Death on Dartmoor
Today I am pleased to be able to
participate in the blog tour for Death on Dartmoor by B A Steadman. My thanks
go to Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books.
About the Book
Life
is good for DI Dan Hellier until the discovery of two headless, handless
bodies buried in a bog on Dartmoor. But how can he identify the victims when
nobody has reported them missing?
The
tension mounts when the death of a young man plunges Hellier into the murky
world of the Garrett family. Could the peaceful, family-run Animal Rescue
Centre really be a cover for murder and other criminal activity?
Hellier
is about to learn just how far people will go to get what they want.
And this
investigation will challenge Hellier’s decisions as he races to catch another
murderer before it’s too late.
Extract
Today I am pleased to be able to curl up in a comfortable chair, with a
drink and chat to the author. Why don’t
you do the same and curl up and read what she has to tell me.
The question that was asked was, Why Do I write? The original answer was I like
making it all up!
Luckily for me she kindly went on to expand, otherwise that would have been a very short interview and told me that ....
People often ask me why I decided to
write, and, to be honest, there are times I ask myself the same question. But,
when it’s going well and the words tumble out of my fingers and onto the
computer it’s the best feeling. The act of creativity is powerful and totally
absorbing. To those times, I can’t think of anything I would rather do.
When it’s not going so well, when it’s
sticky and there are breaks, (of weeks, sometimes) and a whole lot of staring
at the wall, then I wonder what on earth I’m doing. But, hey, I took early
retirement from teaching to write, so I suck up the bad days and crack on. I
always compare it to learning to play a sport or a musical instrument; there
are geniuses who can do it all naturally with what seems like little effort,
and then there are the rest of us, who don’t expect (or get) instant fame and
fortune, but who expect (and get) to spend a long, long time learning and
honing our writing craft. If that learning leads to publication and kind
reviews, then all the effort is absolutely worthwhile. In fact it’s incredibly
exciting to see your own book in print, and to know that people are reading and
enjoying it – priceless.
As a child, I read my way through all
the Greek and Roman myths. I loved the fantasy element of these powerful gods
playing havoc on humanity. At the same time, my mother’s boss gave me the
complete set of P G Wodehouse Wooster and Jeeves books, which introduced me to
silliness, and the clever sidekick. I learned about story, about humour and
character.
In my teenage and early adult years I
loved science fiction and fantasy, devouring HG Wells and John Wyndham,
revelling in the fact that they made it
all up. I read Asimov, Bradbury, and in fantasy, David Eddings, Raymond
Feist (I doubt any series has bettered The Riftwar saga), Sherri S Tepper. I
could go on, for a year or two probably.
Later, in my thirties, I got into
crime, and now I am a Scottish noir addict: Stuart MacBride, Pater May, Rankin,
McDermid, love them all. Also, more internationally, Louise Penny for setting
and her wonderful Inspector Gamache, J D Robb for a brilliant heroine, Eve
Dallas, and Kate Atkinson for Jackson Brodie. So, I suppose that is why, when I
finally sat down to write a novel, crime was the first genre I felt comfortable
enough to have a go at, and Dan Hellier was born.
In fact, my comment about the early
sci-fi writers is the key to the whole pleasure of writing for me. I get to sit
in my room with a computer and make stuff up. I can create an evil baddie, and
get my detective to destroy her in the end. I can search the area where I live
for interesting crime scenes among the gorgeous countryside and beaches, and
then just make it all up.
After a lifetime of doing what other
people told me to do, being quiet (tough), not letting my imagination run riot,
(tougher) and sticking to the facts (completely impossible) – it’s liberating!
Thanks to the author for joining me today and sharing the reason why she writes. If you enjoyed this, why don't you read more about the author below and follow the links to buy the books.
Thanks to the author for joining me today and sharing the reason why she writes. If you enjoyed this, why don't you read more about the author below and follow the links to buy the books.
About the Author
Bernie
taught English for many years but only dabbled in short fiction and poetry
until a few years ago when she took to writing full-time. She
completed her debut novel, Death in the Woods when she escaped
the classroom and could finally stop marking essays. This was the first in the
West Country Mysteries series featuring DI Dan Hellier and his Exeter-based
team. There are now three in the series, Death on Dartmoor and Death
on the Coast completing the
series.
Bernie
lives in a small village in East Devon and her novels are set in and around the
ancient Roman city of Exeter, which
has seen its fair share of murder and mayhem over the centuries. The books
explore the beauty of the area, but demonstrate that even in the most charming
of settings, terrible events may occur.
When not
glued to the laptop, Bernie is a keen yoga fan and enjoys walking and cycling
in the Devon countryside with her husband. They share their home with two
large, black cats which came from the animal sanctuary where she is a volunteer
and trustee.
Social Media Links
To buy from:
Check out the rest of the blog
tour with these fabulous blogs:
My thanks to B A Steadman for joining me today and sharing the reason why she writes,
the publishers Bloodhound Books and also Sarah Hardy for my spot
on the blog tour.
