A Change of Genre – STALK KILL HOWL
My latest book is a major change of direction for me in that I’ve written a horror book for the first time. I chose the genre as the story is set in 1980’s N. Ireland during the Troubles. Having lived through those violent years resident in both South Armagh and Belfast, I thought horror was the appropriate genre. It is also a detective story and my most autobiographical book to date in that I was involved with or witnessed many of the scenes I write about.
Publishing on Radish
AJ Davidson has become the second Irish writer to join Radish, the serial fiction platform based on the incredibly successful model used in China and Korea. Paper Ghosts, Davidson’s most downloaded book (1,400,000) will be available in the near future, closely followed by a sequel released on a serial basis.
Interview in The Big Thrill e-zine
Round table discussion in The Big Thrill
I will be taking part in a round table discussion in The Big Thrill during the week starting Monday 9th. A link will be posted here when it goes live. Please feel free to comment and enter the debate. Looking forward to hearing your views.
New Release
The latest Val Bosanquet Mystery, Job’s Comfort, will be released on Friday, October 7th. Available on all major e-book sites.
When Deputy Val Bosanquet returns from Guatemala his first objective is to finalize his resignation from the East Feliciana Sheriff’s Department. Within hours, he is drawn into two investigations that he can’t turn his back on: nail the hit-and-run killer of a thirteen-year-old girl and discover who has framed a friend for murder. The stakes don’t come any higher, compelling Val once again to carry a badge and gun
It Never Rains but It Pours
I have been very busy over the last six weeks writing Job’s Comfort, the next book in the Val Bosanquet Mystery Series. With two more weeks concentrated effort ahead of me, I thought I was nearing the finishing line. Then my laptop died – the third in twelve months. Has to be some sort of record.
I finally discovered the root of the problem. Office Word mutated and played havoc with Windows 10. The good news is that I ran repair on Word and it did heal itself. My laptop should also be salvageable and I await a repair disc I bought on Amazon.
For the next few days I have commandeered my daughter’s laptop and will be tapping away. At least, during those brief hours when Shannon isn’t using it for more important stuff like watching box sets or uploading selfies onto social media.
Readers of the Val Bosanquet series will, I think, enjoy Job’s Comfort. The plot is even more convoluted than usual and Val experiences a transition he didn’t see coming. The book should be published in the fall, laptops permitting.
Politics growing nastier.
I have been struck by the vitriol of two political campaigns over the past few weeks. The anger, hatred and hyperbole during in the American presidential race and the British EU referendum seems to me to have become much nastier this year. The ability and ease of spreading this fury on social media has fuelled the flames of intolerance. Now there’s been the murder of a British MP and the attempted murder of Donald Trump. Will it change anything?
I’m of the opinion that most people allay themselves to a political party during their formative teen years. Their allegiance will be formed by family, background, social-economic standing and other influences. Most people will remain loyal to that party for the rest of their lives. No amount of reasoned debate or statistics will sway them one iota. So, in reality, the vastly expensive political campaigns’ only hope of success is to gain the support of the small percentage of floating voters. That small number of people who lack loyalty to one or other of the main parties. Any CEO would be appalled at the cost versus return ratio of these campaigns. I can’t help but wonder if the growing vitriol is down to the frustration of trying to persuade die-hard voters to switch.
Could it be time to re-examine the party structure and the length of campaigns of modern politics? We cannot continue to allow political parties to engender such extremes. It can only result in fracturing society more than it already has.
Meet Bruce
Our new mutt, Bruce the Beagle. I wanted to call him Darwin, but was outvoted. Barks loudly for such a short-arse.
Jpeg
We’ve lost another literary great
I remember going to the Lyric theatre in Belfast to see Equus. What a spectacle, a drama that has stayed with me for over forty years. RIP Peter Shaffer. Coincidentally, he was on vacation in South-West Ireland when he passed away, so he had a taste of paradise before he died.
Fiction becomes fact
I wrote a scene set in a drone bar three years ago in my mystery thriller Sandman. Had to explain how the drones delivered the drinks to the right table. By coincidence, the pop-up bar I wrote about was at a technology fair held on a university campus. It’s a real buzz when your fiction becomes reality.
AJ Davidson's Books 