Simon Maltman Blogs

So for the craic I released a new album this week!  There’s going to be a tie in short story collection out later in the year too.  Here’s a link to all the streamers-  Listen

This week in the bunker- a chat about the awesome Scandi-Noir author - Jo Nesbo Watch on UTV  HERE Buy The Mark  HERE

This week I have a very special guest-  my wonderful eldest daughter Eve! She will be bringing you some of her favourites from Enid Blyton,  Roald Dahl and C.S Lewis. Play on UTV  HERE Pre-order  HERE

Gotta pass the time somehow! I've been enjoying working on some music in the evenings. I wonder what the inspiration is?! I haven't managed to get in the head space for any writing but this has been fun anyway. Amazon Kindle

Here are a few of the tunes/ artists that are mentioned in my new book. I've created a playlist of them in You Tube that you can view all of through the link at the bottom.  Also, here is the book's namesake by the incredible Lee Morgan. I loved the name and the attributes of the snake being deadly and also able to hide in plain sight. I just thought- 'I'm having that title!' Playlist

The first release on the new No Alibis Press and it's a cracker! I've just finished Gerard Brennan's new novel and it's a really great read. The rise and rise of NI Crime Fiction just keeps getting better and the start to this year with the likes of Disorder and Thirteen (Steve Cavanagh) is very exciting. Disorder uses so called recreational rioting in Belfast as a backdrop to interweaving story strands that are created and manoeuvred skilfully. There is a great set of characters, with no out and out main protagonist; including a damaged and amoral cop, a stoner student in the wrong place, a sleekid American investor and a conflicted journalist. The prose packs a punch with lots of humourous local lingo set alongside tightly written scenes and some pretty hardboiled violence. There is a mystery element also involved, along with the feeling of dread approaching. The plot is tied up in a satisfying and somewhat unexpected way, with plenty of thrills and an emot...

- What will this mean for Indie authors? Personally I favour 'real' books over e books. I've never actually bought an e book, I don't think, but I own hundreds of books. I spend a lot of time encouraging others to buy my e books though! Today it was announced that sales of physical books have increased by 8% and e book sales have gone down by 3%. This is similar to the reversal we have also seen in vinyl vs. mp3. Yeah- I collect vinyl too! I think this is great in a way. We all know the aspects to love about a physical book, but what does it mean for authors, and in particular indie authors? For huge bestselling authors with major publishers, it will probably mean very little. However, most indie authors rely on e book sales and if habits change, this could have serious consequences. Many smaller publishers concentrate on e book sales and that is true certainly of my publisher. I sell very few physical books. The majority of small publishers use the Amazon co...