After He Died by Michael J Malone @michaelJmalone1 @OrendaBooks Blog Tour #AfterHeDied

You need to know who your husband really was…

When Paula Gadd’s husband of almost thirty years dies, just days away from the seventh anniversary of their son, Christopher’s death, her world falls apart. Grieving and bereft, she is stunned when a young woman approaches her at the funeral service, and slips something into her pocket. A note suggesting that Paula’s husband was not all that he seemed…

When the two women eventually meet, a series of revelations challenges everything Paula thought they knew, and it becomes immediately clear that both women’s lives are in very real danger.

Both a dark, twisty slice of domestic noir and taut, explosive psychological thriller, After He Died is also a chilling reminder that the people we trust the most can harbour the deadliest secrets…

After He Died by Michael J Malone was published in paperback by Orenda Books on 20 September 2018, and has been getting some rave reviews;

‘A stark, gripping storyline’ Scots

‘An expert plotter; twists and turns feel properly embedded in the story. It’s a tough high-wire act, balancing believability with surprise, but the author pulls it off with aplomb’ Doug Johnstone, Big Issue

‘A fine, page-turning thriller’ Daily Mail

‘Vivid, visceral and compulsive’ Ian Rankin

‘A terrific read … I read it in one sitting’ Martina Cole

As part of the Blog Tour for After He Died, I'm delighted to welcome Michael here to Random Things today, he's sharing some secrets with us!

10 Things You Don’t Know About Me 

* I used to be blond. (if there’s a pic along with this post you’ll see I’m rocking a more flesh-coloured look these days.)

* I’m right-handed.

* I had a go at writing my first novel when I was about 6 or 7. It was my version of Tarka the Otter. And sadly it’s somewhere in the Cemetery of Lost Jotters.

* I used to do Highland Dancing when I was a wee boy and among other things, danced through the town of Irvine on the back of float during the festival of Marymass. I can’t remember the year. Thankfully there is no photographic evidence.

* Two of my favourite flavours are garlic and cinnamon. Not at the same time I hasten to add.

* My first job was as a milk-boy. I was fourteen and delivered milk throughout my home town – the benefit of which was that I grew to know the place pretty well. My alarm was set for 4:30 every morning - I also grew to hate the sound of my alarm clock.

* I was the fastest boy in my class right through primary school and won the sprint at the school sport’s day every year, apart from my final year at primary school. A new boy joined and he was faster than me. That has haunted me ever since. I wanted the clean sweep. I didn’t have anywhere near the same level of success at Secondary School. Most of the other boys had a growth spurt while I remained a short-arse.

* The first album I ever bought with my own hard-earned was Earth, Wind and Fire’s Greatest Hits.

* My greatest fear for YEARS was speaking in public. Whenever I had to do it I was an utter mess for weeks beforehand. It took hypnosis, learning EFT (you should google it) and lots of forcing myself into the position where I had to do it to help me get over my fear. I knew that as an aspiring author it came as part of the job and I would have to learn to deal with it so I forced myself to do it more and more as the years went on. Now I really enjoy that part of the job. I hope this helps someone out there who is struggling with this. If I can do it, genuinely, so can you.

* After He Died is my tenth book.

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult. 

He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. 

His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In- Residence for an adult gift shop. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers. 

Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call (a non-fiction work about successful modern-day Scots); A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; Beyond the Rage and The Bad Samaritan. 

His psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number one bestseller. 

Michael is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.

Twitter @michaelJmalone1