The Hippo Hangs Out . . . . with Terry Lynn Thomas

I’m delighted to be joined by author Terry Lynn Thomas on The Hippo today. 

Photo courtesy of Terry Lynn Thomas

Terry Lynn Thomas grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, which explains her love of foggy beaches, windy dunes, and Gothic mysteries. When her husband promised to buy Terry a horse and the time to write if she moved to Mississippi with him, she jumped at the chance. Although she had written several novels and screenplays prior to 2006, after she relocated to the South she set out to write in earnest and has never looked back. 

Now Terry Lynn writes the Sarah Bennett Mysteries, set on the California coast during the 1940s, which feature a misunderstood medium in love with a spy. She also writes the Cat Carlisle Mysteries, set in 1930s Britain. The first book in this series, The Silent Woman, is released in April 2018.  When she’s not writing, you can find Terry Lynn riding her horse, walking in the woods with her dogs, or visiting old cemeteries in search of story ideas.

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Terry’s new book, The Silent Woman, is due for release on April 11^th and is available for pre-order now, so let’s find out what it’s about.

                                                       Blurb

Would you sell your secrets?

Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out… that is until a trusted friend asks her to switch her husband’s papers in a desperate bid to confuse the Germans.

Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and the evidence seems to point right at her.

Can she clear her name before it’s too late?

Amazon UK 🇬🇧

Amazon US 🇺🇸

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What other authors are you friends with and how do they help you become a better writer?

I have made so many friends since I started writing in earnest, it’s amazing. Every writer I have ever met has been kind, generous, helpful, and supportive. So I’m going to take this question chronologically. I met Lisa Ricard Claro at a writer’s conference in 2010. We gelled immediately, became fast friends, and worked as critique partners for a while. Our paths have diverged a bit, but we still support each other’s careers, beta read when we are able, and talk each other off the ledge when necessary. 

I met Barbara Davis on an airplane on the way to the RWA conference in 2014. She sat next to me, and like a fool, I asked if she was going to pitch. She was so nice about telling me that she was already published and was doing a signing. We bonded on the plane and hung out a bit at the conference. We’re still friends and she is been forthcoming with advice and information. 

Finally, I have to plug Emma Jameson. Emma is a self-pubbed author who writes best-selling mysteries. When I contemplated self-publishing, she wrote me a lengthy informative email and offered to help in any way she could. 

I feel so grateful for this job and the support is amazing.

What’s your favourite under-appreciated writer/book?
I’m going to have to go with Lisa Ricard Claro’s Fireflies series. They are sweet, southern, and extremely charming. I don’t usually read romance, but I do love Lisa’s writing and I love her books. 

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
When I have a manuscript in progress, I get up at 4:00 a.m. and write until 7:00 a.m. That way I get my word count finished. I have been known to stay in my pyjamas all weekend when working, especially if it’s cold out. 

What do you think is more important: characters or plot?
Ah, the chicken or the egg… I think that characters do things and that their actions are what forms plot, thus the two are so enmeshed that they can’t be separated. Developing characters who react to situations differently and putting them together around dramatic events is the essence of good story telling. And it’s interesting because when I start a new book, I always have the log line, the one-sentence synopsis of what is about. Fleshing out the story—for me anyway—is the adding of layers. So while I might have a rough cast of characters, I have to layer what these characters are exposed to and how they handle it. After that, I’ll layer in developmental issues about how they deal with the obstacles I put in front of them, their personal growth, and their ultimate arc. As I said, the chicken or the egg…

What character in your book are you least likely to get along with and why?
Isobel Carlisle in The Silent Woman is a total shrew. She is a domineering, self-righteous egomaniac who gets her power by picking on Cat Carlisle. By way of explanation, Cat married into this moneyed family, so Isobel thinks Cat is a gold digger and finds her wanting in every way. While most of us aren’t in the exact same situation as Cat, we’ve all experienced bullying in some degree. It was interesting to pit Cat against Isobel. I admire Cat’s backbone… 

You get a brilliant idea/thought/phrase at an inappropriate moment (eg in the shower or driving) what do you do?
Full stop. Write it down. I seem to do this when I am really comfortable and am about to slip into sleep.

Describe yourself in five words.
Hard-working, honest, loyal, nerdy, introverted.

Do you have any bad habits?
Do wine and chocolate count? Writers sit a lot, so it’s important to get up and keep moving. When I develop bad habits, I gently chide myself for some responsible self-care.

What is your guilty pleasure?
I love reruns of Columbo, Murder She Wrote, and anything Agatha Christie. 

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You can find out more about Terry, her books and connect with her using the links below:

Facebook
Twitter
Amazon UK
Amazon US

I'd like to thank Terry for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with me today and to wish her lots of luck with The Silent Woman. 😘

#BlogBlitz - Pendle Fire - Paul Southern

Social worker Johnny Malkin is battling a crippling workload and a hostile local community. That’s on a good day: things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Two fourteen-year-old girls are found wandering Aitken Wood on the slopes of Pendle Hill, claiming to have been raped by a gang of men. With no female social workers available, Johnny is assigned to their case. But what, at first, looks like yet another incident of child exploitation takes a sinister turn when the girls start speaking of a forthcoming apocalypse.

When Johnny interviews one of the girls, Jenna Dunham, her story starts to unravel. His investigation draws him into a tight-knit village community in the shadow of Pendle Hill, where whispers of witchcraft and child abuse go back to the Middle Ages.

One name recurs: The Hobbledy Man. Is he responsible for the outbreaks of violence sweeping across the country?

Is he more than just myth?

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Having read and enjoyed Paul Southern's novel, Daddy Dearest, I was excited to hear that he'd written another book.


Pendle Fire is a clever mix of ancient folklore, modern day life and sprinkled with just a hint of the supernatural.

There are several strands to the story line as we follow social worker, Johnny Malkin, who often asks himself  "Did I miss something?", Constable Shaf Khan, who is tasked with investigating the claims made by the two young girls and then of course there's The Hobbledy Man.

Some readers may find certain aspects of the story make for uncomfortable reading. I thought that it was a brave move on the authors part to tackle racism, riots and grooming but sadly, these are topics that seem to regularly appear in the news and are a sign of the times in today's world. That said, I feel that the author dealt with them sensitively, it wasn't gratuitous and he'd clearly done his research, which for me made it a very realistic read, but it definietly won't be everyone's cup of tea.

If, like me, you like your fiction to be dark, unsettling and full of tension then Pendle Fire could be just the book for you.

                                                      Author Bio

Paul Southern was born in the 1960s to itinerant parents who moved from city to city. He lived in Liverpool, Belfast, London and Leeds, then escaped to university, where he nearly died of a brain haemorrhage. After an unexpected recovery, he co-formed an underground indie group (Sexus). Made immediate plans to become rich and famous, but ended up in Manchester. Shared a house with mice, cockroaches, and slugs; shared the street with criminals. Five years later, hit the big time with a Warners record deal. Concerts at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Melody Maker front cover, Smash Hits Single of the Week, Radio 1 and EastEnders. Mixed with the really rich and famous. Then mixed with lawyers. Ended up back in Manchester, broke. He got a PhD in English (he is the world's leading authority on Tennyson's stage plays!), then wrote his first novel, The Craze, based on his experiences of the Muslim community. He has three other published books and has written for ITV. He was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger award in 2002 and received positive reviews from national and international press, including The Guardian, Arena, Radio 4, Ladsmag, and Kirkus, amongst many others.

You can follow the blog blitz with these fabulous bloggers:

With kind thanks to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books and author Paul Southern for the review copy and my spot on the blog blitz.

#BlogTour - Abel's Revenge - Ross Greenwood

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Abel’s Revenge by Ross Greenwood.

This is the first book that I’ve read by this author, despite having a couple of his previous books tucked away on my kindle.

Abel’s Revenge is a serial killer book like no other I’ve read before – it’s not overflowing with blood, guts and gore but that doesn’t mean that it’s a dull read!

The serial killer has named the darkness inside him ‘Abel’ after discovering the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible as a young boy but just how much was his behaviour influenced by his own father?

Dan and Olivia met on holiday but now back home and with two children, life and its everyday stresses and strains are beginning to take their toll on the couple’s relationship. Dan hates living in the city Olivia made him move to and loathes his job, while Olivia wants Dan to grow a pair, face up to his responsibilities and stop taking her for granted.

As we watch Dan and Olivia’s relationship crumble, we also witness the anger rising within Abel who seems to be terrorising their local community. Who is Abel and more importantly will anyone be able to stop him?

I thought this was a very cleverly written book and I loved the alternating chapters which helped to build up the tension as the story went on. I liked the way the author also threw in humorous moments, I thought these added a depth and sense of realism to the book. There was one incident in particular in this book where I was so caught up in the story that I’m pretty sure I forgot to breathe until I knew that a certain character wasn’t going to get caught in a compromising position. There were a couple of times I thought I’d worked out who Abel was, only to have the rug pulled from under my feet – well done Mr Greenwood!

Abel’s Revenge is a well-written, gripping page turner that I would definitely recommend and I’ll be digging out his other books on my kindle.

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                                                       Author Bio

 

Ross Greenwood was born in 1973 in Peterborough and lived there until he was 20, attending The King's School in the city. He then began a rather nomadic existence, living and working all over the country and various parts of the world.

Ross found himself returning to Peterborough many times over the years, usually, so he says “when things had gone wrong.” It was on one of these occasions that he met his partner about 100 metres from his back door whilst walking a dog. Two children swiftly followed. And, according to Ross, he is “still a little stunned by the pace of it now.”

Lazy Blood book was started a long time ago but parenthood and then four years as a prison officer got in the way. Ironically it was the four a.m. feed which gave the author the opportunity to finish the book as unable to get back to sleep he completed it in the early morning hours.

Ross Greenwood’s second book, The Boy Inside, was picked up by Bloodhound Books, and in September 2017, Fifty Years of Fear was published. All his books are thought provoking, and told with a sense of humour.

Ross Greenwood hopes you enjoy reading them. 

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You can follow the tour on these great blogs: 

With kind thanks to Caroline Vincent at Bits About Books for the review copy and my stop on the blog tour.