Issue 32

By Carole Shmurak

A Shilling For Candles is the second of Josephine Tey's mysteries about Alan Grant. Tey was not yet the great writer that she would become in the years after World War II, when she published Daughter of Time, Brat Farrar, and The Franchise Affair, among others, but there are some wonderful scenes and an intriguing mystery nonetheless.

The body of a famous actress, Christine Clay, is found on the beach near the cottage she has borrowed for a time from a friend. Her nobleman-husband is out of the country at the time, but she has been sharing the cottage with Robert Tisdall, a young man who has recently squandered a fortune. When Clay's will names Tisdall as the beneficiary of her ranch in California, he becomes Grant's number one suspect and then a fugitive from the law. The middle part of the book, which follows the sixteen year old Erica Burgoyne as she tries to prove Tisdall's innocence, has the quirky charm that Tey's admirers have come to expect; Erica is indeed an engaging heroine. It's worth noting that when Alfred Hitchcock adapted A Shilling for Candles for the screen (as the film Young and Innocent in 1937), he chose to dramatize the Erica/Tisdall story and pretty much left out the rest of the book (including Alan Grant.)

Grant’s solving of the mystery of Clay’s death is a bit more routine, with an ending that seems to come too abruptly. The actress Marta Hallard, who figures in so many of the Grant mysteries, appears for the first time in this book, and is, as usual, Grant's entree to the world of the theatre; it's interesting to see her introduced with little fanfare, as if Tey did not yet realize that Marta would become Grant's longtime (but platonic) friend.

Readers who love Tey's later books will find this early installment in the Grant series an interesting step on the author's path to greatness.

By Amanda Linsmeier

I’ve been hearing the buzz about Twilight for months. This young adult novel by Stephenie Meyer is everything it’s cracked up to be. It’s a wonderfully suspenseful novel about love and darkness. Isabella Swan is a 17-year old girl who moves in with her estranged father Charlie after her mother gets remarried. Bella is less than enthusiastic about living in rainy, gloomy Forks, Washington with no friends. But her interest is peeked when she learns about the Cullen’s, a very wealthy, very odd family living in town. The teenagers attend her high school and none interest her more than the mysterious Edward Cullen. With his pale but breathtaking beauty and his obvious dislike for her, Bella cannot help but be intrigued. When Edward’s aversion for her turns into friendship and then more, Bella is positive that Edward is hiding something. When she discovers the secret of the Cullen family and learns that Edward is not what he appears, and in fact, much more dangerous, Bella is in far too deep to turn away. Can her love for Edward and his family overcome the horrible pain that he could inflict on her, or will his passion for her break his restraint to keep her safe?

I could not put this book down! I finished it in record time and went and bought the sequel immediately afterward. I wasn’t sure if I would get into the whole vampire thing, but I definitely did. This novel was thrilling and interesting. I loved Bella and Edward’s relationship and I could really feel their mutual pain and frustration. I thought the Cullen’s were surprising and very likeable and I couldn’t wait to read more. This tale is a four part series and there is also a movie being made. Twilight is spectacular and I can’t wait to keep on reading!

Click here to read Amanda's review of New Moon

Click here to read Amanda's review of Eclipse

Ramsey Campbell is a British horror fiction author who has racked up an impressive four World Fantasy Awards, ten British Fantasy Awards, three Bram Stoker Awards and the Horror Writers' Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also been named a Grand Master of Horror.

Q: On your website you say, “I believe I’m in a minority of writers who say that they write horror.” Could you please explain? Do you find there is a stigma attached to the genre (either by the public or the publishing world) and if so, can you speculate as to why that is?

A: The field is often associated with its most disreputable elements. Too many horror writers seem to have little more ambition than to try and be more disgusting than one another. I once described such writing as Janet and John primers of mutilation. Me, I think the best horror fiction is a branch of literature, and I believe it has just as much scope. One quote sums up the attitude the field too often encounters. Years ago the husband of a lady who was interviewing me said “If he’s so good, how come he writes horror?”

Q: It has been said that with Scared Stiff, you created the genre of erotic horror. Do you agree/disagree and why or why not?

A: I don’t believe I invented it – there’s eroticism in Le Fanu’s “Carmilla”, in Robert Aickman’s tales and elsewhere – but I made it more explicit. What interested me in the first place was to see whether horror fiction retained its power if you made the sexual themes overt. I think these tales did, but in a different way from the effects of restraint.

Q: I’ve read that your childhood was an anxious one. How were you able to channel these fears into the pages of fiction? What lesson can other writers learn from their positive and negative experiences?

A: I think my early derivative tales may have been a way of writing about terror without letting it become too personal. As my skills developed I wrote about my personal fears and experiences – it was a way of talking about them. I’d say even the worst experiences are potential material –it’s a writer’s attuitude to life.

Q: You worked in tax offices and public libraries before you made the decision to write full time. What advice can you give writers just starting out?

A: Don’t try to write for a living too soon! Find when you’re most creative and use that time to write. By having a “proper job” you’re less likely to feel driven to submit work that’s insufficiently finished.

Q: What are the pros and cons of imitating a successful author? How does this advance or limit the development of one’s own voice?

A: There’s nothing wrong with learning by imitation. If you have something individual to offer, that will eventually emerge. Robert Bloch began by imitating Lovecraft, Lovecraft initially modelled his writing on Poe, but who could mistake either for anyone else?

Q: You have said that one of the most enjoyable parts of writing for you is reading your stories to audiences. Why? How does this enhance your power as a good storyteller?

A: It doesn’t change my approach to writing my stuff, but in reading to audiences I can establish where the stresses of the sentences go and convey some of the tone of the dialogue. What I most enjoy is observing the audience’s reactions, not something you can usually do as a writer. I especially like making them laugh, which I often do.

Q: What is your latest work?

A: Most recently published are The Grin of the Dark and Thieving Fear. I’ve just delivered a novel, Creatures of the Pool, and I also have a new collection out next year, Just Behind You.

Carlotta Holton is the author of Salem Pact and Touching The Dead, and is a member of the National Federation of Press Women and an affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association.

Carlotta Holton has just received her second award for Touching the Dead from the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. Click here to purchase the book.

1. Do you think there is a stigma associated with books dealing with the mob? How is Red Money different?

"I don’t believe there’s a stigma, since there have been several books, movies and TV series that deal with the mob, including some released during the past few years. The Italian Mafia may be a bit overworked, which is why I decided to focus on the Russian Mob.

Red Money is, I believe, unique in that it is centered on ordinary and innocent people who are violently and traumatically impacted by the Red Mafia – through a series of killings that take away loved ones – and decide to creatively do something about it and get back at the those who have caused them so much pain and suffering. The mobsters are made out to be what they are – ruthless profiteers and killers. Thus, a classic good versus evil scenario is crafted, but one in which the good are not afraid to resort to some evil in pursuit of their desire for revenge."

2. What advice do you have for writers just starting out in the business? What was the best piece of advice you received when you began writing?

"The answer is different, depending on whether we’re talking about non-fiction or fiction. I started out in non-fiction, and my advice here is to be thoroughly knowledgeable in what you are writing about, work through the fine points of your subject matter by yourself, and compose your message clearly without too much clutter. With regard to fiction, my advice is to take the time to learn what it takes to write a blockbuster novel (including but not limited to, character development and focus, point of view, big scenes and a strong ending) and work on these key elements. I read a book on this subject to implant the major ingredients in my writing. Finally, for either genre, my advice is to outline before writing."

3. What is the future of Red Money? Is there a sequel in the works?

"Hopefully, the future of this novel is a movie – on the big screen, DVD or television – due to reactions from some readers that the story should make for a good film. We’re starting to work on that.

At this time, there is no sequel planned. My next two novels (one is completed/ scheduled for release in 2009 and another is almost done) are mysteries. The central character is a retired New York City detective who desires peace and tranquility, but can not seem to avoid situations that draw him into crime related investigations."

4. What books have most influenced your life?

"First and foremost is the Bible, which apart from its spiritual impact, is a collection of writings of different styles and substance; thus, providing a small library within its covers. Another source of influence, due to my business background, has been Fortune Magazine, the reason being its ability to uncover and report on relevant topics and events in the business world, cutting across many segments. As far as fiction is concerned, my favorite authors have been Grisham and Ludlum, with no particular favorites regarding individual books."

5. Red Money has many great, well-rounded characters. Who is your favorite?

"The statement is appreciated, which implies that I internalized the point made in question #2 about character development. My favorite in this novel is Sophie, the heroine, who exemplifies the Teddy Roosevelt admonition of “speak softly, but carry a big stick”. Her mate, Andrei, is a close second. Together, they are a protagonist team."

Could Be?

Graffiti gravitates to broken, chipped cement,
Where garbage, lids, empty cans, roll as they torment.
Pushing hard through mini cracks, searching for respect-
Some resourceful weeds acquire terminal neglect.

Their lineage is forever; their family tree- strong,
They spring up; take over, although maligned life-long.
Their enemies are legion, it’s “kill on command”!
Still many weeds flourish and beat the odds- unplanned.

Dutiful flowers- predictables- grown from seeds,
Do they envy this freedom- innate to all weeds?
Fertilized, pampered, confined, birthing buds galore,
Do you ever wonder-if-could be- less is more?

The views expressed in this editorial are not necessarily the views of the WritersNewsWeekly staff, its advertisers, columnists or SterlingHouse Publisher. If you have any questions or would like to submit a rebuttal, please email editor@writersnewsweekly.com. Submitted editorials and queries will automatically become the property of WritersNewsWeekly and may be used in any future publications.