Blog Tour with David J Cooper
Here is the first of many interviews with authors from around the world. So lets start with an Englishman in Mexico.
Name: David J Cooper
Where in the world are you? Mexico
Where in the world would you like to be? England
Books and buy links:
http://a.co/0pRkvMq
http://a.co/fIXL02A
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http://a.co/d51aQEa
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Website link: http://davidjcooperauthorblog.wordpress.com
Blog Link: http://davidjcooperauthorblog.wordpress.com
Social Media (Please provide links & handles):
https://www.facebook.com/david.j.cooper.5
https://twitter.com/davidcomx
Favourite book: I don’t have a favourite book.
Favourite snack when writing: biscuits.
What do you write on? Paranormal and crime.
Where do you write? At home.
What are your current projects? Continuing with my Penny Lane, Paranormal Investigator series. Then a novel about the Cannock Chase murders.
Can you share a little of your current work with us (no more than 1000 words)?
Autumn had painted the village red, yellow, and orange. Faint odours of wood smoke and cinnamon wafted through the air as Penny and Aunt Molly strolled towards the pub; the fallen leaves crunching under their feet. The brown lawns now thinly covered with leaves from the almost naked trees; corpses of what was once summer.
The front door of the pub looked very seasonal wrapped in orange lights that resembled miniature pumpkins, aglow and flickering in the biting Halloween night air.
The strewn acorns formed a carpet for them to tread on as they opened the door and went inside.
The warmth of the bar welcomed them; caressing their numb cheeks, ears, and noses.
The crackle of the fire was trying to make itself heard above the babbling voices of the locals, some wearing fancy dress.
Tom and Beryl, the landlords, always liked to celebrate Halloween and the pub was a gathering place for the villagers to have a good get together now the tourist season was over.
They also liked to have fun on Guy Fawkes Night which was only a few days away.
Sally Sutton, Sadie, Les and Pam Barnes, and Peggy Baldwin were all sitting together in a corner.
“Do you mind if we join you?” Penny asked.
“Not at all,” replied Les as he got to his feet and let them pass.
“So you didn’t bother wearing a costume?” asked Sadie.
“Aunt Molly thought we would look ridiculous,” Penny replied. “I see you have a lot of green balloons pinned to you. What are you supposed to be?”
“A bunch of grapes,” she replied.
“Well be careful who comes near you,” said Aunt Molly. “Or you could go off with a bang, especially if someone throws a cocktail stick at you.”
“And can you guess who I am?” asked Sally.
“That’s easy,” replied Aunt Molly. “Anyone can see you’ve come dressed as a witch.”
“I’m not just a witch,” she replied. “I’m the wicked witch of the west!”
“Will you be singing Over the Rainbow then?” Aunt Molly asked.
“I can’t sing,” she replied not realising Aunt Molly’s sarcasm.
“I can see you’re a scarecrow,” Penny said to Les. “But who are you Pam?”
“I’m supposed to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz,” she replied.
“Oh, of course,” said Penny. “Pigtails and cotton dress. Yes, now I can see.”
“We only need the tin man and the lion to make the group,” chuckled Aunt Molly.
“Isn’t Mrs Gentle going to come tonight?” asked Pam.
“No,” replied Penny. “She said there was a good film on telly and doesn’t want to miss it. She told me she was going to come to the bonfire though.”
Tom, the landlord, walking like a clockwork soldier, wobbling from side to side headed towards their table. His tricorn was almost falling off his head. “What would you like to drink?” he asked. “The first one is on the house.”
“From what you’re dressed as,” said Aunt Molly. “You must be Jack Sparrow.”
“No I’m not,” he replied. “I’m Long John Silver. Jack Sparrow didn’t have a wooden leg.”
“Why are you wearing a long nose?” Aunt Molly asked Peggy. “What’s it supposed to mean?”
“I didn’t want to go overboard,” she replied. “If I had changed my look completely I might have scared the cats.”
“So you’ve come as a nosey parker?” she asked.
“Pinocchio,” she replied.
“Well I never,” said Aunt Molly. “Now I’ve seen it all.”
“I’ll have a gin and tonic,” said Pam. “Les will have a whisky and dry.”
“Me and Aunt Molly and will have a lemonade shandy,” said Penny.
“Sadie and me will have a white wine,” said Sally.
“A sweet sherry for me,” said Peggy.
“Right,” said Tom. “I’ll send Beryl with the drinks.”
All heads turned as a group of young people slowly approached the bar. Their clothes were shredded and they wore masks showing dislocated jaws, torn tongues and blood stained teeth.
“They don’t come from around here,” said Peggy.
“Well there aren’t any grockles around here now the season’s ended,” Aunt Molly said.
Beryl, dressed in a black and yellow striped outfit, came over with their drinks. Looking at the youngsters, “I like your costumes,” she said. “Very original. Are you on holiday?”
“No,” replied one of them. “We’re from Torquay and thought we’d come out here first for a couple of drinks. There’s a big fancy dress do at the Imperial later so we’ll be going to that. We’re supposed to be zombies.”
“I thought it was a bit strange having tourists here at this time of year,” she said. “There’s an empty table over there if you want it. Oh, by the way, I’m a wasp.”
“We’ll be okay standing at the bar,” he replied.
She nodded and placed the drinks on the table, taking care not to knock them over with her wings.
“I see you’ve made a beeline for us,” said Aunt Molly laughing. “Take care with your balloons Sadie. We don’t want this bee bursting them.”
They all laughed.
“I heard those youngsters say they were from Torquay,” said Sally.
“That’s right,” said Beryl. “They’ve just popped over here for a couple of drinks. It’s nice to have some young blood in the pub.”
“Torquay is getting worse,” said Sally.
“What do you mean by that?” Pam asked. “I find it a very interesting place. It’s very cosmopolitan.”
“It’s also very seedy,” Sally continued taking a sip at her wine. “I’ve never really liked the place. You know something should be done about young lads wearing those thong things on the beach.”
“It’s all the fashion now to show off your body,” said Sadie. “I mean look at all the young women who go topless. What’s wrong with young men showing off?”
(Part of Chapter one taken from The Devil’s Coins)
Why did you write that? What inspired it?
It’s the third book in the Penny Lane, Paranormal Investigator series. My inspiration comes from personal experiences.
Do you have any advice for other writers? Yes. Never give up.
Who is your favourite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I don’t have a favourite author.
Which author do you most resemble? I can’t say I resemble any.
Can you tell us a writerly joke?
I can only think of one taken from my Penny Lane series where one of the characters says: “A demon infested itself in front of me.”
I have a character in the series who always gets her words wrong.
Anything else on your mind?
Well, as you live in the UK. I am originally from there. The Penny Lane series is set in a fictitious village in south Devon. I lived in Brixham before I moved to Mexico.
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