Small Dog Publishing

Publisher info

Craig grew up in Africa and went on to become a fellow of Trinity College and an alumnus of Cornell University New York.
At the age of 16 he was called up to the South African Defence Force and although many of his friends are now dead, he counts among the survivors various soldiers, gunrunners and warlords.
He is extremely proficient in the use of most small arms and has been in numerous fatal close-combat situations.
There is much in his life that he cannot talk about as it is hidden under the South African official secrets act that he signed in 1982.
As a result of these experiences - all of his books are written from either direct knowledge or experience and much is based on actual events. This gives them a unique level of accuracy, reality and poignancy.
Craig now lives in England with his wife, Polly and son Axel.
He also writes award-winning action thriller novels under the name C. Marten-Zerf.

Smashwords Interview

What are your five favorite books, and why?
I write under two different names - Craig Zerf (Fantasy) and C. Marten-Zerf (thrillers). As such I have two very separate "like-lists", Fantasy and Thrillers...Fantasy-wise I would have to say that my top 5 books are (and this is in no particular order)
American Gods - Neil Gaiman. Epic, massive and deep. Probably one of the bravest and thoughtful fantasy books that I have ever read.
Neverwhere - Neil again. A great blend of original thinking with a subtle dash of humour and a good deal of darkness to offset it. Neil went on to do a book with Terry Pratchett and one can see plashed of Pratchett style writing in Neverwhere.
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy - pure genius. Irreverent and real stream-of-consciousness type thinking.
Legend – David Gemmel. The ultimate in heroic and epic style fantasy. No one does heroes like David.
Only Forward – Michael Marshall Smith. Anything by Michael is truly brilliant. A man who pushes the boundaries beyond the point that we all thought possible.
And then there are the Thrillers...
The Sunbird – Wilbur Smith. Yes, he has fallen a little out of fashion of late but this book was his Opus. A brilliant historical/crossover/action/adventure/thriller.
Jack Reacher – Lee Child. Okay, Tom Cruise did this franchise no favours but the books are brilliant. They remind me of old westerns. Gunslinger rides into town, sorts out the bad hats and leaves, riding alone into the sunset.
The Straw Man – Michael Marshall. Amazingly this guy has made both the fantasy and the thrillers best list. Probably my favourite writer and definitely one of the great geniuses of our time.
Sombrero Fallout – Richard Brautigan. Strictly speaking not a thriller but must be mentioned as he is one of the greatest writers of all time.
The Black Dahlia – James Ellroy. Dark, deep and twisted. A journey into the cynicism, hurt and rage. Almost too real to handle.
What do you read for pleasure?
Everything! I know that it sounds trite but I try to read a real cross section of books from chicklit to scifi. You can never be sure what's out there until you've given it a good go.
Read more of this interview.

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