2007 Blogs of Zoë Sharp - Author of the Charlie Fox Series

Weekend, 29-30 December 2007

New Year is a time of mixed emotions for me. Being a pessimist of world-class proportions, I have a tendency to look back at all the things I didn't achieve over the course of the year and, naturally enough, they stick in my mind a lot more firmly than the things I did manage to get done. I seem to recall standing in exactly this spot at exactly this time at the end of 2006, thinking the same things. So, what makes people actually make a big change in their lives?

At home in the wilds of Cumbria, it's done nothing but rain − and I mean rain − for the past four days. The beck that runs past the bottom of our garden has become the proverbial raging torrent again, and when we ventured out today to our nearest town for supplies, we had to drive carefully through an absolute downpour and numerous large areas of standing water, praying we didn't stall. And yet, on the way home, we passed a guy out running. Proper thin, wiry, long-distance running. He'd clearly been doing it for years.

That got me thinking. Common sense tells me he hasn't always run, but one day he must have made a decision to start, a promise to himself to run regularly, no excuses, regardless of the weather, and he's sticking to it. I'm filled with admiration for those kind of people. Admiration and a sneaking little slice of resentment, too. I just can't help it.

Now, I know I have a pretty reasonable work ethic. If I didn't, I wouldn't have survived as a freelance for what will shortly be twenty years. I wouldn't have written my first novel, let alone the six that followed. Book number eight is proving more difficult than the others, but I know − eventually − I will get it done. I've taken some time off from the keyboard over the Christmas holiday, and I admit to feeling guilty about it, disappointed in myself. That's why, when I saw the guy out running, keeping his promise to himself, I had those mixed emotions.

And if I have a resolution of any kind for 2008, it's to try and get rid of that little slice of resentment, and concentrate more on the admiration. For my own achievements as much as everybody else's.

So, I hope you all had a peaceful Christmas and I wish you the best of luck with whatever kind of promises you make to yourself for the New Year.

Weekend, 22-23 December 2007

I had an interesting question emailed to me by Marshal Zeringue this week for his Page 99 Test blog. It's apparently one that he's sent to a number of authors, asking if a reader opened their book at page 99, how representative is it of the rest of the book? Suitably intrigued, I checked to see.

But whether page 99 of my Charlie Fox crime thriller, Second Shot, gives you a real insight into the rest of the book, partly depends on which version of it you read. The layout of the UK and US editions differs a lot − the UK book is 396 pages, but the US one is a slender 278, even though the story is exactly the same, give or take some differences in spelling. So, in the UK Second Shot, page 99 has Charlie accompanying the woman she's protecting, Simone, and Simone's young daughter, Ella, on a tour of Boston, stopping off at Boston Common for what seems like a harmless walk in the park.

In the US Second Shot, however, the story is much further advanced. Simone has already met up with the man claiming to be her estranged father, Greg Lucas, and she and Ella have travelled up to his home in New Hampshire, despite Charlie's misgivings on the subject. By page 99, Ella is just getting to know her step-grandmother, who is letting her mess around in the kitchen, making cookies under Charlie's watchful eye.

But do either of these pages give you a real feel for the book? Honestly? No, I don't think they do. A page or two further on in the UK book and Charlie has to rush Simone and Ella away from a man who approaches them while they're building a snowman on the Common. A page earlier in the US book, and Charlie's on the phone with her boss, Sean, who's back in London, learning all about Lucas's violent past as an SAS instructor. Either of those, I would have said, would give you a better idea of Charlie's character and how protective she feels towards her principals. This is particularly true of four-year-old Ella, who becomes the focus for all Charlie's bodyguarding skills as the story reaches its conclusion.

Well, that's it. The Christmas shopping is done − both online and the real hand-to-hand stuff. And having spent a day amid the coughing and sneezing crowds in town, I can well understand why quite so many people are turning to the Internet.

The decorations are up, all cards sent and received, work finished − or as finished as it's going to be. So, all that remains is for me to wish you Happy Holidays and may 2008 bring you health, luck and happiness!

Weekend, 15-16 December 2007

Ask almost any writer what’s more important − plot or character − and they’ll instantly say character. To me that’s true − but only to a certain extent. I write crime thrillers. That means they have a structure, a recognisable beginning and end to the story that has to have some kind of closure for the reader.

Plot is vital. With a series, you get to know your characters like old friends. And, like old friends, you hope that they’ll still do wild things that surprise or shock you. But you don’t have to agonise over whether they have a phobia for heights or a passion for freeform jazz. You already know all that. So, your energy goes into devising a plot that will put them in a new or unusual situation, that will test them to their limits and, by doing so, that will also intrigue and entertain the reader.

Besides, if you’re browsing the bookshelves and you see a book by an author you’re not familiar with, what do you do? You pick the book off the shelf and, if the cover doesn’t put you off for some reason, you flip it over and read the jacket copy. That couple of paragraphs summarising the plot is what grabs you − or doesn’t. Beyond a very brief description of the main protagonist, you can’t really tell how good or bad the character is, or whether you’ll be cheering or jeering for him or her by the end of the book. And if the plot doesn’t sound up to much, are you going to care anyway?

So, for me the plot is what gets you interested to pick up the book, turn it over and open the cover. After that, it’s really up to the author to engage your attention. Hence the opening line of my current Charlie Fox book, Second Shot:

‘Take it from me, getting yourself shot hurts like hell.’

Now, that either makes you want to read the line that comes after, or it doesn’t. As the author, I’ve staked the whole of the rest of the book on the hope that it does.

The opening line, or paragraph, is unique in any novel in that it has nothing before it. It has a huge job to do in terms of sucking the reader into your story, getting them to listen to the sound of your voice. And, I can only hope that once you’ve read the story, you’ll have been drawn far enough into Charlie Fox’s world to want to come back again next time.

Weekend, 8-9 December 2007

There's been a lot of rushing about going on this week, and Saturday ended up being a 427-mile day, which is a lot on UK roads. Sunday, needless to say, was not a very productive day for either of us. . .

While we were down south we called in to see my UK publishers, Allison & Busby, and had a sneak preview of some possible cover designs for next year's Charlie Fox book, Third Strike, and the redesign for the mass market paperback of Second Shot. I'm fascinated by covers, but I recognise that deciding what makes a good or bad one is outside my expertise, so I hate being asked to give an opinion. The three possibles for Third Strike look great, though, so I'll be happy whatever they choose.

It was the CWA Christmas party on Thursday evening as well, at the Tappit Hen pub just near Charing Cross. A good bash, as always, with plenty of chance to have a chat to various people in the business, including my agent, Jane Gregory, and my ex-editor, Emma Dunford, who's now become commissioning editor at my old publishers, Piatkus. You can never quite keep up with the speed at which people play musical desks in this industry.

I also did an interview for Elaine Flinn − alias Evil E − which is just posted on her website in the form of questions from various other authors. They raised some very interesting points, but for anyone who goes and has a look, I would like to point out that I did very carefully spell check and proof-read the interview before I sent it. Unfortunately, it was then re-keyed. So, however it appears, I really do know how to spell words like 'civilian' and 'knife'. Honest!

Weekend, 1-2 December 2007

So, here we are in December. What happened to autumn? Or summer for that matter. I do believe it hasn't actually stopped raining all week up here in the wilds of Cumbria and the nearest hilltop has been buried in the cloud line for so long that I fear somebody may have actually stolen it. Hell of a Woman Anthology Just the right time to curl up with a good book, then!

And the new anthology I contributed to earlier in the year is just out, after a few delays. Busted Flush Press were originally going to bring out A Hell of a Woman − an anthology of female noir − in July, unless my memory fails me. But, what with one thing and another, it's just hit the shelves in the last week or so. And, I have to say it has one of the most evocative cover images I've ever seen, although, probably not one that will ever become a poster for any Stop Smoking campaigns. The anthology is edited by Edgar Award nominee, Megan Abbott, and contains stories by too many great writers to name individually.

This last week also saw the official launch of the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, part of the Harrogate International Festival in July next year. The Crime Writing Festival will be held at the Crown Hotel in Harrogate, and that's where we all converged on Thursday afternoon. Harrogate always has a terrific line-up, and next year's will be no exception, with Robert Crais, Jeffery Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, Andy McNab and Peter Robinson the special guests. As they point out, your only crime would be to miss it − I certainly shan't!

Weekend, 24-25 November 2007

Reminders keep arriving of the US Tour we did in September for the hardcover launch of Second Shot and the paperback of First Drop. Zoë at Murder on the Beach The books keep popping up on various Independent Mystery Bookstore bestseller lists, which is lovely. And in particular I've just heard from Joanne Sinchuk at Murder On The Beach in Florida that I have a mention on their October bestseller lists. It's great to know that all those miles we trekked round the US had an effect.

With Jim O Born and Joanne Sinchuk at Murder on the Beach during my US Tour. Second Shot and First Drop were both bestsellers in October.

And it was fun, too, with the occasional exception. The most notable was Avis Rent A Car, who totally screwed up our reservation in Newark, to the point where we eventually abandoned our attempts to get the car we'd paid for out of them and went to Hertz instead. Avis have now, finally, refunded our rental fee and sent us a voucher for a whole €35 (£25 or $50) off our next rental with them. Wowee! Hold me back, somebody. Needless to say, we shall be writing to let them know what we think of their generous offer. . .

And, the finger I twanged in a car door in Indiana − not Avis, this time, that would be adding too much injury to insult − is still giving me a lot of trouble, to the point where I finally gave in and got it checked out. I was beginning to suspect I'd cracked the knuckle, but it turns out I unknowingly dislocated it instead and it appears I've stretched everything that's supposed to hold the joint together properly. Lifting stuff is awkward and it's given me the world's puniest handshake, but it doesn't stop me typing, which is the main thing.

Other than that, we felt the tour was well worthwhile. We met a lot of friends, saw some wonderful places, and sold some books, too. Can't be bad. And it taught us a lot about the logistics of the thing, which we can put to good use for next time. . . Oh boy, did I say that out loud?

Weekend, 17-18 November 2007

Well, the words are slowly piling up for the new book, but whether they're the right words − or in the right order, I think I'm rapidly losing the ability to tell. It's a bit like running a marathon. Even the best athletes occasionally don't finish, and there's always this fear, when you start a new project, that this will be the one that gets the better of you. Meanwhile you just keep your head down and grit your teeth and put one foot in front of the other until you get to the finish.

I've had a nice invitation this week, which was to take part in the Murderati blog site in the New Year. Simon Wood is leaving his weekly spot and Brett Battles and I are taking over on a timeshare basis, prompting a slightly cheeky comment from Simon that it takes two to fill his shoes. . . Bloedspoor, Dutch edition of Killer Instinct Still, it's an honour to be invited to put my name up there with Ken Bruen et al. And then, of course, the worry sets in about finding something intelligent to say on a twice monthly basis. Or at least something entertainingly stupid.

Another surprise this week was to find a Dutch edition of my first book, the long out-of-print Killer Instinct, with a cover I'd never seen before. The original Dutch cover for Bloedspoor, as they titled it − means track of blood, apparently − was a dark and dignified affair which didn't really give you an idea at all of the story. The new cover is very eye-catching and I have to say I rather like it, but I've no idea when it came out. Any clues, anyone?

Happy scribbling!

Weekend, 10-11 November 2007

I've decided I'm going to stop saying that the latest book is going well. It seems that every time I do, I grind to a halt with it. It's driving me mad at the moment, and almost feels like I'm right back to the beginning, writing my first novel again. It doesn't help that my in-house editor, the talented Emma Dunford, at my agents, Jane Gregory, has announced that she's leaving at the end of this month, so she won't be working on the finished typescript with me. This is a real blow, as Emma has spent so much time with me on the outline and the idea for the book. Jane expects to have a new editor in place by the New Year, which means they'll be receiving the first draft absolutely cold. I'm still in two minds about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. . .

Bumped into Mike Stotter, editor of Shots Magazine, at the Ellis Peters Historical Award. Photo courtesy of Ali Karim.

I've also come to the conclusion that when I caught my hand in a car door in Indiana while we were on the US tour, I have probably broken my finger. Six weeks on, the knuckle's still lumpy and sore, but there's no point in doing much about it now. As long as it doesn't stop me typing, that's the main thing.

Last week we did manage to find the Sky Legal TV offices for my short slot on their Crime Writers show. I read the opening piece of Second Shot and then did a brief interview with their presenter, Dean Heeley. He was very enthusiastic and it seemed to go well, although I don't know how much cutting they'll do. All the interviews I've seen have been about seven minutes and this was nearer ten. We'll see.

I was also in London last week for lunch with Emma and Jane, and for the Ellis Peters Historical Award, which I attended in my capacity as Press Officer for the CWA. All the usual suspects were there, including the guys from Shots e-zine − Ali Karim and Mike Stotter. The eventual winner was Ariana Franklin for Mistress of the Art of Death, set during the reign of Henry II. Congratulations to Ariana, and to Bantam, her publisher. In accepting the award, Ariana said she'd been assured she didn't stand a chance of winning, so she hadn't prepared a speech. Always better that way, I think, than to have prepared reams and never get to use it!

Weekend, 3-4 November 2007

Some good news this week, in that I signed contracts for audio book versions of both Second Shot and Third Strike with BBC Audiobooks. I’m thrilled that Charlie Fox will be coming out in this format at last, which is also of great interest to the library reading groups I spoke to recently. They like to include books in either large print or spoken word so they can lend the books out to groups which include visually impaired members. As soon as I know when they’re going to be published, I’ll let you know.

Earlier this year I recorded some snippets of all the books myself, but it will be wonderful to hear a professional doing it properly. And no, I have no idea as yet who they’ll get to do the actual reading, but it won’t be me! In the meantime, if you'd like to hear my own sound clips, simply click on My Books, then click on the book cover of your choice and follow the instructions next to the loudspeaker icon.

Next week I get to do a bit of reading of my own as I’m being interviewed on the Sky Legal TV channel as part of their Crime Writers slot. They quite often put these interviews up on their website as well as showing them on satellite TV, in which case I can link to them. Should be quite fun to do. According to my fellow LadyKiller, Lesley Horton − we saw Lesley and her husband, Brian last weekend − Sky Legal are tucked away in deepest Birmingham, but I think Tom, our resident navigation gizmo, should mean we can find our way to their offices.

I’m also in London in my capacity as Press Officer for the CWA at the presentation of the Ellis Peters Historical Award on Wednesday evening at a venue in Fitzroy Square, London W1. The usual swanky do, so posh frocks all round.

And, in the meantime, I’m still ploughing on with the new book, which has just reached the 45,000 word mark. I’ve been struggling with this one, which has a very different voice to the Charlie Fox novels, and has taken some finding. Still, it’s beginning to take shape and Andy likes it, so who knows? If I can keep this up, I may actually get this one done around Christmas. . .

Weekend, 27-28 October 2007

Last week I was asked to join in with the Channel 4 TV literacy season, Lost For Words, by adding my name to the list campaigning to improve the standards of children's literacy, which will be delivered to Downing Street by Amanda Ross of Cactus TV. I was very happy to do so.

Then Mary Inman, from the Lemont Public Library, Illinois, emailed me, which fitted in with this in an interesting way. Mary explained that the Lemont library is celebrating its tenth anniversary in their purpose-built new building. (Previously, the library shared space with the high school and the police station.) For this, she was asking a number of authors what they were reading when they were ten, and I thought long and hard about my answer.

Eventually, one book stood out among the rest as making a lasting impression on me − Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. A truly remarkable book, and the only one Ms Sewell ever wrote, Black Beauty was published in November 1877, when the author was 57 years old and in declining health. The publisher paid £40 ($80) for the manuscript, which had taken Ms Sewell six years to write, often dictating to her mother − a popular children's author herself − as Ms Sewell was too ill to leave her bed. She died in April of 1878, living just long enough to enjoy some of her work's early success. The book's sales broke publishing records − it is said to be the sixth bestselling book in the English language.

Ms Sewell originally wrote the story of Black Beauty not as a book for horse-mad children − as I was at the time − but as a cautionary tale for those who owned and looked after horses. She wanted to highlight certain abuses common at the time − like the practice of forcibly holding up the heads of carriage horses, often to the point where they could not breathe properly, never mind pull in harness, and many were permanently crippled as a result.

I remember being profoundly affected by the cruel practices highlighted in the book, which is all told from the horse's point of view in the form of an autobiography. A ground-breaking and brilliant narrative device, which allowed Ms Sewell to get her point across through the hurt bewilderment of the animals involved. I still remember the book vividly and would recommend it to anyone. Not only as a wonderful gripping story, but as a salutary lesson in the humane treatment of animals.

Ms Sewell clearly knew and understood horses extremely well. After a walking accident when she was only 14, she was lame for life and frequently travelled by horse-drawn carriage. She must have spent a good deal of her time observing the animals who served her, and repaid her debt to them by bringing widespread attention to the plight of working horses at the time. The publication of Black Beauty caused a huge outpouring of concern for animal welfare in Victorian England. A fine legacy for any writer. And I would defy all but the most hard-hearted not to cry during the chapter about the sad demise of poor Ginger. It makes me well up even now!

Weekend, 20-21 October 2007

Wednesday of this week I was down at Garstang Library for an evening event in conjunction with a celebration of reading groups, which are enjoying something of a boom in the northwest at the moment, I’m delighted to report.

Zoë with Liz Storton and Janet Thomas at Garstang Library

Zoë with (left) Liz Storton, assistant librarian, Bibliographical Services
and (right) Janet Thomas, deputy branch manager, Garstang Library.

We had a cracking turnout and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, which is always good. My thanks to Janet Thomas for the kind invite.

And speaking of invitations, I’ve received one to appear on Sky Legal TV in the Crime Writers’ slot. I’m due to go to their Birmingham studios early in November to record a short segment, for which I have to bring a section of Second Shot to read out loud. I thought I’d read the opening page-and-a-bit, which is what I usually read at events, if I’m called upon to do so. I’ll have to find out if I’m allowed to say the word ‘bastard’ before the watershed, though.

A crowd of enthusiastic reading group members
at my event in Garstang's splendid open-plan library.
Hands up if you can spot me in the distance!

As for the writing, it’s been very heavy going at the moment. I’ve been struggling to get a hold of the new book, acutely aware of the passing of time. And every time I think I might have finally cracked it, I find I haven’t got a grip on it after all. My biggest concern seems to be pace. I’m used to writing books that are a fast read and this new project has a slightly more contemplative tone. So, I’ve been panicking about the lack of pace when perhaps that shouldn’t have been my primary concern. Still, a long car journey up to the northeast to do a photo shoot this weekend seems to have sorted it, at last. I think I’m finally happy enough to move forwards. Mind you, I get the feeling I might have said something like that before . . .

Weekend, 13-14 October 2007

It's been an up and down week, this week. The ups have been good ones, I admit. First up was a couple of cracking reviews for Second Shot from the Chicago Tribune and Shots Crime & Thriller Ezine. Then, publication of the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association bestseller list for September.

I am delighted that Second Shot is joint sixth with such luminaries as Stephen Hunter and Kathy Reichs − and First Drop has topped the paperback list.

Second Shot US Edition - joint sixth
in the IMBA September bestsellers

A huge thank you goes to all the mystery bookstores in the US who've been selling the books, as well as all their customers, of course, who've been buying them!

First Drop US Edition - top of the
IMBA paperback bestsellers

This week's down is that I'm really wrestling with the new book. I've now rewritten the part I'm stuck on so many times I can't work out if it's good, bad, or indifferent, and I'm naturally drawn to the latter opinions. After I'd done much moping around the house looking glum, Andy has finally talked me into skipping over this section altogether and taking up the story later on, on the grounds that I know what happens during the bit I'm struggling with, it's just the execution that's proving problematic.

As is always the case, although I kicked and squealed for a bit, he was right. So, on the way south to do some photo shoots over this weekend, I've jumped into the opening scene of the next section. So far, so good − I hope.

Tonight we're seeing one of my fellow LadyKillers, Priscilla Masters, for a curry and a good natter − and then next week I'm at Garstang Library on Wednesday, 17th at 7:30pm to give a talk on the mysteries of crime writing. Let's hope by then I can report good progress on the current book.

Weekend, 6-7 October 2007

Have we really been away? Time seems to pass at a totally different rate when we're not at home, or at least embroiled in the rushing about that forms our day-to-day routine − if anything so irregular can have a routine at all. At home, a week whizzes past in no time. In the US, even though we were constantly on the move, the pace seemed ever so slightly slower. And now we've been back for a week, it's as though we've never been gone. Weird.

Goodbye to a misty Chicago - next stop NYC, then home!

We're still waiting for the exact mileages from Southwest Airlines, but we reckon the final tally for the US signing tour is going to be somewhere around 16,000 miles flown and driven in just over three weeks. We've had time to think a little about it, both the good and the bad, and have decided on a few things we'd definitely do again, and a few we definitely wouldn't.

Top of the Do Again list is packing light. Having only carry-on baggage was brilliant, both in time saved at airports and lessening the strain of dragging luggage in and out of hotels, etc. We took enough clothing for around a week at a time, and did several lots of laundry en route. They reckon people only use around a third of the stuff they take away with them in any case.

The navigation unit was another wonderful device. Bearing in mind we didn't have the room to carry maps for all the different places we were going to, having something the size and weight of a pack of playing cards that directed us to every library and bookstore we needed to visit took a lot of the stress out of travelling in a strange country.

Buying a US phone. One of the first things we did when we arrived was buy a cheap pay-as-you-go US cellphone, and let everyone we were visiting have the number. It reduced our phone bill to a fraction of what our UK cellphones cost us last time we were in the States, and nobody minded calling what was, for them, a domestic number.

The last one probably sounds a bit of an oddity. Before we went, knowing I'd be doing events every day but one and wearing make-up, I had my eyelashes dyed. I warned you it was going to sound odd, but it was well worth doing. I have naturally very pale eyelashes and wearing mascara is a pain, so not having to bother for three weeks was great. Plus, being in constant air con batters my eyes − I took eye drops with me so I didn't arrive everywhere looking like I'd spent the previous night out on the town.

On the Don't Do Again list, the biggest hassles came with car rental. I would not rent again with Avis, after they delayed us for two hours in Newark for a voucher to be faxed through, and didn't seem to care if it arrived or not. Budget had the odd hiccup, mainly caused by the US rental counters not recognising the UK-generated booking confirmation numbers. I'd try their Fast Break system in future, to see if that speeded things up a little. Otherwise, what you gain from not waiting for hold baggage, you lose waiting in line for a rental car.

Having someone like Andy, who copes superbly with driving in LA traffic during the rush hour, was another big bonus.

Now we're home, we've jumped straight back into the fray, with shoots starting to stack up for the month, a library event in Garstang on the 17th to look forward to, and the next book to get on with. Sounds like we could do with a holiday . . .

6-28 September, 2007 - US SIGNING TOUR

View the US Itinerary - Read the Tour Blog

Weekend, 1-2 September, 2007

As I get older (cries of hark at Grandma!) I feel the urge to de-clutter. I doubt I will turn into one of these little old ladies surrounded by knickknacks and piles of old newspapers. Apart from books, which I could cheerfully continue to collect until the floors collapse − we've engineered them to take it, believe me.

But it never ceases to amaze me how much stuff people take away with them on holiday. We see them in the airport, dragging suitcases along behind them that are as big − if not bigger − than their owners. When we went to NYC for the ThrillerFest convention in July, Andy and I had two small squashy bags between us, the combined weight of which didn't hit our allowance for one bag. And we could have taken four that size. What do they put in there?

For the US tour to mark the publication of First Drop in paperback and Second Shot in hardcover (full itinerary below), we thought long and hard about what do we actually need to take with us. We leave home early doors on Tuesday, Sept 4th, to head to one of the London airports via a photo shoot in Watford and a book signing for the UK edition of Second Shot at Goldsboro Books. Our total travel baggage We get back some time on Saturday, Sept 29th. A total of 26 days.

During that time we have nine internal flights plus the transatlantic. To me that sounds like nine opportunities for lost or delayed bags. So, we made a careful packing list and decided to see if we could do the whole thing on carry-on luggage only. And we think we can. The only tricky part was not taking any liquid containers larger than the regulation 75ml size. Makes it difficult to pack things like enough shampoo and conditioner to last you the whole trip.

But, we kept reminding ourselves, the US is a civilised country. If we discover we've forgotten anything or can't do without it, we'll more than likely be able just to walk in somewhere and buy a replacement. They also have a widespread network of launderettes, and we've even built in the odd morning or afternoon into the schedule for getting the laundry done. Has nobody told that to the people carrying the equivalent of their own bodyweight in luggage?

Total travel luggage
for 2 people for 26 days

Weekend, 25-26 August, 2007

It really is about time I gave credit where it's due. I've mentioned my Other Half, Andy, quite a few times in these pages, but it's not until it comes to something like planning and organising the US Tour for Second Shot that I truly appreciate what a star he is.

Indeed, my wonderful friend and fellow mystery author, Meg Chittenden, dubbed him the Adorable Andy. He just refers to himself as B.O.B., which he says stands for Beast Of Burden. Andy's always with me at conventions − he was the unsung mastermind behind the very popular gun range excursion at ThrillerFest in Phoenix, 2006; the one who found people the right boat to board in Chicago; who prevented the late great Barbara Seranella from accidentally missing her panel at Left Coast Crime in El Paso.

He's sharp and wickedly funny, but he likes to stay out of the limelight and it's no surprise that he's tried to stop me devoting this week's blog to his many talents.

A non-fiction author in his own right, Andy has five published books to his name and too many magazine articles to count. We work together, plot together, and he reads everything I write at just about every stage. I really don't think I could do any of it without him.

On top of his own busy writing schedule − which contains more deadlines in a month than I face in a year − he's found the time to put together our nation-wide US Tour, including co-ordinating numerous internal flights, hotels, car rentals and signing events. Like I said: an absolute star.

And, as Stuart MacBride commented after meeting Andy at this year's Harrogate Crime Festival: 'Who knew he'd be so normal?'

Weekend, 18-19 August, 2007

What can I say except here it is − at last − the Second Shot US Tour itinerary? We're still adding last-minute details to it, but this is the basic thing in all its glory. Twenty-two days, fourteen states, twenty-seven venues, plus as many drop-ins on the way as we can manage. It's been a huge job to organise, for which I take my hat off totally to my Other Half, Andy.

As you'll see from the schedule, a number of wonderful other crime writers have agreed to join up with me around the country on this one, and I'm honoured to be sharing the limelight with all of them.

Actually, this is also the First Drop Tour, because that book's coming out in mass market paperback at the same time as the new hardcover. And just like a director's cut DVD, the paperback version includes a brand new Charlie Fox short story, 'Postcards From Another Country'.

As always, it would be great to see you if you can come along to any of these events. And if you would like a book signing but can't get there on the day, please contact your nearest store and let them know the details. I'll be happy to personalise a copy for you.

Weekend, 11-12 August, 2007

The revised typescript for Third Strike finally went off back to my US editor at St Martin's this week − hooray! I ended up making more changes than were actually asked for, but when you've put a book aside for a while and then come back to it, some things just jump out at you as being not quite right. And it's not as if I had anything else to do. . .

Actually, it's been a packed week, as always. Quite beyond the emergency flood repairs taking place at home, and the hectic day job workload, the Second Shot US signing tour is really coming together − thanks hugely to Andy's hard work while I've been slaving over the revisions. The itinerary is almost complete and it looks like there's going to be scarcely a moment spare, but we're really excited to be going to so many places, including a couple we've never been to before, like Denver and Seattle. Keep watching this space for the full run-down of when and where.

The Caerleon summer school I did at Newport, South Wales at the beginning of August (left, caught on camera between sessions) is still having a ripple effect, too. After fretting about how much good I actually managed to do for the people on the crime writing course I was teaching, I had a lovely email from one, Trevor, saying he was now back writing again after a five-year gap. If the nicely edgy snippets he read out were anything to go by, it's something he should definitely pursue!

I met some lovely people at Caerleon, but rather hit it off with romance author, Kate Walker, and her delightful husband, Steve, a non-fiction writer. Kate has just had her fiftieth book published since her debut novel in 1987 − I know, fifty books. Sheesh! She not only picked up a copy of First Drop to give away as part of the ongoing celebrations for this remarkable achievement, but she also invited me to guest blog on her website.

Next week we should be finalising the US tour − Andy's booking internal American flights as I write this − and trying to get all the day-to-day work out of the way before we disappear for the bulk of September. And then there's the small matter of the current book, which is sitting around tutting loudly and pulling sulky faces because I've been ignoring it for weeks. Easy life this writing lark, isn't it?

Weekend, 4-5 August, 2007

I hate trains. With the possible exception of the London Underground, the New York subway, and the Japanese bullet-train − OK, Japanese trains in general. But apart from that, I don't like 'em, and the feeling seems to be mutual. Whenever I've tried to travel by train in recent years, they tend to suffer irretrievable breakdown and abandon me halfway or less to my destination.

So, it was almost with some surprise that I managed to get all the way from Cumbria down to the University of Wales in Newport, Gwent last Tuesday, without a hitch. OK, so the forward-facing seat I'd booked turned out to be facing backwards and was, in any case, already occupied when I boarded. Finding somewhere else to sit where I was facing the right way and had a table to work on proved difficult. And when I did I quickly found that the pages of the latest typescript I was working on were being surreptitiously read by the person sitting next to me. Pretty off-putting, that, I can tell you. But, the trains were reasonably on time and, even if the ladies' room at Crewe station ranks as the most disgusting public loo I've ever visited, the journey was still worthwhile.

I went to Gwent for the 2007 Writers' Holiday at Caerleon Campus, the first time I've been on a residential writing course in any capacity. In this case, I was teaching five sessions on crime writing and I not only had a lot of fun doing it, but I also met a terrific bunch of very talented people. And the Cwmbach Male Choir gave a stunning performance on the last night. Not to be missed.

While I've been away my poor long-suffering Other Half, Andy, has been madly organising the Second Shot tour of the US next month and I'm delighted to report that we're kicking off things with a joint event with Lee Child at Partners & Crime bookstore in Greenwich Village, New York, on September 6th. The full dates and itinerary will be posted soon, so watch this space!

Weekend, 28-29 July, 2007

Well, I fear my trusty notebook is lost to the mists of time forever. Actually, I suspect it was thrown away by an overzealous chambermaid either at the Grand Hyatt or the Doubletree near JFK airport. And, in some ways, I sort of hope so. I'd rather it was languishing in a landfill site somewhere than have a stranger leafing through it trying to decipher my largely illegible scrawl for bits of a variety of plots, titles, disconnected action scenes and dialogue. Damn, I'm going to miss it. Still, it could be worse − my digital diary has over 600 phone numbers and addresses in it, and I could have lost that instead. . .

We got home from the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival last Sunday to finally try and sort out the aftermath of the flooding, which includes trying to get the course of the nearby stream put back to its original location, where it's not likely to flood our neighbour's house at the slightest provocation. I've had to break off work on the new book (and revisions on Third Strike) to write a Method Statement for Natural England on how we intend to carry out this work. Quite a change from my usual scribblings − just as dramatic but fewer corpses.

Next week I go to Newport in Gwent, South Wales to teach a short crime writing course at the Caerleon Summer School. And that's really made me think about how I go about writing a crime novel, and the processes involved. And can you actually teach someone to write at all? Well. . . maybe.

I look upon it like teaching someone to drive. To begin with, they're so caught up in the mechanics of operating the clutch and brake and changing gear and steering that they can barely think about the direction in which they want to travel. But once you become familiar, even confident, with the controls, you use them without thinking about it and concentrate on where you're going. Some people give you a lift and scare you to death with near misses, or their inattention, or frustrate you with their lack of forward progress, and you can't wait to get out at the other end. Some people take you the scenic route so you're sorry when the journey ends. And some people go at it like they're taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally, so you arrive at your destination thoroughly exhilarated.

So the mechanics of dialogue and plotting and creating character can be learned. But can you teach someone to drive with the verve and skill of Ayrton Senna or Lewis Hamilton? Hm, that's another matter. . .

Weekend, 21-22 July, 2007

I look back at last week's blog and see I casually mentioned that on Tuesday evening I expected to be at the Bodies in the Bookshop event at Heffers in Cambridge. Well, the reality of it was that things didn't quite work out that way. We were at St Martin's Minotaur in New York on Monday for a lunchtime meeting with my US editor and we happened to pick up our email, at which point we discovered that our evening MaxJet flight back to Stansted had been cancelled due to a mechanical problem with the plane. Oh, rats. . .

To be fair to MaxJet, they did their utmost to sort things out. They put us up in a hotel just off JFK airport and arranged for us to fly out in the comfy seats on the morning Virgin Atlantic flight. Very nice, even if it did mean we missed both our lunch with my UK publisher, and arrived back too late to go from Heathrow to pick up our car and get to Heffers that evening. I called in at Heffers the following day to sign stock for them, to find two other authors − Dolores Gordon-Smith and Kate Charles − were doing the same. My apologies to anyone who came to Cambridge to see me.

'Honor Among Thieves - how do bad heroes and heroines live with themselves?' - my panel at ThrillerFest: (l to r) Jeff Buick, Zoë, Humphrey Hawksley, Barry Eisler (moderator), Bill Cameron, Kyle Mills and Vicki Hendricks [Photo courtesy of NYCPhoto]

Somewhere between Sunday lunchtime at the ThrillerFest convention and arriving back in the UK on Tuesday evening, I realised that I'd mislaid my notebook/diary. An author's notebook is an extension of their brain, horribly vital, and in my case it was also packed with people I needed to contact for the day job as well, so I'm feeling somewhat lost without it, to say the least. If anybody who was in New York for ThrillerFest and staying at the Grand Hyatt, has found a spiral-bound Pukka Pad notebook, about the size of a trade paperback novel with a greenish cover, filled with incomprehensible scribbling and diary pages in the back, please please let me know.

Here's what a flash flood did in five minutes to my immaculate lawn. It doesn't compare to the havoc others have suffered in widespread flooding but at least it got rid of the moles!

We arrived home Wednesday evening and were due to leave again first thing Friday morning to attend the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, sponsored by Theakstons Old Peculier. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. We didn't think much about the torrential rain that began on Thursday afternoon until it created a flash flood, a twelve foot-wide mud slide through the garden − knocking down part of the dry stone wall in the process − and a minor landslide on the other side of the beck. As we waded down the lane, up to our ankles in floodwater, the beck overflowed onto the village green, leaving it covered in debris and drowned fish, and the nearby roads a foot deep in silt. Worst of all, it came into our neighbour's garden and then into their house and the course of the beck shifted by as much as twenty feet overnight so that it now runs perilously close to their property.

We eventually did manage to get away for Harrogate, although not until Friday lunchtime, and spent the weekend watching the rain outside the convention hotel and anxiously ringing the neighbours for progress reports. Who would have thought England would ever have a monsoon season?

Despite these worries, Harrogate was a lot of fun. And I was right about one thing − Lee Child hadn't quite forgiven me for the scenario he happened to get at ThrillerFest, as described in last week's blog. So, when I posed a question to Lee on one of his panels this weekend, he jokingly refused to answer. Afterwards, he apologised several times, saying, 'That came out much meaner than I intended.'

I was lucky enough to be invited to take part on a panel at Harrogate this year − 'Getting Vigorous' − moderated by Aberdonian author, Stuart MacBride. He decided to run it as a kind of quiz show, setting questions that panellists Caroline (CJ) Carver, Simon Kernick, Michael Marshall and I ought to know the answers to from our books. I say 'ought to' because mostly we'd forgotten. But we had a great time and the audience seemed to like it, even if one or two did look a little squeamish when Stuart got to the cannibalism question. Hats off to him, by the way, for his incredibly thorough preparation for the event.

If you haven't been to the Harrogate Festival, I highly recommend it. Unlike US conventions they run a single track of panels, with a half-hour gap between them to give you time to get books signed by attending authors, and you can choose to purchase tickets just to the specific panels you want to attend rather than a full weekend rover pass, if you prefer.

So, now we have the best part of a week at home to get organised, shovel some mud off the lawn, answer the stack of email that's built up while we've been off gallivanting, and get some work out of the way. And I need to get on with the latest book without the aid of all those notes I'd so carefully made. . .

Weekend, 14-15 July, 2007, at ThrillerFest in New York

I love New York City. The speed, the noise, the purpose, the sheer magnificence of the skyscrapers and the utter insouciance of the people who live and work in their shadow. Even the gaudy opulence of the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Park Ave, which contrasts so strongly with the solemn cathedral-like majesty of Grand Central Terminal next door. I'm learning to appreciate hot sidewalks and ice cold cappuccino. ThrillerFest is in full swing and we've hardly slept since we got here on Tuesday. It all sounds very glamorous − breakfast with my editor, lunch with my publicist, cocktails with my publisher. What's not to like?

The initial Booklist review is in for Second Shot and it's a starred one, which is amazing. People are referring to Charlie Fox as a female James Bond − even more amazing when she has no gadgets other than her habitual Swiss Army knife, and rides a motorcycle rather than driving an Aston. Not a comparison I'd ever have thought to make, but I'll certainly go with it.

Meeting up with old friends is great, including the delightful Maryellen Papadeas who − with her husband, Paul − runs the Spring Break Nationals show in Daytona Beach where First Drop is set. She's up here from Florida with her daughter, Dess, for the summer and we've already packed in dinner and breakfast amid the convention chaos. The latter meal was at Brasserie Les Halles on Park − the place where celebrity chef at large is fellow crime author Anthony Bourdain. (Wow, how cool does it sound to say that?)

Walking in NYC is easy and the subway's surprisingly clean, safe, and convenient. And it's habit to be aware of who's walking behind me, and how close, when we're out on the street anyway. Last night (Sunday) we took the PATH train over to Jersey City, where fellow author Christine Kling and her laid-back Other Half, Bruce, have their yacht moored in the marina, having sailed up from Florida just for ThrillerFest. Andy, Christine, Bruce and I sat with fellow author Shane Gericke in the cockpit, eating and drinking and admiring the Manhattan skyline on the other side of the Hudson river. And afterwards, when Shane, Andy and I were on our way back to the convention hotel, we stopped off at the Empire State Building for a rooftop view of the city at midnight.

Had my panel on Friday, moderated by Barry Eisler, and containing a rake of authors − Jeff Buick, Bill Cameron, fellow Brit and BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley, Vicki Hendricks, and Kyle Mills. We had some laughs discussing 'Honour Among Thieves − how do bad heroes/heroines live with themselves?' Barry kept order with style and humour and people said afterwards how much they enjoyed it. And later I signed my first book as Charlie Fox. I never thought I'd need to develop a signature for her.

The big boys are here, of course, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and Heather Graham. I'm meeting up with lots of old friends and usually I'm pretty good with faces of people I met last year. Mind you, one woman came and reintroduced herself to me and we said, 'Yes, we saw you at ThrillerFest in Phoenix last year.' She still looked blank, so we elaborated. 'You came out to dinner with us.' Still no sign. 'It was my birthday party meal.' The penny starts to drop. 'You sang. . .'

Honestly. You can't make stuff like this up.

And in the panel with Lee Child, moderated by Christine Kling, the audience were invited to contribute a scenario on a Post-It note, all of which would be folded up and put into a hat for the panel members to pick out and try and come up with what happened next. I came up with the following:

'Three nuns, a Russian drug dealer, and a clown are being pursued through the Food Hall at Harrod's by a Japanese tribute band to ABBA, when the clown's cellphone rings. . .'

And, wouldn't you know it, Lee Child picked that one out and proceeded, without a blink, to launch into an explanation of how the cellphone network could now be used for terrorist purposes to set off explosive devices. The crowd picked out that one as their favourite and, when I owned up to having written it, I was awarded a Bullshit Detector as a prize. I'm not sure Lee's quite forgiven me, though. . .

This evening we get back on a plane to come home and by tomorrow evening we'll be at the Bodies in the Bookshop event at Heffers in Cambridge. And pining, no doubt, for the sound of sirens and the buzz of the Big Apple.

Weekend, 7-8 July, 2007

Another week when I don't seem to have stopped to draw breath. Other stuff just seems to keep getting in the way of the business of writing, but somehow I've reached the 30,000-word mark with the new book and the twenty-plus-hour days have been enlivened by various pieces of good news.

For a start, on Monday, I heard back from my agent, Jane Gregory, that both St Martin's Press in the US, and Allison & Busby in the UK, are thrilled with the typescript of Third Strike. At last, I can stop biting my fingernails waiting for a reaction! Neither of my editors is calling for major changes, either, which is always a happy state of affairs, although I'm expecting comments and queries to arrive over the next couple of weeks.

Another interesting development is that I've recorded short audio excerpts for all my books. To listen, click on My Books and then click on the cover of any book. Do please go and have a look − and a listen, obviously − and let me know what you make of them.

And there have been a few other nice moments, such as the email I got from Lesa Holstine, Branch Manager at the Glendale Public Library in Arizona. I was in touch regarding the upcoming Second Shot US Tour in September and was thrilled to find that she's reading First Drop at the moment. She even posted on DorothyL to that effect:

'My bookmark is at the start of chapter three of Zoë Sharp's First Drop. To be honest, she had me from the first line. It's hard to resist, "For the third time that morning I shut my eyes tight in the absolute and certain knowledge I was just about to die." Her character, Charlie Fox, is a professional bodyguard. I'm hooked.'

I'm arranging to do an event at one of the libraries in the Glendale area and can't wait to meet such an enthusiastic crime fan!

Is This a Dagger I See Before Me?

I've come to the conclusion that there are more Mercedes per square inch on Dagger Wards logo Park Lane in London than anywhere else in the world with the possible exception of Stüttgart. This is apropos of nothing apart from the fact that I was there on Thursday evening attending the Crime Writers' Association Duncan Lawrie Dagger Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Tube was jammed, thanks to a derailment earlier in the day, so I got off at Marble Arch and walked the length of Park Lane, rather than make another two changes to bring me out at Hyde Park Corner. And it would have been a nice walk, observing the great and the good, had it not been raining. But then, it is only July so what did I expect?

I suppose I ought to point out that I was attending the Daggers as Press Officer for the CWA, rather than because I was shortlisted for anything − although I live in hope. It was a good excuse to wear sparkly heels and a posh frock. The whole event ran smoothly and to time, and was a glittering occasion, enlivened by the wit of after-dinner speaker, Bob Marshall-Andrews QC, MP − even though his crack about ASBOs had to be explained to the American guest at our table. The winners are listed below and my congratulations go not only to all of them, but also to all those who made the shortlists. Just to be nominated is a fine achievement in itself.

DUNCAN LAWRIE DAGGER
For best crime novel of the year − £20,000 prize money.
Peter Temple − THE BROKEN SHORE − Quercus
Judges' comments: 'This is a well written crime novel with excellent characterisation mingled with a subtle exploration of contemporary Australian landscape and mores. This is a first class read with a sympathetic engrossing police protagonist.'

NOTE: This is the first time that an Australian author has appeared on the shortlist for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger (the CWA Gold Dagger for Fiction as was). Other notable nominees included American author Gillian Flynn (pronounced with a hard 'G') − who won the New Blood Dagger and the Ian Fleming Steel Dagger − and C.J. Sansom, Very Highly Commended for the Dagger in the Library.

DUNCAN LAWRIE INTERNATIONAL DAGGER
For crime, thriller, suspense novels or spy fiction which have been translated into English from their original language, for UK publication − £5000 prize money.
Fred Vargas (France) − WASH THIS BLOOD CLEAN FROM MY HAND − Harvill Secker − translated by Sîan Reynolds
Judges' comments: 'A stylish return to the shortlist for last year's inventive winner with another unconventional police procedural.'

NOTE: This is the third year that Fred Vargas has featured in the Dagger Awards. She was shortlisted in 2005 for the last CWA Gold Dagger for Fiction for her novel 'Seeking Whom He May Devour', translated by David Bellos, while 'The Three Evangelists', also translated by Sîan Reynolds, was last year's winner of the inaugural Duncan Lawrie International Dagger.

THE CWA IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER
For best thriller − £2000 prize money.
Gillian Flynn − SHARP OBJECTS − Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Judges' comments: 'A very good debut, atmospheric and creepy, with a complex and convincingly drawn female protagonist. The claustrophobia of small-town America in the south is portrayed exceptionally well in this dark psychological thriller.'

NOTE: Gillian Flynn's debut also won the New Blood Dagger and was shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger. All three categories were judged completely independently and had no overlapping members.

THE CWA NEW BLOOD DAGGER
Formerly the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger, awarded for first novels by previously unpublished authors − £1000 prize money.
Gillian Flynn − SHARP OBJECTS − Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Judges' comments: 'This was a novel characterised by its vivid and poetic writing. A superb sense of character with an imaginative treatment of the reasons for and the problems of self-harm.'

CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY
Nominated and judged by librarians and awarded for a body of work, not a single title − £1500 prize money.
Stuart MacBride
Judges' comments: 'His books tell of life in all its grim reality, but this only adds to the appeal of this truly impressive new author. . . the grimmest of subjects, but leavened (thankfully) with dashes of humour. He's bad news for the Aberdeen tourist industry, but great news for crime readers.'

C.J. Sansom − Very Highly Commended
Judges' comments: 'Brilliantly researched stories about turbulent Tudor England, we like his hero Matthew Shardlake – he's an impressive sleuth and a good man, a thoroughly likeable character. Authentic settings, entertaining and enjoyable stories – they satisfy on so many levels.'

NOTE: C.J. Sansom was also shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger.

CWA DEBUT DAGGER
For unpublished novels by unpublished authors − £500 prize money.
Alan Bradley (Canada) − THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE
Judges' comments: 'Original, with a deliciously deceptive opening which really sets the tone of macabre fun. The heroine is a wonderful creation, refreshingly youthful, funny and sharp and the author creates a strong sense of time and place. There are also interesting depths to the plot, and the acknowledgment of past events and how they have affected these characters. The story is cleverly structured and beautifully written. This novel pushes the boundaries of the crime fiction genre in unusual ways.'

David Jackson (UK) − PARIAH − Highly Commended
Judges' comments: 'A creepy opening, followed by a confidently handled crime scene and some decent New York ambiance. The writing is fresh and zippy and even minor characters are allowed enough back story to make them real for the reader. The plot is original and enticing. This author has a good eye for narrative description and fleshing out characters' physical details. Impressive.'

The Ellis Peters Historical Dagger − now the Ellis Peters Award − and the Short Story Award − formerly the Short Story Dagger − will be announced and presented later in the year. The full shortlists are on the CWA website.

Weekend, 30 June-1 July, 2007

So, here we are in the middle of England's monsoon season. . . Honestly, I can't believe the weather. I mean, I know it's supposed to be a British preoccupation but news pictures of people in Yorkshire practically canoeing out of their first-floor windows is something else. Yesterday we were in York when the heavens opened. And I mean opened. Within minutes the roads had entirely disappeared and the mist from the rain bouncing back up a foot off the ground made it look like oncoming cars were driving at you through a swamp.

The day job, as you can imagine, has been somewhat soggy of late. Deserted stands at Santa Pod Raceway We spent all last Sunday standing around at Santa Pod Raceway in Northamptonshire, waiting for the track to clear enough to see some drag racing action. It didn't. They finally admitted defeat at 3:30pm (as you can see from the deserted stands in my photograph) and we made our way soggily homewards.

We were also in London last week, attending the twentieth anniversary party held by my agent, Jane Gregory of Gregory & Company, at the magnificent newly refurbished Fulham Palace, on the banks of the Thames. Andy attempted to drink his own weight in pink champagne and a good time was had by all, although the sight of Shots e-zine duo, Mike Stotter and Ali Karim, dressed up as a cross between something out of Men In Black and Pulp Fiction − complete with wigs and false moustaches − is not something you forget in a hurry.

The new book has begun to really gather pace, having just hit the 25,000 word mark after a restart in the middle of June. Of course, sitting scribbling in a hotel bedroom at the weekend, I finally managed to do what I've been dreading. Having crept out of bed and scribbled madly since before 6:00am, I achieved my daily target in a little over two hours of wonderful inspiration. When I went to shut down the file, the usual 'Save the changes?' dialogue box popped up, as it has thousands of times before − and I managed to accidentally hit 'No' in response, thus dumping the whole lot. So, if you were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Burton-on-Trent on Saturday night, I apologise now for all the swearing you might have heard coming from a neighbouring room. . .

Weekend, 23-24 June, 2007

You wouldn't have thought that writers would suffer too much from industrial injury, but I managed to put my neck out − again − this week. Every time I have my spine checked out there's a sharp intake of breath and much prodding of lumpy bits. I try and combat this by resting my elbows on the desktop as I type, but basically I spend several hours a day sitting at a computer keyboard and the human body was just not designed for that kind of job.

At least we're so busy with the day job that part of the time is spent running around on photo location shoots, jumping up and down stepladders and grovelling around on the floor to get those really low-angle vehicle shots. But, after that I have to spend hours downloading and sorting through every image, so it's not as much of a rest as you might think.

But the new book's flowing, and when the words clamour at the inside of your head, you have to grab them with both hands before they disappear. So, after a very crunchy visit to the chiropractor I've been sitting with a microwaved wheatie bag perched on my shoulder like some kind of thermonuclear parrot. If it starts to talk, I know I'm really in trouble.

We've had remarkable weather up here in the wilds of Wild winds wreck my dry stone wall Cumbria this week. I was sitting on the phone looking out of the study window when suddenly large bits of tree appeared, flying absolutely horizontally left to right as a huge bough fell off one of the sycamore trees in the garden. It landed, naturally, halfway on top of the dry stone wall and I just know that when we finally take a chainsaw to it, most of that section of wall will collapse. Still, the main limb must be eighteen inches in diameter, so it could have done a lot more damage. And at least it will keep the neighbours in firewood for most of the winter.

Weekend, 16-17 June, 2007

Ali Karim - Photo: Zace Photographic There has been a huge amount of interest in my blog last week where I mentioned the two-part feature which Ali Karim has just published in his The Rap Sheet website. Ali (right) gets to interview all the big names in the world of fiction and I'm very flattered that he has taken so much trouble with this in-depth piece on Charlie Fox and my career. Do read Part I and Part II by clicking on the links.

Writing time is really being crammed into the cracks at the moment. I'll be at ThrillerFest in New York from 12-15 July. I'm doing a panel moderated by Barry Eisler on 'Honor Among Thieves: how do bad heroes/heroines live with themselves?'.

From 19-22 July, I'll be at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, where I'm taking part in a panel moderated by Stuart MacBride called 'Getting Vigorous', all about writing convincing action scenes.

Just to round off a hectic month, I'm teaching a crime-writing course which takes place from 29 July-3 August at Caerleon, near Newport, South Wales.

Still, I've finally got into my stride with again with my new book (an entirely new project and not one of the Charlie Fox series). I've been asked to produce an updated synopsis of the book and I've discovered that it has really changed since I wrote my original outline. The lives of the main characters are becoming much more intertwined and their motivations are shifting as they take shape. Letting the book sit and ferment since the middle of last year, when I broke off to write the next Charlie Fox book, Third Strike, has worked wonders, I think. Time will tell if other people share this opinion!

Weekend, 9-10 June, 2007

Had a couple of nice surprises this week. The first came in the form of an email from crime aficionado and reviewer, Ali Karim, telling me a two-part feature he's written about me was up on The Rap Sheet website. It's a really wonderful piece. Ali gets to interview some of the greats and the fact that he's taken the time and trouble to go into such depth on the Charlie Fox books is a huge compliment. Many thanks, Ali! Do read Part I and Part II by clicking on the links.

The second surprise arrived via Left Coast Crime 2006-organiser, Adrian Muller, who rang to tell me he'd spotted mention of Charlie Fox in an interview with Lee Child in a Dutch newspaper, Vrij Nederland, which means Free Netherlands, and was apparently started by the resistance during World War II. It's now a weekly current affairs magazine that, once a year, publishes a guide (Detective & Thrillergids) listing every author in print in Holland. In the interview, Lee Child said:

'[Jack] Reacher's unorthodox character means that there aren't many crime authors who write similar books. The author I do feel a connection with is the British writer Zoë Sharp. Her protagonist is a female bodyguard. Her name is Charlotte "Charlie" Fox. Like Reacher she has a military background. Due to her marksmanship she was selected to train with the Special Forces, but it all went wrong after that.'

I'm grateful to Adrian for the translation. Again, I'm enormously flattered that a writer of Lee Child's stature considers my stuff worthy of comment.

Meanwhile, we've been planning the US tour for the launch of Second Shot in hardcover and First Drop in mass market paperback in September. I put a request for information on the DorothyL website and have been amazed at the response. People have been recommending lots of terrific independent mystery booksellers and we're trying to work out a route that will enable us to at least drop in on as many as we can.

And, of course, in the midst of all this I really should be getting on with the new book. I've made a restart which I finally feel is heading in the right direction, but it's gathering momentum with frustrating slowness. Difficult to make progress when in the back of my mind I'm worrying about hearing a reaction from my editors on the last Charlie Fox book, Third Strike. It doesn't matter how many books you've written, the longer you don't hear anything, the worse it gets. I ended the book on a bit of a dark note that I thought at the time was the only way to take the story and the character, but now I'm having second thoughts.

Still, at least the day job's frantic enough to take my mind off it a little, and we've plenty of shoots lined up to stop me going entirely round the bend!

Weekend, 2-3 June, 2007

Well, the US tour for the hardcover launch of Second Shot and the mass market paperback edition of First Drop is taking shape. The trouble is that we've met so many great people in the US that we'd love to visit every one of them, but we have to be practical when it comes to time and travelling. As it is, it looks like we're going to be away for most of September and I should imagine I'm going to be up to my neck in writing the next book at the same time. It'll be interesting to see if I can keep up my daily word targets when we're flitting from state to state.

Cover of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Had a nice surprise in the shape of a copy of the July edition of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine arrive this week, in which appears my first short story, and I even have a mention on the cover. Just to have a short story accepted by EQMM is an honour but to be on the front cover is doubly flattering. Not only that, but the story itself, 'A Bridge Too Far' − featuring Charlie Fox − was the first crime short story I ever wrote, and originally appeared in the Crime Writers' Association anthology Green For Danger a couple of years ago.

The crime writing course I'm teaching at Caerleon (near Newport, South Wales) in July is creeping up rapidly, and I've been doing quite a bit of research into what makes a crime novel and how you can distil this information into a form you can present to a class. In some ways it feels a bit like hunting for photo shoot locations for the day job. People ask what kind of thing I'm looking for and the best I can say is, 'I'll know it when I see it.' It's the same with crime writing. You know within a few pages if you're going to like a book or not, and after that it's just down to the writer not to disappoint you. Pinning down what it is exactly that you like about it can be a bit more tricky, but analysing it is proving very interesting and, I hope, useful knowledge for my own work.

Weekend, 26-27 May, 2007

The arrival of Second Shot is rapidly approaching. Page proofs for the UK edition have just arrived from Allison & Busby, and the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival, which is when the advance copies will be available, is only July, which seems terrifyingly close. Next week we really must tie down the final US tour plans as well, so if any of our friends and readers in America know of a bookstore or library who would welcome a visiting UK crime writer, please get in touch.

Writing groups are invaluable if you get the right mix of people, all of whom are prepared to speak their minds and not spare your fragile feelings, but without ego getting in the way. The group I used to belong to before we moved house a few years ago was brilliant − brutal but totally without malice. And, fortunately for me, a few of them decided to reconvene every month and invited me to join in again.

Last week was one such evening and I took along a sample of something written in present tense, just to see how it went. Needless to say, it was firmly and cheerfully shredded. I came away knowing I had some aspects reasonably well tied down, but quite a few others that needed plenty of fiddling. I find this is such a useful part of the process for any writer who intends their work for public consumption, because sooner or later the faults will show, and once it's published it's too late to do anything about them. Criticism tends to stay with you long after praise has faded from your mind, and finally getting something that meets with the approval of vigilant writing group members adds enormously to the sense of satisfaction in the craft.

This week, Wednesday, also saw the meeting of another group. The LadyKillers − myself, Carla Banks (Danuta Reah), Lesley Horton and Priscilla Masters − were together at Hove Library on the sunny south coast for an evening event. We were greeted by a full turnout despite, I discovered later, being billed opposite actor Leslie Phillips who was performing elsewhere locally as part of the Brighton Festival!

Weekend, 19-20 May, 2007

Do you always finish reading a novel once you've started it? If the answer's yes, I commend your persistence but it would seem that you're in the minority these days. I must admit, I try to. Even if it's a book I'm not particularly enjoying, I can't shake the feeling that it must have had some spark or the publisher wouldn't have invested the time and money in publishing it. And it is just a business a lot of the time − publishers work purely on commercial rather than artistic lines. So I wade through to the end just to see what happens, how the story develops, what it had going for it that made some editor pick it above other submissions to be the one that made it into print.

But I have a professional reason for wanting to get to the end, no matter what. As a writer, if I read something that doesn't work, I want to take it apart, to find out why. And it's also inspirational. You think, 'I can do better than this' and you go and try.

I will also dissect a book I love. Why do I like it so much? What is it about the characterisation, the plot, the dialogue or the action that hooks me? I can quite happily go back and re-read my favourite books time and again. It doesn't spoil the story for me, knowing what happens at the end. So, although I believe that the plot is vital to hook you into a series or a writer you're unfamiliar with, ultimately that's not the aspect that keeps you coming back for more. The dialogue has to flow, to sound like eavesdropping on people talking rather than hearing the writer pulling their strings to get them to say the right things.

Yes, the character is immensely important and, like everyone else, I have my pet hates. I just can't get on with characters who trip over the solution to the crime, who blunder their way through the case and confound the plainly more intelligent villain by just happening to come out on top at the end. Apologies to anyone who specialises in that kind of hero.

I don't have any preference for first or third person narrative, for past or present tense, or even for people who swap between them in the course of the story. It's if I like the voice. And that, I've come to the conclusion, is what matters to me: I have to like the writer's voice. So, I hope you'll give the excerpts from my Charlie Fox books a whirl here on my website and, if you like my voice, that you'll come back for more.

Next week, there's another LadyKillers event coming up at 7pm on Wednesday, 23 May at Hove Library on the south coast. Then the following day, I'm an observer for the judging lunch which will decide the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger for best translated work. The results will be announced at the Awards dinner on 5 July at the Four Seasons Hotel on Park Lane, London.

Weekend,12-13 May, 2007

Last Wednesday, 9 May, saw the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger presentation at the Savoy in London, which I attended with my CWA Press Officer's hat on. The recipient was veteran British crime writer, John Harvey, a worthy winner. John's name will be the last to be inscribed on the current trophy, if I can describe it as that − a huge silver open book with a dagger thrust into the page. John's novel 'Flesh and Blood' won the Barry Award in the US for Best British Crime Novel the year that my own book, First Drop, was on the shortlist, but I won't hold that against him. . . .

I've been wrestling this week with a short story, the deadline for which is looming large. In fact, the long drive back from London proved the ideal opportunity to talk over the plot with Andy and let some ideas ferment in my subconscious. The result is that I've junked the story I did have in progress, and started another. It's cutting it a bit fine, but the weekend should see it done.

I'm not a natural short story writer. I don't dash them off when I have a spare five minutes. I tend to need a commission and a deadline in order to get my brain into gear. This one was very specific. It had to be a Charlie Fox tale that fitted chronologically somewhere between the events of First Drop and those of Second Shot, and be around 2000 words. No problem, I thought, and had something I was working on. And then, of course, the doubts set in.

My biggest problem is I get concerned about plot similarities. Some writers, it seems, repeat themselves quite happily from book to book. I've read and enjoyed books like that without giving it a second thought, which makes no sense of the fact that I try very hard not to do it myself. That often makes for a lot of fretting about making each plot significantly different from those that have gone before it. Even for a short story.

But, as I write this, I realise that my proposed short story concerns a father's relationship with his estranged daughter. And, in a roundabout way, so is the next book, Second Shot. I've decided this is not a similarity, it's a theme. Does that sound plausible to anybody?

Weekend, 5-6 May, 2007

Things have been creeping up on me at an alarming rate of knots this week. Not only are we in the silly season as far as the day job is concerned, but the publication date for Second Shot is fast approaching and that brings to mind all the things I'm supposed to have done, like tied down the tour itinerary for the US in September. I make lists, then I make lists of the lists and still seem to be no further forwards.

Doesn't help that I put my neck out last week and, despite very satisfying crunchy noises induced by my chiropractor, it's still a long way from being right. And, of course, hanging out of cars dragging your elbows on the ground doesn't necessarily help matters much . . . .

As we had some work to do north of the border we called in at Waterstone's on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow for the launch of Alex Gray's new book, 'The Riverman', an atmospheric tale surrounding George Parsonage, whose grisly work it is to pull bodies out of the Clyde. An excellent turnout and always a delight to see Alex, and to chat with Ewan Wilson of Waterstone's, who is an enthusiastic supporter of crime fiction.

The centre of Glasgow itself was vibrant on a warm evening, but it's always nice to get back out into the wilds of Cumbria. Andy and I came back late and, as we neared home, we encountered a hare sitting in the middle of a stretch of single-track road over the fells. We slowed right down as we approached and eventually the hare hopped off to the grass verge, revealing three tiny leverets − which is, I understand, the correct term for a baby hare in its first year − curled up asleep underneath it. They like the warmth of the Tarmac, which is not generally good for their health. Indeed, this trio were so sleepy I had to get out and shoo them gently to safer ground. They let me get almost close enough to pick them up − don't worry, I wouldn't dream of doing so − and each would have fitted in the palm of my hand.

So far, we have come across everything on that stretch of road from rabbits, hares, fencing herons and escaped cows, to bats, badgers, red squirrels, owls, particularly recalcitrant horses, numerous birds of prey, and an inordinate number of sheep. And they say traffic's always getting held up in the city!

Weekend, 28-29 April, 2007

Got back late last night from another three days of work. As always, I took the laptop with me, but for some reason just couldn't get a lot of writing done while I was in the car. So, I need to make the most of the three days we're at home this week before we're off again. In the meantime, of course, I have around 1500 photos to sort through and convert and burn, and my next short story deadline is rapidly approaching, too. All part of the fun.

Things are gearing up for the publication of Second Shot, both in the UK and in the US. Advance copies of the UK edition may well be out a little ahead of America, in time for Bodies in the Bookshop at Heffers in Cambridge, and the Harrogate Crime Festival, both in July. We're already almost in May, so it's creeping up on me fast. As is the proposed US Tour in September. Still planning that one, so please get in touch if there's a bookstore near you that you think I ought to try and visit.

Also, I'm currently putting together an email list for an occasional newsletter with tour dates, book releases, competitions, short stories and that kind of thing. Please send me an email if you'd like to be included. I'll be sending out an invite shortly to anyone who's emailed me in the past. And please don't worry that I'll bombard you with stuff. I know only too well how much unwanted email traffic there is out there.

A subject that came up this week in conversation with my sister and brother-in-law, Sarah and Tim, who are both avid crime readers, was present versus past tense. When I look back at things I've written in the past and try converting some of it to present tense, I rather like it: 'I hit the last roundabout with the throttle wide open, holding the screaming engine of my old Suzuki at the redline in second gear. I'm already laying the bike down as I thrash across the broken white line, fully committed, heedless of the double-decker bus that's bearing down on me like an ocean-going super tanker.'

To my surprise, I found that neither Sarah nor Tim had particularly noticed which tense books they'd read were in, and they were much more concerned if a book was in first or third person instead. A point to ponder. I was interested to find out because bits of scenes for things I've been writing recently have kept appearing in my head in present tense. When it's done well it gives a narrative a real sense of relentless pace. When it's done badly, like any narrative device, it simply gets in the way of the story. Any thoughts?

Weekend, 21-22 April, 2007 from Belfast, Northern Ireland

As you may have seen in last week's blog, the covers for the new Charlie Fox book, Second Shot, are now out. If you visit the pages for the book (just click on the cover picture), you'll find the opening chapter and an excerpt, just to give you a taste of Charlie's latest adventure. Do email me with what you think.

We're also starting to put together the Second Shot US Tour for early September. If there's a bookstore near you that you really think we ought to visit, please let me know. Or, if you own a bookstore and would like me to stop by, please get in touch. It's always great to hear from you!

I'm writing this week's blog in sunny Belfast, Northern Ireland − mostly sunny, at any rate. We've been over here doing a flying visit for the day job. Four shoots all over the north and, despite an iffy weather forecast, it only actually rained hard on us during the last shoot this afternoon. Can't complain too much about that. Or we could, but nobody listens . . .

We like Northern Ireland. It's had a very bad press in the past and one of the reasons I wanted to set a book here − Road Kill − was to try and give a flavour of the country that wasn't dominated by the political situation. This time, we stayed in Carrickfergus, an attractive coastal town that's changed considerably since we were last here a few years ago. The whole of the dockside area has been regenerated to include a posh marina and waterside apartments overlooking the entrance to Belfast Lough. We had time for a walk round on Saturday evening to look at the boats. Having spent a chunk of my childhood living afloat, I still quite miss the rattle of rigging against the mast.

Last week was the LadyKillers event at Hale Library. It turned into a truncated one due to the fact that Priscilla Masters was unfortunately unable to attend on the day. Lesley Horton had previously had to drop out, so Danuta Reah and I had to be twice as entertaining as normal to make up! We had an excellent turnout − always a good sign when they have to start bringing in extra chairs − and if the rousing round of applause at the end was anything to go by, everyone enjoyed themselves.

Weekend, 14-15 April, 2007

The biggest news this week is that the covers for the new Charlie Fox book, Second Shot, are out. Always an exciting time when I see the final cover because it's that, above all else, which gives the book its identity for me. Until then I have this nebulous kind of picture, built up from snippets from the story. But after the cover is assigned, it adopts that as its personality. Doubly difficult this time, though, because the covers for the UK and the US both arrived very close together.

I'm always amazed by the difference in covers from country to country, and these are no exception. Comments are always welcome. I hope you'll visit the pages for the new book (just click on the cover picture), read excerpt and opening chapter, and email me with what you think.

Next Tuesday, 17 April, I'm doing another LadyKillers event − with Priscilla Masters and Danuta Reah (Carla Banks) − at Hale Library near Manchester at 2pm. So, if you're near Manchester, you could even stop by in person!

Weekend, 7-8 April, 2007

It's Easter Sunday at home in Cumbria, and New York suddenly seems a long way away. Time moves at a different rate when you're away from the familiar routine, I've always found. A week working in the UK flashes past whereas it seems to take a long time outside the country. While we were in the US it felt like we'd been there for ages. A few days back at home and it seems like we've never been away.

New York was cold after Florida, and wet, but just the same as we remembered it. We called in on a couple of the wonderful major independent mystery bookstores − Partners & Crime and The Black Orchid − and learned the secrets of the subway from fellow mystery author and NYC resident, SJ Rozan. We ate Dinosaur ribs in Harlem with Crimespree photographer, Mary Reagan, and spent a while at the iconic Flatiron building on Fifth Avenue, home of St Martin's Press.

St Martin's are gearing up for the hardcover release of Second Shot in September, right after the mass market paperback edition of First Drop. The cover for the softcover edition of First Drop has changed completely from the original design. I like it − but I liked the hardcover, too. I'm always a little worried to have my opinion asked about covers because it's not my area of expertise. I've tried to analyse what it is about the cover that makes me pick up an unknown title by an unfamiliar author, and have never quite been able to pin it down.

Apparently this redesign is to catch the eye more of the casual shopper − the airport or supermarket browser rather than the dedicated mystery fan − and was personally overseen by the head of St Martin's paperback division. I'm honoured by the level of interest and buoyed up that they feel the book has that kind of mass appeal. There's a kind of feeling that momentum is gathering. All I have to do now is keep writing books that live up to it. No pressure, then.

Still, at least having a cover image for Second Shot means I can finally get the pages for that book up on the site. We also hope to have a sign-up form for occasional newsletters here soon. Watch this space!

We landed back on Thursday morning into a grainy Manchester shrouded by low cloud and had to get straight back into work mode. A quick stop-off at home to unpack, repack, and head up to Scotland for the day job. I spent Friday evening shivering with my camera at Knockhill Race Circuit, although being given a few laps of the undulating track in a 500+bhp race car proved more than enough compensation. Still, the smell of frying onions from the hot-dog vendors on the sidewalks of New York City seemed a very distant memory.

Weekend, 31 March-1 April, in Florida en route to New York

It's been a non-stop week, but somehow working first thing in the morning doesn't seem so bad when you can do it sitting outside in the warm. It's been consistently in the eighties since we got to Florida, which is warm enough without being so hot you just don't want to do anything. We've been to the theme parks and ridden the rides and I kept seeing bits of the action from the start of First Drop unfolding in the back of my head.

Today we're off to New York for a couple of days before we fly home, although we won't have time to do more than draw breath then, because we're straight up to Scotland for a few days of work over the Easter weekend. We literally land, unpack, repack, and we're off again.

This week should be interesting, though. We're going to see various people at my US publisher, St Martin's Minotaur, to see what plans they have for the publication of the paperback edition of First Drop in September, along with the hardcover of Second Shot. I'm hoping they might have a cover image of that one for me to look at. Makes the book more real when you finally know what it's going to look like. It's going to be weird, though, because I've already seen the proposed covers for the UK version, so that's how the book's identity feels to me.

And, of course, we're also going to try and soak up some more atmosphere which I hope will find its way into the books. I can't bring myself to put reams and reams of detail about a place into the narrative of a book. It works for some people, but not for me. If I can capture a flavour, I feel that's better for the kind of stories I write rather than a full recipe. It's the same with any technical detail. I still think that the secret with research for any writer is to leave out about 90 percent of what you've discovered. Otherwise you might as well be writing a textbook or a guidebook, not a work of fiction. Working out which 10 percent is the important bit to leave in, however, that's the difficult part!

Weekend, 24-25 March, in Daytona Beach, Florida

The day before we left home I was sitting at my desk watching the snow whizzing past the window absolutely horizontally. Today I'm sitting in a hotel room in Daytona Beach, listening to the sound of the ocean, having just been for a walk along the surf for a couple of miles, watching the pelicans cruising the breakers. But later it's going to get loud.

We're here for Spring Break, one of the noisiest times of the year. In particular, we're here for the Spring Break Nationals, the car stereo competition that formed part of the backdrop to First Drop. And, actually, it's the first time we've been back since I wrote that book. Seems like a long time ago. Daytona's changing. A couple of the hotels have moved or expanded or changed ownership, and the Ocean Center where the show itself is held is expanding rapidly. But the feel of the place is just the same, which is a bit of a relief. I was afraid that my memory of Daytona at Spring Break would differ from the reality. Hopefully, I think I got it about right.

I brought plenty of work with me, and I've even managed to do some of it. I was hoping to have the last few alterations to Third Strike done this week, but there've just been too many distractions. Not least of which has been the page proofs to Second Shot, which I was hoping would require just a read-through, but I've found a couple of alterations that I didn't have marked from the copy-edits, so I'm going to have to check the whole thing against my electronic file, which is going to take a lot more time. Fortunately, I don't have to deliver those until I meet with my editor in New York the week after next, but I wanted to have the revisions to the next one done by then. Oh, and I was hoping to have a few days off to take in the sights, too!

The last few days we've been further down the coast, visiting Cape Kennedy and Vero Beach, where we met up with fellow mystery author Fred Rea and called in on The Vero Beach Book Center. A wonderful bookstore and somewhere I definitely plan to come back to when we're out again in October to tour the paperback launch of First Drop and the hardcover of Second Shot. If I can get these page proofs sorted in time, of course….

Weekend, 17-18 March 2007

South Wales is a long way to go to spend a couple of hours in a library talking about writing crime fiction − but it certainly was fun. The LadyKillers − that's me, Lesley Horton, Priscilla Masters, and Danuta Reah, who also writes as Carla Banks − were invited to the new Central Library in Barry on Tuesday afternoon, and also to Cwmafan Library near Port Talbot in the evening. Around 650 miles as a round trip, leaving at 7:00 AM and just about getting home by 1:30 AM the following morning.

Still, both events were well attended and, in fact, the Cwmafan one was completely sold out. We had lively audiences who asked interesting questions, and a warm welcome. I'd make the drive back there any day.

Usually, I'd use a long time in the car like that to work on a book − er, with Andy driving, naturally − but as I quickly discovered, while I find working on a laptop fairly easy, it's almost impossible to spread out typescript pages without them sliding off all over the place. In between trips to Wales, and bouts of the day job, I've been working on the revisions to Third Strike this week. Making changes is always tricky, because a small alteration in one section tends to have a knock-on effect elsewhere.

I've ended up with a system of Post-It notes, which seems to work. I make an initial run through the book correcting the immediate mistakes like typos − things that can be done at once. In this case, I also had two other lists of typos and missing words from my other test readers, so I tried to catch all those in one pass. While I'm doing that, I also attach Post-Its for things that need a bit more time or thought to put right. Various bits of the plot crop up in narrative or dialogue throughout the book and, if I change something early on, other mentions will have to be tweaked throughout. So, there are quite a lot of Post-Its on things that simply need to be checked afterwards.

One problem that cropped up was too many references to the past. Again, I stuck a Post-It on every section I came across, so I could go through them and decide what needed to stay and what could be cut without affecting the flow of the story. I'm now left just with the nitty-gritty of the plot-holes to work out, but what seemed like a complicated job at the start of the week looks a lot more achievable before we go to the US on Tuesday morning. I hope!

Of course there is the small matter of being out with the day job all day Sunday, and the packing still to be done, but we thrive on a challenge!

Next week's blog might be a bit late as I'll be up to my neck in the Spring Break event in Daytona Beach, Florida, camera in hand. It will be the first time we've gone back there since I used it as the setting for First Drop. It will be very interesting to see if the flavour I hoped I'd captured in that book still holds true.

Weekend, 10-11 March 2007

This week's been a flurry of activity on the day-job front, as well as spending a couple of days in London on all things connected to books and the Crime Writers' Association. I quite like London as a place to visit, but I don't think I'd like to live and work there on a daily basis. The Tube is a terrific public transport system, but sometimes you are jammed in nose to nose with your fellow man and I've now gone down with a horrendous cold that saw me tottering through the photo shoot I had to do on Friday. What should have been a productive weekend will deteriorate, I fear, into some time spent wrapped up in front of the telly with a man-size box of tissues and a large supply of paracetamol.

The result of all this bustle is that the writing's been on hold. I met with my agent's editor, Emma Dunford, on Tuesday to go through the revisions to the new Charlie Fox book, Third Strike. There were more than I was expecting − I suppose there will always be more than I expect or hope − but Emma reassured me that the typescript is in a lot better shape than many at this stage. So, it's just a case of working my way through her notes and trying to refine the text until those glitches are smoothed over to everyone's satisfaction.

I have to admit it's wonderful to be able to work with an editor who goes through the typescript in such detail. I know a lot of writers who don't like the editing process or anyone interfering with their original vision, but I welcome the input. If something doesn't work, better to find out now than when the first of the reviews come out. By which time, it's somewhat too late to do anything about it. With any luck we'll end up with a much stronger book at the end of all this.

Next week I'm in south Wales with the LadyKillers on Tuesday, 13 March at Barry Library at 2.30pm, and at Cwmafan Library at 6.30pm. We've organised a special downloadable flyer for the LadyKillers, so libraries or event organisers (and readers, of course) can find info about the four of us − Lesley Horton, Priscilla Masters, Danuta Reah (Carla Banks) and myself. We'd love to see you if you can come along, and I promise not to cough on anyone!

I've also been invited to a reception for Cumbrian writers at the Cumbria Institute of the Arts in Carlisle on Thursday, 15 March, which should be an interesting opportunity to rub shoulders with the great and the good. And I promise not to cough all over them, either. . .

Weekend, 3-4 March 2007

They say that no news is good news, but that's rarely the case to a writer. You send something off to your editor and wait with bated breath, hoping that they'll just open the first page to see what it's all about and find they simply can't put it down until the last page is done. But, as is the way of things, that doesn't happen very often. You send something in and, as in my case, it doesn't reach the top of your editor's TBR pile before she goes on holiday for a couple of weeks. So, you try not to be anxious every time the phone rings or an email arrives, because you know it won't be bringing news, but somehow you just can't help it.

For me, apathy is the worst response a writer can provoke. If someone hates what you've done, well at least that's a strong reaction. (Although, if they love it, of course, that's rather better.) But it happens so often these days that you put down a book and someone asks, 'So, how was it?' and you shrug and say, 'It was all right, I suppose.' And even as I hear myself saying something like that, I experience a twinge of empathetic pain for the poor writer, who sweated and slaved over his or her story only for it to fall on such stony ground.

It was brilliant, therefore, to get a phone call from my agent's editor first thing Thursday morning to say she'd just finished reading the typescript of next year's Charlie Fox book, Third Strike. 'It's fabulous,' she said. 'I absolutely loved it.' And as I'm going to be in London next week, we've arranged for me to call into the office so she can go through her notes. Fortunately, it doesn't sound like it's going to take long to go through the typescript so I can get it away to my publisher in the next couple of weeks.

Of course, that's going to mean suspending work on the new book, but fortunately I'm up to 23,000 words out of the 30,000 I'd hoped to get re-fettled before we go away at the end of March, so I've a bit of room to manoeuvre!

Also this month, I have a couple of library appearances with the LadyKillers on Tuesday, 13 March at Barry Library in South Wales at 2.30pm, and at Cwmafan Library at 6.30pm on the same day. We've organised a special downloadable flyer for the LadyKillers, so libraries or event organisers can find info about the four of us − Lesley Horton, Priscilla Masters, Danuta Reah (Carla Banks) and myself. As always, please come along to either event if you can make it.

And if you can't get to south Wales, please do email me with comments or queries about the books, or writing in general. I'm compiling a list of names to start sending out occasional e-newsletters, so if you're interested in that, contact me (click on 'Contact' on the menu alongside).

Weekend, 24-25 February 2007

I note that I ended last week's blog with the exhortation to myself to Get On With It when it came to the new book. It's quite nice to be able to report this week, therefore, that I'm over 11,000 words into the restart. Don't worry, it won't last!

In some ways, rewrites are easy because you've already done a lot of the work. The difficulty is that once you've thought of a scene progressing in a particular way, it's then very hard to re-engineer it. The temptation is to import lumps of the previous version and they keep trying to edge you back onto the original path. So, while I have been able to slot in quite a bit of what I'd already written, I have ended up introducing more new aspects than I'd originally envisaged. And, I hope, it's all working towards improving the final story.

I'm disappointed to have to report, incidentally, that the proposed library cuts throughout Cumbria I mentioned in one of my blogs last month all went through with hardly a murmur. A very sad day. Particularly when we heard from the person who is the Strategic Communications and Customer Access Manager for Cumbria County Council (I kid you not) about the Council's 'Your Cumbria' magazine. This glossy publication is produced three times a year by the local authority and delivered to 230,000 homes − as well as being available in libraries − to tell the taxpayers what a wonderful job the authority is doing. At a cost of 18p per issue. That's at least £124,000 a year. Personally speaking, I'd rather learn about rubbish collection and recycling points and the like from an A4 photocopied flyer. It could be available in libraries where everyone could see it . . . . oh, hang on a minute!

Speaking of flyers, we've developed a downloadable flyer for the LadyKillers. Now you can find out the latest details about us − that's Lesley Horton, Priscilla Masters, Danuta Reah (Carla Banks) and myself − on one handy sheet. Our next event is at Barry Library in South Wales on Tuesday, March 13 at 2.30pm, and then another at Cwmafan Library at 6.30pm on the same day. As always, it would be great to see you there if you can make it.

Weekend, 17-18 February 2007

I've been wrestling with the restart of the new series book this week, which has been taking some kicking into shape. The problem is that I wrote the original start for Grace − nearly 40,000 words of it − back last summer. I then put it aside to get the latest Charlie Fox, Third Strike, done first instead. And, while I thought my mind was completely caught up in the events of that book, some small part of my brain obviously didn't want to entirely let go of Grace.

So, now that I've picked the new book up again and started looking closely at the plot, I find that lots of new ideas for more closely interweaving the characters and their individual storylines have sprung up, almost out of nowhere. A sizeable chunk of what I'd written previously doesn't quite fit any more and will have to be re-fettled. Annoying in some ways, but very interesting in others. It's like the book's been quietly fermenting while I've been off doing something else. Let's just hope the end result will be wine and not vinegar!

It's made me think, though, that I ought to try and plan out the next-but-one book and let it sit while I work on the intervening one, just to see what else emerges. I've already got a very basic outline for the next Charlie Fox book, for instance. I know how it begins and ends, and some of the main highlights. I had to know that because I've set up some ongoing threads in Third Strike that I'm planning on coming back to, but I wasn't going to develop those ideas into a full outline until I was ready to actually start writing the book itself. Now I think it might not be a bad idea to get it tied down earlier.

But, of course, Grace is calling, so I'm back to revising the opening section. Knowing how few pages new readers will give a book before they make up their mind about it, a good catchy start's vital. And the freedom of a third-person narrative can be quite scary. With the Charlie Fox books being all in first-person, she had to be there right from the opening line. With Grace, her entry into the story could happen anywhere.

As is always the case, though, we had a reasonable length of car journey yesterday and that always seems to allow me to sort things out in my head. That, together with the new intertwining that I'm going to include, means I think I have found the answers I was looking for. All I have to do now is Get On With It. . . .

Weekend, 10-11 February 2007

Busy week this week. To begin with, we were in Wales and Hereford and the famous book town of Hay-on-Wye. The first two locations were for photo shoots for the day job, but the latter was to meet up with fellow mystery author, Lee Goldberg, who was over from his native California for a brief visit. We spent a very entertaining day browsing the endless shelves of books on offer, and chatting to Lee about his latest TV projects in Germany and Sweden, as well as the US.

We also called in on fellow LadyKiller, Priscilla Masters on the way down country, so it was a literary week all round, finished up by the panel on 'Is Crime Truth Darker Than Fiction?' at the Word Market Festival in Ulverston on Friday night. A good turnout and lively discussion − and a pie and peas supper thrown in. It was good to see another CWA member, Martin Edwards, again, still somewhat jet-lagged from his trip to the Left Coast Crime convention in Seattle. Martin's latest Lake District-set book was so new out that this was the first time he'd seen it in the flesh.

We got home late, to find so much snow in the little lane leading up to the house that we scrabbled and scrambled our way up it. This morning the wind's blowing too hard for most of the white stuff to stick, but more is forecast. Just the time to be sitting indoors concentrating on the writing.

The new book is calling to me and, having worked my way through the chunk I'd already written, I think I know how to modify it so I can get back on with the story. I've given myself until Feb 16 to get back into the swing of it, but the time soon zips past if you let it. Very different to be suddenly moving from a first-person narrative to third-person multiple viewpoints. But, as we discussed at the Word Market panel, a change can be as good as a rest.

I also spent a day out on patrol with Cumbria police on Thursday, which was a very useful experience and gave me lots of insights with regard to the new book. Always better to let reality form the basic structure for the plot, if possible, rather than have to invent procedure that lacks credibility. And, because of this, part of another plot is formulating. . . .

The other bit of good news this week was that I've had the first response from one of my test readers on Third Strike. It's always a scary time waiting for the initial reactions because however much you modify and rewrite, you'll never quite have that same impact of the first time they read the book. Fortunately, in this case Iris liked the basic premise and only had a few relatively minor quibbles about parts of the plot − nice to hear when I value her judgement. There are still quite a few other people's opinions to come in − especially those of my agent and editor − but at least I'm starting on a good note!

Weekend, 3-4 February 2007

It's days like these when I know writing is a compulsion rather than just a job.

You see, this week I finally finished and sent the initial version of Third Strike to my agent. My personal deadline of having it out of the way before the end of January was only missed by two-and-a-half hours. I spent the last week going through the typescript, line by line, making the necessary cuts. I eventually squeezed it down by just short of 10,000 words so it now falls more or less within the word-limit set by my publisher. Doing the cuts has been a very interesting exercise in getting rid of the obvious and the unnecessary. I think it's something I may do with future typescripts as a matter of course, regardless of whether they're overlong or not.

So, now I have to wait. And that's the worst part of it. You only get one chance to make a first impression and there's nothing I can do at this stage to improve on the impact the book will or won't make on the people who read it first. And of course, by this point, I have absolutely no clue if it's any good or not . . . .

Anyway, I've had the last two days to try and catch up on the real world, but already I'm starting to think about the next book. I just can't seem to leave it alone. Even with my fingers in my ears I can hear it calling to me, and getting stuck into it is the best way I can think of to take my mind off worrying what my agent and my test readers are going to say about the latest one!

With the next book in mind, I spent an afternoon this week with one of the firearms officers at my local police force, which proved a fascinating experience. And, as firearms feature somewhat vitally in the plot, I picked up a lot of very useful information about how the police respond to such incidents. Next week I'm spending a day with a Traffic officer and I'm sure it will prove equally enlightening.

Then on Friday I'll be appearing on a panel entitled 'Is Crime Truth Darker than Fiction?' at the Lanternhouse in Ulverston as part of the Word Market Festival. And I had an out-of-the-blue phone call this week from one of the organisers of Word Market asking if I'll be one of the judges for a short story competition they're running in April. Why not?

The day job is suddenly busy, too. I've just finished writing a piece for a Swedish motoring magazine and a little gap in the weather means we're off all over the country to do photo shoots for the next four days. I'll have my laptop with me, though, so I can start making a few notes on the modifications I need to make to the chunk of the next one I've already written. Like I said, it's not a job − it really is a compulsion.

Weekend, 27-28 January 2007

Managed to finish with the copyedits for Second Shot and get back to the modifications to Third Strike this week. Strange to read the two books right the way through in such close proximity. And to have to look for different things. With Second Shot, I'm looking for that last tweak, to catch that last mistake (I hope), to add that final bit of polish. The new book, on the other hand, still feels quite rough and loose. And long. The final word-count is 121,450 and I know I need to lose around 10,000 from that figure.

But that's not too daunting. I've already identified a whole chapter that's acted out where the events could simply be reported to Charlie by someone else. 'So-and-so's dead,' I can have another character tell her. It doesn't necessarily add anything to the story for her to go and find the body herself. Losing that whole scene keeps the pace up.

I took the opening chapter with me to the resurrection of a writers' group I was part of before we moved back up to Cumbria. Only four in total, but they had a merry time shredding the first six pages. Useful stuff, though, and they managed to suggest several chunks that could be sliced out to make the narrative leaner. Well worth the trip.

As for the rest, I'm going through page by page, being ruthless. Taking out a sentence here, a paragraph there. As much as I think I can lose without spoiling the rhythm and the flow of it. I know I can tighten up the ending a little more. The interesting thing is that, where I originally thought I was going to end up with three possible outcomes to the epilogue, the more I go on the more it really narrows down to just one. One that just seems to fit, and sets Charlie's next outing up rather nicely. Not quite sure what I'll do if it gets an adverse reaction from my test readers. Still, if I can get these cuts done by the end of the month, which is only the middle of next week, I'll soon find out. . . .

I had an email from an old friend this week as well, telling me she keeps scrapping her half-written novels because she loses faith with them and comes up with another idea she thinks is better instead. Easily done. I think the problem is that the blank page has such potential. Like a painter looking at a blank canvas. Leonardo Da Vinci once stood looking at a blank canvas, and look what he managed to do with it. Makes you feel a bit small and a bit insignificant by comparison, doesn't it?

Speaking of email, another arrived inviting me to take part in the Word Market Festival, which is a Cumbria-based celebration of the written word. They're having a crime evening, entitled 'Is Crime Truth Darker Than Fiction?', which will be held at the Lanternhouse in Ulverston from 6:30 pm on Friday, 9 February. As well as myself, there's crime writer Martin Edwards and forensic photographer Mark Carr, so it should be a highly entertaining evening. The ticket price even includes supper, so do get to it if you can. More details are on the website at www.wordmarket.org.uk.

Weekend, 20-21 January 2007

This week's been tied up mainly with ploughing through the copyedits of Second Shot, which has proved a bit of a frustrating business. It would seem that my idea of punctuation did not quite line up with the copyeditor's, which meant I have had to go through the typescript, line by line, trying to work out if I really was sure that comma was where I needed it to be. In a moment of madness, I did a search. There are 6954 commas in Second Shot, and it feels like I'm having to check the position of each one. . . .

It's also been very interesting to note the language differences between UK and US. When I described the buildings in Boston as 'brown stone and brick', that didn't mean they were 'brownstone' buildings, which I know is something completely different. Nor is a 'pink soft toy' the same thing as a 'soft pink toy'. Still, the copyediting stage is very useful because it's the last chance for me to correct my own errors or change my mind about anything. After this, it gets a lot more tricky.

Speaking of errors, I had an email this week from the guy who probably prevented me from making any medical errors in the book. Or, if he didn't, they're entirely my fault! Doug Lyle − otherwise known as DP Lyle MD − is both a doctor and a mystery author. His non-fiction books on forensic and medical subjects should form the mainstay of any crime or thriller writer's bookshelf. Doug got in touch to say he'd started a Q&A forum on his website − www.dplylemd.com − where any writer can post a medical question and receive an amazingly detailed answer. Quite apart from the fact that it's a brilliant way to get fast, accurate answers to your queries, reading everyone else's questions can be fascinating. The great thing is that because Doug writes mystery fiction himself, he understands what you're trying to achieve. Well worth a visit!

Weekend, 13-14 January 2007

No, I haven't finished − writing the new book, that is. Nearly, but not quite. Mainly because, as we speak, Third Strike is at just over 116,000 words and counting. And I know that's over my word limit, even allowing for the '+/- 10%' that I always have in my head when I see a word limit. So, I know I'm going to have to go back and trim it, here and there, but for now I'm just concentrating on going head down, full tilt for the finish.

I'm on the final chapter and I know how it ends. It's proving a little all-consuming at the moment. My left wrist hasn't played up for months, but I've had to strap it up to keep typing. The last few days have been a bit of a blur of late finishes and loud music. I can't write to silence, and the music sets the mood − for violence, incidentally, Linkin Park is excellent. You have to be there, when you're writing. Right in there. It's not enough to see it and hear it, you have to touch and taste and smell it, too. And sometimes, that's not a pleasant place to be. This week it's been a very unsettling place to be. But the more vivid the image you can capture, the better the book. I hope.

This one is ending in a different place from where it started, or from where I envisaged it when I started writing. The tone's grown heavier and darker, (Evanescence) and perhaps more melancholy (Snow Patrol, James Blunt, Sarah McLachlan) and I'm so uncertain about where it leaves my main character, Charlie, and the love of her life, Sean, that I'm planning to do three different epilogues and letting my test readers choose.

But, I should have the first draft done by the end of the weekend. Then I can set it aside to ferment for a few days before I go back and make my cuts. Next week I have to put it out of my mind anyway, because the copy edits of Second Shot have just landed and I only have a couple of weeks to get them sorted. And the next book has already started tugging at my sleeve and clearing its throat. And, in the midst of all that, somewhere I have to find the time to work.

Fun, this writing life, isn't it?

Weekend, 6-7 January 2007

I've always had very little time for politics and, after this week, I know why. Yesterday, I happened to be in a little local library in one of the surrounding towns near to where I live. It's a small library − not much bigger than a shop − but it has thriving reading and writing groups, is much-used, is one of the few places in town where you can get photocopying done, and is a lifeline for the Cumbrian town where it's situated. Despite only having its weekly opening hours altered last summer, it's about to have them altered again. And not for the better.

The library's going to be closed for an extra morning a week. It's not as if it's open every day as it is, and this additional period amounts to a reduction in hours by ten percent. The stupid thing is, realistically, what's this going to save? Apart from not having to pay the lone librarian, or having the lights switched on, they will lose the revenue from ordering books or renting out videos and DVDs.

As a writer I know and value the vital importance of the libraries. The majority of author events I do are in libraries around the country, and I've always had an enthusiastic welcome from the staff and customers alike. And, for every writer, the way to build up a ground swell of support is via library lends. People who haven't heard of your books can't always afford to take a chance on buying an expensive new hardback, but there's no risk in borrowing it from their local library and giving you a try. And, if they like what they read, the hope is that they go out and buy the next one.

Unless, of course, they can't borrow your book from the library because it's never open …

The thing that gets to me is that shutting the local libraries for a few extra hours a week is such a penny-pinching way of trying to save a few pounds − and that's likely to be all it saves − but it hits the people of the town. They go to the library a few times and find it closed, so they don't go as often. And the word goes out that people aren't using libraries any more, so they shut down their hours even more. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of the worst kind.

This might sound like a very minor complaint, but the more I dug, the more the bigger picture emerged. With just a dozen exceptions, Cumbria are cutting the hours of just about every library in county. If this goes through, the worst hit will lose a whopping twenty-five percent of their total opening hours. They will close for a week in the summer − just when the kids are off school and you could really get them stuck into their reading. There are plans afoot to end the music and drama service. The mobile library services are being shaved back. How much is really being saved by these moves? And who gets hit hardest? The people who live in the outlying rural areas and pay their council taxes.

I'd suggest that the noble councillors look to their own expenses, to how much they charge to drive their cars to meetings rather than taking public transport, and see what savings can be made in those areas − the ones that don't affect the general public − before they start hurting the local communities they claim to serve. But I have a feeling I'd be wasting my breath.

Zoë Sharp

My Home Blogs, 2007