Here come the girls.

I enjoying writing strong female characters in my books, which you may find a strange thing to be said by an early thirties man, but it’s true. It probably comes from being around strong women while I was growing up. Both of my grandmothers and my mother have been examples of taking on the troubles of life and not backing down against them. My younger sister is the same. These types of characters are all throughout my books.

When I was staring my novel Ritual of Blood, the first character that came to me was a strong female: the vampire Lucinda. She was stronger, more beautiful and extremely more vicious than any other vampire that was going to be in the book, either male or female. Though she takes a subservient role to her vampire master, Sebastian, it is because she has chosen to do so, and she still manages to do things on her own terms.

In Killing Time, Nicole Hutton finds her own inner strength as she moves out of her mother’s house to her own place. Plagued by her troubled early childhood at the hands of her step-mother, and an oppressive ex-boyfriend, Nicole’s confidence grows with her new found independence, and helps her stand up to the demons of her past, and face the demon of her present – the Dark Man.

It is Shauna Spinner in the Ramton Gallow Mysteries series that I feel really stands out in The Witch of Primrose Hill as the strong one of the three main characters. She keeps a level head when Daniel Grade is so convinced that Mrs Harris is a witch, and the one responsible for the death of a boy from their school, that he wants to rush off and tell the police before having anything more substantial than just rumour, and convinces him to get proof first. She is also good to have around if they need to get their homework done or escape from those under the Witch’s spell. I do have a story idea just for Shauna, but whether it will be a novel or just a short story, only time will tell.

The current young adult horror novel I’m working on, Falling Star, also has a strong female character driving the plot, Katie Jenkins. Though I do have some concerns about my ability to make her come across as a believable fifteen year old girl, I am having a lot of fun writing her, and watching her grow as a character.

I do believe that strong female characters are not to be overlooked, especially in the horror genre, and I look forward to meeting many more in my novels to come.

Dark Crucible Publishing

In 2010 I am unveiling Dark Crucible Publishing, which will publish Young Adult Horror fiction in both paperback and eBook formats. The first book in line to be published by Dark Crucible will obviously be Falling Star, but I do hope to inspire other aspiring writers of the genre to want to publish with me.

Following Falling Star, all my other Young Adult Horror novels, including The Ramton Gallow Mysteries series, will be under Dark Crucible, though other books I write, such as Killing Time, will not be.

I feel that the Young Adult Horror genre is lacking some new blood and heart stopping fear, and I want to see if I can re-address the balance.

What I hope to do with Dark Crucible is to work with talented authors in giving them a fresh eye over their work to bring out the best in it, help and encouragement in developing their writing, and using the resources of the internet to promote their books as much as possible, relieving the pressure of doing it all alone.

It does seem like a big task, but I am relishing what is to come.

The Dark Man

I first wrote about the 'Dark Man' in my 2004 novel, Killing Time, and as with all good horror 'bad guys', this one won't stay dead. In looking for some kind of creature to inhabit Falling Star, the concept of the 'Dark Man' stalking his victim(s) has come back from the deep recess that I left him in.

It is also not the same 'Dark Man' who was stalking the life of Nicole Hutton, the heroine of Killing Time, but another one of his kind. This brought to me the idea that in the world of my ficton there is not just one 'Dark Man' roaming the earth, but many 'Dark Men' all around us, hidden from our natural senses though can be seen by those with the gift, or curse, of a connection to something beyond. Who they are and why they are here is part of their mystery, and really adds to the fear that they can generate.

In Killing Time, the 'Dark Man' was trapped inside a mantle clock, until Nicole unwittingly releases him to torment her life and kill those around her. This is not the case in Falling Star, where he came from and why he is after Star is something that drives the plot as I'm writing it, and adds more dimension to the story.


By working on both books at the same time, (writing the first draft of Falling Star while revising Killing Time for its second edition), it is really giving me more of a feeling for the character of the 'Dark Man' as it develops, and gives the possibility of new stories for 'Dark Men' to appear.

The 'Dark Men' are everything you fear. You know those things you see out of the corner of your eye or hiding in the shadows, the voices you can hear in empty rooms, the chill that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end? They are all 'Dark Men', watching you, and waiting...

2010 and beyond for C J Wright Books

With Ritual of Blood now out, and The Witch of Primrose Hill with a new cover, I'm now concentrating on the new writing projects I've got on the horizon, as well as trying to promote myself and my work as best I can.

As far as writing goes I have that pretty much planned out, though getting it done does seem to be troublesome at the moment. I've had Falling Star badger me to be written ever since I came up with the basic plot idea, which was actually around the development of the character, Star. She seemed to have a story to tell, but it wasn't going to be her doing the telling, it was going to be Katie, as she discovers increasing more disturbing things about this girl who she has befriended. The format for Falling Star is also something new to me, numerous short chapters instead of less, longer ones. From the moment this book began to form in my mind I knew that it could be the best novel I've done to date, and I hope it will live up to the expectations I have for it.

The revised 2nd edition of Killing Time has also starting knocking on my creative door. Most of the people I have spoken to who have read this book really enjoyed it, and find it pretty scary. My editor when it was first published in 2004 said that the first chapter was the most intense one she had ever read, and wondered what the rest of the book was going to bring, and as she read through it, the pay off at the end really warranted such an opening.

I'm looking forward to going through it again, I haven't read it since it was published, and improving it where I can as I did for Ritual of Blood.

I am also going to be writing some more short stories from Ramton Gallow in between, and offering them free on my website (in PDF format), as well as posting them on my Authors Den page. The second Ramton Gallow short story - The Trunk Under the Stairs - will by ready in a couple of weeks time.

Once Falling Star and Killing Time are done, I shall be working on the second Ramton Gallow Mysteries novel. With the series running to five so far, though it will probably be more, I have a lot ahead of me, which part of me is looking forward to, and another part of me is dreading.

Roll on 2010.

New Cover - The Witch of Primrose Hill

After listening to the feedback from some of my readers I have released The Ramton Gallow Mysteries: The Witch of Primrose Hill with a new cover:

Both editions will be available to buy for a limited time before I discontinue the "blue cover", first edition. The new cover version is available from my website, as well as the link below:

The Ramton Gallow Mysteries: The Witch of Primrose Hill

The Feast is here!!!

Ritual of Blood has finally been released, in its new revised 2nd edition version, and I must say I'm very happy with it. It has spurred me on to make the revised 2nd edition of Killing Time just as good. When I first decided to rewrite Ritual of Blood, it had been 6 years since I last picked it up, and I must say that I have grown so much as a writer in those years that it was quite painful to go through it. It was the first novel length piece of writing I had ever attempted, and I was very uncertain I could even complete something that long. Getting it published was to begin with an experiment just to see what it took to get it in book form. I learnt a lot in those months, but when the book was published I wasn't totally happy with it, I knew I could make it better. Now, six years later, I feel I have. It's how I wanted it to be, and I am in love with the characters now as much as I was when I first created them.

Just as with The Witch of Primrose Hill, Ritual of Blood is available in paperback (for £8.99) and as an eBook download (for £2.50). I hope you enjoy it.

Upcoming Projects - Falling Star and Killing Time

With the upcoming release of the revised 2nd edition of Ritual of Blood, (on October 31st), my mind has turned to my next writing project, my YA horror novel, Falling Star. I've been working on it periodically over the past few months, but I am now at a point where I can concentrate on getting the first draft fully done.

Falling Star revolves around a fifteen year old girl called Katie Jenkins, who is just beginning to discover she has psychic abilities. It is when she meets and befriends a young runaway called Star that Katie's awareness of her powers begins to increase, and she finds that not only is she being visited by the spirits of the dead, but that there is also a shadowing evil stalking her new friend.

I also haven't forgotten about the revised 2nd edition of Killing Time, which I am going to take my time over after Halloween, make sure it looks and read exactly how I want it to, and hopefully release it sometime in 2010.

Ritual of Blood, coming Halloween.

The new revised 2nd edition of Ritual of Blood is ready, and will be released on October 31st. I didn't think I would be able to get it done in time, but thankfully I managed to put my procrastination behind me and do it. I think having a deadline really helped.

I liked the original cover, so I used some of it to create the cover for this edition, and I think it looks pretty good. Hopefully readers will like what I have done with this new edition, and that it reaches a wider audience than it did the first time round.

It'll be priced at £8.99 for the paperback copy, and £2.50 for the eBook download. I'll also be posting a free preview of the first chapter on my website as well, about a week before actual release, so there's something to whet the appetite.

So get ready, for the time of the Feast is near!!!

Ritual of Blood Teaser Trailer.

With work on the 2nd edition of Ritual of Blood going well, I decided to create a small teaser trailer for it, and post it on YouTube. I am still on course for a Halloween release, and if all goes well, I'll write two more vampire novels, and make it into a trilogy.

Anyway, check out the teaser trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSuP36OMPiU

On Twitter

I've finally decided to give Twitter a try. Hopefully it will help my promote my books and keep in touch with my fans. If you want to follow me on Twitter, my Twitter page is:

http://twitter.com/cjwrightbooks

On Amazon.com

I've just checked, and The Witch of Primrose Hill is available in the U.S. on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Ramton-Gallow-Mysteries-Witch-Primrose/dp/1409289761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252448164&sr=8-1

It takes 6-8 weeks before books are available on there, so I'm glad everything is all right with it and they've allowed it to be added to their list. It's priced at $11.22, so hopefully my US fans will be able to order it better through Amazon.

Ritual of Blood - 2nd Edition: UPDATE

It's been over a month since my last post, and I wanted to keep you abreast of how the second edition of Ritual of Blood is coming along. When I first thought about re-releasing my two previous novels I hoped that it wasn't going to be as much hard work as writing a novel from scratch, and though it isn't that hard, it is pretty close. My deadline for publication, 31st October, is still on track, and I think I'm going to be happy with the end result. It's going to be the way I wanted it to be originally, and I hope those who discover, or re-discover, it will like what I have done with it.

I will be making a trailer for Ritual of Blood, and posting it on my YouTube Channel, so look out for that a bit nearer the time.

A Writer's work is never done.

Since I last posted on my blog I've got a lot done. The short story I was working on - The Four Thieves - is finished and is available to be downloaded for free from my website:

http://www.cjwrightbooks.webeden.co.uk/

I've also started going through and revising Ritual of Blood for its new Second Edition, which will be a whole lot better than before, and will also include a Foreword by me. I am hoping to have it out in time for Halloween, and the revised Second Edition of Killing Time ready to go for Christmas. It may be a tall order, but by giving myself a deadline it'll give me he incentive to get it done.

Wish me luck!

Trailer on YouTube

This is the trailer for The Witch of Primrose Hill, which I have also posted on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT84xfxYZG0

I've been working, (though not as hard as I should - procrastination, one of my many faults), on a short story for my website - which is were I've decided to post them. Ramton Gallow has taken on a life of its own, in my mind at least, and what started out as just a backdrop for my stories, has become a character of its very own. Through the books and short stories I'm going to leak little bits of the madness of this town, so the questions that may arise through reading about this world will be answered at some point, (a question like "Why does no one in Ramton Gallow use a mobile phone?", which is the first question anyone has asked me, and which I answered, "You'll find out." followed by a evil grin. I didn't want to divulge that piece of information just yet.) Anyway, I hope you like the trailer; I've got to get back to work.

Work in motion.

The Witch of Primrose Hill is now out there in the big wide world, yay!!! I've approved the proof, and now it's going to be distributed to a much wider audience. It should take about 8 weeks for it to appear on Amazon.com and on Google Book Search, but it's fully available by going through my website, or the publisher's website, Lulu.com.

The work of promotion is now on my list of things to do, along with getting the first draft of Falling Star finished - though that will take a little while yet - and the revised 2nd editions of Ritual of Blood and Killing Time.

I have also got myself a YouTube channel to help promoting my work, though I haven't thought out exactly how I'm going to use the channel to achieve that. I'm sure I'll think of something.

Cover and Blurb.

Here is the cover and blurb for The Witch of Primrose Hill:




When a teenage boy is found dead, twelve-year-old Daniel Grade suspects that old Mrs. Harris, a little old lady who is rumoured to be a witch, is the murderer. Is she? Or is there something far more sinister going on in the town of Ramton Gallow?





I'll be on full-on promotion mode once I've approved the final proofs and release The Witch of Primrose Hill to the world. Hopefully only a few more days to go.

C J Wright Books Website

I've just finished creating the website for my books, here is the address for you to join and keep up with all the latest stuff from me:

http://www.cjwrightbooks.webeden.co.uk/

Witch of Primrose Hill - Published

Well, I've done it, spent all day working on it, but the first book in The Ramton Gallow Mysteries series is done. I've just got to go through the proof copy, accept it, and it will be available to the world. However, you can get a copy ordered right now by clicking on the link below and choosing in which format you want it - Print or eBook:

Self Publish? and Short Stories

I've been thinking, (dangerous thing for me, I know), that maybe I should self publish my books. It's gotten a lot easier over the past few years, what with the Internet Revolution giving us the ability to cut out so many of the obstacles which had made self publishing so costly, also with a number of authors who have self published and then go on to get contracts with major publishing houses, (such a G.P Taylor), that I should give it a go myself. My book will be totaly in my control, and it can be available in both hardcopy and as an eBook to anyone in the world. The more I think about this, the better it sounds.

Also I've decided to start doing something I thought would be impossible for me - I'm going to write some short stories. They are all going to be set in Ramton Gallow, and give the readers a better insight into this strange little town and the horrors that lie within it.

I have a lot of work to do, better get cracking :)

Agents

Well, the first step to publication has begun, I have started sending The Witch of Primrose Hill off to Agents. I can tell you that I've been feeling a little tenative about it. From now on my book is out of my control, what happens next is down to those professionals who have years of experience in the literary world. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope for the best, and carry on writing.

Falling Star is coming alone quite nicely, though I need to be more disciplined and write every day. I should be able to get the first draft finished in the next three months, maybe sooner if the inspiration keeps going.

The Red Pen!!!

Editing, editing, editing... the three words I hate the most. I know that editing my manuscript is where I can form my work into a well rounded, tightly structured masterpiece - well, maybe not masterpiece, but you know what I mean - but all I can see is where I've made mistakes in getting the words down on paper, and kick myself for not getting it right first time. I know, I know, no one ever gets it right first time, and it's all part of the process, but I still feel that way sometimes.

The good thing about editing is that it's not too late to correct the mistakes, and add bits that make the story flow better and give more depth to the characters and plot. Then there's also the occasional piece of prose in the manuscript that you've done that is so good you wonder if you really wrote it or if the writing pixies had been at your computer when you weren't looking.

Anyway, I've finished editing The Witch of Primrose Hill, just need to type up all the changes and then format it so it's ready to be sent out into the big wide world, hopefully landing on a publishers desk where he or she thinks it's the best thing ever written, or at the very least just good enough for them to release as a fully fledged book.

The fun is about to begin!

The Name of the Series

My big driving force for being a writer is that I have a manic imagination, and can think of ideas pretty much all the time. Granted, they are usually in a very basic form, but as long as I note them down for future exploration, they can be a good source for plots, though obviously not all of them are workable. Some, however, and these are the ones that really fly, can come almost fully formed from the most unlikely of places.

Due to this over active imagination I have a list of titles ready to write, which I have split into groups. Ones that can run as a series, of which I have two series' planned, and the rest as stand alone titles. The Witch of Primrose Hill is the first novel in a series, which I have now decided on a title for - The Ramton Gallow Mysteries.

I have five books so far planned in The Ramton Gallow Mysteries series, though I shall only tell you the title of the next one - The Amazing Pickwick Circus.

I will be starting on the journey of getting The Witch of Primrose Hill published very soon, once I am happy with it, so fingers crossed.

My Introduction

I had a desire to be a writer since I was eight years old when I met Sue Townsend, the author of the Adrian Mole books, at my school on the 23rd November 1985. However, it wasn't until 2001 that I actually decided to give it a go and write a novel. It started off really as just an experiment - could I do it?

The answer was yes, I could, and my first adult horror novel, a vampire story titled 'Ritual of Blood' was published in 2003. I set it in a fictional town, modelled loosely on the town I live now, in 1873.










While I was waiting for publication of 'Ritual of Blood' I began my next novel, this time a contemporary ghost story titled 'Killing Time'. I finished 'Killing Time' just as 'Ritual of Blood' came out, and it was published by Vanguard Press in 2004.




I took the next couple of years off writing seriously, and then in 2007 I decided to get back into it, only this time writing for more of a teenage market rather than an adult one, as the ideas I had been having catered more for that kind of audience. Currently I am working on a series, the first one of which is currently titled 'The Witch of Primrose Hill', and is in the final draft stage, and I am also writing a stand alone novel currently titled 'Falling Star'.