----- Original Message ----- From: "Terrill Lankford" <
lankford2000@earthlink.net>
> I promised a report on Al Guthrie's TWO-WAY SPLIT
when I returned from
> my tour, but unfortunately the distractions of the
road proved too
> great and I only just started the book yesterday.
I'm about halfway
> through and find it mesmerizing. Al has found a way
to blend the old
> with the new and make it all seem very fresh. It's a
complex character
> study (of a number of interesting characters)
punctuated by startling
> moments of violence. It's hard to believe this is a
first novel, if, in
> fact, it is.
>
> Is it, Al?
Thanks for the kind words, Terrill. Hope you find the second
half as entertaining as the first! As to whether TWO-WAY
SPLIT is a first novel... I'm trying to count them. I wrote
my first when I was nine, then another when I was at
secondary school, a third the year I left school, and then I
gave up for a long time because my previous efforts were all
absolute crap. Then a few years ago, I tried again. First
attempt was BIG DUNC'S HAMMER and the title was the best
thing about it. Unperturbed, I battled on and wrote a
long-winded thrillery-type thing called EXPURGATION, which
got a bit closer but still no cigar. Fortunately at some
point during the proceedings I decided that it might be
worthwhile learning how to write, and I went at that
particular learning exercise in a big way. First thing I
wrote afterwards was BLITHE PSYCHOPATHS, the original title
of TWS, which was recognised by being shortlisted for the CWA
Debut Dagger award, which indicated to me (rightly or
wrongly) that I was at least on the right track. So, strictly
speaking, TWS would be my sixth novel, but it's the first I
wrote with any kind of idea of what the hell I was doing, or
with any real intent of getting published.
Thanks for asking.
Al
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