Mason Cross's Blog

This time last year, I set myself a small challenge. The goal was to write a minimum of 100 words a day on a side project, other than my main book, every single day of the year.

I did it. As you can probably guess, otherwise I wouldn't be blogging about it.
And most of the time, it wasn't too difficult to fit in. 100 words can literally be done in a couple of minutes. You can do it while waiting for a train, or in the queue at the chip shop. 
I wrote my minimum daily 100 in lots of different places, and under lots of different conditions. I tapped it out on my phone, trying not to wake the kids at 11:45pm in our cabin on a Disney Cruise. I typed on my laptop and wrote longhand in notebooks. I wrote in pubs and coffee shops and on trains. I got 100 words a day down in hotel rooms at the Harrogate and Bloody Scotland festivals. I stuck to at least 100 a day through a (thankfully mild) bout with Covid. I even got 100 down on the nightmarish day we moved house. I wrote every day: weekdays and weekends, birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, today. 
Most days, I wrote more than the bare minimum. In fact, the average word count was 198 words. I only aimed for 100, and found that I had exceeded the total almost every day.

The stats

I worked on two projects over the course of the year. I finished the draft of one book (starring a certain recurring character), and started another one (a standalone). I wrote 50,066 words on the former, from January to late September, and 22,207 words on the latter, from late September to today, giving a total of 72,273 words.

That's not a bad total for a year. In fact, it's close to a full book's worth of words. 

But this was just a side project, so it's 72,273 extra words that wouldn't have existed otherwise. I still wrote a full draft of a book as well as that.

Are they good words? Some of them are pretty good, some are total shit: such is the way of first drafts. But I now have a big chunk of words to work with, and hopefully, in 2022, I can develop one or both projects into books people might want to read. 

It's just before 6pm where I am, and 2021 is almost over. Wherever you are, I hope you have an amazing new year and read (and/or write) some good books.

And tomorrow? I'm going to write 100 words.

Janet Emson at the fab From First Page to Last blog kindly asked me to do a Q&A on Darkness Falls. 
You can read it below, or better still go over to From First Page to Last and read it along with some other great interviews.




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1. Tell us a little about Darkness Falls
It opens with the protagonist, Thessaly, driving on the highway late at night in Pennsylvania. She stops for a break at a 24-hour diner and hears a voice she recognises in the booth behind her. It’s the voice of the man who killed her brother 20 years ago, and then disappeared. Is it really him? Where has he been hiding all this time? Thessaly has to make a split-second decision of what to do, and her choice draws her into a dangerous mystery…
2. What inspired the book?
I’m always fascinated by those chance meetings and coincidences that happen in real life. Like you can be on holiday thousands of miles away and run into someone who’s related to your best friend from high school. I thought it would be an interesting hook if one of those coincidences brought a survivor of a traumatic event into contact with the perpetrator, and what lengths she might go to to get resolution.
3. Are you a plan, plan, plan writer or do you sit down and see where the words take you?
Kind of a bit of both. I like to write out a 4-page synopsis that has the main beats of the story, the characters, important scenes, and hopefully an ending, but it’s not set in stone at that point. The book always changes and develops as I write it, and I often come up with a completely different ending. That was the case with this one, which went from a climax set in New York’s Grand Central Station to a more intimate ending with four people in a house. I think lockdown may have influenced that change!
4. Having been through the publishing process a number of times, is there anything about the process of creating a novel that still surprises?
Really just that it doesn’t get any easier. Each novel is a struggle and it feels like it’s not going to work, but you just have to push through and trust you’ll be able to do it again.
5. What do you do when you aren’t writing? What do you do to relax and get away from it all?
I like to read and watch movies, of course, but I also love getting outside and going for walks and runs. When the world gets back to normal, I’d like to go back to travelling again. I love visiting cities and exploring them on foot and by train.
6. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life which book would it be?
Too difficult! It would have to be a big book so I could take my time with it. I love Raymond Chandler, and the Everyman edition of his collected stories is pretty chunky, so I’ll go with that.
7. I like to end my Q&As with the same question so here we go. During all the Q&As and interviews you’ve done what question have you not been asked that you wish had been asked – and what’s the answer?
Good question!
How about… Could you get away with a murder in real life?
To which the answer is, probably not as I’m pretty disorganised, don’t plan in enough detail and I wouldn’t have the ability to go back and edit the things I did wrong or the inconsistencies in my alibi. If my editor helped me from the beginning on the other hand…
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Twenty years ago, her brother was murdered. Tonight, she’s found his killer.
Thessaly Hanlon is four hours into a long drive home through the night when she pulls into a 24-hour roadside diner to take a break. She’s exhausted, but when she hears a chillingly familiar voice from the next booth, she wonders if he’ll ever sleep again.
The voice is unmistakable. It belongs to Casper Sturgis, the man who murdered Thessaly’s brother two decades before, and then disappeared without a trace.
Thessaly makes the decision to follow the killer. As Thessaly begins to unravel the second life of Casper Sturgis, she finds that digging into the past can have deadly consequences…
Buy Darkness Falls

 

Darkness Falls is published today, the second standalone thriller under my Alex Knight pseudonym. Unfortunately, just like last year, Alex won't be getting a book launch, thanks to the pandemic, so this book will have to make its way out in the world unlaunched. 

I hope it finds its way to people who will enjoy it, and I am getting to do at least one event, at Bloody Scotland this Friday. 

If you want a taste of the book, you can read chapter one on the Alex Knight website, and here's the blurb...

Twenty years ago, her brother was murdered.

Tonight, she’s found his killer.

Thessaly Hanlon is four hours into a long drive home through the night when she pulls into a 24-hour roadside diner to take a break. She’s exhausted, but when she hears a chillingly familiar voice from the next booth, she wonders if she’ll ever sleep again.

The voice is unmistakable. It belongs to Casper Sturgis, the man who murdered Thessaly’s brother two decades before, and then disappeared without a trace.

Thessaly makes the decision to follow the killer. As she begins to unravel the second life of Casper Sturgis, she finds that digging into the past can have deadly consequences…

Trade PaperbackWaterstonesAmazonHiveWHSmith
ebook KindleKoboGoogle Play
Audio Audible

Hunted, my first standalone book under the Alex Knight pseudonym is out today from all good bookstores in the USA.

I had a lot of fun writing it, particularly as the research took me to one of the cities I love most, San Francisco, and beyond to explore northern California. So far, people seem to like it. 

You can read chapter one on the Alex Knight website, and if you like it, you can get the book from these places:
IndieboundBarnes & NobleAmazonAudible
You can also order Hunted wherever you are with free worldwide postage from Book Depository.
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You’re woken early by banging on the door. It’s a young girl, the daughter of the love of your life. She’s scared, covered in blood, she says her mother is hurt.
You let her in, try to calm her down, tell her you’re going to get help. You reach for your phone, but it lights up with a notification before you touch it.
It’s an Amber alert, sent to all four million phones in the Bay Area – a child has been abducted by a dangerous suspect.
The child is the girl standing in front of you.
The suspect?
You.

 

Hunted is going to be published in Germany by Lübbe, and I LOVE this cover. One of the best I've had.
Here's the blurb in German, with Google translation below...
Für den Polizisten Jake Ellis ist es ein Tag wie jeder andere. Bis Molly, die Tochter seiner Freundin, blutüberströmt vor seiner Tür steht. Im selben Moment gibt es einen Alarm: Ein Mann hat einen Überfall begangen, bei dem eine Frau schwer verletzt, ein Passant getötet und ein Kind entführt wurde. Der Name des Täters: Jake Ellis. Jake ahnt, was auf ihn zukommt – und dass jemand versucht, ihm etwas anzuhängen. Daher packt er Molly und flieht. Er weiß: Seine Unschuld zu beweisen ist seine einzige Chance ...
It's a day like any other for policeman Jake Ellis. Until Molly, his girlfriend's daughter, stands in front of his door covered in blood. At the same moment there is an alarm: a man has committed a robbery in which a woman was seriously injured, a passerby was killed and a child was kidnapped. The name of the perpetrator: Jake Ellis. Jake suspects what is in store for him - and that someone is trying to pin something on him. So he grabs Molly and flees. He knows: to prove his innocence is his only chance ...

Published on January 28- find out more here 

 The new Alex Knight book is published on September 16 in the UK. It's called Darkness Falls. This is another standalone, following on from Hunted, and I think you'll like it.

It starts out on a quiet highway at 2am. 
Thessaly Hanlon is driving back from a funeral through the driving rain when she pulls into an all-night diner for a break. When she hears the voice of the man in the next booth, a chill runs down her spine that's nothing to do with the weather. She last heard that voice two decades ago, but she'll never forget it. 
The voice belongs to a man named Casper Sturgis, the cold-blooded killer who murdered her brother and then vanished.


If you want to know more, you can read chapter one at the Alex Knight website.
If you're in the UK, you can pre-order from all the usual places.
WaterstonesAmazonHiveAudible
If you're from elsewhere on the planet, you can order the UK edition with free worldwide delivery at The Book Despository.

 

Hunted, my first standalone thriller under the name Alex Knight is out in UK paperback today.

I'd love to tell you it's available from all good bookshops, but as we know, all good bookshops are closed right now.

You can get it online of course, from the usual places. I know a lot of independent bookshops have really upped their game on online sales this year, so if you're buying the book, I'd love it if you support one of your local shops by ordering direct from them.

It's available in all the other online places too, of course, and if you don't happen to have a local bookshop, it just so happens that Hive is offering the lowest price as of time of writing, so that's a great way way to support the little guys.

I think it's one of the best books I've written so far. I hope you love it...

Paperback
Hive
Waterstones
Amazon

Ebook
Kindle
Kobo
Google
Apple

Audio
Audible
Kobo Audio

You're woken early by the doorbell. It's a young girl, the daughter of the love of your life. She's scared, covered in blood, she says her mother is hurt.

You let her in, try to calm her down, tell her you're going to get help. You reach for your phone, but it lights up with a notification before you touch it.

It's an Amber alert - a child has been abducted by a dangerous suspect.

The child is the girl standing in front of you.

The suspect? You.

“I loved it. This has an astonishing opening and just gets better and better. A stunning thriller. ” – Steve Cavanagh

“Brilliant. Opens at a breakneck speed and does not let up.” – Lara Dearman

“Jolts and shocks like a claustrophobic rollercoaster. Knight could be the Hitchcock of the 21st Century. Hide-behind-the-sofa compelling” – Denzil Meyrick

“A smart, tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller with characters you’re desperately rooting for.” – SJI Holliday

“They don’t come better than this. One of those thrillers that really and truly thrills! A masterclass from Alex Knight.” – Tony Kent

“Amazing opening, and just got better and better.” – Jenny Blackhurst

“A well-crafted, tightly-plotted thriller that races from the streets of San Francisco to the coast without pausing for breath.” – CJ Carver

Hunted is also available in Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Click to check if it’s available where you are in paperback or Kindle.

Happy New Year! 

I hope you all had a safe and relatively enjoyable one. Fingers crossed the vaccines are rolled out quickly enough for us all to leave the house a little more this year.

I had a reasonably productive 2020, despite everything, and there will be news about my 2021 book soon. It's not out until the autumn, but the Hunted paperback will be out in early March. 

As always, I'll be writing another novel, but this year I'm going to try something new. Inspired by a technique Jenny Blackhurst told me about, I've made a chart of all 365 days in 2021, and I'm going to try to keep an unbroken chain by crossing off a day every time I write at least 100 words on a side project.

What's the side project? I'll tell you on New Year's Eve.

I tried this for a few months last year and it worked pretty well until I got hopelessly stuck, so I think the secret is to plan ahead a little more. It showed me that even small amounts of writing can build up to a lot of words pretty quickly. A bit like a micro-version of my 500 words technique.

Maybe this will be all on one project, maybe it'll be on more than one. The only rule is, I have to do 100 extra words on something that isn't the main book every day, all year.

If you'd like to do this yourself, feel free to download my chart.

All you need to remember is what Fleetwood Mac (and indeed Adrian McKinty) said: 

Never break the chain.

 If you're in the USA and a member of Audible Plus (kind of like the Audible version of Netflix), you can currently stream the first four Carter Blake audiobooks for free.

Go here to see them in the Audible Plus catalog.

Eric Meyers did a really great job narrating these books, and I'm reminded that the American audio covers are all pretty good. Audiobook jackets can be a total mess for rights reasons, but I think these all hold up well and bear some relation to the plot of each book.

Happy listening.

Reposting this interview with fellow crime writer Tony Forder from 2017, around publication of Don't Look For Me. 

First of all, thank you so much Mason for taking part in this. You must be thrilled at the moment to have your new Carter Blake novel on release, his fourth outing.

Thanks for asking me! Yes, it’s hard to believe I’ll have four books published, as I still feel like a rookie.

I think those days are long behind you – you're rubbing shoulders with the good and the great of the crime literary field these days, and deservedly so.

So, I have to begin here: do you feel good, bad or indifferent at having Blake lumped together with the likes of Reacher, Gentry, Victor, Puller and, one of my favourites I have to say, Joe Pike?

I think it’s inevitable when you’re writing in this genre, and I am a fan of many of the above gentlemen (good choice on Joe Pike). I think there’s room for a lot of different approaches to the lone wolf genre, so I’m always a huge compliment when someone mentions my books in the same breath as Lee Child or Robert Crais.

They are all great creations, of course, but Carter Blake deserves to be right up there with them. More so in some cases.

Why did you choose to write under a pseudonym?

That was my agent’s idea. He suggested coming up with something snappy and American-sounding, and Mason Cross was the one we agreed on. I told him he could call me whatever he liked if he got me a book deal. The other advantage of having a last name beginning with C is it alphabetically places you alongside the premier league of crime writers: Chandler, Child, Connelly, Christie, Crais, Coben… it’s a good place to be on the shelves.

I guess a name in exchange for a book deal is fair enough. You know, when I first saw your name I did think it sounded more like a character than an author. And that is rather a slippery trick on the surname. Note to self: think of pseudonym surname starting with C – Leroy Cudgel… Nick Carnage…Hmm, I may just have something here.

Did you consider it a risk in setting your novels in a foreign country?

I guess there’s always the risk that you’ll get some things wrong, but I try to research as much as possible, and run drafts past my American friends. Having said that, a lot of the time I’m writing about characters and places that I’ve invented, so I know them as well as anyone. And while America is a foreign country, it’s a very familiar one, and they (mostly) speak the same language, which helps.

I think you're right – other than the precise geography, so much of which you can find on Google Maps anyway, we are surrounded by Americanisms all the time if you like crime.

Being a Scotsman, from Glasgow, were you at all tempted to add to the Scottish mafia of authors and set your work in your home country, or did you feel that you were looking for a different territory and genre to explore?

Both. I’ve written stories set in Glasgow and will definitely write a novel set there sooner or later, but I also felt it was quite a crowded market and, since I’ve always loved American thrillers, I thought I would give writing one a go. I think a lot of writers write what they like to read, and many of my influences are American.

I can understand that. I recently wrote the first draft of an action thriller, and my initial instinct was to set it in the US. I ended up writing the first half set here, and then rewrote it all again for the US, only to revert back to a UK setting. My first published short story was in an American setting, so I feel comfortable with the feel and the language, but I felt as if I was forcing it. Mind you, I've also re-written it in first person POV as well, so it would not surprise me if my UK-based third person POV first draft ended up being a US-based first person POV novel.

The action scenes feel extremely cinematic. Do you ever write something with an eye for how it might look if the novel became a movie at some point down the road?

Thank you! Obviously I would love for the books to be adapted at some point, but in fact I always tend to visualise my scenes in a cinematic way when I write them. I always think about how a particular scene would look in a movie; what actor might play a supporting character, what kind of music would complement a scene, stuff like that.

That's interesting. It certainly shows.

Who is your favourite modern day literary tough guy (and no, you can't go for Reacher!!)?

Hmmm… modern day, I’d have to go for Harry Bosch, who is tough as nails but not afraid to be a decent guy at the same time. I think Titus Welliver totally nails the character in the Bosch TV show.

I think I'd have to agree on all points. Harry is a real hard case – for me the best cop in literary fiction right now – and Titus Welliver now is Harry Bosch…minus the moustache.

The rise of independent publishers and self-publishers has seen a massive influx of crime and thriller novels available to buy. Do you think the market had become flooded, and therefore diluted?

I think there’s always been a lot of crime and thriller novels, because it’s such a classic structure. I think there’s enough room for everyone, and hopefully the very best rise to the top. It’s always been a crowded market though, going back to the pulp days – that’s a good sign because it suggests there’s still a big appetite for the genre among readers.

Agreed – given there are only so many plot devices, it's amazing how many different stories can be told.

I think fans will be interested to know – and I count myself amongst them – did you go the standard route of agent > publisher to get the first Blake novel out there?

Yes, although possibly with more luck than is normal. I was completely clueless about the publishing industry before writing my first novel, and was incredibly fortunate that a top flight agent approached me based on some stories I’d published online. I wrote one novel that didn’t find a publisher, but the feedback was generally pretty good, so that gave me confidence to write another, which was the first Blake novel, The Killing Season.

That sounds more like good writing attracting attention rather than luck, Mason.

In recent months I have read novels from mainstream publishers that break just about every 'rule' an author can break, according to agents, publishers and other authors. Do you think it is (a) true that established authors can get away with sloppiness and laziness, and (b) that the only genuine advice you can offer about rules when it comes to writing is that there are none that cannot be broken?

(a) I think that’s true to an extent, and often you’ll read Amazon reviews of the big names where people complain they aren’t as good as they used to be. Sometimes you can tell a writer is coasting and phoning it in, but if they’re selling books, they’re going to keep being published. I really admire writers like Michael Connelly and Stephen King who are still doing fantastic work after dozens of books. Ian Rankin’s most recent Rebus book is one of his best, and he’s been doing them for thirty years.

(b) That’s also true. I think the old saying is correct though – you have to know the rules before you can break them.

Agreed. Connelly also takes a breath when he introduces new lead characters, such as Haller and McEvoy. There's a new one coming this summer, which I think we're all looking forward to.

I often quote a Stephen King piece from the novella, The Breathing Method: It is the tale. Not he who tells it. I believe that to be true. What are your thoughts, please?

Depends on the tale! I think a brilliant writer can make an absolutely straightforward story compulsively readable, but it’s always a thrill to read a book with a fantastic hook that’s never been done before.

Those hooks are rare, but yes they are exciting when they appear.

When reading a new novel written by a friend, do you find it difficult to be critical?

No. you can be critical without being a dick. Luckily, whenever I’ve read anything written by a friend so far it’s been pretty good. As a writer I know my own work will always be improved by people giving me feedback and telling me what they liked and didn’t like, so it’s a vital part of the process.

Yes, I think criticism is to be welcomed provided it is constructive. Sometimes I read reviews on Amazon and they are crushing for no apparent reason (not my own so far, but they'll come, of that I have no doubt).

If you were sitting down to edit The Killing Season now, do you think you would end up with a different book at the end of it?

Good question. I’m not sure what specifically I would do differently, but it would be nice to add more foreshadowing of future events now I’ve written four and a half books about Blake. I don’t think it would be radically different other than cosmetically. That first one is probably closest to the book I envisioned when I started out than any of the others.

Interesting. I wonder if you think that's possibly shared by most authors, who perhaps have pretty much the whole first book mapped out in their heads, compared to those that follow.

Do you enjoy the non-writing elements that come with being a well-known author?

Not sure how well-known I am, but yes, in general! I enjoy travelling and meeting people, so that definitely comes in handy when it comes to the promotion side of things. Even at my level, it can be quite exhausting keeping up with all of the festivals, library talks, bookshop events etc., so I have no idea how the genuinely big names manage to balance everything.

Looking on from the sidelines it does seem a little overwhelming. On the other hand, the more you do the more popular you must be, I guess.

Final one – and please elect not to answer if you find the question intrusive. I was wondering whether your lifelong friends still refer to you as Gavin, or if the persona of Mason Cross has now devoured you whole?

Old friends still call me Gavin (or Gav, actually), but a lot of my fellow authors know me as Mason, simply because it’s less hassle to stick to one name at festivals and so on. I don’t make a big secret of it or anything, but it’s actually quite nice to have the separation, so I can compartmentalise my life a little more easily. It sometimes causes a problem when I check in at a hotel and don’t know which name I’ve been booked in under.

So, a case of putting on your Mason Cross hat when writing or doing writerly things, but just Gav or Gavin at other times. Sounds like a nice balance.

And that's it. Thank you again for taking part. I must warn you, I read the latest Puller novel recently and could not finish it. If I had to read one more character 'bark' I would have felt obliged to call Battersea Dogs Home. If Blake does that to me, we may just have a falling out. I think we're safe, though – I get the sense that Carter Blake is going to be doing good deeds for some time to come.

I hope so! Thanks for the questions.

Well, my review of the book is in, so you held up your end of the deal, Mason. My sincere thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer these questions for me.

Don't Look For Me - review

Four books into what will clearly be a long-running series featuring the enigmatic Carter Blake, and Mason Cross has so far been able to give his readers something different each time. Different, yet familiar. Opening up a new Mason Cross book is like sliding into a pair of old slippers.

Sure, you know Blake is going to be involved in a fight within the first few chapters, that he will be both hunter and hunted, and that he will not only emerge victorious but also unruffled. We know that about Bond and Bourne and Reacher, et al, but it doesn't stop us coming back for more. Wild horses could not prevent me from gaining access to more Carter Blake in the future, that's for sure. I like the fact that Blake is not perfect – he gets surprised at times, he gets hit, he gets beat up, and occasionally he loses his man. It is that lack of perfection that makes Blake all the more real, and all the more appealing.

The past continues to draw Blake back in. Last time out it was his ex-colleagues who dragged him back, and now it's an ex-girlfriend. It seems the past will not remain where he left it, but when someone is in trouble, Carter Blake steps up. No matter what awaits him in the shadows.

In Don't Look For Me, Blake has to contend throughout with someone who has a similar set of skills, a similar approach to achieving goals, and a similar method of dealing with opponents. A wily, cussed character, with an appreciation for an adroit foe. I liked Gage. I saw him as a man worthy of Blake's best efforts. Carter Blake with a black hat.

I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book, and in addition to Blake and Gage the two female characters were also engaging, though in very different ways. One I liked, one I did not, and I wasn't quite sure whether I was supposed to. The action is spread over hundreds of miles, mostly in Nevada and Arizona, and as usual the physical scenes are cinematic. Early intrigue leads to understanding, which in turn leads to anticipation. A couple of unusual settings here, too, and they play a role in developing a brooding atmosphere.

One of the things I admire about fast-paced action thrillers of this ilk is the author's ability to maintain that momentum and to create plenty of conflict along the way. Having written one myself recently I can attest to the fact that a lot of work goes into making it all seem effortless (something I am still striving to achieve). Mason Cross has succeeded yet again in delivering that pace and drive and character and story all in one neat package that sweeps you up and carries you along for the duration, never allowing you back down until you are sated by the ending and wishing you could go back and start all over again.

 A five star read.

Buy Don't Look For Me here