COME UNDONE - BLURB - WIP

DETECTIVE JACK FALLON HAS WORKED IN THE EASTWOOD LOCAL AREA COMMAND FOR A DECADE.

HE'S NEVER HAD A DAY LIKE THIS.

A MISSING SHOPKEEPER

THE MURDER OF A GOVERNMENT AGENT'S FAMILY

A ROGUE MI-6 OPERATIVE SEARCHING FOR A MAN WHO DOESN'T EXIST

AND THE LOOMING THREAT OF A GLOBAL NETWORK OF ASSASSIN'S ENROACHING ON HIS TURF

OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS, JACK FALLON'S WORLD

IS GOING TO COME UNDONE...

TOP 5 TUESDAYS: AUTHORS

WORTH MENTIONING…

C.J. Box, Duane Swierczynski, Vince Flynn, Stephen King, Dennis Lehane, Greg Rucka, Peter Corris

5) MATTHEW REILLY

Had I been compiling this list a year or two ago, Matthew Reilly would’ve been far closer to my #1 spot, but over time my adulation for his novels has dampened, not necessarily because of a lack of quality on his part; rather, I’m less inclined to take as much enjoyment from a rip-roaring action-adventure tale than a more character-focused narrative. Reilly’s novels are perfect airplane fiction; breathless adrenalines rides that only slow down for the characters to reload their assault rifles. I’m a huge fan of his Shane ‘Scarecrow’ Schofield series – Ice Station will always hold a place in my heart as the novel that made me realise books could be just as thrilling as films – but as Reilly began to focus on his Jack West Jr. series, my interest waned. These weren’t bad novels, by any stretch of the imagination; the plots simply enticed me less than the rather more simplistic Undermanned Marine Unit versus Everybody Else skew the Scarecrow novels employ (to great effect). The most recent Schofield novel, SCARECROW & THE ARMY OF THIEVES, was a tad disappointing in my eyes – Reilly sought to elucidate on his protagonist’s past, and I thought his backstory came across a tad contrived and uninspired – but no author can knock it out of the park on each attempt. Matthew Reilly also warrants a place in my Top 5, because many years ago, at the tender age of sixteen, I wrote an email to Reilly and he responded personally, wishing me the best as I sought to conquer the world with my stories. He wasn’t quite the number one bestselling author then – though he was well on his way – but novelists are my rock stars, and seeing his email in my inbox was an absolute thrill, and big props to the man for taking the time to respond to a fan.

FAVOURITE NOVEL: ICE STATION

4) IAN RANKIN

I never really liked John Rebus. I enjoyed Ian Rankin’s intricate storytelling and portrayal of Edinburgh, but Rebus was never a character I thought I’d like to meet at the pub; which is why the eventual introduction of Siobhan Clarke was so brilliant, as her outlook on life always seemed far sunnier, and she was an altogether more welcoming character. She was that cool mix of call hardboiled copper with enough strokes of humanity within her to make her appealing. The Rebus series was wonderful, and credit must go to Rankin for allowing his characters to age in real-time, a storytelling technique I would love to emulate one day. But it’s not the Rebus series that has granted Rankin a place in my Top 5; it’s his latest protagonist, Malcom Fox of the complaints unit, a far more human, emotional character than Rebus ever was, whose inaugural novel, aptly titled THE COMPLAINTS, is firmly planted in my top 3 crime novels list. Rankin’s writing is crisp and his plotting is intricate, and with Malcom Fox, I’m more excited than ever by his output.

FAVOURITE NOVEL: THE COMPLAINTS

3) MICHAEL CONNELLY

Is it just me, or has Harry Bosh mellowed over time? I read my first Bosch novel in High School and hated the character, but nowadays, Bosch seems far more likeable, but just as capable with regard to his investigatory ability. I read a few Michael Connelly novels in my early teens, and enjoyed them well enough, but they didn’t quite warrant further investment – until the creation of Mickey Haller in the 2005 novel THE LINCOLN LAWYWER (more recently adapted to a pretty darn good flick). I’m not a huge fan of legal thrillers – I’ve read my fair share of John Grisham – but somehow, thanks to his prose and precise plotting, Connelly hooked me into Haller’s world. This is due, in part, to Haller’s fractured family life, and subsequent connections to Harry Bosch; it was a very cool move, linking both of his ‘worlds,’ and though I’ve now gone back and read the entirety of the Bosch catalogue, it’s the next Mickey Haller novel I’ve really got my heart set on.

FAVOURITE NOVEL: THE LINCOLN LAWYER

2) LEE CHILD

The premise of Child’s protagonist, Jack Reacher, is so simple, it actually bothers me. He’s a nomadic hero, wandering from place to place; a cowboy, from yesteryear, arriving in a new town, solving its injustices, bedding it’s finest woman, before setting off on his next inadvertent adventure. My first Reacher novel was PERSUADER, which was, by Child’s standards, a fairly simple story, but what really got my attention was the prose; short, snappy sentences, detailed descriptions of the settings, and eloquently scribed moments of vicious violence. What’s most fascinating about Jack Reacher now, as the series has continued, is the malleability of the tales available for Child to explore. As he’s done in THE ENEMY and THE AFFAIR, Child can delve into Reacher’s past; he can throw Reacher into unlikely scenarios involving conspiracies within the US Government (WITHOUT FAIL); or simply have Reacher walk into the wrong town at the wrong time, and deal with consequences as only he knows how (KILLING FLOOR). Always thoroughly entertaining novels, I can’t imagine a day when I won’t have my annual Jack Reacher intake – these novels are just so damn good, and I’ll forever be hoping my own characters can emulate Jack Reacher’s success.

FAVOURITE NOVEL: DIE TRYING

1) HARLAN COBEN

I read the entirety of Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar series in the space of three months, and since that day, no author has come close to replicating Coben’s strike-rate with me. Every novel is a home run, as far as I’m concerned, and his shift to standalone narratives (which take place in a ‘shared’ universe, it should be noted) has only emphasized his talent. There’s always humour in Coben’s novels, and a willingness to explore societal issues, but never at the expense of the story; Coben is never preachy. Another cool factoid about his work is his distinct lack of usage of a Detective / Inspector as a protagonist. Of course, there are such characters within the pages of his works, but very rarely do they take centre stage; the protagonist is always a bystander who gets drawn into a mystery; a family man or woman; everyday people thrown into extraordinary scenarios. Coben keeps his characters fresh, each and every time, and it’s a wonderful testament to his ability as storyteller that he doesn’t rely on the genres tropes. There’s nothing bardboiled about Harlan Coben’s novels; they’re just rip-roaring yarns that offer something different and wonderful as each novel hits the shelves.

FAVOURITE NOVEL: PROMISE ME

Footsteps

As an unpublished writer my mission statement is really quite simple: just write.

And, most importantly, finish what I started.

Between 2005 and 2010 I wrote a lot without every really finishing anything. Five years of getting to the halfway points of novels and then stopping to start something fresh. My reasons for alternating between projects varied. Sometimes, I just got bored of the story. Occasionally I questioned my aptitude; though my prose too horrid to warrant continuation. Most of the time, it was through lack of planning. An idea would spark me into action, I’d begin typing, but without a roadmap, I didn’t know where I was going, and I’d wedge myself into unassailable plot holes. My narratives would lose focus.

I still have those half-written tales. There is some gold in there, for sure. Occasionally I’ll read through those pages and smile, because they remind me of where I was at that moment in life; of how easily my prose was manipulated by books and comics I was reading at the time. More than anything, they remind me of how essential it is to have an outline. As excited as you can be to write your story, to get right into the meat of it the moment your imagination ignites, you need to know where you’re going. You must have the ending in mind, and at least some semblance of how you’re going to get there, even if it’s just a series of dot-points scrawled on a notepad page.

In December 2010 I began plotting the novel that has become COME UNDONE, the first in an intended series of novels centred on Australian Detective Jack Fallon. This was a broad stroke document which detailed the core elements of the narrative whilst leaving room to divert into other areas, and in 2011 I began writing. I quickly learned that I needed more than broad strokes; more than a ‘general idea’ of how I was going to get from A to B. I realised I needed a concrete plan; not entirely unmalleable, because such restriction might dampen my enthusiasm, but the outline needed to be tight and focused. I scrapped the work I’d begun – about 100 pages at that point – and relayed the groundwork. My outline became a notepad bursting with handwritten notes, and eventually, a twenty-page document segmented into chapters. It detailed the central ‘through lines’ of the story, as well as several lesser-story strings that enhanced the characters. With this outline beside me, I began writing again, and this time to far greater effect. The outline acted as a list; I could tick off the chapters I’d written, and I suddenly found myself tearing through scenes. I never questioned the direction of the narrative; I simply followed my roadmap. Sure, there were occasions when I might scrap something or include another facet to the tale, but never without properly planning the impacts of these changes to the rest of the plot.

Cut to today, and COME UNDONE is undergoing some major edits. There are certain sections of the novel that must be validated with facts. I didn’t want to get bogged down in too much research prior to writing the novel – so along the way I made notes as to where I’d need to corroborate certain scenes. Following this stage, I’ll let the novel sit for a couple weeks, return to it with fresher eyes for another edit. Then I’ll get it out there, to a select few people, for their thoughts. Then, one final edit.

And then - ?

Well, that’s the thing.

I’m currently considering going the self-publishing route, because it’s an arena I’m very keen to explore. At the same time, however, I do love the idea of being traditionally published, and presenting my manuscript for professional eyes to consider. I suppose we’ll wait and see. I’ve not lulled myself into any sort of arrogance, believing it’s a foregone conclusion I’ll get my work out there through mainstream methods. Publishing’s a tough game, and there are a lot of brilliant unpublished manuscripts out there. I’ve read a few myself, courtesy of fellow author pals. One way or the other, though, in 2012 I will present my father with my finished novel, and whether he loves it or loathes it, that will be one of the proudest moments of my life. From there, it’ll be back to the keyboard, because I’ve already got several other projects fully plotted – two more FALLON tales, a potential trilogy under the HOUSE OF ENDTIMES banner.

I’ll keep writing, always, because I realised long ago, I don’t know how not to write; how to stop ideas percolating in the back of my mind during days spent in the office. Even when plot isn’t at the forefront of my mind, when I’m focused on other things – work, family, and friends – I can still feel these characters. They want to get out. They need to get out. Until the day I physically can’t, this is what I’ll do:

Write.

Finish what I started.

Improve.

My endgame is publication - but I’m having fun with the foreplay.

Commitment to your Craft

In a recent interview with Brian Michael Bendis, Greg Rucka offered advice to aspiring writers:

"It always comed down to commitment to your craft.

That's the only thing you can control.

You cannot control anything else.

All you can control is your relationship to your work and the effort you're willing to put into it, and how willing you are to recognize that you're never going to be good enough and that you always have to get better."

It is such simple advice, but so fundamental to any writer's success. At the end of the day, you just need to write your damn story. It's no good pondering the What If's and Maybe's, because they're not relevant until you've written the entire thing to the best of your ability.

That's the rule I've tried to live by this year; ignore everything else, market trends, whatever.

Just write.

Finish what I started.

And see where it takes me.

AvX - Report Card

Avengers versus X-Men is a label that might sell comics, but just how intrinsic their battle is to the overarching plot of Marvel's latest 'event' is debatable. At its core, this is a story about the return of the Phoenix Force and the potential repercussions that involves for Earth. Sure, there's a conflict between the two groups - it feels slightly contrived in places, but I've been happy to go with it - but it's disheartening to learn that's not the primary focus of the narrative; that the AvX banner is little more than a marketing tool.

AvX #4 highlights the pacing problems with the series. We're four issues in, and unless I've forgotten certain details, I can summarise the plot in a paragraph or less. We're stuck in a cycle of both sides searching for Hope, for differing reasons, clashing, and then regrouping to do the same again, as meanwhile, various heroes battle the looming threat of the Phoenix. The scripts have been serviceable - Hickman's certainly toned down in his issue - and Romita's art is always a treat - but the storytelling lacks any punch, which might've been less obvious if the events of these four issues took place in the space of two. The narrative is building to something, and Marvel's hinted at huge consequences, but the issues themselves lack zest.

Of course, I'll continue with the series, because I'm a sucker, and despite it all, I want to believe that events can still be meaningful, rather than blatant money-grabs, but as things currently stand, AvX won't warrant a second read-through, and has fallen well below the top of my stack.