Binary Witness
by Rosie
Claverton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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BLURB:
Police
detectives rely on Amy Lane to track the digital debris of their most elusive
criminals--when she's not in the throes of a panic attack. After two students
disappear in Cardiff, Amy uncovers photographic evidence that they've been
murdered. From the safety of her computer, she looks through the city's digital
eyes to trace the steps of a killer.
Amy's
investigation requires footwork, however, and the agoraphobic genius can't hack
it alone. She turns to her newly-hired cleaner, ex-con Jason Carr. Jason is
fascinated by both Amy and the work, and can't refuse even when she sends him
into situations that risk returning him to prison.
The
killer strikes again and again, and Amy and Jason are the only investigators
closing in on him. But Amy's psyche is cracking under the strain, and Jason's
past is catching up with him. To stop the next murder, they must hold their
unconventional partnership together at any cost.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
#1: Jason
meets Amy
The air was
stale, like the old attic at his nan’s house. Beneath his feet, the carpet was
dusty and covered in what looked like wood chippings. The hallway opened out to
the left to reveal the living room, with decent furniture gone bad, dirty and
worn.
“Hello?”
Jason ventured farther into the flat and tried to get his heart rate down. And
then he saw her.
The first
impression he had was of metal—three flatscreen monitors, surrounded by
computer towers and metal boxes, two keyboards, and wires taped haphazardly to
the marked grey walls. Before this shrine to technology, a young woman sat in a
high-backed office chair, typing on one of the keyboards. She was slight,
drowning in loose casual clothes that had seen better days. Her hair was long,
thick with grease and tied in a rough ponytail, and her skin was sallow, as if
she hadn’t seen the sun or a steak for several weeks. She was also steadfastly
ignoring him.
“So…um…where
do you want me to start?” Jason said with as much cheer as he could muster. Her
fingers never slowed on the keys, typing faster than he could keep up with,
adding to the random words strung together with symbols on her computer screen.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
“Do what you
like.” The voice was barely audible, a cracked whisper that only just reached
him over the clacking keys. She sounded rusty, as if she only spoke twice a
week, and he decided he was unlikely to get any further conversation out of
her. No wonder her sister was in Australia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let's Learn a Little About Rosie Claverton:
What is
your writing environment?
When I have a stretch of dedicated writing time, I like to sit at
my bureau with my laptop and hammer away at the keys. But most of my writing
time is stolen between the demands of my day job, so I get used to carrying my index
cards and my tablet on the train and working most anywhere. I actually find the
train one of my most productive writing places because of the lack of
distractions.
Who is your perfect hero and why?
I love a hero who achieves great things despite great personal
difficulties. My favourite has to be Lincoln Rhyme from The Bone Collector by
Jeffrey Deaver. Despite his quadriplegia, he uses his knowledge of New York
City and forensics to excel with his mind where his body fails him. I also like
Dido Kent, creation of Anna Dean. A Georgian spinster limited by her family's
prospects and her unmarried status, she lets her boundless curiosity and thirst
for knowledge take her where the boundaries of society won't let her pass in
person. In a similar way, Amy Lane uses her command of technology to take her
to places that her crippling anxiety won't let her experience in reality.
What authors have caught your interest lately and why?
My TBR pile is constantly threatening to topple over, so I'm
always behind the times! My last read was The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert
Galbraith and I've recently discovered Ngaio Marsh, whose name should always be
mentioned alongside Agatha Christie's.
What type of book have you always wanted to write?
I've always loved mysteries, but mostly because I can never guess
whodunit! Therefore writing my own surprise ending was a considerable
challenge. My early love was science fiction and fantasy, with my late teens
consumed by historical fiction. I guess I would therefore be happiest with an
historical fantastical mystery, which is something I've been tinkering with for
a while now. The trouble with a book that you've always wanted to write is that
the stakes are twice as high, and I really don't want to let myself down.
Top 3 things on your bucket list?
I was lucky to tick off my top choice this year when I finally
visited Rome in March. I studied Classical Civilisations at college and I've
always been passionate about all things ancient. Remaining on the list would be
Cairo and a Nile Cruise, particularly to see Abu Simbel and to visit the Taj
Mahal and the source of the Ganges. However, my dream item is to see one of my
novels billboarded on the London Underground.
How did you get the idea for this particular novel?
I was playing around with possible ideas for NaNoWriMo 2011 and
this one bubbled up to meet me. Usually, when I write, plot comes first and
then I discover the most interesting characters to take that journey. But
Binary Witness was different in that Amy came first – I wanted to tell the
story of this trapped woman who never felt freer than when she was at her
computer, with purpose. Jason was the perfect person for her to challenge her,
with his own rough edges requiring dedication and to find his way. I am
fascinated by identity and how we forge that for ourselves, and these were two
characters in need of definition in their lives.
What is your favorite scene in your new release?
It's so difficult to pick just
one! I think it has to when Jason and the police are hunting down the killer in
a hospital – the University Hospital of Wales, to be exact! – trying to reach
his target before he does. I used to work in that hospital and it was great
turning all that benign personal knowledge into hiding places, back entrances,
hostile healthcare workers. I hope my glee at the keyboard turns into tension
on the page.
What are you working on now and when can we expect it to be available?
I am working on the sequel to Binary Witness, which will be
available from Carina Press in September 2014. It's called Code Runner – Jason
is framed for the murder of a gang runner and Amy throws everything into
proving his innocence. But when his
prison transport is broken open and the guards murdered, Jason is alone in the
Welsh Valleys, on the run from the police, the gangs, and the mastermind behind
Jason's downfall. Amy must hold her fragile mind together while fighting
to find Jason and clear his name. I am awful to Jason in these books. I would
say I'm sorry for it, but that would be lie – I do love putting the boy through
the ringer!
What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I love reading, of course, though
I don't get to enjoy it as much as I would like. I avidly devour crime TV
shows, my favourite of which is Castle (which is not just about my crush on
Nathan Fillion!). I also love cooking and, more importantly, eating and I'm
currently experimenting with Mexican and East Asian cuisine.
What would you consider a perfect date?
A three-course meal of vegetarian
specialities with a bottle of red wine, followed by a night at the theatre –
another of my passions! To reduce my husband's complaining, we'd go for a
comedy play over a musical.
What is one interesting fact about you that readers don’t know?
When I was university, I took up pole dancing
and I was quite good at it. I reached Advanced Level but I had to give it up
when I moved away from Cardiff. The pole is still in pieces in my room at my
parents' house.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Rosie
Claverton grew up in Devon, daughter to a Sri Lankan father and a Norfolk
mother, surrounded by folk mythology and surly sheep. She moved to Cardiff to
study Medicine and adopted Wales as her home. Her short film "Dragon
Chasers" aired on BBC Wales in Autumn 2012. Her debut novel Binary Witness
is due for publication by Carina Press in 2014. Currently exiled to London, she
lives with her journalist husband and their pet hedgehog.
Links:
Facebook
Page: http://www.facebook.com/binarywitness
Series
website: http://amylanemysteries.com
Twitter:
@rosieclaverton
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ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, love the blurb and excerpt. This sounds like an interesting book. Entering under the name of Virginia
ReplyDeleteGlad it intrigued! Thanks for commenting.
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