Author Tom Crowley provides
tips to PCEC members and guests on how to write novels; explaining some of
his own preferences which work for him, but are usually not recommended or
used by most writers.
If you want to write a novel, do it because you enjoy it,
not because to you expect to get rich. Only the writers who make the
bestseller lists make lots of money. There are one million new books
published every year - 350,000 in the U.S. alone. These were a few of the
messages conveyed by author Tom Crowley when he spoke at the Sunday, October
26 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC). Tom was there to
introduce his second Matt Chance thriller, “Murder in the Slaughterhouse,”
but a large part of his presentation focused on providing guidance to
would-be authors in the audience.
Tom said that belonging to the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) has been a
good experience for him, and that in preparation for this talk he downloaded
a paper from the MWA site describing a 7-step approach to writing a novel.
MC Richard Silverberg presents
the PCEC’s Certificate of Appreciation to author Tom Crowley while Tom holds
up a copy of his latest Matt Chance novel, “Murder in the Slaughterhouse.”
Tom mentioned that to hold the attention of readers,
authors need to create interesting characters. Developing a hero (or
protagonist) is particularly challenging because a strong hero needs a
strong anti-hero (i.e. evil force) to be credible. Tom said that in “Viper’s
Tail,” his first mystery novel, the evil force was a South-East Asia
mafia-type outfit; and that in “Murder in the Slaughterhouse,” it was an
international terrorist organisation. Further, that it is also important to
ensure that the readers will like your hero. He or she does not have to be
perfect - in fact, should not be perfect - but does need to be sympathetic.
Also, if you keep the same hero in each novel, you need to make sure he or
she goes through some interesting transitions.
PCEC member John Lynham,
organizer of the PCEC’s Writers Group, shows the two books “Vipers Tail” and
“Murder in the Slaughterhouse” autographed by author Tom Crowley.
In his novels, Tom said that he prefers to have a
“pre-book” (which he also referred to as a “lead-in” or “preface”). For
example, “Viper’s Tail” starts out with a chapter set in World War II before
jumping into the present day. This is contrary to the advice most writers
are given, Tom noted, which advice is to jump right into the main plot. But
the pre-book works for him because he harkens back to the events of the
pre-book in the rest of the novel.
Member
Pat Koester announces an upcoming overnight trip she is arranging for
members and guests in early December. The trip to Nakhon Pathom Province
will include a visit to Thailand’s oldest Chedi, Sanam Chandra Palace,
Jesada Technik Museum, and a tour of a lotus farm.
Tom said that it is a good idea for writers to keep reading while they are
writing, as long as they do so strategically - i.e. looking for material
that will help them write the book they are working on. He said that too
many writers have several half-finished books sitting around (or on their
computers). It is important to concentrate on one and let the others go for
now.
Tom advised budding writers to join a writers group. He mentioned that there
is one in Pattaya and another one in Bangkok. Further, it is also useful for
writers to take a class on writing or at least audit one - something anyone
can do via the Internet these days.
Tom said that many authors self-publish, which he thought was fine, but that
he prefers to have a publisher. Either way, he said, an author needs to do
promotion. This is the hard part because while you are promoting you’re not
writing. For promotional purposes, it is important to have a website, Tom
explained, but it is even more important to use social media such as
Facebook. Tom mentioned he has an author’s page on Facebook and that a
recent promotion on that page resulted in more than 2,000 hits and many
“likes.” These are people Tom wouldn’t normally be able to reach without
social media.
Tom described “Murder in the Slaughterhouse” as an action adventure with an
historical twist set in Thailand. Murder, sexual exploitation, designer
drugs and an off-the-rails CIA station chief are all part of the mix. One
customer reviewer on the Amazon.com website said that the book provides
great insight on the Thai culture. Another reviewer said that the story is
“set against the backdrop of a country that is as beautiful as the people
are mysterious.”
Tom said that when he spoke to the PCEC two years ago about “Viper’s Tail,”
he was asked questions about Viet Nam, where he served with the American
forces during that war. An officer and rifle platoon leader, Tom was wounded
and was decorated for his service. Tom said that he had lots of Viet Nam
stories on his computer, but that an emotional block had been preventing him
from writing about them. However, he said that the questions he fielded from
PCEC members helped him overcome that block. He has now finished writing a
novel set in Viet Nam. It is called “Shrapnel Wounds” and it will be the
published in the coming months.
Murder in the Slaughterhouse is available in paperback through bookstores
and on the websites of Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is also available as an
e-book for the Kindle Reader; according to the publisher, Down and Out
Books, other e-book platforms are forthcoming. Tom Crowley also wrote
Bangkok Pool Blues, a non-fiction look at the counter culture of the pool
world in Bangkok and its denizens. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Tom
divides his time between homes in Kensington, Maryland and Bangkok. You can
visit his website at: http://www.tomcrowleybooks.com/index.html.
After Tom’s presentation, MC Richard Silverberg updated everyone on Club
activities and upcoming events, then called on John Lynham to conduct the
Open Forum where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in
Thailand, especially Pattaya. For more information on the PCEC’s many
activities, visit their website at www.pcecclub.org.
