Simon Maltman Blogs

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 we have local authors including Colin Bateman  and Catriona King.  Watch Here Order Here

It was great craic to be part of the Noireland festival this year, taking Crime Fiction fans on our Belfast Noir tour. Great to have people along not only from various parts of the UK, but the likes of USA and Germany too. The festival had a great atmosphere about it and was a really class weekend. Last week I had a Tourist Board tour, taking international buyers on Belfast Noir too. I love introducing people to Belfast and in particular to writers who they haven't read before. Finishing  up in No Alibis Bookstore is always a great way to end, so folk can have a good old riffle through some awesome books. I've found it's really true that writers aren't competitive with one another, and like nothing more than bigging up other authors  that they enjoy- and that's certainly how I feel. The local scene really is thriving. What about talking about our own books?  It's a well discussed contradiction that introverted writers have to get out there and...

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

BEL 1 EVE the HYP 3 ! As soon as the title and hook were first dropped, this novel was eagerly anticipated by many: "The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury." It certainly doesn't disappoint and fully deserves the various high profile plaudits and the terrific sales in Ireland. Hopefully this will be repeated when it's released in other countries. Lawyer Eddie Flynn returns for a thriller that is much more than a courtrooms drama, though there is much tension to be found in the carefully crafted court scenes. Flynn soon becomes neck deep in the biggest case since OJ, while also on the hunt for a highly intelligent serial killer, who is... well- you know where he is! Steve Cavanagh effortlessly takes us on a breakneck run around New York with a twisty, turny plot that entertains with no lag. It is the definition of a page turner and I highly recommend it. You really won't want to put it down and I'm kind of disappointed that I...

Below are samples from each of my Bongo Fury books.  Currently book 1 is 99p and Book 2 is £1.99. Bongo Fury Chapter 1 So, first thing’s first; I didn’t expect things to get as fucked up as they did. But it happens, so that’s life I suppose. I just don’t want people getting the wrong impression about me. I’m not just some hard-nut wanker who came out of the estates. Yeah, I’m a Prod, from an estate in Northern Ireland- but that doesn’t define me. I’ve got a fucking literature degree- I’ve read Mansfield Park- okay? I actually quite liked it too. Anyway, I suppose I’d better go back to the start. Two years ago, life was pretty normal. If you’re reading this, then I suppose you already know I’m Jimmy Black, I’m forty two and I come from Ards in Northern Ireland. You’re bound to have read about me in the tabloids. I’m the one covered in tats, pretty well built, short black hair, and I admit not the prettiest you’ll see in the papers. If you’ve never heard of Ards...

- 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...