Hi everyone!
I hope you enjoy my site. There are lots of things to discover. If you click on Books, you’ll get a list of my novels, cover designs, blurbs and reviews. If you want to review one of my books, you can do that as well. There’s a way of contacting me too. So, if you’re trying to get hold of one of my older hard-to-find books, you can check if I’ve got a copy for sale. Or you might just want to ask me a question. If lots of you ask the same question, I’ll put it – and my answer – in the FAQs section.
I try to respond to all messages but occasionally someone’s email provider refuses my reply. Either some filters are a bit too protective or there’s a spelling mistake in your email address. So, if you want a reply, make sure you enter your email address correctly. At the moment, I can’t reply to the boys at BGS; did you give me your correct address?
Are you Booked Up? Booked Up is a national programme run by Booktrust to encourage and support reading for pleasure by providing each Year 7 pupil in England with a free book from a list of 12 specially selected titles. And guess what? One of the books is KISS OF DEATH. Fantastic! Visit http://www.bookedup.org.uk/Home to find out more about the project and http://www.usborne.co.uk/news_and_fun/booked_up_2008.asp to find out about the selection of KISS OF DEATH for the project and my reaction to this great news
I also declare myself mega-chuffed to have KISS OF DEATH shortlisted for one of my favourite awards: The Lancashire Book of the Year Award 2008. It didn’t win but I’m delighted to have KISS OF DEATH on a very strong shortlist of books.
I’ve just given my first session in a prison. I really enjoyed talking to the men about creative writing. They were a great audience: enthusiastic, appreciative and inquisitive. You see, no matter where we find ourselves, no matter what life throws at us, we can all use our imaginations and we all enjoy stories.
Concerned about climate change? How far would you go to protest against polluting industries? That’s the dilemma in my thriller, FOUR DEGREES MORE. It’s my shortest book, designed for those who prefer their reading to be a snack rather than a gut-busting feast.
In August, I’ll follow FOUR DEGREES MORE with ANIMAL LAB. Again, it’s a short novel but it’s packed with controversy. The story is all about animal experiments, animal rights – and animal wrongs.
Note to American readers: The US version of Final Lap includes the first chapter of the sixth TRACES book. Unfortunately, this has been labelled incorrectly as the opening of Double Check. Don’t believe it! It is the beginning of Blood Brother.
BLOOD BROTHER is now in the shops. The USA version has a green pyramid on the front cover and the UK version has a blood bag.
By the way, you can click on the latest covers in the Books section and go through to Amazon where you can buy the books. Yeah, I know it’s a bit commercial but some of you might appreciate it.
KISS OF DEATH is my 30th novel and it’s set in modern times but it’s based on the 17th century outbreak of the Black Death in the Derbyshire village of Eyam (pronounced like the end of 'cream'). The book comes with blackened boils filled with pus and blood. Yuck! I’m delighted to tell you that this supernatural mystery/thriller was runner-up (Highly Commended) for the Sheffield Children’s Book Award 2007. This means a lot to me because it’s my local area and because the young readers themselves voted for the book. It was also shortlisted for the Bolton Children’s Book Award. Again, it didn’t win but there was a really good buzz about it and lots of support. I really enjoyed both award ceremonies. Thanks to everyone in Bolton and Sheffield.
And that’s not all. I’m particularly pleased that the fourth TRACES book, DOUBLE CHECK, was shortlisted for the Portsmouth Book Award in the Longer Novel category. Over the years I've had several thrillers nominated for awards (and even won three), but this is the first time for one of my crime stories. I declare myself chuffed to bits, even though it didn’t win.
Talking of TRACES, the fifth book is now out in the UK as well as the USA. FINAL LAP is set on a huge building site in London. The Authorities are trying to regenerate the area by building a sports facility to host the International Youth Games. (No prizes for guessing that Wembley and the London Olympic site were the inspiration.) But someone’s out to stop the development by any means possible. Fans of Malc and Jade will be pleased to know that they both play crucial parts in the exciting climax of the story.
The sixth TRACES book is BLOOD BROTHER. There’s a serial killer operating in York Hospital and it’s Luke’s job to track him or her down. He also has to figure out a motive for murdering patients. The book contains a fascinating collection of real diseases, like stone man syndrome. But which are natural sicknesses and which have been caused deliberately? The exotic poisons, plants, medical treatments, and research on human body parts are all authentic as well. The Institute of Biomechanical Research is fictional but its gruesome experiments have all been carried out in actual laboratories. And that includes the catapulted human head. Watch out for it in January (USA) or March 2008 (UK).
On one of my favourite CDs (‘Flyover’ by The Workhouse), there’s a song called ‘Look up at the Stars’ and fans of Luke Harding will know he loves looking up at the stars. With the group’s permission, I’m quoting the lyrics to this Workhouse song at the climax of BLOOD BROTHER. The words turn out to be perfect for Luke’s terrifying situation at the end of the book. Be ready for a big shock!
I think the real police are reading TRACES to get new ideas on catching crooks. This was in the news in May 2005: “A mobile forensic laboratory that allows DNA evidence to be analysed at the scene of a crime will begin working today. Detectives will also be able to compare fingerprints and shoe prints without leaving the scene...” This isn't the only thing that sounds familiar. How about this from New Scientist magazine? “The chatty computer has come a step closer to reality...” Then, on 16th January 2008, the Guardian reported, “The technology exists right now to move cars without a driver. As for taxis, driverless cabs could be parked anywhere waiting for a user to call them." The real world is catching on to Malc and TRACES-type transport, I think.
My Liverpool-set thriller THE DEATH GENE is all about an attempt by biologists to make a life form from scratch - something that is actually happening in a few laboratories right now. The book is fast-paced and a bit on the gruesome side. If you liked Transplant and Plague, I think you'll love The Death Gene.
