Reviews for Too Close to the Sun

Since Too Close to the Sun was self published in August, it's had a few decent reviews!

These are they, pasted from Amazon's website AND ALL 5 STAR!!!

The family you have to love, 6 Nov 2013

How is iit possible to like gangsters and murderers, it seems you can with the Delvechios. Never got bored for an instance. Looking forward to the next one.   What a great read, 27 Oct 2013 I really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see if there is a another one to make a trilogy! The characters were solid, interesting and very visual. I enjoyed it so much that I have purchased the author's first book to read! I want to know what happens next, 15 Sep 2013 Great book am really hoping the author does a follow up as I would love to know what happens next   Exciting read with a real twist!, 28 Aug 2013 This well written book had me captivated from the beginning. I couldnt stop reading as I was desperate to find out what happened next. I highly recommend it along with the authors previous book Malavita. Can't wait for part 3...   excellent read!, 24 Aug 2013 Love this book and this family! After reading malavita I've been waiting for this sequel and it has not been disappointing. Can't wait for more...     I am, naturally, chuffed to bits with all of these reviews and am so glad that I have made at least five people happy with my book.  It is still for sale as ebook on Amazon at £2.49   http://www.amazon.co.uk/Too-Close-Sun-Wendy-Newman-ebook/dp/B00EMZYK14/ref=pd_rhf_cr_p_img_1_50QJ

Too Close to the Sun NOW RELEASED

Finally, I have done it.

I have got Too Close to the Sun 'out there' and very proud, relieved and happy in equal measure.
Now, you just have to read it...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Too-Close-Sun-ebook/dp/B00EMZYK14/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376913753&sr=8-1&keywords=wendy+newman+too+close+to+the+sun

When you have read it, I would be very grateful if you were to put a review, good or bad on the Amazon website. After all, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Opening chapter of Too Close to the Sun - Wendy Newman (me!)

A taster of the book  - out 19 August 2013

Marco Delvecchio drove with a steady determination down the dark street. He kept to just below the speed limit, not wanting to be the centre of any unwanted attention. It was already late and he wanted to get home after a long and crappy day, home to his wife and a hot shower, both at the same time if his luck was in. He brought his mind back from the hot steamy shower scene playing through his head and instead tried to concentrate on his pending meeting. He was concerned that he would be unable to keep his temper in check but at the same time, knew he needed to avoid lashing out at all costs. His anger was already bubbling around the surface and he wasn’t in the right mood for this meeting, but he had somehow convinced Gabe, his number two to let him go out alone and he knew it had to be now or never. He had told Gabe he was meeting with Jimmy Caruso and that he would, of course be fine to meet with his old friend alone. Marco was aware that it was doubtful that he could convince his right hand man to let him meet with anyone without back up again, whether friend or foe. It went against protocol and there had been too many times of late. And, he thought, he was getting too old for all of this.

Sighing heavily in increasing agitation, he pulled up in the large, near empty parking area of the supermarket. It was near closing time and only a few hardy shoppers were still milling around and Marco found a spot with ease to wait. He could see the entrance from this spot and would know when his visitor arrived.

After ten minutes of waiting, Marco began to huff, tut and sigh in growing anger and impatience. His fingers tapped in irritation on the steering wheel and he was fidgeting in his seat. He could feel the tightness of rage building up inside him and it was something he always struggled to control, like a caged beast that would always threaten to break free and when this happened, the consequences were never good. Marco Delvecchio was not a man to be kept waiting but he knew why it was happening now. The mongrel he was meeting with would think he had gained the upper hand over Marco, some perceived psychological advantage over the king of mind games. Well, let him think that, was Marco’s thought on the matter. He tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths and was just about to start the car up and go home when he watched the shiny white Honda pull in, slow down and appear to check the place out before parking up next to Marco’s black Lexus. Marco waited for a moment before he opened the window to speak.

“You’re late!” Marco growled. The young man he was expecting got out of his own car and slipped into the seat next to Marco’s.

With no apology, the boy just turned to Marco. His smile was cold and false. “What did you want to meet me for?” His voice stayed light as he toyed with Marco. He knew how to press the older mans buttons.

“This has gone on for long enough and I’m bored with it. I need to know what you want from me and my family.”

A humourless laugh erupted from beside Marco. “What can you possibly give me now? What do you have that I would want? You have already taken the most important thing from me, what else is there?”

“Looking at you, I’d say quite a lot. A job or maybe money. If I can do it, you can have it.” Marco said, ignoring the implication of the boys words.

“Are you scared of me Marco? Of what I might do to you?”

Now it was time for Marco to laugh. He was finding the whole situation quite absurd. “Me? Scared of you? Sonny boy, you clearly haven’t done much homework on me and so you don’t know me too well, I can tell. Just let’s suppose for one minute that I am scared of you. Don’t you think I would have an army of men with me and just take you out? Believe me, that would be by far the easiest thing for this now boring situation.”

“So why don’t you just have me killed then?”

Marco sighed. “Just tell me what you want; what I can give you to make you happy.”

“I haven’t quite decided yet. Maybe we should meet on Sunday night and I might have made up my mind by then.”
           
"Maybe you shouldn’t waste my time. I have better things to do than keep meeting with you."

“Sure, like tell your precious family about me? Have you done that yet?” The visitor grinned. “What will that sexy wife of yours think? Or your playboy son and heir? You know what, Boss? I don’t think you’ll tell anyone. I think that you will meet me at nine o’clock on Sunday, back at the first place we met. I don’t want to keep coming all the way up here. So I guess I’ll see you then, Marco!” With obvious derision, the boy got out of the car leaving Marco fuming. Maybe he should just take the little bastard out after all – just put a bullet through his head and walk away. Marco decided that he would enjoy that, enjoy seeing his blood and brains splattered.

He sat in the car for a short while after he’d watched the kid drive away, his tail-lights long gone and he wondered how he’d got himself into this mess. What had started out a few months back with one problem had now ended up with an entirely different one.  Marco had had a chance meeting with an associate from many years ago and it had led him here, on this Thursday evening when he had better things to do and bigger problems to worry about.  He decided there and then, as the rain began to drum a heavy beat on the roof of his car that Sunday night would bring an end to it, whatever else happened. He started up his engine and with the anger still raging through his veins, he headed home.

Self publishing update

I know.
It's taking ages.
But it has to be right and it has to be right first time.
But the manuscript is now in the correct format for uploading. I am reading it through one last time with the most critical eye I can possibly imagine and have already made some changes to the text. I have 'shown', not 'told' many paragraphs and feel it is better than ever. I have given myself until next weekend to finish it once and for all. I could edit and re-write a thousand times and not be happy, like most too-self critical writers so I have to give myself a cut off date and get on with the business of marketing and finishing off other stories as well.
Not to mention Book 3 in this Family epic!

My self-publishing Odyssey

After months - yes months - of pontificating, dreaming and some tantrums, the time has come for me to self-publish Too Close to the Sun.

I had thoughts of trying for a traditional publisher amid dreams that I would be offered a contract along with a six figure advance and that I might be able to give up my day job and write full-time.

After sending my brilliant (if I don't big it up, who will??) novel, Too Close to the Sun to just two publishers and neither of them having the courtesy to either acknowledge or say thanks but no thanks, I had an epiphany.

Just do it myself.

I had my hands well and truly tied with Authorhouse, who published my first book, Malavita and still have battles with them now and the idea of complete autonomy over Too Close to the Sun fills me with excitement and even relief. I can do my own marketing (though no real plans for that, as yet, ideas welcome), set my own attractive pricing and be my own boss (almost).

So here I go.

Step one - another edit.

Step two - ready the manuscript to upload to Amazon Kindle, thanks to the invaluable article in Writers Forum Magazine (issue 140). They have made it seem very easy to do and I hope it is. I hate technology but if it as simple as they claim, it will save me paying upwards of £100 to format it ready for upload. Let's face it, £100 is a lot of books to sell to get the investment back.
I have my cover, thanks to friend Emma Lacey at Octopress and a fine and striking job she has done with it.

So, in theory - I'm all set...

Ciao for now

I have made the conscious decision to come off-line from all social media for a few months.

 

My time is far too limited now that we have Ned, our 14 week old Border Collie and he is much more demanding than me and The Husband realised he would be. I work full time - my writing does not yet bring in enough money for me to give up working in travel - and with the demands of running a household added into the equation, I feel as though I am teetering on the edge at the moment. This will be my last (therapeutic) blog entry for a couple of months also.

 

Having to keep up an on-line profile just doesn’t seem important at the moment and my time is better used elsewhere as I desperately cling to sanity. I am too highly strung and to be stressing about when I am going to find the time to update my author page or my blog, or that I haven’t tweeted for a few days isn't helping. I do hope that in a few months, when things have calmed down, I won’t have to start all over again. I trust I will keep my followers and friends just where  they are and be able to pick up where I left off, especially my true and ‘real’ friends. Work chums – well, you still get to see me everyday, like it or not.

 

Just a quick update before I sign off – Malavita is still far too highly overpriced by Author House, so please continue to boycott this. I am hoping to either find a new publisher or self-publish via e-book and then you can all buy it if you haven’t done so already. I’m not sure what the legal implications are but, again, given time, I will find out and go from there.

 

Too Close to The Sun is still with a potential publisher which I am hoping to hear from soon. Otherwise, it will be self-publish e-book as well. I will make a decision in September and hope to have a Christmas best-seller with it!

 

Somewhere a Place is still a work in progress and I am lucky to be able to write 1000 words a week, a far cry from the 1000 words a day most writers aspire to.

 

My much-loved short stories have taken a back row in everything, I’m afraid. No more competition entries for the moment.

 

So there you have it. My sign off until at least September from all things on-line.  I hope to see you all then.

 

Too Many Distractions or Too Many Excuses???

Ned, our 8 week old Border Collie came to live with us last Saturday and as he arrived, control and calm disappeared down the road.

He's not a bad puppy - he just has so much to learn and already, he will sit and wait (for a few seconds anyway) and ask to go outside to do his business most of the time. We give him a treat when he goes and he thinks that by doing half a wee at a time, he gets to double up on his treats. Not bad for a bag of fluff with just a week of getting to know rules.

But he does take up a lot of time and to be fair, a lot of my patience. I'm not particularly known for having a lot of patience and the little I have seems to wear down quite rapidly. But I know I have to put the time in now to reap the rewards later.

With that said, my writing as taken a back seat so far back that it's out of sight. I was determined to sit down to write on my blog today (Ned is having a nap having been awake since 6am so I have taken my chance while I can.)  I also want to finish a mini-edit of my current master piece today so that I can crack on and finish that. But at what point does the housework get done? The house is a mess of mud and dog hair at the minute. What about time for much-loved, but neglected cat with his nose pushed firmly out of joint? At some point, I also have to get ready for the working week ahead which is stressful at the moment so the last thing I want to do is come home and look at a screen for another hour.

So are these valid distractions? Should I just go with the flow of getting Ned settled in (or moved out if he continues to stress my cat!) and worry about my writing in a month or so. Or am I looking for excuses not to write and if so, what does that mean...

Running out of time...

So.

We have finally done it after two years of discussion, procrastination and many lists of pros and cons.

Done what? I can almost hear you say.

Well, madly enough, we have bought a puppy. Currently he is only two weeks old today (Happy Birthday, ickle puppy) so we have a while before we can bring him home yet. He is a pedigree Border Collie and has stunning parents. It's mums first litter. Dad - well he is a champion and competing at Crufts this year. Not only that, he is a film star (of sorts) and has appeared in a Will Young video. Harvey is the steroetypically perfect Border Collie and I would have bought him home if I could have.

So we now have to puppy proof the house and find training classes, buy stair gates, bowls and leads. This just begs one question.

When will I find the time for writing when my spare time is already at a premium? The answer is that I just don't know and that I will have to get as many projects up to date before the 6th April. After this date, I sense neglect for my stories and puppy, husband and cat (not particulary in any order) will be my new priority.

This puppy is going to complete our little family and I will be very happy to put everything and everyone else on hold for a few months.

To self publish or not???

Gosh! I think I must be going slightly mad.

I was, up until about 8am this morning, all ready to begin another round of editing and, providing I was happy with the final outcome, arrange for Too Close to the Sun to be converted to e-book.

Now, and I'm not sure if I should be committed, but I have decided to try and go the old fashioned way and find a traditional publisher.

Why, I hear you ask in exasperation?

Well, maybe because I have such faith in this book, more so perhaps than Malavita and feel that just maybe, someone will want to publish it for me. I have learnt so much since 2008 when Malavita was first published and have grown stronger as a person and a writer. I believe in my writing now and the story line of TCTTS is cracking and my two alpa readers have said so as well (yes, they may be biased, they are friends.)

But if I don't try, I will never know and I can always revert back to Plan A in 8-10 weeks if and when the rejection letters start hitting the front door mat.

So tomorrow is a day for going through the Writers Yearbook and looking up publishers on-line.

Wish me luck!!!

A Book Review

A Street Cat Named Bob – a book review by Wendy Newman.

A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen is a book that I may not have chosen to read but it was given to me as a Christmas (2012) present.

My first thought was ‘great! A book about a cat.’ I mean, I am a servant to a cat called Alpi and I adore him and would do anything for him but I am not what you might call a cat lover as such. I don’t ‘do’ other peoples cats.

But this book was a best seller and I thought that it had to be good, so I embarked on the reading of it and to be fair, I was hooked from page one.

The story is wonderful and simply written and has great characterisation of the stray that came to stay. I was captivated, having recognised many traits in Bob that I see on a regular basis in Alpi. In several places I laughed out loud, gaining a warm and fuzzy feeling from Bob’s antics; from the haughtiness of not wanting to use an indoor litter tray to waiting by the cupboard door for his breakfast. I could picture in my mind’s eye the goings on of Bob and James and I couldn’t wait to read the next page.

But the underlying story is not just that of a ginger tom but also the struggles faced by Mr Bowen as a recovering drug addict. I’m afraid that I don’t usually have the time or energy for anyone involved in drugs, believing that they alone are responsible for the predicament that they are in, whatever the reason. I, like James, had a troubled childhood and moved around a lot but I have never felt the need to turn to drugs. I have also been on the receiving end of the dishonesty, the emotional drain and vile nature of most people with a habit so I believe my feelings to be justified.

However, James was brutal and honest in his self-assessments and I felt an almost immediate sympathy for the man. The mere fact that he had such an instant rapport with the stray moggy and felt a responsibility towards him leant him a soft and caring side and I felt myself routing for him. It brought tears of anger and frustration to my eyes as James describes the saboteurs as he tries to make an honest living and was angrier still at the narrow minded people on the streets of London who thought it fun to frighten Bob.

All in all, it is a wonderful story which shows the empowerment animals have over us all. Bob proves to be the deciding factor James needed to turn his back once and for all (we hope!) on the crazy life of a drug addict and I wish them both lots of happiness and luck for the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new short story I have penned - Billy Grimm - a short about Life & Death

Unfortunately, this is based on a little bit of personal experience but mostly my all too vivid imagination. I would welcome your comments.

 

As I start to wake up, the first thing I am aware of is that my dreadful, banging headache has gone and I breathe a sigh of immense relief. That was a really bad one.

The second thing that I am aware of is that I am not alone in my bedroom. As I open my eyes, I see a strange man standing at the foot of my bed.

“Jesus Christ!” I exclaim involuntarily in my shock and no small amount of terror.

The stranger laughs. “No, a common misconception but I am Billy. Billy Grimm.” He walks around the bed, closer to me and I sit up rapidly, trying to back away from him.

From downstairs, I can hear the television being played quietly my husband keeping our two young children occupied whilst I am indisposed again. It is then that I notice the still lump in my bed, bodily shaped, and my unwelcome visitor can see the confusion rapidly appearing on my face. He sits down on the bed next to me.

“Do you know why I am here?” He asks softly.

I shake my head rapidly, fear beginning to overtake my rational thoughts.

He sighs. “You are dead, Alison. I am here to take you on your final journey. You must come with me now. Quickly.”  He holds out his hand for me to take but I just laugh.

“Clearly I am still asleep and this is a dream. Or a nightmare maybe.” I tell him. “You cannot die from a headache.”

He shakes his head sadly. “It was no ordinary headache. You had a brain haemorrhage and the minute it popped, you were dead. You were asleep so you felt nothing. It was peaceful for you as you have been good in your life. There was no reason to make you suffer.”

I shake my head and move away from the form in the bed. The form that, if what Billy Grimm is telling me is true, is my own lifeless body. I had thought about death and dying but a few times but I had never thought it would be like this so how could I possibly dream up events that I had not conceived of?

I hear the lounge door creak open softly and my husband, Neil, goes into the kitchen. He fills the kettle with water and gets the mugs out, whistling as he does so. The children follow him in, quietly asking for a drink of squash and a biscuit.

I stand up and face Billy Grimm, with his long dark hair and sunglasses. “This is crazy!” I hiss through clenched teeth. “Whoever you claim to be, this is just mad. I shall go downstairs and prove it!” I tell him defiantly.

Billy stands there and shakes his head. “You are showing the first classic signs of death – denial. It is much like grief.”  He sighs theatrically. “Alison, in a few minutes, Neil will be coming up here with a cup of tea to wake you up. He is going to find you dead and it is going to be very distressing for both of you. I would like to take you away from that before we get to that stage because where we are going is not distressing or traumatic. It is calm and it is peaceful and everything you would expect it to be. There are special places for people to go and become acclimatised if they have had a violent death but we like to avoid taking anyone there if we can help it.  We want you to be happy.”

“Happy? Happy? If any of what you are saying is true, how can I be happy about it? I have a wonderful husband that I don’t want to leave and two small children that I can’t leave. They all need me and I certainly need them. I need to see my children grow up.”

Downstairs, the kettle clicks off and I hear a spoon rattling about in the mug.

Billy just stands there shaking his head. “I’m really sorry but the decision when or how people come to us is not mine, but you are my person today. Please Alison, come with me now, before it’s too late.” His voice has taken on an air of pleading.

I shake my head, defying my dream, my imagination or whatever else this may be as I am damn sure it is not reality.

I know Neil is on his way upstairs with my tea and the children are with him, coming to wake mummy up. I need to stay, to see this hallucination play out and prove to myself it is not real. Perhaps then I will wake up.

“Hey baby.” Neil calls out softly as he opens the bedroom door. I smile and reach out to touch him and let him know I am here but he doesn’t see or feel me and heads for the bed. Neil puts the mug of steaming tea down on the bedside cabinet and then gently tries to nudge me awake.

To my horror, my body does not respond and I start to think that maybe Billy Grimm is my new reality. Neil’s shaking of me intensifies and I see the alarm spreading on his face. He calls out to the kids to call for an ambulance, something we both taught them from an early age, just in case, and they both rush off downstairs to the phone in the hallway, knowing exactly what to do.

Neil takes my head in his arms ad rocks me, calling my name over and over again, imploring me to wake up.

“Do you want to go yet?” Billy Grimm’s gentle voice breaks through to me.

I barely nod, totally distressed by the scene I am witnessing and to what I am doing, albeit reluctantly, to the best husband in the world. I take a step towards him and kiss the top of his head, already realising that he won’t register the gesture and I turn to Billy.

“It’s not fair.” I mumble.

“No, it’s not.” He agrees softly. “It’s just the way it is. Come on, let’s go to a better place.”

I take his hand and we are gone.