First, a bit about me...
I've been writing crime fiction for over ten years now. Prior to this, I wrote 'wierd fiction'. Sometimes I still do. I've been published in a variety of magazines and anthologies, and was nominated for a CWA Short Story Dagger Award in 2001 for 'Leaving Seven Sisters', originally published in the UK in Crimewave magazine.
I've recently completed my first book, Secret Skin, a private eye novel set in Paris, involving sex traffic, diamond theft and corporate crime. Once I've completed the synopsis for submission to an agent (actually harder to write than the actual novel!), I have plans for further novels featuring Charlie Sandoval, the American PI in Paris.
Here are some reviews on recently published fiction...
In CRIMEWAVE 10 NOW YOU SEE ME: 101 Ways To Leave Paris - A hard-boiled tale of revenge i
n the City of Light
Now we get to the story I consider the best of the issue, “101 Ways to Leave Paris” by Simon Avery. Jack Chappel, a man wronged by the woman he loved and the brother he cleaned up after, comes back to Paris after a stretch in prison, looking for some kind of justice. It opens with what appears to be an unconnected vignette of a young man playing matador in the middle of Parisian traffic, described in vivid detail by Avery. His language is lush and descriptive as he describes careening cars and the delicate twirl of a red coat. After the obvious occurs, we move to the meat of the story, which looks at first to be a stereotypical revenge plot but blossoms into something better and altogether more interesting. The personalities at play here are conflicting mirrors, their actions and reactions echoing one another in a cinematic style. Avery entices the reader into Chappel’s head and then makes it impossible for the reader to leave, layering the story on, hinting at some things and bringing others full out into the light, but always leaving the reader wanting more. This is noir at its finest, with the world blurring to gray around the characters as each struggles to find some measure of balance. ( THE FIX) http://thefix-online.com/reviews/crimewave-10/
n the City of LightNow we get to the story I consider the best of the issue, “101 Ways to Leave Paris” by Simon Avery. Jack Chappel, a man wronged by the woman he loved and the brother he cleaned up after, comes back to Paris after a stretch in prison, looking for some kind of justice. It opens with what appears to be an unconnected vignette of a young man playing matador in the middle of Parisian traffic, described in vivid detail by Avery. His language is lush and descriptive as he describes careening cars and the delicate twirl of a red coat. After the obvious occurs, we move to the meat of the story, which looks at first to be a stereotypical revenge plot but blossoms into something better and altogether more interesting. The personalities at play here are conflicting mirrors, their actions and reactions echoing one another in a cinematic style. Avery entices the reader into Chappel’s head and then makes it impossible for the reader to leave, layering the story on, hinting at some things and bringing others full out into the light, but always leaving the reader wanting more. This is noir at its finest, with the world blurring to gray around the characters as each struggles to find some measure of balance. ( THE FIX) http://thefix-online.com/reviews/crimewave-10/
'101 Ways to Leave Paris' is the longest story in the collection, and shows once again what a fine writer Simon Avery is. It's a thirty-year menage-a-trois, between the two brothers and the woman who seduces them, and between the woman the narrator and the city. Glorious.'
Suite101.com
IN BLACK STATIC 6: The Better Part of You - A woman released from a mental institution takes her
new lover home to the seaside to escape or confront the darkness of her past.
Most Black Static stories seem reluctant to make their speculative element too blatant, but Simon Avery opens the issue with 'The Better Part of You,' and dumps the speculative element squarely in front of the reader from the moment that Chelsea (an unstable young woman) and James (the narrator) make love. Chelsea feels real in a way the most writers long to achieve; she's one of many women who are a little too out-going, a little too fragile, and end up bruised by life, damaged or even self-destructing. In creating such a memorably believable character, Avery pulls off a tour-de-force. Suite101.com
new lover home to the seaside to escape or confront the darkness of her past.Most Black Static stories seem reluctant to make their speculative element too blatant, but Simon Avery opens the issue with 'The Better Part of You,' and dumps the speculative element squarely in front of the reader from the moment that Chelsea (an unstable young woman) and James (the narrator) make love. Chelsea feels real in a way the most writers long to achieve; she's one of many women who are a little too out-going, a little too fragile, and end up bruised by life, damaged or even self-destructing. In creating such a memorably believable character, Avery pulls off a tour-de-force. Suite101.com
In BLACK STATIC #1: Bury The Carnival - A twisted re-interpretation of the Pinocchio story. (The title is from a Tom Waits song, Who Are You.
Bury The Carnival by Simon Avery, is a fresh take on Pinocchio, with the role of Geppetto being taken on by Charousek - a man recently released from prison by despotic puritans. Originally imprisoned for his use of old magic, Charousek has returned to the village in time for the End of Darkness, a momentous occasion being witnessed for the first time by many of the town’s younger inhabitants. One of these is the reporter sent to investigate Charousek’s story. What she uncovers is terrifying and life changing. Moving and atmospheric, the gripping style of Avery’s writing delivers an excellently dark little tale... (Whispers of Wickedness)
Simon Avery's 'Bury The Carnival' opens the magazine in style with the longest story in the book; it has a fairytale feel (as in Grimm, rather than Disney), not just with it's mannequin protagonists but also a faux-Eastern European setting. But the sinister Precisemen -tools of the repressive Puritan government- give the story a contemporary twist, and the affecting protagonist and her lover invoke the reader's involvement. Highly recommended.(Suite101.com)
Bury The Carnival by Simon Avery, is a fresh take on Pinocchio, with the role of Geppetto being taken on by Charousek - a man recently released from prison by despotic puritans. Originally imprisoned for his use of old magic, Charousek has returned to the village in time for the End of Darkness, a momentous occasion being witnessed for the first time by many of the town’s younger inhabitants. One of these is the reporter sent to investigate Charousek’s story. What she uncovers is terrifying and life changing. Moving and atmospheric, the gripping style of Avery’s writing delivers an excellently dark little tale... (Whispers of Wickedness)Simon Avery's 'Bury The Carnival' opens the magazine in style with the longest story in the book; it has a fairytale feel (as in Grimm, rather than Disney), not just with it's mannequin protagonists but also a faux-Eastern European setting. But the sinister Precisemen -tools of the repressive Puritan government- give the story a contemporary twist, and the affecting protagonist and her lover invoke the reader's involvement. Highly recommended.(Suite101.com)
Avery writes with slick, chilling prose and this story will stick in my head for a while. (SFCrowsnest.com)
BIRMINGHAM NOIR: Stories from major crime writers – John Harvey, Nicholas Royle and Judith Cutler – plus a gang of dazzling noir talents The best of "New Noir": tough, dirty realism from a tough, dirty city. Stylish, subtle tales that tackle the complex realities of betrayal, redemption, ambition and love. The landscape of British crime fiction has long been ruled by London. But Birmingham Noir is set to challenge that dominance with these dark urban thrillers that will unsettle and unnerve.
‘Dreams, as one of the contributors observes, are dangerous things – and danger lurks within these pages in an impressive kaleidoscope of settings. These are stories of betrayal, of communication breakdown and obsession. Some show the human cost of losing our ethics, while others reveal how madness can lurk in the supposed safety of a shopping mall or cathedral. But there is humour here too, and an awareness that we can make our lives better. Simon Avery’s perfectly observed narrative about moving on from a broken marriage is worth the cover price alone. Birmingham’s criminal underworld and sex industry are laid bare in these entertaining, saddening and shocking pages. Lock up your daughters, sons and the family cat until you’ve learned from these stories of crime in the city.’ Carol Anne Davis
‘Dreams, as one of the contributors observes, are dangerous things – and danger lurks within these pages in an impressive kaleidoscope of settings. These are stories of betrayal, of communication breakdown and obsession. Some show the human cost of losing our ethics, while others reveal how madness can lurk in the supposed safety of a shopping mall or cathedral. But there is humour here too, and an awareness that we can make our lives better. Simon Avery’s perfectly observed narrative about moving on from a broken marriage is worth the cover price alone. Birmingham’s criminal underworld and sex industry are laid bare in these entertaining, saddening and shocking pages. Lock up your daughters, sons and the family cat until you’ve learned from these stories of crime in the city.’ Carol Anne Davis'Simon Avery's equally well-observed narrative delivers shocks from the start when a Romanian teenager finds herself forced into a life of prostitution. Her experiences are entwined with the actions of a middle-aged man whose marriage is failing. 'Once you begin to pick at a frayed thread, you find that everything unravels at a frightening speed.' alchemypress.com
'The book ends on a high note, with the brutal and emotive 'The Art of Leaving Completely' by Simon Avery... here outstanding with the picture of a marriage on the way out and a man who tries to save somebody else even though he can't save himself.' Peter Tennant
BEST BRITISH MYSTERIES Vol IV - featuring a co-authored story with Ian Faulkner,
Lost in Darkness
Lost in Darkness
'Lost in Darkness" by Simon Avery and Ian R. Faulkner is a psychological tale of revenge. Charleton's girlfriend, Aimee, has been badly beaten and lies broken in the hospital. Charleton feels it is because he is black, and his rage at the people who did it manifests violently. Although the split personality/memory loss plot has been done before, Avery and Faulkner put it to good use here. What they came up with is a well-wrought crime tale that is thrilling to read.' Tangent OnlineTRANSM
ISSIONS FROM BEYOND, the brand new podcast from TTA Press. We feature stories selected from the pages of the TTA Press magazines Interzone (science fiction & fantasy), Black Static (horror), and Crimewave (crime & mystery). New stories appear every other Monday.
http://transmissionsfrombeyond.com/
A reading (by the author) of Bury The Carnival is available now - free! - from the website or from itunes.
ISSIONS FROM BEYOND, the brand new podcast from TTA Press. We feature stories selected from the pages of the TTA Press magazines Interzone (science fiction & fantasy), Black Static (horror), and Crimewave (crime & mystery). New stories appear every other Monday.http://transmissionsfrombeyond.com/
A reading (by the author) of Bury The Carnival is available now - free! - from the website or from itunes.
2 comments:
It's not bad is it, this blogspot thing :) I look forward to reading your posts!
Cheers mate, you pioneer of all things blog, you!
Post a Comment