Tag Archives: Writing process

The Chancer – Mac’s eighth adventure – Just published!

Posted on by under Mac Maguire

book coverThe eighth and latest Mac Maguire mystery has now been published in Amazon Books. Here’s the official blurb –

‘Mac is on his way back to Ireland for a funeral when a body is found at the airport. A man has been stabbed three times in the back and Mac volunteers to help his police colleagues. He’s flying back to Donegal where he hopes to find out something about the victim’s background.

It appears that the dead man was ‘a chancer and romancer’ and Mac has his work cut out delving into his numerous, and mostly nefarious, dealings in the north of Ireland. With the help of a troubled colleague from the Irish Police Mac soon discovers that the murder in the airport has set off a ticking time bomb that will soon explode.

Mac finds himself delving into his own past as his childhood memories of Donegal come flooding back and an old family mystery is also solved.’ Continue reading →

The Mac Maguire books – My first research trips

Posted on by under Mac Maguire, Writing process

This year I carried out my first ever research trip for the soon to be published The Chancer, Mac Maguire’s eighth mystery, which was followed up by my second research trip to Cyprus for an, as yet, untitled book that will be published next year. Two facts conspired in making these trips happen – I retired and I’m actually making a little money from book sales.

So why, after seven books mostly set in Hertfordshire, did I feel that such trips were needed?

Derry/Londonderry

derry peace bridgeEver since Mac Maguire came into my life I’ve been aware that, while he was brought up in Birmingham in the English Midlands, his Irish background is important to him too. So, I’ve been thinking about how I could explore this facet of his life and reveal a little more about his past. In this latest book Mac gets the chance to help with a murder when he is in Donegal, Ireland for a funeral. He hasn’t been back ‘home’ for a while and, as he visits familiar places, he is reminded of a past he’d thought he’d all but forgotten. Besides the murder a family mystery is also resolved. Continue reading →

Having to write a crime novel to find out how it ends!

Posted on by under Crime writing

confusing signposts

The image on the left describes pretty well how I feel at times when starting a new novel. However, sometimes I’m still feeling like that even when I’m well into it! To illustrate this I’m well over halfway through the eighth Mac Maguire mystery (provisionally titled ‘The Chancer’) and I’ve only just discovered who the murderer is!

I’m not one of those authors who like to plan the story line out in advance. I’ve heard of crime writers who even use spreadsheets to plan the plots of their books in incredible detail. If I’m honest that all sounds a bit cold-blooded to me. Continue reading →

Why can’t crime writing be more like real life?

Posted on by under Crime writing

cucumberI’m taking a quick break from writing the seventh novel in the Mac Maguire series in order to write this post. In the next few weeks I’ll be handing over the first draft to my partner for its first read through. I’m planning on publishing the novel, as yet unnamed, late April or early May and hopefully by then I’ll have come up with a title.

Among the myriad of things I often get wrong in any first draft is the plot line. There are either some obvious holes or, one of my partner’s pet gripes, some events are just too implausible. When these implausibilities are pointed out I usually groan silently and wonder how I could have written something that was so unlikely to happen in real life. Continue reading →

Another review and how readers can help

Posted on by under Writing process

Book coverI recently posted about different types of reviews and how most reviews, including negative ones, can be really useful. I’ve just published the sixth Mac Maguire novel, Two Dogs, and I’ve received my first review –

5.0 out of 5 stars  Waiting and hoping…
By Linda D Hoffman on November 2, 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
I’m waiting and hoping that there will soon be a Book 7, 8, 9 and on. I have really liked this series and all of the stories in it. I do hope that someone spends some serious time editing any further books though. Hate when I have to stop and reread because of such poor editing. If you can see beyond the errors, I do recommend the Mac Maguire detective mysteries. Continue reading →

Seven books now published – so what next?

Posted on by under Life and stuff, Writing process

Book coverTwo Dogs, the sixth Mac Maguire mystery, has just been published in Amazon Books. I’ve also written a book of ghost stories 13 Ghosts of Winter so that makes seven in all. So what’s next?

I started writing seriously just over three years ago as a response to my pain issues. I’d dabbled with writing before but had never been able to stick at it long enough to come up with anything decent. I found that my work as an Audience Analyst gave me some respite during the week as it took my mind off the pain. However I then needed something to do at the weekends and so I started writing. Since then I’ve averaged a book every six months or so. I’ve now got another book nearly completed, The Black Vaults Experiment, which is a paranormal thriller and something of a new departure for me. I’ve also started on Mac 7 as I call it and, although I’ve got four or five chapters written, I’ve no idea where the story is going as yet. I always find this quite exciting as it’s almost as if I’ve got to write the story first so I can see how it all ends. Continue reading →

Four book reviews and what they mean

Posted on by under Writing process

5 Mac Maguire booksIf you’ve spent even a few minutes looking at the Amazon KDP Writers Forum then you will know how exercised authors can be on the subject of book reviews. If they don’t get any then they are sad but if they get reviews and they are somewhat negative then they’re even sadder. Some old hands have pointed out that amassing loads of good reviews doesn’t always mean increased sales. So why are reviews so important to authors?

I can only speak personally but I read all my reviews and getting a good review cheers me up. Why? Because, after all those days and weeks spent sitting alone banging away at my keyboard, it’s like a reader popping by and saying ‘Well done!’ However, it’s strange, but a somewhat less than positive review can sometimes be even better. Below I’ll show you four reviews and talk about the affect they had on me. Continue reading →

23 Cold Cases – How come my detective is in bed for most of my latest book?

Posted on by under Crime writing, Mac Maguire

Book coverThroughout most of my latest book 23 Cold Cases the main character, retired murder specialist Mac Maguire, spends virtually all of his time in bed. Why did I write a crime book with this in the plot and what were the challenges?

When I started writing the book I must admit that I had doubts about this plot line and considered scrapping it more than once. Why? Mostly because it was difficult to come up with a sustained story that would keep readers interested and wanting to turn the next page. There’s also the fact that I had to include the details of many crimes, quite a few in some detail, and at times I began to wonder if I’d have any plot lines left for future books!

So why did Mac Maguire have to be in bed? Continue reading →

Some thoughts on writing and self publishing

Posted on by under Crime writing, Self publishing, Writing process

writer at work night park benchThe next Mac Maguire book, the fifth, is nearly there and after some three years or so of seriously struggling to put the right words in the right order this has given me some pause for thought. Looking back I’ve learnt so much from the writing process and I’ve no plans for stopping anytime soon. So what’s changed with me since I started out on my writer’s journey?

Why did I start writing? Continue reading →

Mac Maguire and two great detective writers

Posted on by under Crime writing, Mac Maguire

I’m sometimes asked about which authors have influenced me most. It might be hard for some authors to identify such influences but I have to admit that for me it’s fairly straightforward.

I absolutely adore crime writers like Chandler, Hammett and Mankell but when it comes to those who have directly influenced what goes on the page there are really only two – Conan Doyle and Simenon. They are both very different to each other but, luckily for me, quite complementary. For while Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is all about the puzzle, Simenon’s Maigret is more about the human side of things. I figure that if you can provide a good puzzle as well as a good human story then I think  you’ve probably cracked it as a crime writer. I hasten to add that I’m far from being there yet but then it’s all about the journey, isn’t it?

So let’s look at how each might have contributed to the make-up of Mac Maguire. Continue reading →