Matching The Evidence ~~~~Blog Tour~~~~
Today I am thrilled that it is my stop to host Matching The Evidence Blog Tour by Graham Smith. Not only have I got a Q&A interview with Graham but you all also find my review at the bottom….. So keep on reading guys.
Morning thank you for joining me this morning
Thank you for inviting me
Can you tell us a little about yourself and background?
I’m a time-served joiner, have played rugby for South West Scotland schools, darts against Jocky Wilson and pool against the guy from the Queens Head. I’m married with a son and have been the general manager of a Gretna Green hotel and wedding venue for the last fifteen years.
When did you know that you wanted to become a writer? and how did you go about it?
After tossing the umpteenth book across a room with the proclamation “I could write better than this shite, it finally became time to put my money where my foul mouth was.” I then set about writing a truly terrible first draft of a novel. As I learned the craft better, this ugly duckling grew into the swan that is Snatched from Home.
Can you tell us what genre your books are and the audience you write for?
I write crime fiction thrillers and my first audience is myself. My own reading tastes are at the grittier end of the mainstream and I figure that if I can please a fussy sod like me, I can also please others.
What is your writing process? and how long does it take?
I throw down a first draft in which I try to get a daily average of at least a thousand words a day. Once the novel is complete I set it aside for a few weeks then read it looking for big mistakes like people not being dead anymore, other continuity errors, repetition (which I’m guilty of) and plot holes. I make notes of these points them fix them after the read through. My next step is to take a couple of slow passes in which I make minor editorial and grammatical changes. The last part of my process sees me reading the novel aloud as I firmly believe that if the tongue trips over something, so will the eye. This whole process can take a year as I have a break from writing in the summer months as it’s the busy season at work and I’m too mentally exhausted to start writing when I get home.
Are your characters based on anyone you know or are they just fictional?
Most of my characters have some elements of people I know or have met.
Have you wrote about a personal experience in your novels?
There’s a scene in Snatched from Home where John Campbell is taking his wife to hospital so she can have a baby. That entire sequence is based on the night my son was born, right down to the journey home. All I changed was the name given to the baby and the song (not the artist) that was playing on the radio at the time baby was born. (As a side note, the kidnapped boy in Snatched from Home was called Kyle which was my wife and I’s second choice when naming our son.)
What research do you do?
I do as much as I feel is necessary for the story. I try to write about emotion rather than fact wherever possible, but those pesky facts will keep interfering.
Who would you like to co-write with and why?
Hitler. I would kill him at the start of the process and thus make the world a better place while also allowing myself to be the sole author of the book.
What's your favorite book?
HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean – Pace, plot and character in perfect harmony
What's your favorite food?
Indian – Spice is the variety of life.
What's your favorite film?
Die Hard – Utterly brilliant. I have to watch this whenever it’s on regardless of how many times I’ve already seen it.
What's your favorite song?
Sweet Child O’ Mine – That intro still raises the hairs on the back of my neck nearly thirty years after first hearing it.
How can readers find out more information about yourself and your books?
On my website www.grahamsmithauthor.com should be the answer but I’m having some technical difficulties so look me up on Facebook and say hi.
Graham wanders off swearing about technical difficulties to do with websites.*
LOL Graham…..by the way Die Hard is a top film one of my favourites to
The Book
Carlisle United are playing Millwall and the Major Crimes Team are assigned to crowd control as punishment for their renegade ways. Typically DI Harry Evans has other ideas and tries to thwart the local firm’s plans to teach Millwall’s notorious Bushwhackers an unforgettable lesson.
Meanwhile an undercover cop is travelling north with some of the Millwall contingent. His mission is to identify the ringleaders and gather evidence against them.
Three illegal immigrants have been transported to Carlisle and are about to meet their new employers.
Nothing is as it seems for Evans and his Major Crimes Team as they battle to avoid a bloodbath while also uncovering a far more heinous crime
My thoughts
Carlisle United are playing Millwall and the Major Crimes Team are assigned to crowd control as punishment for their renegade ways. Typically DI Harry Evans has other ideas and tries to thwart the local firm’s plans to teach Millwall’s notorious Bushwhackers an unforgettable lesson.
Meanwhile an undercover cop is travelling north with some of the Millwall contingent. His mission is to identify the ringleaders and gather evidence against them.
Three illegal immigrants have been transported to Carlisle and are about to meet their new employers.
Nothing is as it seems for Evans and his Major Crimes Team as they battle to avoid a bloodbath while also uncovering a far more heinous crime
The big question is why have I never read this author before?! OMG Graham certainly knows how to write a good story that will keep you turning the pages until the end. I can totally see why Noelle from Crime Book Junkie loves him so much, This is an author not to missed, I absolutely loved Matching The Evidence and I am now jumping on the Graham Smith bandwagon having found a brilliant new author.
So Matching The Evidence is actually a novella and is a follow up to Snatched From Home, which I am actually half way through! But having totally lost track of time I had to ditch that to read this one. And I am happy to report that this book can be read as a standalone. But with it being one fabulous story and Graham's unique writing skills. I am sure you will want to read them both anyway.
In this story we meet DI Harry Evans and his Major Crimes Team. Who is a character you can't help but like,and I am intrigued to know more about him. Evans and his team are assigned to crowd control as punishment for their renegade ways. At a match between Carlisle United and Millwall. where we have a storyline about football hooligans Then there are illegal immigrants that have been transported to Carlisle and are about to meet their new employers. Which follows a storyline of how they are treated. I loved the fact that their is more than one crime going on. Which made it even more enjoyable.
I devoured this book in a matter of hours finding it an easy and realistic read with great characters and most importantly for me it's gritty. For me the gritter the better and Graham definitely doesn't disappoint.
If like myself you haven't tried Graham's books yet you sure as hell won't regret it. I highly recommend this giving it 4.5 stars.
Thank you to Noelle Holten for organising this tour and asking me to take part and also Graham Smith and Caffeine Nights for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
Graham Smith is married with a young son. A time served joiner he has built bridges, houses, dug drains and slated roofs to make ends meet. Since Christmas 2000 he has been manager of a busy hotel and wedding venue near Gretna Green, Scotland.
An avid fan of crime fiction since being given one of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books at the age of eight, he has also been a regular reviewer and interviewer for the well-respected website Crimesquad.com since 2009
He is the author of four books featuring DI harry Evans and the Cumbrian Major Crimes Team.
Matching the Evidence
Snatched from Home
Lines of Enquiry
I Know Your Secret – Out October 2016
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