Celebrating Indie Publishing with Mark Tilbury @MTilburyAuthor

I am so honoured to be welcome Mark Tilbury to join me today on The Quiet Knitter.  Mark has written some truly marvellous books that I’ve absolutely loved, ones that have left me feeling the heebie-jeebies, ones that have creeped me out but each of them has wowed me and left me keen to read more!

Mark Tilbury’s titles include: The Abattoir of Dreams, The Liars Promise, The Revelation Room, The Eyes of The Accused and The Key to Death’s Door.  All of these titles are available to purchase via Amazon UK now.

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Author Feature:

Author Image & bio courtesy of Amazon

Mark lives in a small village in the lovely county of Cumbria, although his books are set in Oxfordshire where he was born and raised.

After serving in the Royal Navy and raising his two daughters after being widowed, Mark finally took the plunge and self-published two books on Amazon, The Revelation Room and The Eyes of the Accused.

He’s always had a keen interest in writing, and is extremely proud to have his fifth novel, The Key to Death’s Door published along with The Liar’s Promise,

The Abattoir of Dreams, and The Ben Whittle Investigations relaunched, by Bloodhound Books.

When he’s not writing, Mark can be found trying and failing to master blues guitar, and taking walks around the beautiful county of Cumbria.

 

What’s your most favourite thing about being an author?

Being in total control of the worlds I create. It’s like being God, and I get to choose who inhabits that world and what they do. I also have the ultimate say over what happens to the bad guys, and I get a lot of satisfaction from that.

What’s your least favourite thing about being an author?

Editing. I have to constantly tell myself that it’s necessary, but the biggest downside is realising that I need to remove large chunks of text due to my tendency to ‘let it all go’ during the first draft.

If you could have written any book what would it be and why?

Misery by Stephen King. I just love the simplicity of the plot and the suspense created as Paul Sheldon tries to escape the clutches of his number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Her contradictions showed me the antagonist in a different light. I just love the way she deplored swearing, but could chop off a man’s foot without missing a beat. Priceless!

How do you spend your time when you’re not wrapped up plotting your next book?

Playing guitar (badly), going for walks in the lovely county of Cumbria and seeing family.

Do you have a set routine for writing?  Rituals you have to observe? I.e. specific pen, silence, day or night etc.

I can only write in the afternoons. I’ve tried to in the mornings and the evenings, but it just doesn’t seem to happen for one reason or another. So I start at around two, close the curtains, turn on loud music and aim for 2,000 words.

Can you tell me a little about your latest book?  How would you describe it and why should we go read it? 

The Key to Death’s Door is a dark thriller to be published on 16^th April by Bloodhound Books.  It’s a tragic story of death and cruelty, and two friends bound together by a fate spanning several decades. Teenager Lee Hunter nearly drowns after spending the night at a derelict boathouse with his best friend, Charlie Finch. After leaving his body and meeting a mysterious light, Lee is sent back to relive the final days of another life. A life that ended tragically.

After recovering from his near death experience, Lee begins to realise that he is part of two lives linked by the despicable actions of one man. I think it’s my best book to date. It’s original, harrowing and something I’m really proud of.

Finally, if you could impart one pearl of wisdom to your readers, what would it be? 

To always believe in yourself and try to enjoy what you do.

 

My thanks to Mark for joining me today and sharing some really interesting things about himself, I love the idea of The Key to Death’s Door, it sounds absolutely fascinating!  For more information about Mark’s books, follow him on social media or follow his blog.

Social Media Links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MTilburyAuthor
Blog: http://marktilbury.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marktilburyauthor/

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#BlogTour Eyes of The Accused by Mark Tilbury @Bloodhoundbook

Description:

A dark and gripping psychological mystery.

Fresh from the horrors of their last case, private investigators Ben and Maddie are plunged into a disturbing world of terror as they search for missing pregnant girl, Hannah Heath.

Drawn to Frank Crowley, a suspect in Hannah’s disappearance, Maddie is about to come face to face with true evil. As she gets close to Crowley, Maddie will learn all is not what it seems.

Crowley is just a small part of something much larger. Something so terrible and deranged, it defies reason.

When Maddie disappears, Ben is left in a desperate race against time to find her and uncover the truth. 

But can Ben and Maddie both survive this time?

My Thoughts & Review:

This is the second book in the Ben Whittle series, and I would thoroughly recommend checking out the first book The Revelation Room.  However, this book can be read as a stand alone, there are details that link back to the first book but nothing that would impact on this story and leave you feeling like you’ve missed something.

Ben Whittle and Maddie White are Private Investigators working for Ben’s father who owns the Private Investigation company.  Having been hired to find a missing woman named Hannah, who happens to be pregnant and due to give birth soon they embark upon an investigation that will prove to be dangerous for all involved, and when Maddie goes missing Ben knows he must do everything he can to find both women before it’s too late. 

From the very first chapter the reader is hooked, the intensity of the terror and writing style really grab your attention and ensure you are sucked in for the duration of the story.  The narration from Hannah is exceptionally well written, dark and intense, her desperation really comes through, it’s hard not to feel some horror at how she’s been kept.  

The storyline well paced, I felt that it kept my attention throughout, combined with fantastic characters I really struggled to put this one down at bedtime!  The dark humour interjected into this was a thing of greatness, Mark Tilbury shows a brilliant sense of humour through his writing, it adds an extra something to his characters and really brings them alive.

I will definitely be looking out for more from this author, his writing style really appeals to me, the characters are great and I cannot wait to see where he takes them next.

You can buy a copy of “The Eyes of The Accused” via:

Amazon

My thanks to the author and Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to share my review as part of the blog tour.  Why not follow the blog tour for some fantastic reviews, guests posts and extracts from the book:

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#BlogTour #BookReview The Revelation Room by Mark Tilbury

Published: 25 May 2017

Description:

Ben Whittle’s father, a private investigator, has been taken captive by a cult whilst investigating the case of a missing girl. When Ben receives a desperate call from his father asking for help he is drawn into a dark underground world.

As Ben retraces the last known steps of the missing girl he discovers his only option left is to join the cult and rescue his father from the inside.

The leader of the cult, Edward Ebb, is a psychopathic egocentric who uses his position to control his small group of followers in The Sons and Daughters of Salvation. When he initiates Ben into the group it soon becomes apparent how sick and twisted Ebb is.

Ben must find his father and the missing girl, but the odds are stacked against him and time is running out.

Can Ben rescue his father and the girl and escape with his life?
And what is the gruesome secret concealed in the Revelation Room?

The Revelation Room is the first in a new series of psychological mystery thrillers.

My Thoughts & Review:

“The Revelation Room” is the first book in the Ben Whittle series penned by Mark Tilbury and has recently been relaunched by the brilliant Bloodhound Books.  For those already familiar with Tilbury’s work this series will not disappoint, this is a gripping and highly enjoyable psychological thriller.

Ben Whittle’s father Geoff is a private investigator, and has been kidnapped by a dangerous cult called the Sons and Daughters of Salvation.  His only hope of survival is shy and unassuming Ben.  With the help of his friend Maddie, Ben hatches a plan to rescue his father,  but in order for the plan to work he and Maddie will have to infiltrate the cult.
The cult in question is under the control of Edward Ebb, a seriously evil character.  He is a psychopath  that uses his position to brainwash his followers and control them to do his bidding, the rules of the cult are simple, conform to the ways of the Sons and Daughters of Salvation or cease to exist.

Characterisation in this is superb, Ben is a great character that many readers will have a liking towards, his lack of confidence is endearing and seeing him confronting his fears makes for great character development.  His crush on Maddie helps drive him on, she is the embodiment of the confidence and bravery he doesn’t have.  Edward Ebb, is quite possibly one of the best evil characters I’ve read for a while, so disturbing and he left me with a sense of dread whenever he appeared (in a good way!).
Coupled with the foreboding darkness is some wonderful humour, I don’t quite know how Tilbury does it, but he masterfully offsets the grim and evil air in this book with some impressive dark humour that just tops this book off perfectly.

The pacing of “The Revelation Room” is akin to a whirlpool.  Once it’s grabbed hold of you there is no letting go, it’s a gripping read that I devoured quickly, I was so keen to find out what would happen next that I could not put it down.
Now on to book two of the series “The Eyes of The Accused”……

You can buy a copy of “The Revelation Room” via:

Amazon
Wordery
The Book Depository

My thanks to Mark Tilbury and Sarah Hardy at Bloodhound Books for the opportunity to read this and take part in the blog tour.

Follow the blog tour – today over on Crime Book Junkie Noelle is hosting a chapter extract that I am sure will hook your interest!  Why not pop over and check it out!

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