Do you come up
with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through
until you find a hook?
I started with a
person with no character, just someone observing the world. After that the
characters led the story and my imagination followed where they took me. The
hooks, twists and turns all appeared organically
Which of your own
characters would you like to have lunch with?
Claire Marshall; she is an enigma,
and I love strong women anyway.
Tell us about what
you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite
authors you enjoy reading in your spare time?
Just finished Hamnet by Maggie
O’Farrell - an excellent writer who draws the reader into Shakespeare's family
life and an understanding of how grief can be a source of great inspiration, a
truly wonderful read.
Depending on mood, of course, Matt Haig, Salman Rushdie, Cormac McCarthy, Janice Hallet
Which of your own
books would you like to live in?
‘’Chasing What’s Already Gone’ – in
my opinion, my cleverest bit of writing and full of lovely people (and of course
others who are not so nice!)
What do you do when
you have free time?
Playing walking football (when my
chemotherapy is finished) gardening, walking our rescue dog, Wenna, binging on
Netflix, Film 4 etc.
How do you approach
character development in your stories? Do you have any specific techniques or
methods that you find particularly effective?
I let the characters do the work for
me, there’s something wrong if they do not develop organically. If I struggle
to understand how a character would behave in any one situation, I've done
something wrong somewhere along the line.
What do you believe
sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should readers
choose to read your books?
Because the reader is walking the
same exact path as the writer, there are no potholes (or holes in the plot)
aimed at misleading the reader, be prepared to be surprised as I was, if you
did not see it coming then neither did I.
Can you discuss any
upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What can readers
expect from your future works?
I am as good as a third the way
through book 3 of my Pin-up and Tanner thriller series. If you like a good
thriller I heartily recommend ‘Hand Over Fist,’ I’m very proud of that novel,
and the main characters have much wriggle room left in them for several more
episodes. I have a dozen or so short stories stored away nicely for my next
anthology (which will be my sixth, amounting to about one hundred and thirty
stories in total!)
QUIET THE WAVES
Michael Ross
GENRE: Romantic Thriller
For
Ryan Gould it's just another pay day, collect a car from Portugal deliver it to
the UK. Nothing too complicated - until he decides on an unscheduled stopover
in Northern France, in the city of Rennes, a quiet drink in the town square,
where life would have turned out so differently if he not noticed the girl
sitting on the bench was sobbing her heart out.
From
there onwards his life twists and turns out of control until he finds himself
in police custody charged with abduction and a journey to get to the truth. The
girl on the bench, Claire, had misled him from the very beginning; who was she,
and how had she managed to wreak so much havoc in his life?
Buy At Amazon FREE IN KINDLE UNLIMITED
Excerpt
Two:
What the hell is up with me? Have I no mind of my own? I
kneel on the cobblestones and throw her my most sympathetic smile. Hopefully
she recognises the sincerity.
For the first time she lifts her head and looks me in the
face, well in the eyes actually - and I’m smitten. She is attractive with
piercing light grey eyes that meet mine head on. I was right she is no more
than thirty years old, with jet black hair that does not quite match her very
pale skin.
I ease myself up to a standing position. “Look, if nothing
else, let me buy you a drink. I’ll bugger off if you want to be on your own.
I’m not hassling you, just trying to offer a bit of support.” I do my best to
sound earnest because it’s the truth. Her pain is so obvious it is impossible
to ignore. All at once I remember I have an almost full pack of tissues in my
pocket. I take a couple out and pass them to her along with the rest of the
pack.
“Here. Blowing your nose wouldn’t hurt just now.” Her angry
expression dissipates when she sees the smile on my face.
“I tell you what,” I say “I’m going to get a Coke at the
café over there. If you want to come and share a Coke or something, that would
be great.”
Her head drops and she mumbles incoherently.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
“A large latte would be good.” Her voice is both delicate
and cultured.
“No problem. Come over whenever you want.”
I walk back to my table, fully aware that for some crazy
reason my heart is beating as if I sprinted across the square. I purposely sit
facing away from her direction, the last thing I want is to come across as a
stalker.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born and raised in Bristol, England I now live halfway up a mountain in the Welsh Valleys, with my partner Mari and our rescue dog Wenna. I have a BA in English Literature from Bristol Uni and after creative writing classes at Cardiff Uni I won prizes for short stories. I write with a smile on my face.
I have self-published (including Quiet the Waves) five short story anthologies and five novels
Website http://www.michaelrosswriter.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/michaelross.writer
Twitter https://twitter.com/mikerosswriter
Email mikerosswriter@outlook.com
3 comments:
Thank you for hosting "Quiet the Waves" for us today!
Looks like a book I would enjoy reading.
This looks like an awesome read. Thanks for sharing.
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