JACK THE RIPPER

WHO WAS JACK THE RIPPER?????

HERE

Includes actual Ripper related documents, a members area and forum - join the debate

THE WORLD'S GREATEST 99cent AUTHOR- JOHN LOCKE INTERVIEW

UPDATE - Since this interview took place it has emerged that John Locke paid for positive reviews of his books on Amazon. He decided against putting this information in his HOW TO eBook and so some of the answers in this interview should be taken with a pinch of salt.


Author, John Locke seems to have come out of nowhere - from obscurity to bestsellerdom in an instant - "My background is niche marketing, where I built a successful business selling specialty insurance, and then another one, investing in specialty real estate. So the first time I saw the business model for selling eBooks on Kindle, my eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas. Why? Because Kindle doesn’t just level the playing field for self-published authors, it actually slants it in our favour."

Wanting to know more about the writer the Archive pinned him down for a brief question/answer session.


"Specifically, I saw that a self-published book could be offered on Kindle for 99 cents, and still turn a 35 cent profit. I was stunned! I walked around in a daze for, well, days, trying to explain to people what that meant. No one seemed impressed. To me it was like receiving the keys to the kingdom, and I immediately set a goal to become the world’s greatest 99-cent author." JOHN LOCKE

TA:Every 7 seconds, 24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world – How does a new writer get noticed amongst all the other eBooks out there?

JL: For me it was a full year of trying everything, and building a loyal support team one email at a time. I used social media to build a network of friends, and they spread the word, and my blogs attracted large numbers of readers, who also spread the word. It was grassroots all the way.

JOHN LOCKE

TA. I loved your western, Follow the Stone. Why did you suddenly switch to the western genre after the success of your Donovan Creed novels?

JL: I didn’t switch to the western genre, I added it. The Donovan Creed audience is deeper than it is wide. People either love my books or hate them, so once I had as many fans as I could find on my own, I had to come up with a new method of gaining fans. Western readers usually don’t look for the types of books I write, but I felt if they like my westerns, they might give my Creed books a try. I also expect a number of Creed fans to try my westerns. Writing the different genres is like a palate cleanser for my brain, and allows me to come back to either series with a fresh, energized outlook.

TA. I understand you’re close to finishing a follow-up, so can we expect more westerns?

JL: Absolutely! I love writing westerns. I’m writing not just a western series, but a western serial! The story of Emmett and Gentry that began in Follow the Stone will continue from book to book, in sequence. The new book is titled, Don’t Poke the Bear! and it’s a hoot! It should be out before mid-May.

TA: Self-publishing, which you’ve scored a remarkable success with has lost the stigma of old, but from the retailers’ point of view how can we be sure we are going to get a professional product?

JL I pay a professional editor to edit my books. Still, even with books published by traditional publishers, mistakes can occur. When a reader contacts my website to report an error or formatting issue, my publisher gives me instant service, correcting the problem within hours, in most cases.

TA. Self-publicity must be paramount in self-publishing. Any tips?

JL: I used Twitter to build a friendship circle, and attracted others to my personal blog site to expose them to my style of writing. I have also done a number of high-profile guest blogs.

TA. Tell us a little about Donovan Creed? Who is he?

JL:Donovan Creed is a former CIA hit man who kills suspected terrorists for the government, and performs free lance hits for the mob. He’s a smart-aleck tough guy with a heart of bronze. Creed is not a typical hero, who often says and does the wrong thing, has a penchant for call girls, and is almost completely clueless about women. But he has an endearing way about him. He’s like the oversized dog you adopt from the pound against your better judgment that drives you crazy and constantly misbehaves. But just when you’re about to take him back, he saves your life, or surprises you by doing something so unexpected or endearing, he wins you over. So that’s Donovan Creed. He’s the kind of guy women WANT to love and the kind of guy men want to BE.

TA Your books have scores of good reviews on Amazon – you can’t get a following like this without first writing a good book? Any tips for new writers?

JL:Write the types of books you like to read. Build your books around memorable scenes. Write your dialogue the way people actually talk, instead of the way they’re supposed to talk. I always give authors the same advice: don't take yourself too seriously. Write the types of books you like to read. I offer my readers a fun, breezy read. If I can give them some chuckles and hold their interest for a few hours, I feel I've earned my 99 cents. I know I'm on the right track if I laugh out loud when I'm writing a scene. And if I don't laugh out loud several times while writing a book, I don't publish it.










JOHN LOCKE WEBSITE

THE OK CORALL GUNFIGHT

Jack the Ripper and the Wild West - new audio interview

I've just been interviewed by the lovely Morgen Bailey for her popular podcast Bailey's Writing Tips - The main subject was my novel, A Policeman's lot but we also took in Delta Rose and the forthcoming movie, based on my work, LawMaster - find the audio interview over on Morgen Bailey's blog,


The direct link to the show is HERE but check out Morgen;s blog, for links to loads of other interviews as well as interesting content. It's a valuable resource for writers both new and seasoned.

The interview is available as part of the Bailey's Writing Tips Podcast via iTunes or whatever podcast platform you use - you can also subscribe to the podcast HERE. Morgen's website is HERE

The interview took place via Skype this evening and we had some sound interference along the way so apologies in advance for that and I hope it doesn’t detract from your enjoyment of the episode.

THE CREATURE STRIKES TWICE

Now that's a cool Bank Holiday double bill - The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the 1954 creature feature that introduced the Gill-Man and it's 1955 follow up Revenge of the Creature - the latter which featured a small role by the then unknown Clint Eastwood.

It's interesting to note that prior to starting his remake of King Kong, director Peter Jackson was actually considering doing a remake of the Creature from the Black Lagoon. That he opted for King Kong instead is telling, since both movies rely on a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story in a fantasy/horror setting.

The Creature from the Black Lagoon, at age 15 million years old, is the last survivor of its species - a mixture of amphibian and man. When his habitat in the Amazon is disturbed, he attacks those who try to capture it.  Unlike Frankenstein and Dracula who had their roots in Gothic literature, the gill-man was an all original creation by Universal Pictures. Actor Ben Chapman played the creature in the land scenes and  Ricou Browning played the creature for the underwater scenes -  but neither actor achieved the same level of name awareness as other stars of the Universal horror movies, names such as Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Maybe because the Gill-Man required a suit rather than extensive and inventive make-up techniques. That's not to rubbish the suit, though - the creature looks stunning and has been referenced many times in pop culture. The Gill-Man was also the first screen monster known to teenagers in the 1950's, since earlier creations like Frankenstein, the Wolf Man and The Mummy had long since finished their cinema runs and not yet made it to television.

The DVD of The Creature from the Black Lagoon, part of the Universal Creature Features Collection - my edition comes as a double pack, alongside The Mummy. Watching the film these days on a decent set up and you're actually getting a better viewing experience that original cinema audiences. Back in the day they wouldn't have had the crisp digital picture and booming soundtrack. The disc comes in 2.0 Mono but put through a surround system really delivers. And the black and white transfer in incredibly crisp.

The disc is also heavy with special features with a great all original documentary and a fascinating commentary from film historian Tom Weaver.

But what about the movie?

 Well modern viewers will either love it or find it too corny - but if you can sit back and allow yourself to become lost in the movie, a great experience is waiting. The acting style is very much of its period, bigger than modern screen acting and almost theatrical, the locations used like a stage set. That the film was largely made on a Universal back lot doesn't show and the Amazon of the movie truly looks like a dark and mysterious place. Most of the underwater scenes were filmed in Florida because of the clarity of the water.

One famous scene where the monster swims unseen below the lovely Julia Adams is very daring and almost simulates lovemaking. The scene in excellently out together and it is this scene maybe more than any other that humanises the Gill-Man.

 Lead actor, Richard Carlson is very affective as the 1950's square jawed, heroic scientist and there's a lot of this character in Indiana Jones and indeed both Spielberg and George Lucus have both mentioned the influence of this movie on their creation. Spielberg's Jaws also owes a lot this this all time classic and the early appearances of the giant shark are presented in the same way as Gill-Man in introduced - first we get the odd shot of a webbed hand or a fin before eventually seeing the full magnificent creation.

The original movie was in 3D and it's a pity we can't see it this way today - hopefully one day a 3D version will be released onto DVD or Blu-Ray. 


Revenge of the Creature which hit cinemas a year later - by the same director, Jack Arnold it doesn't quite match the original but it's a good enough movie. The law of diminishing returns seemed to have applied even way back then.

 It's basically the same plot - creature gets the hots for attractive young woman and goes on a hormone fuelled rampage. Only this time the creature is at loose in the big city.

As mentioned previously Clint Eastwood turns up early in the movie - he may have been a future superstar but back then he was unknown and his small scene is unremarkable. It, like the original movie, was also shot in 3D but the current DVD release is the standard version. 


There was also another movie - 1956's, The Creature Walks Among Us - as of yet I've not seen this movie, but have just ordered the box set from Amazon so expect a review here soon.


The original is the best but both movies hold up well (indeed the ecological subtext is perhaps even more relevant today)  and the creature is truly an important part of fantasy cinema. They sure don't make em like this anymore...more's the pity.
 

TAINTED STATS

Weekly Stats Report: 25 Apr - 1 May 2011
Project: THE TAINTED ARCHIVE
URL: http://tainted-archive.blogspot.com/

	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total	Avg
Pageloads	973	993	917	860	843	1,093	913	6,592	942
Unique Visitors	719	747	675	643	618	874	669	4,945	706
First Time Visitors	680	709	641	606	584	846	635	4,701	672
Returning Visitors	39	38	34	37	34	28	34	244	35

The Archive's Sunday Comics - One for the birds!!

Whilst the Archive is a macho domain (hey, around here we don't even wash our hands before dinner! Nor do we get out of the bath for a pee!) let it not to be said that we don't have a softer side. For although we are manly with a capital, Grrrr, we also have our poetic moments, times when we skip through the wild flowers in the meadow and gaze longingly at pictures of David Beckham in his Calvin Kleins - OK now that's going too far!

And so for this week's Sunday Comics we are featuring a strip from Girl's World Annual 1968.

Yep,  it's chic-lit week for Sunday Comics!



Remember click on any of the images to enlarge.
 
Back in the 1960s, a remarkable trio of sisters, Gwen, Shirley and Pat Tourret, drew strips galore for now-forgotten weeklies and annuals -- and even a daily newspaper -- between book illustration and other assignments. Their artwork for romance and girls' comics was brilliant, and it's not always easy to tell their styles apart.

We think the beautiful Tell it to Emma! was drawn by the talented Gwen Tourret and appeared in Girls' World Annual 1968, which was a sister publication to Boys' World Annual from publisher Odhams.



The boys' title was originally based around a weekly comic, like most annuals of that era. Costing many shillings, annuals appeared in the last quarter of the year previous to the one for which they were dated. They were prized as Christmas gifts from mums and dads and aunts and uncles. While buying their weekly comic papers from the newsagent or bookseller for pocket-money pennies, kids would look covetously for months at the sumptuous, glossy-covered, hardcover annuals associated with them, hoping at least one would turn up in their Christmas stocking. A feast of holiday entertainment!

Girls' World was never a weekly comic, though its content mirrored in many ways the same stable's weekly called simply Girl, which had run from 1950 to 1964 as the female counterpart to the famous Eagle.