A Little Taster

Hello one and all!

Something a little bit different this month. As well as my usual round up, I'm going to post a

small sample of my work here just in case anyone is unfamiliar with it. It will be from The Casebook of Sam Spallucci, the very first book that I published, way back in the mists of 2012.

But first, a little note about what I've been up to since last month's rambling. 

As well as cracking on with Sam's latest outing, Troubled Souls, I've also been out and about meeting friends old and new. April saw me darting over first to the Pagan Federation in Wakefield where I sat in on a fascinating talk about Gerald Gardner, the founder of the modern Wicca movement. Then I headed over to sunny Doncaster where I had a jolly pleasant day at Unleashed Event's con.

The first weekend of May saw my biggest event of the year so far, EM-Con. Situated at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham I had an absolute blast and my books were positively flying out. In fact i sold out of The Casebook of Sam Spallucci altogether.

Talking of Casebook...

Like I mentioned earlier, just in case anyone reading this hasn't sampled my works or is unsure as to whether they ought to nip over to Amazon (link below), here is a small extract from the beginning of the first of the cases in Sam Spallucci's first week on the job:

The Case of The Satanic Suburban Sitcom.

So, may I ask you what is the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked? You know the sort of thing. You’re normally sat in a quiet corner of your favourite bar or pub (the Borough, in my case, as it’s just over the road from my office) supping away at your favourite brew, enjoying the peace and solitude of your own inner ramblings when you notice that someone is stood next to you.

Even before you look up from your alcoholic musings, you just know that it’s going to be trouble. There’s that air of “Oh, dear God,” hanging in the air, but you do the polite thing and look up at the person looming into your personal space whilst smiling expectantly.

Now, if it was a normal person stood there, perhaps wanting to share a table due to the lack of space or wanting to ask you what the time might be as their watch had stopped, then they would smile back and make polite conversation.

No, the sort of person stood there now does not smile, they gawp. They have that faraway look in their

eye that tasted far too many magic mushrooms in their youth or tells of a childhood climbing electric pylons on long, hot summer days. Also, they tend to dribble somewhat, don’t they? Not much. Just a drip from the corner of their slack-jawed mouth.

Then they pop the question.

There’s no reason or rationale to their request. It’s just totally random. It might be something like, “I hit badgers with teaspoons. Wanna join in?” or “You wanna see my collection of belly button fluff? The yellow ones are really interesting.”

Yeah. Weird. Really weird.

Well the other week I got asked a question that topped all of those: “Will you investigate the cast of a high-profile sitcom? I think they’re all Satanists.”

I hope you enjoyed that. If you did then either drop me a line at my website for a signed copy, or feel free to nip over to Amazon where you can buy both paperback and kindle versions.

Chat soon,

A.S.Chambers.

www.aschambers.co.uk

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A Shadowy Spring

As I sit typing this, the sun is streaming through my window and spring has finally sprung. Duckings are quacking their way down the canal and lambs are starting to learn about the bogeyman spoken of in hushed tones as “mint sauce”. Spring always brings a feeling of rebirth and renewal, a shot in the arm of patent vim and vigour. It makes you feel that perhaps everything can be all right with the world.

Oh, that things could be that simple for my dearly beloved investigator of the paranormal, Sam Spallucci! I am now two cases into his next outing, Sam Spallucci: Troubled Souls, and things are, as usual, spiralling rather out of control for him. Following the same format as Casebook and Shadows of Lancaster, the latest book will be compiled of five interlinked cases: The Case of The Cherokee Checkout, The Case of The Distressed Demoniac, The Case of The Time-Travelling Tea Rooms, The Case of The Dabbling Dominion and The Case of The Bare Lane Butcher. We will see Sam encounter love-stricken spectres, lost creatures from another realm, an interfering angel and not one, but two, serial killers stalking the back streets of Lancaster and Morecambe. 

I am enjoying this outing for numerous reasons. As well as exploring the ever increasing interference in Sam’s life by the mysterious Kanor, bringer of the apocalyptic Divergence, I will also be using Sam’s lodger Alec a lot more and delving into his family. 

Plus, on top of all this, I am delighted to be working with the marvellous Peter Cakebread. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of reading his novel The Morecambe Medium which is set in Victorian Morecambe and I asked him at the time whether or not he fancied penning a joint effort. The Case of The Time-Travelling Tea Rooms will be my half of this venture. Sam, accompanied by his bohemian best friend Spliff, will find themselves teamed up with Peter’s detectorators Mulberry and Touchstone, tracking down the original Bare Lane Butcher. As usual in Sam’s world, not everything is as it seems and there will be repercussions later on in Troubled Souls.

Upcoming Events:

As well as scribbling away, I shall be making a few appearances over the next few weeks. Saturday 13th April sees me in Wakefield at the Pagan Federation North East Conference. Then, on the very next day, I shall be just down the road in Doncaster for the Doncaster Unleashed Comic Con. The 4th and 5th May see my return to the ever popular EM-Con (where I hope to successfully stalk cast members of Star Trek: The Next Generation) and on the 11th May I shall be at the annual Oldham Comic Con. Feel free to come along and say, “Hello!”

All the best,

A.S.Chambers (April 2019).

www.aschambers.co.uk

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Stresses And Smiles.

It is fair to say that the last two weeks have been somewhat manic. What with the start of exam season (which meant lots of invigilating for Yours Truly), visitors from antipodean lands and preparations for EM-con, there has been very little time to squeeze in writing or blogging let alone any running to clear the mind.

So, you might feel that I've been somewhat stressed and anxious. True, the invigilating takes it out of me. Hour upon hour of mind-numbing seriousness does tend to cause a certain amount of atrophy in the cerebral area. This followed by maniacally running around the house eliminating every last piece of dust and detritus before an old childhood friend comes to visit can raise ones blood pressure as can the comment, “You have a cat. I die if I go near cats.” But a cup of tea in the garden can soon relax one's nerves and belay any fatal asthma attacks.

As for one of the largest comic cons in the East Midlands: yes, this took an insane amount of preparation which in turn led to anxious nausea, dizziness, tears and tantrums. But what an event it was! I had a great time meeting up with readers of my Sam Spallucci books and making new friends and acquaintances.

One such person was a delightful young lady by the name of Frances. She came up to my stall, supported by her crutches, and we got talking. It turned out that we had a major life issue in common: defunct ears! However, whereas mine require, at the most, a day or two in bed or the occasional use of a walking stick, this young woman's auditory issues dominated her life completely, so much in fact that her balance was almost completely non-existent and she had been forced to have one of her inner ears removed and replaced with a cranial induction hearing aid.

However, what is the one thing that I shall remember most about her? Is it her wobbling from side to side as we spoke? Is it her telling me how she had dreaded the surgeon removing part of her skull?

No, it's neither of these. It's her infectious smile. This brave young woman refuses to let her physical disability ruin her life. She takes what she has and and just runs with it.

She is a shining example to us all.

Don't forget, you can catch up with my writing bits and pieces at the following places:

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