Books & TV for the long nights
It’s scary how many books there are out there. So many good books to read – and bad. How do you choose? Actually, do email me and tell me how you choose. I’d be interested.…
Books
Riots, politicians and tabloids
A little while ago, I told my (then) agent I was writing a satirical novel about tabloids and politicians who spark riots over knife crime. Guess what he said.
Can you help me with my research?
I believe good research is the backbone of a good novel. For previous and upcoming books, I’ve gone undercover in police stations, tabloid newsrooms, hospitals and arms manufacturers, among many other secretive places. What I’ve…
Adaptations and are you coming to London Book Fair?
Do you hate watching movies and TV dramas based on novels? Or love them? Why do some adaptations work, while others crumble into dust? I’ve been talking about adaptations and why some writers fail while others…
Want help adapting a book for screen?
This week I have two new resources for you if you want help adapting a book for film or TV, or are a reader/viewer who’s interested in seeing how writers set about transforming works for…
The Boys from Biloxi. Has Grisham taken on too big a case?
Not many writers can claim to have made a genre their own, but John Grisham and legal thrillers go together like an American judge and gavel. So, when a new Grisham comes out, there’s a…
Act of Oblivion – Robert Harris
Why should we care? It’s probably the most important question a storyteller needs to answer. It’s particularly pressing when the story relates to events that took place around three hundred and fifty years ago, to…
Special offer on Room 15
We’re all trying to save money, so I’m delighted that Bloodhound Books have agreed to a very rare offer on the e-book version of my psychological mystery thriller Room 15. That’s 99p in the UK,…
Staggering Hubris by Josh Berry – review
You’re a staggeringly brilliant spad (special adviser) working in Downing Street in the early days of a new government. The world is at your feet. Brexit is oven-ready. You have a degree from Oxford. Attractive…
Book Fuel fires up – Feb 25 – Mar 7
Facing scarily rising fuel bills, my fellow Bloodhound thriller author Vikki Patis has come up with a tremendous way to help families who can’t afford to heat their homes – an online auction for readers…
Remote control – Stone Heart Deep by Paul Bassett Davies reviewed
With foreign holidays still only slowly returning, how about a remote Scottish island? One with a freezing-cold loch that contains deep secrets, a populace who seem eerily calm and controlled – and a rather strange…
My 2021 in books
Imagine you could buy a pill that could give you more brainpower, more empathy, better vocabulary and a longer life, while preventing cognitive decline, reducing stress, helping sleep and lifting depression. How much would you…
Are you IC7 or maybe an angler?
So you come across a police cordon on your way from the tube station. There are blue flashing lights and donotcross tape stretches over the road. Of course you don’t want to look too nosey,…
Liam Glass #1 bestseller in Amazon mass media
A quick one today, to celebrate my award-shortlisted satire The Breaking of Liam Glass reaching the #1 bestseller spot in Amazon Mass Media this week. A thank you to everyone who bought the book and…
Special early Black Friday book offers
I’m off to the Brechin & Angus Book Festival next week and to honour the occasion, I’ve persuaded my publishers to give you two early Black Friday book offers. If you’re near Brechin next weekend…
Please do not ask for mercy… – review
… AS A REFUSAL OFTEN OFFENDS BY PAUL BASSETT DAVIES If this review is late, blame the book. I received it two years ago and read it straight through. But every time I picked it…
Reading and writing satire: Mightier than the sword?
Satire is having a big moment. We have satirical novels winning the Mann Booker Prize, satirical TV shows hoovering up the ratings along with satirical movies. Some politicians are deemed to be too far gone…
Have your say: new blurb for The Breaking of Liam Glass
I’d love to hear your opinion of the new blurb for my noir thriller The Breaking of Liam Glass. Times change, things move on and I decided it was time to update the description of…