My new video trailer for Abandoned can be viewed here:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2316008260575176&hl=en
Thursday 31 July 2008
Saturday 21 June 2008
Amazon review
Hi folks. Just had another review on Amazon, you can read it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0955691109/ref=nosim/findthelowesb-21
The book is now available in all West Highland bookstores, and will shortly be reviewed in the Inverness Chronicle. Watch this space.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0955691109/ref=nosim/findthelowesb-21
The book is now available in all West Highland bookstores, and will shortly be reviewed in the Inverness Chronicle. Watch this space.
Friday 6 June 2008
Interview with New Writing International
I have had an interview published by NWI (formerly the Leicester Review of Books), and you can read it here:
http://leicesterreviewofbooks.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/interview-jeanette-mccarthy-author-of-abandoned/
http://leicesterreviewofbooks.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/interview-jeanette-mccarthy-author-of-abandoned/
Saturday 24 May 2008
LATEST REVIEWS OF 'ABANDONED'
Mike Dole, ex-Soldier, mentally scarred by his military experiences and an abusive childhood is smotheringly over-protective of his girlfriend, Tess. Until the day she inadvertently triggers the darker side of his nature.
As a result Tess wakes from a drugged slumber to find herself abandoned, with only a very basic survival kit, on a small uninhabited Scottish island.
Mike, his mental 'demons' temporarily calmed by this sacrifice takes up with another girl. The police search for the missing Tess and, as one clue leads to another, Mike does a runner and attempts to dump the second girl on the same island.
But Tess has survived and turns the tables. Tess is no longer the timid little thing she once was, and now Mike is the target of a manhunt, by the police and his old major,but the motives for hunting him down aren't as clear cut as one might expect..
The story builds to a surprising climax, and no character is left untouched by the events. This story is - essentially - a 'chase', but with three dimensional characters and surprising depth.
What it most definitely *isn't* is another Rambo pastiche.
Well worth a read.
(John Craggs) April 2008
“An exciting and thought provoking story set against the stunning backdrop of the North West Highlands, and the vibrant city of Leicester”
“a tight narrative style… no words wasted, no long descriptive passages, and plenty of dialogue”
“intriguing and absorbing – with a surprise ending that was immensely satisfying”
“a lot of people will love it because it's thoughtful, and unfolds as it goes instead of exploding in your face. In short, readers, as opposed to those who seem to see books as a second class relative to TV or film”
“it made me think of John Buchan. Buchan's books - the most famous probably being The 39 Steps - were primarily 'chases'. Abandoned is a 'chase' with added depth"
Mike Dole, ex-Soldier, mentally scarred by his military experiences and an abusive childhood is smotheringly over-protective of his girlfriend, Tess. Until the day she inadvertently triggers the darker side of his nature.
As a result Tess wakes from a drugged slumber to find herself abandoned, with only a very basic survival kit, on a small uninhabited Scottish island.
Mike, his mental 'demons' temporarily calmed by this sacrifice takes up with another girl. The police search for the missing Tess and, as one clue leads to another, Mike does a runner and attempts to dump the second girl on the same island.
But Tess has survived and turns the tables. Tess is no longer the timid little thing she once was, and now Mike is the target of a manhunt, by the police and his old major,but the motives for hunting him down aren't as clear cut as one might expect..
The story builds to a surprising climax, and no character is left untouched by the events. This story is - essentially - a 'chase', but with three dimensional characters and surprising depth.
What it most definitely *isn't* is another Rambo pastiche.
Well worth a read.
(John Craggs) April 2008
“An exciting and thought provoking story set against the stunning backdrop of the North West Highlands, and the vibrant city of Leicester”
“a tight narrative style… no words wasted, no long descriptive passages, and plenty of dialogue”
“intriguing and absorbing – with a surprise ending that was immensely satisfying”
“a lot of people will love it because it's thoughtful, and unfolds as it goes instead of exploding in your face. In short, readers, as opposed to those who seem to see books as a second class relative to TV or film”
“it made me think of John Buchan. Buchan's books - the most famous probably being The 39 Steps - were primarily 'chases'. Abandoned is a 'chase' with added depth"
Sunday 4 May 2008
Abandoned
Tess woke up alone in a wood of young trees, with the ozone smell of the sea sharp in the air, and the sound of the waves barely discernable over the thudding of her heart.
A thin drizzle began to fall. She had no idea where she was.
Mike, she thought.
She’d thought at the time that he’d taken it well.
He stood on the doorstep as they exchanged the CDs and books each had borrowed, giving back the little pieces of themselves that they’d shared for a time. She’d asked him in, just to be polite.
No.
If she was honest, and she may as well be now, she asked him in because she was too pathetic to tell him to leave. That was the story of her life.
On that first day, Tess stood and looked around at the hard, unknown landscape, crying like a lost child, fear sizzling in her veins. She pushed freezing fingers into the pocket of her jeans and found a scrap of paper there. As she read it, dread closed a fist round her heart, and she fell to her knees. The words on the paper smeared in the rain and ran together like hieroglyphics. It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to forget those words for a long time.
You said you could look after yourself, they said. Go ahead and try.
A thin drizzle began to fall. She had no idea where she was.
Mike, she thought.
She’d thought at the time that he’d taken it well.
He stood on the doorstep as they exchanged the CDs and books each had borrowed, giving back the little pieces of themselves that they’d shared for a time. She’d asked him in, just to be polite.
No.
If she was honest, and she may as well be now, she asked him in because she was too pathetic to tell him to leave. That was the story of her life.
On that first day, Tess stood and looked around at the hard, unknown landscape, crying like a lost child, fear sizzling in her veins. She pushed freezing fingers into the pocket of her jeans and found a scrap of paper there. As she read it, dread closed a fist round her heart, and she fell to her knees. The words on the paper smeared in the rain and ran together like hieroglyphics. It didn’t matter, because she wasn’t going to forget those words for a long time.
You said you could look after yourself, they said. Go ahead and try.
Saturday 3 May 2008
Now available!
My novel, ABANDONED, is now available to buy from http://www.lulu.com/content/2072117
or direct from me. More information and excerpts can be found at my website: http://www.jeanettemccarthy.co.uk/
or direct from me. More information and excerpts can be found at my website: http://www.jeanettemccarthy.co.uk/
Monday 28 April 2008
Scottish weather
Just got back from two weeks in the highlands. Weather was fabulous, and what made it even better was watching the weather report on TV each morning.
Every day it said the north west would be wet, windy, miserable, blah blah, and yet looking out of the window the sun was coming up behind the mountains in a haze of red and gold. Absolutely stunning. We climbed all the usual hills and didn't get rained on once.
And the dogs adored it. Whether it was rolling in the snow on the top of Cul Mor, or galloping across Achnahaird beach, they had a brilliant time, and returned home each night to snore in front of the wood burner while we enjoyed a beer or two.
The only thing they didn't like was getting their photo taken. You can see this from Briar's face in the photo on Ben an Eoin. That look says it all: Oh for God's sake, not another bloody photo!
Check out http://www.briarcal.co.uk for more gorgeous photos of the Coigach peninsula, one of the most beautiful little corners of the world.
Every day it said the north west would be wet, windy, miserable, blah blah, and yet looking out of the window the sun was coming up behind the mountains in a haze of red and gold. Absolutely stunning. We climbed all the usual hills and didn't get rained on once.
And the dogs adored it. Whether it was rolling in the snow on the top of Cul Mor, or galloping across Achnahaird beach, they had a brilliant time, and returned home each night to snore in front of the wood burner while we enjoyed a beer or two.
The only thing they didn't like was getting their photo taken. You can see this from Briar's face in the photo on Ben an Eoin. That look says it all: Oh for God's sake, not another bloody photo!
Check out http://www.briarcal.co.uk for more gorgeous photos of the Coigach peninsula, one of the most beautiful little corners of the world.
Sunday 2 March 2008
the nights are getting shorter...
The trouble with spring is that it starts to get light too early.
As the owner of three hyperactive dogs who are up and about as soon as the sun leaves Australia, this is a complete pain in the backside. This morning, all three dogs were on the bed before six o'clock, noses poised a careful two centimetres from my face, ready for any sign of wakefulness to bring on a frenzy of tongue lashing. Believe me, after that, I'll get up.
As the owner of three hyperactive dogs who are up and about as soon as the sun leaves Australia, this is a complete pain in the backside. This morning, all three dogs were on the bed before six o'clock, noses poised a careful two centimetres from my face, ready for any sign of wakefulness to bring on a frenzy of tongue lashing. Believe me, after that, I'll get up.
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