Author: whatcathyreadnext

WWW Wednesdays – 13th December ’17

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WWWWednesdays

Hosted by Taking on a World of Words, this meme is all about the three Ws:

  • What are you currently reading?
  • What did you recently finish reading?
  • What do you think you’ll read next?

Why not join in too? Leave a comment with your link at Taking on a World of Words and then go blog hopping!

Currently reading

The Good EarthThe Good Earth (House of Earth #1) by Pearl S. Buck (Hardcover)

This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic tells the poignant tale of a Chinese farmer and his family in old agrarian China. The humble Wang Lung glories in the soil he works, nurturing the land as it nurtures him and his family. Nearby, the nobles of the House of Hwang consider themselves above the land and its workers; but they will soon meet their own downfall. Hard times come upon Wang Lung and his family when flood and drought force them to seek work in the city. The working people riot, breaking into the homes of the rich and forcing them to flee. When Wang Lung shows mercy to one noble and is rewarded, he begins to rise in the world, even as the House of Hwang falls.

The Twelve-Mile StraightThe Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson (eARC, NetGalley)

Cotton County, Georgia, 1930: in a house full of secrets, two babies-one light-skinned, the other dark-are born to Elma Jesup, a white sharecropper’s daughter. Accused of her rape, field hand Genus Jackson is lynched and dragged behind a truck down the Twelve-Mile Straight, the road to the nearby town. In the aftermath, the farm’s inhabitants are forced to contend with their complicity in a series of events that left a man dead and a family irrevocably fractured.

Despite the prying eyes and curious whispers of the townspeople, Elma begins to raise her babies as best as she can, under the roof of her mercurial father, Juke, and with the help of Nan, the young black housekeeper who is as close to Elma as a sister. But soon it becomes clear that the ties that bind all of them together are more intricate than any could have ever imagined. As startling revelations mount, a web of lies begins to collapse around the family, destabilizing their precarious world and forcing all to reckon with the painful truth.

TheBiographiesofOrdinaryPeopleThe Biographies of Ordinary People, Vol.1 by Nicole Dieker (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

The Biographies of Ordinary People is the story of the Gruber family: Rosemary and Jack, and their daughters Meredith, Natalie, and Jackie. The two-volume series begins in July 1989, on Rosemary’s thirty-fifth birthday; it ends in November 2016, on Meredith’s thirty-fifth birthday.  When the Grubers move to a small Midwestern town so Jack can teach music at a local college, each family member has an idea of who they might become. Jack wants to foster intellectual curiosity in his students. Rosemary wants to be “the most important person in her own life for the length of an afternoon.” Meredith wants to model herself after the girls she’s read about in books: Betsy Ray, Pauline Fossil, Jo March. Natalie wants to figure out how she’s different from her sisters—and Jackie, the youngest, wants to sing.  Set against the past thirty years of social and cultural changes, this story of family, friendship, and artistic ambition takes us into intimately familiar experiences: putting on a play, falling out with a best friend, getting dial-up internet for the first time. Drinking sparkling wine out of a paper cup on December 31, 1999 and wondering what will happen next.

Recently finished (click on title for review)

The Snow ChildThe Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey (ebook)

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart: he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone – but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.  This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place, things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them. (Review to follow)

Corpus_SignedCorpus (Tom Wilde #1) by Rory Clements (hardcover, signed)

It’s 1936, Europe is in turmoil. The Nazis have marched into the Rhineland. In Russia, Stalin has unleashed his Great Terror. Spain has erupted in civil war. In Berlin, a young Englishwoman evades the Gestapo to deliver vital papers to a Jewish scientist. Within weeks, she is found dead in her Cambridge bedroom, a silver syringe clutched in her fingers. In a London club, three senior members of the British establishment light the touch paper on a conspiracy that will threaten the very heart of government. Even the ancient colleges of Cambridge are not immune to political division. Dons and students must choose a side: right or left, where do you stand?

When a renowned member of the county set and his wife are found horribly murdered, a maverick history professor finds himself dragged into a world of espionage which, until now, he has only read about in books. But the deeper Thomas Wilde delves, the more he wonders whether the murders are linked to the death of the girl with the silver syringe – and, just as worryingly, to the scandal surrounding King Edward VIII and his mistress Wallis Simpson… (Review to follow)

TheLastTrain1The Last Train by Michael Pronko (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

Detective Hiroshi Shimizu investigates white collar crime in Tokyo. He’s lost his girlfriend and still dreams of his time studying in America, but with a stable job, his own office and a half-empty apartment, he’s settled in. His mentor Takamatsu calls him out to the grisly murder of an American businessman. When Takamatsu disappears, Hiroshi teams up with ex-sumo wrestler Sakaguchi. They scour Tokyo’s sacred temples, corporate offices and industrial wastelands to find Takamatsu, and a woman driven to murder who seems to have it all.  After years in America lost in neat, clean spreadsheets, Hiroshi confronts the stark realities of the biggest city in the world. Inside information can travel in a flash from the top investment firms to the bottom of the working world. Street-level punks and teenage hostesses sell their souls for a small cut of highly lucrative land deals. Their target, an ex-hostess, wants to extract her final revenge – which might be him. (Review to follow)

What Cathy (will) Read Next

Three Things About ElsieThree Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon (eARC, NetGalley)

There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing… might take a little bit more explaining.

84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly a man who died sixty years ago?

MadamTulipMadam Tulip by David Ahern (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

Derry O’Donnell, an out-of-work American actress living in Ireland, is young, talented, a teeny bit psychic…and broke. Spurred on by an ultimatum from her awesomely high-achieving mother, and with a little help from her theatrical friends, Derry embarks on a part-time career as Madame Tulip, fortune-teller to the rich and famous. But at her first fortune-telling gig – a celebrity charity weekend in a castle – a famous rap artist will die.

As Derry is drawn deeper into a seedy world of celebrities, supermodels and millionaires, she finds herself playing the most dangerous role of her acting life. Trapped in a maze of intrigue, money and drugs, Derry’s attempts at amateur detective could soon destroy her friends, her ex-lover, her father and herself.

Blog Tour/Q&A: Blackmail, Sex and Lies by Kathryn McMaster

whatcathyreadnext

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I’m thrilled to be co-hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for Blackmail, Sex and Lies by Kathryn McMaster. The book is based on the true story of Madeleine Smith who was accused of murdering her lover.  Be sure to check out the other great book bloggers taking part in the tour.

Below I have a fascinating interview with Kathryn in which she talks about her research for the book, the need for multi-tasking, why Sunday is writing day and her childhood fascination with true crime stories.

WinWhy not enter my giveaway with a chance to win your own ebook copy of Blackmail, Sex and Lies. To enter, click here. The winner will be selected at random. Entries must be received by 20th December 2017.

 

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Blackmail Sex Lies - CoverAbout the Book

Blackmail, Sex and Lies is a story of deception, scandal, and fractured traditional Victorian social values. It is the tale of a naïve, young woman caught up in a whirlwind romance with a much older man. However, both have personality flaws that result in poor choices, and ultimately lead to a tragic end.

This Victorian murder mystery, based on a true story, takes place in Glasgow, Scotland, 1857. It explores the disastrous romance between the vivacious socialite, Madeleine Hamilton Smith, and her working class lover, Pierre Emile L’Angelier. After a two-year torrid, and forbidden relationship with L’Angelier, that takes place against her parents’ wishes, the situation changes dramatically when William Minnoch enters the scene. This new man in Madeleine’s life is handsome, rich, and of her social class. He is also a man of whom her family approve. Sadly, insane jealous rages, and threats of blackmail, are suddenly silenced by an untimely death.

For 160 years, people have believed Madeleine Smith to have been guilty of murder. But was she? Could she have been innocent after all?

Format: ebook, paperback (198 pp.) Publisher: Drama Llama Press Published: 30th August 2017         Genre: True Crime, Historical Fiction

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Blackmail, Sex and Lies on Goodreads

Interview: Kathryn McMaster, author of Blackmail, Sex and Lies

Without giving too much away, can you tell me a bit about Blackmail, Sex and Lies?

The book is based on a true story that took place in 1857. A young, naïve, Glaswegian socialite, Madeleine Smith is charmed and beguiled by an older man, Pierre Emile L’Anglier. He is a social climber, not of her class, who uses Madeleine in the worst possible way to improve himself in seducing her and then telling her that there is really no way out of the situation, as under Scottish law they are now married. The relationship becomes controlling and abusive, and eventually he dies, rather unexpectedly. For 160 years, Madeleine was suspected of murdering him. But did she? Evidence shows otherwise, but you will have to read the book and decide for yourself.

Blackmail, Sex and Lies is described as ‘creative non-fiction’. Why did you choose to write a fictionalised account of the story of Madeleine Smith?

There were already eight or nine books published as true accounts of the Madeleine Smith story, but nothing that showed us the terrible state of mind she must have been in. She was still a minor, she was forbidden by her family to see this man, but continued to do so, and therefore she had no one to unburden herself when the relationship turned toxic. Reading a dry, factual account does not bring the characters to life, shows their inner fears, nor do you get a feel for how society was in those days, and how the events affected all those involved, including her family. Fictionalising true crimes does this. However, you have to be still careful that you stick the facts and you don’t stray too far from what took place.

You’ve chosen an arresting title for the book. How did you come up with it?

Blackmail, Sex and Lies encapsulates the contents of the book perfectly. L’Angelier seduces her, Madeleine lies to him as she tries to extract herself from the relationship that has turned abusive, and then he blackmails her.

How did you approach the research for the book? Do you enjoy the process of research?

I love researching. For about ten years, I researched both my and my husband’s family trees, and so poring over old documents, court records, census records, and newspapers of the day is nothing new. I use all of these resources at my disposal before sifting through the facts, inconsistencies and opinions of others before writing. The research period can sometimes be as long as three or four months before I start outlining the book, and deciding whether the accused was innocent or guilty. Only then do I start writing.

What was the most surprising fact you uncovered during your research?

It would have to be the open use of arsenic in everyday living during the Victorian era. Yes, they impregnated flypaper to kill flies, fair enough, but they also used it in dyes for wallpaper, paint, and even fabrics. The users often complained to the manufacturers that these products made them ill, but their complaints were ignored. In addition to that, they used it as a beauty product to soften the face and skin when added to water. Right up until the late 18th century, and even the early 19th century arsenic soap and arsenic wafers were used as cosmetics both in Britain and America. In the book I have advertisements where they advocate the use of arsenic. L’Angelier himself was an arsenic eater, taking it for stamina and to improve his health. So you can see the dilemma now of his death and the accused’s position.

What was the biggest challenge you encountered when writing the book?

Time. I run several author Facebook groups and I also co-own the book marketing platform, One Stop Fiction. This takes a lot of time away from my writing, and it always a difficult balance to make sure one doesn’t suffer at the expense of the other.

You’ve written that what fascinates you is the ‘why’ rather than the ‘how’ of crime. Where does this interest come from?

For about forty-five years I have been interested in crime and the criminal mind. My father had a large library of true crime books, and while others were reading Enid Blyton and other safer fiction for their age, I would sneak these books into my room and read them with the aid of a torch under the bedclothes. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time.

This interest never left me, and after a long career in secondary and adult education, I started taking courses on criminal profiling and a degree in Forensic Science, Criminal Investigation. It is definitely the most interesting part of the crime, because nine times we know how a crime has been committed. However, the motive behind such a killing is more interesting. What was the trigger that caused this person to turn to crime, and to commit heinous acts against others? What makes the mind of the criminal tick? How different would they have turned out if they had been brought up in a different environment? Are criminals born or are they created? These are the questions that I find the most interesting.

Do you have a special place to write or any writing rituals?

Because I am so busy, and at my computer every day, for a lot of the day, I write when I can. I now set Sunday aside as my writing day, but do try and write a few paragraphs each day, during the week. It is not ideal, and I get frustrated when I can’t find the time to write. If I am at a part in my writing where I cannot break off and leave it, it is not uncommon for me to be writing late into the early hours of the following morning, or even getting up at 3:00 a.m. to get a chapter written before my working day begins. My special writing place is usually either in bed or on the couch. As all my children are adults, and I am ‘retired’ I have very few interruptions within the home, for which I am grateful.

Which other writers do you admire?

I admire anyone who can spin a good, entertaining story that sucks you in from the first pages, and has you captivated until the last. There are some authors who are consistently good at doing that, and then there are others who write a ‘one hit wonder’ and seem to lose their mojo and never write anything great after that. While I love reading, I won’t pick up a book based on the author, but rather by the reviews that it has received, and the storyline to see if it will be of interest to me. With time being so precious, I don’t have the time to waste on authors who trade on their reputation they made with one or two novels, and then didn’t write anything great after that.

What are you working on next?

I am a little undisciplined in my writing as I have so many ideas for books that I may start one manuscript, and then something else pops up that grabs my attention, so I leave that book to research the next story. I think I have at least four manuscripts that I started recently, none of them finished, or even close to finished.

One deals with a very strange murder that took place in the late 1990s down in the south of England. Another, entitled Six Short Summers, is about Barbara Whitham Waterhouse who was murdered in 1891. Her murder needs to be told as it is related to my first book, Who Killed Little Johnny Gill?. John Gill’s murder and mutilation was so atrocious that it was thought to be the work of Jack the Ripper, however, when Barbara was murdered, her injuries were very similar to that of Johnny Gill’s, who had been murdered in Manningham, Bradford, three years earlier and just eight miles apart.

Barbara’s story is the one I need to finish after the one I am currently writing, entitled Triple Murder at Sea, about a murder that took place aboard the sailing vessel the Herbert Fuller in 1896. I started writing this after Johnny Gill, but then Madeleine Smith derailed me, and so I left it for a while. Triple Murder at Sea is a novella, offered free to subscribers to my website – when it is finished – which should be before Christmas, if all goes well!

Thank you, Kathryn, for those fascinating answers to my questions.

Kathryn mcmasterAbout the Author

Kathryn McMaster is a writer, entrepreneur, wife, mother, and champion of good indie authors. She co-owns the book promotion company One Stop Fiction where readers can sign up to receive news of free and discounted 4 and 5 star reviewed books. She is also a bestselling author of historical murder mysteries set in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Her debut novel, Who Killed Little Johnny Gill? was well received. All her novels are based on true stories and she melds fact with fiction, writing in the creative non-fiction style. She lives on her 30 acre farm in the beautiful Casentino Valley, Italy for 6 months of the year, and during the other half of the year, on the small island of Gozo, Malta.

Connect with Kathryn

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