Crime Thriller Fella In 'Very Inspiring' Bombshell!

Us crime fiction bloggers can all learn a bunch of stuff from the estimable Raven. Just like the malevolent bird she’s named after, her reviews at Raven Crime Reads really suck the succulent meat out of the eyeball of a novel to get to the brains inside. But, er, in a good way.

So you can imagine the little tingly feeling I got when I discovered she’d nominated me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Not just Inspiring, but Very inspiring. I cracked open the pinot noir immediately and toasted myself. That was a good morning, I can tell you.

Anyway, so far so good. Then I see there are rules…

Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

Thank you, Raven. You are awesome, and also one hell of a writer.

List the rules and display the award.

Voila.

Share seven facts about yourself.

Oh my days.

In all of my twenty thirty forty-something years I’ve accumulated plenty of facts about myself, possibly even reaching into double figures. So I thought I’d keep them vaguely relevant to this blog - and readin’ and writin’ in general. After all, that’s why we’re all here, right?

1/ I’ve just completed my first novel. You may care to take a wild stab at guessing the genre.

2/ These days, my compulsion to write is as strong, if not stronger, than my compulsion to read. As a result, I read books in a very different way than I used to. This blog is perhaps one consequence of that.

3/ I really enjoy doing The Intel interviews. I love finding out how writers do their thing, all the different ways they get words down. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that one size doesn’t fit all – there are a million ways to write a novel. And your way is just as valid as everyone else’s.

4/ I once appeared as a character in a published novel. I didn’t last long, I was eaten by a giant mutant pig.

5/ You’ll also find me mentioned in two autobiographies. In one of those you’ll find me in the index just above Adolf Hitler.

6/ I’ve written a film script. It’s been in development for several hundred years now. I’m not holding my breath.

7/ When I’m not reading novels I read scripts for pennies, and have learned something about storytelling and narrative from every book and script I’ve read. It’s just incredible how many talented writers there are out there.

Nominate 15 other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated.

Look, I’m not going to do that, because I simply can’t choose, but if you’re in my sidebar and you read this, please know that you are an inspiration to me, and I command you to hit Control-C on that logo thing.

Optional: display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you.

Thanks again to Raven, and to Lou Reed, who has chatted to her but who gave me a withering look.