You Are Here - Published 2004
Synopsis
'You Are Here' explores the lives of Gavin, Dave, Phil and Tony - four thirtysomethings who feel they might be over the hill and may never meet the women of their dreams. They are about to embark on yet another holiday - religiously known as 'The Campaign'. They all have only one thing in mind: girls, and lots of them. Slightly risque with plenty of humour and fun, encompassing many incidents with the opposite sex, which most males, and some females, no doubt, could relate to! Most definitely a funny and entertaining read with a nice little twist at the end.
Steve Horsfall Writes: 'Your first Novel is always said to be a labour of love and that is very true of You Are Here. I began it as a tribute to all those Lad's holidays I went on before getting married in my Thirties. It is a fact that the European beach resorts are not just full of rampant teenagers on the pull as mingled in are a number of small groups of Thirtysomething and even Fortysomething guys trying to prove they have still got it before settling for the TV and slippers lifestyle. In the end You Are Here became a novel of many themes but the main focus was on taking stock on where life could take you under the influence of work, love and modern living but the most significant influence is always from our past.
Media Interest: Currently being reviewed by a major UK Film Company for Screenplay compatability.
It's Cold Outside - Published 2006
Synopsis
Christmas 2003 is approaching fast but festive thoughts are at least put on hold with the distraction of the Rugby World Cup as England is gripped by sporting fever. As the cheers of the victory homecoming parade begin to diminish, for one group of Brits there is the chance to rekindle their seasonal spirit when given the chance to visit a modern Christmas idyll. The prestigious Snow Lodge in Lapland plays host to a very diverse party - two amateur radio DJ's, a fading rock star and his faithful hippy roadie, an easy going marketing manager and his fiery senior executive girlfriend plus a sharp tongued lonely pensioner and his Santa suit. Spurred on by a suave entrepreneur, and with a bubbly entertainment manager in tow, the unlikely group undertake the trip of a lifetime -- a very unique snow trek. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, the group have no choice but to work together to survive for it is time for them to learn who they really are. Christmas will never be the same again.
Steve Horsfall Writes: I've always loved Christmas and especially Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Combine this with my love of Rugby and 2003 (the World Cup) was the perfect backdrop to the lead up to a great Christmas and the chance to write about a diverse set of characters and the chance to implant an event that changes all their lives. I loved putting in the surreal touch!!
Full Story Inside - Published 2008
Synopsis: Do You Believe What You Read? Local journalist Alex Hart seizes on the chance to report on an event beyond the usual mundane regional offerings of village fetes and community life: a man's dead body has been found floating in the river. The key to his death is contained within a file on a secreted computer disk. Hart becomes a fugitive and teams up with national journalist Jane Coker as they try to decipher the contents of the disk. What they find is a trail that leads to Mary Queen Of Scots and the realisation that sinister media magnate Arturo Tabb and his best selling newspaper's next world exclusive delves into history to challenge the fabric of modern English society.If Hart and Coker can stay alive and provide the truth, an explosive historical chapter will not be re-written....Full Story Inside.
Steve Horsfall Writes: I have always enjoyed watching and reading fast paced thrillers but actually writing one was a change of direction for me. In fact I found it easier than writing 'Lad Lit' or 'Life Novels' as you can just lose yourself in the whole adventure. My love of history and former life in journalism provided the perfect backdrop.
The Spire Chronicle - Published 2011
Steve Horsfall Writes: My own tribute to the master, Charles Dickens. I was reading a book on the illustrious history of my home city of Salisbury at the same time as the BBC was showing a dramatisation of Little Dorrit. I suddenly had a Eureka moment and abandoned another book I was writing at the time (about 10,000 words in; a James Bond type adventure) to start writing down some ideas for The Spire Chronicle and researching more on Victorian times in the city. There was so much historical material to base a good script on and so I started reading a lot of Dickens to get in to the mood and atmosphere of the type of novel I wanted to create. It was then I decided to try and write in the great man's style (knowing I could never go as far as to truly emulate the greatest writer of them all). It was tough getting it right but this was my Opus.
Jodie & Lilly....and the Fake Mansion - Published 2010
Steve Horsfall Writes: I always wanted to have a go at writing a series for children, mainly so my own daughter could read something by her Dad. Jodie & Lilly was inspired by a number of different sources, including my own love of Randall & Hopkirk Deceased when I was a child and my daughter's enjoyment in reading Horrid Henry.So I created a sort of girl's Horrid Henry with the surreal element of having a main character as the ghost of a Victorian girl. I wrote the story in parallel with The Spire Chronicle, so all that Victorian research came in very handy.
Jodie & Lilly....and the Joy of Christmas - Published 2010
Steve Horsfall Writes: I wrote the Joy Of Christmas straight after The Fake Mansion and was really pleased with it. I love Christmas and really hope that this tale captures the spirit.
Jodie & Lilly....and the Sleepover - Published 2011
Steve Horsfall Writes: I really wanted to ensure that each of the new Jodie & Lilly stories were very different as with writing children's books it is easy to start scripting to a set formula and this can then be both boring to write and then to ultimately read. Hopefully the contrast comes across well in this book.
Harry Banner in... Notice To Die (Harry Banner P.I.) - Published 2012
There’s a new Private Eye in town and he’s British…step forward Harry Banner, the most famous P.I. in 1930s Southbury, England.
Harry Banner is hired by the alluring Emma Brightwell to solve the murder of her husband, Ned; a local entrepreneur with connections to The Firm. The thing is...Ned is still very much alive, but he's been given a notice to die. Banner has 48 hours to find the would-be killer and from a long list of suspects. His quarry always seems to be one step ahead of the game as Banner finds himself both hunter and hunted.
Steve Horsfall Writes: I have always loved the style and feel of the old American P.I. books, and the Film Noir adaptations. The first person narrative takes you straight into the adventure and holds you there right to the end. So what better subject to make the basis of a series, and this time the P.I. is British. I enjoyed writing this book more than any other.
Harry Banner in... Here and Then Gone (Harry Banner P.I.) - Published 2013
Synopsis: Southbury, England...sometime in the 1930s
When human remains are found on a building site there is sufficient evidence to determine that the deceased was murdered and that the victim’s name was Graham Farmer, who had been reported missing some twenty years before. Graham’s father, Edward, hires Southbury’s most infamous PI, Harry Banner, to find out what happened to his son. Harry had been having a lean time of it with just the odd cheap mundane case to work on. He had even been playing his beloved Lafayette trumpet in the band at The Blue Bay to earn some extra cash. He took the case despite a cold trail and only tentative leads….. but it would seem that someone was still prepared to go to great lengths to hide the truth.
Steve Horsfall Writes: It was wonderful to go back to 1930's Southbury and the stylish world that I had created for Harry. My intention was always to create a series and I really enjoyed bringing back some central characters from the first book, like McAldren and Smooth. Here and Then Gone seems to appeal to a wider audience this time, judging by early feedback, and that has pleased me more than anything else.