Gordon Smart's Blog

Just published my fourth book, Deception! Very pleased to have managed this despite having a lot of issues to deal with including serious family illness. Hopefully it will be well received and I'll get some positive feedback!

I’m currently looking for a publisher for my fourth book, a standalone thriller. However, I suspect I’ll end up self- publishing it which is ok. Meanwhile, I was amused by a review of my second book which I came across on Amazon. Perhaps I made my cops too sympathetic? 😀
Top review from United Kingdom
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsVerified Purchase
excellent page-turner with a real feel of Glasgow
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 October 2023
I found the crime and suspense elements genuinely gripping. The politics of a post-independence Scotland are entertaining. As you'd expect, the Scottish tories are just as cynical and corrupt as their UK counterparts. I love that the Glasgow police are portrayed as a bunch of woke Guardian readers. Who knew?

Red Dragon have just published my debut novel A Rendezvous with Death in a new revised edition. I am excited about this and have worked with an editor to make some changes which I think improves it without changing the original story.

So. My 3 novels are now in paperback. Bit of a struggle at times to convrt them to the format. That's self-publishing for you I guess! Also took the opportunity to revise some bits of first 2 books. Now let's see if anyone buys them!!

After publishing book 3, I re-read books 1 and 2 and made some changes. In general I thought I'd done OK with first book especially as it was my debut! Think I've got better at writing plot and character as I've gone along. Made decision to change from using some surnames to first names of lead characters. Why? Think it gives greater intimacy with leading protagonists who you want readers to sympathise with, really.
It was a good exercise to edit again. Realise how hard it is being an author without support from a publisher but have tried to get word out about the new book and made a few sales.

After publishing book 3, I re-read books 1 and 2 and made some changes. In general I thought I'd done OK with first book especially as it was my debut! Think I've got better at writing plot and character as I've gone along. Made decision to change from using some surnames to first names of lead characters. Why? Think it gives greater intimacy with leading protagonists who you want readers to sympathise with, really.
It was a good exercise to edit again. Realise how hard it is being an author without support from a publisher but have tried to get word out about the new book and made a few sales,
No idea what to write next!

So, finally managed to upload the latest book yesterday. It's taken at least 18 months to write and edit, the last four months during the pandemic lockdown. It has definitely kept me occupied and I have enjoyed doing it. Hopefully some people will enjoy reading it!

For the past 12 weeks or so life has been so different for everyone. As I have asthma I have been sheltering from the pandemic storm and doing lots of reading as well as editing book 3 which I hope to release later this month.
I read 100 years of solitude and Madame Bovary recently, both great books with plenty of isolation in both which curiously make yo feel less isolated!
I've dicovered lots about my writing by having the time to focus on re-reding my manuscript. Fixed many errors and spotted how much I repeat myself or phrases or words as well as a tendency to try to use flashback too much to thepoint where it becomes confusing.
The governmnet have made a shitstorm of the pandemic and too many people have died needlessly yet Johnson still feels "proud". Make you sick!

Currenly self-isolating like most other people due to the coronavirus and my asthma. It does mean I can get on with finishing book 3 which I hope to publish soon! Take care everyone!

So, it's now five months or so since my last post so I'm not exactly a prolific blogger then! I already guessed that. What's been happening? Lots of stuff which gets in the way of writing but the third book progresses and it's about half-way. I've got teh basics down and am now going through it chapter by chapter again adding detail and creating some new chapters as i go along or spotting inconsistencies, getting better ideas etc. That's just how my mind works. Not sure why Im writing this blog as nobody seems to be reading it but you never know...posterity and all that! At this rate it should come out sometime next year, hopefully!! Worth waiting for though...Meanwhile I've been reading lots of good books which always provokes thoughts. See my list. Currently enjoying Real Tigers by Mike Herron, first book of his I've read but really liking his sense of humour and characters.