# Hamelin's Child - CWA award-listed psychological thriller



## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Hello. Newbie here with a kindle book uploaded for about 4 weeks now. I'm a UK author and my first kindled novel is a dark psychological thriller which was long-listed for the UK Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award. It's had some great reviews on Amazon.co.uk and is available for 70p there, or 99c on Amazon.com

I'm looking foward to meeting you all (when I can wrestle control of the pc from my teenage daughter!)

Debbie
www.debbiebennett.co.uk

_Michael Redford died on his seventeenth birthday -- the night Eddie picked him up off the street, shot him full of heroin and assaulted him. Now he's Mikey and he works for Joss. With streaked blond hair and a cute smile, he sleeps by day and services clients at night. Sometimes he remembers his old life, but with what he's become now, he knows there is no return to his comfortable middle-class background.

Then he makes a friend in Lee. A child of the streets, Lee demands more from friendship than Mikey is prepared to give. But the police are closing in on them now and Mikey's not sure anymore who he really is -- streetwise Mikey or plain Michael Redford.

Time's running out and Michael has to find some answers ..._

Set in the seedy world of London's drug rings, this book contains strong scenes and adult material.


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## stuartneild (Sep 14, 2010)

Hi Debbie

Welcome to the boards. I'll certainly be checking your novel out.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

Welcome to KindleBoards, Deb, and congratulations on your book!

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## SarahBarnard (Jul 28, 2010)

Hi Deb,
Good to see you here.
Novel sounds ace, I'll try to check it out.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks for the welcome. I'm working this place out slowly....

Deb


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

DebBennett said:


> Hello. Newbie here with a kindle book uploaded for about 4 weeks now. I'm a UK author and my first kindled novel is a dark psychological thriller which was long-listed for the UK Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award. It's had some great reviews on Amazon.co.uk and is available for 70p there, or 99c on Amazon.com
> 
> I'm looking foward to meeting you all (when I can wrestle control of the pc from my teenage daughter!)
> 
> Debbie


Hi Debbie

Good to see you here.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Hi Willie. Small world!

I was just checking out your books as I was watching an sf/thriller on UK tv last night called The Invasion, with Nicole Kidman & Daniel Craig. Thought it might be yours!

Deb


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## stuartneild (Sep 14, 2010)

Willie's invasion book is better. I think it was the first book I bought for kindle. I love that book.


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## Iain Rowan (Mar 5, 2011)

Hi Debbie 

(from another Dagger nominee - congratulations!)


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

stuartneild said:


> Willie's invasion book is better. I think it was the first book I bought for kindle. I love that book.


Is it? I'll have to go buy it then. Last night's film was quite watchable. Not the best film I've ever seen but worth the tv time.

Deb


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Iain Rowan said:


> Hi Debbie
> 
> (from another Dagger nominee - congratulations!)


Hi Iain. Thanks - you too! Did it open any doors for you?

deb


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## Iain Rowan (Mar 5, 2011)

It did, yes, in a big way. But later I took the decision to walk back out of that particular door. Long story, and when I think back on it I alternate between thinking that I was either brave and principled, or very, very stupid. Usually the latter.

How about you?


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Intriguing! Only you will know if you were right.

As for me. Not directly. I've had agents and editors interested - but until I sleep with a celebrity, go on reality tv, or have a boob job (or preferably all 3), I'm not commercially viable. Indirectly it's been useful as a kind of quality assurance mark, if nothing else. 

Deb


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## Chris L (Mar 28, 2011)

Welcome Debbie. It's nice to meet up with another shortlisted Debut Dagger. I've never been in that position but I did win the Dundee International Book Prize which gives you oodles of money and a book publication deal for the winning book. I thought I had it made but like you I think I need the boob job, a nice long blonde wig, and a celebrity to sleep with. I posted my second book as an ebook on the Kindle Store and at Smashwords.com about 3 weeks ago as I got fed up of prostrating myself to publishers and agents. Besides I'm a bit of a techie and I love all things electronic, so I really think this is the way to go. I'll probably never look at another dead tree publisher again. Hope you do well with your books and I will be checking them out.
Chris L.


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## Lisa Hinsley (Jan 11, 2010)

Hi Debbie,

Nice to see a familiar face on the forums! How's everything going? 

Lisa x


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Hi Lisa - found you on your thread before I read this!

@Chris. Yes, I'm beginning to get addicted to ebooks now. So much great stuff that the big publishers are missing out on just because they can't afford to take chances on new authors anymore.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

Welcome, your book looks amazing and at he bargain price what is not to like?


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Grace Elliot said:


> Welcome, your book looks amazing and at he bargain price what is not to like?


Thank you, Grace. Not sure it'd be your thing if you're into historical fiction, though! It's very dark and disturbing. I wish I could write nice stuff like chick lit - life would be so much easier. Already half of the people at work are whispering about me and the other half probably think I'm just plain weird.

deb


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## Lisa Hinsley (Jan 11, 2010)

DebBennett said:


> Thank you, Grace. Not sure it'd be your thing if you're into historical fiction, though! It's very dark and disturbing. I wish I could write nice stuff like chick lit - life would be so much easier. Already half of the people at work are whispering about me and the other half probably think I'm just plain weird.
> 
> deb


Haha, I know what you mean. I lower my head and whisper my chosen genres when asked. People just don't look at me and think dark novels.

As for Hamelin's Child, I can highly recommend it.

Lisa


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## DanHolloway (Sep 22, 2009)

Deb, how lovely to see you. I remember you from the very earliest days of my time on Authonomy more than two and a half years ago now! My doesn't time fly!


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## chriswimpress (Mar 22, 2011)

Hi Debbie

Welcome - will be sampling your book this weekend as it looks right up my street.

Best wishes
Chris


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Hi Dan. Yep - it seems like we've all outgrown authonomy and moved on into the real world, doesn't it? Autho was a lovely idea, but I do wonder whether HC lost sight of the original goal. Or maybe we were all just too naive.

@Chris - Many thanks. Hope you enjoy the sample/book! I'd love to know what you think.

Debbie


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Had my best sales week these past 7 days. For a couple of dizzy hours I was even in the low 800s in the UK all-paid-kindle books chart! Next week can you all pre-arrange your purchases for the same time-slot please? Happy to co-ordinate!  

Still very low US sales and I'm not sure why. I've heard that Americans think low price = crap book, while Brits think low price = good deal. Is this true?

deb


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## Decon (Feb 16, 2011)

DebBennett said:


> Thanks for the welcome. I'm working this place out slowly....
> 
> Deb


Hi Debbie, I think I joined just before you and I am still trying to work it all out. Good luck


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

I have a fab new cover, designed by JT Lindroos


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## Linda Acaster (May 31, 2010)

Hi Deb - welcome, you'll love it here. There's a lot of us Brits around. Love your covers.

Linda


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Linda Acaster said:


> Hi Deb - welcome, you'll love it here. There's a lot of us Brits around. Love your covers.
> 
> Linda


Hi Linda

Your name is *so* familiar. Where have I seen it? British Fantasy Society mailing lists?

deb


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Today I am featured on crime writer, agent and editor Allan Guthrie's Criminal-E blog:

http://criminal-e.blogspot.com/2011/04/dj-bennett-interview-hamelins-child.html


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Just been guest blogging again at the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival website:

http://www.harrogate-festival.org.uk/yourebooked/2011/05/to-market-to-market%E2%80%A6by-debbie-bennett/


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

And today I'm featured on the Company of Fellows website, discussing food and how my novel would fit into the plot of the tv series Glee. Yes, really....

http://thecompanyoffellows.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/how-long-is-a-piece-of-rope-debbie-bennett/


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Got a fab 4* review on amazon.co.uk today. What made it so good was that it wasn't a blanket 5* "this wonderful" review (although those are great too, especially when they are from strangers!), but a thoughtful well-written review from someone who had read the whole thing and clearly got the point of the novel in exactly the way I intended it to come across. It just made me jump up and down and think "YES. It works."


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

My awesome cover-artist is 40 today:

http://criminal-e.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Bump.

Still getting great reviews - more on UK site than US though.

Check it out - you know you want to.


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## SylvieB1984 (May 16, 2011)

your book looks really good! I definitely want to check it out.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

SylvieB1984 said:


> your book looks really good! I definitely want to check it out.


Thank you. I hope you enjoy it!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Bump, because I sold a short story yesterday...


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Hamelin's Child is now available on smashwords in lots of different e-reader formats, plus PDF, RTF and probably several formats that haven't yet been invented...

And it took me 24 hours to realise I'd ignored the decimal point and put it on for $99, instead of $0.99. Funnily enough I didn't sell any during that time!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Currently ranked just over 200 in amazon.com paid kindle store. I just sold 350 copies in 24 hours!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Haven't bumped since October so figured it was time...

My thriller is still getting great reviews and still only 99c on amazon.com. I'm also on 5-star reads at http://5starsbook.com/Thriller.php

A bargain for your new kindle!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Fantastic review today by crime writer Chris Longmuir:

http://indieebookreview.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/hamelins-child-by-d-j-bennett/

And selling well this month too!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

On a roll with April so far. Sold more books this month in 6 days than I did in the whole of February. I have no idea why...


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## Alexandra Sokoloff (Sep 21, 2009)

Congratulations, on the short listing, Deb!  Such a heartbreaking book.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks Alexandra. Somebody described it recently as "not a cuddly book" - which summed it up rather nicely, I thought!

Love your covers, btw.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Bump. Because my sales are flatlining today....


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Whistling to myself as the tumbleweeds blow by....

From a best-ever-month in April, there isn't much happening in May yet!


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

... aaaand nearly 3 years later, sales are good and I'm currently writing book 6 in the series.

But bumping this in case anyone's interested as I'm running a sale on book 1 now. _Hamelin's Child _is 99c/99p for a limited time on Amazon.


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## Debbie Bennett (Mar 25, 2011)

Long time, no bump.....

Just to let you know that the first in my series - Hamelin's Child - is currently *FREE *on all channels. So if you like dark and gritty crime, please go grab a copy. Other links are on my website (link in sig).


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