I was delighted when Julia Valentina from the Authors’ Lounge approached me to write this article regarding my debut novel: Cold Call. 

COLD CALL, available on Amazon.com by British Author, A. Michael Day, is a gripping, Psychological neo-noir Thriller, set in London’s seedy criminal underbelly.

“A deliciously dark Author.”

-Bobby Joseph, Author of Scotland Yardie. 

Cold Call is a fictional crime thriller about a former British soldier, Tyrone Williams, who is displaying PTSD symptoms whilst attempting to cope with the strains of everyday life. Working at a lowly Call center, trapped in a loveless relationship, struggling to get by, it is not until he experiences a volatile call, that Tyrone finally snaps and starts to stalk the customer he called. Soon he finds himself being drawn into the dark, seedy world of criminals, brothels, and pimps. Never knowing what dangers await him. 

I am a debut novelist who has been described as “A deliciously dark Author” by Author Bobby Joseph, writer of Scotland Yardie and founder of Skank Magazine. I was inspired to write COLD CALL based on my own experience working in a Call center in London. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and started working in a telephone sales job. The zero-hour contract, demanding targets, and lack of job satisfaction made me wonder whether these conditions could push someone to breaking point. Whether an abused worker would seek out one of these unknown voices over the phone with the intention of confronting them? It was whilst I wondered about this that I began to question how this person might interpret their own actions and behavior, whether they judged themselves as the hero or the victim. 

As the story developed in my mind, it made me question why a customer might reply in a rude and abusive manner. Were they experiencing pressure? Were they having problems? What troubles might cause someone to lash out? As my imagination ran wild, and other experiences that I had accumulated whilst living in the “Big Smoke” that is London, I started to construct a back story filled with violent thugs, brothels, and the neo-noir ghettos of the Capital. 

Cold Call is a very dark and gritty Psychological Crime Thriller that is aimed at a mature audience. There are a lot of adult themes and violence that would not be suitable for a young reader. I was originally inspired to write COLD CALL as a novel after reading “The Postman Always Rings Twice” by James M Cain. No longer as shocking compared to contemporary works, it has a raw quality I wanted my novel to aspire to. COLD CALL matches the fast-paced narrative style that keeps the reader flicking chapter after chapter. 

My novel, COLD CALL, is filled with suspense, violence, and other nail-biting sensations to keep the pages turning. It is engaging and disturbing, but I hope it will also be thought-provoking. I want my readers to enjoy the narrative but always question the narrator’s perspective. Whether they can sympathize with his intentions or completely condemn them. It is a crime thriller that questions identity and intent, and I hope it will be a subject my audience will also contemplate.

COLD CALL is my debut novel, but I have written other manuscripts I intend to have published. As a British novelist, I have a passion for writing crime thrillers, and when I get the seed of a concept that I can not shake, I know a story will shortly grow. This has been the case for my other writings, whether they are the self-published children’s books I’ve illustrated and written or the screenplays I’ve penned for TV. and screen. It has been suggested that I should adapt COLD CALL into a screenplay for the big screen, but only time will tell?… 

COLD CALL is available on Amazon.com to buy on Kindle as an ebook or a Paperback edition. 

You can follow me on my Instagram page: @ashleymichaelday

Website: https://mrlaminated.wixsite.com/amichaelday

or you can trend with – #coldcallnovel 

Article by A. Michael Day.