New season crime TV

A new year brings with it new television programming and if you are a fan of crime fiction this year has begun with a host of top series.

On Sky Living, Criminal Minds is now on its ninth series and is as dark and disturbing as ever. It features the Behavioural Analysis Unit of the F.B.I who hunt down serial killers using psychological profiling. Among the dreadful deaths, the light relief comes from the wonderful Kirsten Vangsness as Penny Garcia the team’s IT expert. Her bright clothes and snappy banter are the prefect counterpoint to the serious work of the team as they get inside the twisted mind of the killers.

At the other end of the spectrum is the lightweight but no less enjoyable Castle on Alibi. Much of the success of this show is down to the onscreen relationship between Richard Castle and his now fiancée Kate Beckett. Nathan Fillion as Castle and Stana Katic as Beckett are ably supported by Seamus Dever as Keven Ryan and Jon Huertas as Javier Esposito. The scripts range from terrorists and political shenanigans to plots where zombies or vampires appear to be stalking the streets of New York. It’s a perfect mix and Castle is a show where you can switch off and just enjoy the story.

Silent Witness is back on BBC One and there have been some major changes. After the death of Professor Dalton at the end of the previous series, the Lyell Centre has a new boss, Thomas Chamberlain. In the initial episodes of the series, he has played almost no part in the investigations and appears to have an entirely managerial role. It is a huge shift from the hands-on approach of his predecessor and I’m not sure it works. Another bizarre change is in Dr Nikki Alexander played by Emilia Fox. In previous series she could be seen wearing Laura Ashley-style print dresses and was the very picture of a respectable English woman but this year she’s had a makeover. Wearing tight trousers, her hair cut shorter and a sassier attitude might make her character more American and help may work better with focus groups but it is such a conspicuous change, with no explanation that it’s as if she is a completely different person. The stories so far have been filled with the kind of malevolence and violence as we’ve come to expect from one of the most edgy crime dramas produced by the BBC.

Sherlock’s three-programme run has already come and gone on BBC One. The stories were as complex and twisted as ever, drifting further from the canon of Conan Doyle’s original stories but it doesn’t matter. Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss have created a brilliantly modern take on the old master. A large part of the success of the show is down to Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman who bring to life the characters of Holmes and Watson in a way that is thoroughly contemporary and yet totally recognisable to those of us who love the books. It is a shame that we are limited to just three programmes per series but the time-constraints on the actors and Moffatt (who both writes and is the lead producer for Doctor Who) mean we have to be content with Sherlock in small doses.

2014 has started well, let’s hope there are plenty more delights along the way.

Why every indie author needs an Amazon Author Central profile

Every independent author needs to work hard at marketing and selling their books. There is no way that anyone will get noticed by simply making the book available on Kindle and hoping that readers will arrive in their droves to buy it; everyone has to make people aware of what is on offer. Within our ‘How to Self Publish’ courses we dedicate a lot of time to addressing the options that are available to indie authors and in today’s blog I am going to look at one of those options in a bit more detail.

Amazon Author Central is a shop window that allows you to promote your work and let your readers know a little bit more about you. It allows you to collate all the books that you are selling on Amazon in one page and gives you a single link to promote on social media. If you can’t afford, or decide you don’t want a website, an AAC page is an excellent free alternative.

The first thing you should do after getting confirmation that your book is on sale is to set up your AAC profile by visiting authorcentral.amazon.co.uk (and authorcentral.amazon.com if you are selling books internationally*) where you can begin to populate your AAC page. Within the profile you can add your biography and photograph to help your readers to get to know you a little better. You can put as much or as little detail about yourself as you wish but I would keep it relevant and friendly. There is also a section where you can add details of your Twitter account to allow your readers to connect with you and establish a relationship with you. There is a facility to add videos, you can shoot a personal message or maybe a trailer for your book. Another great feature is the ability to add any events that you may be attending or hosting in your capacity as a writer. It allows you to promote book signings and other personal appearances.

The other section you need to concentrate on is not surprisingly, books. When you click on the ‘Add more books’ button you will be able to search for your book, by title, author’s name or the ISBN. Just beware I have found that occasionally a newly published book is not available immediately through this search and you may have to wait a couple of days before you can add it.

Within your AAC profile you will also be able to track your sales information, which is an excellent way to see the effectiveness of promotions and specific marketing techniques. The final section allows you to keep an eye on customer reviews by compiling all of the information from all your books in one area.

The AAC is just one of the many ways that Amazon has tried to make selling a book as easy as possible for independent authors and it is something that I think every writer should take advantage of.

If you already have an AAC page set up, why not stick a link in the comments and let people learn more about you and your work.

*You have set up a profile on each if you are selling in both the U.S. and U.K.

For more information about Indie Authors Scotland 'How to Self Publish' courses visit our website.

Guest blog - David Magowan

I'm offering a bonus blog this week and have asked my friend and fellow author, David Magowan to write a little guest piece. David has a passion for the darker side of literature and has compiled a list of his top five horror novels. Do you agree with his choices?

Once - James Herbert

This book is an absolute masterwork from a writer at the top of his game. The ‘Once’ in the title refers to ‘once upon a time’ but this is a fairy tale strictly for adults. A young carpenter returns to the country cottage of his childhood and reawakens all manner of magic both good and evil in the fairy-infested woods. In turns, enchanting, chilling, and erotic, it is written with a lovely vein of dark humour, this was Herbert at his very best. He was a wonderful talent who will be sorely missed.

The Haunting of James Hastings - Christopher Ransome

A thoroughly gripping, chilling and devilishly satirical modern ghost story from one of the most exciting young horror writers around just now. A self-centred body double for a world famous rap star (Eminen look way now!) learns the meaning of dual personality when it appears his new girlfriend is taking on attributes of his recently deceased previous one. Some great scares and laughs in a highly new and refreshing approach to the genre.

The Pariah - Graham Masterton

A true tour de force from the masterly Mr Masterton. A bed-hopping New England antiques dealer makes a pact with an ancient and terrifying force to bring back his girlfriend who was killed in a car accident. Little does he know the powers that he is meddling with or what he has unleashed. Packed with great chilling moments, big shocks and like a lot of Masterton's work it has his trade mark eroticism. This is the best book of his great canon of work.

The Taking - Dean Koontz

The great American thriller/ horror favourite has never been better here than his virtuoso venture into sci-fi apocalypse territory. On a stormy night in a Californian town a young couple are certain that other worldly beings are on their way and they are not coming in peace! But what is the real motivation of these 'aliens'? There are two absolute crackerjack scare scenes - one with a TV reporter and one with a doll. Read it and find out why I think this is simply magnificent horror writing.

Desperation - Stephen King

 Out of many candidates by the undisputed king of horror fiction, this is the pick of the bunch in my humble opinion. Absolutely brilliant characterisation, one scary scene after another and a rip roaring climax. A veteran writer and an ensemble of everyday American characters are captured by a mysterious highway patrolman and taken to the desert ghost town of desperation. Little do they know it is their destiny to band together and stop an unspeakable evil that has been recently awakened in the old town's mine. A sheer masterpiece of action and horror with characters you will love and will certainly experience all the terrors they witness first hand. It is crying out for a big budget Hollywood film version, (Are you listening Mr Darabont?) in short, the best from the very best.


David is a graduate of Indie Authors Scotland's 'How To Self Publish' courses and has now published three novels on Kindle. 'Dream Girl' is a dark, erotic fantasy with a large helping of black humour. His second book 'Nature's Children' is a story of ancient evil and modern terror in the favelas of Brazil. His most recent book was actually the first novel he completed. 'Gerrity's Law' is the at times harrowing tale of the redemption of a very amoral man.


If you would like to get in touch with David he is on Twitter @davidmagowan.

Review - The Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan

This week’s Monday blog is a short review of a book I received from Kim as a Christmas gift. 

Scandinavian fiction has seen a huge surge in popularity over the last few years on television and in books. I have been swept up in this wonderful tide of authors like Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbø and television dramas like The Killing and The Bridge; delighting in my inner Viking. (According to legend Macleods are descended from the Norse Kings of Man.)

Written by Sissel-Jo Gazan who hails from Denmark, 'The Dinosaur Feather' adds to that canon. Her nationality was enough reason for the publisher to slap a sticker on the book telling you that if you love ‘The Killing’ then you’ll love this book. This is an oversimplification as the only real similarity is the setting. This story is set in Copenhagen but it is not a straightforward whodunit and there is nothing of the political intrigue of that brilliant series.

The book is set in the world of academia and tells the story of Anna Bella Nor’s struggles as a post-graduate student and single mother as she tries to finalise her doctorate. She is close to the final stages of her studies when both her tutor and then her friend are found dead. The death of her tutor is possibly the most original murder I have ever read and the intrigue surrounds the possibility that someone does not want her doctoral thesis to be published due to a difference of scientific opinion on the relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Due to the author’s own background, there is a lot of scientific detail covering areas such as palaeontology, ornithology and biology but it is explained in terms that keep it interesting and it never slows down the pace of the narrative.

The strange but engaging thing about the book is the way it weaves a number of family tragedies through the main crimes and then ties them up towards the end. It is a skilful piece of plotting and gives the story an extra layer of subtly that I enjoyed.

Søren Marhauge is the featured detective but he is far removed from the typical protagonist, as he doesn’t feature in the early part of the book and isn’t even responsible for the revelation at the end. He has his own family troubles and they have an effect on how he approaches his work.

This is a thoroughly original and enjoyable crime story. If you love mystery novels and are looking for something different then I can fully recommend this book.

Occasionally if I find a book that I think you’ll enjoy, I’ll post a review on my Monday blog.

Of Widows, Orphans and Rivers Of White

During our ‘How to Self Publish’ courses, we stress to authors the importance of producing the most professional book they can. What we really mean is that paying attention to the small details can pay big dividends in terms of how seriously your work is regarded. In this week’s self-publishing blog, I am going to look at some of the small distractions that can affect print-on-demand books.

Widows and Orphans

 Widows and Orphans are terms that describe words or single sentences at the beginning or end of a paragraph, which are isolated at the top or bottom of a page, separated from the rest of the parent paragraph.

A widow is a single line from the previous paragraph that appears at the top of the next page.

An orphan is the first line of a paragraph that continues on the next page.

It is important to look for these simple problems before you submit your book for printing as they can have a jarring effect and interrupt the flow of the text for the reader.

Rivers of White

 A ‘river of white’ is caused when the gap between words occurs at approximately the same place in a line of text for a number of lines consecutively within a paragraph. While someone is reading, that river effect will catch his or her eye, even if it is on a facing page. You will find that these ‘rivers’ do appear in many books but it is a good idea to minimise them, particularly if the gap occurs for seven or eight lines in a row.

All of these problems can be solved using various techniques including making small adjustments to kerning. During our course we give you a more comprehensive description of these minor issues and the techniques you can use to remove them.

By paying attention to even the smallest details, you can produce a book that is professional and will remove all distractions to allow people to enjoy what you have written.