Today it's my turn on the BlogTour What Lies Around Us by Andrew Crofts. It's a suspense thriller, with strong political, socio-economic and environmental issues, and a crime element to boot.
Andrew Crofts is a ghostwriter and author who has published more than eighty books, a dozen of which were Sunday Times number one bestsellers. He has also guided a number of international clients successfully through the minefield of independent publishing.
His books on writing include "Ghostwriting", (A&C Black) and "The Freelance Writer's Handbook", (Piatkus), which has been reprinted eight times over twenty years.
Throughout his bestseller, "The Ghost", Robert Harris quotes Andrew's seminal book, "Ghostwriting". Harris's book went on to become a major movie by the same name, directed by Roman Polanski and starring Ewan McGregor as the eponymous ghost. The opening lines in Robert Harris's book sum up Andrew's philosophy:
"Of all the advantages ghosting offers, one of the greatest must be the opportunity that you get to meet people of interest".
Andrew was on the Management Committee of the Society of Authors from 2012 to 2015. He lectures on the subject of making a living from writing at Kingston University, presents Masterclasses on the subject at The Guardian and frequently guests at writing workshops, literary festivals and in the media. He blogs regularly on matters pertaining to publishing, self-publishing and writing.
About the book
'It is possible that since this book's publication you will have heard that I have died in 'suspicious circumstances'. Obviously I hope that will not be the case, but I believe it is worth taking the risk in order to get this story out there.
Why would one of Silicon Valley's most powerful billionaires offer a British ghostwriter a million dollars to write the autobiography of Hollywood's biggest star?
Only once he is living and working among the world's richest and most beautiful people does the ghost realise that there is way more than a publishing deal at stake.
The ghostwriter must face the dark underbelly of the tech industry. He must face corruption and manipulation, come to blows with people who will do anything to remain at the top of their game and uncover the dark truth behind what it really means to be an influencer . . .
What Lies Around Us takes the reader into a world of myth-makers and power-brokers and reveals who is really running the world. Who is telling the stories and controlling the way we all think with a mixture of old media, social media and fake media?
Would you sign an NDA without knowing to whom it refers, and agree to ghostwrite a book without knowing what the content is supposed to be? Is it just a matter of the price being right?
The price is it right for Andrew and perhaps more so because he is intrigued by the man doing the convincing. Who is behind the powerful billionaire? Has Andrew got himself into something he has no way to control.
What starts out as the dream job - ghostwriting a book for a famous person, someone Andrew has always admired, takes a turn towards the bizarre. Eventually he regrets signing that NDA.
Here's the thing, it's a book written by a ghostwriter called Andrew who has written a book called The Secrets of an Italian Gardener about a ghostwriter called Andrew who has written a book called The Secrets of an Italian Gardener. Are we still talking fiction here, perhaps a wee bit of fiction and a large portion of truth or small truths and lots of fiction?
I tell you what it puts a whole other layer of complexity on the read, because Crofts has intentionally spun the story in a way that leaves the reader pondering, thinking and doubting. I wonder if this element of bouncing the reader between reality, facts, opinion and fiction was supposed to leave us wondering about everything, even after putting this book down.
It's a suspense thriller, with strong political, socio-economic and environmental issues, and a crime element to boot. Crofts lulls the reader into a false sense of ease with the first part of the read, and then takes them on a whirlwind of a ride for the second half.
Side note - If the author ever needs to look into another career path then I think he would make an excellent mentalist. The low-level persuasion techniques work - buys The Secrets of an Italian Gardener.
Buy What Lies Around Us at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Red Door Publishing Ltd, pub date 13 Jun. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.
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