It’s hard to live when you think you deserve to die…
When a tired old inmate is found dead in his cell, the prison is obligated to investigate and so DI Barton attends. The men he interviews have been convicted of some of the worst things a human being can do, but it appears likely that the death was due to natural causes.
When the house of the dead man is burgled and that crime is followed by a suspicious fire, Barton desperately needs to speak to his widow, but she’s nowhere to be found.
In the space of twenty-four hours, everyone he wants to talk to has vanished. Then he receives some post which makes him believe he could be the next to disappear.
Barton’s investigation goes full circle, through a series of brutal murders, back to the prison, and all signs are pointing to the fact that he’s made a terrible mistake.
There’s a violent killer on the loose, who wants everyone to learn that some people deserve to die.
DI Barton is back as Ross Greenwood continues with his bestselling series, perfect for fans of Mark Billingham and Ian Rankin.
The Cold Killer is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
I’m a huge fan of this author so a new book is always cause for great excitement! It was great to be back with Barton and his team solving tricky crimes with them. One of the things I most like about the team is the fantastic bond they have with each other and the, slightly dark at times, humour they use to help get them through the tough moments. I thought this was great to read about and it helped provide some light relief throughout the book. In this book the reader gets to know a bit more about Barton’s personal life which made for quite poignant reading at times. I liked that it helped the reader understand him a bit better and it definitely made me warm to him when I realised what he was dealing with behind the scenes.
The author draws on his experiences as a prison guard to give some fascinating insight into life inside with all the different groups and politics that exist there. It’s definitely a place I’m very happy I haven’t experienced as it seems quite a dark place to be. I don’t know why but I assumed prisons would be more neutral places where tough criminals couldn’t influence things so I found it quite shocking to read how things actually are behind bars.
I was quickly drawn into the story and into the lives of the characters. The story is very fast paced with lots of action and twists that helped keep me guessing until the end. Just when I thought I had figured everything out something would happen and I’d be left back at the beginning again. As you could probably expect from this type of book there is a lot of violence which might not be to everyone’s taste though I thought it was quite well done, never become overly gory or too much that I had to put the book down for a break. The ending was fantastic I definitely didn’t see that twist coming so was completely wrong footed which I always enjoy as I’m normally quite good at guessing. I can’t wait to read more in this fantastic series!
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Boldwood for my copy of this book via netgalley.
About The Author:
Ross Greenwood is the bestselling author of ten crime thrillers. Before becoming a full-time writer he was most recently a prison officer and so worked everyday with murderers, rapists and thieves for four years. He lives in Peterborough.
ARISTOCRAT, AUTHOR, BOOKSELLER, WWII SPY—A THRILLING NOVEL ABOUT REAL-LIFE LITERARY ICON NANCY MITFORD FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A PARIS APARTMENT
In 1942, London, Nancy Mitford is worried about more than air raids and German spies. Still recovering from a devastating loss, the once sparkling Bright Young Thing is estranged from her husband, her allowance has been cut, and she’s given up her writing career. On top of this, her five beautiful but infamous sisters continue making headlines with their controversial politics.
Eager for distraction and desperate for income, Nancy jumps at the chance to manage the Heywood Hill bookshop while the owner is away at war. Between the shop’s brisk business and the literary salons she hosts for her eccentric friends, Nancy’s life seems on the upswing. But when a mysterious French officer insists that she has a story to tell, Nancy must decide if picking up the pen again and revealing all is worth the price she might be forced to pay.
Eighty years later, Heywood Hill is abuzz with the hunt for a lost wartime manuscript written by Nancy Mitford. For one woman desperately in need of a change, the search will reveal not only a new side to Nancy, but an even more surprising link between the past and present…
The Bookseller’s Secret is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
The Bookseller’s Secret is a wonderful dual timeline novel that cleverly combines mystery, real life historical characters and books!
The story is told from the point of view of Katie in the modern day who has broken up with her fiance, moved to London and is searching for a memoir Natalie is meant to have written. In the wartime thread we follow Nancy, the eldest of the famous Mitford sisters, as she lives in war time London working in a bookshop and experiencing the delights of London society.
I have to admit I much preferred the later time line as I have always enjoyed books set in the second world war and as I have a slight fascination with the Mitford Sisters. They truly were an interesting family with some amazing friends and it was the scenes involving them that I really enjoyed. It was wonderful to follow them on their social occasions and to feel part of their close knit group with some famous names included in their inner circle which I was thrilled about.
I felt drawn into the story from the first page and loved learning more about the famous Mitford family. It was very interesting to see how the two timelines mirrored each other and I thought the way the two stories came togetherwas very clever. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’d definitely be interested in reading more from them in the future.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
MICHELLE GABLE is the New York Times bestselling author of A Paris Apartment, I’ll See You in Paris, The Book of Summer, and The Summer I Met Jack. She attended the College of William & Mary and spent twenty years working in finance before becoming a full-time writer. She grew up in San Diego and lives in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California. Find her on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest, @mgablewriter.
Good evening everyone today on Tunes For Tuesday I’m featuring the lovely The Wax Birds who are a husband and wife duo originally from Yorkshire but now living in New Zealand. They consist of Jo (another Joanna!) on vocals and Pete on guitar. I discovered them through my good twitch friend Bring Me Rocks and they quickly became one of my favourite streams to hang out in. They have an amazing energy when performing and are so friendly and welcoming that it’s impossible not to get drawn in.
Jo & Pete were kind enough to answer some questions for me. So you can learn more about the Waxbirds and their music below
If you would like to follow The Wax Birds on Instagram or twitch you can do so by clicking on the links below.
The Waxbirds have some truly beautiful originals that are sure to become favourites with music lovers. You can listen to their music on Spotify Nd YouTube. I have included the YouTube video for Just Different for you to enjoy below!
Hello! We are Pete and Jo Green, AKA, “The Wax Birds”.We were both born and raised in Yorkshire in the UK but we’ve been living in New Zealand for the last 5 years.We have been married for 16 years….I think?! 😀
What first got you into music?
Pete’s dad first bought him a bass guitar when he was 13 so he could be part of the church band that his parents were pastors of. He then went onto Music Tech College and started playing and writing music for a couple of punk bands and later a rock band. Bass is his first love but he naturally went on to pick up drums and guitar too.Jo started singing at the age of 13 also and was quickly drafted into a church band as well. She went on to study ‘Popular Music” which deeped her love for all different genres of music and inspired her to write and sing in a heavy rock band.
Who inspired you to make music?
I guess we both inspire each other to write at the moment! It was always our intention to write music together.Artists who have inspired us to write recently are Foy Vance, Bahamas, Vintage Trouble, Brand New (a sentimental favorite band of ours), Matt Corby, a lot of old jazz/blues artists….the list is huge really!
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
This is a tough one! Because our influences are quite broad, it’s hard to pin down a genre. Some of our songs have a country twist, others, a folk or jazz element.
What is your creative process like?
Usually Pete will come up with a little guitar riff then I (Jo) will finish writing the melody and lyrics. Then we’ll come together and decide where we want the song to go musically.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Since joining the Twitch community, we’ve met so many awesome people that we’d love to collaborate with! Luna Kellar and Kalden Berg are at the top of the list. If we were dreaming, we’d LOVE to collaborate with The Bahamas. He writes such awesome songs and seems like an all round stellar man.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Anyone who would have us. Ha! IDLES would be so fun to open for but I don’t think our music would be a good fit! What is one message you would give to your fans? Thank you so much for your support and kindness! We do not feel worthy 😀
What is the most useless talent you have?
Jo can dislocate her shoulder.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
Strangely enough no. With a house full of pets and two kids, shower time is for absolute peace and silence. We take all the peace we can get!
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
Back in the UK we owned a cafe/catering/delivery service. We’d most likely be doing something of the sort over here in NZ but we’re really trying to prioritize music at the moment.
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
We LOVE playing on the West Coast of NZ. The people over that side of the hill are so lovely, generous and welcoming. Our favorite venues are small cozy places. We’ve not been doing a whole lot of live gigs with the whole covid situation at the moment so Twitch is our home for the time being. We do have a few private parties coming up over Christmas which are always super fun. We were super excited to be booked to play at some festivals this coming Summer but they have been cancelled due to Covid.
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?
For us it’s been a bit of a live saver over the pandemic. We have found ourselves in a lovely online community. Like most things, there tends to be a downside to having everything so accessible all the time. There’s so much information bombarding everyone at once, it’s easy to get lost in the noise.The best bit is having people from all over the world, from completely different backgrounds, discovering our music and being brought together.We like to focus on the good.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Not sure about a particular song but we love playing all our 80’s classics, they’re a definite guilty pleasure. Of our own songs, Just Different is a favorite with the overlapping melody. We also have some new unreleased songs that we love playing/singing.
Which famous musicians do you admire?
Oooh Lots! One of our all time favorites is the legend Dr John. He was originally more of a guitarist but he had one of his fingers almost shot off during a fight at one of his shows so he decided to concentrate on piano instead.
He was such a cool man who wrote some awesome songs.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into?
We’ve not really gotten ourselves into too much trouble thank goodness. I’d say the most bizarre situation we’ve found ourselves in was back in the UK, we were in a small corner shop when a guy ran in after another lad waving a machete around. We all managed to walk out unharmed though.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Be yourself, because there’s no one else like you.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
There seems to be a whole lot of the same kind of thing on the radio these days, like every song has the same signature. I’d love to see a wider variety of music that made it to the top of the charts.
What’s next for you? Over the next few months we will hopefully have some new single releases. We’ve been concentrating on creating new music and we’re super excited for everyone to hear!When the world opens back up we’d love to travel again and play some shows around the UK and Europe.
Playlists:
You can now listen to The Waxbirds and all previously featured artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.
A delicious 1940s mystery.Birmingham, England, 1943.While the whine of the air raid sirens might no longer be rousing him from bed every night, a two-decade-old unsolved murder case will ensure that Chief Inspector Mason of Erdington Police Station is about to suffer more sleepless nights.Young Robert McFarlane’s body was found outside the local church hall on 30th September 1923. But, his cause of death was drowning, and he’d been missing for three days before his body was found. No one was ever arrested for the crime. No answers could ever be given to the grieving family. The unsolved case has haunted Mason ever since.But, the chance discovery of another victim, with worrying parallels, sets Mason, and his constable, O’Rourke, on a journey that will take them back over twenty-five years, the chance to finally solve the case, while all around them the uncertainty of war continues, impossible to ignore.
The Custard Corpses is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
The Custard Corpses is a fantastically gripping and very moreish book from a new author from me.
Firstly I love books set in the Second World War so this book instantly appealed to me. The author has clearly done their research and I enjoyed all the little details about the war that the author includes into the story. It was hard to see ordinary people suffering through food shortages as well as dealing with the fear not just from the blitz but for their loved ones away fighting.
The case is a very intriguing one which helped keep me gripped from the start. The reader is taken along through every twist and turn of the investigation which I really enjoyed. I felt like I was actually there investigating the case alongside the characters, puzzling over every piece of evidence with them. It was especially interesting to see how crimes were solved before they were able to use simple technology that we take for granted now. The detectives didn’t even have access to a phone at times so they had to put a lot of grit and determination into solving their crimes which Made for very interesting reading.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of the series in the future. The characters all seemed very real with the story was very well written and well plotted holding the reader’s attention until the end. The author has created a dark, bleak world which was somehow fun to be in and I felt sad when I had to finish the book and leave it, and the fantastic characters, behind.
Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
I’m an author of historical fiction (Early English, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest) and fantasy (Viking age/ dragon-themed). I’ve recently written a relatively modern mystery novel set in 1943. I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it’s little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents! I write A LOT. You’ve been warned! Find me at http://www.mjporterauthor.com and @coloursofunison on twitter. Social Media Links – https://mobile.twitter.com/coloursofunison https://www.instagram.com/m_j_porter/ https:// http://www.goodreads.com/ author/ show/ 7163404. M_J_Porter
Their dreams of the future never included white picket fences and happily ever afters.Chase Honeychurch and his friends just wanted to establish their places in the pack, earn an honest living, and enjoy life. Betrayal from those closest to them never crossed their minds.How can they make peace with losing everything? How does one start over, with a future they didn’t want? With family – and not the ‘blood’ kind. The people who have their backs, no matter what. They have to find those people and never let them go. Protect them. Fight for them. Because, the past never stays buried. They can’t afford to screw up a new beginning.This time, they won’t run. This time, they’ll be ready.
Alpha Stray is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
The words didn’t have time to register. A surge of power manifested in the room, and Chase let out an almighty roar, one as far from human as could be found. After that and what had happened to Jason, everyone froze. My mouth ran dry. Nobody else knew how that noise had managed to come from Chase’s throat, or what it meant. I did. Dad kept his body in front of me, but it didn’t block my view. I watched in morbid fascination as Chase’s biceps bulged under pressure, and beads of sweat formed on his tanned skin. His face contorted with the effort, as the chains groaned and bent. I’d known he was strong but oh my God… those links were made of solid metal. It took seconds for him to break free of the restraints, making it obvious he’d been playing nice until now. Ridges of flesh rippled along each of Chase’s arms, leaving fur in their wake. It looked as though he turned inside out and flowed into his tiger form in one smooth motion. Just like at the pond, there was no visible effort, none of the pain were-tigers should have felt. Chase’s gargantuan form stood protectively over Jason. He roared again. This time the sound rivaled that of the entire angry mob just moments earlier. It echoed through the building and drove the wall of pack members back several feet. Not a single person looked ready to take him on. I knew some of them still had guns, but his ability to shift between moons and the way he’d done it so seamlessly, was nothing short of a miracle. After the horror of seeing Kyle shoot Jason, nobody dared move. From somewhere outside, another roar shattered the silence, followed by two others. All three white tigers burst into the garage and the people parted to let them through. They came to stand with Chase, communicating with grunts and growls. Every single one of them would have dwarfed any of the tigers in our Pack. Feeling overwhelmed, I wrapped my arms around Dad. “Did you know they could do that?” Dad asked quietly, unable to take his eyes off them. “Yes,” I answered, unable to say more.
About The Author:
Author Johanna M Rae is a former fashion designer and married mother of three. She lives in Hamilton, NZ, with her family and two gorgeous ragdoll cats: Macchiato (Macky) and Smudge. Balancing the needs of three sporty and musically inclined teenagers and her writing schedule doesn’t always leave much time for leisure, but in the quiet moments, Johanna can be found crocheting up a storm or nursing her caffeine addiction.
Christmas is the season for family and friends, and this year the railway girls will need each other more than ever.
Cordelia appears to have the perfect life. When her daughter Emily arrives home unexpectedly, she can’t wait to introduce her to her friends. But when things don’t go to plan, Cordelia must decide where her loyalty lies.
Things aren’t going too smoothly for Alison either. Her beloved boyfriend has yet to propose, but there’s a charity fundraiser dance and she’s dressed up specially. Surely, tonight must be the night.
Colette‘s friends are envious of her devoted husband; he meets her after every shift on the railway, and accompanies her around town. But Colette has a secret, one that will change her life – if only she knew who to confide in.
With the festive season fast approaching, the railway girls are hoping for some Christmas magic…
Christmas With The Railway Girls is out in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
It’s always great to find a new saga series to enjoy, especially a Christmas themed one, so I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for Christmas With The Railway Girls.
Even though I have come into the series in book four I soon found myself emersed into their world as if I’d been there from the beginning. I loved learning more about the girls and discovering more about the close knit friendship group they have created. The support they give each other through difficult times was beautiful to read about and I soon found myself wishing I could be part of their group too. In this book it seemed to be Collette taking centre stage as she tries to solve a problem she’s been having. It was interesting to watch her work through this and I admired the strength she showed.
The author has clearly done a lot of research into the period with her vivid descriptions helping to bring the era to life. I knew little about women working on the railways before reading this book so eagerly drank in every little detail. I was in absolute awe of these women who not only managed to work long hours at a physically demanding and dangerous job but also looked after families and even volunteered at equally dangerous jobs in the evening. It really made me grateful for the war time generation and all they did for the war effort.
I thought this book was well written and very gripping as there always seemed to be something happening to keep me engrossed. There were moments that made me cry and moments that made me want to cheer with the girls which I think shows how much I was invested in the characters. As you can expect with these types of books there are some tough subjects discussed but the author does a great job of handling them with sensitivity. I’m definitely going back to read the other books in the series now!
Hugs thanks to Sarah Hardwood for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Penguin for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Maisie Thomas was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her Railway Girls novels. She loves writing stories with strong female characters, set in times when women needed determination and vision to make their mark. The Railway Girls series is inspired by her great aunt Jessie, who worked as a railway clerk during the First World War.
Maisie now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her railway enthusiast husband, Kevin, and their two rescue cats. They often enjoy holidays chugging up and down the UK’s heritage steam railways.
Cameron and Lisa Murdoch are successful New Zealand crime writers, happily married and topping bestseller lists worldwide. They have been on the promotional circuit for years, joking that no one knows how to get away with crime like they do. After all, they write about it for a living.
So when their challenging seven-year-old son Zach disappears, the police and the public naturally wonder if they have finally decided to prove what they have been saying all this time…
Are they trying to show how they can commit the perfect crime?
Electrifying, taut and immaculately plotted, The Quiet People is a chilling, tantalisingly twisted thriller that will keep you gripped and guessing to the last explosive page.
The Quiet People is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
The Quiet People is a dark, compelling and hugely enjoyable read. The story is told in alternate chapters by Cameron who on paper seems a doting father and Rebecca the detective in charge of the case. This was very cleverly done as both characters are very likeable and I felt I really got to know them as I read, making it hard for me to choose which side I was on.
One of the things that most stands out about this book is the way the characters have to deal with trial by media, which we often see nowadays. I found it very interesting to explore this concept along with the characters and to see how it can effect the trial and the way the police work.
This book starts off slow but soon picks up pace until the tension is almost unbearable. There are lots of twists that kept me guessing so that just when I though I had figured it out something would happen to take the story in a completely new direction. The final twist was amazing and had me flipping back through the pages to reread the final chapters.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orenda for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Paul is Christchurch born and raised, and other than a couple of years when he was living in London and bouncing around Europe a little, he’s always lived there. Paul wanted to write horror, and it was a few years in when he realised that crime – real life crime – is horror. When he made that connection, he turned to writing dark crime fiction, writing first The Killing Hour, and then The Cleaner, in his mid-twenties. Not long after that Paul sold his house and lived with his parents so he could write full time – a gamble that paid off a few years later when Random House signed him up. From that point on he’s written dark tales set in his home city, introducing Joe Middleton – the Christchurch Carver, and Melissa, and Theodore Tate, and Schroder, and Jerry Gray, among others to the world.
On New Year’s Eve at the end of one of the hardest years in history, hundreds of revellers shoot their guns into the air in time-honoured LA tradition. But as the rain of lead comes down, a man is shot dead in the middle of a crowded street party.
Detective Renée Ballard soon connects the bullet to an unsolved cold case last worked by legendary ex-LAPD detective Harry Bosch. As they investigate where the old and new cases connect, a new crime shatters the night shift.
The Midnight Men are a pair of violent predators who stalk the city during the dark hours, and will kill to keep their identities secret.
In a police department shaken to the core by pandemic and protests, both cases have the power to save Ballard’s belief in the job – or take everything from her..
The Dark Hours is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
The Dark Hours is another gripping crime read from one of my favourite authors.
It was great to be back with the fantastic duo Ballard & Bosch helping to solve tricky crimes with them. This time they have two interesting cases to solve a potential murder at a new years eve party and reports of two shady men who’ve been attacking women. I thought both cases were very interesting and I enjoyed watching the way they were developed. It was clever how the author managed to use current events into the story as it not only helped make the story seem more realistic but also helped create other interesting twists along the way. This was especially true in the mentions of the BLM riots and George Floyd which caused a shift in public opinion towards the police which Ballad touches upon during her investigation.
The wonderful team of Ballad and Bosch was wonderful to read about and I thought it was particularly touching how newly retired Bosch drops everything to help Ballad in the case. We get to learn a little more about Ballad in this book with the reader getting a glimpse into their personal life and their psyche which helps us to know her a little better. There are also some fantastic minor characters who I enjoyed reading about including Ballad’s lazy partner who I loved to hate – honestly I wish I could give her a stern talking too and tell her to do some work on Ballad’s behalf at times.
Overall I really enjoyed this book which I found hard to put down at times. The author has clearly done his research and I found it interesting to learn a bit more about the LAPD and how they operate. The great descriptions of the author’s home town helped me feel I was actually there watching it all unfold which made for very exciting reading!
Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Orion for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
MICHAEL CONNELLY is the author of thirty-four previous novels, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Dark Sacred Night, Two Kinds of Truth, and The Late Show. His books, which include the Harry Bosch series and the Lincoln Lawyer series, have sold more than eighty million copies worldwide. Connelly is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He is the executive producer of Bosch, starring Titus Welliver, and the creator and host of the podcast Murder Book. He spends his time in California and Florida.
To find out more, visit Michael’s website or follow him on Twitter or Facebook.
Good afternoon everyone today on Tunes For Tuesday I’m featuring the fantastic I See You by Ostrom.
Ostrom aka Cam is a twitch streamer from Canada. He only streams once a week at the moment, on a Friday, but his streams are always perfect to unwind with after a busy week. He has a great sense of humour and I always love hearing his stories on stream. He normally streams from his sitting room so his streams always seem very intimate as if your hanging out with a small group of friends which is really nice. Cam was kind enough to answer some questions for me so you can find out more about him from the man himself below!
You can follow Ostrom on social media or catch him on twitch by using the links below.
Ostrom’s beautiful music is available to listen to on most of the major streaming platforms and I definitely recommend listening to it. He doesn’t have any music on YouTube yet but below are some clips from twitch for you to enjoy. The first is his cover of Bittersweet Symphony and the second a cover of So Much by Alanna Matty.
I usually introduce myself as a central Canadian music streamer on Twitch, but I’m a very nerdy guy with a small friendship circle who mostly keeps to himself! I like making stuff, and I like seeing people enjoy the stuff I make.
What first got you into music? It took probably 20 years to recognize it, but my parents had very good taste. They played a lot of records I later came to appreciate and still listen to now. Tom Petty, Sarah McLachlan, Travelling Wilburys, k.d. lang… there are a lot of great songs that throw me back to the days of pillow forts and Popsicles.
Who inspired you to make music? I remember listening to The Fratellis’ Costello Music at 15, specifically the song Whistle for the Choir. I had to learn it, it was just too good. So that song, and later Radiohead’s song Reckoner, were the first ones I taught myself on guitar. These days, it’s anyone who makes me jealous, honestly! Listening to Justin Vernon really inspires me to pick up an instrument and try to make new sounds with it. So you could mark him down as a direct inspiration. I go back to Sparklehorse albums when it comes to the production side of things. Being on Twitch and in close proximity with other music makers is also an excellent motivator!
How would you describe the music that you typically create? I think I’d have a different answer than most people who hear my music. I like the sort of story-forward folk songs just as much as the shoegazey, overdriven jam songs out there, and I like to think I’m slowly finding my footing somewhere in the middle of it. I would love to be able to create an accessible fuzzy folk album that marries everything I love about multi-tracked harmonies with an excessive number of guitar pedals.
What is your creative process like? I’ll let you know when I’ve figured it out. I’m only half kidding. Usually a word sparks a musical idea, or a melody will come out from somewhere, and those words and sounds go right into my phone as a standalone note or voice memo before I forget them. In my experience, my note docs usually expand into a lot of lyrics that rarely find music to suit them. So, the music typically comes first, and then I’ll sing gibberish over it in different ways until I find a melody I like. Then, words. Rarely does it all line up right away. Most of the time it’s incredibly annoying, like assembling a jigsaw puzzle and I’ve lost the box art to guide me.
Who would you most like to collaborate with? In the Twitch Music community? MaceJams, Alanna Matty, Crabkeekz, and CA_in_LA. All of them are amazing in their own special ways. I’m going to make it all happen. If I had unlimited funds for a full-length album, I’d want to work with Dave Fridmann or Jon Brion producing. Or both?? That’d be incredible.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be? Radiohead would be the obvious choice, but touring for Big Thief would be a dream come true. They just seem so lovely and on the same musical wavelength with each other. That’d be a joy to witness every night.
What is one message you would give to your fans? Oh, my numerous fans! I’d prefer to call you my friends. Thank you for bearing with me. I am always improving as a musician and person because of your presence and support, and I hope I’m doing the same for you.
What is the most useless talent you have? My pinky fingers are crooked, so I have an advantage when it comes to breaking turkey wishbones. Although now I’m thinking of the barbaric nature of ritually snapping a tiny bone in two, and I’m kinda grossing myself out about it.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs? I rarely sing in the shower! I grew up not really singing around others, but I’ll belt songs when I’m driving alone in the car. Usually I’ll sing whatever song I woke up with in my head. You ever have that happen? Where a song stays in your head for days and it hinges on torture? Anyways.
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career? Oh boy, this is a question better reserved for a thriving musician-type! I work in advertising currently, and it’s a fine gig. I get to do a little bit of everything I love, from writing to graphic design to videography. It took a while and some discomfort and uncertainty to find the right place for me, but at the moment I think I’m there.
Where have you performed? What are your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows? The last time I performed music live was over a decade ago! But I was a very different person then. At the moment, livestreaming music really checks all the boxes for me. I’m in my most comfortable space, singing as loudly as I want with all the chords in front of me, and I can stop a song when it isn’t working out and not risk upsetting a live crowd that’s expecting me to make it to the end, haha! Releasing my own music has me thinking about what live performances could look like in the future. So, maybe someday!
How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business? I’ll speak to what I know. As a user, I appreciate the accessibility and discoverability of new music on services like Spotify and Apple Music, but I detest the way artists are denied their fair share through shady streaming revenue models and business practices. As a creator, livestreaming spaces like Twitch have completely changed my outlook for what a live performance can be. Every music stream features an individual artist, but each channel is also its own venue with its own atmosphere and regular crowd, and users will choose to seek out the venue in which they feel most comfortable. As a result, now you’re making much stronger connections with people. This has always been an implicit part of livestreaming, but it’s more palpable when it comes to music streams in particular. Go browse that section and find some new music venues to hang out in, you silly goose! I haven’t fully wrapped my head around it all, but I genuinely love playing music for people, providing a place where we can goof around, and leave it at that.
What is your favourite song to perform? I enjoy singing songs that use my upper register. Lately I’ve been playing a little more piano (an instrument I am not good at) and I have a chord progression that I plunk out to myself when I first sit down. I’m enjoying the chords, but the lyrics and melody aren’t there yet. I really hope that one comes together the way I envision it!
Which famous musicians do you admire? I admire people like Fiona Apple and Mark Linkous, artists who are averse to the typical social feedback loop and just let their art guide them. Musicians like that spend a lot of time in their own heads, and the music that comes out of them is so honest and present and self-aware. At least, in my opinion.
What is the most trouble you’ve ever gotten into? I was a dorky and impressionable kid, and I was also a late bloomer and very short until my late high school years. So I got bullied, and that made a bully out of me. I once got in a full-on fist fight with one of my best friends and his little brother over a bad Pokemon card trade. We stayed friends, but that wasn’t my finest hour. Don’t ever trade your Charizard away, kids. You’ll regret it immediately.
What is the best advice you’ve been given? It may not be the best advice, but a line I found resonated with me recently came from the movie The Founder, that McDonald’s film with Michael Keaton. “Nothing in this world can take the place of good old persistence. Talent won’t. Nothing’s more common than unsuccessful men with talent.” Whether I was writing, or making a game, or trying to earn followers online, I had a bad habit of repeatedly getting in the way of my own success. Even before I’d start, I found the first dozen or so hurdles were ones that I’d erected for myself. I’m not experienced enough. I’ll have to learn the software. I’m not the person to tell this story. I’ll fall out of love with it before it gets off the ground. So on and so on. Exhausting. Brains can be real rude sometimes. In plain words, just do the thing. Just try. If it doesn’t work out, don’t put it out to the world. Just keep it to yourself. You made the thing, you learned something from it, and now it’s yours forever. Anyway, yeah. Persist.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be? I could answer this a few different ways, but I’m going to choose to stay optimistic about it. I would love to see a stronger blending of art and sound at live shows. Like, sure, merch sales in the lobby, show in the theatre, but let’s hang some off-shoot album art and prints in the hall. Let’s allow the crowd to influence the lighting and stage effects. Let’s introduce extended reality elements when someone goes to take a photo. There are so many ways to immerse an audience beyond placing them on a stadium floor and having them face the same direction. This is especially true for larger artists. There’s so much more room for creativity, I feel.
What’s next for you? I have a new song coming out soon, it’ll be out on every service imaginable, I’m just determining the right visual to accompany it. You can find me by searching for Ostrom. Other than that, I’m gonna keep making music at my own pace, stream live on Twitch on Fridays, and perhaps self-publish some words I’ve written over the last three years or so. 🙂
Playlists:
You can now listen to Ostrom and all previously featured Tunes For Tuesday artists on a special playlist I’ve created on Spotify.
The year 2623. A serial killer. An exploited teenager. A drug dealer.
Four hundred years after Earth established its first planetary colony, resources on the home planet are limited. Earth’s residents are divided into citizens, who have legal rights and a license to live, and the rest. The unlicensed have always been vulnerable, but now, a serial killer is targeting them.
Scarlet is unlicensed. He and his partners exist outside the London walls, making a living by manufacturing and selling illegal lifestyle drugs. None of them expect to make old bones.
Maeve is unlicensed. She’s eighteen, and has survived by allowing a state guardian to exploit her. Now he’s sold her to a brothel outside the protection of London’s walls.
When Scarlet rescues Maeve from her violent owner, he has no idea that his good deed will lead to an accusation of multiple murder. Suddenly, the security forces are on his tail.
Scarlet flees from Earth, to a small hub-station on the edge of unexplored space. Close behind him are Maeve, a serial killer, a killer’s mother, and his two concerned business partners.
No Good Deed is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase your copy using the links below.
Marm Willim, Ash and Serran shared a luxury stateroom in the first-class section of the shuttle. Maeve had a berth in the economy section, the sort of accommodation where there was a permanent queue for the hygiene facility. She lay on her back in a hammock, just below the ceiling, staring up at the smooth lining of the compartment. She had been the first of the sixteen berths to board. Marm Willim had been in a hurry. Maeve’s heart was beating hard enough to shake her whole body. She thought she was hyperventilating. She felt sick. By some weird and unfathomable coincidence, Koo-Suki was on the shuttle, in the same economy compartment. So were Mink and his pet, but Mink didn’t worry her half as much as Koo-Suki, and the monster didn’t worry her at all. How could it have happened? A shuttle left the spaceport every morning, carrying at least two hundred passengers, a hundred and sixty of whom were economy. Ten economy compartments, and Koo-Suki was in the same one as her. The universe hated her. The religious fringe might be right. There was a god, and if there was a god, then there was a devil, and the devil had her in his sights. Maybe if she kept absolutely quiet, they wouldn’t realise she was here. Ten days. Ten days wasn’t that long. She could manage ten days. She’d just pee into her hammock. Everyone was supposed to stay in the hammocks most of the time, anyway, and there was hardly any floor space. She didn’t need to eat. Ten days was nothing. She took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. It worked for a second. Until she began to wonder if their presence was a coincidence. Maybe they were looking for her. No way. They couldn’t be. This journey must have taken a huge amount of credit and surely, they wouldn’t waste their wealth looking for her? Koo-Suki spoke. “Mink? Do you think it’s okay to get up now?” “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t move. I think my ribs are crushed.” “Acceleration wasn’t that bad.” “I’m talking about Nyx. She’s squashing me. You can have her later.” “She’s your pet,” Koo-Suki said. Maeve drew in a desperate breath and squeezed her eyes closed. “You’ve brought a pet?” A new voice, young and male, spoke. “Can I see?” Mink grunted. “Come on Nyx, get up.” He groaned. “Ow. That’s my bladder.” Nyx landed on the deck with a thud. “What the hell is it?” the youth said. “It’s a she and she’s friendly,” Mink said. “Mostly. I haven’t a clue what she is. I found her as a pup, kitten, whatever, a couple of years ago. There were three of them in a box in the swamp. The other two were dead. I think she’s some sort of mutant, maybe from a breeding programme. She must have been dumped with the others. Poor little thing.” Maeve peeped over the edge of her hammock. Poor little thing? Nyx took up most of the floor. How had Mink managed to get her on the shuttle? How was he going to feed her? “Get her out of the way,” Koo-Suki said. “I want to get down.” “It’s a bit crowded,” the youth said. “They’ve crammed as many of us in as they could. I suppose I’m paying minimum, so I can’t complain.” Maeve pulled the thin cover over her head. The compartment held two layers of hammocks, upper and lower, four of each on each side, with a narrow aisle between them. Mink and Koo-Suki were the last in, taking the hammocks nearest the entrance. Sixteen people and Nyx in a minute space. Koo-Suki was only a few feet away from her. Why did things keep happening to her? What had she ever done to deserve them? “How much space do you think the premium passengers get?” Koo-Suki said. “No idea. More than this,” Mink answered. “And what about the crew? I’d get claustrophobia if I had to travel like this often.” “You’d get used to it. At least we’ve only got a few days in here,” Koo-Suki said. “You should take the medication.” “I will if I need it, but I haven’t got there yet.” Maeve wished they’d stop talking. Maybe she should take the medication. Everyone had been offered it, to keep them calm, and if she took enough, she might pass out for the entire journey. She’d been pleased she didn’t have to share a luxury cabin with Serran and his mother, but this might be worse. She was trapped between two psychopaths. “There’s no way to stretch your legs,” Koo-Suki said. “That monster of yours takes up the entire floor, Mink. Can’t you get her back in the hammock?” “No. She needs to stretch too.” Nyx’s purring bounced off the walls, drowning the sound of the breathing occupants. Her claws tapped at the floor, went quiet, and the edge of Maeve’s hammock sagged as the creature stood on its hind legs. The purr got louder. “Go away,” Maeve whispered, turning on her side, away from the animal. A cold nose nudged her shoulder. One paw pulled at the cover.
About The Author:
Anne Cleasby lives in the English Lake District with her dog and two cats.
As a child Anne wanted to be a scientist, wear a white coat and explore outer space. She worked as a scientist for a very long time, but never got to fly a spaceship or even travel beyond the solar system. This was a huge disappointment given the reasons for her career choice, so eventually she made up stories instead. Probably just as well, as she is claustrophobic.
Anne writes dystopian fiction (Degrees of Freedom series) and science fiction under her own name, and urban fantasy/paranormal romance as Annalisa Carr.
Over The Rainbow Blog 