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J.M. Shorney lives in Thatcham in Berkshire working part-time in a care home for the elderly with dementia. Now semi-retired she has the time to fulfill her life long ambition to write. Although not Irish herself, she has an infatuation with the Irish culture, which provided the basis for Stalking Aidan and the two further books in the series Borrowed Time and The Irish Connection. Shorney has a passion for country music, in particular Irish country music, and she also collects old horror movies, westerns and gangster films. Shorney is currently working on her first western novel.
Connect with J.M. at these sites:
Writing and Reading:
Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
Do I draw from real life/current affairs. Yes, some current affairs get mentioned(mostly in my next book’The Irish Connection.’ as that’s a political thriller). As Stalking Aidan deals mostly with crime,I would like to mention an affair I had with a young man, before I was married. We were both 17/18. He was a Hungarian. Very good looking. And I was instantly drawn. The first date we arranged he did’nt turn up. I angst the whole weekend that hehad someone else, the girl who lived opposite him in Newbury.She told why I’d been stood up. He’d been arrested.At least, thought my 17 year old brain, he didn’t have another girl. As things turned out. (This would make a story in itself)’ we dated, fell in love,planned to get engaged. Then he went to Chesterfield. I knew he worked on fairgrounds occasionally. I think that’s all he ever did. But when you date a guy who resembles a gypsy with no conventions, nothing else matters. Then, one evening my mother was reading the local paper, and she told me how they’d arrested the boy I’d planned my life with, for armed robbery and resisting arrest.(my mother thoughtI’d finished with him a longtime ago)As the years rolled on, I was married with children, I learned that my old boyfriend had died in police cells at the age of 46.Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
I start at the beginning. Obviously I have a plot which I work out while I ‘m working or in bed at night. I sometimes live these plots. I once had a girl running through a wood. It had my husband worried, because he said I sounded breathless. I usually like to know the end before I start. Then just unleash the characters and off you go.Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
I work part-time. Come home, have lunch. Then 2-3 hours for writing. I like to listen to music while I write. But it has to be old country music, and Irish country music.
I work in a care home for the elderly with dementia. I’ve been there almost eight years.Who are some of your favorite authors?
My favourite authors: Elliott O’Donnell, Algernon Blackwood, M.R James, Jack Higgins, Shaun Hutson, Dennis Wheatley and Graham Masterton.What is your current read?
ack Higgins’Confessional.’ Because I like to get the feel of his Irish thrillers. I know they are old books, but I like to read them often. I like some old Gerald Seymour too.Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
The Irish Connection. The final narrative of the Aidan McRaney trilogy. Although I like him so much, I’ll probably use himagain. He’s a bit of an anti-hero. But I prefer anti-heroes I say trilogy, but they are all self-contained stories in their own right. In the Irish Connection, briefly Aidan discovers that he might be the son of a dead IRA man. That his half-brother, so eaten up with revenge for the British, takes over the turf of a deceased London gangster, whose brother Aidan once worked for, and is plotting to what he calls’bringing the Brits down from the inside.’ Not with bombings, but paedophilia and prostitution. Using soft targets. It gets rather nasty. Trevelyan, the Agency boss, where Aidan now works, knows about the relationship. Thus Aidan is sent in to destroy the late IRA’s man son. But he doesn’t to the cost of the woman he loves.Fun questions:
Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
Actors I would choose for the film of ‘Stalking Aidan.’: Aidan Turner is Aidan McRaney. Lara Pulver as Joanna.Manuscript/Notes: hand written or keyboard?
Always handwritten to start. The story comes out so thick a and fast, it’s easier to write. Then I prune the gobbledegook. It’s like having a planchette, used in seances, where you sit in front of it with a pen, and write down what comes.Favorite leisure activity/hobby?
I suppose writing is my hobby. But I do have a day off. I collect old movies, that is gangsters, supernatural and Westerns. I so love Gunsmoke, the old T.V series. I listen to my favourite old country Irish country, and I’m partial to Eighties rock musicFavorite meal?
Sea Bass Salad with new potatoes .
In a past life Irish-born Aidan was the minder to notorious gang boss Frankie Lamond. Aidan was thrown into prison when he shot Lamond’s intended assassin in a disastrous shooting that not only left Lamond with a fatal spinal injury but also his girlfriend, and Aidan’s mistress, gunned down. Now fresh out of prison after serving eight years for his involvement in the shooting, Aidan plans to get his life back on track; his priorities lay with making amends with his family and attempting to be reunited with his nine-year-old son. Unbeknown to Aidan, sinister forces have something altogether different in mind. As he begins to settle back into life outside of prison, Aidan becomes certain he’s being followed and he convinces himself that his fate lies in the hands of someone who knows all about his past life. Events begin to spiral out of control; his flat is robbed and then a bomb goes off in his car seriously harming Terry, the son of Verdi, a tenacious woman Aidan has begun a sordid affair with. His thoughts are confirmed – someone out there is after one thing; revenge. He is forced to return to gangland, the one part of his life he thought he had turned his back on. Aidan is offered the security of a safe house and a minder, but when his minder disappears his life is thrust back into the gangster underworld and his family are, against his wishes, dragged in amongst the drama. Events take a turn for the worse and a murder enquiry ensues. If Aidan learnt one thing from his time in gangland, it’s to handle things himself, but for a man living in fear of returning to prison, it’s a dangerous road to take. But one that is necessary. Set in modern day London, Stalking Aidan is the fast-paced gangster novel from J.M. Shorney. The book explores traditional themes of the gangster genre; violence, sex, revenge, family loyalties and psychological warfare. The story is told from the point of view of the bad guys as opposed to the good guys, and the story follows the life of Aidan, a man haunted by his past and living with guilt. The idea that mind-games can be just as damaging as physical violence is a powerful theme.
BOOK DETAILS:
Publisher: New Generation Publishing
Publication Date: September 18, 2013
Number of Pages: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 1909878669
ISBN-13: 978-1909878662PURCHASE LINKS:
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November is being hosted by Crystal @ I totally paused!
Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
Last Saturday we celebrated the marriage of our youngest son, Mark and his bride, Jess. The wedding was beautiful. It was an amazing and perfect day from the start, with the gorgeous weather, the blessed ceremony, the delicious food and fun at the reception to the after party at our hotel. I wanted to share a few pictures with you.
Murray T. Holland is a resident of Dallas, Texas. He graduated in 1975 from Washington and Lee University with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology. He earned an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1978 and a law degree from Washington and Lee University in 1980. During the 1980s, he practiced corporate and securities law with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld in Dallas, Texas. In 1987, he became an investment banker in New York with First Boston and later moved to Kidder, Peabody & Co. where he was a Managing Director. In the early 1990s, he started the private equity firm of Convergent Associates, based in Dallas, Texas.
Connect with Murray at these sites:
Will The U.S. Go Bust?
Will the government go bust? This is the question that everyone would like answered. America is in very bad financial shape, maybe the worst it has ever experienced. Even after World War II, when the U.S. debt-to-GDP ratio was about 120 percent, the government was able to reduce its deficit to essentially zero without a massive depression, but it took 35 years to get that ratio down to a respectable 35 percent.
The United States is already caught in the first jaw of the Debt Trap because the economy is dependent on the deficit spending of the federal government. If the federal government instantly balanced the budget by either spending reductions or higher taxes, it would instantly reduce GDP by 4 percent, and this would put the United States in a severe recession.
When interest rates start to escalate, which they will as the debt continues to accumulate, the interest expense on the national debt will take up more and more of the budget, leaving less and less for other operating items such as military, medical care, and social security. Interest expense will become the largest budget item in the federal budget.
Debt Problem Not Created Overnight
The federal government debt problem did not happen overnight. It was not caused by some catastrophic event like a banking system meltdown, and no one stole all the money and ran off with it. The problem has been one of slow accumulation of more government regulation, spending, and commitment to do more things for people. The administrations and agencies referred to previously were not created in a single day. They were created one at a time over the last 80 years. The funding programs were also not created in a day. To normal citizens, the slow creep of more and more spending and regulation by the government has gone unnoticed. We each go about our everyday business and do not pay attention to the daily activities of Congress. This is simply human nature. Congressional actions are also human nature. U.S. citizens elected representatives to go to Washington and spend money…and that the congressmen and senators have done. Most people in government want to do something “for the country” and “for the people,” which inevitably leads to spending Other People’s Money.
Our government debt is rising every day. Our population is shifting as more people retire and fewer people are able to find work. Our social programs, including the Affordable Care Act, are only adding to our financial burden, and rising taxes are hindering economic growth. We are a nation in the red. “A Nation In The Red” by Murray T. Holland is a powerful wake-up call to leaders, investors, and citizens. Holland’s research reveals the surprising truth about our national debt – and what we can do about it.
“A Nation In The Red” presents a reasoned, straightforward approach to one of the most controversial issues of our time. You’ll also discover the fascinating psychological reasons that have led to the creation of our debt trap, you’ll learn about the 2,200 federal programs that we’re all paying for, and you’ll find five ways to reduce our nation’s debt, some of which stand as a viable solution to our country’s problems. In the book, Holland reveals:
· How large our debt really is – and is heading to be: It is far worse than previous calculations or projections – it is actually $19 trillion and may well be over $33 trillion in just ten years.
· How Congress and people on the street think “it can’t happen here,” but it can and will happen here.
· What the debt truly means to individuals, businesses, and the nation — and takes us through the doomsday devastation a debt out of control can unleash on us.
· How individuals and businesses can actually contribute to the solution – and how to best insulate themselves from a looming depression if Congress fails to act.
· Why just a small increase in the interest rate — which is bound to happen given the 50-year average is an annual rate of 6% — will more than double the amount of interest paid, and why that amount will swallow 25% of our tax revenue in the near future.
· Why the U.S. has, out of 183 largest economies, the 9th worst debt-to-GDP ratio – and why only two nations that have ever had a ratio worse than our 121% — averted a depression (but most experience a depression like Greece, Portugal, and Spain or long-term recessions like Japan, France and Italy).
· There are only five options for countries with our level of debt– and then recommends his strongest, viable solution – and even that will take 30 years to unfold in order to get us back to where we were five years ago.
· What the Federal Reserve must do – including its new chief – to steer the country properly.
· Why moms and dads, particularly with children in their teens, twenties and thirties, are the key to solving this mess.
Holland wrote the book as a call to action for the nation to take responsibility of this impending danger. He started to conduct research in wanting to know the impact of the national debt on his investments. He wrote it like he would an investment banking study. He ended up spending over three years researching the history of government defaults, what governments in the past and present do when they find themselves in this precarious position, how they got into the mess, what affect government debt has on the country’s economy and currency and how only two countries have ever gotten out of debt this high.
He He believes his book will:
· Educate the public and inform them of the debt trap the United States is in.
· Mobilize businesses, citizens and Congress to take action.
· Provide a complete analysis of the federal debt bomb and the implications for every American.
· Show why we are on the same path as Spain, Italy, Portugal and Ireland – all economic busts.
· Reveal why bailouts, printing money, borrowing more, reworking loan terms, or defaulting are not realistic options to avoid the debt meltdown.
· Explain how to grow the economy but not overheat it – and why coupling this with expense-cutting, avoiding tax increases, and slicing government regulations can put us back on a tract to growth.
BOOK DETAILS:
Genre: Finance, Free Enterprise, Economics-General
Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition
Publication Date: October 23, 2013
Number of Pages: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 0071829792
ISBN-13: 978-0071829793PURCHASE LINKS:
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Thanks to Marissa and the wonderful folks
at Forever Romance/ The Hachette Book Group,
one lucky winner will win an e-book prize pack
with the following six (6) titles!!!!!!
ALL FIRED UP by Kate Meader
Cool as a Chicago winter, private events planner Cara DeLuca is a model of self-control . . . until she meets the one temptation she can’t resist: Shane Doyle. The sexy, Irish pastry chef is too hot, too sure, too young, and after a crazy night in Vegas-her new husband. While at first Cara wants nothing more than a way out of her sham marriage to Shane, she soon finds that beneath his farm boy demeanor lies a man who can match her drive, both in and out of the bedroom. How can the wrong guy feel so deliciously right?
ALONG CAME TROUBLE by Erin Kern
Elisa Cardoso longs for passion in her life. Though she’d much rather spend her days photographing the stunning Wyoming landscape, food photography is a lucrative, if uninspiring, way to pay her bills. But when her next assignment brings her face to face with sexy restaurant owner Brody McDermott, Elisa can’t deny the delicious effect
DELICIOUS by Adrianne Lee
Workaholic Nick Taziano wasn’t too thrilled to be reunited with promising chef Jane Wilson, but after one taste of her lips, nothing—not even her famous blueberry pie—compares. Now Nick’s company has been hired to do Big Sky Pie’s marketing. How’s a girl supposed to bake the best pastries in town when he’s a constant reminder of their steamy chemistry? Jane has no room for a man in her life, yet sometimes the most delicious dishes don’t follow the recipes…
ENTWINED by Kristen Callihan
Eamon Evernight has always lived in his older brother’s shadow. While his brother is fair of hair and lithe in body, Eamon sparks fear with his fiery locks and massive frame-and rumors of a mysterious power. But when his brother has the good fortune to be betrothed to a beautiful stranger, it’s Eamon’s help-and quick wit and romantic heart–that he needs. Eamon agrees to write the noble lady…a generous offer that will forever leave him a changed man.
REDEMPTION by C.J Barry
Reya Sinclair is a Redeemer of Souls. Her mission is to give Earth’s most depraved sinners a shot at redemption just before they are slated to die. Her own redemption is on the line as she fulfills her duties, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake. It’s all going perfectly well until one detective takes notice, possibly bringing her salvation to a halt.
UNSTOPPABLE by Shannon Richard
Melanie O’Bryan knows life is too short to be afraid of taking chances. And former Air Force sergeant Bennett Hart is certainly worth taking a chance on. He’s agreed to help her students with a school project, but she’s hoping the handsome handyman will offer her a whole lot more. Yet despite his heated glances and teasing touches, Mel senses there’s something holding him back . . .
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