Tag: thriller

Blog Tour/Q&A: The Picture by Roger Bray

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I’m delighted to be co-hosting today’s stop on the blog tour for The Picture by Roger Bray and thrilled that Roger has agreed to answer some of my questions about the book, its inspiration and his writing journey.

Do check out the reviews of The Picture by my co-hosts, Whispering Stories and Books, Life and Everything.

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The PictureAbout the Book

A warehouse in Japan used as an emergency shelter in the aftermath of the 2011 Tsunami. A distraught, young Japanese woman in dishevelled clothes sits on a box, holding her infant daughter. Ben, a US rescue volunteer, kneels in front of her offering comfort. They hug, the baby between them. The moment turns into an hour as the woman sobs into his shoulder; mourning the loss of her husband, her home, the life she knew.

A picture is taken, capturing the moment. It becomes a symbol; of help freely given and of the hope of the survivors. The faces in the picture cannot be recognised, and that is how Ben likes it. No celebrity, thanks not required.  But others believe that being identified as the person in the picture is their path to fame and fortune. Ben stands, unknowingly, in their way, but nothing a contract killing cannot fix.

Format: ebook, paperback (364 pp.) Publisher:
Published: 13th April 2018                  Genre: Thriller

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

Find The Picture on Goodreads

Interview: Roger Bray, author of The Picture

Welcome, Roger, to What Cathy Read Next.  Without giving too much away, can you tell me a bit about The Picture?

The Picture tells the story of Ben Davis, a retired Portland Oregon Police officer who volunteers in disaster rescue.  His group is asked to assist in Japan in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.  While he is there he helps a young Japanese mother and her baby daughter and the eponymous picture is taken of the encounter.  It becomes a symbol of the suffering of the people but also of hope as the world rallied to aid them.  Although the picture becomes famous neither Ben nor the girl can be recognized, which he is happy about because he does not want to gain celebrity or fame on the back of suffering.  There is conjecture as to who the male is and a conman uses the picture for his own ends pretending to be Ben.  The need to use the picture becomes more urgent as a potential reality TV show is offered to him.  Legal means are tried to gain the copyright of the picture, together with a gag order, which Ben refuses so the conman and his business partner decide that Ben must be killed and try to organise an accidental looking death for him.

How did you get the idea for the story?

I had half an idea for a story about vacuous celebrity and the lengths these people will go to to get into and stay in the limelight, and to make money.  I was then standing on my veranda one cloudy, grey morning when a bean of sunlight broke through, very tight and focussed on a small piece of the courtyard.  The moment stayed with me and I imagined how that moment could be adapted into a story line.  I had the picture scene, and the who, where, how and why, set in my mind within a couple of days.  I considered my ‘celebrity’ idea and thought the picture the perfect catalyst as a symbol of hope being corrupted through greed

To what extent is what happens to Ben a reflection of how social media is transforming the way news travels?

Jonathan Swift wrote in The Examiner, Nov. 9, 1710: “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it” and that is a good reflection of the power and corruption of social media.  If something is repeated sufficiently it enters the social hive mind as the truth.  People take things for granted; accept what is said without the need for verification.  Before social media, what happened to Ben could probably not have occurred.  Since social media the truth is governed by a slick advertising campaign rather than facts.

The Picture explores what people will do for fame and fortune.  What is it about this that interests you?

There is a narcissistic trait in all of us, on, I guess, a sliding scale from imperceptible to governing behaviour.  Celebrity driven people, and I am talking about celebrity for its own sake without any talent like a certain Armenian family whose discernible talents are best described in a Parks and Recreation out-take.  When you add a sociopathic overlay to that you find people who will do anything and trample on anyone to achieve celebrity.  This is not new but social media and myriad cable TV channels have taken the concept to a whole new level.  I find the whole situation absurd, what is important in life, what people should care about is being buried under a mountain of celebrity driven effluent.

Were there particular scenes in the book you found especially challenging – or rewarding – to write?

I was particularly happy with the scene from which the titular picture came from but also the extended scenes of the devastation and survival of the young Japanese woman Ben encounters.

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

No.  I do like to set aside blocks of days to write.  I find my writing benefits from being able to immerse myself in the story to date before continuing.   My favourite place is wherever my wife and her overly cute cat are, although he can make writing difficult when he decides the keyboard is the perfect place for a nap.

What’s your favourite and least favourite part of the writing process?

I enjoy all of the writing process.  I can get frustrated if I hit a block but have found that continuing to write through breaks that.  Don’t expect perfection all the time, just keep the words flowing.  My least favourite part, and it is still part of the writing process, is between typing ‘The End’ and publication.  I have a great editor and the process with her is always a learning experience but the time to publication seems to take forever for all the other things that have to be done: cover proposals, e-books and the like.

Which authors do you admire and enjoy reading?

I like Robert Harris as his novels never cease to entertain.  He is not locked into a genre so each one is new and fresh.  Tom Sharpe is a favourite; I think his books are genius, turning the most absurd situations into hilarity.  Some of his funniest moments could easily be the truth and that makes them all the funnier.  I also enjoy Stuart McBride, Sebastian Faulks and Louis de Bernières, among many others

You describe your life as having been ‘an endless adventure’. What have been some of the highlights?

Normal things I suppose: my marriage to my wife of now 30 + years, the birth of our children.  I served in the Navy as an aircraft armourer and was in the Falklands War on the blunt end of a civilian container ship hastily converted into a helicopter carrier.  I have travelled the world in the Navy from the Arctic to the Great Australian Bight and many places between.  I was a Police Officer for many years and saw the best, and worst, that society can offer.  I lived in Germany for a couple of years, which I loved, and took the opportunity to travel in Europe as much as possible.  I survived a serious spinal injury, because of which I was medically retired from the police, went to University and gained a couple of degrees.  I believe life is about experiences and I am giving it the best go I can.  [Hmm, that doesn’t sound ‘normal’ to me!]

What are you working on next?

I am currently working on a novel, also based in Oregon about a young woman who has fought against her institutionalised upbringing to make something of herself.  She finds that there are people along the way who will help her and some who won’t.  Past events to which she is unknowingly connected are catching up with her and she has to find the truth of them before it too late.

Thanks very much for having me on your blog and giving me the opportunity to answer your interesting questions.

Thank you, Roger, for your fascinating and illuminating answers.

Roger BrayAbout the Author

Roger writes: ‘I have always loved writing; putting words onto a page and bringing characters to life. I can almost feel myself becoming immersed into their lives, living with their fears and triumphs. Thus, my writing process becomes an endless series of questions. What would she or he do, how would they react, is this in keeping with their character? Strange as it sounds, I don’t like leaving characters in cliffhanging situations without giving them an ending, whichever way it develops.

My life to date is what compels me to seek a just outcome, the good will overcome and the bad will be punished. More though, I tend to see my characters as everyday people in extraordinary circumstances, but in which we may all find ourselves if the planets align wrongly or for whatever reason you might consider. Of course, most novels are autobiographical in some way. You must draw on your own experiences of life and from events you have experienced to get the inspiration.

My life has been an endless adventure. Serving in the Navy, fighting in wars, serving as a Police officer and the experiences each one of those have brought have all drawn me to this point, but it was a downside to my police service that was the catalyst for my writing. Medically retired after being seriously injured while protecting a woman in a domestic violence situation I then experienced the other side of life. Depression and rejection. Giving truth to the oft said saying that when one door closes another opens I pulled myself up and enrolled in college gaining bachelor and master degrees, for my own development rather than any professional need. The process of learning, of getting words down onto the page again relit my passion for writing in a way that I hadn’t felt since high school.

So here we are, two books published and another on track.

Where it will take me I have no idea but I am going to enjoy getting there and if my writing can bring some small pleasure into people’s lives along the way, then I consider that I will have succeeded in life.’

Connect with Roger

Website ǀ  Facebook  ǀ  Twitter ǀ  GoodreadsThe Picture Full Banner

 

Blog Tour/Q&A: The Room by the Lake by Emma Dibdin

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I’m delighted to be joining the launch celebrations for the publication in paperback of Emma Dibdin’s dark, unsettling psychological thriller, The Room by the Lake.   I read the book when it first came out last year and really enjoyed it.  You can read my review below.

I was also thrilled that Emma agreed to answer some questions about The Room by the Lake, the inspiration for the book and her approach to writing.  Oh, and cauliflower rice!

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Didbin_THE ROOM BY THE LAKE_PBAbout the Book

A sophisticated debut thriller about a young woman drawn in by a cult, from the daughter of crime author, Michael Dibdin. Chilling, thought-provoking and terrifyingly plausible.

Caitlin never meant to stay so long. But it’s strange how this place warps time. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, it’s easy to forget about the world outside.

It all happened so fast. She was lonely, broke, about to give up. Then she met Jake and he took her to his ‘family’: a close-knit community living by the lake. Each day she says she’ll leave but each night she’s back around their campfire. Staring into the flames. Reciting in chorus that she is nothing without them.

But something inside her won’t let go. A whisper that knows this isn’t right. Knows there is danger lurking in that quiet room down by the lake…

Format: Paperback, ebook (320 pp.)                    Publisher: Head of Zeus
 Published: 5th April 2018 [10th August 2017]  Genre: Thriller

Purchase Links*
Publisher (save 25%) ¦Amazon.co.uk ǀ  Amazon.com  ǀ Hive.co.uk (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Room by the Lake on Goodreads

Interview: Emma Dibdin, author of The Room by the Lake

Welcome, Emma! Without giving too much away, can you tell us a bit about The Room by the Lake?

The Room by the Lake is about a young English woman, Caitlin, who’s just out of university and on the verge of a breakdown. Desperate to escape after years of being a caretaker to unstable parents, she spontaneously books a flight to New York, which feels like a place she can become truly lost. Once there, she falls hard for Jake, a charming and slightly damaged former soldier who whisks her away to meet his family at their idyllic lakeside house upstate. But his family isn’t what it seems.

How did you get the idea for the book?

The idea to write about a cult came from a surreal encounter I had years ago in Seattle, with a man on the street who was protesting against then-president Barack Obama. The man was very young, about my age at the time (early twenties), and his argument was bizarre, illogical, as though he had learned it by rote or by brainwashing. He was polite, but dead-eyed, and the encounter really haunted me, particularly when I learned he was part of a far-right “political movement” which is essentially a cult. They prey on young people, I was told, often people cut off from their own families, and that got me thinking about what would make someone psychologically vulnerable enough to be sucked in.

The Room by the Lake is your first novel so can you tell us a bit about your writing journey?

I’ve always written fiction, for as long as I can remember – my mum loves to talk about how I used to write my own Animals of Farthing Wood stories when I was really young! Being an author was what I always wanted to do, but I went into journalism because it seemed like the best way of making an actual living from writing, and continued writing fiction in my spare time. I wrote The Room by the Lake during evenings and weekends, over the course of about two years, and I think the best thing about writing with limited time is that you can’t afford to be too precious – there’s no such thing as waiting for “the muse” to come.

In the book, Caitlin sees her move to New York as a form of escape.  Where in the world would be your dream place to escape to?

Well, funnily enough I really did move from London to New York two years ago, although not to escape! I think my dream place to escape to is anywhere my family and friends are. I’ve been craving a trip to Italy a lot lately – my parents lived there for years and we spent a lot of time there in my childhood, so I think my answer right now is Tuscany.

In The Room by the Lake, Caitlin comes across as a troubled, fragile, rather socially awkward young woman.  Do you think it’s necessary for readers to like the main character in a book in order to engage with them?

No, I don’t think so – I prefer characters that lean more towards anti-hero than straight hero, and any protagonist who’s not at least slightly troubled is a non-starter. Caitlin’s not necessarily somebody I’d want to be friends with, at least not at this point in her life, but I think her fears and insecurities make her fairly relatable. Female coming-of-age stories often get boxed into just being about sexual awakening, and while that’s definitely an element in Caitlin’s journey, I wanted her struggle to be psychological, and about the burden of mental illness in families.

How did you hope the setting of the book – the vast forest, the silent lake – would contribute to its atmosphere?  

The isolation of that setting is really key to Caitlin’s unravelling. Getting away from hectic city life and escaping to a peaceful forest sounds dreamy, but that experience can really turn on a dime if you’re feeling fragile. There’s such a weird duality to New York specifically: people always think of the city, which is one of the most densely populated in the world, but there’s also this vast expanse of very, very remote farmland upstate. I wanted to really draw out the contrast between those frenetic early chapters in Manhattan – where Caitlin’s shaky but at least engaged in the world – and this slow-paced retreat upstate, where she’s seemingly getting better.

Have you tried any of the dishes mentioned in the book – the sweet potato brownies, the cauliflower rice, or even the Apfelwein?

I’ve tried pretty much all of them! Cauliflower rice is great – I won’t pretend it tastes like the real thing, because it does not, but it’s a pretty good light alternative. I would never want to be fully paleo (in the immortal words of Oprah, I love bread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2sx8Bc4mAw) but I do enjoy experimenting with ways to make slightly healthier versions of things, although there’s no substitute for a real brownie.

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

The third act was probably my biggest challenge, just working out how things should finally unravel. The first half of the book was always incredibly clear to me, Caitlin walking around New York in this alienated haze and becoming wilfully lost, but the climactic chapters at the cult went through a lot of different iterations. There’s a twist that comes towards the end of the book which wasn’t in my original draft, but came to me suddenly one day last December – and once I’d figured out that turn, everything else fell into place.

Which other writers do you admire?

Margaret Atwood, George Elliot, Elena Ferrante, Cormac McCarthy and Gillian Flynn are a few of my all-time favourites. I just read Robin Wasserman’s Girls On Fire, which was really vivid and intoxicating. I also love to read plays – I saw Angels in America while I was back in London over the summer, and just bought the text so that I can really dig into the language.

What are you working on next?

I’ve just started my second novel, a thriller that takes place in modern Hollywood, following a young journalist who becomes drawn into the life of a very famous actor she’s assigned to interview. Unlike The Room by the Lake, this book draws a bit from my own experiences (I’ve been in entertainment journalism for years) but with the drama cranked up several notches. I’m also working on a short story commissioned by Audible.

Thank you, Emma, for those fascinating answers…and the inside track on your next book.  

My Review

Following the death of her mother after years of acute mental illness, and feeling betrayed by her father’s relapse into alcohol dependency, Caitlin escapes to New York leaving no trace behind of her intended destination. Intelligent but socially awkward, Caitlin is introspective, a loner by nature with no previous serious relationships and hypersensitive to any signs she may have inherited the psychoses of her mother.

Caitlin is seeking a sanctuary and after weeks roaming New York alone dares to believe she has found it in the person of Jake. He seems to understand her and it appears Caitlin has at last found someone with whom she can share the thoughts and fears she’s kept hidden for so long.   When Jake invites her to travel upstate to meet the loving family he’s told her about, Caitlin readily accepts. What follows will test Caitlin’s resilience, her sense of her own identity, her strength of will and her very sanity.

The author creates a convincing picture of a damaged, traumatised individual making subsequent events believable. This is definitely a slow burner that builds in tension as with a growing sense of unease – like Caitlin – the reader starts to question whether what appears benign is really masking something more insidious and much, much darker.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of NetGalley and publishers Head of Zeus in return for an honest review.

Emma Dibdin NewAbout the Author

Emma Dibdin grew up in Oxford, and now lives in New York. She is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in Esquire, Marie Claire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, and Total Film. The Room by the Lake is her first novel.

Connect with Emma

Website ǀ Twitter ǀ Goodreads

Room by the Lake PB blog tour