Dirty Hands

Dear T.R., I got so excited when I saw that you had backed, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." :) Thanks so very much. :) Since I have already backed your book, I will put your book on my watchlist. Could you please take a moment to back my completed unedited memoir version? "Tell Me True Love Stories," which at the end tells of my illness now & 6th abusive marriage. I'd be ever so grateful. :) Thank you. :) Love, Susie :)
authonomy quotes: "Every time you place a book on your bookshelf, your recommendation pushes the book up the rankings. And while that book sits on your bookshelf, your reputation as a talent spotter increases depending on how well that book performs.
When you back a book, it only improves the ranking of that book, not yours. However, the author whose book you are backing may decide to back your book also, in which case yes, your ranking would be improved...authonomy

It's a bit raw for my tastes (I should talk...) and one thing that kind of bothered me was that it was a bit clinical - almost detached. I don't get a sense of the characters as real people, but rather almost as actors. I admit I only read the first chapter, so I can't speak for the remainder. However, in spite of the crassness of the language, there is a ring of realism to it. Most scenes like this seem artificial, but this has the feel of authenticity. Good luck with it!

Hooked, best of luck with it. E.Loraine Royal Blood Chronicles book one

Dear T.R. I read, commented on, & backed your book 78 days ago, but never heard back from you - could you take a moment to back my 2 memoir books? Thanks. :) Love, Susie :) p.s. I'll put your book on my watchlist. :)

Hi, TR. Good pitch. Just enough to draw in readers.
Book is well written in my opinion. Well paced, good beginning. Fine job with the characters. Worth backing.

Wow! This is so gritty and new. I'm not sure if it's for me, but you have great literary chops and I think you can make it to the top five. BACKED!

Thank you.

Dear TR --

Oh, my -- a dash of cautionary tale, a generous helping of psychological thriller, and an unbridled narrative to hold it all together. The true horror of the story is how any party has the potential to devolve into eventslike these when people get out of control -- no one believes it could happen to them. You've done an excellent job bringing this collection of personalities together and letting them go at one another.

Happy to return your backing of The Long Black Veil. -- Delhui

Excellently paced, instantly grabs you, and great dialogue gives us real insight into your characters. All in all, a really good read!

A dark thriller, full of emotions that is finely crafted, well paced and well written with a gripping openning. Your use of imagery is excellent, the character development is solid and the dialogue is tight and it flows well. Backed with pleasure.

Andrew Burans
The Reluctant Warrior: The Beginning.

I love the short scene style--numbered as you have it. I've seen it a couple times before and it lends toward a good-feeling pace. Your first scene intrigued me off the bat. A dead woman's body. Who is she and what happened?

I love the honesty of your words on the page. Heloise and her two friends make an interesting pair. It took me a minute to realise she was saying her friends were raunchy. Drugs and Alcohol have her being quite honest by the end of the night as well.

Be careful that Tia and Brock's voices don't sound to alike with them both saying jus' and dropping the end of their words.

So it turns out it was an accidental murder. The way you carry POV switches is awesome, I like that. Overall, a very well crafted story. BACKED. (and purchased when it gets published, just let me know)

xBeccaX
The Forever Girl

great dialogue, good story telling.
(i think I might take 'diminutive out of first sentence)
backed with enthusiasm.
a zoomer
Going Out In Style

Gritty, great opener. Real 3D characterisation. This has the making of an excellent thriller.

Brian - The Brotherhood.

Dirty Hands

[thank you for returning my backing. T. ☼☼☼☼]

Oh yeah. Simple idea well done. Great party, then a progressively horrible descent into hell. I loved the way the boy’s choices escalated in your grim logic ending with them swinging an axe into the girls’ remains. I was waiting for something to start going wrong, and I read until chapter six when the bodies inevitably surfaced. You just knew that would happen. Or some other difficulty. Great characters and dialogue in particular. Well done.

I’m backing this and if you can find the time to take a look at Bokassa’s Last Apostle in return I’d be extremely grateful. Thanks.

Dirty Hands
T.R. Braxton

TR,
This is a gripping thriller - this tragic and violent aftermath of a wild night gone horribly wrong. I like your start with that image of the young woman and the fact that "her motionless form confessed no sign of life." You get the reader's attention immediately and the thrill starts. Only had time to read your pitches and first chapter so far but I thought this was a good sample of your writing and I particularly liked the energetic, realistic dialogue in this first chapter. The end to this chapter had me shaking as Brock first smothered Tiffany, then Heloise with the pillow. What did I dip into here? Very good writing indeed but I have to come back and read more in the daytime or won't be able to shut my eyes tonight without thinking of these effective but horrific scenes! Good stuff TR and I hope you find a publisher for this.
Best,
Zan

A fantastic premise, your pitch reeled me in immediately.
Good luck!

Karen
The Kid: A True Story of Cocaine, Corruption, Deceit and Betrayal

hullo TR. First I must complement you on the accurate dialog. Very good. An authentic situation, some people don't realize how easy it is to die. Already shelved and backed. Please give my book a look and thanks in advance for that.
Linda Lou Long
Southern dis-Comfort
http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=11421

A strong story, soundly written. Backed.

Mark Ashley

This is great writing indeed: gritty, violent, emotional and most importantly authentic. Your characterisation is flawless. Your dialogue really brings each scene and each character to life. The pacing is perfect for the story: it keeps the reader on the edge, while still allowing time to bond with Terrell. Oh, and the only thing better written than your first chapter... is your second chapter. 100% publishable stuff :)
Backed with confidence,
Ana G. Ram (Snowflake)

Dirty Hands

Intense thriller doesn’t do this justice, this is beyond intense.
I think your characterisation really makes this book; there is an almost tangible sense of dilemma, which is so well written.
The narrative is well structured and the end of chapter one is brilliant. – Good luck with this.

Wow, this is very strong writing indeed, fantastic reality and dialogue. Not at all an easy first chapter but extremely well executed. Backed without a doubt
BADD

Ahhh, city life! I don't think people realize how much all of this goes on on a daily basis. The partying, the sex, the drugs, the beatings and the accidental deaths. I have two Balt. City cops in my family and really hear some stories. But, your writing takes us well into the lives of these young people and their trauma and dilemma, not to mention poor choices and consequences..

great read
shelved
sue
Fate's Chastening

TR, your first chapter is brutally good. This is a smooth piece of work. Watch out for cliches in sentences such as these: Brock's eyes were as big as saucers.

Happy to back your work.

Joffrey (The Silver Spoon Effect)

Dirty Hands:

T.R. Braxton,

One of the greatest strengths of this book is the character development and the way it drives the story, making this a refreshing contribution to the thriller.

For example, we have the tension that lies in Terrell's dilemma. Should he concede to murder when there is a chance that his cousin will be imprisoned? He has to agonise over this to some extent and is at first hesitant.
After the event, he then has to wrestle with his conscience and we find tension preserved here too.

The lean paragraphs and your skill in allowing the characters in dialogue to carry the storyline without authorial intrusion and excess narrative also increase the pace and plausibility of the whole.

This is realistic, raw, gritty and compelling.

Backed.
Ray
(A Child from the Wishing Well)

You promised an intense thriller, with a violent aftermath and you delivered.
You notch up the tension on this one all the way through the opening chapter keeping the reader interested with every step of the story. Will read more but it's certainly worthy of a shelving.
Backed
David
Bailey of the Saints

Hi T. R., Excellent dialogue and characterizations so that the action here roiled and felt very realistic. The wildness and death without intention beginning the second round demonstrated skill in pace. It’s ironic how the attitude towards the girls backfires into the outcome of the guys. An involving, compelling read! Easily shelved – Katherine (The Swan Bonnet)

You really got your hands dirty creating this gritty story. You set a fast pace and keep it going with well structured paragraphs and authentic dialogue. The tension creeps up through the dramatic climax of chapter One. Excellent hook. This is a top notch thriller. Well done. Backed.

Richard Bard
BRAINRUSH (2010 ABNA Quarter-Finalist)

An intriguing pitch and a strong title/cover combination are a good start and there's ample scope for a strong story-line here. The only slight concern I had in the pitch were the references to ' his closest cousin,' and 'their horrible response.' Purely a personal opinion, but I wondered if there was a hint here of over-elaboration to come. A very dramatic opening allayed my fears, but as I've read on I certainly saw the difference between your terse dialogue - which is excellent - and a tendency to over-stress in the descriptive passages. There's a natural pace to the story which is excellent, it would be a pity to slow this by over-using descriptive words. Adverbs and adjectives bring a stark phrase to life, but over-reliance on them slows up what is a fast-moving thriller.
Please take this as just a reader's opinion, based purely on a brief perusal of your work and very far removed from any claim to editorial expertise. I write in the same genre and can see huge promise here. No criticism intended, mere passing thoughts as I read. I wish you well with this, you have a fine understanding of how to construct a crime thriller and the ability to develop this.
Jared.

First of all, with the exception of children's books, the thriller is my favourite genre. I am also quite choosey with what I read as there are many thriller writers that just don't do it for me. I am delighted to say that I would happily buy this in a shop and get immersed in your gripping, violent and emotional world. The climax to chapter one is just superb by the way. What I really like about your writing is that the prose is so accessible yet rich in detail Not an easy task to achieve. This is amongst the best thrillers on the site and I am happy to back this. Carl

This is very easy to read, tough subject and its def been covered many times before but theres a grittyness to this work, that might get it through! Pace is fast and furious, dialogue is v real and moves the story along.
It is an excellent read

Clair
Left Behind

The cover: Great graphic
The pitch: very well worded. The pitch is what either pulls me or pushes me. Yours pulled.
The short opening scene really says a lot. It gives the reader an immediate feel for what, who, and when--and you did by dropping us in blind. Nice job with that. From there, the scenes only get better. With a triple homicide in the first chapter, how could this not be a page turner? I found all the dialogue and description to be great.

If there was one thing I found to ring a little flat it was the complete polarity between the dialogue, and some of the more descriptive prose. Don't get me wrong. I thought both were done well, but the narrative voice sometimes clashed with some of the more dialogue heavy scenes.

(dearest cousin and closest friend/distraught/countenance)--this is what I mean. These are all very fine descriptive words and phrases, but I couldn't help but feel they clashed slightly with the dialogue sections (as spoken in slang and ebonics).

This is a very nice premise, and you kick it off with a real eye opener. The above was just one man's opinion, so take it as such. I backed this because I can see this very easily in my head.

Gerry
Dropcloth Angels

I think a tall girl would be more likely to wear 4" heels than 2" heels :)
You're on my watchlist for now!

Cheesecake

This is a very well written thriller. I wish you the best of luck with it. Backed.

Carol

Oh my. And this was just the first chapter. Well done. Backed yesterday. Marianne (Saint Paddy and the Sundial)

you are very brave using drugs like this for a story. we done, well written.
su dan [seasons]

A chilling story, backed, hope you'll read mine.

T R I love your cover art it is a brilliant choice. I enjoyed your writing style, its neat with excellent support from the setting and voice. The pitch is perfect in this darkish-thriller. Some of the short sentences add to the tension building
Best wishes
Scott
The Esrevinu Chronicles/Secrets of the Elephant Rocks

Dear T.R., I love your thriller story. It is a good read because you create interest by having short paragraphs & lots of dialogue, which makes me want to keep reading to find out what's going to happen next. I'm backing/commenting on your book to help it advance. Could you please return the favor by taking a moment to back/comment on my TWO books, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not" & the unedited version? "Tell Me True Love Stories." Thanks, Susie :)

Well crafted! Had me turning the pages. A thriller of the first order, should do well and move up on this thread. Backed.

Hope you will give mine a read, and if you like it as much as I liked yours, back it.

Best,
Robert
Golden Conspiracy

Hi T.R.

I already backed the book but have returned to comment. I like your writing style. It’s fluid and easy to read. Your sentence structure is tight and I didn’t find any awkward sentences that slowed the pace. I think the pitch needs a little work, as it didn’t grab me as much as the book did, but I’m glad I chose to read on.

This is very well written. It was a great read and quite the page turner.

Shinzy :)

Hi,

I'm backing your book to speed it along to its inevitable date with the Editor's Desk. This has all the ingredients needed for a thriller, and your style is accomplished and readable.

My book is currently in a very competitive position at 10. I would deeply appreciate it if you would have a look at it.

Tim Chambers
Moonbeam Highway: With Apologies to Miguel de Cervantes.

Refreshingly different. Great sense of place and a perfect tension builder. I might have to come back and read more. You must be very proud of this
Sue Mackender
Knowing Liam Riley

Hi TR,
Backed with pleasure. Great story-telling.
Best wishes, Barry
Little Krisna and the Bihar Boys

Being Authonomy's #1 commentator, I know you have spent some time on your pitches. You have mastered this basic sales technique to grab the casual reader. That's how you climb in ranking to gather more exposure and comments to better your novel. SHELVED!

I can use your comments on my book when you get the chance. Cheers!

JC
The Obergemau Key
Authonomy's #1 rated commentator

very exciting and easy to read.
shelved with best of luck.......mikegilli The Free

This is some good writing, unfortunately the premise of the story is done to death.
X number of friends go off for some debauchery for (insert holiday) at their (insert destination) and unforseen horribleness ensues. How will they deal with it?
Again though, the writing is very good... just wish there was a better premise to set up the action.

Shelved
Dan
Demons and Other Inconveniences

To be honest, I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this or not, your style is certainly different. But I'm really glad I persevered with it.

You had my heart hammering in my chest always the sign of a good read.

Didn't find any nits just a mighty fine read.

Very happily shelved

Melxx

You're right, it is an intense thriller, a lot of which is probably dur to your terse style. You use few words but they're more than enough for your purpose. Terrell is an excellent creation. Brilliant. Backed. Lynn

This is a gripping and chilling start to a very exciting book. Your writing is fast moving, and carries us along. Your dialogue is authentic and brings your characters to life. Terrell's initial reluctance to agree to murder changes when he thinks about putting his cousin and friend in jail, but the moral attitude which is part of his character won't just disappear. You show us how his complex personality suffers, as the results of that decision grow worse and worse, and you give us not just an exciting book but one which goes deep into human nature. Backed.
Gerry McCullough,
Belfast Girls.

WHAT A START TO WHAT WILL BE A GREAT STORY. I am saying no more just backing it, hoping that it makes its way right to the top. Take a look at my book, Three Stayed Home a WW2 adventure and love story which I hope you enjoy as much as I did yours. JohnJ

have read the first chapter and enjoyed it, backed

alison