The elderly owner of Mogdon Manor, Victor Hamblyn, dies in a mysterious fire. But was it really an accident? Jack and Sarah are skeptical - The victim's three middle-aged children, who all live in the village of Cherringham, are possible heirs. And possible murderers - Did one of them set the fire?
"Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah is released each month.
REVIEW
I enjoyed this story more than the first episode. I think it was because I felt more familiar with the MCs and the friendship between them was more established and solid. I loved playing detective alongside Sarah and Jack as they pieced together the clues.
This was yet another thrilling mystery filled with intrigue and suspense. I immediately took a liking to old man Victor, and as this story unfolded the more my heart went out to him. His entire life was a lie, and the fact that he had to hide the truth from his own family was so sad. When the truth was finally revealed it was quite a surprise and I gleefully rejoiced at the turn of events. His terrible trio of vulture children got exactly what they deserved.
Once again, this book was crisp and clean without too much filler to bog it down, and I'm excited to read the next episode in the Cosy Crime Series.
INTERVIEW
Hello, and welcome to Roxy’s Reviews.
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us
today.
1. Tell us a bit about yourselves.
Matt: I’ve been a writer of
novels, games, and scripts since 1987. I’ve also taught for decades, mostly
classes for children identified as Gifted and Talented. Along with my wife, Ann, I’m a Board Member
of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality disorder which is
dedicated to removing stigma and bringing help and support to those families
dealing with mental illness (NEABPD.com). I jog, am fairly serious about
cooking, scuba dive and travel a lot.
Neil: I came to writing late in
the day. I worked in films and TV as a
development exec for years mid-wifing other people’s projects, itching to write
but never having the confidence. But I
was lucky – I worked alongside some great writers and had tons of fun in movie
world (some of which will remain secret!)... Eventually I plucked up courage
and started and have now written a lot of TV, radio, games, interactive – much of
it in partnership with Matt. (He lives in NY by the way, while I live in the
South of England.) Matt then persuaded me to write novels – I love it. I live with my wife Annie (who I also
co-write kids’ TV with) and have two sons. I escape the noise 8am sharp every
morning and work in a little office in the garden.
2. What inspires your writing?
2. What inspires your writing?
Matt: I want to do to others as
those who inspired, rocked and shocked me did…..from Bradbury to Bloch. Inspiration?
Everything that I see, hear, experience goes in…(I believe). What comes out,
though, is often something else, and I love that.
Neil: Same as Matt. Fragments
of conversation, people I meet, stories I hear. Anything that makes the hairs
on the back of my neck go... And then once an idea is up and running, yes, the
whole of ‘a life lived’ tends to find its way subconsciously into the stories.
Of course, it’s true – once the characters are in play they take over and often
dictate the action.
3. Where did the idea for Cherringham come from?
3. Where did the idea for Cherringham come from?
Matt:
Neil had been talking to people at Bastei Luebbe who wanted to create an
episodic cosy mystery series, set in the UK. We on our own had been discussing
a different kind of sleuthing ‘team’, so as talks went along we started to work
on a small outline of what would become Cherringham, anchored by the
fact that the team would be the retired NYPD detective, Jack Brennan, working
with single mum, Sarah Edwards.
Neil:
It was good timing – Bastei asked and we had an outline back to them within a
couple of weeks. We wrote the outline just as we’d write a pitch for a TV
series – and in fact we’ve always wanted the stories to feel like you’re
watching a one-off TV episode. Jack and Sarah forced their way in – almost as
if Matt and I both knew them as friends – and the full lives and backgrounds we
gave them sprang from their characters quickly. Cherringham itself came from
our research in the Cotswolds, an area I know pretty well and love.
4. What was the writing process like as co-writers of this series, considering you are based in different countries?
4. What was the writing process like as co-writers of this series, considering you are based in different countries?
Matt: It has its challenges.
But then we have collaborated on a wide range of projects, some of major
complexity and scope, so this didn't feel too challenging. That said, we have
built in time for face-to-face research on all things Cotswolds and general
plotting…cooking up murders as we stroll our (still secret) model villages.
Oh—and Skype can be useful as well.
Neil: Time zones helps a lot. I
fire a draft of a chapter to Matt and he can have it back edited overnight if
we need. We’re lucky – we trust each other implicitly and communicate well. We
laugh a lot and by some miracle share a sense of when a story is ‘right’.
5. What hurdles and highlights have you faced as a writer?
5. What hurdles and highlights have you faced as a writer?
Matt: I've worked on three or
four landmark projects, and those experiences and aftershocks have been
amazing. Hurdles are…you work for yourself. There are good times, bad times,
financially and creatively, One must learn to go….with the flow.
Neil: er... paying the
bills? Good times come and go, feast or
famine but that mortgage needs paying.
We’ve put our hearts and souls into TV projects for instance which have
fallen at the final hurdle when it’s big money and exec producers making the
calls. Working in TV development I’ve
always known that only a fraction of projects make it – so I’m always aware
that the odds are against – and you have to make things happen if you love
them.
6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
6. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Matt: Read tons. Writing is re-writing. Make the moment
come alive in your mind, then for the reader. Master POV. Lose most adverbs, he
said casually.
Neil: Start. Now. Don’t plan
too much. Assume that what you write will never be the draft that you deliver –
that takes the curse away of demanding too much from yourself. Being a writer
is like playing a sport – you only get better by doing it. Over and over again,
get the words out, don’t stop, get into the zone and let your imagination
fly...
7. Who are some of your favourite authors?
7. Who are some of your favourite authors?
Matt: Louis Auncincloss, Thomas
Berger, Rober Block, HP Lovecraft, Agatha Christie, John Fowles, John
Christopher, Max Hastings, Stephen King,
Issac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heilein, Ernest Hemingway.
Neil: Some of the above (!). I
really love Alan Furst at the moment. Donna Leon for cozy crime. Graham Greene
for real writing. Douglas Adams (I was lucky enough to work with him for a few
years.) Peter May for dark crime. Wodehouse for comedy. Lehane. Stephen King.
William Boyd.
8. What other interests do you have?
Matt: My family. Other people’s families. And…cooking, hiking, diving, dinosaurs, the ancient world, a well-made martini, opera, Mahler, recreating major battles on what was once my dining room table.
Neil: I run, watch TV obsessively – drama, crime, news and sport, love travel and restaurants which are way above my pay-grade, cook, drink gin and tonic (but only after 8pm when I’m off the clock). I love the outdoors. In my teens I played international sport – and I love soccer. Family life is important too – I couldn’t write without that powerful emotional support.
9. What is the best advice you received in life? And what is your secret to success?
8. What other interests do you have?
Matt: My family. Other people’s families. And…cooking, hiking, diving, dinosaurs, the ancient world, a well-made martini, opera, Mahler, recreating major battles on what was once my dining room table.
Neil: I run, watch TV obsessively – drama, crime, news and sport, love travel and restaurants which are way above my pay-grade, cook, drink gin and tonic (but only after 8pm when I’m off the clock). I love the outdoors. In my teens I played international sport – and I love soccer. Family life is important too – I couldn’t write without that powerful emotional support.
9. What is the best advice you received in life? And what is your secret to success?
Matt: From the great Harlan
Ellison…three core ideas about writing (hidden in the answers given already!)
To obtain the secret to success, simply send ten crisp $100 bills to my address
in a plain manilla envelope. But I will say this: try to let go of ego. Learn
to love feedback and criticism. Embrace the process. And always be ready to
move on.
Neil: The film Galaxy Quest
gave me the best advice a writer will ever need – ‘Never give up! Never
surrender!’ Otherwise – totally agree with what Matt says above... In truth I
don’t feel I’ve yet had real success and maybe that’s another secret – stay
hungry and always want more.
10. Are you currently working on any special projects, writing or other? Can you tell us a bit more about them?
Matt: I’m working on the third novel of the Vacation and Home series, and also working on a game tie-in to a major TV series. There’s an animated multi-platform project based in Tasmania that is in media res. And there are three more Cherringhams to write!
Neil: I just finished the game Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse and am just about to start on another animated series for kids. And Matt and I have a darker crime story we’re developing.
10. Are you currently working on any special projects, writing or other? Can you tell us a bit more about them?
Matt: I’m working on the third novel of the Vacation and Home series, and also working on a game tie-in to a major TV series. There’s an animated multi-platform project based in Tasmania that is in media res. And there are three more Cherringhams to write!
Neil: I just finished the game Broken Sword: The Serpent’s Curse and am just about to start on another animated series for kids. And Matt and I have a darker crime story we’re developing.
See where the mystery began!!
Murder on Thames
The first episode in this digital series
Cherringham is a quiet and peaceful town in the Cotswolds. Time moves slowly here, and nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, until one morning a woman’s body is discovered in the river. Sarah Edwards has just returned to Cherringham with her two children following the breakdown of her marriage. Sarah had been friends with Sammi Jackson – the woman in the river –before they both moved to London and she’s certain there is more to her death than meets the eye. But juggling the school run and her job as a web designer doesn’t leave much time to solve murder mysteries.
After the death of his wife, former NYPD homicide detective Jack Brennan has retired to Cherringham hoping for a quiet life. He soon realises “peace and quiet” isn’t really him and, despite his misgivings, he’s persuaded by Sarah to help her look into Sammi’s death. It quickly becomes clear that the case isn’t as simple as the police hope. From her violent ex-boyfriend to her alcoholic father, it seems everyone has something to hide. Sarah and Jack will need to use all their wits to get to the bottom of this case.
"Cherringham - A Cozy Crime Series" is a series of twelve self-contained episodes. A new case for Jack and Sarah is released each month.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Marissa Curnutte
347.574.3136
GERMAN POWERHOUSE BASTEI LÜBBE UNLEASHES LITERARY PROJECTS, APPS IN THE U.S. FOR THE FIRST TIME
With finesse in digital publishing, the company shares stories across various platforms
After more than 60 years of success in the European literary market, German publishing giant Bastei Lübbe is venturing into brand new territory and launching projects in the United States for the first time.
The revolutionary publishing company is expanding with the introduction of new book series and digital apps beginning this spring. Making its American debut, Bastei Lübbe has a strong reputation for issuing popular fiction titles by esteemed authors and up and coming writers.
Bastei Lübbe has proven to be a master of innovation by taking on projects beyond traditional publishing. The company is rolling out its fact-based, cross platform project “Netwars – Out of CTRL” starting this spring, which includes a graphic novel app simultaneously made available in five languages, an e-book series, audio book series and several interactive video documentaries for television and the web. Netwars will be available on IOS, Google Play, Amazon and Samsung.
“These are exciting times for digital publishing and especially for our team at Bastei Entertainment,” said head of international sales Colin Lovrinovic. “Netwars is a great example of how we work. It’s a gripping story told through various channels, which gives you the possibility to dive incredibly deep into it – or to just choose your favorite medium.”
A successful IPO and tirelessly working to develop engaging cross vertical products puts Baste Lübbe in a unique strategic position regarding the early digital capture of new markets.
Bastei Lübbe is the publisher behind “Cotton FBI,” the most successful crime series in Germany with 1 billion copies sold. And after only 11 weeks, its e-book series “Apocalypsis” by German author Mario Giordano hit the 1 million mark for downloads in China. Its “Laura’s Star” app for children hit No. 1 in iTunes in three separate categories.
Bastei Lübbe is based in Cologne, Germany but will be launching several hundred foreign language titles over the next months through its digital publishing arm Bastei Entertainment. The company is the largest independent trade publisher in the country and a major player in the audio book industry.
For more about Bastei Lübbe's current and upcoming releases go to the JKSCommunitcations Virtual Tour Page
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