Life of a Nerdish Mum: Rob Ashman

Showing posts with label Rob Ashman. Show all posts

Sunday, 13 August 2017

Pay The Penance by Rob Ashman - Blog Tour Guest Post

Today Life Of A Nerdish Mum is taking part in the blog tour for Pay The Penance by Rob Ashman, the third book in the Mechanic Trilogy.

Pay The Penance

Murder. Corruption. Revenge.

Lucas has been tracking a killer, known as Mechanic, when his world is shattered. Unable to continue his hunt for the murderer he is forced to rely on his friend and colleague Dick Harper. But Harper has a knack for not playing by the rules. He doesn’t disappoint.

Meanwhile Detective Moran is trying to piece her life back together. The police stumble upon new evidence without grasping its significance. She has to divert the investigation if she is to survive.

The police are closer to Mechanic than they realise which puts Moran right in the firing line.

Mechanic, as usual, has other plans and the consequences for Lucas and Harper are terrifying…

Guest Post - House-husband and writer.

I am lucky enough to be able to write full time. My wife Karen has a responsible job and works hard to keep me in the luxury to which I have become accustomed, so I have taken on the responsibility for running the house. Well, it seems only fair.

My day starts at 6am when the radio goes off for the news. I get up, make tea and fix Karen’s pack lunch while she gets ready for work. Then I make a start around 6.30.

If I am in full blown writing mode the words start flowing straight away. It’s as if my characters have been waiting for me to wake up and they compete for my attention, each one eager to tell me their side of the story. I write in bed until about 8am, then get up and have breakfast and check my social media.

By 9am I am back at my desk, well when I say my desk, I mean whatever room feels right. I write in the dining room, my office, the lounge, the kids bedrooms and out on the patio when the weather is good. I find that helps to keep the dreaded writer’s block at bay. I also write in two local cafes and the library. I like to keep moving around, it keeps my thinking fresh.

I normally stop for lunch at midday while catching up with the news and respond to Facebook and Twitter messages. Though sometimes I am so engrossed in my writing that I lose all sense of time. This normally culminates with me running out of steam and starving hungry, I look up from my work to find it’s 2.30pm and I haven’t moved.

I try to be really disciplined with social media because it eats up the time. To help this I switch off the wifi on my laptop to ensure I am not tempted when I should be writing. If I want a break I do the food shop or the washing which helps me get things straight in my head for the next time I am sat at my keyboard.

The time flies by and in the blink of an eye it is 6pm when I stop to prepare dinner. Cooking is a great source of relaxation for me, I reckon I am really a frustrated chef. If I am on a roll I will start work again at around 8pm and write until I’m done. There are times when I finally pack away my laptop in the small hours of the morning. When the voices are in full flow you have to go with it.

My friends are hugely supportive of my writing and are always asking how I have spent my day. I tell them that I watch day time TV in between taking naps. They are fine with that.

About The Author

Rob is married to Karen with two grown up daughters. He is originally from South Wales and after moving around with work settled in North Lincolnshire where he’s spent the last twenty-two years.

Like all good welsh valley boys Rob worked for the National Coal Board after leaving school at sixteen and went to University at the tender age of twenty-three when the pit closures began to bite. Since then he’s worked in a variety of manufacturing and consulting roles both in the UK and abroad.

It took Rob twenty-four years to write his first book. He only became serious about writing it when his dad got cancer. It was an aggressive illness and Rob gave up work for three months to look after him and his mum. Writing Those That Remain became his coping mechanism. After he wrote the book his family encouraged him to continue, so not being one for half measures, Rob got himself made redundant, went self-employed so he could devote more time to writing and four years later the Mechanic Trilogy is the result.

When he is not writing, Rob is a frustrated chef with a liking for beer and prosecco, and is known for occasional outbreaks of dancing.

Rob is delighted that all three books in the Mechanic Trilogy will be published with Bloodhound Books in 2017.

Those That Remain – 22 June

In Your Name – 13 July

Pay The Penance – 8 August

Rob now writes full time and has recently completed his fourth novel titled Faceless.

To Connect With Rob Ashman

Twitter tag : @RobAshmanAuthor

Facebook author page : Rob Ashman Author

Website link : www.robashman.com

Don't Forget To Check Out The Rest Of The Tour

Monday, 17 July 2017

In Your Name by Rob Ashman - Blog Tour Guest Post

Life Of A Nerdish Mum is playing host to Rob Ashman today as part of the blog tour for latest release, In Your Name! Rob talks about just how long it took him to write that all important first book, but first here is the synopsis of In Your Name.

In Your Name

Police detective Lucas has become consumed with tracking down the deranged killer, known as Mechanic, and bringing the murderer to justice. Nothing else matters, not even his wife. His marriage is falling apart.

Mechanic has not killed for eight months and the trail has gone cold, then Lucas receives a terrifying letter. In a desperate bid to reignite the case, he tries to convince his boss to mount an operation in Baton Rouge where the letter was posted.

But was the letter really sent by Mechanic?

Not knowing where to turn, with his marriage in turmoil and his career on the rocks, Lucas begins to spiral out of control.

When Mechanic meets the head of a drug smuggling cartel the situation takes a grave turn.

Meanwhile, a bizarre set of murders are taking place in Vegas and Detective Rebecca Moran is put on the case. She will stop at nothing to make a name for herself.

Is there a link between the murders and Mechanic?

Can Lucas apprehend the killer this time or will Mechanic remain one step ahead?

Guest Post - How long did it take!

It took me 24 years to write my first book. Yes, you read that correctly. The story was stuck in my head for all that time and it drove my wife around the bend.

I only got serious about writing when my dad got cancer. It was a particularly aggressive illness so I gave up work for three months to look after him and my mum. Writing Those That Remain was my coping mechanism. After he died and I finished it, my wife and daughters read the book and said, ‘This is really good, you need to do something with it and besides the story isn’t finished.’

Now, like most married men, I always listen to my wife, but when she said ‘You need to do something with this,’ what I heard was ‘Why don’t you quit your job and write.’ Though I’m sure in retrospect that is not quite what she meant. However, not being one for half measures, I got myself made redundant, set myself up as self-employed so I could write more and four years later I had written the Mechanic trilogy.

I never set out to write a trilogy and would probably not write one again. My wife reckons the only reason it turned out that way was due to a catastrophic lack of planning on my part – as usual she’s probably right.

I have recently completed my fourth novel and have started a fifth. I am pleased to say my writing is getting quicker, because at my previous rate I would be 96 years old by now.