#BadMoonRising: Jack the Ripper Live and Uncut by Matt Leyshon #thriller #TuesdayBookBlog

On By Teri PolenIn Bad Moon Rising

Mention the name Jack the Ripper, and it conjures images of blood, death, and mutilated bodies.  Most of us have read books about him, or novels with characters based on Jack.  Today’s featured author is here with his version of this unidentified serial killer.  Welcome Matt Leyshon!

You’re in a horror movie.  Are you the final person, the first to die, the comic relief, the skeptic, the smart one, or the killer?

I think I could be any one of these, but I’ll go with the smart one. Skeptic and killer are definitely not me.

Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, or zombies – which would you least want to meet in a dark alley?

Werewolves I think. Vampires, I could make crosses out of anything, ghosts can scare, but not hurt, and zombies I feel I could out run or climb.

Creepiest thing that’s ever happened while you were alone?

When I was twenty I had a dream in which I was combing my hair. When I went to the bathroom in the morning my hair was neatly combed.

How do you develop your plots and characters?

I usually establish an outline to for the backbone to work on. I will remove some thing and add others as I write the story but I usually want to have a foundation in place. For my stories, research is essential so preparing before writing is basically mandated.

For characters I create a profile of them and determine a description of them physically as well as pretending to be somebody who knows them best and was asked to describe them in 10 words. That lays the ground work for what persona they are going to have and it also defines their action in the story.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?

Many things, but if I had to describe my literary idols it would be Martin Cruz Smith, Edgar Allan Poe, Ben Elton, James Patterson and Dan Brown.

I would say my writing is a hybrid of all of these authors. Cruz Smith (character development), Poe (writing that is creepy/eerie, focus is on turning the creep factor up to 11, not the gore), Elton (humor, even in a crisis), Patterson (cliff hanger chapters that urge the reader to continue) and Brown (braiding historical lore with fiction as well as giving readers puzzles to solve).

What are you working on now?

A sequel to Live and UnCut, expanding on the Carl Axford mysteries, using time travel to solve famous cold cases.

The latest/second installment presents the notion that half a dozen famous musician deaths, (that have been ruled accidental or suspicious), are connected and there is potentially a present day target. The working title is “Cult Following: A Carl Axford Mystery”/ I am 200 pages in at this point and am enjoying it a lot. My proof readers have given it a very enthusiastic thumbs up as well, which definitely fuels me to write more.

When you want to solve the greatest cold cases of all time, you don’t find the witnesses, you become the witness.”

Investigative Reporter Carl Axford is offered the story of a lifetime. When recruited by Limbo, (a covert group that uses unique technology to solve cold cases), Axford is presented the chance to crack the greatest cold case in existence. Catch Jack The Ripper!

The opportunity of a front row seat to the Jack The Ripper murders seems too good to be true. What will Axford discover in 1888? Will he be able to identify history’s greatest criminal and bring him to justice? Or does Victorian Whitechapel hold further secrets that influence events of the past as well as the present?

Jack The Ripper may not be the only mystery Axford has to solve.

Buy Link:  https://matt-leyshon.com/store/

Author Bio

I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, before moving to the USA and have been here for the last 14 years. I am a humble Solutions Architect for a software company by day before morphing into a fervent writer at night.

Since the age of six I received my first encouragement to write from my 1st Grade teacher and have always enjoyed writing. I like to tell stories, but the promise made to Ms Gooch way back when has taken me nearly 4 decades to fulfill that promise.

My family, friends and colleagues will be the first to tell you I am not short of a word.

“Jack the Ripper: Live and UnCut” is my first published novel. I plan to grow this book into a series featuring many of the core characters from Live and UnCut. Other great unsolved cold cases will be subject to investigation through the use of time travel. Carl Axford has other adventures ahead.

I have also appeared as a panelist on Rippercast and at Rippercon, to discuss Live and UnCut as well as Jack the Ripper in fiction. I have appeared in several episodes of the Star Chamber podcasts and featured at the New Author Breakfast at Bouchercon.

I currently live in Tampa, Florida, with my wonderful wife Susan and my gorgeous children Reece and Charlotte.

Social Media

Website
http://www.matt-leyshon.com
FaceBook
Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100018687133566
Live and UnCut Page – https://www.facebook.com/JTRLiveAndUnCut/

Twitter
@mleyshonauth

Instagram
mattlleyshonauth9

Represented by
Victress Literary
@victresslit

44 thoughts on “#BadMoonRising: Jack the Ripper Live and Uncut by Matt Leyshon #thriller #TuesdayBookBlog”

    2. Hi Mae,

      Please see my detailed comment below. I have had to remove the book from Amazon, but for very good reason. If Paperback is not your thing, let’s talk. A tangible copy will come signed and at the same price as Amazon’s listing 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. This book has been loved by the Ripper Community Staci. Ripperologist Magazine, The Whitechapel Society, The Dagger: True Crime Magazine and RedJack have all given it 5 Stars. If you like the Ripper, or even if you’r new to it. This will be a good tale for you to enjoy.

      Thanks for the kind words 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

        1. This is right up your alley. I guarantee it. The book took me 16 months to write which is a long time for a fiction novel. I can guarantee that despite being a Ripper Fiction novel it has more detail about the case and accuracy than almost any other.

          Here is a link to Reviews, The book was nominated for 2 Jack the Ripper Book of the Year awards. The first Award it polled 3rd, but that was fiction and non-fiction combined and a fiction book would win with that crowd. I polled the highest out of the fiction books and polled higher than all of the other non-fictions, bar two obviously.

          The second award does separate fiction and non-fiction. I am currently polling with 3 times the votes as the book coming second. I have 30 years of interest in the case and wanted to write a JTR tale that rookies and experts could enjoy.

          Closing argument for the defense…..check this out. 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply

    2. It’s as up close and personal as it gets Tara. My main character has that type of freedom. Received many a comment about keeping people up at night.

      I don’t sugar coat what Jack did but I don’t glorify or gorify in the violence. Respect is shown to the victims here. Having said that I wanted it to be as creepy as hell!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  7. I love the thought of time travelling back in time to solve mysteries and murders. The book blurb sounds fascinating. I did a ‘Jack The Ripper’ tour in London. It was really creepy, but probably because it was done at nighttime. He’s certainly somebody I’d not want to meet on a dark, cold night.
    The neat hair story is rather creepy, too. Although it did remind me a little of the old movies where beautiful ladies would wake up after a great night’s sleep with full makeup on and not a hair out of place.
    Great to meet Matt and learn more about his books and writing.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. Thanks Hugh, and I appreciate the Twitter love as well.

      I may know your guide on the Ripper Tour. If you remember his name please let me know.

      See comments below. This is definitely an enjoyable tale for Jack fans. Thank you again for the good wishes and kind words.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Alas, I can’t remember his name, Matt. He was dressed up as a Victorian man (the beard he had may have been fake), but it certainly put everyone in the spirit of the tour. Some of the streets in Whitechapel were as scary then as they were in the late 19th century.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  8. Hi Guys,

    Firstly, thank you so much for the interest in the book. It has been removed from Amazon, B&N and generally from publication. The news is good though. I have had to do this as I have been offered representation from a literary agent, who is going to help fight for the book, this series, to find its way into mainstream.

    The only way to buy the book is via the Buy Link Teri has posted above. I still have stock copies that I ordered for live events, conventions and signings. All of that is dialed down now so whatever stock I have left is there till it’s gone. I promise you, the book will return but if you want it in it’s original form now, you will not be disappointed.

    Feel free to contact me on the links above. This book is currently nominated for Jack the Ripper Book of the Year for Fiction and has been embraced by the Ripper community. The second novel in the Axford series, Cult Following, is nearing completion.

    Thank you again for the support and I do hope you wish to read the book.:)
    Matt

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I’m trying to be a ‘reformed panster’, Daniela. I’ve been trying to outline more, but my characters still take me in some unexpected directions. And I agree – the 10 words description is a fantastic idea.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    2. I was recently on a panel that spoke of Plotters vs Pantsers. I said I believe deep down we are both. A pantser still has ideas in their head prior to fleshing out a story and a plotter doesn’t necessarily write an outline that is as large as the book. There is a degree of spontaneity in there.

      The two greatest feelings, as a part of creation, is establishing a plot in your outline that’s going to fit and is airtight. That is also countered by the moments you go off script which I find to be true bliss.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  13. Colleen Chesebro

    Great to meet you, Matt. I’ve watched a few documentaries on the Ripper murders in White Chapel and I find the whole thing rather fascinating. Best wishes on your novel. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. Hello All 🙂

    I wanted to share the news that the Ripperologist community has awarded Live and UnCut the inaugural “Ripper Fiction Award”. They award a book of the year, every year but have now created a separate award for Fiction. As this was the first award they allowed books over the last two years to enter.

    Wanted to share this with the Ripper fans on here who may have been thinking about wanting a copy. There are still some available but copies are about to run out.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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