Michael Caine’s novel will most likely be rubbish, but I’m glad he’s found his happy ending | Xan Brooks

Most actors make terrible novelists – but writing the ‘cracking thriller’ Deadly Game was life-affirming for the veteran star, so never mind the finished productGod spare us another millionaire actor who fancies themself as a bestselling author –unless the actor is Michael Caine, in which case good on him, raise your glass. The 90-year mainstay of British cinema spent lockdown writing his first novel, tapping away at his iPad every day, toiling to master the intricacies of the craft. “Paragraphs,” he said. “Punctuation, all that.” The book might be awful. It won’t trouble the Man Booker panel. But in finally completing the thing, Caine has indirectly written himself a happy ending of sorts – the most knackered and lovely writer’s cliche of them all.According to Caine’s publishers, Deadly Game is “a cracking thriller with a real voice and a super twist”, although quite frankly, what else would they say? Specifically, it’s about a London DCI, Harry Taylor, who’s on the trail of a stash of uranium. Potential suspects include a posh art dealer called Julian Smythe, and a dodgy oligarch, Vladimir Voldrev. Also in the mix: a couple of neo-Nazis, a Colombian drug cartel (possibly several, going from the press release) and a pair of cockney refuse collectors. Caine says he got the basic idea from a newspaper story he once read about two East End blokes who found uranium on the rubbish tip. Everything else (the Nazis, the Colombians, dodgy Vladimir) is 100% uncut Michael Caine.... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-06-08 12:30:07 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "Michael Caine’s novel will most likely be rubbish, but I’m glad he’s found his happy ending | Xan Brooks"


Don Winslow Crushes GOP’s Favorite Conspiracy Theory With Trump’s Own Words

The bestselling author spots a big flaw in a right-wing conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2022-01-05 09:01:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Only True Name: Who is Elena Ferrante?

Who is Elena Ferrante? One of the most widely-acclaimed and beloved contemporary novelists is also the most unknown. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-29 11:33:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


PW Notable: Beth Moore

Bible teacher and bestselling author Beth Moore made front-page news in March when she announced her departure from the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), explaining to Religion News Service that the world’s largest Baptist denomination is “not in step with the gospel.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-12-17 05:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Electric Lit’s Favorite Novels of 2021

When it comes to great novels, this year felt like an embarrassment of riches. The books collected here are ambitious—in intellect, in scope, in subject matter, and in size. Some are perfect encapsulations of the unique problems of our time, while others illuminate the human threads that connect... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2021-12-16 12:05:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Notable Literary Deaths in 2021

It’s safe to say that in general, 2021 was an improvement on 2020—but that doesn’t mean it was a big one. Among the many disappointments of this year was the fact that we lost far too many members of the literary community, from poets to novelists to editors to critics to publishers. To them, we […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-15 09:49:46 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How Two Novelists and a Poet Made Me Change My Life

Are there certain books with topics you avoid? That you fear may leave you a little worse for wear? Here's what may happen if you read them. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2021-12-07 11:38:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 of the Best Novels and Short Stories about Dogs

Novelists and short-story writers have created some classic narratives about man’s best friend, the dog. But what are the very best stories and novels about dogs? Where should we begin in assessing the classic, canonical literature that features dogs? From Homer’s Odyssey onwards – where the... Continue reading at Interesting Literature

[ Interesting Literature | 2021-12-03 15:00:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Quercus takes two more from O'Leary

Quercus has signed two more standalone novels from bestselling author Beth O’Leary.  Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-01 08:14:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ann Patchett on why she isn't doing a conventional book tour — possibly ever again

Bestselling author Ann Patchett talks about book tours, Tom Hanks and 'These Precious Days,' her new book of essays. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-11-23 14:00:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Kyle Lucia Wu on What Novelists Can Learn From Poets

The following first appeared in Lit Hub’s Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. * While writing my first novel, I was hungry for advice, like many young writers, and soaked up tenets like write every day or wake up before work to go to your desk or hit 1000 words every session. But these... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2021-11-12 09:55:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ken Follett rules out non-fiction and memoir

Bestselling author Ken Follett said "it doesn't appeal" to him to write non-fiction and insists his life lacks the necessary drama for memoir. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-11-06 02:23:57 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Boubacar Boris Diop Wins Prestigious 2022 Neustadt International Prize for Literature

News and Events (c) Rama, Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr NORMAN, OKLA. – World Literature Today, the University of Oklahoma’s award-winning magazine of international literature and culture, announced late Tuesday evening that Boubacar Boris Diop is the 27th... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2021-10-26 21:56:54 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Ware joins S&S UK with 'unputdownable' novel in two-book deal

Simon & Schuster UK has signed an “unputdownable” new book from internationally bestselling author Ruth Ware in a two-book deal. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-26 02:40:30 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Podcast: Author Shea Serrano thinks Mexicans are perfect

We're hanging out with Shea Serrano, who's a bestselling author and probably the nicest cholo nerd around. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2021-10-25 12:00:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bestselling Author Calls Out 'Senator For Sale' Joe Manchin In Damning Video

Don Winslow ripped the conservative West Virginia Democrat for conflicts of interest amid a Senate stalemate over Joe Biden's social policy agenda. Continue reading at The Huffington Post

[ The Huffington Post | 2021-10-19 08:03:21 UTC ]
More news stories like this


That creeping feeling

Fiction that lazily predicts a dystopian, ecologically decimated world is doomed to fail; instead novelists must engage on a new level with the climate crisis Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-18 12:54:39 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Granta launches hunts for Best of Young British Novelists

Granta Magazine has opened submissions for the fifth edition of its Best of Young British Novelists list, to be released in spring 2023. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-13 08:19:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Mystery and Imagination: Close-up on Melinda Leigh

Bestselling author Leigh chatted with PW about her latest novel in the Bree Taggert series, Right Behind Her, and writing believable narratives with enticing, gut-punching mysteries that keep readers up at night. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-10-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Hawkins, Norton and Wheatle to pen Quick Reads 2022 titles

Novelists Paula Hawkins, Graham Norton and Alex Wheatle are among the authors writing short, accessible titles for the Quick Reads literacy programme for 2022. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-26 23:05:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Holly Smale | 'Change happens one story at a time, reminding the world what autism is from the inside'

Holly Smale, bestselling author of the Geek Girl series, discusses how autistic characters, and authors, should no longer be seen as ‘niche’ Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-23 18:27:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this