Luca Veste's Blog

Years and years ago (or 2011, if you want to be picky), I started off this blog with reviews and interviews. I had no intention of writing myself and was merely interested in talking about books I liked (or in rare instances didn’t like). Fast forward a few months and I was writing short stories galore and starting a novel.

I have zero self-control.

The first book I reviewed was Deadfolk by Charlie Williams – a conversation with him led to me writing my first short story as a joke (Jeff the Uninspired Vampire FTW).

The second book I reviewed was Black Flowers by Steve Mosby – a writer whose work made me realise what it was I actually wanted to write vs what I felt expected to write (more on which later).

A few weeks after those reviews, I decided to start a short lived series called ‘Friday Classics’, in which I would talk about past books I considered favourites. The first classic was my (still) favourite book The Stand. The second was The 50/50 Killer by Steve Mosby.

My second favourite book. Of all time.

It’s difficult to quantify in words what it is about that book which resonated so much with me. Whether it was the storyline, the characters, the writing… there’s just something about 50/50 which seemed almost like the perfect crime novel for my taste. As if it was written for me alone, catering to my taste specifically.

Since those halcyon days of 2011, I began my own writing journey, becoming friends with Steve himself, to the point where he read my own effort and said nice things about it. I separate the two facets of him however – there’s writer Steve and there’s friend Steve. As a writer, I’m a total fanboy. As a friend, I get to read his books long before release (probably because he wants to keep me quiet and to stop badgering him!).

I read 50/50 around five years ago, and since then, I’ve been gently pressuring him to write something containing those characters again. The book ended on a bit of cliffhanger regarding the fate of a character, with many theories espoused over years as to their fate.

Finally, he did it. For the first time, he brought characters back (although constant readers of Mosby will have spotted a mention of  a certain character in the previous novel The Nightmare Place).

Still, on first opening that first page, I had a moment of worry. I’d pulled for a follow up for so long, what if it disappointed? Would it change how I felt about a book which I’d treasured so much until that day? Will I be able to read it with a clear head?

I shouldn’t have worried.

I Know Who Did It is ostensibly another standalone novel, which just happen to contain the same characters as 50/50. However, there are threads which run across the two books, which give a much fuller experience. Saying that, you could read IKWDI first and still have the same experience I did.

Wonder.

I now know how difficult pulling a plot together is. I now know how difficult it is to introduce a character and make a reader feel empathy or hatred for them within a paragraph or sentence. I now know how difficult it is to create a setting which can place a reader in a certain place and make them feel it is real.

I know all these things now – aspects of writing I didn’t appreciate when reading 50/50 for the first time – and I still sit in awe of how certain writers do it to such a degree as to make it look almost effortless. Mosby is one of those very few writers.

The plot is explained enough in the blurb…

The hardest crimes to acknowledge are your own…

Charlie Matheson died two years ago in a car accident. So how is a woman bearing a startling resemblance to her claiming to be back from the dead? Detective Mark Nelson is called in to investigate and hear her terrifying account of what she’s been through in the afterlife.

Every year Detective David Groves receives a birthday card for his son…even though he buried him years ago. His son’s murder took everything from him, apart from his belief in the law, even though the killers were never found. This year, though, the card bears a different message: I know who did it.

Uncovering the facts will lead them all on a dark journey, where they must face their own wrongs as well as those done to those they love. It will take them to a place where justice is a game, and punishments are severe. Nelson and Groves know the answers lie with the kind of people you want to turn and run from. But if they’re to get to the truth, first they’ll have to go through hell…

And even that doesn’t do it justice. Reading it is an experience. An immersive, awe-inspiring display of writing. Forgive some alliteration, but as a (now) fellow writer, it’s annoyingly awesome.

IKWDI is a magnificent novel, full of suspense, intrigue, heartstopping moments of dread and horror, emotion, and perfect plotting. It contains one of the most heartbreaking lines I’ve read a character say in a book. It also contains some brutal, hard-hitting scenes, which are tough to read. Overall, it’s a novel which deserves a ton of readers, a ton of attention, and a shit-ton of awards.

Buy it. Revel in it. Thank me for pointing you in its direction and attempt to steal the title of Grand Fanboy of the Great Mosby from me.

Now, back to the fact 50/50 Killer made me realise what I wanted to write…

Back in the dying embers of 2011, I started writing a novel. It was about a scouse gangster called Shooter (a moniker I’d stolen from Grandad’s own nickname). It was dire, full of cliche and ridiculous. I was trying to write what I thought was expected of me, rather than what I wanted to actually write. It was only because at that time I was on yet another re-read of 50/50 that it finally made sense to me.

This was the sort of book I wanted to write. The creeping horror, the gentle unravelling of plot, the characters based in reality with foibles and mistakes.

I scrapped the 25,000 words I’d written to that point and started again. Dead Gone was born and so was a series. Now, 50/50 was the inspiration, but of course, there are differences. That’s how it should be. However, if it wasn’t for reading that book again, I would never have been given the drive to create what eventually has become the Murphy & Rossi series. Whereas there are other writers who first got me back into reading crime in my early twenties, 50/50 actually started a career. I’ll never be able to thank Steve enough for that.

Now, obviously, it’s difficult to take a recommendation for a book from someone has already stated that the author is a friend. But… I was a fan first, and remain a fan to this day.

Of his writing. As a man and friend… I could tell you some stories. I wouldn’t leave him alone with a dead pig, put it that way.

(This is a joke – I’m sure dead pigs are totally safe around him. Chickens on the other hand… another joke!)

As a writer, Steve Mosby is my favourite UK writer and is only slightly edged by absolute favourite in Stephen King (and that’s a historical and sequential thing – King arrived in my life first). He is an incredible writer, who is respected more by his peers than I’ve known anyone else to be. A ridiculous talent, who is deserving of the praise he receives.

I Know Who Did It is out today. Go buy it and all the rest of his books.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Know-Who-Did-It/dp/1409157490/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

It starts with an idea.

That’s how it works for me. I’ll have an idea of something “bad” going on. A specific type of threat, which needs to be stopped. For Dead Gone, that was someone who was replicating the most unethical psychological experiments to discover more about death – The Dying Place was a group of people fighting back against young men they perceived as a threat to themselves.

(There are, of course, other things that happened before those ideas came out, but this is a shortened version)

With Bloodstream, the threat was someone who wanted to destroy love. Someone who wanted to lift the veil on what looked like normal relationships and expose the lies which lay within.

That doesn’t really go far when you’re staring at a blank page, with another 400 or so to fill though. So, it needs to be fleshed out, characterised, plot…erised (that must be a word by now). How that worked for me with the first two books was by writing. Thousands of words, just working out what the novel will eventually look like. Which represents months and months of work, for what could be small parts of the book. So, when I started writing what become Bloodstream, I took note of what other writers seemed to do and purchased a white board.

Then, when I got that home and realised it was really small, I bought another one.

I started making notes on the boards. Plot points, characters, possible lines, research material. I would fill them, take a picture, then start over again. The photos below are what they looked like when I finished the book.

(Possible spoilers… if you believe in that type of thing)

This worked to a degree, but what I discovered was I need something else when creating a story. A theme. Something which ties the whole story together. So, with Dead Gone, the theme was death. With The Dying Place, the theme turned out to be a few things – power (both having it and the lack of), generation gap, and youth. I needed a theme for Bloodstream, something I could have in the back of my mind whilst writing, giving it some kind of meaning.

Three emerged.

First, there’s the obvious: Love. The romanticism of what is at its base, just a set of emotional responses to another person/s. Familiarity, societal norms and pressures, intimacy. Committment. I wanted to explore what happens when supposedly loving relationships are tested. If someone believed that a loving relationship could contain no lies, would anyone survive?

Second, misogyny and sexism. Specifically within relationship forming. I wanted to look at the prevailing ridiculous idea that if a man is good and true, then a woman deciding not to form a relationship with that man is somehow at fault. This ended up as a more subtle theme within the book, but is something I want to explore at more depth in future, after a lot more reading and research.

Lastly, media. The culture we live in now, with instant reporting, twenty-four hour news, and the desire for more. I have become fascinated with the way in which news is now presented, especially in the case of unfolding events. When you have news reporters in the thick of action in ongoing crimes, such as Raoul Moat, Derrick Bird, the shootings in Sydney etc. Also, the way media treats celebrity – no matter how small – in comparison to others. How is it possible to solve crimes in this culture, when every step is monitored, every decision questioned.

That’s what the new novel Bloodstream is about to me. Of course, this is all told from my main characters’ point of view – Murphy and Rossi. Both of whom are just people, trying to do a job, under increasing pressure from a number of angles. More on those in a later post…

What worked best though, was writing. How I worked with the first two books resulted in a completed novel eventually. However, I had a little more time pressure with Bloodstream (I started it later than I should have and also ended up rewriting half the book due to a mistake… more on that probably never), so planning became a little more important. The writing of it is where I found those themes, characters, ideas, plot points, etc, though. That’s why I always echo what other writers have said in the past – arguably the hardest thing about writing is actually finishing the thing. Whether that’s a story, a novel, a shopping list – finishing what you’ve started is important. Work out the details later. Write and write until you can write no more. Don’t worry if something doesn’t feel right with a particular piece of research, or a character doesn’t seem to be rounded enough. Those are things that can be fixed later. Having a complete story is key at first.

For me, anyway. YMMV.

You can pre-order Bloodstream in paperback here – https://www.waterstones.com/book/bloodstream/luca-veste/9781471141379

And the ebook here – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodstream-Luca-Veste-ebook-x/dp/B00SDMGXAI/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=072WNJD8J8DZ2F3M9C0Q

No pigs – dead or alive – were harmed in the writing of this book.

Firstly, thank you to everyone who has been in touch since The Dying Place came out. I’ve really enjoyed the reaction the book got and that it divided opinion somewhat. It was meant to, so that worked at least. I’m going to be talking more about that in the future, but for now here’s a link to a recent interview I did which gives a bit more detail about it – http://orendabooks.co.uk/luca-veste-revisits-the-dying-place/

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged here. If you’re on my Facebook or Twitter page, you’ll know that I’ve been hard at work writing the new Murphy and Rossi thriller. Well, it’s done. Almost. Some proofing still to do, but the words are 99.9% there and all being well, I’ll be wiping the board clean (yes, I have an actual board – it’s full of incomprehensible scribble at the moment) on Bloodstream. Ready to make a start on Number Four.

So, now it’s done, I can talk a little more about it. This is the first book in my new deal with new publisher Simon and Schuster, so things have gone a little differently than I was used to. Not in a bad way! I worked with the previous publisher for a couple of years, so there was always going to be a bedding in period, as I got used to working with a new editor. Edits were much longer, as we tried to get the idea behind the book spot on. Also, new editor had some amazing ideas, which took time to get right within the story. Overall, it was a very rewarding experience, as I think I’ve grown as a writer for it. My new editor has been a dream to work with. I can’t wait to start work on the next book.

Bloodstream takes place two years after the events of The Dying Place, which was needed, I think. For those who have read The Dying Place (TDP), you’ll know what I mean when I say… the ending really left DI Murphy in an awful position. To go straight into Bloodstream with little time following TDP would have hampered the story somewhat, so it was decided to try and place some distance between the two. The effect of the events of TDP, and also Dead Gone to some extent, don’t just impact on Murphy, but also those around him. There’s a new set-up in place at work, his relationship with his wife has undergone some change, bringing them closer together, and his partnership with Rossi is now well established.

I like a theme when working on the books. Or themes to be precise. Dead Gone was all about death, grief, and the psychological impulses behind those things. The Dying Place was all about social issues, youth unemployment, generation gaps, helplessness. So, when I started working on Bloodstream, I began with themes.

Bloodstream is about love. About violence in media. About our obsession with celebrity. About relationships. About redemption.

And a load of murders thrown in for good measure.

First line in the book…

She watched him die.

And it only gets cheerier from that point.

What’s it about? A reality TV couple are found dead in an abandoned house in Liverpool. They have bound to chairs and killed in two different ways. At first, Murphy is convinced someone close to the pair has something to do with the deaths. However, when another couple is found – with seemingly no connection to the first couple – it quickly becomes apparent there is something more going on. With a suffocating media presence surrounding them, Murphy and Rossi realise they are dealing with someone who is determined to expose the lies and secrets which exist in relationships… with murderous results.

I’m excited about it at the moment. Really can’t wait for people to read it and let me know what they think! Mainly because, right now, I have no idea. What I do know is that Simon and Schuster have already provided an awesome cover for the book. I love it. A different view of the Liverpool skyline, the Liverbirds in the distance… it’s awesome.

I’ll be blogging more in the lead up to release, including an exciting announcement coming soon. Also, there’s a fair few things I’ll be talking about over the coming months, in a kind of ‘behind the scenes’ style manner. Could be interesting – could be me talking rubbish for 1000 words. You’ll soon find out.

You can pre-order Bloodstream in paperback here – https://www.waterstones.com/book/bloodstream/luca-veste/9781471141379

And the ebook here – http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodstream-Luca-Veste-ebook-x/dp/B00SDMGXAI/ref=pd_sim_351_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=072WNJD8J8DZ2F3M9C0Q

I am delighted to welcome fellow writer Vincent Holland-Keen to guest blog today. Vincent is the author of one of my favourite fantasy books ‘The Office of Lost and Found‘ – one I described when it came out as “gloriously confusing” back when it came out – and with his new novel ‘Billy’s Monsters‘, he has created yet another fantastic world of the fantastical… or something. It’s brilliant. That’s enough for you to go out and buy it. Here, Mr Holland-Keen discusses monsters…

 How to Make a Monster*

While I have nothing against metaphors in general, I will admit to being a little disappointed whenever a titular promise of monsters delivers a story that’s simply about people being horrible. While it’s true that people can be horrible in many and varied ways, I believe there’s an argument to be made that humans as a species are overused in literature. We’re too familiar with the whole head, arms, legs thing.

Chins? Cliché.

Noses? Passé.

Elbows? A trope we would do better consigning to the past.

This is why I’m happy to report that my novel Billy’s Monsters contains actual monsters. Tentacles, claws, snapping mandibles and giant green eyes all make an appearance.

Now, when I started writing Billy’s Monsters, I had a paperback compendium of monsters to hand as well as Google. Humanity’s accumulated knowledge and creativity regarding unnatural beasts was at my fingertips. This is why the tripoderoo (http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Tripoderoo) gets a mention early on*. After that… well, turns I don’t play well with others’ imagination. Recycling monsters other people had come up with didn’t feel like the writerly thing to do (the writerly thing to do always being: make shit up).

So I started making shit up. I made up the Moltswyrm and the Jaqissi, the Ralikibh and the Öçunbr’k (no I don’t know how you’d pronouce that either). The Red-Winged Gnossauria was a particular favourite, as was the D’Courcey Prowler, though technically I first name-checked that one in my previous book, ‘The Office of Lost and Found’.

I learned two key points from this exercise:

- Coming up with suitable names is hard. It involves much staring at a keyboard and trying out combinations of letters to see how they roll across the tongue. Does that syllable sound suitably sinister? Does it suggests a scaly specimen or one composed entirely of sputum? Eventually I ended up using a site that took English words and scrambled them up according to various rules – http://www.wordconstructor.com/index.php. Extensive trial and error was still involved.

- There are only so many times you can describe tentacles, claws and snapping mandibles before you realise that variety is the spice of life and one imposing hunk of scales and deadly appendages reads much the same as another. Sometimes the name on its own with little by way of further description is a simple way to trick the reader’s imagination into filling in the gaps with their own twisted imagery, and sometimes you just have to create a bat-winged flying grub that farts smoke.

Having said all that, I should also concede that Billy’s Monsters does also include human beings. In fact, you could make the claim that the monsters are really the supporting cast to Billy, Scarlett and Hester, three young people who are merely three young people sharing traits common to every subject of the human condition; they have hopes and dreams, fears and nightmares, but also a shared inability to launch javelin-like spears from their rumps like super-sized porcupines.

Next time I will have to try harder.

* – The film that inspired the title for this post is actually available on Youtube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn0XIINjVlg (discovered via the video for Iron Maiden’s ‘The Number of the Beast’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsmcDLDw9iw).

** – No, it wasn’t something I’d heard of either, but it has three telescopic legs and a long snout it uses to fire deadly clay pellets at its prey. Clearly cool enough that it deserves to be better known. My contribution to the canon on this creature: ‘also plays frisbee’.

It has been a while since I’ve blogged here, so I thought I would give a general update of what’s been going on lately…

I have a new book out!

The ebook of my new novel – The Dying Place – has been out over two weeks now and is the second in the Murphy and Rossi series following the first book Dead Gone. The books don’t need to be read in order, so if you haven’t read the first, you can read The Dying Place and not be missing out on any salient plot information.

It can be bought from Amazon here for the low, low price of 99p, for a limited time – http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Dying-Place-Luca-Veste-ebook/dp/B00KFE233S/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top – and other ebook retailers like Sainsburys, Kobo Books, and Google Books.

I did a fair few guest blogs during a really fun blog tour around release date, across a range of subjects and ideas. Links are coming up…

At Book Addict Shaun, I talk about setting the books in Liverpool…

http://www.bookaddictshaun.co.uk/2014/10/guest-post-setting-crime-fiction-book.html

At Crime Time, I talk about the idea behind The Dying Place…

http://www.crimetime.co.uk/mag/index.php/showarticle/7386

At Brook Cottage Books, I talk about research and how that comes into writing the books…

http://brookcottagebooks.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/guest-post-researching-mind-of-killer.html

At Crime Book Club, I talk about the experiences of writing and how they’ve differed with each novel…

http://www.crimebookclub.co.uk/different-writing-experiences/

At Novel Kicks, I talk about creating suspense…

http://www.novelkicks.co.uk/blog-tour-the-dying-place-by-luca-veste/

At Raven Crime Reads, I talk about the inspiration behind The Dying Place…

https://ravencrimereads.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/luca-veste-blog-tour-the-inspiration-for-the-dying-placereview/

And finally, at Writing.ie, I talk about my journey to publication…

http://www.writing.ie/interviews/the-dying-place-by-luca-veste/

Enough reading there to keep people busy for a while if so inclined. Additionally, some lovely, brilliant, intelligent, and easily bribed people have also reviewed the book.

“I’d suggest that Luca Veste is one to watch – he certainly deserves a big readership.” – http://killingtimecrime.com/2014/10/26/the-dying-place-by-luca-veste/

“Engaging and thought provoking, The Dying Place is a truly gripping read. Highly Recommended” -http://crimethrillergirl.com/2014/10/27/blog-tour-the-dying-place-by-luca-veste/

“If you are a fan of crime fiction, I really cannot recommend this book enough.” – http://www.novelkicks.co.uk/blog-tour-the-dying-place-by-luca-veste-review/

“This is a must read and should be on every crime thriller lovers shelf” – http://www.crimebookclub.co.uk/review/the-dying-place-by-luca-veste-review/

And finally, possibly the best review I’ve ever had, from Book Addict Shaun – http://www.bookaddictshaun.co.uk/2014/10/hall-of-fame-review-dying-place-by-luca.html

The paperback comes out on 4th December, which is really exciting again. Really, really exciting. I can’t wait to go visit shops to just have a look on the shelves, then buy someone else’s book. It’s a massive thrill to see it out in the wild. I’ll be launching the book at one of my favourite places in Liverpool – Waterstones at Liverpool One – with an evening event of conversation with my absolute favourite British crime writer Steve Mosby (another item checked off the bucket list). All are very welcome to come along and watch as I try and sell you Steve’s books above my own, which is likely to happen, much to his embarrassment (seriously, they’re that good that I will forgo my own self-interest and try and put money in his pocket and out of the mouths of my own children… I think). You can join this group on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/616603191793749/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming – in which I’ll post more details of how to attend etc.

There’ll be an event on 10th December, in which myself and fellow Scouse author Tony Schumacher will be talking about our new books, at Formby books, which promises to be a very cool evening. I’ll also be doing more signings around Merseyside and hopefully further afield.

Other than The Dying Place stuff going on, I’m hard at work on the third book. It’ll be the first one out from my new publisher Simon and Schuster, but is continuing the Murphy and Rossi series. It’s proving to be a tough little thing, but I’m getting there… I think. I touch on media and how it plays a role in public perceptions of violence in the first two books, and have expanded on this with the third book. I’m fascinated by the apparent disconnect a viewing public can have with events which unfold on 24 hour news channels, so wanted to explore that a little more expansively than I do in the first two books, combining it with the death and darkness I so love to put on the page.

And that’s what I’m going back to. Well… that and watching Breaking Bad again. Got the blu-ray for my birthday in August and finally unwrapped it. Amazing extras, glorious HD… I’ll stop now.

I’ve been sitting on this news for a few weeks now, which has been incredibly difficult. I’m not great with keeping good things to myself, so I’ve had to be extra careful lately that I didn’t let it slip. Now though, all is official and I can talk about this news for a while!

The Dying Place, which is book two in the Murphy and Rossi series will be released in December from Avon/HarperCollins, but from next year (2015), the series will be moving to Simon and Schuster! Incredibly excited and honoured to be amongst such a stellar line-up they have there, and can’t wait to get started. Work on Book Three – which doesn’t even have a working title yet – has begun and will be out sometime in 2015. Here’s the official announcement of the move…

LUCA VESTE to SIMON & SCHUSTER UK in a major three-book deal

Crime writer Luca Veste, author of Dead Gone and The Dying Place, has moved to Simon & Schuster UK in a three-book deal after a heated three-publisher auction.

Phil Patterson at Marjacq Scripts negotiated the UK and Commonwealth six-figure deal with Jo Dickinson, Publishing Director, Fiction at S&S UK. The first novel will be published in 2015, and there will be a book a year after that.

Dead Gone was published by Avon and received widespread acclaim. The new books will continue the series characters of Murphy and Rossi, and will once more be set in Liverpool.

Luca Veste is a mature student, studying Psychology and Criminology in Liverpool. A former civil servant, actor and musician, he now divides his time between home life, University and writing. Visit http://www.lucaveste.com for more information.

Luca Veste said: ‘I am incredibly excited to join the S&S team. They have a history of publishing the best crime fiction around and I am so pleased Murphy and Rossi will be joining such a stellar line up.’

Dickinson said: ‘We were blown away by the pace and plotting of Luca’s first two novels and are thrilled to welcome him to the Simon & Schuster team. We plan to build Luca’s brand considerably over the coming years as his writing goes from strength to strength. This is a very exciting acquisition.’

This is, obviously, a big move for me and the series. From just the initial talks, I was blown away by my new editor’s passion and her view of the future. Big things are planned and I couldn’t be more excited. The pressure is on, but it is more than welcomed!

Away from this news, I’ve also just finished my last year at University, which will take some getting used to. By the end, I was ready to finish, but I’ll miss the new year starting again in September. An amazing experience overall, but incredibly hard work. Looking forward to graduating now!

Now, back to work. I’ve got a big book to write :-)

Today, I want to tell you about a woman. Someone, who if you didn’t know her and just passed her on the street, might seem unremarkable. Someone who didn’t court attention, or demand praise. An ordinary woman, who touched the lives of everyone she met.

Liliana Angelina Borg was born in Alexandria, Egypt 11th April 1936. There are already two strange stories from just the first part of that sentence. Whilst her mother – Margherita – was adamant that she wanted to call her new daughter Angelina. However, her husband’s sister was equally uncompromising on her choice of Liliana. This being the thirties – and also being a very traditional Italian family – the aunt was listened to and obeyed, being the matriarch of the family. Angelina became Liliana, but only on paper. Margherita continued to call her daughter Angelina, but never in certain peoples presence.

The second strange story of that name is the ‘Borg’ part. What was originally ‘Borge’ was changed by her father upon entering the country where Angelina was born and grew up. Her father was part of a large Italian contingent who emigrated to Egypt in the 1920s and 30s for work. More money, more opportunity. He came from Naples, which did not have those things. He wanted to try and fit in a little better – according to Angelina – and believed dropping the ‘e’ from his surname would help matters.

Angelina grew up in an affluent part of Alexandria. She went to a French speaking school, whilst also conversing in Arabic with the local population. At home, Italian was the language of choice, with her Italian parents and extended family creating a Little Italy within their part of Egypt. She remembers a relaxed environment as a child, with everything catered for. They had people who worked around the house (what we would probably call “servants” these days) and says her mother always tried to find jobs for those who needed them locally. Angelina’s father would often come home with new “pets”. One day he came home with a monkey, who quickly became a part of the family. As an only child, Angelina was always looking for new playmates, and the monkey was a perfect one. Until the day it bit her finger and was sent away. Apart from the monkey, there was dogs, cats, a pig (which was quickly barred by Angelina’s mother), and the tiger who really *did* come for tea. Angelina did not take to the small tiger cub at all, so he was also swiftly disappeared.

In the mid-fifties, Angelina was leaving school, planning for university maybe, when she met Salvatore at a local dance. Also a displaced Italian, they quickly fell in love and married in 1955. She was pregnant soon after, but at seven months went into labour. A daughter was born, but didn’t survive. Angelina never got to meet her – the baby was taken away by nurses as soon as she was delivered. She was awake all night, asking nurse after nurse to tell her how her baby was doing, whether she was well or not, but didn’t get a response other than “we’re taking good care of her”. The next morning, Salvatore arrived with Angelina’s mother, and his face told her all she needed to know.

By this point, the number of Italians living in Egypt was reducing dramatically. Following the second world war, many Italians were now returning to Italy, and Angelina’s father decided his family would be following. In 1957, only a few months after the death of Angelina’s first child, they relocated to Brindisi, Italy. They lived there for a few months, only for her father to decide England was a much better place to work and provide. Angelina and her husband would of course be joining them. By now, Angelina was pregnant again. In 1958, they moved to Liverpool, England – Angelina heavily pregnant – with Salvatore held at immigration. He was forced to wait to gain entry, leaving Angelina to give birth to her first son – Alan – in November 1958. Her parents where around at this time, but were struggling to take care of a daughter and grandson in a strange country. Of the four or five languages they already spoke, unfortunately English wasn’t one of them. Angelina’s father found work, but it was low paid, leaving little for Angelina. When Salvatore eventually arrived in England, Angelina was already seriously questioning the decision made by her father. She was used to affluence, to comfort and support. In this new country, little was on offer. Within a few months of Salvatore finally joining her and his first son, Angelina fell pregnant again. In July 1960, Peter joined the burgeoning family, with them all living under the same roof. In August 1961 Anthony arrived. By this point, relations between Angelina and Salvatore were at breaking point. His lack of English had not been a drawback in his relations with local women. They separated around this time.

Angelina was living with her parents, separated from her husband, with three sons under the age of four. She was still struggling with the language, but always wanted to pay her way. She worked odd hours in a local shop, getting by with the rudimentary English she was picking up every day.

In 1962, the only constant in her life died. Her mother had cancer, eventually succumbing whilst in a respite care home in Walton, Liverpool. She was 49. The day before she died, Angelina was talking to her about her sister, who was arriving from Italy in a few days time. Her mother told her she wasn’t going to make it that far. She turned out to be correct.

Angelina’s father moved on pretty quickly, moving a new woman into the family home within weeks. The new woman in his life was younger, wanted her own family, not the one she was inheriting. Angelina and her three boys had to move into there own home, and a few months later did so. Angelina and her father never really spoke again, although he was always around on the periphery. Life in the sixties and seventies was difficult to say the least for a single mother with three boys. Coupled with the fact that Angelina’s English was still burgeoning rather than fluent, she was wholly unaware of the help she may have been able to receive. She struggled every day to keep them fed and clothed, but she did so. She taught herself the language, using crosswords and dictionaries. Pronunciation was an issue – fifty years later she still pronounced Wednesday with the letter D – but she was determined. She worked as a nurse for a long time – once she’d mastered the language – believing that caring for others was one of the greatest things a person could do. She made sure her boys realised that family – the family that was left at that point being the four of them – was absolutely central to her life.

Those three boys went onto have children of their own. Angelina watched them leave, marry, divorce, become fathers, all the while being a constant presence in all of their lives. In total, those three boys provided twelve grandchildren (with one of those boys taking the Catholic method of birth control far too literally by being responsible for seven of them).

Later, she remarried. A younger man who – whilst no adulterer – treated her with little respect and never appreciated the woman he had married. In the 1990s, he was bounced out of her life, having upset her one too many times. At this time, Salvatore – her first husband – having gone onto have many other children himself, died at the age of 59. She said – a couple of weeks ago in fact – the only time she’d been happy in a relationship with a man was back in 1955, when they were falling in love and marrying. Salvatore had been in a relationship with a woman for a number of years, having four children who had become close to Angelina’s three boys. Those half-siblings had lost their mother only a few years previous and with the death of Salvatore, had no parents. Angelina was more than welcoming to them, becoming a surrogate mother to them all.

In her later years, Angelina became the matriarch of an ever growing family. She was the last link to the old country, singing songs in Italian, passing on recipes, but above all, giving love and devotion to every family member. She was always around to talk, telling stories about her youth, showering you with kisses and making sure you never went hungry. She gave us the proper ways of cooking bolognese, lasagne, polpette, cacciatore, braciole, amongst many others. Her house would always have full cupboards and a warm welcome. She lived for her family, always worrying about them, always prouder than anyone else could possibly be if they achieved even the smallest success. She detested swearing – family parties often punctuated with someone getting a dig from another family member for swearing in her vicinity – but when she knew it would make her family laugh, she’d proudly shout “TITS” as loud as she could. She was a truly independent woman, never asking or expecting anyone to help her. She wanted to do everything for herself. Never wanted to rely on anyone. Not again.

Last October, at the age of 77, Angelina  was diagnosed with cancer. She took it in her stride, telling everyone that she was ready to battle and that she wasn’t scared. A few weeks – and a whole bunch of tests later – she was told the diagnosis was wrong. Her original reaction to all was a smokescreen. She had been scared, frightened almost, but only told a select few people. The new diagnosis – one which didn’t come with a life sentence – was something to be celebrated.

She had a great Christmas, surrounded by family. On January 23rd, she went to the book launch of her oldest grandson, and couldn’t stop smiling. She enjoyed herself immensely, having her book signed and grabbing her grandsons cheek like she had done when he was smaller.

The next day, she woke to incredible pain in her back. She’d had pain before there – her doctor putting it down to osteoporosis – but this was excruciating. Not wanting to bother anyone with it, she  suffered through the pain throughout the weekend, until it became unbearable on the Monday. Her sons found out, and took her up to hospital. Doctors where concerned enough to keep her in, with test results giving troubling news. Eventually, the consultant who had diagnosed her with cancer originally came back on the scene. His original view was confirmed. She had numerous tumours, inoperable and untreatable. They couldn’t give her a time period of what she had left, but it wasn’t going to be long. She was released after a month, unable to move around much, needing more help than she ever wanted. Her family rallied around. Her dream trip back to Rome for a final time was sadly impossible, but she decided to have one last family party. Her birthday was coming, and the party was planned. She was becoming more immobile by the day, but was determined to make it there. She lived in a first floor flat, and had been housebound due to the stairs, but she made it. Surrounded by almost fifty family members, she ate Italian food, listened to Italian music, and laughed with those closest to her. Her life had been hard, harder than it ever needed to be, but in that last part of her life she could look around at what had come from that hardship. She could look at the faces of those she loved and see it returned. She could see what had become of all these people she’d had a hand in bringing to that place. Looking around that room, filled with those she loved and who loved her right back… that was all she had lived and strived for.

She asked for one song to be played for her family. This was, in her words, what she had always given to them.

In the early hours of May 7th – just as the sun was peeking its way through her bedroom window - having said her goodbyes, she passed away peacefully in her sleep.

She was my nan. My nonna, my nanny. But was so much more. Ten days before she died, I spent an afternoon talking to her about her last wishes. Those were covered within a half an hour, with the rest of the time spent just talking about her childhood, her love for her family, how proud she was of everyone, how her life had turned out so differently than she’d ever expected. Hours in her company drifted by in an instant. Her story of moving to a new country, of bringing up three boys on her own, of creating a family out of nothing, one which is closer than anyone outside of it could imagine… it’s inspiring to not only me, but countless others. She was the first person to tell me stories, something which quite plainly stuck.

In the week before she passed away, slowly deteriorating day on day, I was there at her home every day. Not only to support her, but because I felt guilty. I hadn’t been around as much as when I was younger. Her two great-grandchildren never really got the opportunity to know her as I had. I’d been too busy, too self-involved to visit her every week, every month. I told her this and she just shook her head. “You create your own family,” she said, “you have to put them first. I’m fine!”.

When she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, whenever I told people – of which there were few – quite often I’d hear that she’d had a good innings, almost reaching the age of 80. That if they got to that age, they’d feel pretty okay about leaving. To be honest, I thought the same. Once in your seventies, everything is a bonus. My nan didn’t really feel that way. During that long conversation we had the week before she died, she told me why. She’d miss us all too much. She wasn’t religious, didn’t really believe, but that was her one worry. She would miss us. By the end, she just wanted to be pain-free and comfortable. She got her wish.

There is so much more to her story, so much that I can’t do justice. I can’t put into words how inspiring and loving she always was. How she made the lives of everyone she met instantly better. How influential she was to our family. It was everything. Every fibre of her being was geared to making sure her family were happy and content. Her main worry – right until the end – was not for herself or her own health and happiness. It was for those she loved. Always, everything for others.

I’ll miss her. I miss her already. The way she laughed with her whole body, the way she wrote the letter D, the way she always started a conversation by asking if you were hungry, the way she always had a puzzle book open near her, the way she always showed interest in anything you had to say, the way she had everything just so in her home. The little things that made it my nan’s house. The smells, the atmosphere.

The stories. Damn, I’ll miss the stories.

She lived for her family. Now she’s gone, there’s a massive hole in all our lives. She was the centre of everything. We all loved her. But we’ll get through it, because we have each other. We’ll get through it, because this woman did something that isn’t a simple thing to do. She created a family. A close family, who would do anything for each other.  We’ll go on because it’s what she would have wished for more than anything. We have to make her proud in everything we do. We will.

Ti amo nonna.

This is a difficult post to start, so I’m going to begin with  a story…

When Paul D. Brazill and I started putting together Off The Record 2 together, we drew up a list of names (via email) of people we wanted to get on board. The first names we put down where people from the first anthology, great writers who knocked it out the park with their stories. Most of those asked came back for more, donating time and effort for nothing other than the goodness of helping out children’s literacy charities.

The email call was sent out and within days we had received a few stories. One in particular stood out. I sent them over to Paul for his perusal, with this added bit regards that story…

“Perfect in my view. That last line man…wow.”

Paul replied “Just read…brilliant. The bloke writes pure noir.”

I replied, “That’s the standard for this one. We all have to hit that mark.”

The story in question was ‘Dead Man’. I read it twice over when it was first sent, just to make sure I’d got it right. Loved it more the second time around. I still get goosebumps reading it. It contains one of the best lines to end a short story I’ve ever read. Hands down. It went on to be nominated for a Derringer Award for best Flash Fiction story (and I’m still a little bitter that it didn’t win). It’s possibly the most proudest I’ve ever been in my short career, being able to share that wonderful short story with the world.

The writer was AJ Hayes. Bill, to his friends. And he died this past weekend.

Not only was he an incredible writer, with a talent for characterisation, the deft touch which painted a scene in few words whilst also making it come alive in an instant… the feeling of being there within a setting… just superb. No… not only that. Bill was one of the most supportive people I’ve ever “met” online. On Facebook, he was always the guy who commented on every bit of news from fellow writers, with a note of congratulations, or commiserations. On that previously mentioned Derringer Award announcement, one man commented on the blog, congratulating the winners. By email, he was always witty and there to answer the call to be a part of any hair-brained scheme I’d cooked up. He was just there. Always. And now he’s not.

I’ll miss you man. As will so many of those you helped out in the last few years in the online writing community. I dearly hope we’ll share that drink we always said we would one day.

My daughter, Abigail, has entered the Radio 2 short story competition this year for the first time. The deal is, children under the age of nine years old write a story of no more than 500 words about anything they want and can win a whole bunch of books for the school they attend. I’m a proud dad, so have graciously been given permission to share her story on my blog. Here, for your pleasure, is Abby’s story…

The Princess of CandyLand

Once upon a time there was a young princess named  Ella.  She was attending her new school “HollyWarts” and really wanted to do the portal run so she wouldn’t be a normal  princess but a BETTER princess. Well, guess what? She was doing  the portal run.

”YAY” said Ella, excitedly

She got to her portal  and discovered there were three other people doing it. Amy, Jade and Benny. Amy was sent to “Fashion Town”, Jade to “Mermadia” and Benny to “Rocktopia”

Ella… she was sent to “CandyLand”

”WOWZERS!” said Ella.

The sun was made of a yellow Smartie and the clouds were made of candy floss! Ella stepped forward and… SPLAT! She stepped in some mud. But wait a minute…  it wasn’t mud it was toffee! She finally  got to a town with the help of some gingerbread men and women  and gummy  bear children. She had to do three tasks to become the princess she’d soon be. She wondered around for a bit and found a lollipop forest  finding a cute chocolate smothered piggy

“Arhh you could just eat him all up! Not literally because it was so cute!” Ella said.

She started to get a bit hungry. Good thing there was food everywhere! She ate a big piece of  chocolate cake and an enormous JellyBaby until she was a very full princess! Then, she went back to the village. There were so many people that had tasks for her, but she could only do three. She chose the hardest ones!

Her first task was from one of the orphan gummy bear children. A very hard task indeed! Ella had to get a fudge dog which cost ninety pounds. She had one hundred in her princess purse, so went to the pet shop and got a dog. She gave it to the orphan.

Her next task was to give five sweets to Mr. CandyFloss. Ella went to the sweet shop and got five sweets and she gave them to him.

Her last task was to help Mrs. Caramel plant her raisins. She did that and set off to find the candy palace. She travelled across woods and farms and she finally got there!

”Ugh what a long journey” said Ella. She knocked on the door and got crowned princess of CandyLand. She had done a good job!

The portal appeared and it was time to go home.

“Goodbye CandyLand! See you soon!” Ella shouted to everyone.

She got back to school.

”Oh my gosh” said Ella. Her outfit had changed! Her dress was red and white striped like a sweet and her tiara was made out of a Curly Wurly! Ella was amazed! She had become  a candy princess!

“Cool!” Ella said.

Then she went to do a maths test. It was 1+70. “Easy, 71!” Ella said. Next question was 40-23

“oh come on…”

Finally, it was the end of school. What a stressful day for poor princess Ella.

“Wow…” she said. ”Time for a nap!”

It was indeed!

Author Bio - Abigail Veste is seven years old. She likes Minecraft, Monster High, MovieStar Planet… and other things that begin with the letter M. She’s in primary school and wants to be an entertainer or a fashion designer when she grows up. Her favourite subject at school is literacy and enjoys “doing lots of writing”.

It’s been a month since Dead Gone came out in paperback, with sales far exceeding my expectations (which, admittedly, where for about 50 sales to family and friends!) with great support shown from the supermarkets and high street shops, as well as the local independent bookshops being fantastic hosts for a number of signing events. Alongside this, the ebook rose in the charts (thanks to a low, low price of just 99p and great reviews appearing on Amazon) to a lofty position of #26 at one point this week. Over 10,000 ebooks sold in the past few weeks, which is just an incredible number.

Whilst this was all going on, I delivered the second book to my editor at Avon, which has a brand new title (because I’m woeful with titles, so I’m happy to leave that to the Avon experts) THE DYING PLACE. The original plan was to release this in January 2015, but there has been a slight change of plans. It will now be released on 4th December 2014, so less time to wait!

Structural edits are done. Line edit is next, which is my favourite part. It’s the second in the Murphy and Rossi series and the blurb is below…

“A body is found outside a church in Liverpool, with DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi consigned to the case. Quickly identified as a teenager who has been missing for over six months, a boy with a history of being in trouble with the police, Murphy and Rossi think the teenager’s history has more to do with his death than anything else. That is, until a man turns up with a story about a farm and a group of people who will stop at nothing until they’ve cleaned up the streets… one violent youth at a time.”

The new book is much more sociological than the first, with the issues surrounding youth unemployment, gang culture, and parenting all involved…with a healthy dose of murder, mystery, and psychological torture thrown into the mix!

So, that’s “The Dying Place” coming soon, but “Dead Gone” is still available in almost all the shops, and for just 99p in ebook format (http://www.amazon.co.uk/DEAD-GONE-Luca-Veste-ebook/dp/B00E31D9J6/ref=zg_bs_digital-text_45).

Also, the German version of Dead Gone will be released later this year with a snazzy new title and awesome cover. DIE SIGNATUR DES TODES (The Signature of Death) will be published by Blanvalet Verlag and here’s the cover…

Now…back to work for me. I have a ton of uni work to do, with my final exams approaching!