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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

28 Oct 2012, 10:57 AM | Post: #1

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Andrew Barrett

I thought it high time I created my own author's thread, so here it is. Groovy

Crime thrillers are my thing. I work in that area (for the good guys!) and so it was natural that I wrote in that genre too. I created my first crime thriller in 1998 or thereabouts, and it's still alive and kicking. A Long Time Dead has seen some changes in the intervening years; not least the lead character. He was originally called Jon Benedict, but after a re-work last year, I changed him to Roger Conniston. Alongside Jon, also ejected were some plotlines, including the one about the death threat I received in my first year of doing this job. It frighted the hell out of me, but I thought it would be a great subject for the 'new' book. It turned out that it wasn't really, so it hit the bin. I'm very proud to say that Dead reached number 2 on Amazon in the summer and is still going strong.

Hot on the heels of Dead, Stealing Elgar was born. This was a very ambitious project. It involved elements of terrorist organisations; and it has its roots in some of the things that were happening in West Yorkshire around 2000. It depends upon your disposition, but you might find parts of Elgar bloody or gory, but not gratuitously so. The book is packed with action, but ultimately it's there to illustrate the depth of feeling and emotion that good and even bad people can experience. It's my favourite book (so far), and it's the one most people think should be turned into a film.

Elgar was rich with characters and it seemed fitting to give them even more crises to deal with. I did this in No More Tears. Tears comes with an even bigger emotional punch. I suspect most people will look at these books and think they're just another set of crime stories, but I really like to dig down deep into what drives people to their actions, and of course, what re-actions they cause. Tears looks at two main problems facing the protagonists: that old chestnut, the One Last Job, and that most troubling of deliberations: Retribution.

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

30 Oct 2012, 11:02 PM | Post: #2

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RE: Andrew Barrett

After The Dead Trilogy, a conversation with a colleague about a persistent criminal who was still causing havoc, produced the words, "He ought to be shot, it's not as though we're short of people, is it?"

And so the embers of The Third Rule began to glow. I simply asked myself the question: What if we had the death penalty back?
Of course, this being modern England where statistics rule, there would be enormous pressure put on law enforcement to get results, and equally, there would be errors - there always are with any new system. And as such, the pressure might drive one or two individuals to bend the rules slightly, catching a few innocent people in the net alongside the guilty. So what? Results count!

Living inside this Big Picture are real people who are caught up in something they want nothing to do with; being dragged towards an inevitable fate they are powerless to prevent. The Third Rule skims across the lives of some of these people, and sinks into the murky depths of a few others, exploring ruthlessly. It's highly emotional and frighteningly vivid. But then I would say that, wouldn't I? Rest assured, others have too.

Whichever camp you fall into, I hope more than anything else that The Third Rule makes you ponder its questions and makes you wonder about living in such a world. If it does, I'd welcome your thoughts.

I began writing The Third Rule in 2004 and broke off for a few months to tackle some script writing. That few months turned into six years. 2011 came along and I could stay away from the book no longer. I finished it in a screaming ball of hair-pulling frenzy at 3am one April morning this year. Since then it's been through the editing mill once or twice, has been scrutinized and scribbled upon several times. And now at last, after suffering technical difficulties, it's due to take its first breath in the real world.

Opinion was split right down the middle whether it should be published as a single volume or as a trilogy - splitting one story into three volumes. After a great deal of deliberation, I decided I'd go the trilogy route; the book is 270+k words and if I wanted to put it into paper sometime next year, I might struggle to get it all into one book without compressing things too much.

As an aside, the guy who designed my covers, Steve, did a superb job, I think. He maintained the theme used in The Dead Trilogy (something I like very much), but incorporated an item of great significance to the story - the NY baseball cap. And the little fella modelling it for us is my son, Lewis.

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

01 Nov 2012, 12:17 AM | Post: #3

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RE: Andrew Barrett

It took most of the day but I finally got The Third Rule - Part One: Atrocities uploaded to Amazon. Hopefully it'll be live tomorrow; I'm looking forward to it enormously Smile

I also managed to get some new blogs, and some more information on the website, so I hope you have the time to pop over and have a look at http://andrew-barrett.co.uk/

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

02 Nov 2012, 12:59 AM | Post: #4

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RE: Andrew Barrett

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LindaGruchy Reading The Chandelier Ballroom by Elizabeth Lord

02 Nov 2012, 05:35 AM | Post: #5

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RE: Andrew Barrett

What's that? Andy hard at work?

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

02 Nov 2012, 09:33 AM | Post: #6

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RE: Andrew Barrett

Ahaha, yeah Linda, chilling out. This was taken at the end of my shift on day seven of a very long week. I was moments away from nodding off Smile

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Susanne Reading I Woke Up This Morning by Stuart Ayris

02 Nov 2012, 10:41 AM | Post: #7

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RE: Andrew Barrett

Good photo! Smile

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

02 Nov 2012, 11:13 AM | Post: #8

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RE: Andrew Barrett

Thanks Susanne. I don't usually have my feet on the desk though Blush

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

25 Dec 2012, 09:55 PM | Post: #9

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RE: Andrew Barrett

Hi everyone,

Just a gentle reminder that The Third Rule - Part One: Atrocities is available FREE on Amazon tomorrow until 30th December.

Ever wanted a justice system that takes away the criminal's rights, makes him pay for the damage he's caused? How about he's given three chances, and then the justice system takes his life?
Sounds great. But what happens if the justice system isn't as perfect as they said it would be? What happens when things go wrong?
CSI Eddie Collins takes on England's new justice system.

Here's what people are saying about it on Amazon.

"The most exciting and compelling book I have read in a long time."

"...Mix these two themes together and you have a firecracker of a book, filled with well-constructed, multi-faceted characters. Many thriller writers forget to give their minor characters depth, but Barrett does not make this mistake, which makes this book all the more interesting."

"Andrew Barrett is an intelligent and articulate author. He is so good at empathy and we feel with his characters. I love his writing style. Down to earth dialogue is interspersed with brilliantly crafted descriptive prose. I can't believe a mainstream publisher isn't paying this man to write books. The Third Rule is beyond good; it's excellent!"

"This is so much more than a story well told. It goes way beyond being an engaging police procedural to being a novel which explores both the lives and psyche of its characters and in so doing transports the reader from simply reading a good book to feeling they are part of the experience."

I hope you'll take advantage of the freebie, and enjoy a compelling read over the holidays Cool

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Andy Barrett Reading Letter for Maureen - Jonathan Hill

01 Jan 2013, 12:29 PM | Post: #10

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RE: Andrew Barrett

Just received an email from Morgen Bailey. I'm her first interviewee for 2013! What an honour! I must say she does a wonderful job blending in the questions and answers. I enjoyed it very much, and it made me think quite hard (never a good thing, hehe).

Here's the linky...

http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com...

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