I’m so excited.

Today is a good day, I’m been waiting to get my new cover for Where There’s A Will for a while now, and today it finally arrived, ebook cover, PB cover, and banners for various sites.

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am because now I have a fully professional cover; I wanted to have one from the start but didn’t realise how busy the site I’d chosen, http://www.derangeddoctordesigns.com was. The three month wait was well worth it, however, as I’m sure you’ll all agree, looking at the images below.

I am confident that it’s only a matter of time before the new cover earns back its cost and puts me in profit, and when the sequel is ready later in the year, and I have a matched cover, it will look even better.

As an indie author I’m aware that one of the biggest complaints levied against us is our lack of professionalism, whether it be when it comes to our covers or our editing, which is why I’m so pleased to finally have the perfect cover my book deserves.

A brief history of law enforcement – Part 2

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, the Bow Street Runners were the beginning of modern policing, and they operated from 1750 – 1839, finally being made redundant 10 years after the police act of 1829 established the Metropolitan Police. This brings me to Part 2.

The Metropolitan Police

In 1829, Sir Robert Peel, Home Secretary in the cabinet of Lord Liverpool, gained Royal assent for the Metropolitan Police Act, which came into effect on September 29th, establishing what is considered to be the first modern and professional police force in the world.

In creating the Metropolitan Police Force, Peel intended to established a centralised police force that would both investigate crimes and arrest those responsible, and act as a visible deterrant to crime. The intent was also for it to be politically neutral, and to operate as an organ of the judicial system, rather than as an organ of the government, which was the situation on the continent.

Initially three main groups remained separate from the Metropolitan Police, they were:

• The Bow Street Patrols (both foot and mounted)
• The Police Office constables, who operated under the control of magistrates
• And the marine police, who handled the policing of London’s waterways

By 1839, however, these groups had been integrated into the Metropolitan Police and a new force, the City of London Police, had been established to deal with police matters within the City of London proper, which is a 1 mile² 2.9km² area covering most of what is considered to be the original city from ancient times.

This map is from 1939, 100 years after the establishment of the City of London Police, but the territory remains the same.

The Metropolitan Police are responsible for all policing matters, excluding the City of London, within a radius of 16km from St Paul’s.

Bobbies or Peelers

The Metropolitan Police was established with a force of 1000 officers, known affectionately as ‘Bobbies’ and less affectionately as ‘Peelers’, both names coming from the man responsible for their founding. They wore blue tail-coats and top hats, which were intended to distinguish them from the red-coated soldiers and convince the populace that the army was not being deployed to handle civilian matters, and were armed with a wooden truncheon and a rattle with which to signal a need for help.

To further separate the police from the army in the eyes of the populace, they were given differently named ranks, the only exception being that of sergeant. Additionally, Sir Robert Peel published publicly what were known as his Peelian Principles, which stated

• Every police officer should be issued an warrant card with a unique identification number to assure accountability for his actions.
• Whether the police are effective is not measured on the number of arrests but on the lack of crime.
• Above all else, an effective authority figure knows trust and accountability are paramount. Hence, Peel’s most often quoted principle that “The police are the public and the public are the police.”

Primary sources

http://content.met.police.uk/Article/The-Metropolitan-Police-how-it-all-began/1400015336362/1400015336362

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police

Coming in part 3, the establishment of detectives.

Are you superstitious?

The first Friday the 13th of the year is almost upon us, there’s less than 24 hours to go, and for the superstitious among us, that’s a problem because something bad is bound to happen – I’ve already taken care of my bad luck, I sprained my ankle yesterday and discovered a whole bunch of editing changes I made to my wip over the last few days haven’t been saved.

I’m hoping that that is all the bad luck I have to worry about and tomorrow will pass without incident, to help ensure that, I am going to do what I consider the most sensible thing I can. Outside of the appointment I have for tomorrow morning, I am going to stay at home and keep myself occupied with a good book; I won’t even risk papercuts because I’ll be reading on my Kindle.

If you’re thinking along the same lines as me, may I respectfully suggest you check out the books here http://events.supportindieauthors.com/ it’s an event being run by the SIA group on goodreads, which I’m a part of for the beginning of the year, and especially for Friday the 13th. There is a huge selection of books at bargain prices, in a wide variety of genres to suit all tastes, and for the day itself, many of the books are free, so take a look at what’s on offer and then fill your kindle, or your bookshelf, you won’t need to worry about another Friday the 13th for the rest of the year.

As an added bonus, you can get a warm fuzzy feeling from knowing you’ve helped to support independently published authors. Even if your budget won’t stretch to buying any of the books, you can show your support by sharing the event and helping to spread the word

A big thank you to anyone who does help support us all, no matter how you show your support.

Sneak Peek of my Work in Progress

Mirror Mirror was a very nice read for me last year, so I was pleased to see this preview of another book set in the same city, with crossover characters.
Even better, Chapter 1 – Jocen really grabbed me, I already want to know more about the character, what he did wrong, and how he will atone for his transgressions.

Well done Jessica, please don’t take too long about giving us more.

Jessica Jesinghaus

I’m about midway through a stand-alone title set in the same city as my book “Mirror, Mirror.” In fact, Sam and a couple other characters from Mirror make cameo appearances. It works for the story and is fun for me, so why not?

I haven’t settled on a title yet, but the working title is “Guardian.” It’s a fallen angel redemption tale, told from alternating POVs… quite a few POVs at that! Currently I’m up to four main POVs as well as a couple shorter chapters told by minor characters. Yikes! This is also one of the first times I’ve tried writing first person male perspective, so I’m spending a lot of my writing time on reworking and editing to make sure each character’s voice rings true.

Today, I thought I’d share the first couple chapters. They’re from the POVs of my two main characters Jocen and Shea. Hope you…

View original post 2,025 more words

A guest post from Ben Jackson.

I’m often asked how we came up with the idea for our children’s book series. Well, maybe before I explain how we came up with the idea I should explain a bit about who I am and what my books are about!

I started off writing a few non-fiction books with my wife. Divorce Recovery, Long Distance Relationships, etc. but it wasn’t what we wanted to be focusing on. I wrote a book How To Survive The Zombie Apocalypse which was meant to be a joke but ended up semi-serious. Well, as serious as a zombie apocalypse survival book could be!

My wife and I met online and started a very long distance relationship, Canada to Australia to be exact. That was almost four years ago, and we are now married and going strong.

Now, back to our series of children’s books. Our children’s books center around a young boy Timmy and his imaginary friend, the Little Fart. We wanted to create a book that would make kids laugh and want to read, draw them in. Kids think that farts are funny, there’s no denying that.

We didn’t just want to make silly books, though. We also wanted to include a subtle message about different issues which kids would face growing up. The first was the Day My Fart Followed Me Home which was more about kids accepting other kids as their friends even though they might be a little different. The next book was the Day My Fart Followed Me To Hockey which teaches kids that no matter what happens in sports and competition it’s all about having a go and having fun. The last one was a Christmas book, The Day My Fart Followed Santa Up The Chimney.

We are looking at our next book in the series now. Throughout these books, we have constantly been learning about writing, illustration, covers, formatting and most importantly of all, marketing. If I had one piece of advice for any author looking at getting their books published it would be just to keep trying, don’t give up!

You can check out our books on Amazon.

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Page

Facebook The Little Fart

A brief history of law enforcement – Part 1

As a writer of crime novels, both the slightly more cozy sort (already published) and the more gritty thriller type (coming in April/May) it seems to me that it would be a good thing for me to write a bit about crime, criminals, and policing, primarily with regard to the UK, where my books are set, but I may also spread out and encompass information, trivia and fun facts from around the world in later posts.

Usually when it comes to something like this I would now find myself sitting here, fingers poised over the keyboard, wondering where in hell I should start. That is not the case on this occasion, there’s a fairly obvious place for me to start – where policing started.

Obviously, since the title is ‘a brief history…’ I’m not going into too much depth, and I don’t plan on going back too far with things; I’m going to start with what is generally considered the beginning of formalised policing in the UK – The Bow Street Runners.

The Bow Street Runners

The ‘Runners’ as they were known were founded by Henry Fielding, a magistrate and author of Tom Jones (not the singer) who formalised and regulated a system that previously had been in the hands of private citizens. The name derives from the fact that they operated out of offices on Bow Street and were attached to the magistrate’s court there.

The ‘Runners’ were not police officers as the term is understood now, they did not patrol the streets, instead they were responsible for serving writs and making arrests on the authority of the magistrates.

Although founded by Henry Fielding, who ran the ‘Runners’ from 1750-1754 it was John Fielding, Henry’s brother who led them to gain recognition from the government during his time in charge, 1754-1780.

The ‘Runners’ continued to operate following John Fielding’s death in 1780 until they were made redundant by the Police Act of 1839, 10 years after the establishment of the Metropolitan Police.

Fun Facts

John Fielding was blind and is reputed to have been able to tell if someone was lying by the sound of their voice.

The ‘Runners’ are occasionally known as Robin Redbreasts, however this is believed to be incorrect and is, more accurately, a derogatory term for The Bow Street Horse Patrol that was organised in 1805 by Richard Ford, who succeeded John Fielding. The term stems from the distinctive scarlet waistcoasts they wore under their blue greatcoats.

Source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bow_Street_Runners

Look out for future instalments, which will include The Peelers and the establishment of Scotland Yard.

It’s giveaway time

You could win 1 of 3 paperback copies of

Following a tip from my coach through this Indie World, Carole P Roman, I’ve decided to hold a giveaway for my novel Where There’s A Will; I’m running it through Amazon, who are handling the more onerous aspects of it, namely the distributing of the prizes to the winners, and the picking of the winners, who will be chosen at random when entries close on the 12th.

If you’d like to enter for your chance to win this novel, which has been described as both ‘a terrific crime drama’ and ‘a great British detective story’ follow the link below

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/6d983c48c8198f50

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends the earlier of Jan 12, 2017 11:59 PM PST, or when all prizes are claimed. See Official Rules http://amzn.to/GArules.

*EDIT*

If you enter the giveaway, and receive a commiserations message before the 12th, please ignore it. This is my first time setting one of these up and I fear I may have gotten the auto messages round the wrong way. The draw will not take place until after the 12th, when Amazon will pick the winners and send the books.

The Clerk – An honest review

The Clerk

Matt Cowper

I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Thomas Copeland has just turned forty years old, but unlike some men his age, he’s not going to have a midlife crisis. Sure, he works at a small grocery store on the North Carolina coast, he doesn’t have many friends, and he’s unmarried and childless, but he’s content with his simple life.

Others, however, are not so content, and they want to make sure Thomas knows it. Between a family curse, wanderlust-filled (and lust-filled) co-workers, a dangerously unhappy sister, and a vindictive ex-friend-with-benefits, Thomas finds himself in an exhausting battle to maintain his idyllic lifestyle.

Will Thomas be able to resolve – or at least survive – these dramas? Will he find love, or just tepid one-night stands? Will his boss ever notice he’s cleaned the bathroom? What will he get his Secret Santa giftee? And what will be the ultimate fate of the grocery store where he works?

“The Clerk” is both satirical and poignant, a riveting exploration of the choices people make in the pursuit of freedom and success. You’ll never look at a grocery store the same way again.

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I don’t read literary fiction very often, I usually prefer books with a little more action, but when it’s done well, as it is here, it can be very enjoyable. Thomas Copeland is a very good character whom I was interested in following as he made his way through life, dealing with his family, friends and co-workers.

In the grand scheme of things, little happens to Thomas Copeland, he simply lives a life, but it’s a life (okay so only a part of a life) that’s worth reading about, filled with the kind of people many of us can relate to, I know I certainly could. As each character, whether it be family, friend, or co-worker, entered the scene, I wanted to know what drama they were going to put in the way of Thomas’ efforts to simply live his life, and how he was going to deal with it.

Matt Cowper has done a great job of writing not only an interesting and well fleshed-out main character, but a whole cast of characters who bring plenty to the story, without overwhelming the person you’re supposed to care about.

While the whole book is good, and written in a style that makes it easy to get into and and enjoy (I went through it in next to know time) there are some standout moments/scenes, which I won’t spoil by revealing them here.

All in all, I recommend this book to anyone who is after someone more than chase scenes/fight scenes/heavy romance or action.

Indie Book Showcase 2017

The group I’m part of on Goodreads is having their first showcase of the year, it’s an event featuring books by the many members of SIA (Support for Indie Authors) a wonderful group that is incredibly supportive and filled with great people who write in just about every genre you can think of.

I’ve read and enjoyed several, and got more on my TBR list.

If you’re looking for books to fill up your kindle/tablet or other e-reader, or maybe you’re after some paperbacks to use your Christmas money on, look no further. Whatever you like to read, and whatever your budget, you’re bound to find something to suit you, just follow the link below and see what we have to offer

Support Indie Authors Event

A preview of coming attractions

Now that 2017 has started, it’s time to look ahead to what’s in store, both personally and on the writing front.

Discounting the release of my first novel, 2016 was not a very good year, I had to have a major operation early last year for a burst appendix; it was good for losing some weight but I’ve seen put all that weight back on, and things didn’t improve after that. I intend that 2017 will be a much better year.

I’m not really one for resolutions, in my opinion they’re made to be broken; I do intend doing something about my waistline, though, that’s an issue I struggle with and which can’t be ignored. I need to lose some weight, so I will be eating a little healthier (mostly that means fewer cakes and chocolates) and getting a little more exercise, especially when spring arrives.

More important than my waistline, is my writing; I am currently editing my next novel, Written In Blood, a serial killer thriller set in a small village, which I hope to release in April. At the same time I am doing that, I am typing up the first draft of book 2 in my detective series, An Eye For An Eye, which currently has a release date of September.

I hope to get it out sooner, and I think it’s possible, but one of my goals for the year is to reduce my stress and anxiety levels; to that end I am avoiding the urge to put too much pressure on myself by setting hard to attain goals.

I also plan on releasing another short story later in the year, part of a serialised vampire story I’m working on; I have two parts of the story written, and a rough idea of where it’s going from there, but I need to flesh it out and get to work on it.

Outside of releasing new titles, I want to read 15 books in the next 12 months and reach the point where each of the titles I have available for sale is being bought at the rate of at least 1 copy per day. To my mind, that’s the first step towards making a living from my books, which is my ultimate goal.

With all of that said, I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas and New Year, and you got whatever it is you wished for, and the coming months are everything you could want.