Hot Dog!

It may be obvious by now that I am rather keen on dogs - well, most dogs, that is. So I want to tell you about Barney, a collie cross, who works for the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service. (Click here to see a picture of him and his owner, Kerry Burns (yes, that really is her name; how appropriate!). Barney wears special little boots so he can safely tread through the dangerous remains of fire damaged building sniffing out for signs of arson. He can identify 12 different flammable liquids and is a real specialist: there are only 16 other fire dogs working in the whole of the UK. Since qualifying in 2006, Barney has sniffed out 286 fire scenes. Dogs have a far superior sense of smell than electronic equipment, so Barney is invaluable. His other job is as a 'fire prevention ambassador' when schoolchildren visit his fire station.

Barney's success is down to highly skilled training. His drive and determination means he can work at fire scenes not readily accessible to human fire investigators. Now eight, Barney is soon to retire gracefully and relax as Kerry's much loved pet. Knowing collies, he likes his work. So I wonder if he's really looking forward to  hanging up his boots.

So, there you go, never underestimate a collie. Which is worth pointing out, given one plays a really important role in my book Sandman.

My novel, 'SANDMAN', is now available to purchase

My novel, 'SANDMAN' is now available to order. Yes! At last we got there. For details of this psychologcal thriller and how to buy it, please click here. I hope it will at least get into the shops near the real location in Dorset, England, during August, but if you are interested, just order it now from Amazon or any good bookshop.

The unreadable stuff near the bottom of the cover image shown right  is the following endorsement from Sophie King, bestselling author of The Wedding Party:

'A gripping psychological read with characters that reach out and grab you. A real page-turner.'

(Thanks a lot for that, Sophie!)

Here is a copy of the rear cover blurb:

Lazing through hot summer days at their beach hut, life seems just about perfect for the Vincent family - until their peace is shattered by murder. An incident between Paul Vincent and Stevie Clarke - an unbalanced beachcomber known by some as 'The Sandman' - leads Paul to inform the police he believes Clarke is the murderer. This provokes frightening and prolonged reprisals against the family from Clarke. Matters deteriorate further when Leah, Paul’s teenage daughter, unwittingly reveals evidence to the police that implicates her own father. This gripping psychological thriller places turbulent emotions in stark contrast to beautiful surroundings, testimony to the fragile nature of tranquility.

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‘SANDMAN touches our primary emotions: jealousy, love, fear, guilt, hatred, and grief... Kingsley has written an intriguing mystery/psychological thriller with interesting, believable and well-developed characters. There are twists, turns, red herrings, and a healthy dose of hair-raising fear and suspense to keep even the most fickle reader captivated. The dialogue is authentic, and, along with the scene-painting narrative, you’ll feel like you’re on the beach witnessing the unfolding action’

-WILLIAM POTTER, Reader’s Choice Book Reviews

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The author's website, iankingsley.com, reveals the beautiful settings used for this novel at Mudeford Sandbank and Hengistbury Head in Dorset, England.

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Please check this novel out. Thanks! If you buy it, I do hope you enjoy it - and that I hear from you!

Mudeford Sandbank and Christchurch Contacts Sought in connection with my Novel: 'SANDMAN'

My novel SANDMAN, set at Mudeford Sandbank, Hengistbury Head and Christchurch, will be available later in August 2010. I would love to hear from anyone with a website covering these areas with a view to offering reciprocal links (bringing 'eyeballs' rather than 'ranking').

I shall also be including a few advertisements from local establishments (eg B&B, hotels, cafes, and stuff to interest tourists), so please also contact me if this is of interest; it will help boost my small marketing budget for the novel! Check out my author website at http://www.iankingsley.com/ to see what I am talking about!