Simon Wood

Posts Tagged: THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

SHELF LIFE: Wetting The Baby’s Head

baby TOTGAI witnessed the birth of my sixteenth child a week last Sunday.  Although it’s my sixteenth baby, I’m just excited to see it as the first one.  THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY weighed in at 10oz and 8 inches long from head to toe.  Not a bad size and weight all things considered.  For an author, I don’t think there’s a smell like it.  It’s a combination of fresh paper and glue that hasn’t had the chance to breathe in the air.

Although I joke, bringing a book into the world isn’t much different from bringing a child into the world, although I won’t have to send it to college or pay for its wedding.  There’s the conception—that first spark of passion when the idea for the book is born.  The excitement builds as the story grows from an idea into a story and the page count swells.  It’s not long before it actually possesses a shape resembling the embryo manuscript.  The editing process refines its shape and it starts to resemble the story I wanted to make.  Then before I know it, it’s reached the end of its first trimester.

Then my baby enters a tricky stage as I search for a publisher and/or agent to assist with the birth.  This can be a long and treacherous route filled with disappointment and setbacks, but I always have faith regardless of the passage of time.  I know it has to happen.  It’s happened before.  And it does.  Someone shares my love for my book and offers a contract that carries my baby through to its final trimester.

TOTGAThis is the most nervous of times.  Everything looks sound enough, but I’ve experienced things going wrong.  Publishers can change their mind.  Circumstances can change.  And I have to keep a careful eye on developments.  But with little one, there were no such troubles.  Compared to some of my children (I’m looking at you WE ALL FALL DOWN), this book went to term with few problems.  It arrived on the day they told me.

Now that THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is born—and did I mention it’s a fine looking kid—I still have a lot of work to do.  Like any proud father, I have to show this baby off.  Anyone and everyone who stops for more than two seconds is going to hear about how wonderful my baby is.  I know it may bore some, but I can’t help it.  I really love this one.  This isn’t to say that I like this one any better than the others.  Well, that’s what I tell my other books.

And what kind of father would I be if I didn’t break out the baby pictures?  So here’s a picture of baby THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.

So it’s cigars all round and I hope you’ll enjoy the bambino as much as I do.

Categories: book of the month shelf life

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Autograph Hunters, Don’t Let THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY Escape You!

TOTGAI have a soft spot for autograph hunters and book collectors.  Book collectors kindly gave me an education in the education of book collecting and autographing when my first book came out (as I wrote about previously).  So I’ve always made a point of making myself available for an autograph.  If you want a signed copy of my latest thriller, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, I’ve got you covered in three ways.

  • Autographed copies can be ordered from my website bookshop.
  • You can request a bookplate and I’ll send one out free of charge. Just drop me a note here.
  • And I can even autograph ebooks through Authorgraph.com.

So if you want that book signed, just let me know.  I’m here to please.

Categories: book of the month shelf life

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SHELF LIFE: The One That Got Away released today!

 

TOTGAI am a proud father all over again in that I am happy to announce the official release of my new thriller, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.  The back jacket blurb goes a little like this.

“Graduate students Zoë and Holli only mean to blow off some steam on their road trip to Las Vegas. But something goes terribly wrong on their way home, and the last time Zoë sees her, Holli is in the clutches of a sadistic killer. Zoë flees with her life, changed forever.

A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a police investigation where the crime eerily resembles her abduction. Along with a zealous detective, she retraces the steps of that fateful night in the desert, hoping that her memory will return and help them find justice for Holli. Her abductor—labeled the “Tally Man” by a fascinated media—lies in wait for Zoë. For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.”

You don’t have to take my word for it, the books picked up some nice blurbs:

“Simon Wood’s THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY turns the serial killer convention upside down in a genuinely suspenseful novel.”
—Charlaine Harris, author of THE DAY SHIFT

“Wrenchingly intense–the talented Simon Wood goes psychologically dark and deeply disturbing.  For those who like their thrillers twisty, shocking, and relentless.”  
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, author of TRUTH BE TOLD

“Zoe Sutton is one of the most compelling, interesting, and complex heroine’s I’ve read in a long time.”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of NOTORIOUS

“Marvelously nerve-wracking, The One That Got Away is a wicked roller-coaster of suspense that paints a realistic picture of a serial murderer and Zoë Sutton, the one prey that got away.”
—Gayle Lynds, New York Times best-selling author of THE BOOK OF SPIES

We’ve picked up some early online reviews:

Quiet Fury
Will Kill For A Story
Carol Taylor Reviews

It’s available in paperback, as an eBook, on CD and as an audio download.  I hope you like it and please, please, spread the word by sharing this post and annoying family, friends and strangers.  Word of mouth is everything.

Thanks for listening.

Categories: book of the month hump day post

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SHELF LIFE: Book Jitters

I have the jitters.  Book jitters to be exact.  I always get them with an impending release.  The One That Got Away  is done.  My editors and I have whittled away at it over several months and it’s as good as it’s going to be.  And it’s going to be good, if my editors are to be believed.  My main editor thinks it’s the best book of mine she’s worked on so far.  One of my copyeditors thought it was “breathtaking.”  All these comments should fill me with confidence, but they don’t.  They’ve made me more nervous than normal.  The problem is you—the readers, the public and other sentient beings.  You guys all have minds of your own.  And that’s troubling to me.

The problem is stories are subjective.  No two people see the same thing.  We all bring our own baggage to the party when reading a book.  It doesn’t matter how tightly I construct a story, there’s a chance you’ll miss some of themes I’ve woven into the piece or you’ll read into the story some subtext I never intended (but if it makes me look good I will take credit for it).  So even if we have a meeting of minds, we won’t all connect on the same level.  Even if we all like it.

I learned quite a while ago that readers don’t see things the way I do.  When my first short story collection, DRAGGED INTO DARKNESS, came out, I was convinced which story would be the reader’s favorite—which would coincide with my favorite story.  Unfortunately, it didn’t play out that way.  People’s favorite stories ran from top to bottom with no clear leader.  You’d think all you people are individuals or something. Shesh!

Since then I’ve come to learn that I lose ownership of my books the second they hit the bookshelves.  I have to let go and leave it out there to sink or swim.

frettingDespite that Zen outlook, it doesn’t make me feel any easier, because this is the limbo time.  With only a couple of weeks to go before The One That Got Away is officially released, I fret over whether the book is a good one or a horrible mistake.  It’s very Schrödinger’s Cat.  At this stage of the game the book exists in two states—a work of genius and a total piece of crap—and until someone cracks the binding; I don’t know which I’ve created.  Yes, I should be more confident, but I can’t.  Hand on heart, the response to every one of my books has surprised me, regardless of whether of the criticism is good or bad.  I always think, wow, you thought that?

All I can say I’ve put my heart and soul into the book and I hope that shines through to you, the reader.

Yours in literary purgatory, your humble author,

Simon

 

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NEW BOOK UPDATE: The One That Got Away Cover

I am happy to unveil the final cover art for THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.  I hope you like it.  The back jacket blurb goes a little like this.

“Graduate students Zoë and Holli only mean to blow off some steam on their road trip to Las Vegas. But something goes terribly wrong on their way home, and the last time Zoë sees her, Holli is in the clutches of a sadistic killer. Zoë flees with her life, changed forever.
A year later and still tortured with guilt, Zoë latches on to a police investigation where the crime eerily resembles her abduction. Along with a zealous detective, she retraces the steps of that fateful night in the desert, hoping that her memory will return and help them find justice for Holli. Her abductor—labeled the “Tally Man” by a fascinated media—lies in wait for Zoë. For him, she is not a survivor but simply the one that got away.
With an unforgettable heroine, a chillingly disturbed psychopath, and a story that moves at breakneck speed, THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY is thriller writer Simon Wood at his finest.”
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY will be out March 1st!

Categories: Uncategorized

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SHELF LIFE: 2014 In Review

It’s the end of the year, so I’m being a reflecty. I won’t say it’s been my best year ever but it’s been pretty good all things considered.
It’s been a pretty good writing year.  I didn’t have a new book out this year but I did have two re-issues in the form of DID NOT FINISH & HOT SEAT.  I also had two books translated into German and it was a lot of fun working with editors and translators tailoring a story to a foreign culture.  I was happy to see some new short fiction out in the form of THE FRAME MAKER & PATHFINDER and CRESTFALLEN.  I finished THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY and I think it’s turned out well.  And book sales have been pretty good.  A couple of titles are still waiting to be discovered though.  Readers really do need to get on that.
Bouchercon was a highlight although a scary one.  It was a great honor to be the toastmaster at this year’s World Mystery Convention.  Public speaking is something I do because I have to and not something I enjoy, so it’s hard to say I had fun, but I was more than happy to have done it.  I was touched by some of the remarks made by some of my favorite authors.  As scary, touching, exciting and tiring as it all was, I would do it again.    
This year has been a year where people have wanted me for my mind and not just my words.  I seem to be building a reputation for my industry knowledge.  I did put on several seminars for writers and a publisher hired me as a consultant to help with a book launch.  I want to keep building in this direction as it’s good to have an additional string to my bow.
Away from the keyboard there’ve been some good things too.  I’ve continued to improve cycling prowess.  My times were better across all events although I’ve yet to crack a 100k in 3hrs.  For me, cycling is where I do all my story thinking.
On the home front, things came together albeit with a little elbow grease.  After last year’s debacle with our mortgage lender who nearly financially ruined us with their incompetence, we’ve paid off the mortgage, replaced the windows, installed solar and gone with a tankless water system.  We’re now lean and green, but more importantly, we’re self supporting.  Being a writer means being an independent contractor, so by keeping overheads low, I can weather any writing storms that should come my way.  
There have been a couple of disappointments along the way.  A TV pilot deal fell by the wayside along with a few other things.  August proved particularly hard on the soul where three publishing deals fell through.  Naturally, these things happen and as a writer, you just roll with the punches and move on to the next opportunity.

Overall 2014 has been solid.  It’s been another good foundation year where I’ve continued to solidify my position as a full time writer.  I’m quite excited about next year.  There are some good things planned for THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY.  I’m hoping to seal the deal on some new things.  All in all, I hope it’s going to be a big year.

That’s me, but what about you?  How’s your year been?

Categories: shelf life

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SHELF LIFE: CASTING CALL!!! Bit Players Wanted For THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

CASTING CALL!!
 
I’m the worst when it comes to creating characters names.  They all end up sounding the same, so I need some name for my bit players in my next book THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY, although for many of the characters I have in mind, you are unlikely to be the one getting away.  I have a number of positions open, many of which are complete scumbags.  So if you’re okay with that, please leave your name in the comments section of this post. 
 
I can’t guarantee I’ll use your name, but if your name fits one of the characters in the book, I’ll use it.  Also be aware that if I use your name you are not entitled to a royalty or any financial recompense and that you are giving up any and all image rights.  Sorry for getting all heavy there but I have to for legal reasons.
 
Feel free to share this post with friends.
 
And lastly, John and Jane Smiths need not apply.

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Shelf Life: The Next Big Thing

Camille Minichino, author of three mystery series and Alyx Morgan have invited me to take part in an ongoing blog chain called The Next Big Thing. In it, each person is asked a series of questions meant to get the information for their book out to people, and hopefully gain new readers.

What is your working title of your book?
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I’ve walked away from incidents that have claimed the lives of others. I’m forever wondering why I survived and others didn’t.

What genre does your book fall under?
Thriller

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’m horrible when it comes to things like this as I rarely have a real person in mind, but if I did have to choose someone who fit the character then I’d say Anna Torv (from Fringe). The book’s protagonist is damaged yet tough and I think Anna Torv could pull that off.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Zoë ran from her captor once, now it’s his time to run from her.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Thomas and Mercer will be publishing it.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Around six months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
KISS THE GIRLS by James Patterson and the movie TWISTED come somewhere close to what I’m trying to achieve.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The book deals with survivor guilt. It’s a subject that fascinates me. After talking to some people at the VA, what I thought I knew about PTSD was way off. Trauma changes a person’s character more than you’d think. The exploration of that topic is too hypnotic for me to ignore.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The book centers on Zoë. She and her friend are abducted and to save herself, Zoë leaves her friend behind when all is lost. Fast forward fifteen months later, Zoë keeps put herself in harm’s way as a form of penance, but she gets a true shot at penance when she recognizes her abductors hallmarks in a local murder case. I think this is going to be quite a tense affair for the reader.

I hope that’s whetted your whistle for when it comes out. 🙂

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