Charlie’s newsflash

Hi all! Apologies for recent radio silence, but we’ve been on a cruise up to and around Iceland. (Which is gorgeous, by the way.)

Newsflash

My lot for this year’s Children In Read charity auction is up. I’ve gone retro, offering a copy of Best Corpse for the Job, which I’ll post anywhere. Bidding goes live in September.

Don’t forget that The Deadliest Fall  is now out in both print and e-book, from all the usual outlets.

If you fancy an older story, and a bargain to boot, Promises Made Under Fire is only 99c at present on Amazon.com. Talking of both bargains and wartime stories, my old pal Anne Barwell’s smashing book Shadowboxing is on sale throughout July.

Happy reading!

Charlie

Chatting about various things writing related

Like how to overcome writers’ block, where to get character names and which of my characters I’d like to meet in real life. Come and join Rosie and me over a virtual cuppa.

A month of blogs celebrating crime out of the closet.

To celebrate National Crime Reading Month in June, run by the Crime Writers’ Association in partnership with national charity The Reading Agency, we’ve welcomed a whole range of authors and readers with thoughtful, interesting and entertaining posts to share with you, on their LGBT+ detectives/characters. Please drop in whenever you like, enjoy the entertainment, consider new views, and discover a wealth of fictional characters for your reading pleasure!

Find it at Bring Crime out of the Closet.

Charlie’s latest newsletter

Flaming June is here, with plenty of sunshine in the softy south and beautiful long evenings, although there’s a nippy wind to remind us that this is England.
 
News
 
Bring Crime Out of the Closet is live, with the first two contributions up for you to read. It’s a month of blogging by writers and readers, to celebrate National Crime Reading Month in June, run by the Crime Writers Association in partnership with national charity The Reading Agency. Check in every day in June to get some new insights, including ones from some of my fave writers, and maybe find some book recommendations. (It’s a bit like Advent in June!)
 
Don’t forget that The Deadliest Fall is out on Monday 5^th June, in both print and e-book, from all the usual outlets. 

 
 
Some truths can’t be left buried.
The second world war may be over, but for Leslie Cadmore the scars remain. His beloved dog died, there’s a rift between him and his lover Patrick, and his father inexplicably abandoned the family for life in a monastery. Fate’s been cruel.
A chance meeting with Patrick’s sister stirs old memories, and Leslie starts to dig into both his father’s motives and long-unanswered questions around the death of Fergus Jackson. The worst of a group of disreputable pre-war friends, Fergus was a manipulative rake who allegedly fell on his own knife in a training accident. An accident for which Patrick was apparently the only witness.
Leslie’s persuaded to meet Patrick again, and the pair easily fall back into their old dynamic. They uncover connection after surprising connection between their hedonistic old friends and not only Fergus’s murder, but Mr. Cadmore’s abrupt departure. As their investigation deepens, Leslie and Patrick’s bond deepens too. But no reconciliation can occur until Leslie knows for sure that his erstwhile lover wasn’t Fergus’s killer.
 
And here’s a sneak peek…
 
The hotel bar turned out to be Monday-evening quiet, but it was warm, welcoming, and neutral territory, at least for Leslie. Although, for all he knew, it could have become Patrick’s favourite haunt, giving him the advantage of home turf. Unready as yet to settle himself with a drink, Leslie perched on a chair, feeling the need to be able to spring into action.
Patrick arrived exactly when he was due, almost to the second, striding purposefully into the bar, giving Leslie a nod, and extending his hand.
“Leslie.”
“Patrick.”
They shared a brief handshake, like two company directors meeting to discuss a deal might, not like two men who’d been long-term lovers and whose fingers knew every inch of the other’s body.
“Would you like a beer?” Patrick asked briskly.
“Pint of best bitter, please. I’ll find a quiet table.” That would allow Leslie a few moments to regather his thoughts. He’d been tense in anticipation of that first physical contact in years, but the touch of palm on palm hadn’t provoked the same spark it had when first their hands had met. Maybe their intimate knowledge of each other had taken them past the tentative chemistry of the early steps in a courting dance. Or possibly the spark had truly gone, never to be recaptured.
Or is it simply that there’s no chance of taking a single pace down that road while your questions remained unasked?
Patrick brought the beers to the table, carefully laying the glasses down. As Leslie’s mother had said, he’d always been clumsy and as he’d grown older, he’d learned to take extra care to compensate. “It’s been too long.”
“It has.” Leslie raised his glass. “Cheers.”
“Cheers.” Patrick took a long draught. “How’s work going?”
“Busy but enjoyable, I’d say. You?”
“Potentially more work than I can deal with solo.” Patrick nudged his head to one side, a gesture that had always indicated deep thought. “I’ve taken another vet into the practice to ease the burden. Good-looking lad, so he’ll probably generate enough new business of his own to ensure his time’s filled.”
If this had been when they were still lovers, Leslie would have made some riposte about women—and men—beating a path to Patrick’s door with their sick animals for exactly the same reason, but the time didn’t feel right yet for such remarks. This conversation was completely bland and transactional. Was that a necessary part of their reconnection, keeping things light to overcome the awkwardness they both must feel? Or was it a sign, like the handshake, that things between them had changed irrevocably?
Isn’t that what you came to expect while you tossed and turned half last night away?
It might have been what Leslie expected, but it wasn’t what he’d hoped, although he would have denied it. The love he bore Patrick had never disappeared, and seeing the man walk into the bar had reawakened other feelings—lust, anger, fear—that were making a mess of the plan he’d been wrestling over all day about confessing his own stupidity and confronting the bloke about Fergus. There’d be no bloody point if it didn’t give him a chance of getting Patrick back.
They shared a couple of pleasantries about work and family, Patrick asking about Mrs. Cadmore with what appeared to be genuine interest rather than mere politeness. Finally, Leslie could hold back no longer. He laid down his pint and faced Patrick square on. “I really don’t think we came here to talk about our families. We can hear that news from home.”
“So, what did we come here to discuss?”
“You tell me. Marianne said you wanted us to meet up but she wouldn’t elaborate.”
To Leslie’s surprise, Patrick broke out laughing. “The devious little cow.” The insult was spoken with affection. “She told me that she’d been to yours for tea and that you were the one who wanted to talk to me. We’ve been had, Leslie Lad.”
The unexpected use of that nickname—one that had graced their tenderest moments—momentarily wrong-footed Leslie, although he grinned at how he’d told his mother that Marianne wouldn’t do anything underhand. Still, she’d always been a problem-solver. “It appears we have, Patrick.”
 
 
Charlie

Charlie’s latest newsletter

 It’s May! Have you been dancing around the maypole, enjoying the spring flowers or contending with unseasonal snowfall? Whichever it is, I hope you’ve enjoyed it.
 
News
 
My big tah-dah moment is that my short story, Unlucky For Some, has been short-listed for the Crime Writers Association Marjorie Allingham award!
 

 
To say I’m shocked—in a delighted way—is an understatement. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. If you like short crime stories, you can read some of the previous winners on the competition page. 
 
While I have my crime hat on, I’m delighted to share a special event that’s coming up. To celebrate National Crime Reading Month in June, run by the Crime Writers’ Association in partnership with national charity The Reading Agency, Charlie Cochrane, Clare London, and Fiona Glass are proposing a month of blog posts at a new, dedicated site. The slant is “bringing crime out of the closet”. You’ll only find a home page at present but every day in June will bring a new insight from authors, readers and publishers, including some of my fave writers. (It’s going to be a bit like Advent in June!)
 
Don’t forget that The Deadliest Fall is now up for pre-order,  in advance of its release on June 5^th. It’ll be rolling out on various platforms between then and now. Delighted to say that the official cover reveal has now taken place.
 
Some truths can’t be left buried.
 

 
This month’s featured Book
 
I wanted to put in a word for one of my older stories, Dreams of a Hero, which is cheap as chips on Amazon at present.  
 
Mild-mannered and unassuming, Miles is on a journey he never expected. After a visit to Greece with his partner, Roger, he begins to experience vivid dreams in which he travels back in history and takes on the role of avenging hero. Roger notices Miles’s newfound bravery during his waking hours and is concerned that his lover is changing into someone he doesn’t recognize. When they discover a gay-friendly café is being plagued by violent thugs, Miles is uncharacteristically determined to take action, no matter the cost. Roger argues it would be both dangerous and pointless to intervene, but Miles insists he’s been called to fight an army, and now he’s found one.
 
The shield was tall and heavy, but the bearer was taller still. This gave little advantage when it meant he could get such a clear view of the advancing lines of troops. Miles adjusted his stance for comfort, staring oncoming death in the eye. “Which one is he?”
“The small one, that’s what they say.” Roger held the spear straight, never wavering even in the heat of impending battle. “Word is he’ll be leading the cavalry, away from where his father’s stationed.”
“Can’t have two firebrands together in case the whole world catches flame?”  Miles managed a rueful smile. “They say he’s handsome, the son.”
“And spoken for.” The smile was returned.
“I only said he was rumoured to be handsome, not that I wanted him to carry me off to his tent.” Miles adjusted his stance again, eliminating any chink in the shield wall.
“You might be grateful if that were your fate, come nightfall.” Roger shivered. “I  pray we’ll survive to joke about this. Now comes the deluge.”
“Deluge? Don’t you mean the conflagration, with the son of fire at its head? And with Hades’ gates wide open in his wake.”
The company turned slightly, as the horses came charging over the plain of Chaeronea.
 

 
Charlie

Charlie’s latest newsletter

Welcome to April, the month of the Grand National, the Masters and La Crunch. Wall to wall sport watching at the house of Cochrane, as usual – with maybe a bit of gardening thrown in if it stays dry.
 
News
 
The Deadliest Fall is now up for pre-order, in advance of its release on June 5^th. And just to clarify, because people have asked, I promise there is a dog in this one.
 
Some truths can’t be left buried.
The second world war may be over, but for Leslie Cadmore the scars remain. His beloved dog died, there’s a rift between him and his lover Patrick, and his father inexplicably abandoned the family for life in a monastery. Fate’s been cruel.
A chance meeting with Patrick’s sister stirs old memories, and Leslie starts to dig into both his father’s motives and long-unanswered questions around the death of Fergus Jackson. The worst of a group of disreputable pre-war friends, Fergus was a manipulative rake who allegedly fell on his own knife in a training accident. An accident for which Patrick was apparently the only witness.
Leslie’s persuaded to meet Patrick again, and the pair easily fall back into their old dynamic. They uncover connection after surprising connection between their hedonistic old friends and not only Fergus’s murder, but Mr. Cadmore’s abrupt departure. As their investigation deepens, Leslie and Patrick’s bond deepens too. But no reconciliation can occur until Leslie knows for sure that his erstwhile lover wasn’t Fergus’s killer.
 

 
One of my favourite combinations…

Do you enjoy the trope where one person is a ray of sunshine and the other is a total mood hoover (or maybe just a shy/misunderstood type?) If you do, there are loads of them to find in this Grumpy/Sunshine bookfunnel event. You can find my keynote lads there, Jonty and Orlando, who are most definitely representative of the notion that opposites attract. Better still, Lessons in Love is currently a snip at 99 cents or 99 pence. 
 

 
And now for something a bit different…

I’m delighted to give a mention to my old pal RJ Scott’s latest collaborative hockey romance, Rental (Boston Rebels 6)
 
A steamy romance between a player and a referee breaks all the rules but will it destroy their careers?
 
Five different cities in eight years — Logan’s never had the chance to settle in one place. He’s the guy who fills in gaps on teams as a temporary fix and is traded at year’s end because no one wants to keep a thirty-year-old rental after he’s outlived his usefulness. When he’s called up to the Rebels, he knows it’s his last run in the NHL. Now, he must decide if it’s worth carrying on with the weight of his secrets around his neck for one more year. He’s never had a love that mattered, his career is nearly done, his ex-wife is remarrying, his sex life is drier than a desert, and abruptly, Logan’s had enough. He craves one night to ease the frustration, and hooks up with someone tall, dark, and dangerous in the bathroom of a club. The sex is off the charts, but it’s one and done, until Logan realizes exactly who he slept with and understands how dangerous it is to play games with secrets.
 
Being a referee is in Webber’s blood, and it’s a job he loves. Sure, sometimes he’s called dirty names—by fans, coaches, and players—or must insert himself between two massive men trying to pummel each other. Some nights, he’s knocked on his ass. Other times, he might take a puck to a tender spot. But despite all the hazards and name calling, there is no place he wants to be than on the ice. If only his love life was as settled. It’s hard to find someone willing to put up with his travel schedule, and even if he found Mr. Right, how would he juggle a romance when he’s never home? A chance hookup while officiating a game in Boston should be a simple matter of scratching that itch, but he couldn’t be more wrong. Unfortunately, that one-night stand—while memorable—turns his sedate life upside down in ways he could’ve never foreseen. When the penalty for love is losing everything he’s worked hard for, is it a price he’s willing to pay?

 
Charlie

Charlie’s latest newsletter

Nearly at the equinox – getting so much lighter up here in the northern hemisphere. We get all four seasons in a day in March, though, in this part of England.
 
News
 
The big news is that my next book, The Deadliest Fall, has a release date of June 5^th. This is the story I started to write as a romance, got to the end of the first chapter and found myself typing in the murder…which means it’s a romantic mystery. The story’s set in 1947, features two ex-lovers – one a veterinary surgeon, the other an ex-Bletchley bod – one of whom harbour suspicions that the other committed a murder during the war. It also has a dog, Max, who’s clearly a naughtier forerunner of Campbell. I’m allowed to share this teaser of the cover and will post the proper one, and the blurb, as soon as I can.
 

 
The release timing is great, because June is also National Crime Reading Month, so keep an eye out both online and locally here in the UK for all sorts of events for lovers of mysteries.
 

 
Friday 17^th March is the big Rainbow Gold Reviews 9th anniversary chat with prizes on offer and lots of authors to quiz. Jamie Merrow, Jaime Samms, Lynn Van Dorn and yours truly will be there at 1400 GMT and I’ll be offering a £5/$5 (or equivalent) Amazon gift card.
 
Titles on offer
 
Several of my titles are at present listed on Amazon for under $3 (or whatever that equates to in your neck of the woods).  Lessons in Love and Pack up Your Troubles are among a whole bunch of books you’ll find if you go here and sort by price.
 
I’ll pick out Second Helpings as I’m rather fond of it. The story was my first Riptide title and is much more sombre than my usual style.
 
Stuart Collins’s life might as well have ended a year ago when his partner died in a car crash. Even Stuart’s widowed father has found new love with an old friend, Isabel Franklin, so why can’t Stuart be bothered to try?
Then he gets a phone call from Isabel’s son, Paul, who wants to check out whether or not Mr. Collins is good enough for his mother. During dinner together, though, they end up checking out each other. Trouble is, Paul’s got a boyfriend — or maybe he doesn’t, since the boyfriend’s supposedly giving Paul the push by ignoring him. Or maybe Paul just wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Honesty with each other is the only way to move forward. But maybe honesty with themselves is what they really need.
 

 
Charlie

Charlie’s latest newsletter

It’s always fun to put together a newsletter and touch base with you all. You’re a very special lot.
 
News
 
Rainbow Gold Reviews is having a marathon chat (with prizes!) on St Patrick’s day 17^th March. I’ll be in the 1400 GMT slot, along with Jamie Merrow, Jaime Samms and Lynn Van Dorn. I’ll be offering an Amazon gift card. 

I’ve been guesting at Frost Magazine, talking about the inspiration behind the Stewarts’ family home, which features in many a Cambridge Fellows mystery. Jane’s also been guesting at mine, talking digs, as in archaeology. 
 
Don’t forget that I’m also doing an online panel for Portsmouth Bookfest – tickets are free and clearly accessible from all over the world. It’s a light-hearted discussion of US cosy mysteries vs UK ones. 
“An American author at the court of Queen Agatha? And vice versa, of course.” | Portsmouth Library and Archives Service (spydus.co.uk)

 
Then, there’s the wonderful MysteryFest, which has a cracking line-up of guests, including a keynote speaker who’ll be talking about wildlife crime. This is the line up last time, including the wondrous L C Tyler, he of the Ethelred and Elsie mysteries.
MysteryFest | Portsmouth Library and Archives Service (spydus.co.uk)
 
A blast from the past

I’ve been tinkering around with a new Cambridge fellows mystery, set in 1912, which has turned my mind to the Great War and some of the stories I’ve set there. On the quiet, one of my faves is Awfully Glad. 

WWI hero Sam Hines is used to wearing a face that isn’t his own. When he’s not in the trenches, he’s the most popular female impersonator on the front, but a mysterious note from an anonymous admirer leaves him worried. Everyone realizes—eventually—that Sam’s not a woman, but has somebody also worked out that he also prefers his lovers to be male?

When Sam meets—and falls for—fellow officer Johnny Browne after the war, he wonders whether he could be the man who wrote the note. If so, is he the answer to Sam’s dreams or just another predatory blackmailer, ready to profit from a love that dare not speak its name?

Excerpt:

Sam couldn’t resist unfolding the note; he’d had these sorts of things before and they were always good for a laugh. The invitations would range from the innocent to the knowingly experienced, although nobody ever suggested something entirely obscene—Miss Madeleine gave an air of always being above such things. This would probably be the usual Might I buy you a drink? I know this little estaminet…

It wasn’t.

“I’m awfully glad you’re not a girl. J.”

Sam read it again, not trusting the evidence of his eyes, but they’d been right the first time. J? Which of the officers had that been? Jimmy, Jeffrey, Jonathan…Sam had forgotten their names already, even if he’d been told them.

But when had the note been written? After he’d taken his wig off and burst the little lieutenant’s bubble, he supposed, although if he had no memory of the thing being lodged in its hiding place, he equally had no recollection of somebody scribbling the thing—there’d been very little time for it, anyway. And how much more courage would it have taken to do such a thing in plain sight? It wasn’t the sort of note which could be easily explained away if discovered.

He closed his eyes, trying better to picture the scene. There’d been Corry, whom he’d known since he was a lad. Not him. Not his writing, anyway. And the ginger-haired officer hadn’t been anywhere near those pots. So it had to be the quiet, dark-haired chap or the tow-headed one. He wouldn’t have said no to either of those if they’d met in a certain bar in London. Decent-looking lads, a bit of life about them, and clearly with some spark of interest that was more than platonic. But which of them had written it? And how to find out?

Charlie

Writers on the Road guest spot

Am guesting over at Frost Magazine today, talking about an inspirational place for my writing. No spoilers, but imagine a castle…

Guest author Jane Cable talks digs and Romans

When I first saw Jane’s book Endless Skies, it rang a bell with the Time Team fan in me. So pleased she agreed to come and chat about it.

THE LURE OF ARCHAEOLOGY FOR A HISTORY GEEK

It was the setting for Endless Skies that made the main character, Rachel, an archaeologist, and the setting came first. Winteringham on Humberside is where one branch of Ermine Street ended, but why is a matter of conjecture. Were the Romans really trying to cross this vast river? Although, of course, it would have looked very different in their day.

First stop then, reports of local digs in Scunthorpe Library. Old Winteringham had been well excavated, a little distance from where the village is now, and based on antiquarian reports of remnants of an ancient harbour. But also of interest was a later dig that unearthed an Iron Age settlement. Had the Romans traded with this place pre-invasion? Did they know the port was here?

So many research rabbit holes to dive into. Rachel became a Roman expert, working alone under those bleak winter skies. But the story wasn’t working, the past too distant, its echoes too difficult to hear.

The eureka moment came when I visited the former airbase at nearby Hemswell. In the early morning quiet I could almost hear the footsteps of the Polish airmen from the Second World War running down the stairs. As Rachel does in the book. But she goes on to find a tablecloth and a worn leather flying jacket with a mysterious past. I found my story.

So Rachel ends up digging the site where a Wellington bomber crashed, but I wanted to get my hands dirty too. Spotting an opportunity on Facebook I became a Dig Ventures volunteer, happily soaked to the skin, scraping away on the fringes of Bodmin Moor, looking for different coloured dirt. It was one of the best research experiences of my life.

Endless Skies:

After yet another disastrous affair Rachel Ward has been forced to take a temporary job in Lincolnshire. While excavating an airfield echoes of the past – and her past – catch up with her. Could a love story from World War Two hold the lesson she needs?

Find out more about Jane Cable and her writing at www.janecable.com