All of us who write love to pour our words onto the page in new and different ways. We strive to get just the right image, just the right tone, just the right nuance. But are these efforts in vain? Has anyone ever recommended a book because of the tone? Sometimes when I get book recommendations from friends, this is what it sounds like: Friend: You’ve got to read this book by so-and-so (name withheld because I don’t want to get sued … [Read more...]
Now Is Your Chance to Get Cameron Bane’s Suspense Thriller Book PITFALL For FREE!
For a limited time, get Cameron Bane's hit suspense thriller, PITFALL, for free! But hurry, this offer only last from July 10th through July 14th. PITFALL is the story of former Army Ranger John Brenner, a wounded Iraqi war vet and ex-cop. Brenner finds himself face to face with a ruthless killer on a mission that hasn't gone quite as planned. From the book: “Son.” My voice degenerated to a guttural rasp. “Don’t make me kill you.” I was … [Read more...]
Janice Boekhoff Brings A Dash of Romance, Faith and Science To Her Suspense Novels
Author Combines Love of Reading, Outdoors, Christianity and Scientific Research Janice Boekhoff is a former research geologist who pours her love of science and the outdoors into her suspense novels. One of her favorite things to do, other than write, is to research the settings for her novels. Whether climbing Mount Rainier in Washington State, hiking in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona or pushing through the cloud forests of Costa … [Read more...]
Don’t Miss the Countdown Deal Days for Cameron Bane’s Suspense Thriller PITFALL!
For a limited time, get the first book in Cameron Bane's suspense thriller series, PITFALL, for only 99cents beginning Wednesday, June 29th! But hurry, the price will gradually increase after each day of the countdown. PITFALL is the story of former Army Ranger John Brenner, a wounded Iraqi war vet and ex-cop. Brenner finds himself face to face with a ruthless killer on a mission that hasn't gone quite as planned. Get your copy here! From the … [Read more...]
The Double: Richard Godwin On the Idea of Split Personality
In The Pure And The Hated the idea of split personality is a central theme. It relates to what identity is and how irrational impulses may drive a character. As I trace the roots of horror fiction in Gothic and look at how it has evolved, I want to look at some of the themes of the genre. The theme of the double occurs early on in works such as Poe’s story William Wilson, in which the protagonist encounters his negative doppelganger. It is … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on the Gothic Roots of Horror
There is much that is Gothic in The Pure And The Hated, my novel about the past, about revenge and lawlessness. In many ways revenge may be seen as lawless justice. As I examine what horror fiction means to us and how it relates to crime fiction, I want to trace its roots. I want to show that the two genres are not that distinct. In the latter part of the eighteenth century there was flowering of Gothic literature in England that ran … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin’s THE PURE AND THE HATED Explores Family Relationships and the Mind of a Dangerous Psychopath
A man takes a stranger into his house only to unleash a savage lesson from the past... Synopsis: A psychological crime novel about the past, the nature of justice, family secrets, the nature of forgiveness, revenge, identity, hunting and predation. Shepherd Butler, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, and his wife Mary are grieving the death of their son Felton to a hunting accident in Vermont, when Shepherd finds a stranger … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin on Horror Fiction
In this series of posts I want to look at what links horror fiction and crime fiction. The posts are part of the launch of my Vermont based novel The Pure And The Hated. I have spent several years if my life in Vermont. My wife is from the state and the novel is set there. While it is a crime novel, it is also Noir, it is a revenge tragedy, and it is part horror. What do we mean when we talk about horror? What is it that horrifies us? The genre … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin: The Bad Guy in Crime Fiction
Savage Highway is about bad guys and the breakdown of law and why justice fails. In a lawless world revenge is justice. I want to discuss other authors here before I focus on the novel itself. Savage Highway is about the frontier. Both of the authors I will be discussing today portray bad guys in a variety of ways. In Burke we have the pairing of two lawless cops, Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell. And Purcell is an extreme example of the bad … [Read more...]
Richard Godwin’s SAVAGE HIGHWAY Receives Great Review from Dead End Follies
International bestselling author Richard Godwin's new thriller noir book, SAVAGE HIGHWAY, received a great review from the Dead End Follies blog. SAVAGE HIGHWAY follows the mystery of the disappearance of women from a truck stop on a remote highway in Arizona and was released from WildBlue Press on January 19th, 2016. Get your copy of SAVAGE HIGHWAY today! "Richard Godwin writes the extreme and the disturbing very well. He's very good at … [Read more...]
Join our email list