Stephen Leather's Blog

Nightmare Is Published Tomorrow!

2012-01-18T04:18:00.001-08:00

Nightmare, the third book in the Jack Nightingale series, is published tomorrow. Hodder have already commissioned two more, which is good news. Sadly it won't be sold in the supermarkets, which isn't such good news. So you'll have to buy it on Amazon or (gasp) in a book shop! Amazon will be publishing the three Nightingale books - Nightfall, Midnight and Nightmare - in the United States later this year.

Nightfall - the US edition

2012-01-10T00:03:00.000-08:00

Nightmare - the third book in the Jack Nightingale supernatural detective series will be published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK next week - following on from Nightfall and Midnight.

It rounds off the trilogy but sets the scene for a continuing series based around Jack - solving crimes and battling the forces of darkness. I have great fun writing the Nightingale books and the research is a blast!

Meanwhile, Amazon is preparing to publish the first book - Nightfall - in the United States. They will be using their 47North imprint and will have the book out in March, followed soon afterwards by the other two. It's going to be exciting seeing them launched onto the American market!

Cursed is published, Nightmare is out January 19

2011-12-27T05:34:00.001-08:00

Cursed is now available as a free short story on Amazon UK. It's not available in the US yet as Amazon Encore will be publishing it in 2012. So if you've got a Kindle, you can get it free on Amazon. If you haven't got a Kindle, get in touch through Facebook and I'll send you a PDF.

Nightmare, the third book in the Jack Nightingale trilogy, will be published on January 19. I've already signed a contract to write two more Nightingale books for my publisher Hodder and Stoughton. And I have a brilliant idea to be going on with!

I hope you all had a great Christmas and that you get what you want in 2012. I want another book at the top of the Amazon Kindle Bestseller chart in the US and the UK (The Basement managed it in 2011) but I don't think it'll be easy!

I'm pretty proud of the fact that The Basement topped both charts and sold more than 160,000 copies in the UK, making it the third bestselling book in the UK according to The Bookseller magazine.

This is what The Bookseller had to say -

The number one title is Confessions of a GP, the Benjamin Daniels hit that has been in and around the the weekly chart for much of the year, thanks to some smart pricing decisions and marketing from publisher The Friday Project: in print the book has sold just 8,500 copies in UK, but has been downloaded more than 100,000 times.

Top 10

1 Confessions of a GP Benjamin Daniels The Friday Project
2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson Quercus
3 The Basement Stephen Leather AmazonEncore
4 Hard Landing Stephen Leather Hodder
5 One Day David Nicholls Hodder
6 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest Stieg Larsson Quercus
7 The Girl Who Played with Fire Stieg Larsson Quercus
8 A Game of Thrones George R R Martin Harper Voyager
9 Room Emma Donoghue Picador
10 The Hanging Shed Gordon Ferris Corvus

Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is in second place (and with the US film version of the book now out we can expect sales to once again begin climbing), ahead of two Stephen Leather titles, one self-published and now part of the AmazonEncore programme. David Nicholls One Day, a print and film success over the year, comes in at fifth, ahead of the next two Millennium titles, with A Game of Thrones, Room, and The Hanging Shed, making up the remainder of the top ten.

11 to 20

11 Sugar & Spice Saffina Desforges MWiDP
12 Truth Dare Kill Gordon Ferris Corvus
13 The Alchemist's Secret Scott Mariani Avon
14 Bloody Valentine James Patterson Cornerstone
15 Star Sullivan Maeve Binchy Orion
16 Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre Penguin
17 Sister Rosamund Lupton Hachette Digital
18 The Unremarkable Heart Karin Slaughter Cornerstone
19 A Clash of Kings George R R Martin Voyager
20 The Help Kathryn Stockett Penguin

Despite having no titles in the top ten, Transworld is actually the most successful publisher in the top 50 with five titles, though among the big groups the spoils are won by Hachette, which has 11 titles in the list compared with Random's nine. There are fewer self-published titles than one might have thought given all the noise they generate, but of course this is not just a Kindle chart, it includes chart positions from the likes of Waterstone's and W H Smith, where self-published titles gain little light. There are, of course, no self-published books in the equivalent print chart.

21 to 30

21 The Last 10 Seconds Simon Kernick Transworld
22 The Redbreast Jo Nesbø Vintage
23 A Tiny Bit Marvellous Dawn French Penguin
24 Limitless Alan Glynn Faber
25 Those in Peril Wilbur Smith Macmillan
26 Caught Harlan Coben Orion
27 The Case of the Missing Boyfriend Nick Alexander Corvus
28 Silver Steven Savile Bad Press
29 Unlikely Killer Ricki Thomas Wild Wolf
30 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro Faber

The chart is dominated by fiction, and in particular adventure/thriller novels. There are 30 such books in the digital top 50 compared with just 12 in the print equivalent. In non-fiction the highest charting book is Life and Laughing by Michael McIntrye, which at 16 is 22 places ahead of the next contender, Madeleine by Kate McCann. The McInyre title was of course last Christmas' big Christmas hit—unlike in the print chart there are barely any Christmas biggies from 2011, in particular not a Jamie in sight. James Corden does, however, sneak in at 47—he has shifted 130,000 print copies too.

31 to 40

31 Second Son Lee Child Transworld
32 Locked in Kerry Wilkinson Self-published
33 Mr Right for the Night Marisa Mackle Self-published
34 The Affair Lee Child Transworld
35 Cold Kill Neil White Avon
36 Mile High Guy Marisa Mackle Dodder
37 The Family Martina Cole Headline
38 Madeleine Kate McCann Transworld
39 Into the Darkest Corner Elizabeth Haynes Myriad
40 The Crimson Petal and the White Michel Faber Canongate

The average selling price of the top 50 on Amazon was just £3.50, with 10 available for less than £1. In the printt char, the equivalent price was £6.60 with just one book (The Official Highway Code) retailing at under £4.

41 to 50

41 Afterwards Rosamund Lupton Hachette Digital
42 That Summer in Ischia Penny Feeny Tindal Street
43 Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson Hachette Digital
44 Suicide Run Michael Connelly Orion
45 Candles on the Sand Katie Stephens Self-published
46 Snuff Terry Pratchett Transworld
47 May I Have Your Attention Please? James Corden Cornerstone
48 Daddy's Home A K Alexander Self-published
49 Catch Your Death Voss/Edwards Harper
50 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy John le Carré Sceptre

Ignoring the self-published titles, there are two e-book originals in the top 50 Lee Child's Second Son and Karin Slaughter's The Unremarkable Heart. Given the announcements coming out from publishers towards the end of this year, I think we'll see more originals and shorter works in next year's Top 50.

That's what The Bookseller had to say, but actually I'm pretty sure that The Basement was Number One and not Number 3. I was much higher in the charts than the GP book for most of the year. The Bookseller has pretty much ignored me over the past year, despite the fact that I sold close to half a million eBooks. When I had three books in the UK KIndle Top 5 Bestseller list I emailed the magazine but they weren't interested. And when they did start running their own eBook chart they rarely mentioned me. I guess that's because their survival depends on the traditional publishers, self-published authors really have no interest in a publication like The Bookseller, which makes much of its money from advertising from publishers. They did put me in their list of the Top 100 influential people in the publishing business, though, which was nice of them. The Bookseller has been making predictions of what the industry will be like over the next year or so. Well, I have a few predictions of my own, but I'll wait until the New Year before revealing them!

I Make The Bookseller 100 Most Influential List

2011-11-25T01:58:00.001-08:00

I made the Bookseller magazine list of 100 Most Influential people in the UK book trade. How cool is that?

Jack Nightingale Short Story

2011-11-18T02:43:00.001-08:00

Hodder and Stoughton are preparing a new Jack Nightingale short story which they will be releasing it as an eBook to help publicise the next Nightingale full-length novel. The short story is called Cursed and has Jack trying to help a copper who has been cursed by a gypsy. It's very topical and ties in with the Dale Farm clearances a few weeks ago. Anyway, here's the proposed cover of the short story.....

Fair Game Promotional Video

2011-11-11T02:13:00.000-08:00

The mass market edition of Fair Game is out this month and Hodder have done a great promotional video for it that should be shown at mainline railway stations. I think it looks brilliant!

Fair Game Is An Amazon 2011 Favourite!

2011-11-09T02:15:00.000-08:00

Amazon has just released it's list of favourite Kindle books for the year ending October 2011 - and Fair Game is in the Top 100, right next to Nick Spalding's Cornerstone.

The list is based on customer reviews and it's great to see Fair Game there as it's not a cheap book by any means. My self-published eBooks The Basement and Once Bitten have each sold almost ten times as many as Fair Game, but for most of 2011 they were on sale for the Amazon minimum.

I'm hard at work on the new Spider Shepherd book as we speak. I was supposed to finish it before autumn but I got held up doing the reseearch and now I'm aiming for the year end with publication due in July 2012. No title yet!

40th Review For The Bestseller

2011-11-07T01:11:00.001-08:00

Yeah, my eBook The Bestseller just received its 40th review - and thankfully it's with five-stars. And it's from someone using their real name, too, which I always take as a good sign.

Here it is:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick and enjoyable..., 7 Nov 2011
By A. J. Philpott "mightyyid" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Bestseller (Kindle Edition)
Nice good easy read, and great for train rides and given the seemingly smaller length, it is not as intrinsically captivating as a long novel that Mr Leather is renowned for, but at the same time it's an easy read that captivates from start to finish. All in a ll a good solid read that was quite enjoyable.

So thanks very much for the review, Mr or Mrs Philpott - you made my day.

I'm less taken with a reviewer who hid behind the name 'Waylander' who took the time to give every single one of my books on the Goodreads forum a one-star vote. The reviews only stayed up for a few days before they were taken down. I'm not sure if "Waylander" had a change of heart or if the Goodreads moderators removed them, but it doesn't matters in the grand scheme of things because my books have so many four and five star votes that the odd one star doesn't make any difference. I do think it's a shame that websites like Goodreads and Amazon allow anonymous postings. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, on authors and on books, and providing they aren't libelous or offensive they have every right to express their opinions. But there are people who use anonymity as an excuse to behave badly, and really something needs to be done about that. If someone wants to give a book a negative rating that's all well and good, but at least they should have the courage of their convictions and use their real name. I post reviews under my real name and stand by them. And whenever I post on a public forum I use my own name. I would never post a negative review under an alias. That's just cowardly.

On a more productive note I'm flat out on a new Jack Nightingale story which Hodder and Stoughton will be using to publicise my new Nightingale book - Nightmare - which will be published in January. I hope to have it finished by the weekend.... It's about a gypsy's curse and I'm having great fun with it....

Money From The FBI!!!!

2011-11-01T11:18:00.001-07:00

This just in!

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J.Edgar.Hoover Building Washington Dc
Customers Service Hours / Monday To Saturday
Office Hours Monday to Saturday:

Dear Beneficiary,

Series of meetings have been held over the past 7 months with the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. This ended 3 days ago. It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $850,000.00 due to past corrupt Governmental Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of your fund all in an attempt to swindle your fund which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.

The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the current president of Nigeria his Excellency President Good luck Jonathan to boost the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/Gambling, Inheritance and the likes. Now how would you like to receive your payment? Because we have two method of payment which is by Check or by ATM card?

ATM Card: We will be issuing you a custom pin based ATM card which you will use to withdraw up to $3,000 per day from any ATM machine that has the Master Card Logo on it and the card have to be renewed in 4 years time which is 2014. Also with the ATM card you will be able to transfer your funds to your local bank account. The ATM card comes with a handbook or manual to enlighten you about how to use it. Even if you do not have a bank account.

Check: To be deposited in your bank for it to be cleared within three working days. Your payment would be sent to you via any of your preferred option and would be mailed to you via UPS. Because we have signed a contract with UPS which should expire in next three weeks you will only need to pay $200 instead of $500 saving you $300 So if you pay before the three weeks 2011 you save $300 Take note that anyone asking you for some kind of money above the usual fee is definitely a fraudsters and you will have to stop communication with every other person if you have been in contact with any. Also remember that all you will ever have to spend is $200.00 nothing more! Nothing less! And we guarantee the receipt of your fund to be successfully delivered to you within the next 24hrs after the receipt of payment has been confirmed.

Note: Everything has been taken care of by the Federal Government of Nigeria, The United Nation and also the FBI and including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $200

DO NOT SEND MONEY TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU READ THIS: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is $500 but because UPS have temporarily discontinued the C.O.D which gives you the chance to pay when package is delivered for international shipping We had to sign contract with them for bulk shipping which makes the fees reduce from the actual fee of $500 to $200 nothing more and no hidden fees of any sort!

To effect the release of your fund valued at $850,000.00 you are advised to contact our correspondent in Africa the delivery officer ( MR. George Mills ) with the information below,

Email: georgemills@yahoo.cn

You are advised to contact him with the informations as stated below:

Your full Name..
Your Address:..............
Home/Cell Phone:...........
Preferred Payment Method (ATM / Cashier Check)

Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 24 working hours. Because we are so sure of everything we are giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive payment/package within the next 24hrs after you have made the payment for shipping.

Yours sincerely,
MR. David Sunday
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535
Phone contact: +1(315)308-0992

Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with ( MR. George Mills ) of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.

New Nightmare Hardback Cover

2011-10-20T03:59:00.000-07:00

Hodder and Stoughton have finalised the hardback cover for Nightmare, the third book in the Jack Nightingale trilogy. It looks amazing, I think. Hodder are just about to sign me to a new contract for two more Nightingale book so my thinking cap is on!

Money From London! I am so lucky!

2011-10-13T01:51:00.001-07:00

This just in!

John Wood LLP
Will & Probate Solicitors
61 Gray’s Road London WC1X 8TH
Email:jwllp5@aol.com

Compliments,

I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise, Please accept the content in good faith. I do not intend to cause any grief to you and your family. The reason for sending this mail is very fundamental to the doctrine of human privileges and right. My name is John Wood LLP a legal practitioner based in London and the personal Attorney to late Mr. Adams, a national of your country who died along with his wife and two sons who died in the Tube explosion between King's Cross-and Russell Square in London.

My client was a successful and is an accomplished family man, who made enough fortune before his untimely death. Since then I had made several Inquiries through your Embassy to locate any of my clients extended relative but this exercise has proved unsuccessful. After several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives through the Internet, to locate any member of his family, not much progress was recorded. My late client was an influential wealthy businessman, an oil magnet here in London and he left behind a deposit of Twelve Million Two Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds only (Ј12.2Million GBP) in his domiciliary bank account in a commercial bank here in London.

After the death of my client his bankers contacted me, as his Attorney to provide his next of kin who should inherit his funds. The board of directors of his bank adopted a resolution and I was mandated to provide his next of kin for the payment of this money within 28 Working days or forfeit the money to the bank as an abandoned property. The bankers had planned to invoke the abandoned property decree of 1996 to confiscate the funds after the expiration of the period given to me.

Fortunately, I came across your name, to my greatest astonishment, I discovered that you bear the same surname with my late client and coincidentally, you are nationals of the same country. Being convinced that you may be related with my late client or that you might provide clue to my search, I therefore, decided to contact with these facts before me, because of the similarities. By virtue of my closeness to the deceased and his immediate family, I am very much aware of my client financial standing and the bank account he operates.

I have reasoned very professionally and I feel it will be legally proper to present you as the next of kin of my deceased client, so that you can be paid the funds left in his bank account. I therefore seek your consent to present you as the Next of Kin to the Deceased since you are at an advantage, bearing the same surname and equally from the same country that the proceeds of this Bank Account valued at Ј12.2Million GBP can be paid to you. We shall both share the funds. 40% for me and 55% to you, while 5% should be for Expenses or your Government may require as Tax.

I shall assemble all the necessary Legal Documents that will be used to back up our claim. All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. Please get in touch with me by email to enable us discuss further. To facilitate the process of this transaction, urgently forward to me

Your full names,
Telephone and fax numbers,
Address,
Age,
Marital status,
A copy of your identity and occupation.

For privacy and confidentiality reply using my email: jwllp5@aol.com. I will be expecting to hear from you.

Best Regards
John Wood.

My New EBook!

2011-09-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

I've almost finished my new eBook, a thriller modestly titled The Bestseller.

It should be ready to go online in the next week or so.

Here's the first chapter -

CHAPTER ONE

Marina Del Ray, California, One Year Ago

Lightning flashed and Kirsty flinched and she jumped again two seconds later when a crack of thunder split the Californian night sky to her left. It had started to rain the moment she’d walked into the marina, small spots at first but the moment that she’d set foot on the wooden pier that led to the yachts it had started to come down in sheets and now she was soaked to the skin. She wiped her face with her hand. Part of her, the sensible part, knew that she should just turn around and go home. But the other part, the part that kept her awake at night, was forcing her to go on, She had to know for sure. She had to know the truth.

The main pier jutted out into the centre of the marina and smaller piers branched off it, left and right. The wooden planks creaked as she headed towards Wilson’s yacht. Kirsty had been there three times before, once to go sailing with Wilson, the second time for lunch and the third time…. She shuddered. She didn’t want to think about what had happened the third time.

Something small and furry ran across her path and she stifled a scream. She stopped and took slow deep breaths as she tried to quieten her racing heart. She didn’t want to be at the marina, she wanted to be at home in bed, either asleep or watching TV or reading a book, but she had to be there. There was no going back, she had to know if she was going crazy or if Eddie Wilson really wanted to kill her.

Lightning flashed again and this time she was ready for the crack of thunder that came a few seconds later. Wilson’s yacht was called THE WRITE WAY; it was just over thirty feet long with a single mast, the sail rolled up and hidden within a blue nylon sock. The yacht was in darkness. Wilson was the only owner who lived on his boat, all the rest were toys for weekend sailors. About half were yachts and catamarans but the rest were motorboats, floating gin palaces that rarely travelled more than a few miles or so from the marina.

The rain got heavier as she walked along the wooden pier towards the yacht. She stopped when she reached the stern and looked around. The marina was deserted and there had been no one in the office at the entrance. The metal mesh gate that led to the boats was never locked. She took her cellphone from her bag and covered it with her left hand to protect it from the rain as she peered at the screen. No one had called and there were no text messages. She’d arranged to meet Wilson for dinner at a Mexican restaurant that he’d said was one of his favourites, so hopefully he’d be sitting at the bar sipping a margarita while she did what she had to do. She switched off the phone and put it back in her pocket.

The yacht was tethered to the pier with ropes at either end and a third in the middle, and there was a power cable and a water hose snaking from a box by the stern into the rear cabin. She stepped carefully off the pier and onto the deck, holding on to the cabin roof to keep her balance as the boat shifted under her weight. Her heart was racing and she took slow, deep breaths to calm herself down. ‘It’s okay,’ she muttered. ‘We go in, we look at his laptop and we get out. Easy peasy lemon squeazy.’

She reached into the bag and pulled out bolt-cutters that she’d bought from a hardware store that morning along with two padlocks so that she could practise cutting the shackles. It took her only seconds to remove the lock and she tossed it into the water before pushing the hatch open. The wood grated and rain splattered inside. She ducked down into the cabin just as another bolt of lightning flashed out over the sea. It was harder to close the hatch than it had been to open it and she had to use all her weight to force it shut.

She stood in the darkness, listening to the sound of her own breathing. The boat was rocking from side to side in the wind and the metal lines rattled against the mast. She swallowed but her mouth was so dry that she almost gagged. She reached into her bag and pulled out a flashlight. She’d put duct tape across the glass with a small hole cut into it so that the light would be focussed into a thin, tight beam. It was a trick she’d read in a thriller once, and she grinned to herself when she switched it on and discovered that it worked. The thin beam illuminated a section of the wall not much bigger than a dinner plate and even someone walking along the pier wouldn’t be able to see the light.

At the far end of the main cabin was a door that led through to the sleeping area. There was a double bed there, she knew. With dark red silk sheets, the colour of dried blood. That was where she’d gone on the third visit to the boat. She shuddered. Water plopped from her wet hair onto the floor and she wiped her face with her sleeve as she played the beam of light along the wall and down to the built-in desk, being carful to avoid the brass porthole even though it was the side of the yacht facing away from the pier. Wilson’s MacBook Pro was there, open but switched off. There was a wooden chair in front of the desk and she sat down and pressed the button to turn on the computer. As the screen lit up she switched off the flashlight and placed it on the desk. There were three drawers on the right hand side of the desk and she pulled open the top one as she waited for the Mac to boot up.

There was a sketch pad in the drawer and she took it out. She flicked open the pad and her eyes widened when she saw the drawing on the first page. It was a caricature, a wide-eyed blonde with a pony tail sitting at an old-fashioned typewriter and above her head was a thought bubble filled with cuddly toys. The blonde had large breasts straining at the material of her too-tight shirt and Kristy self-consciously put her hand to her chest. She’d seen Wilson with the sketchpad during class but had always assumed that he was taking notes. “Bastard,’ she whispered.

The laptop finished booting up and she leaned forward and checked the icons on the desktop. There was only one Word document and it was titled ‘The Bestseller’. Kirsty shook her head in disgust. She’d always thought that he was joking when he’d said that was the title of his book.

She clicked on the file and it opened. She read the opening paragraphs with a growing look of disgust on her face. “Bastard, bastard, bastard,’ she muttered. She stood up, switched on the flashlight and went through the galley and pushed open the door to the bedroom. There were cupboards above the bed and she pulled them open. There were two spare pillows inside and she took them out and tossed them onto the bed. There was a large book against the side of the cupboard and next to it a bulky leather roll. She took out the book and opened it. It was a medical book. Anatomy. There were yellow Post-its marking several of the pages, all concerned with the joints. Knees, elbows, hips, the neck. She threw the book down and took out the roll. She knew from its weight what it contained. Her heart was pounding as she sat down on the bed and put the roll in her lap, holding the flashlight between her teeth as she used both hands to untie the two leather straps that secured the bundle. She opened it out to reveal a dozen gleaming steel knives with black wooden handles.

“You evil bastard,’ she muttered as she stared down at the knives. She knew now that everything that Wilson had written in his book was true. He was planning to kill her and dismember her body, hiding the pieces God knows where. She heard a peal of thunder, closer this time.

She retied the bundle and stood up. The knives weren’t proof but what Wilson had written on his laptop most definitely was. It was as good as a confession. She had to get a copy and take it to the police. Then they’d stop him. She patted the back pocket of her jeans to reassure herself that the thumbdrive was there, then opened the door and stepped into the main cabin, the tight beam of her flashlight playing across the floor. She yelped when the beam found a pair of black cowboy boots.

‘Surprise!” It was Wilson. His voice was a soft whisper, barely audible over the noise of the wind and the pattering of raindrops against the hull.

The flashlight fell from Kirsty’s hands, hit the floor, and rolled against the wall. She bent down, her heart racing and grabbed it, thanking God silently because the bulb hadn’t broken. She tucked the bundle of knives under her right arm and held the flashlight with both hands as she played the thin beam around the cabin.

Wilson had gone. For a brief moment she wondered if she’d imagined him and then there was a flash of lightning and she saw him standing with his back to the wall by the desk. His jet black hair was wet from the rain and he had a five o'clock shadow. Water was dripping down his face and he was grinning. Then just as quickly the cabin was plunged into darkness and she searched for him with the beam as a roll of thunder made her stomach vibrate.

He was standing by the computer, his hand resting on the keyboard. “You peeked,’ he said. She played the beam of light over his face. His clothes were soaked, through but he was grinning. It was a cruel grin, almost savage. He was tall and wiry, and dressed all in black: shirt, jeans, cowboy boots, and a long coat from which water was plopping onto the floor.

Kirsty tried to speak but the words caught in her throat. ‘I, I, I…’

“Yes, I know,’ said Wilson. He took a step towards her, still smiling.

She held up the bundle of knives. ‘I know what you were planning to do,’ she said.

‘What? What exactly do you think I was planning to do, Kirsty?’

“You know.’

‘Tell me. Maybe it’s all been a terrible misunderstanding.’

Lightning flashed and it was followed immediately by a crack of thunder. The storm was right overhead. The boat was rocking from side to side and Kirsty was having trouble maintaining her balance. She held up the roll of knives.. “You’re mad,’ she said.

He smiled easily. ‘I’m a little unhappy at the way you broke in her, but I wouldn’t say I’m mad.’

“You know what I mean,’ she said. ‘Deranged, Insane.’

‘Oh come on, Kirsty. You need to relax. Come on. Big breaths.’

Kirsty gestured at the laptop with the bundle. “You were going to do it, weren’t you? You were going to kill me and write about me.’

‘It’s a novel, Kirsty.’

“You were going to do it! For real!’

‘A work of fiction.’

‘I read it,’ said Kirsty. ‘I read what you wrote. You’re going to kill me. Then you’re going to butcher me.’ She held up the bundle and waved it at him. ‘With these! You bastard, you had it all planned. You were going to kill me and write a sick book about it.’

Wilson shook his head sadly. Kirsty realised that he had shifted his body so that she couldn’t see his right hand. She moved the beam but as she did he stepped forward. He was holding a frying pan and he swung it at her, hard. She jumped back but he was too quick and the pan slammed into the bundle of knives and sent it hurtling from her hand. The bundle burst apart as it hit the wall behind her and the knives spilled out and crashed to the floor.

Wilson swished the pan from side to side. Lightning flashed again. Kirsty braced herself for the crack of thunder but it never came.

Kirsty stepped back, her shoe crunching on one of the knives. ‘It’s going to be all right, Kirsty,’ said Wilson.

He moved to the side, out of the beam of the flashlight, and Kirsty’s heat pounded as she tried to keep the light on him. ‘Not scared of the dark, are you, Kirsty?’ said Wilson.

Kirsty bent down, grabbed one of the knives with her left hand and straightened up, holding it out in front of her. ‘Don’t come near me,’ she said.

‘Now that just looks awkward,’ said Wilson. “You’re not a leftie. You’d be so much better off with the knife in your right.’

‘Stop talking to me,’ said Kirsty. She waved the knife in front of her. He was right. The knife felt wrong in her left hand.

He took a step towards her and she shuffled back, her left heel scraping against another knife.

“You should swap them around,’ said Wilson. ‘Have the knife in your right hand, the flashlight in your left. Trust me, you’ll do more damage if I try to do this.’ He lunged forward, making a grab for her left hand but she jerked away and lashed out with the knife. He jumped back, grinning. ‘See, if you’d had the knife in your right hand you’d have got me then.’

‘I just want to go home,’ said Kirsty, her voice trembling.

“But you’ve only just got here, honey,’ said Wilson. He jerked a thumb towards the main cabin. ‘How about a quickie, just for old times sake.’

‘Please, just let me go home.’

‘Honey, will you take a look at yourself. You’re the one with the knife. You’re the one who broke in. Who’s the one being threatened here?’ He stepped to the left, out of the beam of the flashlight, and Kirsty swung it around to keep the light on him.
He lashed out with the pan and it smacked against the knife. Kirsty cried out in pain as it went spinning across the cabin.

Lightning flashed and as it did she saw him with the pan raised high. As the cabin went dark again he brought the pan crashing down on the flashlight. The impact almost wrenched her arm from its socket but she managed to keep hold of the flashlight as the glass smashed and the light went out. She threw the broken flashlight towards where she thought Wilson was standing but when it hit the wall of the cabin she knew that she had missed.

She dropped down onto her hands and knees and groped around in the dark, trying to find one of the knives.

Lightning flashed and she saw Wilson standing in front of her, a manic grin on his face. The pan had gone and its place was a bread knife with a serrated edge. Just as Kirsty screamed, the cabin was plunged into darkness again. She scuttled backwards on all fours, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

‘Kirsty, it’s all right,’ whispered Wilson. “Just go with the flow. It’ll soon be over.’

She sat back on her heels and held up her hands . She was shaking uncontrollably. Something flashed across her right palm and then she felt the pain and realised that he’d slashed her with the knife. She shuffled backwards, hyperventilating.

‘Don’t fight it, honey,” he said. ‘It’ll be so much easier if you just let it happen.’

Kristy could feel blood trickling down her palms and the cut flesh was stinging so hard that her eyes were watering.

Lighting flashed again and she saw Wilson crouched in front of her, an evil grin on his face. He lashed out with the knife and Kirsty threw up her hands just as the cabin went dark again. The blade slashed across the fingers of her left hand. Again there was just a stinging sensation and she bit down on her lower lip, fighting the urge to scream.

Wilson laughed manically and she felt the knife bite into her left shoulder, ripping through her shirt and slicing through the skin. This time she screamed and flailed out her hands. Her left hand touched something and she grabbed for it. It was the blade of the knife, she realised, and as her fingers tightened on it. Wilson pulled the knife back and the serrated blade tore through her hand.

She fell back, screaming, then rolled onto her front and began to crawl away from him on her hands and knees. Her fingers scrabbled over the wooden floor and she gasped as she felt the handle of a knife brush against the little finger of her right hand. She grabbed it and gently reached out with her left hand to touch the blade. It was about six inches long. The blade felt wet and she shivered as she realised it was because it was covered in blood from the cuts on her hands.

‘Ready or not, here I come,” whispered Wilson in the darkness.

Kirsty held her breath and turned her head slowly from side to side, listening intently. She heard a slight scraping sound, his shoe scraping across the deck, maybe. And she could him breathing, slowly and evenly. She turned the knife around in her hand so that she was grasping the handle in her fist, the blade pointing down. She kicked off both her shoes.

She heard another scrape. He was moving towards her. She sat back on her heels and held her left hand out, fingers splayed, still holding her breath. Then lighting flashed again and she saw him standing over her, the knife raised high. Kirsty grunted and slammed the knife down and buried it in Wilson’s left foot. Wilson screamed in pain as the cabin went dark again.

Kirsty jumped to her feet and pushed out with both hands. She connected with his chest and she kept pushing and felt him fall backwards. She screamed as loud as she could and heard him fall to the floor. She stepped on his chest but stumbled as he rolled over and she fell against the cabin wall. The boat rocked and she pushed herself off the wall and she rushed towards the hatch.

She heard Wilson grunt and then there was another flash of lightning but she didn’t turn around. He still had the knife and she wasn’t sure how much damage she’d done to his foot.

‘Kirsty, don’t leave angry!’ shouted Wilson. He started to laugh as her fingers scrabbled at the hatch and pulled it back. She felt a nail break as she pushed it back as far as it would go. ‘Kirsty!’ shouted Wilson, but she forced herself not to look around.

She scrambled up the stairs and screamed as she felt the knife tear across her back. She lashed out with her left leg, kicking backwards, and her foot connected with something and she heard him fall back and hit the floor.

She was exhausted but the adrenaline coursing through her bloodstream kept her going and she fell onto the deck and crawled along it. The blood from her wounds was mixing with the rain as she scrambled along on all fours. She threw herself off the boat and onto the pier, pushed herself up and started to run, her bare feet slapping against the wooden slats like gunshots.

The Cover For Nightmare

2011-09-20T02:11:00.000-07:00

Hodder are working on the cover for Nightmare, the third book in the Jack Nightingale trilogy. I think it looks great so far! The book is done and edited and will be in the shops next January. Hodder are now asking for two more Jack Nightingale novels, so I have my thinking cap on!

Money From A Woman In West Africa!

2011-09-04T01:55:00.001-07:00

This just in -

FROM MRS MALAMA DEMEYA.
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
BANK OF AFRICA (B.O.A)
Ouagadougou Burkina-Faso ( West Africa )

CONFIDENTIAL

My Name is MRS MALAMA DEMEYA. I am a banker by profession. I hail from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, West Africa. My reason for contacting you is to transfer an abandoned $27, 200, 000.00 USD to your account. The fund has been deposited by Late (MR. PAUL LOUIS from Paris, France) who died along with his entire family in 6th December 2003 in Air crash.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately we learn that all his supposed next of kin or relation died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

I want to present you to the Bank as the Next of Kin/beneficiary of this fund
It is therefore upon this discovery that I now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and we don’t want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill.

I will not fail to bring to your notice this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer, please treat this business with utmost confidentiality and you should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter.

Please make sure you keep this transaction as your top secret and make it confidential till we receive the fund into the account that you will provide to the bank. Don’t disclose it to any body, because the secrecy of this transaction is as well as the success of it.

I agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner in respect to the provision of a foreign account, and while 60% would be for me.

Further details of the transaction shall be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail indicating your interest.

I am waiting to hear from you urgently.

Yours faithfully.

MRS MALAMA DEMEYA.

Money From The FBI!!!!

2011-08-30T00:40:00.001-07:00

This just in!

Hello,
I write to confess what you are presently going through with my Boss. I was a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Local and Foreign Debt attached to the World Bank office in Washington, DC, USA. I resigned my official duty when I discovered the activities of my colleagues during a private investigation I carried out. I suspected some kind of foul play in their act which they would never inform me because they know I would never be a party to such as a Christian.

I discovered that my Boss was conniving with some top officials of the World Bank to divert funds approved to settle Lottery winners, International contractors and Inheritance. The World Bank has already given approval for the payment of your fund while they are deliberately delaying your payment. They continue to issue one fee or the other from different quarters. I wonder why you haven't noticed all this while. I can assure you this will keep happening if you do not do away with those officers.

Well I just hope you believe me, because if you don't, your fund is gone. Your fund is currently authorized to be paid to you from a financial consultant in the UK or US, approved by the World Bank with a Key Tested Reference/CLAIMS CODE Number, which was supposed to have been issued to you, but they have decided to divert your attention by telling you that they have something to do with one committee or the other especially here in UK or Africa and making you believe that the fund will be transferred into your account - FALSE!

The reason why I am giving you this information is because of the fact that I was aware of it and my doctrine does not permit me to withhold such information. The only help you can get from me now, is the actual link to your payment, please do not give this information to my boss as it may lead to them influencing a total blockage to your payment, so you have to be very careful with this information.

Upon your response to this message, I shall give you all you need to contact the affiliate Payment Office in UK or US.

Yours truly,
Ms. Tracy Sanson

Even More Money!

2011-08-24T20:06:00.000-07:00

This just in!

PLEASE, REPLY URGENTLY!!
Reply me through this email mr.maswelldagani@hotmail.fr
Dear Friend,

With due respect, I am glad to know you, but God knows you better and he knows why he has directed me to you, at this point in time so do not be afraid. Please I want to transfer the sum of 10.5million dollars into your bank account in your country immediately because the owner of this fund is dead since 2006 leaving no body for the claim, this is the reason why I want to present you as next of kin, as to enable the bank order for the immediate release of this fund into your bank account without any delay.

Because since 2006 this fund has been dormant nobody has ever come for the claim of this fund, if not the Bank Governor who was doing accounting audit he now saw that Late Mr. Hatak Yearby, fund is still laying here in the Bank as unclaimed Bill since 2006 immediately he called for an executive meeting in the bank and a nuance that if nobody or relatives did not apply to claim this fund from now till the end of this month, immediately this fund should be transfer into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill.

So I don’t want this fund to be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill so this is the reason why I want to present you as the next of kin to the Bank as to enable the Bank transfer the fund into your Bank account in your country, as soon as this fund is been confirmed into your Bank account in your country immediately I and my family will come over to meet with you in your country for the shearing of the fund according to the percentage we agree on.
Please if you are interested kindly indicate as to proceed immediately,

My Bank Name: ____
Occupation: ________
You’re Account Number: ____
You’re Position in office: ____
You’re Receiving Country: _____
You’re Email Address: ___
Age: __
Direct Telephone: ______
Sex: _____
House or office address: ___
Your Full Name: ____

I will be waiting to hear from you shortly as you receive this message
Thanks
Yours Faithfully
Mr Maswell Dagani
Te: +226 78 19 70 78

Money From The Sudan!

2011-08-24T05:12:00.000-07:00

This just in!

My Dearest one,

Hi, my name is Miss Stella Justin Yak, 23years old originated from Sudan. I decide to contact you after my prayers; I really want to have a good relationship with you. My father Dr. Justin Yak was the former Minister for SPLA Affairs and Special Adviser to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for Decentralization. My father Dr.Justin Yak and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials had been on board when the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008.

You can read more about the crash through the below site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm

After the burial of my father, my uncles conspired and sold my father’s properties to a Chinese Expatriate and left nothing for me. On a faithful morning, I opened my father's briefcase and found out the documents which he have deposited huge amount of money in one bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin. I travelled to Burkina Faso to withdraw the money so that I can start a better life and take care of myself.

On my arrival, the Branch manager of the Bank whom I met in person told me that my father's instruction to the bank was that the money be release to me only when I am married or present a trustee who will help me and invest the money overseas.

I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own sister. Though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me. More so, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my uncle has threatened to assassinate me.

The amount is $5.6 Million and I have confirmed from the bank in Burkina Faso. You will also help me to place the money in a more profitable business venture in your Country.

However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 30% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment.

As soon as I receive your interest in helping me, I will put things into action immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. Please do keep this only to your self. I beg you not to disclose it till I come over because I am afraid of my wicked uncle who has threatened to kill me.

Sincerely yours,

Miss Stella Justin Yak

Tom Smith Has MOney For Me!

2011-08-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

This just in!

Attn: My Dear,

I am Mr. Tom Smith, I am a US citizen, 48 years Old. I reside here in New York City. My residential address is as follows. 160 Central Park South, New York United States, I am one of those that took part in the Compensation in Nigeria many years ago and they refused to pay me, I had paid over $50,000 while in the US, trying to get my payment all to no avail.

So I decided to travel to WASHINGTON D.C with all my compensation documents, And I was directed by the ( F B I) Director to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams, who his a representative of the ( F B I ) and a member of the COMPENSATION AWARD COMMITTEE, currently in Nigeria.and I contacted him and he explained everything to me. He said whoever is contacting us through emails are fake.

He took me to the paying bank for the claim of my Compensation payment. Right now I am the most happiest man on earth because I have received my compensation funds of $15 Million Us Dollars Moreover, Mr.Kelvin Williams, showed me the full information of those that are yet to receive their payments and I saw your name as one of the beneficiaries, and your email address, that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with those people, they are not with your fund, they are only making money out of you. I will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams.

You have to contact him directly on this information below.

COMPENSATION AWARD HOUSE
Name : Mr.Kelvin Williams
Email: kelvin_william2011@mail.kz
Telephone: +234-806-588-7165

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them, it is not in anyway with them, they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.

The only money I paid after I met Mr.Kelvin Williams was just $190 for the paper works, take note of that.

Once again stop contacting those people, I will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams so that he can help you to Deliver your fund instead of dealing with those liars that will be turning you around asking for different kind of money to complete your transaction.

Thank You and Be Blessed.
Mr.Tom Smith
160 Central Park South, New York,
United States Of America

Money From Hong Kong!

2011-08-15T02:06:00.000-07:00

This just in!

HANG SENG BANK LTD/DES VOEUX RD.BRANCH,
CENTRAL HONG KONG.

I am Mr.Peter Wong,Senior executive director of Hang Seng Bank Ltd.
after a long search online,i found your contact information from
your website.I have a concealed business for you.

General Hassan Fawzi who was with the Iraqi forces and also a business
man made a number of fix deposit, with a value of Forty Four Million,
Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars in my (bank) branch.Please
listen very carefully.

Note:I am looking for a very serious person on the acceptance of this
business.General Hassan Fawzi and his family died in a bomb blast that
hit their home during the war and i found out that General Hassan Fawzi
did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the
paper work of his bank deposit.I just want you as a (foreigner) to stand
as the next of kin to Gen Hassan Fawzi so that we will be able to receive
his funds where by you will be taken 50% of his funds.

I have also contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary
document that will back you up. Listen this is very serious and if you
are really interested please reply to the below address with the first
step of the following details below to proceed:

FULL NAMES:.... CONTACT ADDRESS:....
OCCUPATION:.... GENDER:.... PHONE:FAX:....

wngpeter2000@gmail.com

Regards,

Mr.Peter Wong

Executive Director.

The Basement Stays High In The Charts

2011-07-25T09:02:00.000-07:00

The latest eBook bestseller chart from The Bookseller magazine shows The Basement holding steady at Number 6. That's pretty good going considering that it was published in November last year. Lots of Indie books have come into the charts, some even reached the Top 5, but one by one they have dropped down again but The Basement has stayed. Why? To be honest, I am not sure. My other eBook bestseller, Once Bitten, was Number One over Christmas but now stubbornly stays below 50. I have no idea why it went down but The Basement went up.

I am amazed - and pleased - at the success of The Basement, which has sold well over a hundred thousand copies. But everything is going to change in November when Amazon will take over The Basement and Once BItten for their Amazon Encore programme. Effectively they will become the publishers of both books which means they will do all the publicity and marketing and I will take a back seat. It's going to be fascinating to see how things progress....

Here's what The Bookseller said:

Philip Stone, charts editor: It may have been downloaded more than 10,000 times in its first week on sale (according to publisher HarperCollins), but George R R Martin's A Dance with Dragons is conspicuous by its absence on this week's e-bestseller chart. Although it currently sits in the Top 10 in W H Smith's Fiction e-books chart, its lowly (comparative) positions in the Apple (14th), Waterstone's (61st) and Amazon.co.uk (24th) e-book charts mean it falls short of earning a place in The Bookseller's cross-retail Top 10 e-bestseller list

Benjamin Daniels' Confessions of a GP once again tops the chart thanks to solid downloads at Amazon (4th in the charts), Apple (1st) and Waterstone's (4th). Elizabeth Haynes' Into the Darkest Corner is the only new entry in this week's list, charting in seventh position. Sales of the £7.99 r.r.p. title will have been helped by the fact it has been discounted to just 99p on Amazon's Kindle store thanks to its position in the Kindle Summer Sale promotion.

Positive reviews will also have helped downloads—the book has received an incredible 141 five-star ratings out of 155 customer reviews. Such a five-star whitewash is so rare it is almost suspicious, but to those who say ratings/reviews matter little when it comes to decision-making, I offer you this evidence: I've just downloaded it.

Pos Title Author
1 (1) Confessions of a GP Benjamin Daniels
2 (3) Cold Kill Neil White
3 (2) A Tiny Bit Marvellous Dawn French
4 (4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson
5 (5) That Summer in Ischia Penny Feeny
6 (6) The Basement Stephen Leather
7 (-) Into the Darkest Corner Elizabeth Haynes
8 (10) Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre
9 (8) The Dukan Diet Pierre Dukan
10 (9) Afterwards Rosamund Lupton

Me Interviewed On Radio 4 About EPublishing

2011-07-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Last week I was interviewed on Radio 4's You and Yours program about ePublishing. It was fun to do and what was great was that Sam could come with me to watch the interview being recorded. And I met Scottish actor Bill Paterson in a corridor. Last time I met him was 27 years ago in a corridor in Radio Clyde. He didn't remember me but I managed to nick his BBC ID as a souvenir!

YOU CAN HEAR THE INTERVIEW HERE

More Money From The FBI!

2011-07-21T01:40:00.001-07:00

This just in! From the FBI in NIgeria!

Our Ref: RTB /SNT/STB

I am Agent Mark Wailers and am here in Nigeria as an FBI delegate that has been delegated to investigate this fraudsters who are in the business of swindling the citizens of out great nation America.Please be informed that during my investigation i got to find out that there is a huge sum of $15 million that has been assigned in your name and this fraudsters are busy swindling you without any hope of receiving your fund.

NOTE: The only fee you were suppose to pay from the beginning is the sum of $400 meant for logistics before the transfer of your fund can commence depending on how you want the transfer made to you.

The transfer can be done in three ways;

1)Through Bank to Bank wire transfer.

2)Through ATM card to be shipped to you through the courier service.

3)As a Bank Draft/Cheque to be delivered to you also through the courier service.

Get back to me urgently with the details before for urgent transfer of your fund to you without delay.

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
PHONE NUMBER
COUNTRY:
OCCUPATION:
SEX:
AGE:

I shall expect your response as soon as you receive this email.

Best Regard,
Agent Mark Wailers

Great Write-Up For The Basement!

2011-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Basement gets an honourable mention in today's write-up of the UK eBook Bestseller list produced by The Bookseller magazine! The Basement is still in the UK Top 10 and has been there for most of the last eight months!

This is what was in The Bookseller:

Philip Stone, charts editor: Three books in Amazon.co.uk's "Kindle Summer Sale" ("hundreds of books priced just £2.99 or less") earn places in the e-bestseller list Top 10 this week: police intelligence analyst Elizabeth Haynes' début novel, Into the Darkest Corner; Penny Feeny's 1979-set That Summer in Ischia; and new number one Benjamin Daniels' Confessions of a GP. All three are selling for just 99p at an average discount of 90% off their print edition r.r.p.s. Lucy Diamond's Sweet Temptation, Lyndsay Russell's Making it Big and C J Box's Three Weeks to Say Goodbye, three other 99p members of the same promotion, narrowly miss out on places in the Top 10.

Long-time e- book bestseller, Stephen Leather's The Basement clocks up a 20th week in The Bookseller's e-bestseller list in 2011. Benjamin Daniels is Leather's nearest rival in the longevity stakes, the doctor's Confessions of a GP having charted 16 times this year.

Leather's The Basement is the latest in a long line of e-books to have acquired a helpful subtitle on Amazon—this time "serial killer thriller with a breathtaking twist". Others include Saffina Desforges' Sugar & Spice (The Controversial Psycho-sexual Thriller), and Jason Krumbine's Fruitbasket from Hell (For Fans of Jasper Fforde and Terry Pratchett). How long such subtitles will last remains to be seen—earlier this year Amazon.co.uk removed "For Fans of Stieg Larsson and Dan Brown" pretty promptly from the title of Louise Voss and Mark Edwards' Catch Your Death.

Incidentally, The Basement has received a solid four stars out of five on average from 346 reviewers at Apple's iBookstore although, intriguingly, one of the most recent ("slow to start and took a bit of getting into but on the whole enjoyable") received just three. The reviewer in question? A Mr "Stephen leather". Hmm....

Pos Title Author
1 (2) Confessions of a GP Benjamin Daniels
2 (-) Cold Kill Neil White
3 (-) That Summer in Ischia Penny Feeny
4 (3) Catch Your Death Voss and Edwards
5 (1) A Tiny Bit Marvellous Dawn French
6 (5) Afterwards Rosamund Lupton
7 (-) The Midwife's Confession Diane Chamberlain
8 (9) The Basement Stephen Leather
9 (-) Into the Darkest Corner Elizabeth Haynes
10 (7) A Game of Thrones George R R Martin

Is There A Worse Company Than Ocado In The UK?

2011-06-30T03:05:00.000-07:00

Mark Bentley,
Head of Service Delivery Division,
Ocado,
Freepost 13498,
PO BOX 362,
Hatfield, AL9 7BR

Dear Mr Bentley,

I started using Ocado several years ago after Tesco's home delivery service let me down.

Everything was fine until this week when your company failed to deliver. Literally. It seems to me that your company is now staffed by idiots who have no idea what customer service means.

I booked a delivery for between 10.30pm and 11.30pm on Tuesday June 28. I received a text during the day to confirm that Mohammed in the cabbage van would be handling the delivery.

On Tuesday 11.30pm passed with no sign of a delivery. At 11.50pm Mohammed phoned to say that he would be late and that he couldn’t guarantee to get to me before 12.15. He twice said that my £80 delivery was a large one which was why he would be late.

I told Mohammed that he should have called me earlier and that I didn’t want him going up and down the communal stairs after midnight.

I phoned Customer Services the next day, Wednesday June 29, and was told that my delivery would be rescheduled between 2pm and 7pm that day. I phoned again at 6pm to to be told that my delivery had been cancelled ‘because of temperature issues.’

I asked why no one had called me to tell me that my delivery had been cancelled but there was no explanation offered. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was told one would call me back.

Eventually Martina phoned to say that she would get the goods delivered to me on Thursday June 30. I explained that I would be leaving for a meeting at 2pm and she said she would arrange a delivery time and get back to me.

A few minutes later I received an email scheduling a delivery for between 2pm and 3pm. Martina then called me back and when I pointed out that the delivery slot was after the time I would be leaving the flat she said that she knew that but it was the only slot she could book. She explained that she would call me back on Thursday morning to let me know when the actual delivery time would be and that it would definitely be between 11am and 1pm.

Well it’s now 11.45am on Thursday and no one from Ocado has called or sent a text. I don’t known what’s happening, and I don’t care.

Mohammed in his cabbage van should have been on time, and when he wasn't he should have phoned me to warn me of any delay.

Martina failed to call me back.

This is your responsibility. Customer Service as bad as this is always the result of bad management.

Anyway I'm done with Ocado. I’ll give Sainsbury’s a try from now on.

Your company is a disaster and deserves to fail.

Stephen Leather

The Basement Is Still Doing Well......

2011-06-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

Figures out today from The Bookseller magazine shows The Basement is still in the Top 10. It's funny because it's been an eBook bestseller for more than six months now but the only time they have used my name is when it's fallen five places! Maybe I'm just being paranoid! I think the only writer who has spent more time in the UK Top 10 is Stieg Larsson.

Also, I have to say that I'm pretty sure The Bookseller is wrong because The Basement has been Number 5 or 6 on the UK KIndle store chart all week and in the Top 4 of the iBooks chart.....

Anyway, here's what the magazine had to say today!

Philip Stone, charts editor: For the third week in a row, crime-writer Karin Slaughter's The Unremarkable Heart, Random House Group's first ever direct-to-digital fiction title, takes top spot in The Bookseller's e-bestseller list.

Last week's number two, Stephen Leather's The Basement, falls five places to seventh overall, while George R R Martin's A Game of Thrones, the first installment in his epic medieval fantasy series, A Song of Fire and Ice, climbs three places into second position - off the back of solid downloads at Amazon.co.uk, Waterstones.com and Apple's iBookstore. All three retailers (as well as WHSmith) are selling the ebook at £5.49 — two pence dearer than the print edition's average selling price at UK bookstores last week. The second book in the series, A Clash of Kings, re-joins the chart in 10th position, while Rosamund Lupton's AfterwardsCaitlin Moran's and How to be a Woman are the two new entries.

Lupton's first novel, Sister, was one of the bestselling bestselling novels of 2010 thanks to a spot in WHS's Richard and Judy book club, while sales of Times columnist Moran's memoir/rant has benefited from an extract in her employer's own magazine.

Pos Title Author
1 (1) The Unremarkable Heart Karin Slaughter
2 (5) A Game of Thrones George R R Martin
3 (4) Catch Your Death Voss and Edwards
4 (3) Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre
5 (8) Killing Cupid Voss and Edwards
6 (-) Afterwards Rosamund Lupton
7 (2) The Basement Stephen Leather
8 (6) London Calling James Craig
9 (-) How to be a Woman Caitlin Moran

Money From Mr Gills!

2011-06-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

This just in!

Hello Good friend

I am Mr. Fredrick Gills. A private accountant and chief external auditor of Barclays Bank London ,(BBL) I need your service in a confidential matter regarding the transfer of the amount is 27MGBP (Twenty Seven Million British pounds)

An investor, Japanese and a contractor with the Kruger diamond mines died without naming a legal next of kin to his fund in my bank. The amount is 27M (Twenty Seven Million British pounds) and banking regulation legislation in Britain demand that I notify the fiscal authorities after five years. Further details will be given upon your reply.

Thanks.
Mr. Fredrick Gills.
Email - fredrick.bblauditor1@gmail.com
Phone Number: + 44 703 174 0673

Money From The FBI!!!!

2011-06-22T02:32:00.000-07:00

This just in from the FBI!

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J.Edgar.Hoover Building Washington Dc
Customers Service Hours / Monday To Saturday
Office Hours Monday to Saturday:

Dear Beneficiary,

Series of meetings have been held over the past 7 months with the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. This ended 3 days ago. It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $850,000.00 due to past corrupt Governmental Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of your fund all in an attempt to swindle your fund which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.

The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the current president of Nigeria his Excellency President Good luck Jonathan to boost the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/Gambling, Inheritance and the likes. Now how would you like to receive your payment? Because we have two method of payment which is by Check or by ATM card?

ATM Card: We will be issuing you a custom pin based ATM card which you will use to withdraw up to $5,000 per day from any ATM machine that has the Master Card Logo on it and the card have to be renewed in 4 years time which is 2014. Also with the ATM card you will be able to transfer your funds to your local bank account. The ATM card comes with a handbook or manual to enlighten you about how to use it. Even if you do not have a bank account.

Check: To be deposited in your bank for it to be cleared within three working days. Your payment would be sent to you via any of your preferred option and would be mailed to you via UPS. Because we have signed a contract with UPS which should expire by 25th of June 2011 you will only need to pay $85 instead of $350 saving you $265 So if you pay before 25th of June 2011 you save $265 Take note that anyone asking you for some kind of money above the usual fee is definitely a fraudsters and you will have to stop communication with every other person if you have been in contact with any. Also remember that all you will ever have to spend is $85.00 nothing more! Nothing less! And we guarantee the receipt of your fund to be successfully delivered to you within the next 48hours after the receipt of payment has been confirmed.

Below are few list of tracking numbers you can track from UPS website to confirm people like you who have received their payment successfully.

Name: Donna L. Vargas: UPS Tracking Number: 1Z757F991598420403 (www.ups.com)
Name: Rovenda Elaine Clayton: UPS Tracking Number: 1Z757F991596606592 (www.ups.com)

Note: Everything has been taken care of by the Federal Government of Nigeria, The United Nation and also the FBI and including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $85.

DO NOT SEND MONEY TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU READ THIS: The actual fees for shipping your ATM card is $350 but because UPS have temporarily discontinued the C.O.D which gives you the chance to pay when package is delivered for international shipping We had to sign contract with them for bulk shipping which makes the fees reduce from the actual fee of $350 to $85 nothing more and no hidden fees of any sort!

To effect the release of your fund valued at $850,000.00 you are advised to contact our correspondent in Africa the delivery officer Kingsley JO with the information below,

Email: kingsleyjo@yahoo.cn
Telephone: +234-808-254-8308
You are advised to contact him with the informations as stated below:

Your full Name..
Your Address:..............
Home/Cell Phone:..............
Preferred Payment Method (ATM / Cashier Check)

Upon receipt of payment the delivery officer will ensure that your package is sent within 48 working hours. Because we are so sure of everything we are giving you a 100% money back guarantee if you do not receive payment/package within the next 48hours after you have made the payment for shipping.

Yours sincerely,
Mr. Nicholas Story
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Kingsley Jo of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the

More Free Money - This Time From Mr Tum!

2011-06-21T01:50:00.001-07:00

This just in!

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please read my message and get back to me ASAP for further explanation and procedure. I am Mr. David Tum and I work as the head of contract approval department with a government ministry here in Benin republic. I wish to know if we can work together as partners as there is a pending business project I have at hand ready to be executed without difficulties. The business is fully risk free because I have fashioned out means to give it an excellent outcome.

To throw light on this business deal, one of our registered contractors who has completed his contract supply with our ministry died without any registered business partner in his file and i have just noticed this recently. He supplied and installed industrial equipments to our industry value at Euro 9.8M [Nine Million Eight hundred Thousand]. I seek your partnership to enable me transfer this funds to your account as his business partner/new beneficiary using my position in the office as the head of the department in our industry to perfect the transaction and I am open to negotiate your percentage. Your sincerity and attention is highly needed in this transaction due to its nature and urgency.

If you are interested, please get back to me and forward your full names and telephone numbers. You can also contact me through my alternative email address as below:

mmdavid1@yahoo.fr

Best regards,
David Tum.

The Basement hits Number 2 in the Bookseller eBook bestseller list

2011-06-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

This from The Bookseller magazine today -

Philip Jones writes: There is nothing remarkable about the number one title this week in our e-book bestseller chart with Karin Slaughter reigning supreme for a second-consecutive week. The 49 pence e-book exclusive is riding high in both the Amazon Kindle and Apple iBook charts: though it is not currently number one in either list, its culmulative total takes its above The Basement, which sits below it in both charts.

There are some notable new entries in this week's list, with the most newsworthy James Craig's London Calling, the first part of his Inspector Carlyle series that has been released digitally early by its publisher Constable & Robinson. The B-format print edition is not released until August.

The Kindle edition is promotionally priced at £1. Constable & Robinson has signed up to publish the first three books in the series. Mommy, May I? by A K Alexander is the follow-up to Daddy's Home - both self-published.

Pos Title Author
1 (1) The Unremarkable Heart Karin Slaughter
2 (7) The Basement Stephen Leather
3 (2) Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre
4 (5) Catch Your Death Voss and Edwards
5 (3) A Game of Thrones George R R Martin
6 (-) London Calling James Craig
7 (-) Mommy, May I? A K Alexander
8 (10) Killing Cupid Voss and Edwards
9 (-) Star Sullivan Maeve Binchy
10 (5) The Family Martina Cole

Covers For Inspector Zhang

2011-06-16T03:30:00.000-07:00

I'm planning to put up a free short story on Smashwords - the first of my Inspector Zhang stories. Inspector Zhang is a detective in SIngapore who loves mysteries but they are few and far between in the low-crime city state. He finally gets his wish when a dead body is found in a locked hotel room.

I have asked Stuart Bache, who does many of my covers for Hodder and Stoughton, to come up with the cover and he's given me two great ideas to think about.

The Basement Is Still In The Top 10!

2011-06-13T06:19:00.001-07:00

The Basement has now been in the Top 10 eBook bestseller list for six months, which I think is pretty good going! It's now selling 1,000 copies a week on iBooks alone!

Here's the latest list from The Bookseller Magazine -

Pos Title Author
1 (2) The Unremarkable Heart Karin Slaughter
2 (1) Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre
3 (4) A Game of Thrones George R R Martin
4 (5) Catch Your Death Voss and Edwards
5 (10) The Family Martina Cole
6 (3) Bone and Cane David Belbin
7 (9) The Basement Stephen Leather
8 (-) The Tiger's Wife Téa Obreht
9 (-) Confessions of a GP Benjamin Daniels
10 (-) Killing Cupid Voss and Edwards

Six Months On And Still Flying High!

2011-06-06T09:15:00.001-07:00

The Bookseller magazine has just released its eBook bestseller list for last week and two of my titles are in the Top 10. Not bad considering they have both been in the Top 10 for six months now. The Basement has been helped by booming sales on iBooks where it is the bestselling book on the overall chart and Hard Landing is Number 2 in the iBooks Crime And Thriller Chart.

Pos Title Author
1 (-) Life and Laughing Michael McIntyre
2 (-) The Unremarkable Heart Karin Slaughter
3 (9) Bone and Cane David Belbin
4 (-) A Game of Thrones George R R Martin
5 (-) Catch Your Death Voss and Edwards
6 (-) The Confession John Grisham
7 (-) Water for Elephants Sara Gruen
8 (5) Hard Landing Stephen Leather
9 (7) The Basement Stephen Leather
10 (-) The Family Martina Cole

I have to say that while it's nice to be in The Bookseller chart, I don't think it's very accurate. For instance the Number 5 book Catch Your Death isn't available on iBooks and Sugar and Spice is Number 4 on the Kindle but not showing on The Bestseller list.

Money From South Africa! I Am So Blessed!

2011-05-31T02:38:00.000-07:00

This just in!

FROM: MRS. ROBECCA MARTINS
133 T. 220A-2060HT, LONEHILL,
SANTON, JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH AFRICA.
CONTACT E-MAIL: martinsjfamily@gmail.com

Dear Sir/Madam,

URGENT BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

Please do not think this is one of those scam or junk mails you receive in your mailbox/fax machine, which myself receive also, but I plead for your tolerance.

I got your contact address from the network online while browsing through website of business opportunities in your country.

My name is
MRS.. ROBECCA MARTINS the wife of late MR. JOE MARTINS of Zimbabwe. Let me quickly bring to your knowledge why I need your urgent assistance.

During the current war against the farmers in Zimbabwe from the supporters of our PRESIDENT MR. ROBERT MUGABE to claim all the white owned farms in our country, he ordered all the white owned farmers to surrender all their farms to his party members and his followers, my husband was among the rich black farmers in the country who stand firmly against the way the white farmers were being brutally maltreated, taking their farms without compensation.

This land problem came when PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE introduced a New Land Act Reform (NLAR), which wholly affected the rich white farmers. This resulted to killing and mob action by the Zimbabwean war veterans. In fact many people were killed because of the land reform act for which my husband was among the victims and after his assassination, the same Government burned our farm and residential building.

The only thing left for us is the sum of US$22,500.000 (TWENTY TWO MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS), which my husband deposited in one of the private finance security company in Johannesburg South Africa before his death, as if he foresaw the looming danger in Zimbabwe.

This money is protected in a big metal box and was declared to the security company at the point of deposit as precious valuables e.g., Gold, Diamond and Germ Stone to avoid the security company knowing that the contents of the consignment deposited with them contains cash. This amount was meant for the purchase of new machines and chemicals for the farms and establishment of a new farm in Swaziland.

It is for this reason that I and my only son MR. MARTINS JUNIOR seek asylum in South Africa so that we can invest this fund as well. But since our arrival here, we have spent quite a fortune looking for how we can get through in order to clear this fund out of the security company, but all our effort were abortive due to the law of South Africa that prohibits a person with refugee status to operate a bank account or do any banking transaction of this magnitude. As the wife, I am saddled with the responsibility of seeking for a genuine foreign partner that will assist us transfer this fund to his/her account for investment.

I must also let you know that this transaction is100% risk free and my family has agreed to give you 20% of the total money 5% will be for any expenses that may occur during the time of this transaction and 75% is for the entire family for investment in your country.

Upon your acceptance to this offer, you are strictly advised to reply through our family e-mail: martinsjfamily@gmail.com I will also like you to furnish me with your private phone number, so that we can establish that mutual communication. For more information, read on this website below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/918781.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/715001.stm

Thanks as I expect your soonest response.

MRS. ROBECCA MARTINS
(For the family)

Dan Of The IMF Has Money For Me.....

2011-05-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

This just in -

( I.M.F ) Head Office
#155 Gariki Road,Abuja/Nigeria
P.O. Box 3031.
International Monetary Fund.
REF:-XVGNN82010
Tel :+234-7084393959

Dear Fund Beneficiary,

This is to intimate you of a very important information which will be of a great help to redeem you from all the difficulties you have been experiencing in getting your long over due payment due to excessive demand for money from you by both corrupt Bank officials and Courier Companies after which your fund remain unpaid to you.
I am Mr.Dan Rochas, a highly placed official of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It may interest you to know that reports have reached our office by so many correspondences on the uneasy way which people like you are treated by Various Banks and Courier Companies/ Diplomat across Europe to Africa and Asia /London Uk and we have decided to put a stop to that and that is why I was appointed to handle your transaction here in Nigeria.
All Governmental and Non-Governmental prostates, NGOs, Finance Companies, Banks, Security Companies and Courier companies which have been in contact with you of late have been instructed to back up from your transaction and you have been advised NOT to respond to them anymore since the IMF is now directly in charge of your payment.
You are hereby advised NOT to remit further payment to any institutions with respect to your transaction as your fund will be transferred to you directly from our source.
I hope this is clear. Any action contrary to this instruction is at your own risk. Respond to this e-mail with immediate effect and we shall give you further details on how your fund will be released.
Also call me as soon as you send the e-mail so that you will be given an immediate response:Direct Hotline:+234-7084393959

Furnish this office with the below information.
1,Your full name and address
2,Your telephone number and fax
3,Your Age and occupation

Regards,
Mr.Dan Rochas(I.M.F)

Fair Game Trade Paperback Cover

2011-05-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

I've just received the cover of the trade paperback of Fair Game. I think it looks brilliant!

Now Doris Has Money For Me! I Am So Blessed!

2011-05-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

This just in!

I`m her doctor this is her letter to you

From: Mrs. Doris Nongo

PLEASE ENDEAVOUR TO USE IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD.

I am the above name person from Sierra-Leone. I am married to Dr. Martin Cele from Liberia Who worked with Liberian Embassy in South Africa for nine years before he died. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.

Before his death we were both born again Christians and we lived happily. Since his death, I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is really against. When my late husband was alive he secured $15Million (Fifteen Million U.S.Dollars) with financial institution here in South Africa. Presently, this money is still with the financial institution. Recently, my Doctor told me that from the entire test conducted on my health, I am not going to last long, especially, due to my cancer and stroke. But what disturbs me most now is stroke. Having known my condition, I decided to donate this fund to churches or Christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct.

I want a church or individual that will use this money to fund churches, Orphanages and Widows. Also, the propagation of the work of God, building and maintaining the house of God through this money, is very important.

The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that grivet. I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians. I don’t want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers, for their own selfish interest and in an ungodly manner. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of The Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.

I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and because of the presence of my husband's relatives around me sometimes. I don't want them to know about this development, but I know that With God all things are possible.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the financial institution in South Africa. I will also give you all information regarding the deposit of this money. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as the original- beneficiary of this fund. I want you and your church to always pray for me because God work in mysterious ways.

My happiness isthat I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve theLord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life.

Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or Christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.

Hoping to hear from you soon.

Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Mrs. Doris Nongo

The Return Of Teddy Williams!

2011-05-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

This just in - the famous barrister Teddy Williams offering me money again!

Attention:

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Eng. Jьоrgen Krьоgger. I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter was returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address on the WILL. I wish to notify you that late Eng. Jьrgen Krьgger made you a beneficiary to his WILL. He left the sum of Thirty Million, One Hundred Thousand Dollars (USD$30, 100.000.00) to you inthe Codicil and last testament to his WILL.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and true. Being a widely traveled man, he must have been in contact with you in the past or simply you were nominated to him by one of his numerous friends abroad who wished you good. Eng. Jьrgen Krьgger until his death was a member of the Helicopter Society and the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers. He was a very dedicated Christian who loved to give out. His great philanthropy earned him numerous awards during hislife time. Late Engr. Jurgen Krugger died on the 13th day of December, 2004 at the age of 80 years, and his WILL is now ready for execution.According to him this money is to support your humanitarian activities and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please if I reachyou as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no distant time.Note:You are advise to contact me with my personal email.
address:teddywilliamschambers@lawyer.com

I await your prompt response.

Yours in Service,

BARRISTER TEDDY WILLIAMS ESQ.PRINCIPAL PARTNERS: Barrister Aidan Walsh.Esq Markus Wolfgang,Smith Esq

Tell+34-603-131-235
Fax:+34-917-692-735
E-mail:teddywilliamschambers@lawyer.com

And Still The Money Pours In!

2011-05-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

This just in! How lucky am I?

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Engr. Fiorentino Ramos, I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address on the WILL.

I wish to notify you that Late Engr. Fiorentino Ramos made you a beneficiary to his WILL.He left the sum of Twenty two million five hundred thousand United States Dollars ($22,500.000.00USD)to you in the codicil and last testament to his WILL.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and true. Being a widely travelled man, he must have been in contact with you in the past or simply you were recommended to him by one of his numerous friends abroad who wished you good.

Engr. Fiorentino Ramos until his death was a member of the European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations. He had a very good heart and was a philanthropist. His great philanthropy earned him numerous awards during his life time.

Late Engr. Fiorentino Ramos died on the 13th day of January 2010, at the age of 80 years, and his WILL is now ready for execution. According to him this money is to support your humanitarian activities and to help the poor and the needy in our society.

Please if I reach you this time as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no distant time through the email address or phone number below.

Email: juanhernandez3@ibibo.com
Phone: +34 688 219 721

Yours in Service,
Abogado Juan M. Hernandez

Money From Washington!

2011-04-28T20:37:00.001-07:00

This just in!

WORLD DEBT RECOVERY COMMITTEE
98540 EAST OLYMPIA
WASHINGTON DC
USA
c/co FEDERAL FUND MONITORS(FFM)
West-Africa
eMAIL fundmonitorofficemail@yahoo.co.jp
PHONE +234-8085748096

UNCLAIMED FUND NOTIFICATION

I am Rev (Dr) .Patrick Wilson of the newly inaugurated World Debt Recovery committee (WDRC).My committee has a mandate to recover unpaid debts associated with NNPC contracts,Lottery fund, inheritance fund, loans and grants etc ranging from $1M-$19.5M owed to various beneficiaries and companies across the globe (Asia, Europe, USA, Africa, and Australia) and submit the list of the unpaid beneficiaries/companies to the 2 appointed official paying Banks for immediate payment of the fund.
In the course of our investigation, your email address/particulars were shortlisted among the first fifteen individuals yet to be paid hence this email. However, we received a petition today from one Mrs. Christina Morgan that you are dead. According to her, you died in a plane crash as such your fund should be paid to her as the apparent heir. She has also submitted her Bank account with Bank of America for the transfer of the fund to her.
To avoid undue delay or paying the fund to wrong individual/beneficiary, I have decided to contact you for confirmation. If I fail to hear from you after 72 hours, it will be assumed that the petition of Mrs. Morgan is true and the fund will be paid to her without further delay. Therefore, if you are still alive, reconfirm your particulars,
(1) Your full name.
(2) Phone, fax and mobile #.
3) company's name, position and address.
4) Profession, age and marital status.
5) Copy of int'l passport or any scanned identity to prove yourself.and how you want
your fund paid to you immediately for the attention of the paying officer.

Pls Only send response to my office email address: fundmonitorofficemail@yahoo.co.jp

Yours Sincerely
Rev (Dr) .Patrick Wilson
PHONE +234-8085748096

Midnight - Today Is Publication Day!

2011-04-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

Midnight is published in mass market paperback today so will hopefully be in a bookshop or supermarket near you! It's the second in the Jack Nightingale trilogy and the third, Nightmare, is already done and dusted.

I've just started work on a new eBook - The Bestseller - about a writer who kills (literally) to write a bestselling novel. Hopefully it'll be done by the summer which is when I have to start on the new Spider Shepherd novel. The Spider Shepherd novel for this year is already done - Fair Game will be out in July. The one for next year will be about home-grown Islamic terrorists and I'm still trying to work out whether or not to set it during the Olympics.... The danger is that I'll be caught out by events. We'll see!

Great Review For Bangkok Noir In The Pattaya Mail

2011-04-15T23:38:00.000-07:00

I contributed a story to Bangkok Noir, a book of short stories which has just been published in Thailand by my good mate Christopher Moore. (The book was my idea, but that's another story!) Half the profits go to charities in Thailand, which is good news!

Anyway, we've just had a glowing review in the Pattaya Mail.

Click Here to read it

My story is another from my Inspector Zhang collection, in which he solves a mysterious murder on board a plane flying to Bangkok.

Money From South Africa! Hurrah!

2011-04-13T09:53:00.001-07:00

This is just in -

3/5 Commercial Rd,
Durban 4001,South Africa.

Dear Friend,

I got your contact today,with hope you are reliable and trustworthy.

Am the head of the contract award committee and 14 project allocation manager, of the Department of Minerals and Natural Resources in Durban-Southafrica.
I need your assistance to bank (USD10.5M) and subsequent investment it on properties in your country urgently. You will be required to.

(1) Assist in the banking safely of the said funds
(2) Advise on lucrative areas for investment
(3) Assist in purchase of properties.

If you can render your assistance in this regard, 20% of the total investment sum will be for you as your commission. It will be done under a legitimate process so that we will not breach any
international or local laws governing the same. Making it a 100% risk free. For the confidenciality of this business. Kindly reply back to me using: s.chakazulu@contractor.net
I wait in anticipation of your reply and co-operation.

Best Regards,

Solomon Chakazulu
Private Box: s.chakazulu@contractor.net

Bangkok Bob - in German

2011-04-09T11:07:00.000-07:00

Bangkok Bob and The Missing Mormon has been translated into German and will be in the stores later this year. Here's an advance preview of the cover, and its much shorter title!

New Poster For Midnight

2011-04-08T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hodder have just sent me the new poster for Midnight, which comes out in mass market paperback later this month. I think it looks cool...

Bangkok Bob Studio Shots

2011-03-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the pictures we took for the Bangkok Bob cover last year because the publisher of the German translation is looking at ideas for covers. They're great pictures, featuring my mate Andrew Yates and a top Thai model. Thought you might like to see a few!

A Clever Scam Letter. And A Blessing :-)

2011-03-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

This just in!

I am Mrs. Connie Stevens I am a US citizen and i am 34 years
Old. I reside here in 108 Crockett Court. Apt 303, New Braunfels Texas,
United States and i am thinking of relocating since I am now rich.
I am one of those that took part in the United Nations Compensation
program in Nigeria many years ago and they refused to pay me. I had paid over
TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS while in the US, trying to get my
payment but all was to no avail.

So I decided to travel down to Nigeria with all my
compensation documents and I was directed to meet Mr Michael
McHale, who is the member of COMPENSATION PROGRAM COMMITTEE,
and i contacted him and he explained everything to me.
He said who ever is contacting us through emails are fake.
He also took me to the paying bank (ZENITH BANK) for the
claim of my compensation payment. Right now, i am the
happiest woman on earth because I have received my
compensation funds , Mr Michael McHale showed me the full
information of those that are yet to receive their payments
and i saw your email as one of the beneficiaries who have
not yet received the payment under CASE FILE 54AC003 and
that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with
those people. They are not with your fund, they are only
making money off you.

Therefore, i would advise you to contact Mr Michael McHale
for assistance and inform him that your CASE FILE is
54AC003. Contact him directly via the information below.

UNITED NATIONS COMPENSATION AWARD PROGRAM
Name : Mr Michael McHale
Email: info@bizweb.co.id
Phone: +234-706-793-8229.

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are
contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them
because it is not with them. They are only taking advantage
of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.

The only money i paid after i met Mr Michael McHale was just
the bank transfer charges, which is only normal and
legitimate as it is in all banks in the world. So please
take note of that. Mr Michael McHale shall ensure that you
deal directly with the bank(ZENITH BANk).

Once again stop contacting those people. I advise that you
contact Mr Michael McHale so that he can help you in the
collection of your fund instead of dealing with those liars
that will be turning you around asking for different kind of
money to complete your transaction.

Thank you and be blessed.
Mrs. Connie Stevens

More Money From Africa - I Am So Blessed!

2011-03-21T17:33:00.001-07:00

This just in -

From the desk of Dr.BENJAMIN NOAH
Bill and exchange manage
Foreign remittance dept.
Bank of Africa (Boa)
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso

Dear friend,

I am the manager of bill and exchange at the foreign remittance department of the bank of Africa.This message might meet you in utmost surprise, however, it's just my.urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for thisafter much consideration i decided to write you since I cannot be able to see you face to face at first.

I will like you to take your time to read this mail carefully. I did not mean to embarrass you with my business proposal but i seriously need your assistance. Please this is a confidential matter and it requires urgency. In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of u.s$12.5m dollars (twelve million five hundred thousand usd) in an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family on monday,31 july,2000, in a plane crash , since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his or her next of kin to come over and claim his money because we can not release it unless some body applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws, but unfortunately we learnt that his supposed next of kin died along side with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim.

It is therefore upon this discovery, i now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it and i don't want this money to go into the bank treasury as unclaimed bill. I therefore agree that 45% of this money will be for you as foreigner partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 45% would be for me. There after i will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.

Therefore, to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to you as arranged, you must apply first to the bank as relation or next of kin to the deceased indicating,your Profession private telephone and fax number and Age your name for easy and effective communication and location where in the money will be remitted. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.

You should contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter. Trusting to hear from you immediately.
Yours faithfully

Dr.BENJAMIN NOAH

More Money From Africa! My Lucky Day!

2011-02-26T02:38:00.001-08:00

This just in!

Bank Unclaimed Funds.
Dear Friend,
Confindential
I am contacting you in regards to a business transfer of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make anyone apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.

I am a banker by profession in BURKINA FASO, WEST AFRICA and currently holding the post of bill and exchange manager at the foreign remittance department of (BOA) Bank of Africa. I have the opportunity to meet unclaimed funds of ($25.5 Million Dollars) belong to our deceased customer who died along with his entire family in a plane crash.

Hence; I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 50/50 if you agree to my business proposal. Further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your urgent mail.as you knows, every bank have their process for transfer.

Please indicate your willingness by sending your information for more clarification and easy communication, Your full name, Your telephone and fax numbers, enable me process the application form which I will send to you, bearing the deceased customers informations, which you will be glad to have.

I am waiting to hear from you, If you are interested.

Remain Bless.
Best Regards,
Mr.Abdel.Z.Omar.

Just Had A Great Review For Bangkok Bob!

2011-02-23T03:16:00.001-08:00

It was in the Pattaya Times±

The Wrong Book Shop!

2011-02-16T03:02:00.001-08:00

A fan went into a book shop in China to buy a copy of my new book and was surprised to be told by the manager that he "was in the wrong f@@king book store".

The fan was a bit upset, until he went outside and looked up at the sign above the shop.

Money From Nigeria! Yippee!

2011-02-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

FROM WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER.
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA/ADDRESS 455 AGBOKOU,ANKPA ROAD
WEB SITE.WWW.WESTERNUNION.COM
DIRECTOR(MR.DAVID JOHNSON) OFFICER INCHARGE
TELL: + 234 706 0646 807
EMAIL(western_moneytransferdepartment1@hotmail.com)
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK

Attention: Beneficiary,

This is to notify you about the latest development concerning all the payment that are left in our custody which yours are inclusive,besides your were given a bill of $750 in order to receive your payment of which we didn’t hear from you for sometime now....

Hence, our western union Head office is now offering a Special bonus to help all our customers that are having their payment in our custody due to high price of the $750. In order to obtain some certificate words we are now requesting that those involve should pay only the sum of $50. 00 to receive all their payment abandoned in our custody.

Besides my dear, this is the opportunity for you to comply and have your funds transfer to your designated address without any further delay.

Note that after (4 working DAYS) you did not make the payment then we will divert your funds to Government Treasury,or we will cancel the payment for this year because this Special bonus is for this year only to help all our customers that are having their payment in our custody

Again after (4 DAYS ) We will enter A new project for next year and that is the reason why we decided to help all our customers with their outstanding payments before we enter into the new project.

Be advised to send the $50.00 immediately to enable us register your payment and for you to start receiving your $10,000 immediately.

After the payment of $50.00 you will start receiving your money every day $10,000(IN TWO HALFS $5000 EACH) through western union until your total fund of $850,000.00usd is completely transferred to you.

Send the $50.00 through western union Transfer with the information below,

Receiver's name______David Kaffo
Country== ___________Nigeria.
City=== _____________Lagos
Text Question== _____God
Answer==__________ is good
Amount=___________$50.00

You advice to send your payment information to our e-mail below (western_moneytransferdepartment1@hotmail.com) or you advice to call us on this number phone unless you will call + 234 706 0646 807

Be advise that there is no time again for we to call any person. so you advice to call us on this phone number + 234 706 0646 807 ,once you made the payment of $50.00

The moment we receive the payment of $50.00 we will release the first payment information of $5,000 each to you for your pick up, We look forward hearing from you soonest.

I wish you good luck.
Yours in service
Director (Mr David johnson) officer incharge !!!

Money From Quagadougou!

2011-02-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

FROM THE DESK OF MR.PHILIPE TARA.
AUDITOR GENERAL IN AUDIT DEPARTMENT
BANQUE COMMERCIALE DU BURKINA (BCB)
OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO.

DEAR FRIEND,

GOOD DAY.

I AM THE AUDITOR GENERAL IN AUDIT UNIT OF BANQUE COMMERCIALE DU BURKINA (BCB) HERE IN OUAGADOUGOU , THE CAPITAL CITY OF BURKINA FASO SITUATED IN WESTERN AFRICA . IN MY DEPARTMENT WE DISCOVERED AN ABANDONED SUM OF US$7.5M DOLLARS (SEVEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) IN AN FIXED DORMANT ACCOUNT THAT BELONGS TO ONE OF OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMER A GERMAN CITIZEN WHO AMONG OTHERS ON BOARD THAT DIED ALONG WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND HIS SUPPOSE NEXT OF KIN ON MONDAY, 31ST OF JULY YEAR 2000,13:22 GMT 14:22 UK IN A PLANE CRASHED NEAR PARIS IN FRANCE. PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE BELOW AND SEE THE DETAILS OF THE CRASHED: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm

SINCE WE GOT THE INFORMATION ABOUT HIS DEATH, WE HAVE BEEN EXPECTING HIS NEXT OF KIN TO COME OVER AND CLAIM HIS MONEY BECAUSE WE CANNOT RELEASE IT UNLESS SOME BODY APPLIES FOR IT AS NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION TO THE DECEASED AS INDICATED IN OUR BANKING GUIDELINES AND IN THE FINACE LAW OF BURKINA FASO, BUT UNFORTUNATELY WE LEARNT THAT HIS SUPPOSED NEXT OF KIN DIED ALONG SIDE WITH HIM AT THE PLANE CRASHED LEAVING NOBODY BEHIND FOR THE CLAIM. IT IS THEREFORE UPON THIS DISCOVERY THAT I DECIDED TO MAKE THIS BUSINESS PROPOSAL TO YOU AND TO RELEASE THE MONEY TO YOU AS THE NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION TO THE DECEASED FOR SAFETY AND SUBSEQUENT DISBURSEMENT SINCE NOBODY IS COMING FOR IT AND WE DON'T WANT THIS MONEY TO GO INTO THE BANK TREASURY AS UNCLAIMED BILL.

THE REQUEST OF FOREIGNER AS NEXT OF KIN IN THIS BUSINESS IS OCCASIONED BY THE FACT THAT THE CUSTOMER WAS A FOREIGNER AND AN INDIGINE OF MY COUNTRY BURKINABEÉ ( BURKINA FASO ) CANNOT STAND AS NEXT OF KIN TO A FOREIGNER. AGREE THAT 50% OF THIS MONEY WILL BE FOR YOU AS IN RESPECT TO THE PROVISION OF A FOREIGN ACCOUNT/ASSISTANCE, 50% WOULD BE FOR ME THEREAFTER, I WILL VISIT YOUR COUNTRY FOR DISBURSEMENT ACCORDING TO THE PERCENTAGE INDICATED ABOVE. THEREFORE,TO ENABLE THE IMMEDIATE TRANSFER OF THIS FUND TO YOUR DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT, YOU MUST APPLY FIRST TO THE BANK AS A RELATION OR NEXT OF KIN OF THE DECEASED WITH A TEXT OF APPLICATION, SO I WILL LIKE YOU TO SEND TO ME YOUR BRIEF DETAILS SUCH AS:

1. FULL NAMES:
2. HOME/OFFICE ADDRESS:
3. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN (NATIONALITY):
4. CITY:
5. STATE:
4. SEX:
5. AGE:
6. MARITAL STATUS:
7. DIRECT CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS:
8. FAX NUMBER:

FOR EASY AND EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND LOCATION WHERE THE MONEY WILL BE REMITTED. UPON THE RECEIPT OF YOUR REPLY, I WILL SEND TO YOU BY FAX OR BY EMAIL THE TEXT OF THE APPLICATION THAT YOU WILL FILL AND SEND TO OUR BANK FOR CLAIMING THE MONEY AS THE BENEFICIARY/TRUSTEE TO THE DECEASED CUSTOMER SAID DEPOSIT, I WILL NOT FAIL TO BRING TO YOUR NOTICE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% RISK FREE AND THAT YOU SHOULD NOT ENTERTAIN ANY ATOM OF FEAR AS ALL REQUIRED ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE FOR THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER OF THE MONEY INTO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT.

TRUSTING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,
MR.PHILIPE TARA.
(AUDITOR-BCB)

Money From Muhammad!

2011-02-09T00:25:00.001-08:00

This just in! Must be my lucky day!

Hello,

I am contacting you in good faith and this proposal will be of mutual benefit for us.I have a business proposal in the tune of GBP122,500.000.00-[One Hundred & Twenty Two Million Five Hundred Thousand British Pounds Sterling} to be transferred to any safe account with your assistance. I have every possibility & advantages for the proceeds of this account to be paid to you and then both of us can share the money, Can I trust you on this?

I guarantee that this will be executed under a concrete special arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch-free and you should not entertain any fears as the required arrangements have been made for the completion of this transfer.

This money was secretly placed for an Investment If you can be a collaborator to this transaction, please indicate your positive interest immediately for us to proceed. Remember this is absolutely confidential because my Bank does not know about it. Your contact phone numbers and name will be necessary for this effect.

Brief details of yourself........

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards.

Mr. Fahad Afellay Muhammad
Credit Accounting Officer,
Lloyds TSB Bank

Money From Zimbabwe!

2011-02-06T05:37:00.001-08:00

This just in!

From the Desk of J. Howard
Re: Letter of Mutual Business Cooperation.

With all due respect, I write this personal letter to you proposing a mutual business relationship. My name is James Howard, a British born geologist and a mining consultant currently operating in Zimbabwe.

Under a confidential arrangement, I facilitated, negotiated and successfully sold a landed property with enormous mineral deposits in Matebaland section of Zimbabwe to Southern Minerals, a Chinese mineral exploration and mining company also based in Zimbabwe for the sum of ($25-Million-U.S-dollars). This property belongs to the family of Mr. Peter Landos whose details you shall get to know.

Mr. Peter Landos is in a serious critical medical situation and wishes to relocate the funds and possibly his family to your country for investment purposes and resettlement. I am writing this email primarily to establish a business relationship between you and Mr. Peter Landos in order to have you perform the role of a facilitator to the transfer the sum of ($25-Million-U.S-dollars). to a secure and reliable bank account belonging to you or your company in your country where it will be made available for investment purposes and additionally to source and identify lucrative investment portfolios where the funds shall be invested on

Currently Mr. Peter Landos is undergoing surgery and receiving medical treatments in an intensive care unit in Johannesburg. (Details to be provided subsequently) He desires that for all of these services, you shall be compensated with 20% of the total funds. Please contact him directly and request comprehensive details of this offer and his personal profile. His email address is peterlandos7@bk.ru and his phone number +27 743261766 . Ensure that you contact him urgently and provide him valuable information about you and how to reestablish contact with you in pursuant of this business concern.

Do ensure that this matter is kept highly confidential.

Please do not contact me rather contact him strictly on peterlandos7@bk.ru and his phone number is +27 743261766 since he is the one who direct needs your services.

Thanks,
James Howard

This email and any attachments may be confidential or legally privileged. If you received this message in error or are not the intended recipient, kindly destroy the email message and any attachments or copies. We would be most grateful if you could inform us of the erroneous delivery by return. Thank you!

Teaching Maths In Britain

2011-02-02T04:10:00.001-08:00

This was just sent to me. Yes, it's funny, but sadly it is also very close to what is really happening in the UK...

1. Teaching Maths In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100..
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?

2. Teaching Maths In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 80% of the price.
What is his profit?

3. Teaching Maths In 1990
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80.
How much was his profit?

4. Teaching Maths In 2000
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Maths In 2005
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and
inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habit of animals or the
preservation of our woodlands.
Your assignment: Discuss how the birds and squirrels might feel as the
logger cut down their homes just for a measly profit of £20.

6.. Teaching Maths In 2009
A logger is arrested for trying to cut down a tree in case it may be
offensive to Muslims or other religious groups not consulted in the
felling licence. He is also fined a £100 as his chainsaw is in breach
of Health and Safety legislation as it deemed too dangerous and could
cut something.. He has used the chainsaw for over 20 years without
incident however he does not have the correct certificate of competence
and is therefore considered to be a recidivist and habitual criminal.
His DNA is sampled and his details circulated throughout all government
agencies. He protests and is taken to court and fined another £100
because he is such an easy target.

When he is released he returns to find Gypsies have cut down half his
wood to build a camp on his land. He tries to throw them off but is
arrested, prosecuted for harassing an ethnic minority, imprisoned and
fined a further £100. While he is in jail again the Gypsies cut down
the rest of his wood and sell it on the black market for £100 cash.
They also have a departure BBQ of squirrel and pheasant and leave
behind several tonnes of rubbish and asbestos sheeting.

The forester on release is warned that failure to clear the fly tipped
rubbish immediately at his own cost is an offence. He complains and is
arrested for environmental pollution, breach of the peace and invoiced
£12,000 plus VAT for safe disposal costs by a regulated government
contractor.

Your assignment: How many times is the logger going to have to be
arrested and fined before he realises that he is never going to make
£20 profit by hard work, give up, sign onto the dole and live off the
state for the rest of his life?

7. Teaching Maths In 2010
A logger doesn’t sell a lorry load of timber because he can’t get a
loan to buy a new lorry because his bank has spent all his and their
money on a derivative of securitised debt related to sub- prime
mortgages in Alabama and lost the lot with only some government money
left to pay a few million pound bonuses to their senior directors and
the traders who made the biggest losses.

The logger struggles to pay the £1,200 road tax on his old lorry
however, as it was built in the 1970s it no longer meets the emissions
regulations and he is forced to scrap it.
Some Bulgarian loggers buy the lorry from the scrap merchant and put
it back on the road. They undercut everyone on price for haulage and
send their cash back home, while claiming unemployment for themselves
and their relatives. If questioned they speak no English and it is
easier to deport them at the governments expense. Following their
holiday back home they return to the UK with different names and fresh
girls and start again. The logger protests, is accused of being a
bigoted racist and as his name is on the side of his old lorry he is
forced to pay £1,500 registration fees as a gang master.

The Government borrows more money to pay more to the bankers as
bonus's are not cheap. The parliamentarians feel they are missing out
and claim the difference on expenses and allowances.
You do the maths..

8. Teaching Maths 2017
أ المسجل تبيع حموله شاحنة من الخشب من اجل 100 دولار. صاحب تكلفة
لانتاج 80 من All of the company's business is conducted
according to the British International Freight Association standard
trading conditions (2005A) in the case of Freight Forwarding business;
the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers standard trading conditions
(2007) in the case of Ship's Agency business; the Road Haulage
Association Limited conditions of carriage (2009) in the case of Road
Haulage business; the United Kingdom Warehousing Association contract
conditions for logistics (2006) in the case of Warehousing business and
if the goods are being handle d by a third party carrier then in
accordance with the terms of business of that carrier.

In the event of any conflict between the terms and conditions of the
third party carrier and the other above conditions, Warrant Group
Limited will determine in its absolute discretion which of the terms
and conditions shall prevail. A copy of the relevant terms and
conditions is available upon request.

By entering into any contract with Warrant Group Limited you will be
deemed to have knowledge of those terms and conditions and to have
accepted them to the exclusion of any terms and conditions you may
purport to impose on Warrant Group Limited.

Company Registration No. 1941659 England.

All of the company's business is conducted according to the British
International Freight Association standard trading conditions (2005A)
in the case of Freight Forwarding business; the Institute of Chartered
Shipbrokers standard trading conditions (2007) in the case of Ship's
Agency business; the Road Haulage Association Limited conditions of
carriage (2009) in the case of Road Haulage business; the United
Kingdom Warehousing Association contract conditions for logistics
(2006) in the case of Warehousing business and if the goods are being
handled by a&nb sp;third party carrier then in accordance with the
terms of business of that carrier.

In the event of any conflict between the terms and conditions of the
third party carrier and the other above conditions, Warrant Group
Limited will determine in its absolute discretion which of the terms
and conditions shall prevail. A copy of the relevant terms and
conditions is available upon request.

By entering into any contract with Warrant Group Limited you will be
deemed to have knowledge of those terms and conditions and to have
accepted them to the exclusion of any terms and conditions you may
purport to impose on Warrant Group Limited.

Company Registration No. 1941659 England.

Money From A Diplomat!

2011-01-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

This just in!

Attention: Beneficiary,

I’m Diplomat Joe McDonald; I have been trying to reach you on your telephone about an hour now just to inform you about my successful arrival in John F. Kennedy International Airport with your Two Consignment Boxes worth $750 Thousand Dollars each which I have been instructed by ECOWAS COURIER DELIVERY COMPANY to be delivered to you. The Airport Authority demanded for all the legal back up papers to prove to them that the Fund is no way related with Drug nor Fraud Money, I have presented the papers I handed to them and they are very much pleased with the paper’s I presented but the only thing that is still keeping me here in the airport delivery is Yellow Tag which is not placed on the Two Boxes, one of the Airport Authority has advise that we get the Delivery Tag so that I can exit the airport immediately and make my delivery successful . I try to reason with them and they stated that the Delivery Tag will cost us just $109 Dollars only to get the Two Tag placed on the Boxes as that Tag will enable me get to your house successfully without any interference. They scanned the Two Boxes and found out that the Fund is 100 % spend able and accepted by any Bank in the whole world.

Please try and reach me with my International Roaming Number: +234-8167563089 or via email:(diplomatjoemcdonald@hotmail.com) as I can not afford to spend more time here due to other delivery I have to take care of in Bangkok. Here are the papers backing the funds together with my ID CARD as I can accompany you to your Bank were you will deposit the fund successfully with these papers. I have more vital paper with me but I can only present you the hard copy when I reach your house as that it’s the Diplomatic rules, such as authorization to deliver.

You can direct the Tag Fee through Western Union Money Transfer to our Head Office as they will get it here for you and they are entitled to receive and make any payment to foreign countries authority.

GET BACK TO ME WITH THE YELLOW TAG FEE IN MY EMAIL NOW: (diplomatjoemcdonald@hotmail.com)

Receiver's Name:..... Chidozie Latimo
Address:..... Lagos, Nigeria
Amount:..... $109 US Dollars
Text Question:..... Money
Answer:..... Money
Sender Name:......................
Money Transfer Control Number (Mtcn):.........

NOTE: You must stop all further contact or communication with every other person or Offices regarding your Funds because it is only me Diplomat Joe McDonald that have the legitimate right and mandate to Pay you accordingly. These mentioned criminal suspects attempted to secretly divert your Funds into an unknown Account in Europe.

As soon as i received the $109.00 Payment Information, I will proceed my journey to your address without any further delay.

Best Regards,
Diplomat Joe McDonald.
Email: (diplomatjoemcdonald@hotmail.com)
Phone: 00234-8167563089.

More Money From Africa!

2011-01-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

This is just in!

From: Mr Ali Desmurs
African Development Bank
Burkina Faso (ADB)
Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso .

Dear friend,

I am writing to seek your co-operation over this business, Please due welcome this letter.

I am Mr Ali Desmurs , the director of the accounts & auditing dept .at the African Development Bank Ouagadougou-west Africa . (A D B) With due respect, I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be beneficial to both of us.

At the bank's last accounts/auditing evaluations, my staffs came across an old account which was being maintained by a foreign client who we learnt was among the deceased passengers of motor accident on November. 2003, the deceased was unable to run this account since his death. The account has remained dormant without the knowledge of his family since it was put in a safe deposit account in the bank for future investment by the client.

Since his demise, even the members of his family haven't applied for claims over this fund and it has been in the safe deposit account until I discovered that it cannot be claimed since our client is a foreign national and we are sure that he has no next of kin here to file claims over the money. As the director of the department, this discovery was brought to my office so as to decide what is to be done. I decided to seek ways through which to transfer this money out of the bank and out of the country too.

The total amount in the account is ten million five hundred thousand dollars (USD 10,500,000.00).with my positions as staffs of the bank, I am handicapped because I cannot operate foreign accounts and cannot lay bonafide claim over this money. The client was a foreign national and you will only be asked to act as his next of kin and I will supply you with all the necessary information and bank data to assist you in being able to transfer this money to any bank of your choice where this money could be transferred into.

The total sum will be shared as follows: 50% for me, 50% for you and expenses incidental occur during the transfer will be incure by both of us. The transfer is risk free on both sides hence you are going to follow my instruction till the fund transfer to your account.

I want to assure you that this transaction is absolutely risk free since I work in this bank that is why you should be confident in the success of this transaction because you will be updated with information as at when desired.

I will wish you to keep this transaction secret and confidential as I am hoping to retire with my share of this money at the end of transaction which will be when this money is safety in your account. I will then come over to your country for sharing according to the previously agreed percentages. You might even have to advise me on possibilities of investment in your country or elsewhere of our choice. May God help you to help me to a restive retirement, Amen.

Please for further information and enquiries feel free to contact me for more explanation and better understanding, throught this email address

ali.desmurs210@gmail.com
I am waiting for your urgent response!!!

Thanks and remain blessed.
Mr Ali Desmurs

Money From Mr Goodluck!

2011-01-25T06:35:00.000-08:00

This just in. Lucky me!!

Dear Friend,

(CONFIDENTIAL)

I know that this email will be a big surprise to you, but i want you to calm down and read very carefully.

I have a business which will be beneficial to both of us.The amount of money involved is ($5,700:000:00 five million seven hundred thousand us dollars) which i want to transfer out of my country to your bank account, all to my financial benefit and yours too.Also to take my wife abroad for treatment of liver damage.

This money is owned by a man called JIN SUN, a business commercialist in west African regions. He was dead since four years ago (2007) and since then, no claim has been placed on his bank account balance.

I want to transfer this money out of the country but such fund cannot be transferred without a next of kin attached to the fund. the fund could be transferred in these way; you shall present yourself as a business associate to the deceased person, as the care taker and business associate to mr. Jin Sun and his properties.

I shall make available to you materials and information with which a successful claim shall be placed on the fund. i shall also be your guide and instructor throughout the duration of this transaction so as to ensure a swift and sure transfer of the fund to your bank account.

As to your benefits,you shall be entitled to 40% of this fund for your co-operation in this transaction while 5% will be set aside for expences incured during the course of this transaction.

So if you are interested, send a reply to me immediately and in your reply please include your [private phone and your fax numbers] urgency have to be implied and this business must strictly be a deal between both of us.

Waiting for your urgent response so that i can move ahead to give you the indept details concerning this transaction and also the steps to take for a smooth transfer of the fund into your bank account.

Best Regards,

Mr.GOODLUCK IHOMA

New Covers For Bangkok Bob

2011-01-23T03:28:00.000-08:00

Monsoon Books in Singapore are planning to publish the new Bangkok Bob books are are designing their own covers. They've already produced two, which have a very distinctive look. Very different from my thriller covers.

New Spider Shepherd Cover

2011-01-22T00:46:00.001-08:00

Hodder and Stoughton are working on the cover of the new Spider Shepherd book, which should be in the shops this coming summer. I think it looks great. In the book Spider comes up against Somali pirates and it's a bit of a departure from the recent books, with much more action in it!

Midnight Is Published Today!

2011-01-20T01:14:00.001-08:00

The second book in the Jack Nightingale occult detective series is published today. I'm rushing to finish the third as we speak. I always have great fun with the Nightingale books, I can really let my imagination run riot!

Bangkok Noir - Including An Inspector Zhang Story Of Mine

2011-01-14T03:05:00.001-08:00

Bangkok Noir, a book of short stories set in Thailand, will be in shops next month, including an Inspector Zhang story of mine. Inspector Zhang is a Singaporean detective with a taste for mysteries, and I'm hoping to have eight tales done by the end of the year so that I can publish The Eight Curious Cases Of Inspector Zhang. In the story I gave to Bangkok Noir, edited by my pal Christopher Moore, Inspector Zhang is called in to investigate when a Thai gangster dies mysteriously in the first class cabin of a Bangkok-bound passenger plane. Most of the proceeds of the book are going to charity, which is good news!

Hurrah! Money From Ghana!

2011-01-11T23:43:00.000-08:00

This just in! From a married man with three kids, so it must be real!

Mr. Eric Offei
Branch Manager
Eco Bank of Ghana
First Light Branch
Accra, Ghana .

Esteemed Compliments,

I anticipate that you read this mail quickly and let me know your opinion or willingness on this classified information that I will release to you. Firstly, I am a happily married man with 3 kids and therefore I would not want to jeopardize this opportunity to change my financial status that will give my family a secured future.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit both of us, as the Branch Manager of the Eco Bank Of Ghana, It is my duty to send in a financial report to my Head Office in the capital city Accra-Ghana at the end of each year. On the course of the last two years report (2008), I discovered that my Branch in which I am the Manager made a proceed of $12,850,000.00 (Twelve Million Eight Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars) which my Head Office are not aware of nor must they know that I am involved in this transaction.

I have since place this fund on what we call SUSPENSE ACCOUNT without any beneficiary. As an Officer of the bank I am not directly connected to the fund, this is why I am contacting you for us to work so that you can assist in receiving this money into your Bank Account for us to SHARE, while you will have 35% of the total fund. Note there are practically no risk involved, it will be bank to bank transfer, all I need from you is to stand as the Original Depositor of this fund who made the deposit with our branch so that my Head Office can order the transfer to your designated Bank Account. If you accept this offer to work with me, I will appreciate it very much. As soon as I receive your kind response, I will give you details on how we can achieve it successfully.

Note there are practically no risk involved, it will be bank to bank transfer, all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of this fund who made the deposit with our branch so that my Head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account. If you accept this offer to work with me, I will appreciate it very much. As soon as I receive your kind response, I will give you details on how we can achieve it successfully.

Please reply me on this mail for more details.

Yours Faithfully,
Mr.Eric Offei

I Love It When I Get Emails Like This

2011-01-10T23:14:00.000-08:00

I just received another email that's put a smile on my face!

Dear Stephen,

Thank you for replying to the previous email. It was after reading about the young chap on your blog who started reading with a vengeance after picking up one of your books whilst on holiday in Majorca .

Mine is a similar situation, I am now sixty eight years old and for years I did not read because I always seemed to have so many other things to do.

It was in October this year whilst on holiday in Ibiza , I was slowly coming to the end of a Michael Caine novel, when I saw that my wife had just finished a book entitled “Cold Kill”. Well I could not believe what had happened to me, I found I could not put it down. I could not wait to get back to the hotel in the afternoons to have my cup of coffee and a couple or more hours of a good and exciting reading. After reading Cold Kill, I checked out your first “Spider” book and have now gone through to your last Spider” book Fair Game.

I just love the way you have you have more than one situation going on within a couple of pages, and no end of chapter which seems to make for great excitement in a continuous manner.

Whilst waiting for the next “Spider” book I read the “Bomb Maker” which again was written in the same style making it very exciting .

I would just ask when Fair Game will be on sale, and thanks for helping me to fill in the time between my allotment, walking and watching my grandson play football, who is coming up to thirteen, the same age as Dan’s son Liam.

Thanks again Stephen you’ve given me a great lift and renewed interest. I shall be going for all your other books now

The very best regards

Money From Kenya!!!!!

2011-01-04T09:02:00.001-08:00

This just in!

Hello Dear

I know that we haven't known or come across each other before considering the fact that I sourced your email contact through the internet in search of trusted person who can assist me urgently and save my life.

My name is Regina John Paul Oulo 24 years old female from the Republic of Kenya, the daughter of Late Mr John Paul Oulo. My late father was a Kenyan lawyer and human rights activist who was the Chief Executive Officer and Communications and Advocacy Officer of the Oscar Foundation Free Legal Aid Clinic Kenya (OFFLACK). My Father was brutally shot dead on Thursday 5Th March 2009 after a government spokesman accused their group of aiding a criminal gang. What led to the cold blood killing is still unclear but I know that my father life was the target. You can read more about my father in the bbc link below. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7927873.stm

I am constrained to contact you because of the maltreatment which I am receiving from my step mother. She planned to take away all my late father's treasury and properties from me since the unexpected death of my beloved Father. Meanwhile I wanted to travel to Europe, but she hide away my international passport and other valuable documents. Luckily she did not discover where I kept my father's File which contained important documents. Now I am presently staying in the Mission in Burkina Faso. I am seeking for long term relationship and investment assistance. My father of blessed memory deposited the sum of US$ 6.5 Million in one bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin.

I had contacted the Bank to clear the deposit but the Branch Manager told me that being a refugee, my status according to the local law does not authorize me to carry out the operation. However, he advised me to provide a trustee who will stand on my behalf.I had wanted to inform my stepmother about this deposit but I am afraid that she will not offer me anything after the release of the money.

Therefore, I decide to seek for your help in transferring the money into your bank account while I will relocate to your country and settle down with you. As you indicated your interest to help me I will give you the account number and the contact of the bank where my late beloved father deposited the money with my name as the next of kin. It is my intention to compensate you with 20% of the total money for your assistance and the balance shall be my investment in any profitable venture which you will recommend to me as have no any idea about foreign investment. Please all communications should be through this email address only for confidential purposes.

Thanking you a lot in anticipation of your quick response. I will give you details in my next mail after receiving your acceptance mail to help me.

Yours sincerely,
Regina John Paul Oulo.

Great Review On Amazon For Dreamer's Cat

2011-01-03T00:21:00.000-08:00

Just had an absolutely fabulous review for Dreamer's Cat posted on Amazon!

One of the best reviews I've ever had, I think!

Reason for purchasing: This book was chosen for me by my youngest son. When I asked him why he purchased it, was it the cover, the story, how did he research the author I have never come across, he laughed and said he brought it for my recently purchased Kindle. Unbeknown to me, he used my Kindle to search the Kindle top ten and saw this was science fiction, and as we had just rescued a cat from the RSPCA he thought the title rather apt, and the price, well, at [...] you can't go wrong, can you? I laughed and tucked in without any preconceptions. I could not stop reading. What a joy it was to find a different kind of science fiction book, one that was not top heavy on the science but concentrated on the fiction. This book came at a time when I was losing faith with science fiction in general, having recently failed to complete first a new science fiction book then a new science fiction dvd.

Storyline: Through the eyes of the central character, Leif Ableman, a failed novelist who, to make the alimony payments, was advised by his agent to take the psi test. To his amazement, Leif had what it took, was the one in a million who could turn their dreams into a new form of entertainment: psi discs. These discs go beyond three dimensions and virtual reality to enable the populace to experience dreamers' dreams, to touch them, to taste them, to re-live them. Again and again. For a society this new form of entertainment soon becomes an addiction. However, rather than worrying about all the moral dilemmas, Leif is only interested in completing his contract with Cerebral Broadcasting Services Corporation, laying down his tenth psi-disc, and getting paid so he can escape the business he hates. Unfortunately, there is a snag, well, actually, there are two. Firstly, three dreamers and counting have died whilst laying down their psi-discs. Secondly, the more discs you lay down, the madder you become. To this, Leif has an answer, his bobcat companion Ruth - a figment of his imagination that keeps him in control. Only he can see Ruth and only he can hear Ruth. She tells him what is real and what is not. Ruth is Leif's lifeline; she keeps him sane whilst those around him are teetering on the edge of insanity. The second point is out of Leif's control as he is manoeuvred into plugging into the three discs the dreamers died creating and finding out if their is a problem with CBS equipment or if a killer is after the dreamers. This is where Dreamer's Cat is quintessentially different, for it has all the trappings of a thriller. I was not surprised, therefore, to discover Stephen Leather has been writing thrillers since 1992.

Style: Simple. Concise. Compelling. Very readable.

Prognosis: Great value for money. My son was right, you cannot go wrong for 72 pence. I hope he has purchased more of Stephen Leather's books for my Kindle for Christmas.

Kelvin M. Knight, 18th December 2010

Wow, This Email Made My Day!

2010-12-29T01:26:00.000-08:00

I have just received the following email from a reader and it's had me smiling all day! I'm so pleased that my work has had such a positive effect on someone! And to pleased that he took the time to write to me!

I would just like to thank you for what you have done to me over the last 7 years. I left school in 1985 having never read a book before and had no interest in reading at all. What happened to me in 2003 was quite remarkable and changed my life for ever. It was all down to you. I was on holiday in Majorca and bloody bored. So bored watching the wife reading and really enjoying one of her girly books, that I decided it was time, time to get myself a book. So I went down to one of the local shops and tried to find something that would interest me. The book that court my eye was “The Stretch” Bloody hell I was blown away it was brilliant, loved every minute of it. So much so that I stayed in and baby sat while the wife and friends that we went on holiday with went out for a meal just so I could read. Since that day I have read almost all the books you have written and as far as I can see not one dud. The latest one that I have read was “Nightfall” and yet again brilliant. Different to what I was used to with you but an amazing read. There where parts in it that I felt I just can’t read just in case I actually did summon the Devil. Thanks Stephen you have changed my life and I will always be grateful for that. I will never be bored again and that is all down to you. I have sent you a friend request and would be so made up if you were to accept me but if you don’t I won’t take it to hart and will keep reading your books. Keep them coming and thanks.

Warm regards

Mr Chang Has $17.5 million For Me!!!!!

2010-12-19T19:02:00.000-08:00

I just got this by email - I'm rich again!

Hello,

I am Raymond Chang,an attorney at law. A deceased client of mine,
that bears the same last name as yours, died as the result of a
heart-related condition on March 12th 2005. His heart condition
was due to the death of all the members of his family in the
tsunami disaster on the 26th December 2004 in Sumatra Indonesia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake

My late Client has a deposit of seventeen point five Million Dollars
(uS$17,500,000.00 Million left behind.

I contacted you to assist in distributing the money left behind
by my late client.

Best regards,
Barr Raymond Chang,
Attorney at Law.

Three of my books are in the KIndle Top 5

2010-12-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Three of my books are now in the top 5 of the UK Kindle Top 100.

Once Bitten is still Number 1, The Basement is at Number 3 and Hard Landing has just moved up to Number 5.

It would be so cool to have the top 3. Fingers crossed!

Yeah! $21,000,000 coming my way!

2010-12-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

How are you today,

Hope you are having a worderful weekend.

Please I am looking for a reliable and honest
person who is capable of doing this great business
with me .

My name is Barrister Antony Marquis.I am a consultant
to a renowned politician who resigns as a minister and
currently facing possibly damaging personal political
allegations that put his political career in jeopardy.

In the light of the above circumstances,My client have
instructed me to assist him transfer the sum of $21,000.000.
00 USD (twenty one million dollars) out of his offshore bank
account here in London to a foreign country as quickly as possible
for business establishment.

My client intent,is to invest these fund into REAL ESTATE BUSINESS
INVESTMENT or any other LUCRATIVE BUSINESS in the area related
to your field or discipline.

To avoid possible squabble,please note that this proposal is subject
to fluidity and as such your role, position and dividents are all
negotiable.

You will be given 25 % of the total investment fund if you can assist
in transferring this fund out to your country.

Please get in touch with me for acquaintanceship if you are interested as
i am made to understand by my client that time is of the essence.

Kindly drop your phone number in your response for contact.

Awaiting your prompt response.

I Remain obliged.

Barrister Antony Marquis

I have the two top-selling books in Kindle UK!

2010-12-11T16:48:00.000-08:00

Once Bitten is now Number 1 in the Kindle UK Top 100 and The Basement has just joined it at Number 2! Hodder and Stoughton has cut the price of my first Spider Shepherd book (to 49p) and it has been at Number 7 for four days now!

My science fiction story, Dreamer's Cat, is still in the Top 20, so I now have four books in the Top 20, which I think is pretty good going! I hope it stays that way until Christmas because on Christmas Day there are going to be a lot of people getting Kindles from Santa and hopefully they'll all be out looking to buy cheap books!

Yeah!!!! I've just won £500,000! I'm so lucky!

2010-12-07T00:32:00.000-08:00

This just in!

The Mobil Petroleum Lottery

Mobil Center,
SE1 18NA London,
United Kingdom.

Attention: Lucky Winner

Mobil PETROLEUM WINNING NOTIFICATION

The Mobil Petroleum Lottery Company - London wishes to congratulate you on your success as one of our Ten ( 10 ) Star Oil Lottery Prize Winner in this Years 2010 Lottery that was conducted over the internet with our automated e-mail selecting machine.

You have been declared a Lucky Winner of £500,000.00 (Five Hundred Thousand Pound Sterling)

How to claim your Winning Prize:

Contact the Financial Claims Manager Dr. Eric Donald, for verification and payment via his E-mail Address:

mobilpetroleumagent@gmail.com/ Phone Number:
+447031972778 with the under listed information as soon as possible.

PERSONAL DATA:

Full Name:

Address:

State:

City:

Zip Code:

Country:

Age:

Sex:

Occupation:

Mobile Phone Number:

Home Phone Number:

Fax Number (If Any):

Reference No: ILP/HW 2314/08
Ticket Number: 566 79543465 B448067890302
Serial Number: 7775-325
Lucky Number 7-13-44-37-56

Mrs. Rosemary Johnson
Director of Promotions.
Copyright © 2010 Mobil LOTTERY AWARD PROMOTION

Back At The Top Of The Kindle 100!

2010-12-04T18:41:00.001-08:00

Once Bitten became the best-selling eBook on Kindle UK again last night, and The Basement is at Number 3. Sadly Dreamer's Cat has slipped out of the Top 10. Fingers crossed it'll come back. It would be so cool to have the Top 3 position in the chart.

What is really strange is that Once Bitten and The Basement moved up the chart after I raised the price. Go figure!

Made it! Three of my books in the Kindle Top 10

2010-12-01T18:48:00.001-08:00

Made it! This morning all three of my Kindle books were in the Kindle UK Top 10! Once Bitten, my vampire story, was at Number 2, The basement, my serial killer story, was at number 4, and my science fiction story Dreamer's Cat squeezed in at number 10. I think that's pretty good going for three books that I put online just five weeks ago. It has to be said, though, that at 99 cents (72p) they are very cheap!

Three eBooks in the UK Kindle Top 20!

2010-11-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

My three eBooks, Once Bitten, The Basement and Dreamer's Cat are all in the Kindle Top 20!

Once Bitten is at Number 4, The Basement is at Number 5 and Dreamer's Cat is at Number 12. I'm really hoping that I can get all three into the Top 10!

Dreamer's Cat Tops Kindle UK Science Fiction Top 100

2010-11-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

There was a spurt of sales of the Kindle download of Dreamer's Cat yesterday and it now heads the UK Kindle Science Fiction list!

It's also climbed into the Kindle Top 50 fiction list, so I'm well chuffed.

Once Bitten Is Number One On KIndle UK

2010-11-15T17:36:00.001-08:00

I did it! Last night Once Bitten became the best-selling book on Kindle UK! I went to bed at number four behind that pesky Swede and his trilogy and I woke up at Number One! How cool is that?

Once Bitten Hits Number 5 on Kindle UK!!!!

2010-11-14T10:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, on Sunday night Once Bitten got to Number 5 in the Kindle UK paid-for Top 100. Amazing when you consider that there are 650,000 plus books on Kindle!

The Basement and Once Bitten in the Kindle Top 10!

2010-11-14T06:04:00.000-08:00

Once Bitten, my LA vampire story, is Number 7 in the Kindle UK Top 100 list. And right behind it at Number 8 is The Basement. They've both been in the Top 100 for more than ten days. All done by word of mouth on the Kindle forum! Thanks guys!!

Money From Africa! Yippee!! I'm Gonna Be Rich!!!!!!

2010-11-14T05:32:00.001-08:00

This just in:

Mr.Abdoul ldirssa
Burkina Faso (BOA)
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso
Tele+226-78-03-76-65

Dear,

I am the head of Accounts and Audit Department of Bank of Africa,Ouagadougou . I decided to contact you after a careful thought that you may be capable of handling this business transaction which i explained below; In my department i discovered an abandoned sum of $6.5m US dollars (Six million, five hundred thousand US dollars). In an account that belongs to one of our foreign customer who died along with his entire family in 2003 in a plane crash.Since we got information about his death,

we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines but unfortunately we learnt that his supposed next of kin(his son and wife) died alongside with him at the plane crash leaving nobody behind for the claim .

It is therefore upon this discovery that I have now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin (I want to present you as his busines asociate )to the deceased for safety and subsequen disbursement since nobody is coming for it and I don't want this money to go into the Bank treasury as unclaimed Bill. The Banking law and guideline here stipulates that if such money remained Unclaimed after seven years, the money will be transferred into the Bank treasury as unclaimed fund.

The request of foreigner as next of kin in this business is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a Burkinabe cannot stand as next of kin to a foreigner.I agree that 40% of this money will be for you as foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 10 % will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me and I will visit your country for disbursement according to the percentages indicated.

Therefore to enable the immediate transfer of this fund to your account as arranged,you must apply first to the bank as next of kin of the deceased customer. Upon receipt of your reply, I will send to you by fax or email the text of the application.I will not fail to bring to your notice that this transaction is hitch free and that you should not entertain any atom of fear as all required arrangements have been made for the transfer.I expect that you contact me immediately as soon as you receive this letter with the information bellow.
Your full name...........
Your address............
Telephone ...............
Fax......................
Age .....................
Sex ....................
Nationlity...............
Ocupation ...............
Hoping to hear from you immediately.
Yours faithfully,
Mr.Abdoul ldirssa
Accounts & Audit Department ,
Bank of Africa

Two Books In The Kindle Thriller Top 10!

2010-11-13T08:50:00.000-08:00

Just took this snapshot of the Kindle UK's list of top-selling thrillers. Two of them are mine! The Basement (number 4) and Once Bitten (number 2). How cool is that!

Once Bitten Gets To Number 7 on Kindle!

2010-11-12T23:56:00.000-08:00

My vampire story Once Bitten has just overtaken The Basement is now at Number 7 on the Kindle UK Top 100. The Basement got a bad review which has dragged it down to Number 12, but as of now I have two books in the Kindle Top 20!

In the US, The Basement has just picked up three four-star reviews, which is great! It isn't in the charts (yet) though!

I love this - he never blinks! (Well, only a few times!)

2010-11-12T05:17:00.001-08:00

Three Books In The Kindle Top 100!

2010-11-11T23:37:00.001-08:00

Three weeks ago I put three of my unpublished books on Kindle - The Basement, Once Bitten and Dreamer's Cat. Today there are all in the Kindle UK Top 100, which I think is pretty good going considering there are more than 650,000 books on Kindle!

What's fascinating is that they are selling much, much better in the UK than in the US Kindle store.

So far I have sold 850 copies in the UK and only 90 in the US!

And the feedback I'm getting on American Kindle forums is that American readers are wary of cheap books! They assume that if it's cheap it isn't good.

But in the UK, Kindle readers love to search out bargains.

So maybe the best strategy is to sell the books cheap on Kindle in the UK and at a higher price in the US. How weird is that?

The Basement is Number 9 on Kindle UK

2010-11-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Unbelievable. The Basement hit Number 9 on the UK Kindle list - that includes fiction and non-fiction! And that's with no advertising, no publicity, no nothing. I think the fact that it's only 72p has a lot to do with it's success, though it is a great read even if I do say so myself!

The Basement Makes The Top 20 On Kindle!

2010-11-09T01:14:00.001-08:00

After just over two weeks on Kindle, my EBook The Basement has made the Top 20 of all the books sold on Kindle in the UK. How cool is that? And in the Kindle fiction chart it's at number 16.

The Basement Soars On Kindle!

2010-11-07T07:34:00.000-08:00

The Basement on KIndle

After just two weeks on Kindle, The Basement is the 27th best selling book on Amazon.co.uk, fiction and non-fiction. How cool is that? And it's the Number 20 book in fiction. Four days in the Top 100 already!

Maybe because it's only 72p!

Pictures From The Bangkok Bob Photo Shoot

2010-11-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

Rob Lacey took the pictures and did a great job!

New Rough Justice Promo!

2010-11-04T03:16:00.000-07:00

And A Newer Version Of Bangkok Bob

2010-11-02T23:50:00.000-07:00

Still tinkering with it!

Bangkok Bob Cover -Work In Progress

2010-11-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

We're still working on the Bangkok Bob cover - here's the latest version!

Bargain Basement Kindle Prices

2010-11-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

If anyone wants to download my three EBooks from Amazon for their Kindle, now's the time! I've cut the price of all three to 99 cents.

They are The Basement, Dreamer's Cat and Once Bitten.

I wanted to give them away free but Amazon won't allow writers to do that, they say we have to charge a minimum of 99 cents.

They allow publishers to give away books for free but not writers, which doesn't seem fair!

I made the changes just now, it might take a day or two to work through the system....

Revamping My Website

2010-10-29T23:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't done a major revamp of my website for more than ten years and it's starting to look a bit stale. I'm looking at ways of beefing it up with the guys at Skymarket.co.uk. The problem is, I'm not sure what to do! I've looked at loads of websites belonging to well known authors and frankly they're all a bit uninspiring and most of them have very cluttered homepages.

We'll see.

Anyway, here's an early thought...

Rough Justice Promotional Video

2010-10-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is a promotional video produced by Hodder and Stoughton to be shown at mainline train stations when the Rough Justice paperback is published next month!

Bangkok Bob - The Cover

2010-10-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

We're working on the cover for Bangkok Bob and the Missing Mormon. Here's an early draft and I think it looks brilliant! You might recognise the moody guy in shades from the cover of Confessions Of A Bangkok Private Eye!

Complaining Online to DHL

2010-10-26T09:55:00.001-07:00

Please wait for a DHL Chat Specialist to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Monty'

Monty: Hi. Thank you for contacting DHL Live Chat. How may I help you?
you: Can you look at Waybill number 2107488386 for me please
Monty: I will be glad to assist you. Please be on hold for 3 minutes while I pull up the records.
you: Five days is not acceptable is it?
Monty: Thank you for being on hold.
you: Why has the package not been delivered after five days?
you: Are you there, Monty?
Monty: Thank you for being on hold.
you: What?
you: Why do you keep thanking me?
Monty: According to the records, the package was sent to an incorrect facility on 26th-Oct-2010 at 9:29 AM because of sorting error; however, later it was sent to the proper destination.
you: According to your tracking record it has not been delivered yet.
you: Are you saying it was delivered today?
you: Monty?
you: Are you there?
you: Hello??????????
Monty: Currently, the shipment is in transit and expected to be delivered on 27th-Oct-2010 by the end of business, barring any unforeseeable delays.
you: That is not acceptable, is it?
you: Six days from Bangkok to Dublin?
you: Or is that normal for DHL?
you: Dublin is a small city.
you: How can it spend all day in transit?
you: Are you there Monty?
you: Monty????????????????????????????????????
you: Hello?
Monty: I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
you: I want more than an apology, Monty.
you: Six days is not acceptable, is it?
Monty: I do understand your concern regarding the package.
you: Do you want me to be a happy customer, Monty?
you: Because at the moment I am not a happy customer.
you: I am starting to wish that I had used FedEx and not DHL.
you: Why is it taking six days to deliver my package?
you: Regular post rarely takes six days.
you: Hello?????????????????????????
Monty: I regret the inconvenience caused.
you: Monty, are you a computer?
you: Or a human being?
you: Am I talking to a machine?
you: Hello???????????????????
you: I need more than regret, Monty. I paid for a speedy service but you haven't provided that.
Monty: I suggest you to contact our Thailand Customer Support at 66-2-345 5000 for further assistance in this regard.
you: It has taken DHL longer to deliver my package than it would have taken by regular mail.
you: You won't deal with this yourself? I have to phone?
you: What use are you then, Monty?
you: You are a machine, right? I am talking to a computer?
you: You are not a human being?
Monty: As this is non-US shipment.
you: You are a machine pretending to be a human being, right?
you: You are not really Monty, you are an IBM mainframe, right?
you: Are you saying that people should only use DHL for US shipments? I did not know that.
you: You should tell people that you do not deliver to non US countries.
you: FedEX deliver everywhere and they are usually very quick.
you: Six days from Thailand to Ireland is not acceptable,
you: That is slower than regular mail.
you: Why has it taken five days and you still have not delivered my package?
Monty: We do not have an option to forward a message to the respective department.
you: The contents are important - that is why I used a courier service.
you: Monty, you are a computer, right?
you: Please, you can tell me.
you: You are not a human being, are you?
Monty: I request you to contact our Thailand Customer Support at 66-2-345 5000 to expedite the shipment.
you: Answer my question, Monty.
you: Are you a machine?
you: Am I wasting my time talking to a computer?
you: Because you talk like a machine?
you: It is now 11.30pm Monty. They do not answer the phone.
you: Do you understand?
you: Helllo????????????????????????????????????????
you: Monty??????????????????????????????
you: I sent a very important package to Dublin using DHL and it has not arrived./ Why will you not help me?
you: It has taken five days already and it is still not there.
you: Your Thailand staff do not answer the phone because it is 11.30pm
you: But it is 5.30pm in Ireland.
you: Why will they not deliver the package now?
you: You are not helping me, Monty.
you: This is not Customer Service.
you: This is Customer Dis-service.
you: It is not acceptable for you to take five days and to fail to deliver my package, which contains important papers.
Monty: The shipment is at the destination service center and DHL will make every possible effort's to deliver the package on 27th-Oct-2010 by the end of business, barring any unforeseeable delays.
you: That is not good enough.
you: That means you will have taken six days to deliver my package.
you: Regular mail between Thailand and Ireland soes not take six days.
you: What compensation are you going to offer me, Monty?
you: Because the 'service' that DHL has offered me is not acceptable.
Monty: I suggest you to contact our Thailand Customer Support at 66-2-345 5000 to file a service failure on this shipment.
you: So there has been a service failure? You admit that?
you: And I did already tell you that the Thai office is not answering the phone. It is now 11.55pm here.
you: Monrty?
you: Are you there?
you: Hello?????????????????????????????????
Monty: Yes, I request you to contact our Thailand Customer support to refund the service charges.
you: And they will refund my money in full?
you: Will they?
you: Will they, Monty?
Monty: Yes, they will refund the charges.
you: Thank you so much.
you: Good night.
Monty: You're welcome. Thank you for using DHL services. Have a nice day. Good bye.
Chat session has been terminated by the site operator.

Dreamer's Cat Is On KIndle

2010-10-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

I've just put Dreamer's Cat on Kindle. It's one of my favourite books, and while I wrote it almost twenty years ago it hasn't dated because it's science fiction! It's a virtual reality murder mystery and I still think it's one of the best books that I've written.

You can see it on KIndle by clicking here.

The Basement On KIndle

2010-10-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

I've just published my story The Basement on KIndle. Let's see if it sells. I do think that the Kindle is going to have a major effect on the way that people read and buy books in the future. More on that later!

The Basement is about the hunt for a serial killer in New York, and it has a great twist at the end!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE BASEMENT ON KINDLE

Once Bitten Is Now On Kindle

2010-10-23T01:44:00.001-07:00

I've just put my eBook Once Bitten on Kindle. It's a great story, about an English psychologist on the trail of vampires in Los Angeles.

CLICK HERE TO SEE ONCE BITTEN ON KINDLE

More Money From Teddy Williams!

2010-10-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

This guy Teddy Williams offers me money several times a year, always entertaining! I think he's Nigerian. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Some of my best friends are Nigerians....

Attention:

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Eng. Jьоrgen Krьоgger. I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter was
returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address on the WILL. I wish to notify you that late Eng. Jьrgen
Krьgger made you a beneficiary to his WILL. He left the sum of Thirty Million, One Hundred Thousand Dollars (USD$30, 100.000.00) to you in the
Codicil and last testament to his WILL.

This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and true. Being a widely traveled man, he must have been in contact with
you in the past or simply you were nominated to him by one of his numerous friends abroad who wished you good. Eng. Jьrgen Krьgger until his
death was a member of the Helicopter Society and the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers. He was a very dedicated Christian who loved to
give out. His great philanthropy earned him numerous awards during his life time. Late Engr. Jurgen Krugger died on the 13th day of December,
2004 at the age of 80 years, and his WILL is now ready for execution According to him this money is to support your humanitarian activities
and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please if I reach you as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as possible to
enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no distant time.Note:You are advise to contact me with my personal email address:teddywilliam.2010@yahoo.com.hk
I await your prompt response.
Yours in Service,

BARRISTER TEDDY WILLIAMS ESQ.PRINCIPAL PARTNERS: Barrister Aidan Walsh.Esq Markus Wolfgang,Smith Esq

Tel+34-603-131-235
Fax:+34-911-414-351
E-mail:teddywilliam.2010@yahoo.com.hk