Last Thursday I headed over to Waterstones Piccadilly to attend a book launch event for A.K.Benedict’s Jonathan Dark or the Evidence of Ghosts, Sarah Pinsborough’s 13 Minutes and Steve Cavanagh’s The Defence, where all the authors were interviewed by W!zard Radio.
Being the book geek that I am, I managed to nab a seat right at the front giving me a great view of the event which turned out to be a funny, and engaging interview in which all of the authors poked fun and bounced off each other, giving the audience an insight into the joys of being a published author.
During the interview there was a lot of discussion about the themes in the author’s novels, how they came up with the idea and some background about themselves.
A.K. Benedict’s theme in her novel is about the filters we put up in front of us and how these alter the perceptions we have of the world. What if we put a different filter up? What would happen to our perceptions then? She then went on to talk about the supernatural elements to her novel and how she still wanted plausibility for the reader which then led to discussing her neurological condition – Synaesthesia. This is the stimulation of one sense for example smell, which leads to an automatic, involuntary experience in a second sense for example sound. This is one of the reasons why she was able to connect and write one of her main character’s, Maria who chooses not to see by wearing a blindfold.
Sarah’s books are about the face we present to the world, in particular teenagers who have to present a mirror image of themselves in order to fit in socially. Her novel raises questions about how can we trust? and who can we trust? This is the backdrop to her 20th novel – 13 minutes. She went on to explain that she used to be a teacher and drew on this experience teaching teenagers in a ‘rough school’ to write her novel. Sarah also went on to say that even though she is classed as a ‘YA author’ she writes the same as if it was for teenagers and adults and her novel can easily be read by both age groups.
Steve’s book is a legal thriller about a con man turned lawyer who must defend the head of the Russian Mafia and ensure he walks free in order to save his ten-year old daughter. Will he manage to pull it off? When asked about where he got the idea for the story Steve said he is a lawyer himself and spent most of his career ‘conning them [the victims/perpetrators] into telling the truth in court. I got the idea from that.’ He also said The Defence is the first book in a series – so there’s more to come from the fast-moving Eddie Flynn.
They all gave some great recommendations of crime books they love including; Joe Hill’s The Fireman which is out later this year, any and all of John Grisham’s novels, Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill and Rawblood by Catriona Ward.
The Books: The Defence, 13 Minutes and Jonathan Dark or the Evidence of Ghosts
All of these fab books are out now and available to purchase. I have added the links below with each blurb.
What the blurb says on each book:
Jonathan Dark or the Evidence of Ghosts by A.K.Benedict:
Maria King knows a secret London. Born blind, she knows the city by sound and touch and smell. But surgery has restored her sight – only for her to find she doesn’t want it.
Jonathan Dark sees the shadowy side of the city. A DI with the Metropolitan Police, he is haunted by his failure to save a woman from the hands of a stalker. Now it seems the killer has set his sights on Maria, and is leaving her messages in the most gruesome of ways.
Tracing the source of these messages leads Maria and Jonathan to a London they never knew. Finding the truth will mean seeing a side to the city where life and death is a game played by the powerful, where everyone is lost but nothing is missing, and where all the answers are hiding, if only they listen to the whispers on the streets.
Waterstones book link
13 Minutes by Sarah Pinsborough:
I was dead for 13 minutes.
I don’t remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this – it wasn’t an accident and I wasn’t suicidal.
They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you’re a teenage girl, it’s hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I’m sure of it. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t try to kill me. Does it?
Waterstones book link
The Defence by Steve Cavanagh:
Eddie Flynn used to be a con artist. Then he became a lawyer. Turned out the two weren’t that different.
It’s been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn’t have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie’s back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter, Amy. Eddie only has forty-eight hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial – and win – if he wants to save his daughter.
Under the scrutiny of the media and the FBI, Eddie must use his raz
It’s been over a year since Eddie vowed never to set foot in a courtroom again. But now he doesn’t have a choice. Olek Volchek, the infamous head of the Russian mafia in New York, has strapped a bomb to Eddie’s back and kidnapped his ten-year-old daughter, Amy. Eddie only has forty-eight hours to defend Volchek in an impossible murder trial – and win – if he wants to save his daughter.or-sharp wit and every con-artist trick in the book to defend his ‘client’ and ensure Amy’s safety. With the timer on his back ticking away, can Eddie convince the jury of the impossible?
Waterstones book link
Chillers Killers and Thrillers 