Adrian Dawson's Blog
August 2, 2011
New Website...
My spanky new website is now LIVE!!! Please take a moment to check it out as its the start of MUCH bigger things! bit.ly/jp7vGG
July 3, 2011
Where you lead...
A dog will follow.
In public places, however, it's the lead that's important.
As some will know I have a penchant for Chocolate Labradors. As in, real Labradors which are brown in colour, as opposed to animal shaped confectionery. With three to my name it goes without saying that I pretty much love dogs. All dogs. What really irritates me, however, what really gets right up my nose and annoys the hell out of me, is dog owners themselves. Not all, you understand, just the goddamned irresponsible ones.
I'm all for dogs being off their leads; in the park, down by the river, on the moors - so long as the owners themselves can actually control their dogs. But to have a dog walking along the pavement of a very busy main road, a Staffordshire Bull Terror no less, not on a lead is just asking for trouble...
With Magus vacationing at a friends while the two bitches were in season, my good friend Erik was walking him to fetch a fish supper. As luck would have it I was at Erik's house that evening anyway, trying to fix the door on my TVR. The door switch is located (nay, hidden) underneath the door mirror on a Tuscan, and the connectors had shaken loose whilst driving hell for leather round Donington Circuit with a variety of 3-18 year olds (and a few big kids a little older) during a "Wishes 4 Kids" event. A simple enough thing to fix, but you definitely need four hands!!
Suddenly I heard Magus growling and Erik shouting from 2 streets away so I rushed round in the other car, fearing that Magus had perhaps slipped his collar. When I arrived, Magus was tethered to a post, whilst Erik was remonstrating vociferously with a dog owner on the opposite side of the road.
A very kind motorist, David, had stopped to help and was busy wiping blood, my dog's blood, from his arms. He'd had quite a shock - having had to brake his 4x4 damned hard to miss the Staffordshire Bull Terror as it ran right across the road to launch an attack on Magus. Its owner - lead in hand, but not actually attached to the dog - opined that "he's never done that before". Cold comfort for Magus as apparently the other dog had just had hold of him by the chest, the jaw and finally the ear, and only the brave intervention of Erik and David had stopped Magus' ear from being completely detached from his head.
After I'd taken her name and address, the lady (yeah, right) proceeded to release her hold on the Staffy's collar and ambled off down the pavement, the dog still not on the its sodding lead!
I could barely believe what I was seeing. Not only had Erik, David and another bystander told her in no uncertain terms that her dog should be on a lead as a minimum, if not muzzled, but I had left her in no doubt of my own thoughts on the matter.
So I called the police.
Let's be clear, I didn't and don't want the offending dog putting down, but I did want to ensure that the woman never walked her dog on a main road without first attaching a lead to its collar. At first they were less than helpful - its an "act of nature" for one dog to attack another apparently - but I managed to insist that someone contact the dog owner, not for what had been done to Magus, but because it could have been so much worse... Next time it might be a kid holding a Labrador. A kid who's not going to hang on to his own face for very long if that dog launches again. Worse still, the next time it sprints across a main road a car could swerve and take out a bunch of school kids.
As for Magus, he's currently laying in front of me, quite literally licking his wounds... which cost a hefty £450.00 to sort out. His chest has been shaved and the puncture wounds cleaned, he's on antibiotics and still, a good 20 hours afterwards, a little wobbly from the anaesthetic. To say he's feeling sorry for himself would be an understatement and he spent much of the night openly moaning, something I've never heard him do before and never want to hear again.
The police phoned today, they've spoken to the woman and told her that she must have her dog on a lead if she is walking it on the road. Apparently she was apologetic, but let's just hope she's still feeling the same way when I ask - nay, demand - that she pay the vet's bill!
Because unlike her dog, when it comes to owners like that I'm pretty much at the end of my tether.
As some will know I have a penchant for Chocolate Labradors. As in, real Labradors which are brown in colour, as opposed to animal shaped confectionery. With three to my name it goes without saying that I pretty much love dogs. All dogs. What really irritates me, however, what really gets right up my nose and annoys the hell out of me, is dog owners themselves. Not all, you understand, just the goddamned irresponsible ones.
I'm all for dogs being off their leads; in the park, down by the river, on the moors - so long as the owners themselves can actually control their dogs. But to have a dog walking along the pavement of a very busy main road, a Staffordshire Bull Terror no less, not on a lead is just asking for trouble...
With Magus vacationing at a friends while the two bitches were in season, my good friend Erik was walking him to fetch a fish supper. As luck would have it I was at Erik's house that evening anyway, trying to fix the door on my TVR. The door switch is located (nay, hidden) underneath the door mirror on a Tuscan, and the connectors had shaken loose whilst driving hell for leather round Donington Circuit with a variety of 3-18 year olds (and a few big kids a little older) during a "Wishes 4 Kids" event. A simple enough thing to fix, but you definitely need four hands!!
Suddenly I heard Magus growling and Erik shouting from 2 streets away so I rushed round in the other car, fearing that Magus had perhaps slipped his collar. When I arrived, Magus was tethered to a post, whilst Erik was remonstrating vociferously with a dog owner on the opposite side of the road.
A very kind motorist, David, had stopped to help and was busy wiping blood, my dog's blood, from his arms. He'd had quite a shock - having had to brake his 4x4 damned hard to miss the Staffordshire Bull Terror as it ran right across the road to launch an attack on Magus. Its owner - lead in hand, but not actually attached to the dog - opined that "he's never done that before". Cold comfort for Magus as apparently the other dog had just had hold of him by the chest, the jaw and finally the ear, and only the brave intervention of Erik and David had stopped Magus' ear from being completely detached from his head.
After I'd taken her name and address, the lady (yeah, right) proceeded to release her hold on the Staffy's collar and ambled off down the pavement, the dog still not on the its sodding lead!
I could barely believe what I was seeing. Not only had Erik, David and another bystander told her in no uncertain terms that her dog should be on a lead as a minimum, if not muzzled, but I had left her in no doubt of my own thoughts on the matter.
So I called the police.
Let's be clear, I didn't and don't want the offending dog putting down, but I did want to ensure that the woman never walked her dog on a main road without first attaching a lead to its collar. At first they were less than helpful - its an "act of nature" for one dog to attack another apparently - but I managed to insist that someone contact the dog owner, not for what had been done to Magus, but because it could have been so much worse... Next time it might be a kid holding a Labrador. A kid who's not going to hang on to his own face for very long if that dog launches again. Worse still, the next time it sprints across a main road a car could swerve and take out a bunch of school kids.
As for Magus, he's currently laying in front of me, quite literally licking his wounds... which cost a hefty £450.00 to sort out. His chest has been shaved and the puncture wounds cleaned, he's on antibiotics and still, a good 20 hours afterwards, a little wobbly from the anaesthetic. To say he's feeling sorry for himself would be an understatement and he spent much of the night openly moaning, something I've never heard him do before and never want to hear again.
The police phoned today, they've spoken to the woman and told her that she must have her dog on a lead if she is walking it on the road. Apparently she was apologetic, but let's just hope she's still feeling the same way when I ask - nay, demand - that she pay the vet's bill!
Because unlike her dog, when it comes to owners like that I'm pretty much at the end of my tether.
June 22, 2011
Bringing Thunder to my novel....
When I was around 18 years old, and still heavily into Rock music, a new band came along by the name of ‘Thunder‘. I started off, as you do, as a ‘bit of a fan’ and would attend concerts if they were playing nearby. What I liked about Thunder, and more specifically the writing of lead guitarist Luke Morley, was the fact that none of the songs were ‘thin’. Sure, they had some all-out throwaway rockers on the first album (Backstreet Symphony), but also a healthy spattering of meaningful stuff. From the travelling football hooligan bashing of ‘An Englishman on Holiday‘ to the intelligently heartfelt ‘Don’t Wait for Me‘, Luke had a habit of putting a little bit of depth into his lyrics and then rounding it out with a range of catchy tunes from Rock, to Blues to all-out Power Ballad.
As time went on, Thunder got bigger, as bands do, and then got smaller, as bands also do, but they retained a core following that would put many of today’s ‘Headline Acts’ to shame. If you want to know why you’ve perhaps not heard of them yourself, then a quick listen to ‘On The Radio‘ from the ‘Bang‘ album (on which they ‘went out with a…’) might explain a few things for you.
Throughout Thunder’s career, Luke penned and played some truly great songs. Danny Bowes belted or breathed them out in a voice that Coverdale, Gramm and Rodgers wished they possessed and, backed by the hugely multi-talented ensemble of Ben Matthews (Guitar, Keyboards and Engineering), Gary ‘Harry’ James (Drums, Occasional Guitar and Occasional Crooning) and Chris Childs (Bass and, once they launched their own record label, some great album covers and T-Shirts) Thunder… well, Rocked. They covered so many diverse areas of music that I can’t even begin to list them all, with every album a winner. Usually, their strike rate was so high that 11 out of 12 songs would instantly be added to my iTunes playlist.
What I always came back to, however, was Luke’s lyrics. Sure, he might look like an all-out Rock God, and he could tell you some stories, but Luke has a depth of intellect and understanding about the human condition that puts me nigh-on in awe of the man. Just look at some of the topics covered: Leaving Home (Shake the Tree), Senseless Child Murder (It Happened in this Town), Hurricane Katrina (Stormwater), sex change (Amy’s On The Run), an imbalance of love and social stature (Loser) and the music industry as a whole (Monkey See, Monkey Do). You know what? I’ve barely scratched the surface. With Luke you’ll find love and hate, pathos and pranks, paranoia and promise all on the same album. Genius.
When my grandmother (Molly) died, I drove the long road from the hospital fighting the tears and, as I pulled into a lay-by to pull myself together, “Like a Satellite” was booming from the car stereo. I fight the distance, with a picture in my head. But I don’t know when I’ll see you, I guess I’ll have to dream instead. My kind of loss was not the kind that Luke had in mind when he wrote it, I’m sure, but it’s what it means to me. Thunder, when they play that song, bring Molly back to me and I smile. And yes, boys, you should’ve played the piano version more on stage – even if it did stop Benny from having a crafty smoke!
And I tell you all this… why?
Because, believe it or not, I always wanted to use some of Luke’s lyrics in a novel!
Sure, I could write some of my own (I am a writer, after all) but when you’re trying to ground a reader in reality, the more reality you can include, the more grounded the reader feels. So, as I came to completing ‘Sequence‘ (Due in September 2011) I found my protagonist in a situation or two that Luke had summed up perfectly for me already; not least in the heartfelt lyrics of ‘History in the Making‘. I could try to copy Luke’s style and his sentiments but then… that’s what I’d be creating. A copy. Anyone who has read my work will know that I endeavour to be unique – I copy nothing and no-one.
So what did I do? Well, put simply I nicked Luke’s lyrics. Always with the plan of thanking him on the opening pages, of course, but also figuring that if I ever dared to ask his permission, then this doyen of craft and perfection would endeavour to protect his own work and simply tell me to sod off.
So… slip ‘em in, I thought – deal with the fallout later.
Publishers don’t work like that. Certainly not perfectionist publishers like Last Passage.
So, LP wrote to Luke and asked for his permission. I, meanwhile, sat back and waited with baited breath for the imminent rejection and the need to re-write a few paragraphs of my novel that I felt were perfect.
Very quickly Luke wrote back. He said ‘Yes’.
He abso-bloody-lutely said yes. (Via the Thin Controller and thanks also to he, whosoever he may be).
If, I hasten to add, Luke could have a few copies of the novel when it was released. Er… yes! I’d foot them myself but LP have said that they’ll take care of that for me.
I’ve met Luke, Danny and the boys many times backstage, as a fan. My lock screen on my iPhone is my 13 year old (when he was about 10) sharing a smile backstage with Danny…you can view the image on my personal website at : http://www.adriandawson.co.uk/blog/
These are nice guys. DAMN nice guys. They write and play great music with something for almost every taste (seriously, get an album and whatever you’re into you’ll find AT LEAST one track you like).
These are nice guys who look after their fans.
Nice guys who appreciate what the record buying public bring to them.
So… buy their records. Seriously, don’t waste your hard-earned on another “You’ll be there for Christmas, by spring you’ll be gone” X-Factor reject. Give the Thunder boys a whirl. Barring the odd gig, they no longer exist as a band, and Luke is doing great things with ‘The Union‘ (You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down!) but they still earn the royalties.
Hell, they DESERVE the royalties.
Thank you Luke. Thank you so very much.
And, for 26.7 hours of music in my iTunes library (approximately, you understand), thank you Thunder. Thank you for enlightening my life, my understanding, my moods and now… my novel.
Thank you for letting all the ones below you… claim the glory too!!
As time went on, Thunder got bigger, as bands do, and then got smaller, as bands also do, but they retained a core following that would put many of today’s ‘Headline Acts’ to shame. If you want to know why you’ve perhaps not heard of them yourself, then a quick listen to ‘On The Radio‘ from the ‘Bang‘ album (on which they ‘went out with a…’) might explain a few things for you.
Throughout Thunder’s career, Luke penned and played some truly great songs. Danny Bowes belted or breathed them out in a voice that Coverdale, Gramm and Rodgers wished they possessed and, backed by the hugely multi-talented ensemble of Ben Matthews (Guitar, Keyboards and Engineering), Gary ‘Harry’ James (Drums, Occasional Guitar and Occasional Crooning) and Chris Childs (Bass and, once they launched their own record label, some great album covers and T-Shirts) Thunder… well, Rocked. They covered so many diverse areas of music that I can’t even begin to list them all, with every album a winner. Usually, their strike rate was so high that 11 out of 12 songs would instantly be added to my iTunes playlist.
What I always came back to, however, was Luke’s lyrics. Sure, he might look like an all-out Rock God, and he could tell you some stories, but Luke has a depth of intellect and understanding about the human condition that puts me nigh-on in awe of the man. Just look at some of the topics covered: Leaving Home (Shake the Tree), Senseless Child Murder (It Happened in this Town), Hurricane Katrina (Stormwater), sex change (Amy’s On The Run), an imbalance of love and social stature (Loser) and the music industry as a whole (Monkey See, Monkey Do). You know what? I’ve barely scratched the surface. With Luke you’ll find love and hate, pathos and pranks, paranoia and promise all on the same album. Genius.
When my grandmother (Molly) died, I drove the long road from the hospital fighting the tears and, as I pulled into a lay-by to pull myself together, “Like a Satellite” was booming from the car stereo. I fight the distance, with a picture in my head. But I don’t know when I’ll see you, I guess I’ll have to dream instead. My kind of loss was not the kind that Luke had in mind when he wrote it, I’m sure, but it’s what it means to me. Thunder, when they play that song, bring Molly back to me and I smile. And yes, boys, you should’ve played the piano version more on stage – even if it did stop Benny from having a crafty smoke!
And I tell you all this… why?
Because, believe it or not, I always wanted to use some of Luke’s lyrics in a novel!
Sure, I could write some of my own (I am a writer, after all) but when you’re trying to ground a reader in reality, the more reality you can include, the more grounded the reader feels. So, as I came to completing ‘Sequence‘ (Due in September 2011) I found my protagonist in a situation or two that Luke had summed up perfectly for me already; not least in the heartfelt lyrics of ‘History in the Making‘. I could try to copy Luke’s style and his sentiments but then… that’s what I’d be creating. A copy. Anyone who has read my work will know that I endeavour to be unique – I copy nothing and no-one.
So what did I do? Well, put simply I nicked Luke’s lyrics. Always with the plan of thanking him on the opening pages, of course, but also figuring that if I ever dared to ask his permission, then this doyen of craft and perfection would endeavour to protect his own work and simply tell me to sod off.
So… slip ‘em in, I thought – deal with the fallout later.
Publishers don’t work like that. Certainly not perfectionist publishers like Last Passage.
So, LP wrote to Luke and asked for his permission. I, meanwhile, sat back and waited with baited breath for the imminent rejection and the need to re-write a few paragraphs of my novel that I felt were perfect.
Very quickly Luke wrote back. He said ‘Yes’.
He abso-bloody-lutely said yes. (Via the Thin Controller and thanks also to he, whosoever he may be).
If, I hasten to add, Luke could have a few copies of the novel when it was released. Er… yes! I’d foot them myself but LP have said that they’ll take care of that for me.
I’ve met Luke, Danny and the boys many times backstage, as a fan. My lock screen on my iPhone is my 13 year old (when he was about 10) sharing a smile backstage with Danny…you can view the image on my personal website at : http://www.adriandawson.co.uk/blog/
These are nice guys. DAMN nice guys. They write and play great music with something for almost every taste (seriously, get an album and whatever you’re into you’ll find AT LEAST one track you like).
These are nice guys who look after their fans.
Nice guys who appreciate what the record buying public bring to them.
So… buy their records. Seriously, don’t waste your hard-earned on another “You’ll be there for Christmas, by spring you’ll be gone” X-Factor reject. Give the Thunder boys a whirl. Barring the odd gig, they no longer exist as a band, and Luke is doing great things with ‘The Union‘ (You Can’t Keep a Good Man Down!) but they still earn the royalties.
Hell, they DESERVE the royalties.
Thank you Luke. Thank you so very much.
And, for 26.7 hours of music in my iTunes library (approximately, you understand), thank you Thunder. Thank you for enlightening my life, my understanding, my moods and now… my novel.
Thank you for letting all the ones below you… claim the glory too!!
May 25, 2011
Autopsy on Crimefest
OK, so more of a long list of thank you’s than a true autopsy.
I had a really excellent time at Crimefest in Bristol this year. This was my first visit and, as a newbie, knew absolutely nobody on day one. By day three I knew lots of authors far more famous and successful than myself (for now), lots of great crime fans and a whole host of people in the thick of (or the periphery of) the industry. Primarily I have to thank Howard Linskey, a young veteran of these shindigs, for taking the time to introduce me around and draw me into his circle. If you’ve not checked out Howard’s hard hitting novel “The Drop” yet, then you’re seriously missing out!!
Whilst I could just offer you a seemingly endless list of very friendly and down to earth people I met, I think I should just pick a few who really stood out. None-inclusion on the list merely means that I did not get to chat to you as much as I would have liked (heck, everyone was busy) but maybe next year.
So here goes…
As mentioned before – Howard. Great guy, great book, great drinking buddy with a big heart. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and her husband were fantastic and we shared many stories. Peter Gutteridge and Simon Brett were not only great moderators but great guys as well. Some more fascinating people – Chris Carter with whom I shared many an 80′s rock story (shit, the guy has played guitar on a Mutt Lange/Shania Twain track!); the award-winning Simon Conway; Adrian Magson (who people kept thinking I was ); Michael Ridpath; Sarah Pinborough; Jeremy Duns and Tom Wood. Every one of these guys (or, as Howard might say about Sarah: ‘bloke in a really nice wrapper’) is well worth your hard-earned if they write in a genre you enjoy.
The panels I were on were just immense fun and all the other panelists were friendly, witty and insightful. Some have already had a mention but Tom Harper and the delightful Belinda Bauer deserve special mention, as does Danny Miller (no, not the one from Emmerdale!)
These were my first two panels ever and they went very smoothly, helped in no small part by the others on the ‘team’ and the brilliant moderation. ‘Debut Authors’ was a little restrained but I got a lot of praise following the ‘How not to get published’ panel. But then, with Simon Brett at the helm, how was it eve going to be anything less than hilarious?
So, it’s hardly an in depth look at the experience, but it gives you some indication of just how welcoming so many people were, and I thank you all very much.
Finally, as at so many Crime Conventions, a very special mention goes to the all-conquering Peter James. For those who don’t already know, Peter’s novella ‘A Perfect Murder’ was the only thriller to beat my novel ‘Codex’ on the UK iBookstore throughout the whole of 2010. Despite me asking Peter to pull it for a while, just to give me the number one slot for a day or two, he politely refused (of course). What he DID do, however, was take the time to sign a copy of the offending tome and, within it, offer his ‘humble apologies’. Peter really is a very very nice guy. Check out his work BUT… only if it’s BEHIND me in the charts!
I will close just by saying that there are many names I have not mentioned who were attendees or publishers/agents/publicists. I have all your names and, where possible, email addresses and I will drop each and every one of you a line to thank you for taking the time to speak with me and making my first Crimefest so thoroughly enjoyable.
If you love your crime fiction then Crimefest, in Bristol UK, is a must. Adrian Muller and Myles Allfrey put on one heck of a great show.
I had a really excellent time at Crimefest in Bristol this year. This was my first visit and, as a newbie, knew absolutely nobody on day one. By day three I knew lots of authors far more famous and successful than myself (for now), lots of great crime fans and a whole host of people in the thick of (or the periphery of) the industry. Primarily I have to thank Howard Linskey, a young veteran of these shindigs, for taking the time to introduce me around and draw me into his circle. If you’ve not checked out Howard’s hard hitting novel “The Drop” yet, then you’re seriously missing out!!
Whilst I could just offer you a seemingly endless list of very friendly and down to earth people I met, I think I should just pick a few who really stood out. None-inclusion on the list merely means that I did not get to chat to you as much as I would have liked (heck, everyone was busy) but maybe next year.
So here goes…
As mentioned before – Howard. Great guy, great book, great drinking buddy with a big heart. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir and her husband were fantastic and we shared many stories. Peter Gutteridge and Simon Brett were not only great moderators but great guys as well. Some more fascinating people – Chris Carter with whom I shared many an 80′s rock story (shit, the guy has played guitar on a Mutt Lange/Shania Twain track!); the award-winning Simon Conway; Adrian Magson (who people kept thinking I was ); Michael Ridpath; Sarah Pinborough; Jeremy Duns and Tom Wood. Every one of these guys (or, as Howard might say about Sarah: ‘bloke in a really nice wrapper’) is well worth your hard-earned if they write in a genre you enjoy.
The panels I were on were just immense fun and all the other panelists were friendly, witty and insightful. Some have already had a mention but Tom Harper and the delightful Belinda Bauer deserve special mention, as does Danny Miller (no, not the one from Emmerdale!)
These were my first two panels ever and they went very smoothly, helped in no small part by the others on the ‘team’ and the brilliant moderation. ‘Debut Authors’ was a little restrained but I got a lot of praise following the ‘How not to get published’ panel. But then, with Simon Brett at the helm, how was it eve going to be anything less than hilarious?
So, it’s hardly an in depth look at the experience, but it gives you some indication of just how welcoming so many people were, and I thank you all very much.
Finally, as at so many Crime Conventions, a very special mention goes to the all-conquering Peter James. For those who don’t already know, Peter’s novella ‘A Perfect Murder’ was the only thriller to beat my novel ‘Codex’ on the UK iBookstore throughout the whole of 2010. Despite me asking Peter to pull it for a while, just to give me the number one slot for a day or two, he politely refused (of course). What he DID do, however, was take the time to sign a copy of the offending tome and, within it, offer his ‘humble apologies’. Peter really is a very very nice guy. Check out his work BUT… only if it’s BEHIND me in the charts!
I will close just by saying that there are many names I have not mentioned who were attendees or publishers/agents/publicists. I have all your names and, where possible, email addresses and I will drop each and every one of you a line to thank you for taking the time to speak with me and making my first Crimefest so thoroughly enjoyable.
If you love your crime fiction then Crimefest, in Bristol UK, is a must. Adrian Muller and Myles Allfrey put on one heck of a great show.
May 10, 2011
Oi - are you deaf!?!
Grrrrrrrr
Very bad mood...there's a jackass over the road, who appreciates his music so much that he feels the world will be a better place if he opens up his windows and shares!!
I wouldn't mind, but I have double glazing and I can hear the words of the song - how loud must the music be in his room?
I might have to write him into a plot and then kill him - metaphorically speaking of course!
Was writing - now moaning!
Adrian
Very bad mood...there's a jackass over the road, who appreciates his music so much that he feels the world will be a better place if he opens up his windows and shares!!
I wouldn't mind, but I have double glazing and I can hear the words of the song - how loud must the music be in his room?
I might have to write him into a plot and then kill him - metaphorically speaking of course!
Was writing - now moaning!
Adrian
May 9, 2011
Genres and all that Jazz
Aha - when you hit the wrong button and it publishes with no copy in the body - that's when the back button comes in handy!!
My publisher sent me a copy of the Press Release to go into the press packs for my next novel - Sequence. The opening paragraph goes as follows:
SEQUENCE is a conspiracy story with a difference – a high-concept thriller that’s as cool as Raymond Chandler, as compelling as Dan Brown and as stunningly inventive as Michael Crichton. Fusing high-end technology, scientific fiction, myth, religion, cryptology and noir fiction, Adrian Dawson’s narrative fizzes with thought-provoking ideas, wit and tension.
Whilst I can see that the pr people are trying to "sell" the book into as many genre categories as possible I have to admit that when I'm writing I don't think about genres....at all...
Well, its definitiely a thriller, but it is also scientific fiction, and crime and noir....my books don't fit easily into any one genre, they are a heady mix of all the best bits, and just what the story needs...and as it would appear I am giving my publisher something of a headache, I am going to propose a new Genre category....in tribute to one of the best bands on the face of the planet for all they have contributed to music...and that genre is...a Queen album novel!!
Feel free to offer alternative genre suggestions...and be nice people!!
Adrian
My publisher sent me a copy of the Press Release to go into the press packs for my next novel - Sequence. The opening paragraph goes as follows:
SEQUENCE is a conspiracy story with a difference – a high-concept thriller that’s as cool as Raymond Chandler, as compelling as Dan Brown and as stunningly inventive as Michael Crichton. Fusing high-end technology, scientific fiction, myth, religion, cryptology and noir fiction, Adrian Dawson’s narrative fizzes with thought-provoking ideas, wit and tension.
Whilst I can see that the pr people are trying to "sell" the book into as many genre categories as possible I have to admit that when I'm writing I don't think about genres....at all...
Well, its definitiely a thriller, but it is also scientific fiction, and crime and noir....my books don't fit easily into any one genre, they are a heady mix of all the best bits, and just what the story needs...and as it would appear I am giving my publisher something of a headache, I am going to propose a new Genre category....in tribute to one of the best bands on the face of the planet for all they have contributed to music...and that genre is...a Queen album novel!!
Feel free to offer alternative genre suggestions...and be nice people!!
Adrian
May 5, 2011
LCDTV - Lowest common denominator television
I'm sitting here mulling over some storylines in my head. Unfortunately the TV has flipped to the QVC channel, due to a big fat labrador sitting on the remote (its true, she's been to see the Vet tonight who has put her on a diet!).
There are two things that I've just realised:
1. The presenters on QVC could give you a half hour spiel on the inherent and amazing qualities of a Mars bar; and
2. It really is true...a frontal lobotomy is performed by going in through the eyes!
There are two things that I've just realised:
1. The presenters on QVC could give you a half hour spiel on the inherent and amazing qualities of a Mars bar; and
2. It really is true...a frontal lobotomy is performed by going in through the eyes!
