My first guest – Darren Craske

(Note to reader: I’m giving away a copy of ‘The Equivoque Principle’ and a copy of ‘The Eleventh Plague’ to one lucky reader and all details can be found at the end of this post)

Hello you.

First of all, I am not Caroline Smailes. There. We got that out of the way, just so there’s no confusion. My name is Darren Craske, and I am the writer of the Cornelius Quaint Chronicles (The Equivoque Principle and The Eleventh Plague so far). I have been an admirer of Caroline’s work for many a year now, and so I’m thrilled that she’s let me borrow her seat for today (it’s still warm, in case you’re wondering). I’m here to do some shameless plugging, folks. I just want to put all my cards on the table to make sure there’s no misdirection, and assure you that this is no trick and no illusion.

And now (with a link that The One Show would be proud of) I am going to tell you what I do – simply put: I write stories about the adventures of Cornelius Quaint, professional conjuror and owner of Dr Marvello’s Travelling Circus. Part Sherlock Holmes, part Indiana Jones, and part Harry Houdini. The books are full of larger than life characters thrust into perilous situations, facing insurmountable odds and personal tragedy in the battle against evil in all its varied forms. Those who regularly visit this site might have read Caroline interview me some time back when The Equivoque Principle was released last year, so we don’t need to tread familiar ground. Instead, I want to take some of your time to talk about the sequel to Equivoque, called The Eleventh Plague.

Something that is a shame is that most readers merely assumed that Equivoque was just a boisterous, exciting and unpredictable piece of Victorian detective fiction, without realising the concept behind it. Without giving too much away to those of you who might not have read it – it is no coincidence that my main character happens to be a conjuror – a man skilled in the art of misdirection. Mysteriously teasing enough for you?

Once The Eleventh Plague is released on March 4^th 2010, readers will be very surprised at the direction the series takes, and where it can go from there. No more dingy London backstreets, hansom cabs and grimy tenement buildings on the Thames, this book builds on the foundations of the first book, and will pick you up for a thrilling ride from one cliffhanger to another – by way of a death defying escape or two. I am very proud of this book, because not only is it all that I originally intended when I was plotting it a few years back, but because it’s become far better than I could have imagined. I am very confident that you’re going to love it, and as someone not used to blowing my own trumpet, I wouldn’t say that unless I really meant it. Plague is better in every imaginable way, which is exactly what a sequel should be – familiar, yet taking things to another level with a brand new cast of characters to love and hate.

My time is up, and to be honest, filling Caroline’s shoes is getting a mite uncomfortable anyway – the toes are far too pointy. All I will say is in The Eleventh Plague, Cornelius Quaint will face insurmountable challenges, ancient Egyptian curses, desert thieves and dastardly villains – but beyond all that, there is far more going on beneath the surface, as those of you who stick with the series will discover.

Thank you for lending me your eyes today, and if you fancy tagging along on Quaint’s adventures, I know that both he and I will be glad to have you onboard. Thanks once again to the sublimely talented shooting star, Caroline Smailes for the airtime.

Darren Craske

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About The Guest: Darren Craske is the author of the Cornelius Quaint Chronicles amongst other things, and lives in Hampshire with his wife and two children. His first published work was ‘The Equivoque Principle’ to be followed by its sequel, ‘The Eleventh Plague’ on March 4th, 2010. His website can be found here and he is on twitter @DarrenCraske.

About The Guest’s Books:

‘The Eleventh Plague’ (book 2 of the Cornelius Quaint Chronicles) – is released in paperback by The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins on March 4 and can be bought HERE. And, ‘The Equivoque Principle’ (book 1 of the Cornelius Quaint Chronicles) can be bought in paperback or in hardback.

About The Guest’s Free Stuff:

As well as a little sneaky peeky at ‘The Eleventh Plague’ – ‘The Equivoque Principle’ is being offered as a FREE download for a limited time via this link and also on Kindle via this link.

And, Mr Pack at The Friday Project has agreed that I can give away a copy of ‘The Equivoque Principle’ and a copy of ‘The Eleventh Plague‘. To win both, all you have to do is leave a ‘please pick me’ comment by 3pm (GMT) March 5, then I’ll pop all names in a mug and ask a small child to select a winner. This competition is open to all.