"Makes a living by travelling, talking a lot and sometimes writing stuff down. Galericulate author of Everyone Burns, a crime novel set on Koh Samui, Thailand."
John Dolan hails from a small town in the North-East of England. Before turning to writing, his career encompassed law and finance. He has run businesses in Europe, South and Central America, Africa and Asia. He and his wife Fiona currently divide their time between Thailand and the UK.
John maintains a blog, Galericulate - which means 'hidden under a hat' - in which he interviews authors, reviews books, writes about his travels and does the odd bit of creative scribbling. You can read his blog by clicking here
My Review
This is the fourth book I have read by John Dolan, and I absolutely love the way he meshes the first book "Jim Fosse's Expense Claim",in to this series of books. He has melded the two stories together so very cleverly. It is also technically the third volume in the series "Time, Blood and Karma" The books follow David Braddock, a complicated and troubled individual that has relocated to Thailand to work as a counsellor and private investigator. The Poison Tree tells of David's life prior to this move. Of the time when he lived and worked in a dim, damp and dismal Leicester, offering an extreme contrast to his exotic lifestyle in Thailand. Where do I start? This is the best so far, the wordmanship John utilises is amazing, leaving me a very jealous author. His use of words, descriptions of characters and of their developing relationships, is superb. This book is instrumental in bringing enlightenment to the reader, by way of fleshing out the bones of the characters that are portrayed in the previous books. This, is in addition to a more in depth analysis of the character Jim Fosse. This is a prequel of sorts, and allows the reader to consider the characters from the first two volumes in more depth, giving us a detailed analysis of each individual. Explaining more fully why certain characters act the way that they do. This book has plenty of light and shade, taking me from a sad and emotional individual, to giggling at the irreverent behaviour of Auntie Jean when David Braddock visits he in the nursing home she resides in. Once again I am compelled to give this an utterly well deserved five stars. I can't wait to read what adventures David gets up to in the next book in the series. I am certain that John will once more provide David with tumultuous events and relationships in order to keep us reading avidly
My guest this week is Alexandria Hingecliff, the main character in my WIP (work in Progress) The Prophecy Unfolds ( Dragon Queen).......
I was tagged by my friend and fellow author Eric Gatesin a little game called....... Meet My Main Character Blog Tour
The Rules are simple... …the taggee must write a post answering the same seven questions about their Main Character… then the taggee becomes the tagger and chooses five other authors… sort of like a chain letter with all the potential to become a global virus. As I already have one published novel I could have chosen one of the three main characters in one of the three short stories therein, but instead, plumbed for Alexandria.
…now meet my main character.
1. Tell us a bit about your main character? Is she fictional or a historic person? Alexandria (Alex to her friends) Hingecliff is the main character in my WIP ( work in progress ). Alex is thirty-two years of age, and a native of Manchester, England (now there's a surprise!) Alex is a fictional character who has decided to make a fresh start to her life by moving to Bangor, North Wales. She has recently ended a long term relationship with her boyfriend Paul, and felt it would be a good career move. Alex has long auburn hair, and sky blue eyes. She is a very driven person, although her journey from here on in, will assist her to discover further inner strengths. We meet her initially as she is travelling through the beautiful countryside of The Snowdonia National Park, amid the local forests. This is where she is kidnapped and taken to another world via portals that exist here. For Alex is the hinge pin to this world turning from a dystopian disaster and into a Utopian world.
2. When and where are the stories set?
The story is set in the present day and begins on Earth, quickly moving via a portal to the planet Syros. On Syros the adventure continues, taking Alex across this strange world as she meets up with the other main protaganists in this exciting, supernatural adventure. She is kidnapped as she journeys through the Snowdonian National Park, as she is heading over to Bangor. She is travelling there in order to view accommodation, secured in anticipation of starting her new job. Although Syros encompasses the same time frame as Earth that is where the similarities end. The people that encompass this world dress in a style reminiscent of the late Victorian, early Edwardian era. It is also a Steampunk world, that is to say, the vast majority of the energy used to drive machinery there is provided by steam power. 3. What should we know about her? We should know that Alex is a very determined and empathetic character. A caring individual who generally puts others needs before her own. She is also has submissive traits therefore is easily dominated by the men she meets on her adventures. Evolving throughout this and the subsequent books in the series Dragon Queen, resulting in a much stronger and less easily manipulated woman, than initially portrayed.
4. What is the main conflict? What messes up her life?
The females that inhabit this world have had problems with fertility leading to the population reducing over time. Alex is pivotal in reversing this situation, especially with regard to the werewolves and dragon riders, and in turn the dragons. Her arrival is the catalyst for change on the planet. Ultimately leading the way for this to become a Utopian world as opposed to a Dystopian one.
5. What is her personal goal? Her personal goal was to kick start her career, and her life in general, after organising her move to North Wales. She felt that this move would help her escape from the rut she felt her life had fallen in to. After her capture, her goals reflect the changes she too undertakes and involves altering the course of the prophecy she is expected to fulfil. Now her goals involve the new family she acquires following her arrival on Syros, as she realises her fate is inescapable.
6. What are the titles of your novels, and can we read more about them? My first published novel is a book of short erotica romance stories and is Bound for Passion Erotic Love Stories. It is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Barnes and Noble as well as through book stores such as Waterstones.
The new book, and first in the series is scheduled to be published later on this year, in August/ September. Work is still being done to produce the cover for this, although you may like the mock up my good friend, and fellow author Jonathan Fletcherproduced for me before he knew the title. Made me giggle. It is actually calledThe Prophecy Unfolds (Dragon Queen) but Jon used the working title of Bottom for the mock up!
The jury is still out whether this will be used, or not. I would love some opinions as to what everyone thinks of this as a potential cover, so I would be grateful for any feedback in this matter. 7. When can we expect the next book to be published? The first in the series of Dragon Queen is going to go for editing and proofreading very soon, once my beta readers have given their feedback and any changes implemented, I will publish. At this moment in time I will once again be Indie Publishing this. Although things could change as I was approached a while ago by a publishing house, for this forthcoming novel. Following this, there is a planned sequel (at the request of readers) to Bound for Passion Erotic Love Stories, this should be available to read in time for Christmas 2014
xxXxx
Now for the good stuff where I get to choose my victims............errrr authors to tag Ist up is Shaun Allan my good friend and author of Sin and Dark Places onshaunallan.co.uk 2nd is another good friend and author of numerous genre Neil Winnington, author of Bollywood Nights amongst other numerous titles here: enwinauthor.blogspot.co.uk No 3 is Yet again a friend and fellow author D J Bowman-Smith, author of Shoken Wars and the Sophie Lyne Cat Detective series of book. Her Blog is heredjbowmansmith.com 4th up is Gareth S Young aka @SpartaGus on Twitter, writer, friend and blogger at 1000trillionsuns.blogspot.co.uk Most recent release Monster. 5th Last and not least I have tagged anther good mate and author Francis Potts, writer of multiple genres once again. His books include Tilly Lake's Road Trip and Ernestine and Walter. You can find my final victim here www.francispotts.com
I also have to thank my very good friend Eric Gates for tagging me in the first place......... you can check out Eric's Blogs and informations about his writing here ....my-thrillers.blogspot.co.uk
Apologies for the lateness of this post, but circumstances beyond my control have led to delays, but nose to the grindstone again now. To explain, I had a head on crash on the Monday following this gig and then life stepped in and kicked me while I was down. But, back at it now with a vengeance, ready for action. I attended this gig in Manchester at the invitation of The Darlingtons, an amazing band I watched back in February when they supported Puppet Rebellion at an E.P. Launch at Gullivers. I was really pleased to accept their invite, and had a fantastic night to boot. The event was a joint enterprise betweenMancunia Promotions andAggressive Managementand was held at theNight & Day Cafe, a popular venue to use, with lots of atmosphere here, at every gig I have attended. Well worth a visit, should you make it to Manchester in the future.
The Revered
First up is the band The Revered, an Indie band from Chester. They describe themselves on theirwebsite as 5 lads who play catchy, melodic, feel good, Indie pop songs. The band was formed in early 2013 when brothers Dan and Chris Ratcliffe, (rhythm and lead) moved south of the Scottish border and met up with bassist Mike Jones, drummer Al 'the animal' Martin and frontman Rich Sanna. They are set to return to the studio in the summer, working with up and coming producers/managers "Sugar House Music". 2014 is set to be a huge year for the band.... Especially if rumours of major label interest come to fruition!!
Upcomings gig are;
9th July 2014 - Supporting LONELY DAKOTA @ Pot & Kettle - Rhyl
10th July 2014 - De Bees - Winsford
1st Aug 2014 - The Swan With Two Necks - Macclesfield
2nd Aug 2014 - MAGNERS SESSIONS - Ashton Lane - Glasgow
11th Sep 2014 - De Bees - Winsford
13th Sep 2014 - MAGNERS SESSIONS - Spinningfields - Manchester
Next up are The SSS from Sheffield ( where most of the bands come from). This band was formed in early 2013, and the line up is Josh Coddington (vocals & guitar), Morgan Somers (guitar), Tom Forster (guitar), Cal Atherton (bass) and last but no means least Max Smith (drums) The band cite influences from Joy Division and a bit of an eclectic mix up to include The Courteneers and Arctic Monkeys.
In their first year as a band their track 'Snake In The Grass' was crownedSheffield Band's Song of 2013. I have included a link to the page but the site is under maintenance just now. You can find the video below.
The Monday Club are a 3 piece band from....you guessed it >>>Sheffield. The band line up is Paul Hawksworth on Vocals/Guitar, Darren Ullyett - Vocals/Bass, Marc Wragg on the Drums. They describe themselves as a storming Indie/Mod 3 piece with pop sensibilities and an unmissable live show. Download their debut single 'Itchy Feet' here: http://tinyurl.com/nvg9a7s
They have been described as a"Bluesy, soulful Indie rock and roll band from Sheffield" on reverbnations. With truly brilliant guitar playing and the fact that they appear so relaxed and at home on stage making them a band to watch.
Upcoming gigs are: Thursday 10th July - The Greystones, Sheffield (Acoustic Show) Supporting Mark Morriss of The Bluetones - Tickets here Friday 11th July - Scunthorpe, The Abacus - Free Entry Friday 25th July - Tramlines Festival, Sheffield - TBA Sunday 27th July - Tramlines Festival, Sheffield - The Green Room (Stage time TBC)
I had never seen MOSCOW perform before this night, but, I will endeavour to see them again, of that I have no doubt. Not only were they a fantastic band, they were also fantastically entertaining too.
The band is from Stoke and is a four piece, they have influences from The Clash, Joy Division and are glam rock at it's finest, with some Bowie thrown in for good measure. The band line up consists of Nic Andrews - vocals, Mark Powell on drums, Matt Hicks on guitar and finally, Tom Booth on bass guitar. The front man Nic is a versatile entertainer and would go far in the circus. His ability ( and the whole bands too) to interact and entertain the audience was incredible. He moved forward from the stage via the tables, and took a stroll down the bar at one point! He also looked like a bat in a belfry for a while as he hung upside down from the rigging. Amazing vocals combined with a passionate performance by all the band proved a real crowd pleaser. Definitely one to watch out for .
This pic has been kindly supplied by Midi Photography
Like I said earlier, I met The Darlingtons for the first time at an E.P. launch and was truly impressed with their polished performance. The line up of The Darlingtons is Kiran Roy - vocalist/guitarist, Daniel Young - lead guitar, Alex Bispham - bass player and last, but not least Chris Holmes on drums. This gig was to be no different, polished and animated. They shone like the future stars that they are, giving every last ounce of energy that they could. They gave an explosive performance, saving the best until last. By the end of their set everyone was up and dancing, it was contagious and I danced at the front with fellow bloggersSquarepigandCharlotte. Once again, like one of the dancing princesses I had sore feet at the end of the night, but happy sore feet.
Images for The Darlington supplied by Trust a Fox Photography
The band (who now spend most of their time in Sheffield) have played nearly every nook and crevice in the UK. From Plymouth to Newcastle to Glasgow, and London, Manchester and Leeds inbetween, the inumerable shows have helped the four piece develop an accomplished live persona and sound more suited to bands playing arenas than inbetween the sweaty walls of the much overlooked UK out-of-London scene.
After a couple of mouth watering sets at 2014´s Great Escape Festival, and repeated sold out shows across Europe, it´s only a matter of time before the euphoria of tracks such as ´Don´t Give Me Hope´ and ´Rotations´ reach a tipping point, as their cult fanbase sows the seeds, spreading the word of a dedicated, impressive and ambitious band of (essentially) brothers.
Upcoming gigs;
Sat Jul 12 - WILLOW FESTIVAL - Peterborough, United Kingdom Sun Jul 13 - Owls in the Park Festival - Sheffield, United Kingdom Sat Aug 16 - New Age Festival - Bridgwater, United Kingdom You can find them on Twitter, Facebook, soundcloud, YouTube and their website
Lots of new blog post to follow so keep your eyes peeled Love to you all Scarlett xXx
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