Carole Sutton Author of: Ferryman, And the Devil Laughed, Blood Opal – and the latest book, Flash Harry

Hi Carole, where were you born and where do you call home?

 I was born in London in 1938 and evacuated to the Devon countryside during WWII. I well remember huddling in the wine cellar with Auntie May and her family, while the bombs dropped around us during the Exeter Blitz in 1942. After the war I remained with my Auntie and had a great start in life. Years later, I married an Exeter man and we brought up three children in Cornwall (SW corner of UK) where we built our own boats and sailed the English Cannel. Twenty years later we migrated to Western Australia and started a family business until my husband retired ten years later. We bought a 2.5 acre block of land and erected a large workshop in which we lived for the 3 months it took to build our house. Now, 20 years further down the track, we are well and truly settled in the place we call Home.

What is the name of your most recent book and if you had to sum it up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

My fourth book titled Flash Harry is another stand-alone crime fiction. This one is set in Bangkok amongst the sexy bars and clubs of Patpong. Briefly the story goes…

‘Harry Tremaine is missing, his wife murdered. But, when his daughter Liz discovers what he does for a living in Bangkok, his ruthless associates need to shut her up – fast.’

Do you have plans for a new book?  

Not at this moment, I’m still out of breath from this one!

What or who inspired you to write?  And how long have you been writing?

Since the early 1960s when my children were toddlers and I wrote bedtime stories for them. I started writing seriously in 1995 by joining a creative writing workshop. My first book was called Gus – Sore Feet, No Collar, about a dog abandoned in the Australian bush. Beginners luck saw it published by a local, traditional publisher that same year.

How did you come up with the title and cover design?

Harry is an enigma. He is perceived as warm and generous by some, a fun loving rogue by others, and a pimp and purveyor of female flesh by the law. Although the central character, he remains elusive for most of the story. The book cover design came about through trial and error and discussions with my writing group. The illustration portrays an incident in the story.

Tell us more about your writing group. Is it a face to face meeting?

Yes, and that started back in 1995. There were eighteen of us then. It consisted of reading our work out loud, for the group to discuss and critique. When our official course ended, some of us asked our mentor if she would continue to help the novel writers amongst us.

She agreed, and we met on a weekly basis in the local pub where we were able to utilise a quiet corner and sit with our drinks and MSS to hand. Over the years our numbers dwindled, and finally even our mentor moved away. That left three of us. We three decided to continue meeting. Today all three of us are published. We still meet on a fortnightly basis to read our chapters out and provide help and encouragement to each other.

Who designed the cover of your book?

Patricia L. O’Neill, author of The Hatshepsut Trilogy. She was a founding member of the writing group mentioned above and has an artistic gift.

Have you based any of your characters on someone you know, or real events in your own life?

No, I think I would find writing characters I know a bit restricting. As for real life … although my books are stand-alones, they do have something in common with their author – the love of boats, sea and sailing comes out strongly in the first three books. It’s also touched upon in Flash Harry. As for reality, the dramatic events at the end of Ferryman come straight from an Elizabethan Pageant I attended in the middle of England many years ago.

What books have most influenced your writing most and why?

Crime fiction is my preferred genre for both reading and writing and Lynda La Plante, Colin Dexter, PD James, Reginald Hill, Ian Rankin are only some of the authors that grace my shelves.

Do you prefer ebooks, paperbacks or hardcover?

Ebooks are too flimsy, and I don’t have a Kindle. Hard covers are too heavy to hold up in bed, but paperbacks suit me just fine.

Where do you prefer to buy your books?

I used to buy them in my local bookseller, but he has closed down now. I buy most of them from the on-line publishers like Amazon, B&N, Book Depository – in other words, I buy other people’s books from those who sell mine.

Are you a self published (Indie) Author?

Yes, I am.

Have you ever read a book more than once?

Yes, but it has to be pretty special. Something like Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, for example.

What book are you currently reading and in what format (ebook/paperback/hardcover)?

The Lighthouse Keeper’s Wife by Karen Viggers (paperback) and I’m enjoying it thoroughly. The characters are beautifully drawn. I like the way the author has used one unlikely character in the first person, and three in third and it is working very well.

Are there any new Authors that have grasped your interest and why?

I read recently Allan Mayer’s book Taste the Wind, Wally Rabini, Peter Bernardt, Jackie MacKenzie, Dee Marie and her Sons of Avalon series, and so on. I am not inclined towards fairies, dragons, vampires and fantasy – which is a pity as there appear to be a lot of quality stories out there. But we can’t all like everything, can we? Please note: I didn’t say ‘angels’ so they are in with a chance. J

Is there anything you would change in your last book and why?

Oh, have a heart … I only sent it to the publisher this week!

Do you have a book trailer?

Yes, thanks to Victoria Twead of the ‘Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools,’ fame. Victoria made a terrific book trailer of Ferryman for me. If you have a moment, do pop in and see it, and listen to the sounds of Cornwall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UqOhvtbgY

What are your thoughts on book trailers?

I get put off by the volume some people use that drowns out their trailers. By the time I’ve found the volume control, I’ve lost the message.

Do you have any advice for other writers? What is the best advice that you have ever been given when it comes to writing?

To grow a thick skin – learn to take criticism and persevere with your writing. Join writing workshops. The two on-line sites that helped me through the early stages were : www.youwriteon.com  and, www.internetwritingworkshop.org/

Do you write under a pen name?

No.

Do you ever write in your PJ’s?

No – don’t even wear PJ’s J

What are your pet peeves?

When the computer crashes – I am not a computer friendly person and when something goes wrong, I inevitably make it worse trying to make it better.

When kids come and stand beside me, wearing smug grins for nearby parents, as they discover they are taller than me.  (I’m 4ft. 10ins – and the kids love beating that figure!) Five out of the six grandkids have been through that stage. Only one more to go.

Cats or dogs?

Dogs – I have a German shepherd called Tamar, and a Jack Russell, Jacky. (Very original, I hear you say.)

White wine or red?

Red wine or white J I enjoy them both.

Coffee or tea?

Tea

Vanilla or chocolate icecream?

Vanilla, or better still, chocolate covered vanilla ice cream on-a-stick.

What do you normally eat for breakfast?

‘Be Natural’ cereal.

What are 4 things you never leave home without?

The bikkie-bag, dog whistle, extension leads, and dogs!

Laptop or desktop for writing?

Desktop

Where and when do you prefer to do your writing?

In our spare bedroom, which is kitted out as an office, where I work just about every morning, and try to put time in between dog walks in the afternoon, and the early part of the evening. Untidy it may be, but no one is allowed to touch a thing. I know where everything is.

Patti Says: sound a lot like my desk :)  Look but do not touch!

Do you participate in writing competitions?

I entered Ferryman and And the Devil Laughed in three major novel competitions in 2007 and was short listed in each one.

Where can your readers stalk you?

My web: http://casutton.tripod.com/cazutt

My facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1023050200

My Goodreads author page: http://www.goodreads.com/casutton

Twitter: http://twitter.com/cazutt

Independent Author Network: http://j.mp/hawaH6

Ferryman trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9UqOhvtbgY

Is your book in Print, ebook or both?

All printed in paperback.

And the Devil Laughed and Blood Opal are also available as ebooks.

Some of Carole's personal pics:


A visit from an Emu in Carol's back yard.

Carole's German shepherd, Tamar.

And Carole's Books on Amazon

Thank you for taking the time to share you thoughts Carole, it has been most enjoyable.  Patti

And the Devil Laughed by Carole Sutton

HANNAH FORD, an under-cover cop, takes a surveillance job in Draper's Wharf. The small town on the banks of the Parramatta River in Australia has links to the drug trade, so the latest whisper goes. Her brief: to observe, report, and locate its source.

When she arrives, the town is in shock after the rape and murder of its local barmaid. Hannah, a rape victim, could pull out, but she needs this job to prove her competence to return to the streets and full duties.Threaded through the main story, is Hannah's own account of guilt and rage born of her husband's death, her rape and degradation that followed.

In working to find the source of drugs in Draper's Wharf, the line between her case and the murder enquiry is fading fast. Can she hack it, or is her worst nightmare about to be re-enacted, as she becomes their next target. (Short listed for the Genre Fiction Award by New Holland Publisher 2007)

Prologue

Old Marty could have chosen a better day for his funeral. The gravedigger hawked and spat a gobbet of phlegm. He squatted against an old stone wall and sniffed the damp air. He turned his weary face upwards to check the progress of a threatening squall line. Fat drops of rain fell on his cheeks.

The warning on the radio that morning told of severe weather from the west approaching Sydney. It was coming in earlier than expected. He rolled his tobacco, lit up and let the weed dangle between his lips. He hoped to God they’d be finished in time. He shifted and sat, gangly arms looped around his legs – a bag of aching bones. Across the tombstones towards the church, he could see the funeral party on its way.

Reverend Timms led the procession along the narrow path, his balding head bowed to the wind, black and purple robes blown flat against his legs. The quartet of undertakers in maroon suits carried Old Marty in a coffin crowned with yellow roses. The widow, wrapped in a navy blue anorak, clutched the arm of her tall, angular sister. A few members of the Over 60s Club trailed along in their wake.

Large multi-coloured umbrellas mushroomed to shelter the mourners. The gravedigger sniffed again as the party stopped beside the hole he’d dug the night before. Brought up in an age when the predominant colour at funerals was black, the gaily-coloured golfing shades they used today struck a note of incongruity and turned his graveyard into a fairground. The billowing storm cloud burst. The gravedigger lurched to his feet and stumbled to his shed.

Storm driven rain slanted in the wind, bounced off the ground. Ferocious gusts tore at the robust umbrellas, lifted the corners of the tarpaulin covering the loose earth and turned the soil into a running river of mud. Deep puddles formed at the base of the grave, shifting and resettling the dirt.
As the minister began his intonation, the first of the storm clouds passed. The sun found an avenue between the clouds. In the moment’s respite, raindrops hung like splinters of glass from the surrounding bushes and trees. Freed from the umbrella’s cover, the widow lifted her face to the sky to look at the expanding rainbow. Her tall sister took a step forward to peer into the waterlogged grave.

Her scream drove seagulls from the church roof into the air with raucous cries and brought the gravedigger back to the party. Reverend Timms jerked forward, his gaze following the agitated woman’s pointed finger. Others bent to see.

There, in the dark wet pit, emerging from the muddied waters, they saw a human hand. Stark in its whiteness, washed by the rain, scarlet lacquer and bejewelled rings adorned the fingers. Runnels of water drained down the wrist and forearm as the water level dropped away. Only the tatty remnants of a thin blanket of soil remained to cover the naked, blue-tinged body of a young woman.

Straightening up, the minister met the gravedigger’s eyes. Turning to the undertakers, he nodded for them to take up their burden once more. Then gently he shepherded the funeral party back to the church. The gravedigger returned to his shed. With someone else occupying his grave, Old Marty would have to wait awhile.

Reviewed by Randall Radic

In a sense, Carole Sutton – who is the author of the book under discussion – is a little like Jesus. During his First Advent, Jesus wandered around preaching a message of salvation. Whereas Carole – in her delightful first novel, Ferryman – preached a message powerful enough to convert this reviewer, who found crime-fiction distinctively boring, to the pleasures provided by a rollicking ‘who-dunnit.’ Furthermore, according to some, Jesus will return at the Second Advent and kick Satan’s butt. Taking a cue from Jesus, Carole decided to make a second appearance too. She’s back with another bang-up ‘who-dunnit.’ This one’s called And the Devil Laughed. And just like Jesus, it kicks ass.

The plot of the story goes like this: Hannah Ford is a policewoman trying to make a comeback from an emotional double whammy – the recent death of her husband and her own traumatic experience as a rape victim. She takes a job as an undercover cop in a small town, which, so the rumor goes is little more than a depot for drug smugglers. Hannah’s job is to determine if the rumors are true. When Hannah arrives at the town, drug smugglers are old history. No one cares about that anymore. What’s worrying them now is the rape and brutal murder of a local barmaid. It’s this intersection of hysterical trends that sends the story rocketing off with reckless dynamism.

When it comes to telling a story, Carole Sutton is the Mistress of Mechanical Advantage. For she knows just how to do it. She winds the story tight, then lets out a little slack so the reader thinks this might be a good time to take a breath. Just as the reader opens his mouth to inhale, she pulls the line even tighter, almost garroting the hapless reader with breathless excitement. And the Devil Laughed is the textbook example of the raw power of superb storytelling, which is a talent that can’t be taught or bought. It’s a knack. Either a writer has it or not. Carole Sutton has it!

Some novelists, of course, can tell a story, but where they come up short is in their dialogue. In other words, when the story’s characters speak, they don’t sound like real people. Instead, they sound like no-talent actors in a really bad horror flick, which was written and directed by some haberdasher from New Jersey, who got the job because his brother-in-law put up the money for the flick. It’s called ‘cultural dislocation.’ Which means the author has no ear for conversational idiosyncrasies. This literary disease is usually brought on by proximity. Proximity narrows perspective.

Hooray! Carole Sutton does not have the dreaded dialogue disease. She has DESH, instead. DESH is a musical term – diatonic elaboration of static harmony, also known as the major chord accompanied – appropriately – with a descending bassline. Which means her dialogue is life-affirming. Which is a fancy way of saying that when her characters speak, their speech patterns sound right. There is texture and streamlined organicism. Which means harmony in the conversational universe. And that translates into happy readers.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best And the Devil Laughed hit a factor five on the Read-o-Meter. Even if, like the reviewer, you think ‘who-dunnits’ function best as paperweights, do yourself a favor and read this book. Perhaps you, too, will have a religious conversion.

	Ferryman by Carole Sutton (Goodreads Author) 4.75 avg rating — 20 ratings — published 2008
	Blood Opal by Carole Sutton (Goodreads Author) 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2010

My name is Carole Sutton, and I am a writer.

Ferryman is my first novel. It was published by YouWriteOn.com 2008

Ferryman

A detective with a conscience, a woman’s betrayal and a powerful businessman with a sinister secret are some of the intriguing characters in FERRYMAN crime fiction thriller set around the Fal Estuary in Cornwall in the 1970s.

Angela Dupont is missing. Despite the absence of a body, blood smears inside Steven Pengelly’s boat convince Detective Inspector Alec Grimstone that he has apprehended her murderer. When Angela’s fresh body washes up two years later, Alec is shocked to discover he has convicted the wrong man. The killer is still out there. Steven, released from jail, is determined to find where Angela has been these last two years. He teams up with a woman searching for her missing sister.

Alec and Steven’s separate investigations take different routes. When they arrive at the same destination, circumstances force old enemies to work together to solve the mystery as another vibrant young woman goes missing.

Click the link below to see trailer

Ferryman Book Trailer

And the Devil Laughed

HANNAH FORD, an under-cover cop, takes a surveillance job in Draper’s Wharf. The small town on the banks of the Parramatta River in Australia has links to the drug trade, so the latest whisper goes. Her brief: to observe, locate its source and report back.

When she arrives, the town is in shock after the rape and murder of its local barmaid. Hannah, a rape survivor, could pull out, but she needs this job to prove her competence to return to the streets and full duties.

Threaded through the main story, is Hannah’s own account of guilt and rage born of her husband’s death, her rape and degradation that followed. In working to find the source of drugs in Draper’s Wharf, the line between her case and the murder enquiry is fading fast. Can she hack it, or is her worst nightmare about to be re-enacted, as she becomes their next target.

Available on Amazon.com as print book and an ebook.

Blood Opal

Those who harm it -- die, goes the legend of the rare and beautiful Blood Opal.

But Pug Germaine believes her husband's brutal murder has more to do with the slaughtered woman in his arms than the curse of any stone. When, one of the robbers double-crosses the others, they all lose their prize.

The villains suspect Pug knows the opal's whereabouts. Pug leaves death and bankruptcy behind, takes her dog, and sails away in her only remaining possession -- her boat.

But she sails straight into trouble as she becomes aware of more than one stalker watching her every move. With the body count growing, can DI Ed Buchanan and Sergeant Kathryn Sinclair nail the real villains before Pug becomes the Blood Opal's next victim?

About the author: Carole Sutton

Reared in the county of Devon in England, Carole's earliest memory is of the Exeter blitz in 1942. Married in 1960 Carole and her husband reared their three children in Cornwall. They built their own sailing boats and sailed the English Channel, visiting ports on the French coast for their holidays.

They moved to the warmer climes of Perth in Western Australia in 1981, and took up a small retail business. Ten years later, on retirement, Carole had time to indulge in her personal pursuit, writing. She attended a creative writing course in 1995 and shortly after, Rawlhouse published her junior fiction book Gus, Sore Feet -- No Collar.

In that year, she became a member of a professional writing group that met on a weekly basis to discuss and review each other's work. They still do to this day. Carole followed up her 'Gus' success with short stories that were… Read more

This biography was provided by the author or their representative.

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