Local author Michael Ferrier, with two locally-based self-published books already under his belt, is currently working on number three.
It’s absolutely true. Monte-Carlo based author Michael (‘Mike’) Ferrier will be going to Jupiter, no, not that Jupiter – the one in Florida! Having come here in the 1990’s, not really expecting to stay, he prefers it in Monte-Carlo to all the other possible places he could have chosen, he is still here which kind of echoes that fact.
Not only that, but he has published two books ‘The Little Brown Diamond‘ and ‘Mayhem in Monte Carlo‘, plus he is working on a third, all of which are based in and around the area, together with some other far flung destinations.
A book takes Michael around six months to hone. Rather than trudge down the age old and tired agent/publisher route, Michael has self published through Amazon, including for Kindle. Do not kid yourself that this is the answer to any would-be author’s prayers, it is not, it takes determination and grit.
Not only that, the would-be author does not escape the proof-reading, grammar checks, and all that fun stuff one hopes one would miss! Michael, being an ex-advertising man, knows more than most about making sure the finished piece actually delivers – the books do.
You will be asking yourself what sort of books they are. Well, they are fiction in the traditional style with modern twists set in the ‘now’. They move fast. You will get behind the characters in both the sense of being interested in their future (or lack of, as some don’t make it to the end – hope that doesn’t give too much away), but also in understanding how some people’s minds tick. Neat. A good trick if you can do it, Michael in my view has accomplished this with consumate ease.
Here is something extra – if you know someone who wants to improve their English, then these books are really ideal, yes really. Why? Glad you asked. Because they are written in a solid style, crisp, tight sentences and paragraphs, and blissfully short chapters – something I personally appreciate a lot. The dialogues work well.
I am going to go further and say that the scene setting, dialogues and storylines would make great screenplays. My suggestion to Michael was to do just that.
My suggestion for you is to grab one and get stuck in, they move, you will enjoy the experience. If you don’t, then you don’t have to go far to talk to the man himself, unless he is on Jupiter, oops, in Jupiter!! Happy reading.
All photographs © Mike Colquhoun
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