Wednesday 13 October 2010

A Book To Raise Eyebrows

After many years writing for newspapers and magazines throughout the world, I ventured into another unknown and accepted a publisher's invitation to write a book.  It was hard work but both challenging and satisfying ... so I decided to write another.
If you don't know me, you can only imagine the flurry of raised eyebrows when the title emerged, accompanied by a chorus of astonished query.  "What's someone like YOU doing writing something like THAT!"  While it wasn't pornography, The A-Z of Punishment and Torture is, I must admit, in many ways a far cry from anything I had written before.  However, in other respects, it was for me simply a matter of reporting the facts, hard or otherwise which, as a journalist, I had done for decades.  In the same way a surgeon regards his patient as a section of flesh to be probed and corrected, I took the tales of torture and cruelty and wrote them down, without judgement or sentimentality.  I did try to minimise the more gory parts as the object of this book was to inform rather than to shock.  It was intended to present an overview of the ways in which humans have punished each other over the centuries and as a reminder of how some still do.  There are moments of levity to lighten the load and some splendid illustrations. 
Now where shall I turn for my next challenge?

6 comments:

  1. What a lovely start to your new blog, Irene. Every best wish for success. Neil

    ReplyDelete
  2. As a writer of SF / F including the macabre and frequent visitor to real dungeons in my own Britain, I anticipate with gurgles and slobbering your A-Z of Punishment & Torture. All the better as an e-book - easy to search and then to enlarge Cathy's gory illustrations. Congrats.
    Geoff

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck and best wishes to ya, Irene.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is so exciting I am tempted to get myself a reading device to put it on.

    As another author from the BeWrite stable, may I wish you the very very best. I shall be popping in from time to time to hear of your experiences as you go down this road.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Much enjoyed the book, Irene . . . Neil sent me copy. A great read. All the best to you and to John. Look forward to the next one.
    Cheers,
    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  6. Having read the book I can confirm, it is very interesting and informative without being offensive in any way. I'm not a great book-worm but was certainly hooked on this one. Looking forward to the next!
    All the best,
    Ron.

    ReplyDelete