Sunday 27 December 2020

Plotter or Pantser (or: The Book I'll Never Finish)


Today I get to sign off of 2020 on behalf of the Novel Points of View team — and I don’t imagine there are many people who aren’t glad to to see it go, even though there's a possibility 2021 is sitting round the corner sharpening its claws. 

Still, every cloud has a silver lining, or so they say, and one of the very small ones for me is a lesson I learned about my writing. I discovered the definitive answer to that old writer’s question: was I a plotter or a pantser? (A pantser, if you don’t know is a writer who flies by the seat of their pants — no plot, no characters, no structure.) 

Once upon a time I would have said I was neither. Over my lifetime I’ve plotted more and more and these days I would definitely call myself a plotter. But once upon a time I believed in letting a story tell itself and editing it afterwards. 

This year I tested that theory and discovered it wanting. It began with NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, where writers are encouraged to produce the first draft of a novel/50,000 words during November. I’m a regular NaNo participant. It suits me. I write to a plan. But this year 2020 made it difficult. I’d rather lost my writing mojo and was stuck at about 24k words in a draft. So I took on NaNoWriMo to help me finish it. 

Well, I finished -- but the book came in at around 70k words and that left me some 6000 words short. Rather than not complete the challenge, I did what I’ve never done before. I opened a new document and began, with no ideas, to write. 

No ideas. No plot. No character. No location. The first day I wrote a thousand words. It was easy. The second day I did the same, sitting down with no idea of what I was going to write.and I wrote… Easy. The third, fourth, fifth days…the same. I completed my numbers. And when I read it back I was pretty impressed with its coherence and even with the couple of twists and teasers I’d managed to put in.

And then I stopped. Because the reason I’m not a pantser is nothing to do with writing actual words. Everything I produced was superficial. I’ve learned that, for me, planning isn’t about knowing what’s going to happen but about becoming engaged with the characters and I have no desire to carry on the journey with Tara (whose husband has just in a car accident in France in the company of another woman when she thought he was away on business in London) and her best friend Zoe (who was secretly in love with the husband). I wasn’t even interested in the handsome Frenchman who’d just rolled up on Tara’s doorstep with a small child in tow. 

I may go back to these characters, in time, but not until I know who they are and what they’re doing. Not, in other words, until I have a plot…


Sunday 20 December 2020

Hi, I'm new! Since this is my first ever post, I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Andie Newton. I live in Washington state and I write historical fiction set in WWII about badass heroines. I'm the author of The Girl from Vichy (2020), and The Girl I Left Behind (2019). My next novel, The Girls from the Beach, will be released in July 2021.

So, why/how did I start writing?

I had an idea. Seems simple enough. This is where I talk about inspiration. You never know when it will strike. For me, I was doing the laundry, running up the stairs with my laundry basket while my kids were napping. I’d like to point out that up until I wrote those first words, I’d never attempted to write a novel before. I was a complete idiot novice when it came to publishing and writing.

Now, back to that inspiration thing…

The History Channel was on the TV and set to a program about what it was like being German in Nazi Germany. I've seen a hundred programs on Nazi Germany, but this one was different. This show talked about the historic Nuremberg Kunstbunker, a secret art bunker the townsfolk hid from Hitler.

I was intrigued, and I sent the laundry basket down. That's it. That's all it took. The date was October 3, 2009.

Now, I'd like to point out that my first drafts were AWFUL. They really were. But I kept at it. I knew my idea was fantastic, I just needed some time to get my writing up to speed and learn a few tricks and techniques. I literally wrote every day for years. Sometimes just a paragraph, hell, sometimes just one word! Point is, I never gave up.

That novel ended up becoming my debut, The Girl I Left Behind (with Aria Fiction, published in 2019 and part of a 3-book deal), while my second book, The Girl from Vichy, became a USA Today bestseller!

So, inspiration is a very powerful thing. You never know when it will strike, or where it will take you. Has inspiration ever struck you in the strangest of places? Honestly, I never thought laundry would have changed my life. I'm just grateful I get to write every day and it's become my full-time job.

What is your inspiration story? Share in the comments if you'd like.

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy 2021!

Andie Newton

Saturday 12 December 2020

Books To Get You In The Festive Mood!


It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas and there's no better way to get into the festive mood (and escape the pre-Christmas madness) than to settle down with your favourite tipple and read a Christmas book!

Last year I shared the Christmas releases of an independent, award winning publisher, Choc Lit. Interested to see what they were publishing this year, I did a little research and am now pleased to list them below for you. I will leave the books to do the talking and hopefully you will find something that might go nicely with your favourite tipple!


Christmas of the Little Beach Cafe by Morton S.Gray
To date out in kindle and paperback. Audio to follow

Five years ago at Christmas, solicitor Justin Sadler made the decision to leave his comfortable existence behind and move to the coast. Since then, he’s tried his best to ignore the festive season and, as he sits in the little beach café and reflects on that fateful night when his life was turned upside down, he expects his fifth Christmas alone to be no different to any of the others since he made his escape

But when he encounters a mystery woman on the beach, he soon realises he may have found a fellow runaway and kindred spirit. Could Justin finally be ready to move on and let Christmas into his life again?
Click Here To Find Out More


Christmas at Moonshine Hollow by Angela Britnell
To date out in kindle and paperback. Audio to follow.

Moonshine Hollow’s famous ‘Lightning Flash’ might be an acquired taste, although the same could be said for moonshine distillery owner Cole Landon, what with his workaholic habits and ‘Scrooge’ tendencies when it comes to all things Christmassy.

But when Jenna Pendean from Cornwall pays a visit to Cole’s family-run distillery in Tennessee during the holiday season, will Cole’s cynicism about the existence of Christmas miracles be put to the test?
Click Here To Find Out More


Holly's Christmas Secret by Kirsty Ferry
To date out in kindle and paperback. Audio to follow.

It’s almost Christmas at the Pencradoc estate in Cornwall which means that, as usual, tea room owner Sorcha Davies is baking up a festive storm. And this year Sorcha is hoping her mince pies will be going down a treat at ‘The Spirit of Christmas Past’ exhibition being organised at the house by new local antiques dealer, Locryn Dyer.

But as Locryn and Sorcha spend more time together, they begin to uncover a very special story of Christmas past that played out at Pencradoc more than a century before, involving a certain ‘Lady’ Holly Sawyer, a festive dinner party and a magical secret encounter with a handsome author ...
Click Here To Find Out More


Bluebell's Christmas Magic by Marie Laval
Released in kindle and audiobook last year, this Christmas it is now out in paperback!

Cassie Bell is used to mess. Her cleaning business, Bluebell Cleaning, is well known in the Cumbrian village of Red Moss. However, now it’s almost Christmas and Cassie has a slightly messier situation to deal with than she’s used to.

She’s been hired to help Stefan Lambert, an injured army helicopter pilot who’s staying at the local Belthorn Manor whilst he recovers. Stefan resents Cassie’s interference and is definitely not looking for Christmas cheer. But Cassie prides herself on sparkling surfaces – so, can she bring some festive sparkle to Stefan’s life too?
Click Here To Find Out More

I hope you have enjoyed reading the blurbs. This is my last post for 2020 (don't worry, there are still more posts to come from the rest of the team). Therefore, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year! See you again in 2021!










Saturday 5 December 2020

Stress, stress and more stress

Writing Under Stress
This is what I am doing at the moment, and no, I don’t mean writing when there’s a tight deadline approaching. Of course that can be very stressful, though some people thrive on the pressure.

My personal stress, writing this, is due to the fact that three days ago we moved house. We’ve downsized, from a large family house to a neat little bungalow. It’s something we’d talked about doing for a while, and the stamp duty holiday plus Covid forcing us to stay home, made this year seem like a good time to do it.

Moving is always stressful – our estate agent said the three most stressful life events are divorce, bereavement and moving house, and the third of these can easily lead to one of the other two! (He’s not wrong, though thankfully we both survived and are still married.)

I reckon having the builders in can also be pretty stressy. We decided we might as well get it all out of the way in one hit. We’d planned a number of small alterations to the bungalow, and booked a builder to start on them two days after moving – ie yesterday.

So I’m writing this surrounded by boxes, furniture that has not yet been reassembled, and behind me two (very nice, friendly) workmen are drilling and sawing and generally making lots of noise and mess with their power tools. I have no idea where anything is. Our duvet was eventually uncovered on the first night in a box marked Shoes.

Thankfully I do not currently have any writing deadlines – I think if I did, my head would explode. So other than knocking this piece out so I can fulfil my obligations on this blog, I have told myself if I write nothing until after Christmas that is OK. It’s permitted. It’s allowed. If I do manage to add to my work-in-progress, that’ll be a bonus.

And if the work on the house is all finished by Christmas, I will be one very happy writer!

Saturday 28 November 2020

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER ...... OR

... or do you? OK, so I know this doesn't mean, literally, judging books before we've read them but more a metaphor for not taking things at face value. I know a fabulous cover could be the gilding on a load of poo within or, conversely, a cover that's more bland than porridge could conceal a hidden gem. I'm old enough to remember when the banned (back then) LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER bred a rash of copies coming into school and being passed around under desks concealed in homemade brown paper covers. None of us was judging it by its cover, but all of us eager for the sex lesson that lay within. But now ... confession time. Call me fickle if you will but if a book cover doesn't attract me I rarely even bother to pick up that book or read the blurb. There are books with covers I would never consider picking up. Think - in my case - anything with lace and frills, ribbons and glitter, or fancy wrought ironwork in the background - but that's probably another blogpost. In my defence I cite that as humans we are attracted to other humans, to buildings and scenery, to animals and clothes, and cakes in pattiserie windows and a million other things by their looks. Why should it be any different for books? It's often said we eat with our eyes before a morsel of food touches our lips and for me choosing books is much the same - the cover design can transport me instantly into another world ... or not. So now to my own book covers. They've been ok. Just that - ok. Would I have picked up my own books off those tables just inside the door in Waterstones (remember when we could do that on a whim whenever we wanted to??)or off the shelf in W H Smith? Probably not. I do have a favourite though. SUMMER AT 23 THE STRAND. It wasn't in the least illustrative of the location I'd imagined or the chalet I'd described in detail but it does make me wonder who might be in the other houses and what's around the corner and could I blag a sail in that yacht. And I love the colours. Summery. Sunny times. And now - for us all - times that were more free. Thank goodness, then, for books and for the fact we are all different and enjoy different genres and different times and different places to visit in our minds - books on which we can be judge and jury, whether or not we like the covers.
LINDA MITCHELMORE

Saturday 21 November 2020

FLASH FORWARD WITH FLASH FICTION

Hello!

It's all about flash fiction this week, as I'm thrilled to share that I was recently listed in two flash competitions. One piece, The Promise of Snow, will be included in a Bath Flash Fiction anthology, due to be published in December. I have posted more about flash fiction  - what it is, why writing flash is like completing a jigsaw puzzle - over on my blog.

Flash Forward with Flash Fiction...

However, today I plan to share competitions and magazines that invite submissions from flash fiction writers. Some competitions are themed, whilst others are open to most styles and genre, but always check the rules before submitting. Most charge a fee for entering. So whether you are a seasoned flash fiction storyteller, or a newbie like me, or it is a form you wish to try, hopefully at least one of the places listed below will inspire.

Bath Flash Fiction Award

BATH FLASH FICTION AWARD

The Bath Flash Award offers great prizes for flash fiction - £1000 (1st), £300 (2nd), £100 (3rd) and £30 (for two commended writers). Also, those longlisted have the opportunity of seeing their work in print, both online and in an end of year anthology. The competitions sets a 300-word limit and the next round closes on February 7th 2021 - so loads of time to get started on those drafts and have a go!



FLASH 500 COMPETITION

The Flash 500 is a quarterly competition that allows a more generous count of 500 words. The next closing date is a bit closer, on the 31st December, but perhaps entering is a nice excuse to grab some well-earned me-time, away from festivities, to polish that prize-winning piece?


Writer's Forum Magazine

WRITERS' FORUM MAGAZINE

The Writers' Forum magazine runs a monthly flash fiction competition (or short short writing, as they prefer to describe it) with the winner being awarded £100 and published in the next month's magazine. A runner-up is also selected and their piece is printed too. This comp is usually themed and issues a tight deadline, to help stop procrastination. The count expected is between 490 and 510 words. Check out the latest issue for details.




MSLEXIA MAGAZINE

Mslexia magazine runs regular competitions for subscribers. Their latest Flash Challenge is to tell a complete story in 250 words, and the theme is TEMPTATION. Whilst the deadline is 11th January, 2021.




CRANKED ANVIL FLASH FICTION COMPETITION

The Cranked Anvil competition runs quarterly and, if you are quick, you may be able to meet their next deadline of 30th November. Your story should be no more than 500 words in length.




RETREAT WEST THEMED FLASH FICTION PRIZE

Retreat West offers another quarterly themed competition, looking for pieces of up to 500 words. December's theme is BRIDGES, and entries must be with them by 29th December.


GROWTH OF FLASH FICTION

These are only a selection of the places open to flash fiction writers (there are loads more) and I would love if you would share others in the comments. It is a form that is growing in popularity with both readers and writers, and also a fun way to explore potential longer pieces too.

But in the meantime, good luck and happy (flash fiction) writing!

Rae x


 

Saturday 14 November 2020

Book Trailers. Do you love them or loathe them?

Do you love them or loathe them? Whatever you think, a book trailer is another way for an author (or publisher) to inform a reader about their latest release. I must admit, a book trailer has never persuaded me to buy a book, but it might just persuade someone else so I thought I would give it a go and make one for each book in my Cornish Tales series.

I suspect there is a budding filmmaker somewhere deep inside me as I quite enjoyed the process, although I soon discovered that there was a very defined limit to my amateur skills. Many publishers do not create book trailers, so often it falls to the author to make one. I found myself in this situation, so before I entered this unchartered territory, I asked myself the following questions.

Do I make one in the first place?
This is a serious question to consider. A bad book trailer can turn people off, just as much as a good one can tempt someone to buy. Are you able to convey the essence of the book to film? This is not as easy as you might think. There are many software programmes available, with varying complexities. For the majority of my book trailers I used Windows photo editor (previously Movie Maker), as it is simple, which suited my limited skills.

How long should it be?
Short. People are busy and a long, slow, drawn out film will result in people switching it off. I think somewhere between one to two minutes is best, but certainly no longer.

How much text do I use?
In my opinion, the average book blurb contains too many words. A short film, which is too wordy, can turn people off too. It needs to be simple, but convey the emotional element of the story succinctly. The most important thing is to leave the reader with the teasing hint that there is more of the story to discover, because discovering twists and turns is part of the joy of reading a new book. Daniel's Daughter has a convoluted story with lots of twists and turns. The sub-characters are just as important as the main protagonists. So I decided to leave a lot of the detail out, keep it simple and hint at the complexity by using real review quotes to convey the story. Book trailers are always better with the sound on, so bear that in mind if you decide to look at the examples below. Please click on the book trailer picture to view.

Should I use music?
Absolutely! Music conveys the type of story far better than any picture or text can. For example, upbeat music conveys a light hearted read, whereas drama and emotional reads require something quite different.

Below are two very different book trailers, the first, The Daughter of River Valley, is for a tense and dramatic story, whereas the second, A Daughter's Christmas Wish, has a very different feel, one of sadness and hope. Just click on the picture to view each video and remember to turn on the sound.



What about copyright and royalties? Do I need to worry about these?
Yes! Music and images with copyright cannot be used without the express consent of the person who owns that copyright. Music may have royalty issues too. Thankfully, there are many images and a great selection of music that can be used, just check the source first before using it. The music I have used are royalty free as long as a attribution is given, which I have in the credits at the end. Some of the images also require attribution, while others do not. There is also nothing stopping you using your own photographs.

What sort of images do I use?
This is up to the author, but as a reader I would want to see something interesting and has something to do with the novel. It is very difficult to find historically accurate images, particularly of handsome men, unless you wish to spend a lot of money. Close up images are a good way to cheat. I had particular difficulty with Daughter of the House as I had to find suitable images for the hero and heroine as they grew up. This is a good example where music really helped to convey the story, so turn up the sound and enjoy and see if you can spot my tricks of getting over the thorny issue of historical fashion.


Images or moving pictures? Which is best?
That depends on the actor or the pictures! I used an actor in the The Thief's Daughter. She was very good, but I soon discovered that filming outside was far more difficult than I had anticipated. Weather, lighting and the general public were things I had not really considered. I also discovered that it is far more difficult to portray onto film what I had imagined in your head. Finding the right clothes was also an epic task! It was fun and although I was not happy with the wind, in the end I think it added life to the final edit. However, my later book trailers were made with images so I was able to control the weather and lighting!


What else should I think about?
I have met many authors during my writing career. Most are very modest people and so this is just a timely reminder to all those out there thinking about making book trailers... remember to add the following...

1) The name of your book and who wrote it! Yes, it is easy to forget this vital information!
2) An image of your book. I think its a good idea to add it at the beginning and then again at the end, just as a gentle reminder.
3) Links and information on where it can be bought.
4) Don't forget to add acknowledgments, attribution and the location where it was filmed.

Most of all, enjoy the experience. You never know, there might be a budding Hitchcock, Spielberg or, the largely forgotten but original trail blazer, director Alice Guy-Blake, lurking somewhere deep in your soul!

 So what did you think? Do you like book trailers or loathe them? I would love to know.

Victoria Cornwall

Saturday 31 October 2020

Off on a Plot Walk...





I’m just off out for a plot walk.”

Maybe as little as five years ago, I didn’t know what a plot walk was. Now it’s a Twitter hashtag, with its own variants (such as #plotsit) and one which is usually accompanied by gorgeous photographs. 


When I say I didn’t know what it was, I really mean I didn’t know that it had a name and that quite so many other writers do the same as I do when they’ve been staring at the screen for so long their eyes hurt and their story is at the I-need-this-to-happen-but-it’s-impossible stage. They slam the laptop shut, pull on coat and hat and scarf and wellies (because a real plot walk is not fair weather dependent) and head out. And somewhere in the wind and rain, among the sodden cats and battered daisies of the local front, the fallen leaves and left-over cans of Stella in the park, or the tell-tale explosion of pigeon feathers at the edge of the field, they will usually find inspiration. 


That’s when they post about it. I imagine many of them are like me and, when the soggy ramble ends in failure, they shrug, go home, have a cup of coffee, and get on with the washing up. 


In fact I’m more likely to try a plot cycle rather than a plot walk; although I’m gradually realising that plot cycles are less effective (and, in direct contradiction to what I’ve said above, much more dependent on fair weather). Because you’re travelling faster there’s always something else to think about. Is the road wide enough for that lorry to get past me? Oops, that horse looks a little skittish — better give it a wide berth. Watch that pothole. And oh my god, is that a hare?


What a plot cycle often does, however, is produce a story prompt. There’s that abandoned shoe on the pavement, in all its morning-after abandonment. (Is that how Cinderella was written?) There’s the cyclist I was chasing up a hill to see how much of the distance I could make up and who just disappeared. (All right, turned off when out of sight, but that’s how plots are born.) There’s the abandoned child’s toy in the middle of a lonely road. (Yes, we know the child thew it out of the car window.) And there's that cat that knows everyone and seems to have no home.


Do plot walks work for you? Or do you have an alternative solution? I would love to know.  

Sunday 25 October 2020

PASSING ON THE BATON

Life under Covid has given us all a bit of thinking time, and one of the thoughts that came to me - Linda Mitchelmore - was that I have no idea if any of my ancestors had been published or if I am the first to do the honours. I do know my paternal grandmother was illiterate at the time of her marriage and signed the register with her mark - x - so no baton-passing there. My father - ever an avid reader - left school at twelve but passed on his love of reading to me and my brother. I also know that I was the first in my family - both sides - to be educated after the age of fourteen and that has to have helped in getting me where I am today. That said, my maternal grandfather was enlightened for his times and insisted his daughters received the same education as his sons. Finance, alas, prevented my mother from going into highter education and I never knew her read anything buy Woman's Realm and My Weekly - good as they were and are. I'm very happy to say that both my children have seen their thoughts and words in print - my son in a Boy Scout guidebook and my daughter in a poetry anthology. This blog has been going a while now and yet there is so much about one another we don't know so I thought I'd ask the others about their 'batons'.

Rae Cowie says this:- 'When invited to write about 'passing on the baton' I feared I had failed to encourage anyone to write. As far as I am aware I am the first in my close family to have had work published, but creativity flourishes in lots of different ways. Our youngest son is studying drama and has dabbled with scriptwriting and our eldest used much of lockdown to mix a new music album. In the wider family we have artists and knitters, dancers and ice-skaters, crafters and cake bakers - all inspiring and imaginative. I suspect I have been motivated by them to make time for what I enjoy, and perhaps that is the legacy we can pass on to those around us. Do what makes your heart sing.'


Victoria Cornwall is also the first in her family to become a published author. 'I was brought up on a farm in rural Cornwall and although I loved to read, as a child I considered authors to be a breed apart from the people I knew. They were usually (to my mind at least) highly intelligent academics (non-fiction) or well-educated, upper class arty types who had an unfailing command of the English language ... not a Cornish accent to be heard! I blame Enid Blyton and Barbara Cartland for this view. Therefore, my desire to write a book was kept firmly hidden until I was middle-aged. By then the world had changed and everything was achievable if you were only willing to try and risk failing. So I gave writing a go and secured six publishing contracts. I have since discovered that writers are not all upper class arty types, but a mixed bag who come from all levels of society, with a wealth of experiences to inspire great stories. My own children do not have the desire to write novels. However,my grandchildren do love books. Yes, they are still babies and sucking on the pages appears just as much fun as looking at the pictures, but there is always the hope that they might like to take up the baton ... or at least read one of my books when they are old enough to escape into a novel.'

Terry Lynn Thomas is in the US (so I have left her spellings as she writes them over there). Here is what she has to say:- 'I'm the first member of my family in print. Of all my family members my niece is the avid reader. She's read all my books and - I think - she has a good idea about the effort and labor (sweat and tears) involved in getting a book out into the world. When I decided to write I remember her as a sweet-faced kid, impressed by my efforts and championing me in that loving way that's unique to children. Now that I'm published she is one of my loyal readers. She insists on buying copies of my books even though I've offered freebies, and is great about reading and reviewing. Now she's living a very interesting life and is gaining the experiences and understanding of people and the world that all writers need. So while she doesn't know it yet, I truly believe one of these days she'll call me and say,' You know what? I think I want to be a writer.' At that time I'll pass the baton with pleasure.'

Jennifer Young is about to buck the trend. 'I'm not the first in my family to be a writer. My mother, like me, has always written - articles to begin with, for publications such as Punch and The Guardian. Later she moved on to write short stories for The People's Friend where she became a regular contributor and wrote two serials as well as short stories. In those days, when magazines paid decent money, she received far more money (in actual, not real, terms) than I did decades later. My grandmother was not a writer and I sometimes wonder if she would have been had she had the opportunity. She was born into a mining family in South Wales in the 1890s and left school at the age of twelve to look after her family and then, widowed with a small child, had to work hard to keep the two of them. There was no chance for writing although she did read as much as she could and borrowed books from the families she worked for. I know all this because my mother, at the age of eighty-nine, is stil writing - her memoirs. And although there is no sign of creative writing coming in the generation below, you never know. Maybe wone day it will.'

Kath McGurl has this very intersting piece to tell us:- 'I'm the first writer in my family. At least, the first to publish novels and make a living from writing. But not the first published writer ever. A few years ago my brother visited a distant relative (our dad's cousin) and talked about writing. Shortly after she sent me a few ancient newspaper clippings - poems written and published by my great-grandfather, John Coward. I knew he'd been an artist - I have a couple of his watercolours on the wall. But it seems he also wrote poetry - a bit flowery, sentimental and Victorian for our modern tastes, perhaps. My father could have been a writer, I think. He told the most marvellous children's stories. He'd sit on my bed and just make stuff up, and in later years did the same for my kids. When he received a terminal cancer diagnosis he began writing his memoirs in his own wonderful style. Sadly, he didn't get very far with them. And my youngest son will be, I hope, the next in the family to hold that baton. He has a first class degree in Drama and has a talent for scriptwriting. He manages to make serious, thoughtful points while being funny. He's currently working with a post-grad Drama student adapting his final disseration piece with a view to making it available to a wider audience. If ever there are audiences in theatres again, that is. Covid has put life on hold to an extent, as for so many young people.'

And last, but by no means least, is Jennifer Bohnet's story:- As far as I know I am the first novelist in my family but not the first writer. My maternal grandfather was a man of many talents. He started off his working life as an apprentice potter with Wedgwood - I'm lucky enough to have his original apprentice papers. Both he and his father won medals for the quality of their work from the King. As time went on and work in potteries became scarce in the mid-twentieth century, he retrained as a telephonist and this is when he bcame active within his trade union and the Labour Party writing short, and long, pieces urging people to stand up for their rights. Sadly none of this propoganda survives, although my mother did at one time have a few dog-eared newspaper cuttings. And sadly, he never lived long enough to hear about my writing. I know he would have been thrilled. Now I'm the one in the family to get to be thrilled and proud. I've passed on the baton to my son, Nick. He published his first novel earlier this year and is now busy writing the second (in between skippering a boat for the environmental group, Sea Shepherd). I have to admit I do feel proud when he and I show up on the same Amazon page. And here's the cover of his first book.'

Friday 16 October 2020

Twelve More Sleeps

Hey, everyone. Terry here full of news about my newest release, which comes out in ebook on the 28th of October. The Betrayal is my first foray into contemporary psychological suspense, and introduces Olivia Sinclair, an attorney on the brink of retirement. This book was so much fun to write! The second book in in the series is with my editor, and I'm working on the third book now. Here's the prologue and buy links, for those who are interested.



Prologue 

Sunday, October 5

When the alarm blared the Sunday financial recap, the woman woke with a start. She didn’t care about the Dow Jones Industrial Average, nor did she care about market volatility. Fumbling, she unplugged the old-fashioned clock radio and tossed it under the bed. Her thoughts, as they often did, went to her lover. She rolled over and pressed her face into his pillow, taking in the scent of him, that strange concoction of vanilla and citrus that made her senses reel.

Rolling over on her back, she took a deep breath, and cradled her belly, thinking of the baby that grew inside her. The positive pregnancy test lay on the table next to her, its vertical pink line a source of unimaginable joy. She snuggled under the duvet as the automatic coffeemaker kicked into gear, filling her apartment with the aroma of the dark roast coffee her lover preferred.

She saw the card on the doormat just as she poured her first cup of coffee.

I’ve rented a beach house for us tonight. I’ll send a key and the address by messenger. Meet you there around ten?

Leaning back against the counter, the woman closed her eyes, anticipating their rendezvous. Dear God, she craved him.

She did not know she had less than fifteen hours to live.

Buy links. I hope my prologue has you intrigued. If you are interested, you can purchase a copy of the book here

That's my news this week! Hope you are all doing well. 

Happy reading! 

Sunday 11 October 2020

A Room of One's Own

All writers need somewhere to work. Some have studies or spare rooms kitted with a desk, some curl up on the sofa with their laptop on their laps. Some, in those halcyon sunlit pre-Covid days (remember those?) prefer to go to a cafe and scribble in a notebook.


Some need absolute silence when writing, some put together sound-tracks to listen to, others are happy to write with the hubbub of every day life going on around them.


Since the pandemic struck and so many people began working from home, full-time writers (who always owned the home space during the day) have had to get used to the other half, and maybe the kids too, being there all the time. How they've managed to continue writing books is heroic. Hats off to the writers with day jobs they had to do from home, and kids they had to home-school, and novel contracts they still managed to stay on top of during 2020.



When I still had a day job, I worked from home anyway - I had done so since 1998, before it was fashionable (using a dial-up modem, no instant messaging systems, certainly no video-calls!) I'd do my day job in our home-office, then move to a sofa in the evenings to write. After I gave up that job last year, I kitted out my old work desk as a writing desk but I often still find I prefer working on that sofa. Maybe it's psychological - I equate being curled up there with writing.



We're now in the process of moving house. The large family home is too big for just two of us. When house-hunting, I was always eyeing up potential writing-rooms. I knew I'd need somewhere to put a desk, somewhere for the four full-height bookcases to go, and somewhere I could escape to, and curl up away from the TV and general husband-noise. We've chosen a bungalow, and we plan to add a garden room to it. A beautiful, wood-clad, fully insulated room, that I imagine as MY room. Something like the one in the photo below. I envisage all the books lining the back wall, my desk to one side, and a sofa-bed in the middle, facing out into the garden.



It might not be until next summer before the garden room is built, but I am looking forward to having that perfect space in which to write. Or read. Or day-dream. Or nap!


Where do you write? What's your dream writing-space?



Sunday 4 October 2020

If life is a bowl of cherries, then what am I doing in the pits? (Erma Brombeck)


Whichever way you look at it 2020 has been a very difficult year for everyone. With just 3 months to go before we say goodbye to it and pray 2021 will be better, I thought we could all do with raising a smile or two.


When I first started writing a lifestyle column for several Devonshire newspapers Erma Brombeck was my idol and my inspiration. An American journalist she wrote over 4,000 newspaper columns, using broad and sometimes eloquent humour, chronicling the ordinary life of a midwestern suburban housewife. She also published 15 books, most of which became bestsellers. I realise her name in all probability will mean nothing to anybody under the age of forty but at that time she was the queen of family and lifestyle quips like this:


My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you? 


Sadly I know my humour in my newspaper column never matched hers - she had all the best lines stitched up already. Here are a few of my favourites.


Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth.


When your mother asks, "Do you want a piece of advice?" it is a mere formality. It doesn't matter if you answer yes or no. You're going to get it anyway


Do you know what you call those who use towels and never wash them, eat meals and never do the dishes, sit in rooms they never clean, and are entertained till they drop? If you have just answered, 'A house guest,' you're wrong because I have just described my kids.


Have you any idea how many kids it takes to turn off one light in the kitchen? Three. It takes one to say, "What light?" and two more to say, "I didn't turn it on.”


It is not until you become a mother that your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.



This year is the 24th anniversary of her death. Bombeck was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (an incurable, untreatable genetic disease) when she was just 20 years old. She survived breast cancer and mastectomy, and kept secret the fact that she had kidney disease, enduring daily dialysis. She went public with her condition in 1993.


There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.


On a waiting list for transplant for years she received a kidney transplant on 3rd April 1996. She died 19 days later aged 69, from complications of the operation.


I’ll finish this short blog with one of her quotes that could have been penned in the 21st century rather than the 20th:


I'm trying very hard to understand this generation. They have adjusted the timetable for childbearing so that menopause and teaching a sixteen-year-old how to drive a car will occur in the same week. 




Erma Bombeck February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996,  

Sunday 27 September 2020

LIFE BEFORE GOODREADS...



Recently, on Twitter, I noticed the hashtag #Goodreads trending and was surprised to discover a debate raging about the pros and cons of the site. For those yet to discover Goodreads, it is a social media platform established in 2007 for book lovers to catalogue, share and review books. Today it is owned by Amazon and is the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations.



Back to the debate, and though some readers confessed to finding the platform clunky to navigate, for the most part bookworms seemed happy with what Goodreads has to offer. They find it informative (number of pages per book, genre, release dates), great for goal setting (e.g. committing to reading X number of books per year), a useful way of finding new authors, as well as a practical way of tracking books read.


Conversely, authors expressed frustration with the Goodreads star rating system, complaining that it is a blunt instrument only offering an overall rating for a book, rather than for specific elements of writing - character development, setting, dialogue, pace etc...


I have been a member of Goodreads since August 2014 but confess to mostly using it to note books reads and discover new authors/reads, rather than using it to engage with other bookworms. And this got me thinking about life before Goodreads and the notebook I used, and still use, to log my reading.

Years ago, during a rainy afternoon spent with my Granny, I began rummaging in her cupboards to help pass the time and came across an empty jotter with an index running down one side. There is a crown on the front and is says Supplied for Public Service HMSO Code 28-610. Granny had no idea where it came from. I asked if I could keep it to record books read and being at that stage in life when she was considering downsizing, she was grateful to have it taken off her hands. I can't remember if I began using it immediately, but the first entries date back to 1988 when I was still working my way through Agatha Christie and Maeve Binchy, before moving on to my John Grisham phase. A quick Google search reveals that HMSO stood for Her Majesty's Stationery Office.


As I flick through the notebook, the books I've read are like old friends reminding me of days spent on beach loungers in my twenties; time off work due to a small operation on my foot; many many hours plonked on the sofa breast-feeding. The memories roll on.


Last Sunday, as I settled to watch the TV adaptation of David Nicholls brilliant novel, Us, only a couple of minutes in and I was certain I'd read it. A quick check of Granny's notebook and there was the proof - finished reading Us on 20th April, 2015.


I have no problem with Goodreads, but will never give up on my precious notebook, as it's a link to my lovely, patient Granny, who not only spent endless hours listening to my stories but also encouraged me to write.

So, do you keep a record of books read? And if so, how? Do you love (or detest) Goodreads?

Until next time, whichever books you choose - happy reading!

Rae x




 




Saturday 19 September 2020

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining


Every cloud has a silver lining.

The above proverb springs to mind when I consider what has happened over the last six months. Yes, even a little light can be found in the wake of a pandemic.

Let me try and explain, but first I must take you back to the end of March and introduce you to a lady who celebrated her 80th birthday this year. This lady (let's call her Alice) has always wanted to write a book, but she has discovered that it is more difficult than she thought it would be. She now knows that writing a book requires skill, stubborn perseverance and an understanding of the craft. Some of this is learnt through trial and error, and some of it by study, but there is also an element of, dare I say it, natural born talent. Alice is the first to acknowledge this and she admits herself that she is not great at "imagining plots". 

The lockdown has been particularly difficult for the older generation, as social contact is so important.  At the beginning of lockdown, Dame Esther Rantzen, T.V. presenter, producer, director and the founder of the charity The Silver Line, made a guest appearance on a radio station and suggested lockdown was the perfect time for the older generation to write their memoirs. The memoir didn't have to be long and the writer didn't have to lead an exciting life, she reassured the listeners, the normal day to day routines of their childhood would differ from the lives children lead today and be interesting to read about in years to come. I listened with growing excitement. This sounded perfect for Alice. When I delivered her food shopping the following week, socially distanced of course, I gave her an A4 lined notebook and pen, and suggested she wrote her memoir for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. "You have always wanted to write a book", I said, "Try a non-fiction book instead".

Although Alice threw me a sceptical look, I am glad to say that she took up the challenge and wrote her short memoir during the strict lockdown phase. I have just spent the last few weeks researching self publishing software, typing and editing her work, scanning suitable photographs and uploading it all onto a suitable software. I have learnt a lot about the Alice's life. She did not become a spy, travel the world or fight in any wars (far too young in WW2). In fact Alice's life was unremarkable and very normal for the time. However, she lived in a different era, a time when her mother believed that by cutting off her daughter's beautiful long hair, it would reserve her strength to fight the illness that was threatening to kill her. It has also made me realise how lucky we are today... no outside toilets, no schoolteachers who think it is okay to slap a child as young as five, easier access to transport... need I go on? Her "unremarkable" life is more remarkable than one would have first thought.

The book arrived this week and yesterday I gave it to Alice. She was delighted with the book and amazed that it was possible for her handwritten memories to be made into a hardback, professional-looking book (I hadn't told her about the software available today as I wanted to surprise her). Her memoir will never be for sale, but it will be her lasting legacy, a gift from one generation to another and hopefully handed down through her family.


So the silver lining  of this tale is that Alice has finally written a book at the grand age of 80. She even undertook a book signing, as I asked her to sign her great grandchildren's copies. However there are two silver linings to this tale as her great grandchildren (who are too young to appreciate the memoir at the moment), will one day come to know Alice through her own words... words that were written when the world was fighting a global pandemic. Hopefully the memoir of an ordinary child learning how to become an adult in the 40's, and navigate life as a woman in the 50's and 60's, will also transcend generations to come.

So we must try and remember that every cloud has a silver lining, its just that sometimes we have to look a little harder to find it.





Saturday 12 September 2020

TO GIVE BOOKS AS GIFTS? OR NOT?

Few sentences will make my heart sink lower than when someone hands me a very prettily packaged parcel on my birthday that's obviously a book and says 'Linda, you will absolutely LOVE this book.' Friends and relatives tend to assume that becauee I write I also read voraciously and in genres in which I do not write. There's a reason for me not writing in other genre ... some things I simply do not take to and reading, say, Regency romances for one (and apologies to all those wonderful writers of Regency fiction out there) is something I wouldn't choose to do. Over the years I've had many gifts of books that I have enjoyed but an awful lot more that I haven't. But the giving of books as presents? Have I done that? And did the recipients like them as much as I did? I rarely give books as presents these days because I had a severe rapping of the knuckles a few years ago. I have a long-time friend whose chosen reading I was pretty sure of - historical or period, a bit political, upstairs/downstairs scenario, well-written with a cracking story and a bit of romance thrown in. So I bought a book by a friend of mine (no names) that ticked all the above boxes and wrapped it prettily and gave it to her. Oh my! Was I taken to task for it! She told me in no uncertain terms that books are very personal things, like underwear, and we wouldn't choose underwear for our friends, would we? And lots more in that vein. So I've rarely given books as presents since. That said, I have given friends copies of my own books but only if they've shown real (not just polite) interest - and not every time I have a new book out. So, back to the beginning. I'm not about to list the books I've been given as presents that I dropped off at the charity shop as soon as was decently possible. But here are I few I'd probably never have chosen for myself which I have enjoyed. OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout (American). As one puff quote has it 'These pages hold what life puts in; experience, joy, grief, and the sometimes-painful journey to love'. That I'm round about the same age as the heroine in this book might have had something to do with why I enjoyed it so much! When an American friend gave me MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides (Greek-American) my heart did that sinking thing. This was so not going to be me. It is, for those who've not read it, about a hermaphrodite. It has a sweeping timeline. My friend was waiting for my comments so I obliged. And I surprised myself and learned a lot about the human soul and biology in the process. Back in the day when the town where I lived had a bookshop and when I was given book tokens as presents to spend therin I used one token to buy LAST KISS GOODNIGHT by Teresa Driscoll. Confession time here. I know Teresa. Before Covid and lockdown we met up on a regular basis with other writer friends in Exeter for lunch. Teresa came to one of my booksignings so I returned the compliment and bought this one. I knew from the cover alone that it was going to break my heart. So I didn't open it. For four years. But then came lockdown and I picked it up again and I am just so very glad I did. It's a wonderful book. I like the writing style - some very short, sharp sentences. Some with just one word. Dialogue that's not in the least bit flowery. Definitely a keeper, this one. I was bought RULES FOR VISITING by Jessica Francis Kane (American - I think) for a joke really. Living by the seaside I am hostess to a constant stream of friends and relatives all the year round but mostly in summer ... although not this year for obvious reasons. A friend who visits often gave me this and in the back where there is a list of what to do and what not when visiting he wrote, 'I do my best. All engraved on my heart in stone.' This book is one that's going to stay on my bookshelf as well. Are you noticing a theme here? I have a fancy for the American writing voice. Anyway, that's fiction as gifts done and now non-fiction. Those who know me well know I love gardening. I've been on many 'garden' holidays, here and abroad, and so books on gardens are always welcome and they never make it to the charity shop. A few years ago I was given Jackie Bennett's (English) THE WRITER'S GARDEN which very neatly packaged all my loves in one. I've also got a book on Monet's Garden and Aberglasny which I take out and look at time and time again. I was going to put pictures of the book covers of all the above into the text but Blogger and my server have changed things since I last posted and although I took them off the internet and they seem to be in my picture file I'm not allowed to add them to this for some reason. So here's another picture to remind you of the theme of this blogpost. Happy reading, everyone, by whatever means the book gets into your hands.

Saturday 5 September 2020

Boo! Hiss! Why I prefer heroes to villains

 

Since Covid19 came and changed everything, I have been reading to fill my time. Nothing new in that but, as I’ve said previously, I’ve learned not to finish a book I’m not enjoying. In a further development, I’ve been using lot of the time on my hands to think about what I’ve read and to wonder what makes me enjoy a book and what not. And I’ve come to a conclusion. There are lots of reasons to like or dislike a book but the main one is…the people. 

I’ve often said my fiction is character-driven and that’s how I like it as a reader as well. I’ve never subscribed to the school of thought that says all characters have to be nice (whatever that means) as long as they’re interesting, but as I’ve analysed my response to books I read, I’ve concluded that  nor can they be entirely unpleasant.

So here’s a tale of two books. I finished them both and one of them was clearly more literary and, for simplicity, “better” than the other. In the red corner, Book A. It’s incredibly well written. It’s clever. It’s original. In the blue corner, Book B. It’s nicely written, though nothing like as well as Book A. It’’s clever, but nothing like as clever. And it’s formulaic rather than original. 

Reader, I loved Book B so much more. I won’t say I cried when it ended but I was a little sad. And the reason was because the characters in Book A were interesting enough but I really didn’t like them. Almost without exception they were selfish and introspective. They were either over-aggressive or whimperingly passive. most of them were discontented when they had plenty to be content about, and they were short of redeeming features. Almost all of them were in some way manipulative. The bad ones — and there were plenty of them — were very bad indeed. 

Book B, by contrast, offered a full range of characters from hero to villain and every one of them was human. The female lead was thoughtful, given to frustration with those around her but genuinely imbued with feeling for her fellow humans. Her love interest was charming in the right way, noble without being morally superior, and both were warmly witty. The minor characters, too, had their faults and  their redeeming features in equal measure. 

In short, if the characters in Book B were real, I would enjoy spending time with them. I would seek them out and know that, no matter the threat to me, someone would be looking out for me. If I were forced into the company of those in Book A, on the other hand, I would never relax. I would be wondering which of them was going to turn on me for no reason, and whether the inevitable attack would be verbal or physical. 

Both books, by the way, were equally suspenseful. For me, this lays to rest the argument that the only interesting characters are villains. 

So…do you subscribe to the idea that a character must be likeable to be interesting?