Sean Cameron's Blog

Rex and Eddie are back in Rebels Without A Claus, an exclusive FREE short story for my Reader’s Group subscribers.

Set between the first and second book in the series, the story sees Rex & Eddie try to catch a thief dressed as Santa. Although the story is set at Christmas time, it can be enjoyed any time of the year. I always relish writing Rex and Eddie chase scenes, and having them chase a man in a Santa suit was very fun to write.

Check out the description below, and sign up to the Reader’s Group at www.sean-cameron.com/freebook

‘Tis the season to be sleuthing in this hilarious Yuletide whodunit.

Each Christmas, a thief dressed as Santa Claus robs one of the high street shops. With this unscrupulous Santa on their naughty list, fledgling detectives Rex and Eddie decide to stakeout the shops and catch the criminal Kris Kringle.

Despite their best efforts, none of the shopkeepers will talk to the duo, and a Santa pub crawl complicates the crime scene. In a high street filled with two dozen drunken St Nicks, anyone’s a suspect!

This Clouseau-esque short story is a bonus episode from the laugh-out-loud Rex & Eddie Mysteries series. Rebels Without A Claus is a caper chock full of chuckles, quips and vividly fun action.

Get a FREE copy of Rebels Without A Claus by joining the newsletter at www.sean-cameron.com/freebook

The post Get Your FREE Copy of The New Rex & Eddie Mystery! appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

FALLING OUT OF ROUTINE

I have my six-year-old daughter half the time. The last 18 months was a sort of weird multi-generational co-working space where I’d work at my computer, while she did learning apps on her tablet. I was able to keep to a homeschool routine most of the time. Waking up earlyish. Doing our work or learning, getting exercise. Playing games.

That was until January this year when I got covid, and it took months for me to properly get off the couch. We lost any sense of routine and it was hard to crawl back to that. So our routine descended into pajamas all day and binging Muppet Babies as “home school” because it taught… I don’t know… movie references? Emotional growth? It was a stretch.

CREATING ROUTINE

So starting school in August was a rude awakening. The whole pandemic I had her coming to my bedroom to wake me up, but now I’m the earlier riser. I get her up at 6am and she fights it like a teenager.

We suddenly didn’t have as much freedom to take her time, pick her outfit, etc. I realized I’m giving orders and it’s not fun for either of us. 

Getting dressed became a whole hassle because she’d gotten used to throwing on a summer dress, or an Elsa costume – depending on the mood. As we’ve gone through her wardrobe I released that we’d both grown out of a lot of clothes this year. For her, it is height-based, For me, it is… non-height based. 

I realised she needed all the basics from pre-school rebought. Backpacks, lunchboxes, every type of clothing. And since school had already started nearly everything was sold out. After various trips foraging for clothing, we got there in the end.

THE DROP-OFF

Dropping her off at school is also an ordeal. LAUSD has a new covid process. It means weekly covid tests, masks obviously, and a daily symptom survey that generates a QR code to be let in. 

It’s all very comforting that this is in place, but when you’re standing outside trying to log in on your phone with spotty reception, knowing that the no parking sign wants you moved in two minutes, while a 6-year-old is trying to ask you if a dragon is a lion who walked through fire. It’s a bit overwhelming.

Ultimately, on the successful days when we are fed, dressed, masked, and on time, she goes through the gate and into a world I cannot see. I drop her off at a chain-linked fence to a masked stranger, after a year where it was mostly just me and her together at home. I was so focused on the Covid stuff, I didn’t even process that starting school is a milestone for us both until we were separated. 

There’s a quote by Elizabeth Stone that deciding to be a parent is to decide to “forever have your heart go walking around outside your body.” As I saw my masked offspring walk off into the school grounds without me,  it never felt more true.

LABOR DAY

After 3 weeks, we finally had the routine down, but getting out of bed early is still a problem. Then our schedule is interrupted by Labor Day’s 5 day weekend. I think we’re going to get away with a sleep-in, but of course, that Friday off becomes the first day she springs out of bed at 6 am.

The post The School Run appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

The Rex & Eddie Mysteries series is set in the fictional town of Cloisterham, inspired by on the real town of Rochester; which is where I grew up. I stole the name from Charles Dickens who set The Mystery of Edwin Drood is Cloisterham, a lightly disguised Rochester.

He changed the names of a few things like Eastgate House which became Westgate House. So I turned the same, turning the nearby Pentagon Shopping Centre into Octogan Shopping Centre.

Pretty much every location Rex and Eddie go to has a real-life counterpart. When I go home to visit my family, I take photos of places I want to set a scene in so I can visualise it when I write.

Here are some images of real-life Rochester locations used in the Rex & Eddie series:

Milton Miles Investigations

In Catchee Monkey the pair rent an office in a salmon coloured row of townhouses with shops on the ground floor.

369 High Street

A friend of mine had an office in the real building for a while which is why I thought of it when deciding where the detective duo’s headquarters would be.

St Jude’s Primary School

St Jude’s Primary School

In Feline Fatale Rex & Eddie are hired by their old primary school teacher Mrs Nerdlinger to find her missing cat. They visit her at work on a couple of occasions, and I based her workplace on my old primary school, St William of Perth.

In the book, Eddie says the school looks the same. Rex cocks his head and says “Only smaller.” Which is exactly how I felt when I took this photo.

When they go inside they meet a young boy named Jeremy who is facing a wall in the corridor as a punishment. It’s the same spot I’d stood when I was in trouble.

I changed the name to St Jude’s Primary School because Saint Jude is the patron saint of lost causes, which seemed fitting for Rex and Eddie.

River Invicta Bridge

Medway River

Also in Feline Fatale, Rex and Eddie go under a motorway bridge along the River Invicta to investigate a caravan. I used to cycle under the bridge with friends when I was a boy. On a recent trip, my dad took me and my step-child to the fields by the bridge to feed some carrots to the nearby Shetland Ponies – so I put them in the book as well.

In real life, it’s the Medway River which cuts through the county of Kent. I changed it to the River Invicta which is Kent’s motto and means ‘undefeated.”

Kent chose the motto because when the Normans invaded England they never took over Kent. Instead the invaders passed through Kent on their way to London. So essentially, Kent let the Normans into the country which doesn’t fit my definition of undefeated.

Kleanloafers Office

In The Office Spy  Rex and Eddie are hired to find a corporate spy in an office. I was inspired by this building along the river. There is no public walkway in the book as I wanted there to be moments where Eddie was dangerously close to falling into the river.

I never found a way to fit this caged security camera into the story. I wonder how many cameras got stolen before they came up with this solution.

Railway Bridge Underpass

In my latest book, The Third Banana, Rex and Eddie foil a kidnapping by, well, performing a kidnapping of their own. It’s one of my favourite bits of the story and takes place under this railway bridge on the high street.

Cloisterham

You can see more images of Rochester and the surrounding towns at my Pinterest page HERE.

The post Rochester Locations That Inspired Rex & Eddie appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of being interviewed by fellow mystery writer Alexandra Amor on the It’s a Mystery Podcast, and today the episode went live.

On the show we talk about Rex & Eddie, my writing habits, the challenges of audiobook production, and how my hometown inspires the books‘ setting.

You can find the episode on iTunes and Stitcher, check out a transcription here, or watch the YouTube video below:

 

The post My Interview on It’s a Mystery Podcast appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

I’m in pre-production for the Rex & Eddie audiobooks and need to decide on the intro music. I want you to help me decide.

So far, I’ve narrowed it down to two choices. I really want something that sets the tone and I’d like to know what my readers think.

Here are the clips, so give them a listen (I’ll only use the first 30 seconds or so), and then vote below:

Option 1: The Builder

Option 2: Mischief Maker

 

.democracy:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.democracy ul li,.democracy ul{background:none;padding:0;margin:0}.democracy ul li:before{display:none}.democracy input[type='radio'],.democracy input[type='checkbox']{margin:0;vertical-align:middle}.democracy input[type='radio']:focus,.democracy input[type='checkbox']:focus{outline:0}.democracy ul{list-style:none !important;border:0 !important}.democracy ul li{list-style:none !important}input[type="submit"].dem-button,a.dem-button,.dem-button{position:relative;display:inline-block;text-decoration:none;line-height:1;border:0;margin:0;padding:0;cursor:pointer;white-space:nowrap;-webkit-user-select:none;-moz-user-select:none;-ms-user-select:none;user-select:none}input[type="submit"].dem-button:focus,a.dem-button:focus,.dem-button:focus{outline:0}input[type="submit"].dem-button:disabled,a.dem-button:disabled,.dem-button:disabled{opacity:.6;cursor:not-allowed}a.dem-button:hover{text-decoration:none !important}.democracy{position:relative;margin:0 auto}.democracy input[type='radio'],.democracy input[type='checkbox']{margin-right:.2em}.dem-screen{position:relative;line-height:1.3}.democracy ul.dem-vote{margin-bottom:1em}.democracy ul.dem-vote li{padding-bottom:0;margin-bottom:0}.democracy ul.dem-vote li>*{margin-bottom:.6em}.democracy ul.dem-answers li{padding-bottom:1em}.dem-answers .dem-label{margin-bottom:.2em;line-height:1.2}.dem-graph{position:relative;color:#555;color:rgba(0,0,0,.6);box-sizing:content-box;width:100%;display:table;height:1.2em;line-height:1.2em}.dem-fill{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;height:100%;background-color:#7cb4dd}.dem-voted-this .dem-fill{background-color:#ffc45a}.dem-votes-txt,.dem-percent-txt{position:relative;display:table-cell;padding-left:.3em;vertical-align:middle;font-size:90%}.dem-poll-info{padding-bottom:1em}.dem-poll-info:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.dem-poll-info>*{font-size:85%;display:block;float:right;clear:both;text-align:right;opacity:.7;line-height:1.3}.dem-vote label{float:none;display:block}.dem-results-link{display:inline-block;line-height:1;margin:.8em 1em}.dem-vote .dem-disabled{opacity:.5}.democracy .dem-bottom{padding-bottom:1em}.dem-bottom{text-align:center}.dem-bottom:after{content:'';display:table;clear:both}.dem-poll-title{display:block;margin-bottom:1.5em;margin-top:1.2em;font-size:120%}.dem-notice{z-index:10;position:absolute;top:0;border-radius:2px;width:100%;padding:1.5em 2em;text-align:center;background:rgba(247,241,212,.8);color:#6d6214}.dem-notice-close{position:absolute;top:0;right:0;padding:5px;cursor:pointer;line-height:.6;font-size:150%}.dem-notice-close:hover{color:#d26616}.dem-star{font-size:90%;vertical-align:baseline;padding-left:.3em;color:#ff4e00}.dem-poll-note{font-size:90%;padding:.5em;opacity:.8;line-height:1.3}.democracy .dem-copyright{position:absolute;bottom:-1em;right:0;text-decoration:none;border-bottom:0;color:#b2b2b2;opacity:.5;line-height:1}.democracy .dem-copyright:hover{opacity:1}.dem-add-answer{position:relative}.dem-add-answer>*{display:block}.dem-add-answer a{display:inline-block}input.dem-add-answer-txt{width:100%;box-sizing:border-box}.dem-add-answer-close{position:absolute;right:0;padding:0 .7em;cursor:pointer;color:#333}.dem-add-answer-close:hover{color:#ff2700}.dem-edit-link{display:block;position:absolute;top:0;right:0;line-height:1;text-decoration:none !important;border:0 !important}.dem-edit-link svg{width:1.2em !important;fill:#5a5a5a;fill:rgba(0,0,0,.6)}.dem-edit-link:hover svg{fill:#35a91d}.dem-loader{display:none;position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}.dem-loader>*{display:table-cell;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.dem-loader svg{width:20%;max-width:100px;min-width:80px;margin-bottom:15%}.dem-loader [class^="dem-"]{margin-bottom:15% !important}.dem__collapser{display:block;cursor:pointer;text-align:center;font-size:150%;line-height:1}.dem__collapser:hover{color:#f31;background:rgba(255,255,255,.3)}.dem__collapser.expanded{position:relative;height:1em}.dem__collapser.collapsed{position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;right:0;left:0}.dem__collapser .arr{display:block;position:absolute;bottom:0;width:100%}.dem__collapser.collapsed .arr:before{content:"▾"}.dem__collapser.expanded .arr:before{content:"▴"}.dem-poll-shortcode{margin-bottom:1.5em}.dem-archives .dem-elem-wrap{margin-bottom:2em;padding-bottom:20px;border-bottom:1px dashed #ccc}.dem-archives .dem-archive-link{display:none}.dem-link{font-style:italic;font-size:90%}.dem-vote-link:before{content:'◂ '}.dem-vote label:hover{opacity:.8}.dem-vote-button{float:left}.dem-results-link{float:right}.dem-graph{font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background:#f7f7f7;background:linear-gradient(to bottom,rgba(0,0,0,.05) 50%,rgba(0,0,0,.1) 50%);background:-webkit-linear-gradient(top,rgba(0,0,0,.05) 50%,rgba(0,0,0,.1) 50%)}.dem-fill{background-image:linear-gradient(to right,rgba(255,255,255,.3),transparent);background-image:-webkit-linear-gradient(left,rgba(255,255,255,.3),transparent)}.dem-answers .dem-label{margin-bottom:.1em}.dem-votes-txt,.dem-percent-txt{font-size:80%}.dem-percent-txt{display:none}.dem-answers li:hover .dem-votes-txt{display:none}.dem-answers li:hover .dem-percent-txt{display:table-cell}.dem-voted-this .dem-label:before{content:'✓';display:inline-block;margin-right:.2em}.dem-voted-this .dem-graph{border-color:#969696}.dem-label-percent-txt,.dem-votes-txt-percent,.dem-novoted .dem-votes-txt{display:none}.dem-poll-info{font-style:italic}.dem-archive-link{text-align:right}.dem-bottom{text-align:left}input[type="submit"].dem-button,a.dem-button,.dem-button{border-radius:3px;font-size:90%;font-weight:bold;padding:.7em 1.2em;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear,left top,left bottom,from(#e3262e),to(#ab171e));background-image:-webkit-linear-gradient(#e3262e,#ab171e);background-image:linear-gradient(#e3262e,#ab171e);background-color:#ab171e;border-bottom-color:#820a0f;border-left-color:#9a1015;border-right-color:#9a1015;border-top-color:#af151b;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;-webkit-box-shadow:0 1px 0 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.34);box-shadow:0 1px 0 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.34);color:#fff;text-shadow:0 -1px rgba(0,0,0,0.11)}input[type="submit"].dem-button:hover,a.dem-button:hover,.dem-button:hover,input[type="submit"].dem-button:focus,a.dem-button:focus,.dem-button:focus{background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear,left top,left bottom,from(#e63d44),to(#c11a22));background-image:-webkit-linear-gradient(#e63d44,#c11a22);background-image:linear-gradient(#e63d44,#c11a22);-webkit-box-shadow:0 1px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.22);box-shadow:0 1px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.22);border:1px solid #920c12}a.dem-button:visited{color:#fff}input[type="submit"].dem-button:active,a.dem-button:active,.dem-button:active{background-image:-webkit-gradient(linear,left top,left bottom,from(#bb1618),to(#e22123));background-image:-webkit-linear-gradient(#bb1618,#e22123);background-image:linear-gradient(#bb1618,#e22123);-webkit-box-shadow:0 1px 7px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5) inset;box-shadow:0 1px 7px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5) inset;background-color:#e22123;border-color:#99161b;text-shadow:0 1px rgba(0,0,0,0.6)}
What track should be the Rex & Eddie audiobook theme?


The Builder




Mischief Maker

ResultsPoll Options are limited because JavaScript is disabled in your browser.
.dem-roller {
margin: 0 auto;
width: 40px;
height: 40px;
position: relative;
}

.con1 > div, .con2 > div, .con3 > div {
width: 10px;
height: 10px;
background-color: #2686cc;

border-radius: 100%;
position: absolute;
-webkit-animation: bouncedelay 1.2s infinite ease-in-out;
animation: bouncedelay 1.2s infinite ease-in-out;
/* Prevent first frame from flickering when animation starts */
-webkit-animation-fill-mode: both;
animation-fill-mode: both;
}

.dem-roller .demrcont {
position: absolute;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}

.con2 {
-webkit-transform: rotateZ(45deg);
transform: rotateZ(45deg);
}

.con3 {
-webkit-transform: rotateZ(90deg);
transform: rotateZ(90deg);
}

.circle1 { top: 0; left: 0; }
.circle2 { top: 0; right: 0; }
.circle3 { right: 0; bottom: 0; }
.circle4 { left: 0; bottom: 0; }

.con2 .circle1 { -webkit-animation-delay: -1.1s; animation-delay: -1.1s; }
.con3 .circle1 { -webkit-animation-delay: -1.0s; animation-delay: -1.0s; }
.con1 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.9s; animation-delay: -0.9s; }
.con2 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.8s; animation-delay: -0.8s; }
.con3 .circle2 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.7s; animation-delay: -0.7s; }
.con1 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.6s; animation-delay: -0.6s; }
.con2 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.5s; animation-delay: -0.5s; }
.con3 .circle3 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.4s; animation-delay: -0.4s; }
.con1 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.3s; animation-delay: -0.3s; }
.con2 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.2s; animation-delay: -0.2s; }
.con3 .circle4 { -webkit-animation-delay: -0.1s; animation-delay: -0.1s; }
@-webkit-keyframes bouncedelay {
0%, 80%, 100% { -webkit-transform: scale(0.0) }
40% { -webkit-transform: scale(1.0) }
}

@keyframes bouncedelay {
0%, 80%, 100% {
transform: scale(0.0);
-webkit-transform: scale(0.0);
} 40% {
transform: scale(1.0);
-webkit-transform: scale(1.0);
}
}

























The Builder 100%, 2 votes 2 votes 100% 2 votes - 100% of all votesMischief Maker 0%, 0 votes 0 votes 0 votes - 0% of all votesTotal Votes: 2 December 5, 2017 × You or your IP had already vote. The Builder Mischief Maker × You or your IP had already vote. Results

The post Audiobook Theme Tune *I need your input* appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

WIN! A Kindle Paperwhite loaded with Rex & Eddie Mysteries.

Enter now: http://sean-cameron.com/giveaways/kindlepaperwhite-contest

Check out my competition where you can win a brand new Kindle Paperwhite loaded with the first three Rex & Eddie Mysteries. All you have to do is click the link above and answer the super easy question.

Make sure to look for the confirmation email in your inbox, follow the link and you’ll get the chance to share the competition and earn yourself more entries.

Competition open until July 27th 2017. Good luck!

The post Win a Kindle Paperwhite appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

Writing rituals really help to get me in the flow of writing. One of those rituals is to listen to the same thing every time I write a project. It lets my brain know it’s time to type some words. That’s why I have a soundtrack to write Rex & Eddie to.

When I visit my parent’s house my favourite place to write is in their conservatory, at night, when it rains. Being England there’s plenty of opportunity for a shower or two.  Now I live in Los Angeles there’s rarely a chance of rain so I play Rainymood.com  while the sun beams through my windows.

As the sound of rain gets my brainwaves flowing I put on a playlist to set the mood. While writing Rex & Eddie novels I usually play a mash of thriller soundtracks and James Bond scores with some silly, offbeat tracks like The Pink Panther thememixed in.

I wanted to share some of the tracks I’m currently writing Rex & Eddie to which would also work as a soundtrack to the books if you like listening to music while reading.

So here’s a Spotify playlist for your listening – and reading – pleasure.

If you know similar music you’d recommend adding to my writing playlist, please let me know. I’d love to give it a listen.

The post Rex & Eddie Mysteries: The Soundtrack appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

I’ve overtyped this week so I thought I’d do a video instead:

Feline Fatale paperback is available for $7.99 at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2f1gB3K or £6.99 at Amazon.co.uk:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feline-Fatale-Eddie-Mystery-Mys…/…/

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • LinkedIn • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

The post Feline Fatale paperback out now appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

My mate Ben Cameron (no relations) has a book coming out next week (Nov 3rd). I participated in crowd funding it so I got it early and it’s great. My Goodread’s review is below:

 

Tragidoodles by Ben Cameron

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

This book is great. The illustration style is cute, simple, and full of character. It’s the Ronseal of books, in that this is definitely a book of TRAGIC doodles. Some of them sank even my cold heart. Most will make you laugh and then feel guilty about it.

My favourite thing about this book is the way Ben Cameron brings life to simple things like leaves, or the bubbles in a carbonated drink. Each of these panels says something about life or what it means to be human.

Also, dogs! I enjoyed the dog doodles most. There’s just something about the way dogs want their owner’s complete love and attention which makes them so desperate. Ben’s portrayals of dogs are perfect.

There’s quite a few dead animals spread throughout the book which I found less clever than the other doodles, but there are one-hundred doodles in here of which I throughly enjoyed ninety.

Leave this book on your coffee table and ruin/make your guest’s day.

View all my reviews

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • LinkedIn • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

The post Tragidoodles: A Review appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.

If you write an honest review for The Office Spy in the next 30 days you can submit your review to Story Cartel to enter a drawing. Prizes include a Kindle, Amazon gift cards, Barnes & Noble gift cards, and bestselling print books.

Here’s how it works:

Download The Office Spy  to read and review from Story Cartel.
Read the book and review it on Amazon. You can also review it on Goodreads, or your own blog.
Every reader who downloads a book gets one entry. Each additional review counts as a new entry.
Once a month, Story Cartel randomly chooses the winners from all the reviewers on the website.

For a chance to win click HERE and download The Office Spy today.

Share and Enjoy


• Facebook • Twitter • Delicious • LinkedIn • StumbleUpon • Add to favorites • Email • RSS

The post The Office Spy Honest Review Giveaway appeared first on SEAN-CAMERON.COM.