This morning I signed a contract with The Friday Project for two more Harry Pigg books. Woohoo - joyness abounds.
Mark your calendars. The Ho Ho Ho Mystery is scheduled for publication in November 2010 and the second (provisionally entitled The Curds and Whey Mystery) will be published in the middle of the following year.
Now all I have to do is finish them!!!!
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Friday, 4 December 2009
And still hanging on...
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Last Week's Top Ten eBooks at Waterstones.com
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1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Transworld Digital)
2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
6. FlashForward by Robert J. Sawyer (Gollancz)
7. Hard Girls by Martina Cole
8. The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke (HarperCollins e-books)
9. Not Dead Enough by Peter James
10. The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell (Hachette Digital)
Woot!
Last Week's Top Ten eBooks at Waterstones.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Transworld Digital)
2. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
4. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
6. FlashForward by Robert J. Sawyer (Gollancz)
7. Hard Girls by Martina Cole
8. The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke (HarperCollins e-books)
9. Not Dead Enough by Peter James
10. The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell (Hachette Digital)
Woot!
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Still Bestselling
I'd missed this, but Declan (no relation) Burke of the wonderful Crime Always Pays Blog brought it to my attention....
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Last Week's Top Ten eBooks at Waterstone's
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1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Transworld Digital)
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (HarperCollins e-books)
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
4. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
6. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
7. Not Dead Enough by Peter James
8. The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke (HarperCollins e-books)
9. FlashForward by Robert J. Sawyer (Gollancz)
10. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave (Sceptre)
Hmm, in pretty good company there.
The ebook of the Third Pig has been selling well over the past few months, mainly because of the progressive apporach to pricing adopted by my publisher. Kudos to them, as ebook pricing is something I feel very strongly about and will be addressing in a future post.
And no, I've not forgotten the developments I mentioned a few posts back, they're still happening but just haven't been finalised enough to make official. Maybe this week.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Last Week's Top Ten eBooks at Waterstone's
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown (Transworld Digital)
2. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (HarperCollins e-books)
3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
4. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
6. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Digital)
7. Not Dead Enough by Peter James
8. The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke (HarperCollins e-books)
9. FlashForward by Robert J. Sawyer (Gollancz)
10. The Other Hand by Chris Cleave (Sceptre)
Hmm, in pretty good company there.
The ebook of the Third Pig has been selling well over the past few months, mainly because of the progressive apporach to pricing adopted by my publisher. Kudos to them, as ebook pricing is something I feel very strongly about and will be addressing in a future post.
And no, I've not forgotten the developments I mentioned a few posts back, they're still happening but just haven't been finalised enough to make official. Maybe this week.
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Things I've learned while editing.
I like using the word 'predicament'. A quick search of novel currently undergoing edits revealed an embarassingly large amount of predicaments. I love the search and replace function.
Ditto for 'clearly'. Clearly, I like using clearly.
Action scenes need to be fast-paced. The reader doesn't need or want to know what the hero is thinking, just what he's doing (and doing it in short snappy sentences).
Names are important - especially in translation. Apparently Cal means something quite impolite in Russian (so there).
Ditto for 'clearly'. Clearly, I like using clearly.
Action scenes need to be fast-paced. The reader doesn't need or want to know what the hero is thinking, just what he's doing (and doing it in short snappy sentences).
Names are important - especially in translation. Apparently Cal means something quite impolite in Russian (so there).
Monday, 2 November 2009
Coming Soon To A...
Apologies for the recent lack of updates. It's not all due to laziness on my part though. Much has happened in the past few weeks, not least the fact that I've landed myself an agent, and, as a result, learned more about the publishing industry than I ever thought possible.
There have been other more exciting developments however that, for the time being, must remain under wraps (and have nothing to do with Shaun cassidy).
But fret not, all will be revealed (in a manner of speaking) in the coming weeks (hopefully).
Stay tuned.
There have been other more exciting developments however that, for the time being, must remain under wraps (and have nothing to do with Shaun cassidy).
But fret not, all will be revealed (in a manner of speaking) in the coming weeks (hopefully).
Stay tuned.
Wednesday, 7 October 2009
Review: Hell's Heroes
Darren Shan is a writer that I admire hugely. He writes fantastic horror stories and, when I've had the opportunity to see him live, does great readings and really cares about his fans. His current series, The Demonata, concludes with Hells Heroes, the 10th volume in the series.
Shan likes to leave his readers dangling and the end of Vol 9, Dark Calling, was no exception. Bec had allied with Lord Loss, Grubbs and Kernel seemed to no longer trust each other and Demons were breaking through all over the planet. Things were, as they say, looking bad for planet Earth.
Hell's Heroes picks up where Dark Calling ended. Grubbs is trying to come to terms what he's done to Kernel and with Bec's betrayal. Kernel doesn't trust him any more and threatens to leave first chance he gets. From this inauspicious start, Shan weaves a compelling tale of action, loyalty and the inevitable lots of gore that wraps up all that has gone before and answers the questions raised in previous volumes.
Although he displays a solid grasp of tone and plotting, Shan's greatest strength as a writer is, in my opinion, the quality of his endings. His massive 12-volume Vampire series finished with an ending that was unexpected, appropriate and, in hindsight, set-up right from the beginning. Above all, it gave me a sense of conclusion that avoided cliche and felt right. Hell's Heroes ending is just as satisfying and, without giving anything away, takes the story in a totally unexpected direction that, again, had been foreshadowed throughout the series for those who paid careful attention.
One aspect of the final volume that I found interesting was the nature of the narrator. Grubbs has become bitter and despondent and the easy-going, wise-cracking character of earlier novels isn't as much in evidence. Although this makes Grubbs lass sympathetic to the reader, it's a natural progression based on earlier events and makes the character more honest and believable. It's a difficult thing to pull off, particularly with a younger readership, but Shan does it without ever losing the characters basic humanity. It's a bold step but in the contxt of the overall story, a necessary one.
The Demonata itself was a more complex series than the Vampire one. Not only did it have have different narrators in various volumes (Kernel, Grubbs and Bec) but, as it progressed, it spun out of being just a horror story to address bigger themes. In the course of the series it covered the true meaning of friendship, the nature of Death and the origin of the universe, without ever becoming worthy or forgetting that its primary function is to tell a good story. It takes great skill as a writer to balance these aspects of the narration and manage to keep the reader engrossed. The Demonata manages to achieve this effortlessly and is a fitting ending to a magnificent series.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Shan has a new book, The Thin Executioner, coming out early next year and follows that with a four-volume series about Larten Crepsley, one of the most enduring characters in the Vampire series. Does the man ever sleep?
Shan likes to leave his readers dangling and the end of Vol 9, Dark Calling, was no exception. Bec had allied with Lord Loss, Grubbs and Kernel seemed to no longer trust each other and Demons were breaking through all over the planet. Things were, as they say, looking bad for planet Earth.
Hell's Heroes picks up where Dark Calling ended. Grubbs is trying to come to terms what he's done to Kernel and with Bec's betrayal. Kernel doesn't trust him any more and threatens to leave first chance he gets. From this inauspicious start, Shan weaves a compelling tale of action, loyalty and the inevitable lots of gore that wraps up all that has gone before and answers the questions raised in previous volumes.
Although he displays a solid grasp of tone and plotting, Shan's greatest strength as a writer is, in my opinion, the quality of his endings. His massive 12-volume Vampire series finished with an ending that was unexpected, appropriate and, in hindsight, set-up right from the beginning. Above all, it gave me a sense of conclusion that avoided cliche and felt right. Hell's Heroes ending is just as satisfying and, without giving anything away, takes the story in a totally unexpected direction that, again, had been foreshadowed throughout the series for those who paid careful attention.
One aspect of the final volume that I found interesting was the nature of the narrator. Grubbs has become bitter and despondent and the easy-going, wise-cracking character of earlier novels isn't as much in evidence. Although this makes Grubbs lass sympathetic to the reader, it's a natural progression based on earlier events and makes the character more honest and believable. It's a difficult thing to pull off, particularly with a younger readership, but Shan does it without ever losing the characters basic humanity. It's a bold step but in the contxt of the overall story, a necessary one.
The Demonata itself was a more complex series than the Vampire one. Not only did it have have different narrators in various volumes (Kernel, Grubbs and Bec) but, as it progressed, it spun out of being just a horror story to address bigger themes. In the course of the series it covered the true meaning of friendship, the nature of Death and the origin of the universe, without ever becoming worthy or forgetting that its primary function is to tell a good story. It takes great skill as a writer to balance these aspects of the narration and manage to keep the reader engrossed. The Demonata manages to achieve this effortlessly and is a fitting ending to a magnificent series.
Not content to rest on his laurels, Shan has a new book, The Thin Executioner, coming out early next year and follows that with a four-volume series about Larten Crepsley, one of the most enduring characters in the Vampire series. Does the man ever sleep?
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Review: The Bromley Boys
The Bromley Boys: The True Story of Supporting the Worst Football Team in Britain is an affectionate look back at Bromley's 1969 season by lifelong - and somewhat obsessed - fan Dave Roberts.
What makes the book so much more than so many dull football memoirs is character of the narrator himself (and the fact that Bromley were indeed a bit rubbish). Eternally optimistic, a draw or narrow defeat is seen as a sign that good times must be just around the corner. It is this misguided optimism that makes the narrator so endearing - especially when it flies in the face of footballing reality. Newspapers are pored over for details of match reports and he's duly outraged when his team don't feature; a faux-sheepskin football manager's jacket (surely not the the usual Christmas present for the average teenage boy) is worn as a mark of pride and he never forgets to bring his boots to the matches - just in case someone doesn't turn up and he's asked to play.
The book is full of very funny anecdotes that display Roberts' love for his team and the lengths he goes to watch them home and away, and he is joined by a supporting cast of oddball fellow supporters who are all portrayed with affection and warmth.
It's a tribute to the author that he can look back at his teenage self and not only recognise exactly how obsessed he was but can put it down on paper 'warts and all' with openness and genuine nostalgia for a more innnocent time.
Funny, well-written and very honest, The Bromley Boys is for anyone who has ever supported a football team - especially if they were useless.
What makes the book so much more than so many dull football memoirs is character of the narrator himself (and the fact that Bromley were indeed a bit rubbish). Eternally optimistic, a draw or narrow defeat is seen as a sign that good times must be just around the corner. It is this misguided optimism that makes the narrator so endearing - especially when it flies in the face of footballing reality. Newspapers are pored over for details of match reports and he's duly outraged when his team don't feature; a faux-sheepskin football manager's jacket (surely not the the usual Christmas present for the average teenage boy) is worn as a mark of pride and he never forgets to bring his boots to the matches - just in case someone doesn't turn up and he's asked to play.
The book is full of very funny anecdotes that display Roberts' love for his team and the lengths he goes to watch them home and away, and he is joined by a supporting cast of oddball fellow supporters who are all portrayed with affection and warmth.
It's a tribute to the author that he can look back at his teenage self and not only recognise exactly how obsessed he was but can put it down on paper 'warts and all' with openness and genuine nostalgia for a more innnocent time.
Funny, well-written and very honest, The Bromley Boys is for anyone who has ever supported a football team - especially if they were useless.
Monday, 31 August 2009
It Was Too Good to Last...
..and Bryan Adams can stop worrying now. After a good run at the top of the charts I had dropped down to No. 5 on the original fiction list last week. Can't complain though.
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Doesn't the time just fly by?
It's been a busy few weeks at Casa Harry.
A few more updates on events occuring:
Third Pig got good reviews at the Eurocrime and Cornflower blogs as well as in the Tuam Herald newspaper (below). Good to see that people are still liking it.
Another local newpaper, The Limerick Leader, did an interview. I can be seen, in all my glory, here.
The Third Pig was also released as an ebook and sales have been pretty good - then again, it's been at a very attractive promotional price too.
In other news, the horror trilogy seems to be attracting interest and I've had some interesting discussions about it. Nothing concrete has happened yet but so far the feedback has been positive. As they say in the Heineken ad: 'Now we wait'
A few more updates on events occuring:
Third Pig got good reviews at the Eurocrime and Cornflower blogs as well as in the Tuam Herald newspaper (below). Good to see that people are still liking it.
Another local newpaper, The Limerick Leader, did an interview. I can be seen, in all my glory, here.
The Third Pig was also released as an ebook and sales have been pretty good - then again, it's been at a very attractive promotional price too.
In other news, the horror trilogy seems to be attracting interest and I've had some interesting discussions about it. Nothing concrete has happened yet but so far the feedback has been positive. As they say in the Heineken ad: 'Now we wait'
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Number One (with a bullet)
It may be the only time I'll ever top a bestseller chart. It will almost certainly be the only time I figure ahead of a Booker Nominee (Colm Toibin), Carlos Ruiz Zafon and one of my all time heroes John Connolly. I think I should just call it a day right now - or maybe just savour the experience a little while longer.
Update August 3rd: Still Number One. That's four weeks. I'm getting delusions of Bohemian Rhapsody or Brian Adams right about now. Steady!
Monday, 27 July 2009
Getting Noticed aka DIY Marketing
Now that The Third Pig is on shelves, I, of course, want people to flock to bookshops in their thousands and buy it. As part of that grandiose aspiration, Harry needs as much publicity as he can stand (and that's quite a bit). With that in mind, we came up with a cunning plan to try and get review copies noticed.
Firstly, we mocked up a Thid Pig Detective Agency complimentary slip. Using the magic of Photoshop, a copy of the cover, one used coffee stain and judicious application of filters we produced:
Aha, we said, that does look quite nice, now how else do we get our book noticed amongst the hundreds (if not thousands) of others that arrive on a weekly basis? In keeping with the crime theme of the book, we mocked up an evidence bag (see, watching CSI every week can be educational) complete with red tape and included the book and press release in it (excuse quality of photo).
It may work, it may not; but if it gets Harry noticed only once by the right people it will have served its purpose.
Firstly, we mocked up a Thid Pig Detective Agency complimentary slip. Using the magic of Photoshop, a copy of the cover, one used coffee stain and judicious application of filters we produced:
Aha, we said, that does look quite nice, now how else do we get our book noticed amongst the hundreds (if not thousands) of others that arrive on a weekly basis? In keeping with the crime theme of the book, we mocked up an evidence bag (see, watching CSI every week can be educational) complete with red tape and included the book and press release in it (excuse quality of photo).
It may work, it may not; but if it gets Harry noticed only once by the right people it will have served its purpose.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Busy, busy, busy.
And still the publicity machine rumbles on.
The Clare Champion did a good interview and photo recently. They're still working on their online site so for the moment you can have a gander here:
I've had a couple of good reviews recently also (which is great).
Award-winning crime writer Matt Beynon Rees enjoyed the book and followed it up with a Q&A session which you can read here.
Caroline Smailes, author of the dark but very satisfying Black Boxes and In Search of Adam, also liked it. If you don't believe me, check it out here.
I contacted the two big local bookshops and asked if I could come in and sign their stock of The Third Pig. Both were delighted for me to do so, so signed copies are now available in Eason and O'Mahonys and both have said it's selling well.
And not letting the grass grow under my feet, I've just started sending out a horror trilogy to agents and publishers to see if any of them will bite. It's very different to the Third Pig so we'll see how it goes. I expect much waiting and "Dear Johns" but maybe someone will like it. It has received good feedback from people in the industry so perhaps...
The Clare Champion did a good interview and photo recently. They're still working on their online site so for the moment you can have a gander here:
I've had a couple of good reviews recently also (which is great).
Award-winning crime writer Matt Beynon Rees enjoyed the book and followed it up with a Q&A session which you can read here.
Caroline Smailes, author of the dark but very satisfying Black Boxes and In Search of Adam, also liked it. If you don't believe me, check it out here.
I contacted the two big local bookshops and asked if I could come in and sign their stock of The Third Pig. Both were delighted for me to do so, so signed copies are now available in Eason and O'Mahonys and both have said it's selling well.
And not letting the grass grow under my feet, I've just started sending out a horror trilogy to agents and publishers to see if any of them will bite. It's very different to the Third Pig so we'll see how it goes. I expect much waiting and "Dear Johns" but maybe someone will like it. It has received good feedback from people in the industry so perhaps...
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Sign Here Please.
Yesterday's signing was a hoot. It went off well and a goodly crowd (who weren't all family and friends) showed up. I was signing for about 40 minutes and then did a quick reading. As the signing went on, my handwriting deteriorated so those at the top of the queue got wonderfully legible messages, those at the end may have trouble deciphering what I wrote.
Kudos to Dervilla and the girls at the Ennis Bookshop for organising and hosting and to everyone that actually turned up on what was a dreadful day.
After the signing we all (family, that is) went back to my mothers for some grub and excellent desserts.
Here are some pics of the day and I'll throw the rest up on Flickr in due course.
"Look mom, he can do joined-up writing"
"And he'd be able to read too if he looked down at the book"
I was going to mention that I'd done an interview for the News of the World but what ended up in the paper after a 45 minute conversation was short, inaccurate, mostly pointless and didn't mention the book by name once. Still, I did end up on the same page as a huge picture of the girls from Baywatch so it wasn't a total disaster!
At least it didn't have something like "My Stalker Hell!"
Welcome to tabloid journalism.
Kudos to Dervilla and the girls at the Ennis Bookshop for organising and hosting and to everyone that actually turned up on what was a dreadful day.
After the signing we all (family, that is) went back to my mothers for some grub and excellent desserts.
Here are some pics of the day and I'll throw the rest up on Flickr in due course.
"Look mom, he can do joined-up writing"
"And he'd be able to read too if he looked down at the book"
I was going to mention that I'd done an interview for the News of the World but what ended up in the paper after a 45 minute conversation was short, inaccurate, mostly pointless and didn't mention the book by name once. Still, I did end up on the same page as a huge picture of the girls from Baywatch so it wasn't a total disaster!
At least it didn't have something like "My Stalker Hell!"
Welcome to tabloid journalism.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Last Minute Reminder
...if anyone happens to be around, do drop in.
Hopefully I'll have some pics of what went on (assuming someone, other than me, is there to use the camera)
Hopefully I'll have some pics of what went on (assuming someone, other than me, is there to use the camera)
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Updates on My Quest for World Domination
There seems to be a lot of activity around Harry Pigg at the moment. Hughes & Hughes in Galway (hi Liz!) have sold out of their current stock of The Third Pig and O'Mahony's in Limerick have said they're almost out of theirs. Means someone is buying it at any rate!
The Ennis Bookshop contacted me and asked would I be interested in doing a signing. Would I, heck! If anyone is in the Ennis area at 3pm on Saturday July 11th and fancies having a heckle at the sweaty guy standing in front of the table of books, do drop in. I'm fully aware that there could be anything from 3 to 30 people turning up but it'll be a useful experience whatever happens. If you're around, call in and say hi. They've also given it pride of place in their window - alongside John Connolly again. Hmm, I detect a trend here.
Mention should also be made here of my niece, Aislinn who did the spiffing poster that you can see advertising the signing and Conn, who took the photo.
Local newspapers have been very supportive too. Both of the papers in my home county did an article. The one from the Clare People is below and I'll scan in the other over the next few days.
All in all it's been a busy few weeks - so much so that writing has temporarily taken a back seat, but it'll be back to the grindstone as of next Monday as work continues on Harry 3 (working title: The Curds and Whey Mystery).
The Ennis Bookshop contacted me and asked would I be interested in doing a signing. Would I, heck! If anyone is in the Ennis area at 3pm on Saturday July 11th and fancies having a heckle at the sweaty guy standing in front of the table of books, do drop in. I'm fully aware that there could be anything from 3 to 30 people turning up but it'll be a useful experience whatever happens. If you're around, call in and say hi. They've also given it pride of place in their window - alongside John Connolly again. Hmm, I detect a trend here.
Mention should also be made here of my niece, Aislinn who did the spiffing poster that you can see advertising the signing and Conn, who took the photo.
Local newspapers have been very supportive too. Both of the papers in my home county did an article. The one from the Clare People is below and I'll scan in the other over the next few days.
All in all it's been a busy few weeks - so much so that writing has temporarily taken a back seat, but it'll be back to the grindstone as of next Monday as work continues on Harry 3 (working title: The Curds and Whey Mystery).
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