A Big Thank You

I just wanted to take a quick minute to thank each and every person who has read my blog. Today I received my 1000th visitor. 
My blog has developed and grown since I began it, and it's turned from somewhere I could chat/rant about random topics into an outlet for one of my biggest passions, Books. Books with a capital B! You may not know this but I've been a fan of books for years, so much so that I did my degree in English Literature. I now enjoy reading books for pleasure instead of coursework but I'm grateful I still have the opportunity to continue thinking about those books after I've closed the last page to write my reviews.
My next review is coming up shortly, plus I enjoyed my interview with Oli J so much that I'm planning on more interviews in the future. Hold onto your hats.

TTFN
x

Oli Jacobs interview pt 2

Welcome to part two of my interview with OliJ, I hope you like it.

I know that you’ve writing a few saga’s in your time, which character do you enjoy writing the most?

The cliche answer is to say Mr Blank, because he is my current character I am writing. However, Kirk Sandblaster (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kirk-Sandblaster-4-Book-Series/dp/B01CUCY9IE/) is always good for a laugh, and has been easier to write the more the series has progressed. I’d like to write more - and have, in fact, got 3 more books completed - but it depends on whether the audience is there. Although the fact I have a 24-book arc planned...

What (PG) word always makes you laugh?

Cummerbund. I had to get one for my University leavers ball and couldn’t stop laughing. In fact, I’m laughing now. Make it stop.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters? And are any characters based on real people?

One thing all writers will admit, at least in my opinion, is that every character they write is based on someone they know. Whether it be a friend, celebrity, or just someone they saw on the street once, every character is based in reality. Of course, as the creator of these characters, a lot of the main folk have aspects of my personality. Naturally, this means that super-violent Mr Blank, alcoholic braggart Guy (from Strange Days in High Wycombe: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strange-Days-High-Wycombe-Jacobs-ebook/dp/B00LCAJWB0/)and sexist business Kent Hawks (from Stains: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stains-Oli-Jacobs-ebook/dp/B00EGCBMTG) all contain parts of me. I never said they were the best parts, or the parts that still exist, but they are various Id’s that float around... 

What’s your favourite food?

Curry. Always curry. Although lately I’ve become more fussy as to the quality of curry that I eat. Restaurant curry is good, but home-made curry is becoming a thing of beauty. Finding the right balance of spice & flavour is a wonderful feeling. I’m even tempted to write a cookbook one day: Oli Jacobs’ Meals to Make you Sweat.

What is your personal pet peeve?

Time-keeping, both mine and other peoples. I blame my Mother for the fact I will get IMMENSELY stressed if someone doesn’t appear at a pre-arranged time, even if they’re a minute late.

When people write reviews of your work do you always read them? Including the negative ones? Are there any lines that have stood out that you remember?

I do now. When I was a younger, more inexperienced writer, I received a bad review that I reacted badly to, and since have decided to take all reviews in their stride. After all, the good ones are good, but the bad ones are the ones you learn from. While it isn’t a line from a particular review verbatim, one of the things that has been said about my books which makes me feel quite happy is that people have recognised that I have my own unique voice when it comes to telling a story. Be it the comedic adventures of Kirk Sandblaster, or the dark tales of Station 17 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Station-17-Chronicles-Oli-Jacobs/dp/1291569693/), folk have noted how I have a specific way of writing that makes my stories unique. That’s a skill that I hold in very high regard.

Do you have a lucky number?

It used to be 7, but now I’m too paranoid that 7 is the wrong number to have a lucky number. Why, do you know which one it is? Is it 42? Or 23? What about 764? Oh God, so many numbers...

And Finally, if you could only give on piece of advice to the readers, what would it be?

Enjoy what you enjoy. There is no wrong book to love, no right fad to “fit in” with. If you like Pokemon, go enjoy Pokemon. If you want to write a love story, write YOUR love story. Just because most people don’t like it, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t. Love what you love, and you’ll never feel bad (not a guarantee).

Thank you for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed yourself. And if you'd like to pick up a copy of Oli's new book, check out amazon. 

Oli Jacobs Interview

Today I'm going to do something a little different, I hope you like it as i'm planning more of these.

Author Oli Jacobs has kindly agreed to answer some burning questions for us, so pour yourself a cuppa, sit back, and enjoy.

I first met Oli years ago at university, and we've kept in tough, mainly via social media, as the years have gone bye. I've read a few of Oli's books, and you'll find my reviews of them dotted through my blog, go and search them out.

So Oli, I know that you have a warped mind so I'm wondering, to warm us up, what words come to mind when I say the following...

Hello...
Hello! Greetings! Guten Morgen! Y’alright? Oh dear God, the pressure... [EDIT] Feel the pressure Oli, it’s building, failure to preform is not an option…

Pokemon...

The one true addiction. There isn’t a moment in life when a Simpsons quote isn’t able to be used. Although now I try and think of one, all I can think of is Homer twiddling his thumbs going doo-doodoodoodoo...

Pink...
Good singer, if you like that sort of thing.

Crosswords...
(Insert expletive here). Or if it’s one of those cryptic ones… (insert worse expletive here)

Dogs...   
Yes. Just yes. Beautiful animals, but don’t get more than 2. Or 3. Maybe get a pack of them, to seek out your enemies. [EDIT] Not recommend at home ;)

Now that’s out of the way and we are thoroughly warmed up, we know you have a creative mind, other than writing how else do you express yourself? Is there anything else out there that you’d like to bring our attention to?

I used to make films, but that’s more of an old shame these days. I tend to keep with the writing as it allows me to keep within my own creative world and not deal (mostly) with other people. I also dabbled in a bit of music making and such, as well as acting, but again those sort of things fell by the wayside as I became older. The only project I have that is kinda non-writing at the moment is Pubanory (https://www.facebook.com/pubanory) which sees me introduce people reading my stories. Which is nice. [EDIT] If you want to see Oli’s you tube channel let me know, I’m sure I have a link somewhere.

Tell me about your latest book, and why I should read it, without spoilers?

My latest is called Wrapped Up In Nothing and is the first in the Mr Blank series (available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wrapped-Up-Nothing-Blank-Book-ebook/dp/B01G1TI4KQ/). It is a noir mystery that sees Mr Blank wake up in the desert, with no idea of who he is, and his body mutilated beyond recognition. Obviously, this won’t do, so he heads off to a nearby desert town to get some answers. You should read it as it is my latest book (so automatically one of my best, writing wise) and is full of humour, violence, and all-round fun!

I met you at university, all those years ago, how has your life changed since then? 

I got fatter, then I got thinner, then I kinda just maintained into a hairy mess [EDIT]hairy apart from that one time you shaved it off for charity. Aside from that, I’ve worked in the creative arts a lot since leaving University, which has helped with the creativity, and mainly just done the job of growing up without even realising it. Oh, and I like drinking gin. Give me a decent G&T and I’ll be your friend for at least an hour or two. [EDIT]Who are you kidding, give you anything to drink and you’ve a friend for life ;-)

What was the last book that you read?

 Last book I FINISHED was No Rest For The Wicked by Dane Cobain (https://www.amazon.co.uk/No-Rest-Wicked-Dane-Cobain-ebook/dp/B01GDGJ2GC/) who is also a local author from the wilds of Buckinghamshire. It’s quite good; a nice little horror dealing with angels of a nasty persuasion and looking at themes of sin and faith. Aside from that, I’m currently reading What If?(https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-If-Scientific-Hypothetical-Questions-ebook/dp/B00J379DC2/) which is by the creator of webcomic xkcd, and full of interesting scientific questions such as what would happen if the global population jumped at the same time.

Stay tuned for part two coming soon...

Book Review: Jarred Dreams - Camilla Chester

Book Description:
Through the silent, grey streets of Stanbridge he creeps, the Dream Thief who captures the joy of children's dreams and drains the colour from their lives. Until the day that 12-year-old Sade moves into town with her bright blonde curls and love of art.... She knows something is terribly wrong, but can she find out what it is before she loses everything she loves, including her own dreams?

My thoughts:
I picked up this book with trepidation. Not sure what to expect, reading a book aimed at children I was pleasantly surprised. This is a book aimed at 8 - 12 year olds, full of wonderful imagery, bringing bright colours into a dreary grey world. I enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it. The main character joins the story as a lonely girl in a new town without many friends. When she realises that something is majorly wrong in the town, and no one else seems to notice, she focuses on finding out what it is, and fixing it, instead of spending the time with her own mother who is gravely ill. This I felt was a way for Sade (read the book to find the correct pronunciation) to avoid her personal situation, in which she has little control, and try to bring some control back into her life. Something that we all, old or young, can relate to.

In short, read!
.

Book review: The Longest Holiday - Paige Toon

This is a brilliant chick lit. I'd only read one Paige Toon before this and it stuck with me so I've been on the look out for another and I was delighted to come across this one. I was even more delighted when half way through I realised I recognised one of the characters as a secondary character from the previous story I read. I've since discovered that this is something the author does regularly, and I'll definitely be searching out more.
But back to this book, when I started reading I struggled to find time to read more than a few pages at a time, due to a toddler that wasn't sleeping/time/tiredness and so I struggled to get into it, and get behind any of the characters. That all changed when I hit about 40% in. And I'm glad that it did. Once I was able to read more than a few words before falling asleep with my kindle on my face I found myself unable to put it down. I loved this book. I wanted the characters to succeed. I wanted Laura to get her happy ended.
I found myself torn while reading as well, the 'baddie' who I wanted to hate, wasn't really a baddie, and I couldn't really hate him. He was just a guy. And because of this I was kept guessing until the last fee pages. Either ending would have been believable, but one more more satisfying than the other.
This is a book that I'm going to keep, and one of the few that I want to read again, after reading more Paige Toon's first of course.

Cold Sweats and Vignettes: John Bowen - Book Review

From the author of the gripping international Amazon #1 Bestsellers 'Where the Dead Walk' (see previous blog post for my review of this)



Experience 50 pages of spiiiiine-tingling supernatural terror and science fiiiiiction... 

THE STEAL - A thief is hired by a collector to acquire an occult aaaaaartefact... 
CRASH - A hard landing on an alien plaaaaaanet... 
COLLISION - A world changing incident at the Laaaaaarge Hadron Collider... 
THE FALL - A London gangster finds himself in a baaaaaad situation.... 

A wonderful collection of short stories. 4 Spine tingling must reads for all fans of supernatural terror. The writer manages to bring you into a fully formed world in a matter of minutes, makes your hair stand on it's end and leaves you wanting more. I closed the book with a feeling of sanctification and disappointment. John, come back and finish me(it) off!!!

You can find this on amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00U7LT4ZY/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o06_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Book Review: While My Eyes Were Closed - Linda Green

While My Eyes Were Closed

Book Description:

One, two, three . . . Lisa Dale shuts her eyes and counts to one hundred during a game of hide-and-seek. When she opens them, her four-year-old daughter Ella is gone. Disappeared without a trace. The police, the media and Lisa's family all think they know who snatched Ella. But what if the person who took her isn't a stranger? What if they are convinced they are doing the right thing? And what if Lisa's little girl is in danger of disappearing forever?

My Thoughts:

In a nutshell I loved this book! It's quick, fast pasted, and well written. I read this while on holiday with my family, and found myself reading at 3 o'clock in the morning as my kindle wouldn't leave my hands. It's a harrowing tail of a mothers struggle when her child goes missing that made me hug my little girl that little bit tighter. I have also made the decision that I will never allow my child to play hide and seek in a public place! I shed tears while reading, and stopped breathing a couple of times. 
The closer I got to the end the less I wanted to read for 2 reasons. 1, I didn't want it to finish, and 2, I didn't want to know what happened at the end.

I'm going to include the amazon page below because I think all should read it as soon as possible.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/While-Eyes-Were-Closed-Bestseller-ebook/dp/B012CZLLUI