Simon Wood

Posts Tagged: new book

FUN FACTS About HALF-INCHED

I thought I’d share some fast facts about my latest Aidy Westlake adventure, HALF-INCHED.

1. “Half-Inched” is cockney rhyming slang for pinched as in to steal.

2. Aidy Westlake is named after former Watford Football Club’s had coach Aidy Boothroyd and the late, great writer Donald Westlake.

3. HALF-INCHED was inspired by a British journalist who was discussing high value car thefts in Europe where the vehicles ended up in Moldova.  The police in Moldova rarely investigated the thefts as they didn’t occur in their country…but the police would turn a blind eye if the owners chose to steal their property back. As soon as I heard that I knew I had a book!   🙂

4. Readers, Mary-Frances Lascuola & Barb Kreisel, provided the title for the book when I was struggling to come up with one.  They won my contest to see who could come up with a better title than me!

If you’ve read the book, I hope these tidbits have given you some additional insight into the story.  And if you haven’t read the book, I hope you’ll give it a go.

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New Book: HALF-INCHED Lands This Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone!!  Aidy Westlake is your Xmas gift!! Aidy and the boys are back.  The full-time racecar driver and part-time investigator returns in HALF-INCHED. Again, Aidy and his crew are up to their necks in trouble. The storyline is as follows.

“Christmas has gone sideways for racecar driver, Aidy Westlake. Aidy’s grandfather, Steve, was just putting the finishing touches on a classic Ford GT40 he was restoring for a British millionaire when it was stolen from his workshop. They quickly establish that the supercar was stolen to order and is in now in Moldova in the hands of the notorious gangster, Lupul. There’s a wrinkle. The police in Moldova don’t care. The theft of a rich man’s toy doesn’t rank high on their priorities. The client’s ultimatum is simple—cover his one million pound loss or recover the car by Christmas Day. With the threat of financial ruin hanging over his grandfather’s head, Aidy’s crew has only one option—steal the car back.”

This story takes place between the novels DID NOT FINISH and HOT SEAT.

The book is here.  You can order it from Amazon and Amazon UK. I hope you enjoy it.

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La Ragazza Senza Passato

There’s a 2nd edition of La Ragazza Senza Passato (The Italian version of THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY) from Newton Compton with a slightly tweaked cover.

Hopefully, they’ll remember to send me a copy.

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I’m A Big Thrill

The International Thriller Writers‘ magazine THE BIG THRILL chose to do profile on me and my latest thriller SAVING GRACE.  We discuss what influenced the book and what comes next for my characters Scott Fleetwood and Tom Sheils. You can read the article here.

Enjoy!

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The Flexible Truth Of SAVING GRACE

SAVING GRACE has been out a few weeks so I thought I would clue you in on some of the background.  The driving force behind the book is how the media can be manipulated by internal and external influencers.  Don’t worry the book isn’t a fake news rant but I was inspired by real world events over the last decade.  MYSTERY FANFARE asked me to write something for him, so please enjoy The Flexible Truth.

Please leave a comment on the blog.  And if you’ve not read the book, maybe it’s time to pick it up…

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SHELF LIFE: Your Reader Assignment

Hey, I have a job for you.  SAVING GRACE is out and I need your help with a simple five-step assignment.

1. The first rule is Buy the Book. I know it’s a given, but if you want to keep your favorite writers in business, you have to buy a book.

2. The second rule is to borrow the book from the public library (and I bet you thought I was going with the ‘buy the book thing’ again). Library book sales are good for the writer. They provide a backbone of sales that can make or break a writer’s next contract. Even if you’ve bought the book, still go and borrow it from the library and if the library doesn’t have it, request it. This helps not only the writer, but also the libraries. Increased demand ensures libraries stay open.

3. The third rule of reader’s club is to write a review. It doesn’t have to be an in-depth critical analysis or high school book report. Just a few sentences giving a title the thumb’s up is good, then put it up on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, etc. Share your thoughts on sites like Goodreads.com and Shelfari. Goodreads lets you recommend your favorite books to your fellow readers. Public opinion really carries weight and the information on these sites get used by other sites.

4. The fourth rule is to tell a friend. Word of mouth is gold. If you like the book, tell someone about it. It’s not a national secret.

5. The fifth and final rule is to buy another book. Don’t be one those people who say “yeah, I read a book once.” It won’t hurt to do it again and writers will thank you for it.

In all seriousness, I don’t I think readers don’t know the power they wield and how it can help their favorite writers. Here are five simple things readers can do to help me and any writer you love.  We all need our stories and without storytellers, we can’t have our stories. And don’t forget, if you’re going to start with someone, start with me.  🙂

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The Playlist For SAVING GRACE

My frustrated DJ self emerges yet again for a playlist for my new thriller SAVING GRACE.  The playlist reflects the various themes and plotlines from the book.  If you’ve read the book, these songs will make a lot of sense and if you haven’t, it should give you an inkling as to what to expect.  Either way, the songs should result in a shake of the head…or a groan.   🙂

So here’s what’s on the playlist:

“Let her go.” – Passenger

“I’m the man.” –  Joe Jackson

“Desperado”  –  Rhianna

“Sunday Papers” –  Joe Jackson

“Protection” –  Massive Attack

“Money” –  Pink Floyd

“Regret” –  New Order

“Running up that hill” –  Kate Bush

“There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis” –  Kirsty MacColl

The Jaffa Cake Munchkin song

Now just hit play to listen.  Enjoy!!

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January Bargain Books

With the release of my latest SAVING GRACE, Amazon is doing a number of promotions to support the book.  You can pick up a bunch of my titles on the cheap so why not take advantage.  This is what is on the docket:

PAYING THE PIPER: In the forerunner to SAVING GRACE, The Piper is the infamous child kidnapper. When the Piper selected crime reporter, Scott Fleetwood, to chronicle his latest kidnapping, Scott thought he had the world in his grasp, but he held nothing. Now, eight years later, the Piper’s back, with very specific targets in mind—Scott’s children. He can have them back as long as he can pay the ransom, but it’s a ransom not measured in dollars, but in blood.

Just £1.00 at Amazon UK

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY: Zoë and Holli’s Vegas road trip goes wrong when they’re abducted. Zoë escapes leaving Holli behind. A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a murder that eerily resembles her abduction. Her attempts to find justice for Holli brings her to the attention of the “Tally Man.” For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.

Just $1.99 at Amazon

DECEPTIVE PRACTICES: Do you have a cheating spouse? Has counseling failed? Want to get even? Then hire Infidelity Limited to teach them a lesson. That’s the pitch Olivia Shaw bought into. When her husband is killed, she discovers that Infidelity Limited is far more dangerous than she ever believed. Now the prime suspect in her husband’s slaying, she has only one option—take down Infidelity Limited.

Just $1.99 at Amazon

NO SHOW: Englishman Terry Sheffield has just arrived in San Francisco to start his new life with Sarah, the investigative journalist he married after a transatlantic love affair. But Sarah never shows up at the airport… When Terry reports his wife as missing, the police chalk it up to a new bride with cold feet. Then one murdered woman after another turns up, all with something in common: they had exposed scandals just before their deaths…and their names appear on a list that Sarah composed. As a journalist, Sarah’s exposed her share of scandals, and Terry realizes that she’s not missing—she’s on the run. To find her before the killer does, Terry must explore the dark recesses of his new homeland and rely on the help of some new friends. But as his search brings him closer to finding Sarah, Terry realizes she’s very different from the woman he thought he married.

Just $0.99 at Amazon

If you’ve not tried any of my books before this might be the place to start.  For my long time readers, I hope you’ll continue to support my books and me.  Please as always share this post and share often.  Thanks for reading.

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NEW RELEASE: SAVING GRACE

I’m happy to announce the arrival of my brand new thriller, SAVING GRACE, the follow-up to PAYING THE PIPER.  I know Piper is much cherished by readers so I hope people will like Grace as much.  The story this time around goes a little this:

Former reporter Scott Fleetwood and his family are still recovering from the aftermath of tangling with the notorious kidnapper, the Piper, when another kidnapper grips the city. The Shepherd announces to the San Francisco Independent that he has snatched a young girl from a vacationing family. Other than money, he has only one other demand—he’ll only talk to Scott. The request brings in Special Agent Tom Sheils and his team to work the case and watch over Scott. The Shepherd promises the girl’s safety as long as Scott follows the rules of his game. Forced to trail the kidnapper’s twisting lead—and haunted by a previous victim he failed to save—Scott is desperate to keep the past from making a brutal comeback.

But just when Scott and Sheils think they’re winning and that it will all be over soon, the Shepherd ups the stakes. Scott begins to realize he’s a pawn in a scheme that runs deeper than greed…and colder than death.

The book is available as a paperback, ebook, audiobook and audio download. You can find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Audible and iTunes.  For store links and an excerpt from the book, Just go to the SAVING GRACE book page.

I sincerely hope you’ll pick up the book.  And please, please, please post review and tell family, friends and enemies to buy the book.  Because if you don’t buy it, I can’t write the next Fleetwood-Sheils installment, DOUBTING THOMAS…  😛  😉 😎

 

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