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Your Christmas Cracker from Alex Breck!

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Christmas Cracker

Christmas Bundle Price – Get ALL 3 Published Thrillers at a 25% Discount

Hey, I know present buying can be a real hassle sometimes!

Just because you know someone really well doesn’t mean they can be a breeze to buy for. And the last thing you want to do is waste a ton of money on a present they won’t like.

But… I have your back, my friends.

If you know your friend likes reading fiction and perhaps some black humour thrillers by Scottish authors then why not improve your odds of success by buying them a bundle of books. Maybe they won’t like one but totally love the other two?

Buying a whole bunch of books by different authors could be expensive however.

Let me sign your books

And your chances of finding some that have been personally signed by the author will be slimmer than stumbling across an honest politician!

Until now.

You can grab all of my three published thrillers; the first two Ridge Walker books plus my recent Scottish thriller,The Devil You Know, for a Christmas Bundle 25% discount!

And as soon as you give me your mailing address I will sign your books and post them off

Christmas Cracker


 

 

 

 

These are the three books you’ll get in your Christmas Cracker Bundle –

He Who Pays The Piperthe pipers lamentThe Devil You Know

So what could be better?

Hit that Paypal button and I’ll put down my mug of mulled wine and start sticking on the stamps.

Have a cool Yule!

 

Alex x

PS: Here’s a very recent review for The Devil You Know from Amazon in the US:

What kept me reading was the quality of the writing, in a word: marvelous, an example of modern prose, impossibly long sentences that somehow work out, a sardonic sense of humor and a host of colorful characters that include the traditional tired detective, grumpy old boatman, a prominent local criminal and a beautiful female assassin. I am not a Scot, and I had some trouble following some of the colorful dialogue that illustrates the peculiarities of Scottish conversation. The effort was worth it. More than a story, I recommend this book to readers who appreciate good writing. I am truly impressed and hope to see more books by Alex Breck.

 

 

 

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Have you listened to my new Podcast show Alex Breck’s Banter yet?

Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show

 

Did You Survive NaNoWriMo?

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NaNoWriMo is done and dusted once again!

 

nanowrimo
That was my third year of being a NaNoWriMo Winner and this time it really was down to the wire. I had to write about five thousand words on the 30th of November to get my word count in on time!

I can thoroughly recommend it for anyone who has maybe heard of the National Novel Writing Month but hasn’t given it a try yet. Writing 50,000 words in 30 days seemed like an insurmountable challenge for me when I first looked at it but IT IS possible.

NaNoWriMo won’t guarantee that your fifty thousand words will be a literary masterpiece but it will build up your writing muscles and you will be able to write faster, with less procrastination and like any other craft, the more time you spend doing it, the better you become.

So make a date in your diary for next autumn and give it a go. Plan early with your plot all worked out beforehand or be a ‘pantser’ and make it up as you go along…

What’s Your Story?

And if you were a NaNoWriMo Winner this year then drop me a line and let us know how you found success. Or if you crashed and burned like I did one year then share your story and maybe you can help others avoid the same pitfalls.

Have You Read Any Of My Books?

My latest devilishly hot thriller – THE DEVIL YOU KNOW – is still on a special price on Amazon – UK  / USA
Or paperback – UK / USA  Imagine
#thedevilyouknow

 

 

Here’s a very recent review from Amazon in the US:

What kept me reading was the quality of the writing, in a word: marvelous, an example of modern prose, impossibly long sentences that somehow work out, a sardonic sense of humor and a host of colorful characters that include the traditional tired detective, grumpy old boatman, a prominent local criminal and a beautiful female assassin. I am not a Scot, and I had some trouble following some of the colorful dialogue that illustrates the peculiarities of Scottish conversation. The effort was worth it. More than a story, I recommend this book to readers who appreciate good writing. I am truly impressed and hope to see more books by Alex Breck.

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

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Enjoy your reading and writing!

Alex x

PS: Have you listened to my new Podcast show Alex Breck’s Banter yet?

Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show

 

International Adventure Assistant Needed: Apply Here

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international

International Adventure Assistant Needed – Is That You?

Right now I’m auditioning narrators to turn my most recent thriller The Devil You Know into an audio-book.

It’s very exciting and I never knew there were so many talented people out there. Obviously every author will have their own specific criteria and in my case I require someone who can deliver an authentic Scots accent and even with this strict stipulation there are lots to choose from.

Most of the top quality guys are also actors – who knew?

This means that the lead times for these audio-books will be long and so I don’t expect the first one until next summer. But if it works out then I’ll hopefully transform all of my novels into audio-books!

If you want any tips or contacts then please get in touch! it’s a fascinating world!

All of this got me thinking that Ridge Walker could probably do with an assistant or two. I mean he can’t keep on expecting his poor wife to risk her life again and again can he? Not now they have a family.

There would have to be some (deadly) strict requirements however and probably NOT the usual sort of thing you’d expect to see on a resume!

So, if you think you might fit the bill and have the following skills and attributes then get in touch and soon you might be an international hero jetting off & saving the world!

JOB DESCRIPTION:

  • Pulling Ridge Walker out of dangerous international situations at the drop of a hat
  • Communicating with foreign nationals without being able to speak the language
  • Have an ability with a variety of weapons
  • Be a fervent fan of the beautiful country of Scotland
  • Not have met an alcoholic drink you didn’t like
  • Be able to work without supervision, leadership or even a clue what is going on
  • Have a scant regard for the practical workings of ‘the law’ anywhere in the world
  • Be drop-dead-gorgeous, male/female but untouchable (he’s been there-done that..!)
  • Having several passports / identities would be a bonus

 

So there you have it!

Previous applicants need not reply, all applications will be treated with the utmost contempt etc etc..

 

My latest devilishly hot thriller – THE DEVIL YOU KNOW – is on a special price on Amazon – UK  / USA
Or paperback – UK / USA  Imagine
#thedevilyouknow

 

 

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

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Enjoy your reading and writing!

Alex x

PS: Have you listened to my new Podcast show Alex Breck’s Banter yet?

Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show

 

Happy Halloween! Alex Breck’s Banter Podcast Show is LIVE!

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Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show

We’re LIVE! The Brand New Alex Breck’s Banter Podcast Show!

 

If you’ve got a moment or two I’d be well chuffed if you could pop over to my new podcast show on iTunes and give it a listen.

I’ve recorded three shows for the moment. The first show is a general get to know me episode and the next one introduces one of my biggest literary characters, Ridge Walker. You’ll hear me read from a chapter of the first Ridge Walker adventure thriller, He Who Pays The Piper.

Halloween Cat

The third show is all about the madness that is NaNoWriMo, an annual event that begins tomorrow!

It’s called National Novel Writing Month.

The challenge is to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

Halloween NaNoWriMo

Before you recoil in appropriate Halloween horror – that’s only 1,667 words a day.. which doesn’t sound too bad when you say it quickly!

It’s free to enter and the feedback and support you get from other participants is out of this world. If you think you’ll be the only person you know doing it – think again – there are over 300,000 people taking part across the globe.

Living in a remote part of Scotland I love the online camaraderie and I honestly credit NaNoWriMo with giving me the push that I needed to get my writing off the ground way back in 2012.

Don’t worry about other people reading your stuff – it’s totally private and no-one need ever see your work if that’s what you want.

The feeling of achievement on November 30th when you’ve uploaded 50,000 words is incredible. Add to that the fact that you’ve now got the bare bones of a fully fledged NOVEL!

So go on! What are you waiting for!

My NaNoWriMo name is wordspinner7 and so don’t be shy – look me up and be my nano buddy and we can push each other to greatness!

This is a pic of me and a Halloween buddy who looks a little worse for wear. That’s me on the left in case you didn’t know!

halloween pals

Happy Halloween and I hope you’re having a chilling evening!

My latest devilishly hot thriller – THE DEVIL YOU KNOW – is out now in paperback – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowbkuk
Or Kindle – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowkuk  Imagine
#thedevilyouknow

 

 

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

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Enjoy your reading and writing!

Alex x

 

 

 

My Review of The Girl On The Train

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The Girl on the Train

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I arrived late to the party with The Girl On The Train and I had heard so many great things about it that it was inevitable that it wouldn’t live up to the hype. But that said, it is still a great book and one where you tend to read each page more quickly than the one before which must be a good definition of a page-turner.
Rachel is an unlikely heroine and not particularly likeable but there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ve written stories in the same way. The reader gets a frisson of redemption when the protagonist comes good in the end. But there’s very little to feel good about at the end of this tale and I was left feeling a little empty and jaundiced.
The style of the book didn’t suit me but I did like the way the author portrayed the setting and the idiosyncratic ways of the outer-London environs. The film is set in the States and so I’ll be interested to see how well it translates whenever it makes its way up to the Scottish Highlands.

View all my reviews

the girl on the train

If you like reviewing books yourself then I’d love to garner a few more for my brand new thriller The Devil You Know. Like The Girl On The Train it features an unlikely and unlikeable hero but keep reading!

It’s currently on Amazon for 99p / 99c so go on, buy the ticket, take the trip.

 

Imagine waking up today to find yourself on an unknown island, with no idea how you got there? Would it be heaven? Or maybe the other place…

‘As she emerged from the edge of the forest, she could see better what the lie of the land looked like. Down below her she saw one of those beaches that she’d only seen in movies. Right now, it looked like one of the most perfect things she had ever seen. The sun glinted off the deep blue ocean with little snowy flurries sticking their heads up for a few seconds in a futile race against the wind.’


– ‘The Devil You Know‘ by Alex Breck

Out Now on paperback – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowbkuk
Or Kindle – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowkuk  Imagine
#thedevilyouknow

 

 

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

 

 

Enjoy your reading and writing!

Alex x

New ‘Alex Breck’s Banter’ Podcast Show Coming Soon

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Are You Ready For Alex Breck’s Banter?

Alex Breck's Banter Podcast Show

So, after some great feedback from subscriber peeps, I’ve decided to launch a podcast show!

It’s going to be called ‘Alex Breck’s Banter’ and my intention is to broadcast only a few times a month, maybe two or three times. The content will be fun, irreverent at times but hopefully it’ll also give you useful stuff which may help you on your journey to being a writer. I might try and interview some writers if I can coax them into it!

Hopefully, you’ll get an insight into the ‘writer’s life’ whatever that might mean and more than anything else you’ll get to know me better.

I won’t bombard you with tons of episodes and I definitely will not be using the podcast as a means of spamming you with endless commercial ‘opportunities.’

For my overseas friends and those of you unfamiliar with the word ‘banter,’ here is the Oxford Dictionary definition.

Firstly it can be used as a noun: The playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks.

Example – there was much good-natured banter in the bar last night.

And it can also be a verb: Exchange remarks in a good-humoured teasing way.

Example – I hope that I’ll be bantering with my audience at times.

So watch out for Alex Breck’s Banter in the very near future!

Be afraid, be very afraid!

Have I told you about my latest thriller?

It’s based in the Scottish Highlands, mostly on an uninhabited island. – ‘The Devil You Know‘ by Alex Breck

Out Now on paperback – http://bit.ly/thedevilyouknow
Or Kindle – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowkukGoodreads
#thedevilyouknow 

What Other People

Have Said About

‘The Devil You Know’

 

“A moving, gripping and at times disturbing thriller with the rich scene setting we have come to expect from Alex Breck. A real page turner, it keeps you guessing the outcome till the very end.”

 

 

Alex x

goodreads

 

PS: I brightened up the colour scheme too after feedback but please let me know what you think!

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here goodreads

 

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Goodreads – I recently discovered Goodreads. Have You?

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I’ve recently discovered Goodreads and yes I know I’m (fashionably) late to the party but I’ve no idea why it’s taken me so long to jump on board.

For authors it’s a brilliant platform to get your books some much needed oxygen plus find some people to review your work. For those of you who just want to read good quality books then again this site is a treasure trove.

Obviously, I’m bound to be interested in Scottish based crime books and particularly if they feature the Highlands as does this one here. I also read Peter May’s Coffin Road a few weeks ago and you’ll find my review on Amazon and also here on Goodreads

Here is the latest book I’ve read on Goodreads and it’s a cracker!

 

SearchSearch by D.K. Bohlman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent caper with PI Calum Neuman chasing through the Scottish Highlands in a generally fast-paced thriller which keeps the reader entertained! DK Bohlman gives us some well observed character observations and he has a sympathetic eye for location. This novel would be a prime candidate for a television series and the ending certainly hinted at the possibility of a second outing.
For me, the middle section of the book plateaued a little and I found the story becoming too bogged down with unnecessary wordage and I feel a stricter edit might have been advisable. But for that, I would have awarded this fine story a 5 Star rating and it has certainly been one of the most enjoyable reads of the year! Without spoiling the suspense, I loved the deliciously nasty main baddie and Calum was a character I would enjoy reading about again in another Scottish thriller like Search.

View all my reviews

My latest thriller is a Scottish thriller and is ALSO based in the Scottish Highlands, in this particular case an uninhabited island. – ‘The Devil You Know‘ by Alex Breck

Out Now on paperback – http://bit.ly/thedevilyouknow
Or Kindle – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowkukGoodreads
#thedevilyouknow 

What Other People

Have Said About

‘The Devil You Know’

 

“A moving, gripping and at times disturbing thriller with the rich scene setting we have come to expect from Alex Breck. A real page turner, it keeps you guessing the outcome till the very end.”

 

 

Alex x

goodreads

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here goodreads

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

 

Imagine waking up on an unknown beach..

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Imagine

Imagine

Imagine waking up today to find yourself on an unknown island, with no idea how you got there? Would it be heaven? Or maybe the other place…

‘As she emerged from the edge of the forest, she could see better what the lie of the land looked like. Down below her she saw one of those beaches that she’d only seen in movies. Right now, it looked like one of the most perfect things she had ever seen. The sun glinted off the deep blue ocean with little snowy flurries sticking their heads up for a few seconds in a futile race against the wind.’


– ‘The Devil You Know‘ by Alex Breck

Out Now on paperback – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowbkuk
Or Kindle – http://bit.ly/devilyouknowkuk  Imagine
#thedevilyouknow

 

 

 

Alex x

the devil you know

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

 

Free Preview Of My New Thriller

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Hey there, it’s your weekend Free Preview time!

Brought to you by the power of technology..

I thought you might like this quick way of having a sneaky peek into my new Scottish based thriller The Devil You Know which launched a couple of days ago.

 

 

Let me know what you think!

 

PS: I’m presently working on the third Ridge Walker novel in the series and so if you’d like to be a beta-reader and get free editions of all my future novels then drop me an email at info@alexbreckbooks.com. All I would ask in return is that you give me an honest review.

Here’s a couple of links to the paperback and kindle version for Amazon here in the UK. I’m sure the technology will re-direct you to the Amazon sites of whatever other country you happen to be living in.

Remember – we’re stronger by what unites us than what divides us right?

Alex x

#thedevilyouknowfree preview the devil you know

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

 

‘The Devil You Know’ – My New Thriller Published!

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The Devil You Know

 

After being beset with delays I can finally say that my new thriller The Devil You Know has been published and is available from Amazon as a print book and a Kindle. Next will be stocking in major bookstores but that takes a little longer, apparently.

So what’s The Devil You Know all about?

It’s a contemporary thriller set in Scotland and the main location for most of the action is an uninhabited island. Uninhabited for a very good reason. Or a very bad reason.

We live in a time of (relative) peace, but not so long ago that wasn’t the case. Our governments have often done questionable things in war-time that get brushed under the carpet. Other times they rear back up and bite us on the arse. Read the book to find out which case applies here!

This book has an unlikely hero.

You probably won’t take to him initially. Not many people do. In fact he’s been despised since birth simply for his appearance and in school he was voted the Pope of Fools; a term taken from a Victor Hugo novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and in my book his award was for the ugliest boy in school.

You won’t see many marches supporting people who look like him. Not a lot of social media sympathy or attention either. Some regimes have declared his type to be sub-human in the past.

So, it’s fair to say that he’s not a huge fan of the human race nor is he a very nice person.

But do you believe that light can come from darkness?

Sometimes bad people do good things and supposedly good people do bad things.

It’s not always obvious who we can trust and in this fast-paced thriller those lines become blurred more than once.

I hope you enjoy this Scottish adventure and let me know what you think of it!

I’m presently working on the third Ridge Walker novel in the series and so if you’d like to be a beta-reader and get free editions of all my future novels then drop me an email at info@alexbreckbooks.com. All I would ask is that you give me an honest review.

Here’s a couple of links to the paperback and kindle version for Amazon here in the UK. I’m sure the technology will re-direct you to the Amazon sites of whatever other country you happen to be living in.

Remember – we’re stronger by what unites us than what divides us right?

Alex x

#thedevilyouknowthe devil you know

 

Bought The Piper’s Lament yet?

This second Ridge Walker novel is also available in print form here musical the pipers lament

 

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter