Those who know me know I'm an eclectic writer and reader, and along with romance, I love a dark, gritty read whether it comes in the form of horror, mystery, suspense, etc. I'm sure I'm not the only reader/writer like this, and it's one of the reasons I have guests of varying subjects visit my corner of the web.
Today I'm happy to welcome author Alan Brenham. Alan Brenham is the pseudonym of Alan Behr, an American author and attorney. He served as a law enforcement officer before earning a law degree. He worked first as a prosecutor then defense attorney for the next twenty-six years. His travels took him to several European and Middle Eastern countries, Alaska and almost every island in the Caribbean. While contracted to US military forces, he resided in Berlin, Germany for a few years. Alan and his wife, Lillian, currently live in the Austin, Texas area. He has authored two crime fiction books, Price of Justice and Cornered, and is working on a third titled Rampage.
So, Alan, what inspired you to become a writer?
* Inspiration came from a few different sources - the first being my experiences as a police officer and from cases I prosecuted or defended as an attorney. Police report writing about offenses was like drafting a non-fictional account of an event. As an attorney in a jury trial, a story had to be told to the jury using facts gleaned from testimony and exhibits. The next would be from the knowledge
that other attorneys, such as David Baldacci and John Grisham, left law careers to write fiction. Reading novels by the former LA Times police beat writer, Michael Connelly, also inspired me.
* But the better question is who inspired me and the answer is my wife. She is my biggest supporter and cheerleader, encouraging me daily to write fiction.
When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
* My first fiction writing experience happened in 2010. It was a novel-length story that ended up buried deep inside a box stored under a stack of boxes in the garage, never to see the light of day.
How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
* In addition to the above attempt, I made a second effort at a fiction novel that’s sitting on a shelf. I may revise it and offer it for publication sometime in the future.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
* The best piece: Write the first draft out to completion. Read it through without doing any revisions. Once done, go back through it and revise until the manuscript is as perfect as you can get it.
* The worst piece: Write your novel without an outline or character profiles. Basically you’re writing by the seat of your pants with no complete idea who your characters really are.
The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
* Price of Justice is the first book in a series about Detective Jason Scarsdale and attorney Dani Mueller. The second book in the series is titled Rampage and is being written now.
What sparked the idea for the story/series?
* The core idea for Price of Justice arose from three cases I worked as a police officer and as an attorney. When I was a police officer, I caught an adult male in an alley, soliciting a teenager for sex.
* As an attorney, I represented a grandfather accused of child sexual assault. The case ended up being dismissed after the complaintant admitted to state officers that he had lied about the entire matter. The other case involved a pedophile who molested a very young girl.
*** Now for some fun info… ***
Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
* The only exotic pet I ever owned/raised was a baby raccoon. He’d lay on his back, holding the small baby bottle with his paws (like hands) for his three daily feedings of milk.
Which do you prefer: rain or sun & warm weather or cold weather?
* I actually prefer cold weather at least for the summer months. Texas summers are like living in an over-heated sauna.
If you could live anywhere in the universe, where would it be and why?
* The best place to live, in my opinion, would be Alaska in the summer and the Garmisch area in Germany in the winter. The scenery in both locations at that time of the year is magnificent. The temperatures are tolerable and the food is great.
If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
* 1. Solar-powered phone/satellite phone; 2. A hunting rifle with a scope; 3. A solar-powered watch with day/date; 4. A solar-powered desalination unit; 5. A solar-powered lantern
*** About Alan Brenham’s book… ***
~ Blurb ~
* His focus is on solving the murders—until the unthinkable happens…
* Recently widowed, Austin Police Detective Jason Scarsdale works to solve the murders of two pedophiles, while trying to be both mother and father to his five-year-old daughter. During his investigation, Scarsdale is forced to navigate between the crosshairs of two police commanders out to get him. Drawn to Austin Police Crime Analyst, Dani Mueller, who has also suffered tragedy, Scarsdale fights both his attraction and his suspicions that something just isn’t right…
* She is hiding a secret, one that could not only cost her a job—it could end her life…
* Dani hides a deadly past. After her daughter was brutally murdered, Dani exacted her revenge then changed her name and fled to Austin. But if her secret ever gets out, she knows there is no place she can hide from the murderer’s vicious family.
* Pulled into a web of malice and deceit, Scarsdale and Dani discover the value of breaking the rules. Then just when they thought things couldn’t get worse…they do.
~ Excerpt ~
* Scarsdale trudged into the courthouse, flashing his badge so he could bypass security. He stopped at the rear of a throng of people maneuvering to get an elevator. He checked to see where the four elevators were—one was stopped on floor three, another just arrived at the fifth floor and two seemed stuck on Eight. People elbowed their way closer to the doors—even he got jostled. A distinct odor of alcohol, mixed with cheap perfume and a trace of marihuana, made him sneeze a couple of times.
* Looking around, Scarsdale didn’t recognize anyone connected with his dreaded hearing. He leaned against the wall and let his thoughts drift. The events of the past five years flashed through his mind. The wedding Marcy refused to attend. Then Charity’s funeral—the second time Marcy had seen Shannon since she was born—gushing over her granddaughter, telling Shannon how much she missed her. Scarsdale stopped outside the big wooden courtroom doors. He stared at the brass door handles. What will the judge decide?
* His heart hammered against his chest. Taking a couple of deep breaths and swallowing hard, he pulled the courtroom doors open.
***Buy Price of Justice here***
Black Opal Books | Amazon
***Find Alan Brenham here***
Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Pinterest
Thank you for joining us here today, Alan Brenham! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.
There's a contest where Alan is awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter. (Comments on this blog do not count toward entry.) Visit the official tour stops (find them here: goddessfishpromotions-tour-price) for directions on how to enter to win.
Today we have horror author Brad C. Hodson visiting. Originally from the dark hills of Appalachia, BRAD C. HODSON is a screenwriter and author living in Los Angeles. He is a history buff, enjoys lifting heavy things, and likes writing about himself in the third person.
So, Brad, what inspired you to become a writer?
I honestly couldn’t tell you. My earliest memories are of reading and writing. I like to quote Byron on this one. When Shelley asked him, “What makes you write?” Byron replied: “My inability to prevent it.”
When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
The first story I remember was some kind of detective story involving friends in my second grade class working for a detective agency I owned. I remember it had something to do with a girl that was found dead hanging from a noose and a big shootout in a warehouse with 1930’s era gangsters. I think I was seven. I have no idea where that is today, but would love to find it.
How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
When I actually started taking writing seriously, I think I sold my fourth or fifth story. I had a little jaunt where I left prose writing and pursued stand-up comedy, improve, sketch, and acting. I saw a lot of things I’d written staged and then, eventually, I realized I hated being in the spotlight and hated rehearsing. But I loved writing material. This led me back to writing fiction around the time I moved to Los Angeles. Being in LA definitely helped, too, as you can’t throw a rock without hitting someone whose business card reads: “Actor / Screenwriter / Stand-up Comic / Musician.” Rather than fall in with an army of “Jack-of-all-trades, master of none,” I dove headfirst into literary pursuits and have never looked back.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
* The single worst piece of writing I’ve ever heard is that anyone can do it. This is not only insulting and infuriating to anyone has spent the time and effort to hone their craft, it also implies that no one needs to spend the time and effort necessary to become a good writer (let alone a great one). Writing is hard. Damn hard. Any yahoo with an idea can spill it onto the page, but that’s not writing.
* As for the best advice, I guess it would be the opposite of the “anybody can do it” myth. When I first read authors and heard others speak who talked about the craft, about eliminating excess, about character development and engaging dialogue and the musical qualities of language, I took my first real step on the path to be a writer. Talent alone only gets you so far. You have to constantly be learning, growing, advancing. Especially in this e-book self-publishing environment where there are literally tens of thousands of books released every year. How do you set yourself apart? By at least trying to be better than 90% of your competition. I may have failed at actually doing so every time out of the gate, I don’t know. That’s the reader’s decision to make. But what I do know is that I try and, by virtue of trying, I’ve gotten much farther along than if I just sat back and rested on pure talent.
The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
* DARLING is currently a stand-alone. I’ve tinkered with the idea of revisiting Raynham Place, maybe as a collection of short stories, but for now she’s all by her lonesome.
* As for the idea… I’m originally from East Tennessee. The area is overflowing with dark folklore and it has a real history to match. I wanted to explore some of these tales. At the same time, I’ve always wanted to write a haunted house story. So I threw all of these things into a blender together, added a dash of something original, and hit the “High Speed” button. In the end, DARLING isn’t a haunted house story at all. But it feels like one for a good portion, hopefully taking the reader along a familiar and comfortable (and dark and frightening) path before twisting the road in another direction entirely.
*** Now for some fun info… ***
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate Peanut Butter. It’s the foundation of my marriage.
Are you a morning person or night owl?
I wish I was a morning person. I love early morning, the way the entire world seems to stretch and yawn and slowly start its day. I get so much more done when I get up early. Unfortunately, I’m a night owl. My body wants to sleep late and stay up until 3am. This is why I drink…
If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
A Kindle loaded with thousands of books, an iPod with thousands of songs, a refrigerator, crates of matches, and a speed boat to get the hell off the island. Hey, you didn’t say I couldn’t…
*** About Brad’s book… ***
~ About DARLING ~
Raynham Place has been home to a number of mysterious occurrences. From its start as a battlefield through its time as a tuberculosis hospital and even in its current incarnation as an apartment complex, the grounds here have been awash in blood and instability. When two friends decide to move in to Raynham together, a wound that they share opens wide and threatens their sanity. But they’re not alone. Something is off here at Raynham, something that goes beyond the local legends of ghosts and serial killers and Black Hounds, something that gets inside of everyone who ever lives here. When a sacrifice is made, the first freely given in ages, the truth behind Raynham’s legends finally surfaces and the building fills to bursting with all the dreams of Hell…
~ Praise for DARLING ~
One of the creepiest settings I’ve ever experienced…DARLING is deeply unsettling, in your face horror.
— Nate Kenyon, Award-winning author of SPARROW ROCK and DIABLO: THE ORDER
Hodson delivers with passion and intensity.
— Scott Nicholson, LIQUID FEAR and THE RED CHURCH
Have you had the pleasure of meeting Brad C. Hodson’s work yet? His short stories in HORROR FOR GOOD and John Skipp’s WEREWOLVES anthology were amazing, and now here comes his first novel, DARLING. We should all hate him. Buy the books and read them first…then hate him.
— Lisa Morton, Bram Stoker Award winning author of CASTLE OF LOS ANGELES and THE HALLOWEEN ENCYCLOPEDIA
You know that feeling you get as the Bigwheel clicks slowly down the hall? Something awful is waiting just around the corner and your skin crawls with dread because you’re too scared to look away. Well, Brad Hodson knows how to scare you like that. Weird and unsettling, but hauntingly perceptive, Hodson’s DARLING is a rare accomplishment, a finely-honed study in mounting tension that keeps readers turning pages despite their fear. This is how you do it, folks. Hodson knows how to deliver the scares, and he’s got a nightmare just for you.
— Joe McKinney, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of FLESH EATERS and DEAD CITY
DARLING was a great read. It had all the elements I enjoy in a horror novel and Hodson has succeeded where many fail in that he’s managed to actually make it creepy. Like comedy, creepy (real creepy) is harder than it looks, but DARLING raised the small hairs on my arms a few times. Brad has a knack to unnerve and I’m officially a Hodson fan. I eagerly await his next book. Excellent debut.
— Michael Louis Calvillo, acclaimed author of I WILL RISE, AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, and LAMBS
Bong, bong, bong. Quasimodo, does that ring a bell? Of course! How about Brad Hodson, does that ring a bell? Uh-huh, well check out my enthusiastic reaction to DARLING. The straight forward, reader accessible prose, with no downfield literary juking reminds me a lot of Richard Laymon. Simple, right? Uh-uh, don’t be fooled. Accomplished always looks easy. Hodson gets his simple effects by using precise language, including always picking the exact verb not the first serviceable, which eliminates the need for lots of adjectives and adverbs. His fast-paced plotting with no fluff makes for an engaging and compelling story arc, with great closure, perfect last line. Snag a copy of DARLING on my recommendation, read it, and then: Bong, bong, bong Brad Hodson, does that ring a bell? You bet your sweet ass!
— Gene O’Neill, Bram Stoker Award winning writer and author of IN DARK CORNERS, THE BLUE HERON, and THE BURDEN OF INDIGO
***Buy Brad's book here***
Bad Moon Books
Amazon
***Find Brad here***
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon Author Page
Thank you for joining us here today, Brad! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.
Today we have author Paul Hinton visiting. Paul Hinton is a 49 year old English Golf Professional working in Wallasey where he lives with his wife Jenny and his three daughters Sara, Samantha and Shannon. He started writing as a hobby to fill his time during the long snow filled winters while working abroad but soon discovered a passion for story telling.
So, Paul, what inspired you to become a writer?
My wife. She got tired of me always talking about writing a book and insisted I either sit down and write or shut up.
When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
Way back in 2006. I wrote it in pencil on A4 paper. It was about 200 sides long. After it was finished, I realised I couldn’t do anything with it so I rewrote it on the computer. Unfortunately, I was pretty dumb in those days, at least in relation to computers. As I finished each chapter the second time, I printed them out and erased the memory. During the process, the story obviously changed but, at the end of the day, I still didn’t have a copy on hard drive. That meant sitting in front of the computer yet again only the second time I saved it which was just as well as the story continued to develop over the following several months. During the process, the book turned into a fourteen hundred page trilogy, the first part of which has been published.
How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
I was on my fifth novel by the time the first one was published.
What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
Best: Never stop trying! Worst: Give it up, stick to Golf.
The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
The Reaper is a standalone story with the option to continue. Whether it does obviously depends on how it’s received and what my publisher thinks. What sparked the idea is quite simple. I remember watching several news reports at the time about injustice and thought at the time wouldn’t it be nice if victims had another option. At that moment the Reaper was basically born.
*** Now for some fun info… ***
Are you a cat, dog or both kind of person?
As we have three cats and a dog, I have to admit to being a cat and dog person although two of the cats in question don’t really come near me.
Would you/have you own(ed) a snake or some other exotic pet?
We also have two chinchillas sharing our bedroom. Seeing as they are night active, sleeping can be difficult sometimes but we utilise the time reading and writing.
If you were stranded on a desert island and were only allowed to have five modern conveniences with you, what would they be?
Stranded on a desert island I would take a generator, a full fuel tanker, a television, a dvd player and a microwave.
*** About Paul’s book The Reaper… ***
~ Blurb ~
Charles Osborne is a happily married, highly successful businessman. Normally speaking his life should be perfect but a twist of fate followed by a miscarriage of justice has forced him into a seemingly never ending fight against the Consortium of lawyers that are apparently controlling the justice system. He has adapted a secret identity in an attempt to keep his family safe, a character that is feared by both the lawyers involved and the criminals they represent… The Reaper.
~ A brief look into The Reaper ~
* Charles Osborne is happily married with two wonderful daughters. He owns a very successful Broker business in London that has made him rich beyond normal expectations. Normally speaking his life should be perfect but a tragic miscarriage of justice - involving the deaths of his parents - has persuaded him to invest his time and considerable wealth in fighting a seemingly never ending battle against a local firm of lawyers - The Consortium. The immoral lawyers that work for the company are prepared to go to any lengths for the good of their clients - as long as the price is right. This fact has resulted in several guilty parties escaping punishment for crimes they are guilty of - a fact that Charles is unable to accept.
* Well aware that his identity must remain hidden, Charles has created the Reaper, an unforgiving figure that represents the consequences for anybody that dares to cheat justice. Over the years he has gathered a group of specialists around him that support his efforts - Jerry, personnel and security - Sid, computer expert and hacker extraordinaire - Mr Smith, judicial expert - Peter, weapons and specialist equipment - Mary, medical expert and Francois, Interpol contact. After his team have confirmed the accused is guilty and the victim’s families have agreed to the intervention, the Reaper concocts a punishment that fits the crime and visits the guilty party. It has become a ritual that has had a positive effect on the criminal underground controlling parts of the city before the unrelenting vigilante appeared on the scene. Because of this, the police have more often than not turned a blind eye but pressure is slowly rising for them to act. The Consortium themselves are trying desperately to find the man behind the Reaper, driven on by the brutal criminals that secretly own the law firm.
***Buy Paul's book here***
Bad Moon Books
***Find Paul here...***
Facebook
paul_hinton01@yahoo.de
Already published: The Undiscovered Paul's The Undiscovered
Already published: Rammy Paul's Rammy
Coming soon: The Splinter Paul's The Splinter
Coming soon: The Pack Paul's The Pack
Coming soon: Splitters Paul's Splitters
Thank you for joining us here today, Paul! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.
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