Interview with Tony Flood

My guest today is Tony Flood. Hello! Welcome back to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to see you here again. 


Hello! Thank you for inviting me to share my latest book with your blog readers!



 

Oh, of course! It's an honor.


 


Can you tell us a little bit about your book? When did it come out? Where can we get it?


https://books2read.com/u/mBG2PR
My new book is a crime thriller called Stitch Up! - Killer or Victim? It has just come out and has received some glowing endorsements, including one from THE SUN newspaper's Stuart Pink who says: “Stitch Up! has a riveting plot and electrifying double twist.”
Author Francis Wait says: Stitch Up! is another superb thriller from the pen of Tony Flood. Full of suspense, with great characters and humor to ease the tension. A MUST for those who love Peter James, Jeffrey Archer and James Patterson.
Stitch Up! is available on Amazon as both a paperback and an e-version. I have kept the price down to £6.99 for the paperback and £1.99 for the e-version. Signed copies and details about my other books can be obtained from my website.www.celebritiesconfessions.com.

Wow, it sounds great!

Is there anything specific that inspired you to write Stitch Up

My first crime thriller, TRIPLE TEASE, was well received and readers loved compassionate copper DSI Harvey Livermore and his Major Crime Team so much that they asked me to write a follow-up. 

STITCH UP! throws up a whole lot of new colorful characters and suspects.

Nice! Isn't it interesting how the muse works? ;)

Let's try a different question, all right?


If this book was made into a film, who would you cast in it?

I would cast George Clooney as frustrated DCI Livermore and Tom Cruise as his main suspect Denton Kerscher who claims he has been stitched up. Rihanna, who starred in Ocean's 8, would be a natural for the role of sexy, rule-bending police constable Grace Conteh.

Cool! It sounds exciting.

How about some general questions?

When reading, do you prefer traditional printed books or ebooks? And why?

I prefer printed books because I can usually recall information better from a printed version than from an e-book. But e-versions cost less, of course.

Too right!

What are you reading now? 

I am currently reading a Jeffrey Archer thriller, and my wife Heather Flood's forthcoming book of short stories which is targeted for all ages, as was her last fantasy adventure, Purple Mist – an out-of-this-world adventure!

Nice!

When you get an idea for a book, what comes first usually? Dialogue, the characters, a specific scene? Or do you plot it all out before you write?

It varies. With Stitch-Up!, I wrote a specific scene first, but with Triple Tease I started by sketching out the plot. It was different with My Life with The Stars, a factual book about showbiz and sports stars. I began that by writing revelations and amusing anecdotes about the biggest names I had interviewed and written about as a journalist.

Tony with entertainer Des O'Connor
Tony with his wife and actor Ben Miller


So, what do you have planned next, Tony? Or is that a secret?

I might be tempted to write a follow up to my well received fantasy adventure, Secret Potion, as I know Harry Potter fans are looking for more magical stories. Secret Potion became a bestseller in its Amazon category so I know how popular a follow-up could be. Details are available on my other website, www.fantasyadventurebooks.com.

Is there anything you'd like to add? Any advice for new writers?

Don't fret if you're not sure what the ending of your book will be – just get started! Concentrate on developing your initial idea(s) and characters. And make sure you tell each chapter from the most relevant point of view.


Wonderful advice!




Well, thank you for visiting, Tony!

 

Thanks for inviting me!
It's my pleasure, of course! :) Happy to have you here any time! 





Readers, here is the blurb for Stitch Up!. 

https://books2read.com/u/mBG2PR

Is Denton Kerscher a double murderer or cursed with bad luck?
The handsome 31-year-old security consultant becomes the main suspect each time when his two former girlfriends, Pippa Mercer and then Holly Clancey, are killed.
The Major Crime team, headed by DCI Harvey Livermore, are convinced Kerscher is guilty of both crimes, even though he is acquitted of the first murder in a dramatic court case.
Following the second murder, other suspects emerge, including a lecherous fashion house owner, a besotted estate agent, a 'Walter Mitty' hospital porter and an egotistical stand-up comedian.
The pressure is still on Kerscher, however, as he is accused of sexually assaulting his new neighbour, busty Barbie Dickinson, 
who later claims she has been preyed upon by a voyeur. 
As if Livermore has not got enough on his plate with a demanding wife and fussy senior officer, he is targeted by a former lag, hell bent on revenge. But bright young PC Grace Conteh puts her life at risk to catch the killer.

Here is an excerpt.


Tuesday, June 12th, 2018

The contents of the wastepaper bin scattered on the floor as DCI Livermore angrily kicked it against the wall of his compact office at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes.
“What a bloody injustice!” he shouted aloud, cracking his knuckles.
The commotion caused Nottage to poke his head round the door. “Are you alright, Gov?”
“No, I'm not alright,” raged Livermore, dropping his ample frame into his well-padded chair. “That stupid bloody jury has let a vicious murderer out on the streets again.”
Nottage nodded glumly. “I'm as pissed off about it as you are, Guv. But we were...”
The phone interrupted him. Livermore answered it and had to suppress a sigh when he discovered it was Detective Chief Superintendent Frampton, his fastidious task master, known throughout the Surrey and Sussex force as ‘Fussy Frampton’.
It immediately became obvious that Frampton, whose recent promotion defied logic in Livermore's eyes, wasn't calling to sympathise - but to hand out a rollicking.
“I can't tell you, Harvey, how angry I am about Denton Kerscher being found not guilty. What annoys me most is his barrister leaving us with egg on our face by producing a witness we didn't know about.”
“I'm bloody annoyed, too, sir,” replied Livermore, waving to Nottage to leave the room, which he did.
“And so you should be,” retorted Frampton. “Kerscher's smarmy barrister was able to drive home that this Jehovah's Witness had seen his client leaving Pippa Mercer's flat with blood running from his cheek four hours before the murder. He made the jury believe that our DNA evidence showing Kerscher's skin under her nails counted for nothing.”
“Yes, sir. It's all very unfortunate. Kerscher had told DS O'Sullivan at the outset that he'd been seen at the flat by a Jehovah's Witness, but Mike was unable to trace her. He began to think Kerscher had made up the story and doubted if she existed.”
Frampton fumed: “Well she certainly did. It sounds like a gigantic cockup to me. Find out from O'Sullivan why he failed to track down a key witness when the Defence team managed to do so. Her being called at the 11th hour completely wrong-footed us.”
“Yes, sir. But in my opinion the jury should still have found Kerscher guilty. The fact the scratch on his cheek was inflicted in the morning doesn't prove he didn't attack Miss Mercer in the afternoon.”
Unfortunately, this only made his boss more exasperated. “There was, of course, another factor which the Defence highlighted, Harvey. That was we could not find any of Kerscher's clothing or footwear contained any blood splatters which the victim's injuries would have produced.”
Livermore raised his eyebrows sceptically, thinking 'so that's my fault, is it?' But he kept quiet and was left to dwell on Frampton's final words: “Either Denton Kersher disposed of his clothes and footwear very quickly and he's got away with murder - or someone else is the killer.”


Purchase Link:




Universal Reader link:  https://books2read.com/u/mBG2PR

 

 

Wow! It looks riveting!



What are people saying about Stitch Up?


 


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Stitch Up! is another superb thriller from the pen of Tony Flood. Full of suspense, with great characters and humour to ease the tension. A MUST for those who love Peter James, Jeffrey Archer and James Patterson. - FRANCIS WAIT, author of The Magical Pendant of Perdania under pen name FRANCIS JAYCEE
Riveting plot and electrifying double twist. - STUART PINK, Showbiz Features Editor, THE SUN
A fast-paced read with enough twists to satisfy any thriller fan. - TAMARA MCKINLEY, best-selling author
Stunning action in a can’t-put-down chronicle of lust and murder most foul. - JOHN NEWTON, former police officer, broadcaster and author


Add it to your Goodreads bookshelf, readers!


We'll be sure to check out this crime thriller!


https://books2read.com/u/mBG2PR


OTHER BOOKS BY TONY FLOOD

TRIPLE TEASE – a spicy crime thriller endorsed by bestselling writer Peter James.

MY LIFE WITH THE STARS - SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! Containing revelations and anecdotes about a host of showbiz and sports stars which went to No.1 bestseller in its Amazon category.

SECRET POTION – a fantasy adventure recommended for Harry Potter fans by other authors. It also became a bestseller in its Amazon category.


Author Bio

Tony Flood, formerly Controller of Information at Sky Television, spent most of his working life as a journalist on various national and regional papers until he left Sunday newspaper The People in 2010 and became an author.
His first book was fantasy adventure SECRET POTION, which went to No. 1 in its category of Amazon bestsellers and has been recommended by other authors for Harry Potter fans of all ages.
Tony's celebrity book MY LIFE WITH THE STARS - SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! is full of anecdotes and revelations about showbiz and sports personalities, including Eric Morecambe, Elvis Presley, Kylie Minogue, George Best, Frank Sinatra, Joan Collins, Strictly Come Dancing stars, Muhammad Ali and Bobby Moore, with whom he worked.
The versatile Mr. Flood then turned to writing in another genre with spicy crime thriller TRIPLE TEASE, endorsed by bestselling writer Peter James, actor Brian Capron and the The Sun newspaper's Stuart Pink.
Following the success of TRIPLE TEASE, he has written STITCH UP! - Killer or Victim? Once again compassionate copper DCI Harvey Livermore and his Major Crime Team are trying to put a killer behind bars in a new, gripping, fast-moving story. They are convinced that Denton Kerscher is responsible for two murders even though he was acquitted of the first, but discover a string of other suspects.
Tony's work as a showbiz and leisure writer, critic and sports editor saw him take on a variety of challenges - learning to dance with Strictly Come Dancing star Erin Boag, becoming a stand-up comedian and playing football with the late George Best and Bobby Moore.
In the second edition of his celebrity book MY LIFE WITH THE STARS - which fittingly has the supplementary title SIZZLING SECRETS SPILLED! - he reveals more of the stories behind the scoops, including those that could not be told at the time!

Heather and Tony Flood

Tony's wife Heather Flood is the author of children's books MOUSEY MOUSEY AND THE WITCHES' SPELLS, MOUSEY MOUSEY AND THE WITCHES' REVENGE, GIANT STICKER MONSTER AND OTHER CHILDREN'S STORIES and PURPLE MIST - AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ADVENTURE!, which is for older children.
More details - and special offers on these books – are available on www.fantasyadventurebooks.com and www.celebritiesconfessions.com.
Tony and Heather have helped others by previously running a Creative Writing Group and are officials of Anderida Writers of Eastbourne. The link for the Anderida website is: http://anderidawriterseastbourne.org.uk/news.html
Tony also writes theater reviews for the Brighton Argus and Eastbourne Herald, and plays veterans football on Sundays!

Service Interview with Jessica (J.L Smith)

Today we're doing a different type of interview, and it should be enlightening to both writers and readers following the blog. 
 
My guest today is Jessica, or J.L Smith, if you want to be more specific.  
 
Hello! Welcome to Writing in the Modern Age! It’s such a pleasure to have you here. 

Hi, Marie, and fellow readers and writers! Thank you for letting me visit.
 
Of course! 
 
Can you tell us a little bit about your company or service, and how Writing in the Modern Age readers can benefit from it?
 
Thanks for having me! I run a book blog called Queen J Reads and a podcast called 100Lit, the latter of which I created to teach and document my own journey to 100 Reads per year. Both the blog and the podcast are designed to help readers discover new books, and authors — both aspiring and experienced — get information about writing, character development and publishing in order to strengthen and ultimately sell their work.
 
Wow, it sounds great! I think a love of reading has brought us all here in some capacity. ;)
 
Susan Yin, Unsplas
 
Jessica, are you also a writer? What genre or genres should we expect to see you in? Do you use a pseudonym?
 
Yes, I am also writer under the name J.L. Smith (it’s pretty much my real name). I’m focused mostly on Middle Grade, which is a genre I’m pretty new to. 

https://www.amazon.com/J-L-Smith/e/B08B1XPH4C

This is one of the reasons I established ‘Queen J Reads’ and ‘100Lit’. I am always reading so I’m always learning something and I want to share those things with others.
 
Nice!
 
How was Queen J Reads launched, or what spurred the idea? What sets it apart from other services?
 
Also, what is the one thing that you truly love about your job?
 
The book blog was previously named Forward Scribes. At the time I began it, I was on the last part of my dissertation for my educational program so I was massively stressed. Starting the book blog was basically my therapy. It let me read something for fun and then talk about it. That’s what I love about it. 

https://queenjreads.com/blog

100Lit was a podcast I started because I was watching a lot of movie review videos and people were just having fun talking about movies. They were eating pizza, having drinks, and not really worrying about being professional all the time. I felt like we should be talking about books the same way; just enjoying them with our drinks and meals.
 
That's fantastic!
 
How do you intend to expand your services or company in the future?
 
I’ve actually done some expanding recently. I created a program entitled Kid Forward, which was specifically designed to enhance literacy skills for students, with language and learning differences through storytelling between family members and loved ones.
 
Ooh...awesome. :)
 
Let's try some general questions now.  
 
Do you have any favorite authors?
 

Mary Shelley is my all-time favorite.
 
All right.
 
So, how about a different question?
 
When reading, do you prefer traditional printed books or ebooks? And why?

No preference. As long as it’s a good book, I’m more than satisfied. It doesn’t really matter to me how I read that book.
 
Can you tell us what you're reading for fun now?
 
Right now, I am reading a book called A Delusion of Satan by Frances Hill. It's talking about the different players and catalysts of the Salem Witch Trials. It’s a really interesting read thus far.
 
Okay.
 
Well...to wrap this up, here's my last question, or questions, I suppose.
 
Are there any words you'd like to impart to writers? Something you've gleaned from all the books you've read? Any advice you can give us? 

Write whatever story it is that you want to write. Don’t worry so much about what’s trending. What’s popular doesn’t always translate to a good read and trends don’t last anyway. If you write what you want, your work will outlast the trends and become legendary. Build the characters and the world you want with your words.

So helpful! 
 
How can authors find out more about submitting a review request? Will book readers be able to suggest a title at some point, too?
 
Readers can suggest a title and writers can go about submitting a review request at queenjreads.com.
 
What is the best way for writers, and potential readers, to follow you and your work?

You can follow me on Instagram or my website at queenjreads.com.
 
Great! Oh, yeah, it looks like we can subscribe to this awesome site as well. ;)
 
https://queenjreads.com/blog
 
Jessica has a really cool job and she sounds like quite the reader too!
 
Queen J Reads appears to be a great place for readers to check out, which is just about perfect for Writing in the Modern Age, isn't it?
 
Thank you for stopping by the blog to tell us all about what you offer to writers and book readers, J.L.!
 
Thank you so much for having me here on Writing in the Modern Age... 
 
Our pleasure, of course! 
 
About the 100 Lit Podcast Show

100Lit is a book and writing podcast that primarily follows the reading journey of Queen J to 100 Reads per year. There are also author interviews, writing and publishing tips, and everything else related to books and their hardworking writers. 


Service Links
 
 
Jessica’s Bio
A lifelong lover of books, Jessica (J.L. for short) first put pen to paper at the age of nine with short stories, journals, plays, and more.
During her doctoral coursework in Education, Jessica founded Queen J Reads and 100Lit, a book blog and podcast show respectively where she shares her favorite reads new and old, including her all-time favorite, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  

She currently works as an English professor, English tutor, and literacy program developer. She hopes to continue to spread her love of reading, writing, and diverse characters to the next generation.
 
 
Author Links:
 
Blog/Podcast Website/Reviewer Site:  https://queenjreads.com/
 
 
 
J.L.'s Books: 
 
Coming Soon:
 

Available Now:
 

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