff – the three hundred and eighty-sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Story A Day May 2012: May 30th – Sabbatical from the Rat Race

Late April 2011 I discovered http://StoryADay.org and the project that is to write 31 stories in 31 days. Anyone who knows me or follows this blog, knows how passionate I am about short stories so my clichéd eyes lit up at this new marvel. And just a few days later there I was, breathing life into new characters. This went on to become (with some editing of course) my 31-story collection eBook Story A Day May 2011.

And here we are a year later doing it all over again. Today’s prompt was to write the climax of a story (eek). Story a Day website quotes Candace Kearns Read ”The climax is the action the protagonist chooses to take after facing the moment of crisis, where he or she is pushed to the edge with no way out.” (and yes, I’ve taken that very literally). So here is my 631-worder…

Sabbatical from the Rat Race

As Sandy plodded up the hill, she debated what would be over the summit in a ‘loves me, loves me not’ fashion. “Houses, nothing, houses, nothing.” She wanted houses but all the hills so far had produced just luscious green valleys, a welcoming sight in any other circumstance but a week of just green had made it lose its appeal. A week of no company since she’d had to leave Adrian behind. It hadn’t been her idea. For all she knew they were the only two humans left but they’d both known he’d not last another night so she’d left him with the gun and the solitary bullet. She knew the shot was coming but even so, hearing it had been the worst moment in her life. That and the disease that had spread the planet almost instantly. She’d seen the films ‘I Am Legend’, ‘The Road’, ‘Contagion’ so knew it was possible but of course would never happen in real life. Only it had. And she’d been one of the few, like Will Smith, who’d been immune to whatever it was. ‘The few’, she laughed. Her.

It had been her idea to move to the country, those weeks before, to live a life of solitude, to finish the novel that had been taunting her, Adrian to take a sabbatical from the rat race, just a radio for company, and to live hundreds of miles from a living soul. Or not living as the case may be.

Her rucksack was getting heavier every step and sometimes she’d drag it behind her but the material had thinned, the contents threatening to escape. The water and snacks she knew would only last a couple more days and after that she had no plan. She’d never been a planner and this she reasoned was why she’d struggled with her novel until they’d moved there, and the words flowed like the waterfall they’d discovered on their first walk through the woods surrounding their cabin. The waterfall that had filled the bottles they’d carried with them until it had made Adrian sick.

Just a few more feet and she’d know. She stopped, stood upright and listened. Hoping for life, human or otherwise. Put in extreme circumstances and a person will do anything, kill anything… or anyone if it meant life or death. But she heard nothing so carried on walking to the brow of the hill, expecting to see nothing but land, so wanted to scream when she saw a house. Just one but one was enough. If it was empty it would be shelter. If it was occupied she’d take her chance that they were friendly, equally pleased to see her as her them.

She wanted to run down the hill, arms flailing, but common sense and the past few days had taught her caution. She waited, watched for signs of life. Apart from smoke from the chimney there was nothing. No vehicle, no animals, no birds. Much as she wanted to get to the house as quickly as she could, she sat down to think. She’d been anticipating human life over every hilltop but now there could be some, she wasn’t sure what she should do, so sat thinking scenarios; the best that could happen, the worst.

When she’d worked out all the options, she stood and started walking, slowly, ready to drop to the ground at any sign of movement, her dark clothes camouflaging her enough to buy her some time.

As she reached the bottom of the hill and on to flat land she suddenly felt exposed, with no trees to hide behind, no shelter of any kind, she started walking quicker, until she stumbled on an obstinate stone. Distracted, she looked up at the house just as the door opened.

Continued tomorrow? We shall see what the prompt brings.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Short Story Saturday 011: Sister Golden Hair Surprise and the Cruiser by Linda Palmer

Welcome to the Short Story Saturday review slot and the eleventh review in this series. This week’s is of 2,560-word ‘Sister Golden Hair Surprise and the Cruiser’ by romance, paranormal erotica and young adult author Linda Palmer.

Sister Golden Hair Surprise and the Cruiser

I’m a big fan of titles and whilst this didn’t grab me it certainly intrigued me, especially with the various connotations of ‘cruiser’ (or that could be a British thing).

We’re thrown into the story with first person narrative, past tense and get an immediate sense of our protagonist. Because she talks about “big brothers” I assumed her to be female and quite young. We learn 1/4 of the way through that her name is Jilly but there are hints to her gender by touches like “Why don’t you gather some wildflowers or something?” from one of her brothers, the condescending trait working to show us his character.

Jilly’s voice is excellent as she gives us her backstory, and I like the way that Adam gets a job title, just like his father.

We have conflict (between brothers and sister) early on which is important in a short story and then it keeps coming with an injury and a stranger, and her losing her bearings.

One key element of writing that (pardon the pun) isn’t in many stories, is negatives and here we had what Jill couldn’t hear, which was a nice touch and added to her urgency.

The rapport, positive or negative, between the characters is excellent – I loved Jilly’s father’s term of endearment for her, and his tugging smile is beautiful.

There were several ‘laugh out loud’ and ‘ahh’ moments for me which again shows the writing’s strength (I would list them but they are definitive plot spoilers).

I loved the ending and it tied in nicely with something mentioned early in the story.

I spotted a cliché (cried like a baby) but coming from a teenager it’s fine to use it, in fact it enhances the emotion she’s feeling at that moment (and therefore ours as a reader).

Overall, it’s a very enjoyable piece and well-written from a perspective other than that of the writer (unless it’s a semi-autobiographical memory) and is a treat for any fan of one of my favourite films, True Lies (you’ll know where I mean when you read the story).

Linda’s story is available (for free) at: All Romance eBooks.com and The Wild Horse Press.com.

Thank you, Linda, for inviting me to read your story.

Linda Varner Palmer has been writing for as long as she can remember. In 1989, she sold her first romance to Silhouette Books, writing as Linda Varner. She wrote twenty more over the next ten years, with all being translated and sold worldwide. She was an RWA Rita finalist in 1993 and 1996. After taking a break, Linda is at her computer again, writing e-books as Linda Palmer. She is focusing on teen romances with a paranormal twist and is thrilled to announce sales to e-publishers Uncial Press, Sugar and Spice Press and Wild Horse Press. Linda’s YA novel THE CINDERELLA SWAP won the Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition’s (EPIC) 2011 award in the YA category. Another YA novel, NIGHTMARE, INTERRUPTED, won the 2012 award. Visit her website: www.lvpalmer.com. My interview with Linda is scheduled for Wednesday 26th September.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I review stories of up to 2,500 words on this ‘Short Story Saturdays’ feature. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them) on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with Christian teacher, non-fiction author and spotlightee Deborah McCarragher – the three hundred and sixty-first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

 

Guest post: Editing from an editor’s viewpoint by Alana Woods

Tonight’s guest blog post, on the topic of editing is brought to you by thriller novelist, short story and non-fiction author, spotlightee and interviewee Alana Woods.

Editing from an editor’s viewpoint

I’ve been a professional editor for over 30 years. For most of that time I worked in various Australian public service departments, latterly as Director of Publishing at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

I’m no longer in full-time employment—haven’t been for about six years. Most of my time now is taken up with my own writing but I continue to contract edit, again for government departments because that’s where my clientele is. But I also occasionally edit manuscripts for authors.

I imagine what editors actually do may be a bit of a mystery to some.  I know you’re familiar with the general idea: picking up errors and making or suggesting changes to improve a document, but do you know the nitty gritty?  For those who don’t here’s a rundown.

There are three levels of editing.

1. Substantive edit. A substantive edit is the full box and dice. You scrutinise and fix everything: structure, content, language, style, readability, clarity and logic, spelling, punctuation and grammar. It includes applying styles to all text and generating automated tables of content.

Once in a while a full restructure or rewrite is necessary, but usually it entails a thorough edit and, if necessary, pointing out overall weaknesses the author should address and making suggestions about how to fix them.

2. Copy edit. This involves looking at consistency of language, spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. It includes checking capitals and hyphenation consistency (hyphens, ems and en rules). For government and corporate jobs it also includes checking in-house style, references and glossaries, tables and graphs, heading levels and applying styles to all text and generating tables of content.

3. Proofread. This is exactly what it sounds like. A proofread is usually done after the document has been typeset and is ready to be printed. It’s the final check to make sure everything is okay. You make sure the formatting is correct and also check for overlooked typos.

However, with a copy edit and even proofreads, if I find something I think should be addressed I will make a note of it for the client without attempting to fix it.

I use tracked changes so the client can see exactly what I’ve done. It’s up to them to accept or reject my changes.

And now for the editor’s secret.

What is it?

It’s a one-on-one proofread.

This is instead of the single editor proofread.

It consists of one editor reading out loud from the final copy before it was typeset. The text obviously mirrors the text in the typeset document.

This read includes everything: capitals, paragraph breaks, widows/orphans, etc. It also includes formatting—by that I mean bold and italics, indents, justification, inter and intra paragraph spacing etc.

The second editor checks the typeset document against what is being read.

They both use rulers to focus on one line at a time.

It’s not usual with private jobs because only one editor is involved, but it is commonplace in departmental editing where there are several editors on the team, at least in the departments I worked in.

Try it. In my experience you find all sorts of discrepancies including spelling, punctuation and grammar typos.

That was great, thank you, Alana. My editor not only finds errors (fortunately not that many) but also comes up with some wonderful suggestions and it sounds like you love your ‘job’ too.

Alana’s family immigrated to Australia from the UK when she was four and bought land an hour south of Adelaide.  For the next 15 years she explored her way through school, the beach, roaming as far as her bike would take her in a day, and books. In 1966 she met John, married him the next year, and the year after had twins, Simone and Simon— Alana and John still get ribbed about that. Three years later Nicole joined the team—for a moment they thought she was twins too, and joke now that it would have been Nicole and Nicholas.  You can imagine the derision!

In 1980 they moved to Canberra to further their careers until 2004 when they moved to Queensland, spending five years there before moving back to Canberra because they missed their family. They also now spend time in the UK with Simone, her husband and two sons. Alana’s website is http://alanawoods.com and you can read our interview and Alana’s spotlight.

      

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please”.

The blog interviews return as normal tomorrow morning with Jessica Chambers – the three hundred and forty-third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo.  My eBooks are now on Amazon, with more to follow, and I also have a quirky second-person viewpoint story in charity anthology Telling Tales. 

I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.

 

Tuesday Tales 019: The photo that no-one else can get

The nineteenth prompt from online writing group ‘Tuesday Tales’ (my thirteenth story for them) was ‘chase’ and below is the result.

Tuesday Tales provides a new prompt each week, the members write a story inspired by it and post it on our blogs / websites. Then we email the link and first two or three sentences to Jean Joachim. She then posts them on the Tuesday Tales blog (on a Tuesday ), gives us the link then we go out and shout about it.

I did this but had been asleep in ‘class’ as it had previously been announced that ‘chase’ was postponed and a picture prompt had gone up – I’m a glutton for punishment (which is no hardship as I adore writing something new) so did this as well as it resulted in a 300-worder ‘Where’s the fun in that?‘, posted on this blog on Monday 16th April. Below is my 356-worder second-person viewpoint (as most of my Tuesday Tales have been) for the original prompt of ‘chase’…

The photo that no-one else can get

You’ve been chasing her for days, to get the photo that no-one else can get. She knows you’re there. There’s always someone there.

It’s a lifestyle she’s had to become accustomed to, only you don’t think she ever will. It’s not one you’d want, except she’s become your job, your life.

When she emerges out of the building, you reach over to your camera, on its dashboard tripod, and set it to continuous.

You follow her car through narrow streets, wide streets – her executive to your jalopy, the only thing you could get at short notice. You’re used to this place, she’s been here a lot.

Most of the shots are of the back of her head but you know she could look round. She has before.

As her car gathers speed so does yours. It complains but it’s not yours so you’re not bothered.

As she heads into the tunnel, she edges forward and you floor the accelerator, a little too close for comfort but you decide to go alongside, get level, no other cars in sight, so you swivel your camera round in anticipation, a momentary lapse in concentration.

You scream as your car clips hers, a white graze on the black beast, but you keep driving, then slow… watching in the rear view mirror as the Mercedes’ offside hits the pillar, then spins, making contact with the front, ricocheting into the nearside, only the boot intact.

Then you see the other cars, lights on, stop at the scene and you speed away, heart pounding, sweat rising in your armpits and head back to your room, taking the smallest streets you know of, hearing but not seeing the sirens that wake up a sleeping city.

As you look at the screen, you study the dozens of photographs that you know no-one else but you will see. You’ll delete them, never printing them, burn the memory stick to be sure, buy a new computer, but not yet. You put them in a folder and know that whatever you do with them you’ll never forget – the world will never forget – the day you killed a princess.

***

Apart from being inspired by true events, some months ago I read Alexis Sayle’s title story from his collection ‘Barcelona Plates’ and that story’s always stayed with me.

The links to the earlier prompts, and resulting stories, and the forthcoming prompts can be found on this blog’s Tuesday Tales page. Do go and check out the Tuesday Tales blog – it’s a wonderful idea supported by talented writers. So, not only can you read these stories but you could also write your own using the prompts given each week. There’s no word count limit.

Single-word prompts are something I regularly give my Monday night workshop and it’s amazing how different our stories can be. You can read some of mine (free and otherwise) at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo. My eBooks are also now on Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s ‘Contact me’ page or plain and simple, email me. I also have a second-person viewpoint story in charity anthology Telling Tales.

 

Short Story Saturday Review 008: ‘A Good Hanging’ by Ian Rankin

Welcome to the new Short Story Saturday review slot and the seventh review in this new series (last week was this blog’s first anniversary so I posted a competition word search. This week’s review, partially because it’s been sitting in my reading pile for a while and Ian’s appearing at Cambridge-based WordFest’s Spring Festival   next weekend, is of ‘A Good Hanging’ by Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin.

A Good Hanging

‘A Good Hanging’ is the title story from Ian’s 12-piece 1992 collection but located mid-way (sixth) and is, like most of Ian’s stories, set in Edinburgh, featuring his most famous character, Detective Inspector John Rebus.

I’ve only been to Edinburgh once but can imagine the story’s setting (which is always a help) and of course having seen Rebus on-screen I can picture him. Although I’d usually opt for Ken Stott’s harshness rather than John Hannah sensitivity (despite being a huge fan of John) this depiction showed more Hannah than Stott which made for a more subtle read.

History oozes from the first paragraph with a re-enacting of hangings brought to modern day – during the Edinburgh Fringe.

As with many a crime story, we start with a body and apparent suicide. Rebus, assisted by Detective Sergeant Holmes, then starts interviewing ‘suspects’, in this case the victim’s co-performers and crew. Although there is tension between two of the characters, there’s no obvious motive so it is left for the reader to read on whilst debating for themselves.

We then meet the victim’s fiancée who, understandably, is shaken, and through Rebus’ interrogation of her and some of the earlier characters, we are lead to the mystery’s conclusion.

A minor character until the end, the story concludes in DS Holmes’ viewpoint and I enjoyed getting to know him better… and look forward to reading more about him.

Although my favourite line was ‘sinking into a sofa with the consistency of marshmallow’ I was impressed by an unspoken exchange between Holmes (… raised his eyebrows: someone should be with her) and Rebus (…shrugged back: she can handle it on her own).

The writing is simple and enjoyable, and I will certainly be reading the other stories, starting at the beginning with ‘Playback’ then upon a second reading of ‘A Good Hanging’ can look out for the clues lain by a skillful writer such as Ian Rankin.

Biography from Ian’s website:

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards including the prestigious Diamond Dagger in 2005. In 2004, Ian won America’s celebrated Edgar Award for ‘Resurrection Men’. He has also been shortlisted for the Edgar and Anthony Awards in the USA, and won Denmark’s Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the Deutscher Krimipreis. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews and Edinburgh.

A contributor to BBC2′s ‘Newsnight Review’, he also presented his own TV series, ‘Ian Rankin’s Evil Thoughts’. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

Ian’s website is http://www.ianrankin.net and ‘A Good Hanging & Other Stories’ is available from www.amazon.co.uk
, www.borders.co.uk, 
www.whsmith.co.uk, 
www.waterstones.co.uk, 
www.audible.co.uk (for audio download titles only)
, www.play.com and 
www.blackwells.co.uk.

If you’d like to submit your story (50 to 2,500 words) for review take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with non-fiction and religious / paranormal action-adventure thriller author Joanna Penn – the three hundred and thirty-third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo. My eBooks are now on Amazon, and I also have a story in charity anthology Telling Tales.

I have a new forum at http://morgenbailey.freeforums.org and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s ‘Contact me’ page or plain and simple, email me.

 

Short Story Saturday Review 004: ‘Clouded Vision’ by Linwood Barclay

Welcome to the Short Story Saturday review slot and the fourth in this series. This week’s is of long short story ‘Clouded Vision’ by Linwood Barclay.

I’d been looking forward to reading this book for a number of reasons (not in any particular order); it’s a Quick Read and I love to devour a book in one sitting (or standing… walking into town and back, in my case), it’s crime genre (my favourite) and it’s by Linwood Barclay. This is the only book of his I own but the Manageress at the Red Cross shop I volunteer at is an avid fan so it’s been near the top of my pile for a while. What better excuse than to read it for a review I’m posting just before heading to the shop.

As a good story should, the prologue (‘Setting the Scene’) starts with action, where we’re introduced to Eleanor (Ellie) Garfield whose fate we know by the end of these six-pages. As you would expect, the focus then switches to the family and the lengths they will go to to find their missing wife and mother. One of these routes is a ‘psychic’, Keisha Ceylon, who’s not all she’s cracked (anyone who reads this story please pardon the pun) up to be.

Other characters featured are the husband (Wendell), pregnant daughter (Melissa), the father of her child (Lester), a grown-up child himself, and Keisha’s competition, fellow psychic Winona. All are believable and well-rounded, even those only appearing for a page or more.

We ‘learn’ of the murderer’s identity about half-way through the book, the pace continuing with several more twists until the end. I did guess a couple of them, including the final one, but by then I’d become so attached to the characters that I hadn’t wanted it to end any other way (and it had me clapping!).

Although the Quick Reads series are designed to “engage new or lapsed adult readers”, and as the name would suggest, be quick to read, this story doesn’t hold back. It’s written in third person past tense, covering a few days of a could-be-based-on-real-life situation with a good mix of description and dialogue, long and short sentences keeping the narrative drive.

The book is a mere 96 pages of reasonably large print, equating to (by my very rough calculations) about 10,000 words – ideal for a lunch break or not-so-light relief.

Whilst we want books to be our friend, take us by the hand and lead us on a journey, some hold more tightly than others and Linwood, albeit only judged from this one story, certainly has a powerful grip.

Lindwood’s website is http://linwoodbarclay.com, which features this book ‘Clouded Vision’ on the home page. He is on Twitter, Facebook and Amazon amongst other places.

You can read more about the Quick Reads series here.

If you’d like to submit your story (50 to 2,500 words) for review take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with editor and novelist Jennifer Ciotta – the two hundred and ninety-eighth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore and Kobo. And I have a new forum at http://morgenbailey.freeforums.org.

 

Flash Fiction Friday 016: ‘Zombie Fight Song’ by Bob Frey

Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the sixteenth piece of flash fiction in this series. This week’s piece is a 999-worder by novelist and guest blogger Bob Frey.

Please note that this story has some strong language.

‘Zombie Fight Song’

“I want to fight you,” Driscoll said.

It was the last thing Steve expected him to say. Driscoll’s eyes were unnerving, spooky. His clothes were a fright. Apparently, they were the same ones he had worn the previous night. “Don’t be an asshole,” Steve said.

Driscoll grunted. “I want to fight you.”

What was going on? Was the son of a bitch packing an equalizer or had he completely lost his mind? “What for?”

“I can beat you.” His words were slow and chilling.

Driscoll’s mindless stare made him antsy. Steve wanted no part of him. “Get lost,” he said. He started to walk away.

“I will hit you right here,” Driscoll said in a raspy voice.

Steve stopped. Hell, he had beaten this creep before. He could do it again. The guy couldn’t have turned into Mohammed Ali overnight. What was the difference, either now or some other time? “Where do you want to go?”

“The museum.”

“The museum? Are you for real?” Steve wished someone would come out of the house to help him talk this asshole out of his stupidity.

“Behind museum.”

Steve peered into his eyes. They were dead, lifeless. They made his blood run cold. The last thing in the world he wanted was to fight this creep, but what could he do? “Suit yourself,” he said.

As they walked up the narrow street with the old dilapidated houses on one side and the stone edifice of the museum rising on the other, Steve tried to think of a way to reason with the joker shuffling beside him. He was sorry about what happened last night and wanted to tell him so. He wanted Driscoll to know Carol was sorry too and that he could have her back if he asked her. Steve couldn’t say any of that. He was afraid. Fear was churning in his gut.

Why was he afraid? He didn’t honestly believe he was about to get his ass kicked or a bullet in his skull. Driscoll wasn’t capable of either one, or at least the old Driscoll wasn’t. But the way this cretin was behaving gave Steve the creeps. It was unnatural. It made him want to cut and run.

Driscoll didn’t utter a word all the way up the street. When they turned at the corner, Steve followed him as he clumped up the stone steps and around the side of the building to the rear of the museum. Behind them about twenty yards or so was a street which wound over some small hills and then past a cemetery. Kids called it the boneyard because they often took their dates there to make out. Damn, the way Driscoll freaked him out, he might have just come from there.

Driscoll turned and leaned slightly forward as Steve removed his jacket and pitched it aside. Without a word, the asshole came at him. Steve stepped nimbly to the right, threw a fist into Driscoll’s stomach and hit him with a blow that glanced off the side of his face. Steve feinted and danced away. Driscoll mumbled incoherently and advanced toward him again.

Steve went into a peek-a-boo crouch and a couple of jabs caught his adversary flush in his face. Blinded, Driscoll wrapped his arms around Steve and pulled him to the ground and sunk his teeth into his shoulder. Steve slammed the gaping jaw away with the heel of hand, broke free, and got up. Good grief, the son of a bitch had bitten him.

Driscoll got up slowly and lumbered at him again. Driscoll moaned, swung his arms and landed a blow on Steve’s shoulder. Steve countered with a hard right that caught the creep under his right eye. It turned him around and Steve hooked him smoothly with his left hand and struck him just above the eye on the other side. Driscoll groaned and raised his hands, and Steve threw a couple of ineffectual punches that glanced off his flailing limbs. He then drove his fist into his opponent’s midsection and came around with a left. The creep toppled to the ground.

It was a cool night, but Steve’ armpits were on fire and sweat ran down his face. He wiped the sleeve of his shirt over his forehead and took a breath. It was hard to tell in the moonlight if he had done any damage to Driscoll’s face, but he must have. He waited to see if the asshole got up. He did.

Again, the fat ass shuffled forward and again Steve knocked him down. Once more, he rose to his feet and Steve began to hit him with desperation. As savagely as Steve beat him, the creep would get up with the same vacant look in his eyes and limp toward him like the terminator. It was macabre.

Steve’s arms were like lead. He didn’t know how long he could keep knocking the creep down. Every time he flattened him, he was sure it was the last time. In his heart, he knew the son of a bitch would outlast him. He knew it. The creep would have his way in the end.

Like the walking dead, Driscoll growled and staggered toward him again. It was ridiculous, but Steve suddenly realized with horror that Driscoll wanted to eat his brains. He struck him a blow with all the strength he had left and Driscoll went tumbling once more. Then Steve heard this crazy clockwork music come from out of nowhere. De dum, dum, dum, de dum, dum, dum, de dum, dum, dum. It was a happy tune with a beat like a polka. Somehow, it made him think of chickens. He swore he could hear groans or blackbird squawks in the background. It was more than he could take. Steve fell on top of his nemesis, wrapped his hands around his throat, and throttled him. He squeezed harder and harder, cursing and yelling in the night. Suddenly, the creature gurgled and was still.

Thank you Bob. Something tells me I might not look at museums in the same light.

Bob Frey loves to entertain, make people laugh and think, and, perhaps, shake them up a little.

He was a copywriter for several top Los Angeles advertising agencies and received several awards for his creative work.

When he turned to writing fiction, he found it was a whole new ballgame and he had a lot to learn.

He has since published a couple of mysteries, The DVD Murders and The Bashful Vampire Murder & Comic Book Murders, and Catawampus Tales, a book of short stories, a mixed bag of fast food for the mind.

Also an actor, he has appeared in some forty independent films and stage plays. Now retired, he lives in Sandy, Oregon, with his wife, Susan.

If you’d like to submit your 1,000-word max. stories for consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with gay male:male novelist Tristram La Roche – the two hundred and forty-first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords.

 

Guest post (and giveaway): ‘A blog that goes bump in the night’ by Marla Madison

I’m delighted to bring you this guest blog post, today on the topic of Halloween, by suspense novelist and former interviewee and Flash Fiction Friday contributor Marla Madison.

A blog that goes bump in the night – why is October scary?

On a cold, fall evening, Lisa Rayburn, the protagonist in my suspense novel, She’s Not There, wonders why fall is scary. She’s right, but why? It can’t be because of trick-or-treating. Today’s costumed tots go out surrounded by friends and protected by parents; nothing scary about that. (I could mention that in my day, children were able to go out alone, which was scary, but that would reveal my age – and that’s truly scary!)

In a creative writing class, I wrote a short story in which I tried to define what was actually spooky about fall. I described bare trees with branch-tentacles grasping at lone walkers after dark. So, bare trees outlined against a full moon – kind of scary. The air suddenly cool and crisp – a little scary. But frightening enough to paint the month evil? Hardly.

We all enjoy the thrill of being terrified. The legend of the Hallow’s Eve of folklore permits us to celebrate fear every year when, on October 31, witches gathered to mark the seasonal transition.

In a frenzy of fear, by the end of October our lawns sport the grim reaper, giant spiders, ghosts, coffins and Frankenstein’s monster. We throw parties attended by guests dressed as everything from football players to Count Dracula. (I’ve heard that this year zombie costumes will be the rage.)

Ghosts are a popular fright on Halloween. My house has a ghost. Honestly, it does and others have experienced it. He’s neither a wicked ghost nor a friendly one. He’s just here, the man who built this house. He had a sad, unfulfilling life and remains disturbed. We co-exist; he’s not scary.

In fiction and in movies, for me, when it comes to hair-raising, less is more. In Cujo, Stephen King mastered nail-biting foreshadowing and underlying tension of the horror to come. And a movie that left me with a creepy feeling for weeks (and even now and then when I walk past the woods) was the Blair Witch Project. Some people hated it, but I find what I don’t see to be much more frightening than a slasher flick with buckets of blood shed in every scene. Subtle horror, like humor, wins out for me every time.

I find reality scarier than either fiction or the paranormal. The night I read Helter Skelter, the true crime account of Charles Manson and his followers, I was awake all night; and not just because I was engrossed in reading. The idea of people capable of such atrocities creeping around my house while I slept, scared the crap out of me.

What scares it out of you? Come on, share it in a comment. I’ll send a coupon for a free ecopy of She’s Not There to the most interesting answer. So think about what really frightens you and spill it. Then sleep with the light on!

Thank you Marla! Ever since watching the first Halloween movie (with Jamie Lee Curtis I think) it put me off knives for life. I use them, obviously, but I won’t have a knife block on display in the house. As one of the ‘organisers’ I’m not in the running for the free eBook by the way folks so please do tell. :)

Marla Madison works part-time doing arbitrations for the State of Iowa and the Federal Mediation Service. Working full-time as an author, Marla is busy penning her second novel of suspense. She’s Not There, her first, is now available as an ebook. At home in Northwestern Wisconsin, she lives on Prairie Lake with her significant other, Terry, a beloved shelter-dog, Skygge, and Poncho, an opinionated feline from the same shelter. Some of her favorite things are playing duplicate and tournament bridge, golfing, reading, pontooning, and taking long walks with her dog. You can find Marla via her blog, Twitter and Facebook.

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me at morgen@morgenbailey.com with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please” (while quietly bouncing up and down in my seat with joy!).

 

Flash Fiction Friday 005: ‘Halloween night’ by Marla Madison

Welcome to Flash Fiction Friday and the fifth story in this new weekly series. This week’s piece is a 411-worder entitled ‘Halloween night’ by Marla Madison.

Halloween night

A mottling of blue, powder-puff clouds curtained the moon. When I left home, it had been free of encumbrance, a demi-moon, torn in two as if by an invisible, galactic predator.

Now as I walk this deserted lane, two spaces opened in the clouds, pale light from the moon creating glowing eyes, evil orbs peering down at me from the heavens. I walked faster as a corner of the moon appeared in one of the eyes in the clouds, creating a malevolent, one-eyed presence.

Shivering, I turned my eyes to the ground and kept walking.

I had to know.

Not wanting to be seen, I’d parked my car at the end of the cornfield. I moved stealthily toward Jonathan’s cabin, where I suspected my love to be snuggled in with another woman. Did he have the bed scattered with rose petals for her as he had for me on our first night? Was the bedroom aglow with candlelight?

I had to know.

Something snapped in the field beside me. I started, but kept up my pace. The soft, crinkly rustling of the autumn corn seemed to whisper, “Go back.”  I walked faster. A dead tree, its branches black and gnarled against the sky, reached for me, its branches crusty, jagged tentacles. I gasped, but continued my journey forward.

I had to know.

There were no lights on in the cabins near Jonathan’s. The frigid fall air and steady drizzle had kept the weekenders away.

The mossy, damp scent of the lake reached my nostrils as I heard a gentle lapping at the shoreline behind his cottage. Soft light flowing from the windows barely illuminated the approach to the front door.

I knew every inch of the yard, from the rusted mailbox, to the weather-beaten window boxes Jonathan filled with yard tools rather than planting with flowers. I peered over one. My breathing ceased at the sight of my beloved with his arms around another woman, their lips melding together in a passionate kiss.

My mouth burned with the acrid taste of jealousy. I longed to crawl into the woods and let the creatures of the earth have me, let dead leaves form a shroud around my wasting body.

Now I knew.

Running back to the road, I stumbled.  I’d nearly fallen on the tines of an old, wood-handled pitchfork; my beloved had a habit of leaving tools lying about. As quietly as possible, I leaned it against the shed where no one could step on it and injure himself. But why should I care if Jonathan or his slut pricked their feet? I pictured her with blood drizzling from dainty, pink toes, her long, curly hair falling over her pained face.

Jonathan never used to lock his doors. He probably still didn’t, in spite of the unfair restraining order he’d filed against me. I had to make him understand the depth of my love for him. I picked up the pitchfork, caressing its rugged shaft in my trembling hands and moved toward the house.

I’m coming, my darling. Now you’ll know.

Ooh… thank you Marla.

Marla Madison works part-time doing arbitrations for the State of Iowa and the Federal Mediation Service. Working full-time as an author, Marla is busy penning her second novel of suspense. She’s Not There, her first, is now available as an ebook. At home in Northwestern Wisconsin, she lives on Prairie Lake with her significant other, Terry, a beloved shelter-dog, Skygge, and Poncho, an opinionated feline from the same shelter. Some of her favorite things are playing duplicate and tournament bridge, golfing, reading, pontooning, and taking long walks with her dog.

If you’d like to submit your 1,000-word max. stories for consideration for Flash Fiction Friday take a look here.