Box Sets Anyone?

 

I love a good book box set! In fact, I love them so much I was given two sets for Christmas! There is something satisfactory about seeing them on a bookshelf - sitting there all neat and organised... hinting at the personality of the owner who owns them.

I think it may stem from when I was younger. The first novels I enjoyed were series, written by the formidable and talented Enid Blyton. A series, written by the same author, provided a reassurance that the book you were spending your pocket money on was going to be of the same standard as before. Of course, it was also the era of the Reader's Digest book sets.

Once again, they were neat, organised and appealing to look at. As a teenager, I was fascinated by their gold embossed lettering and swirls. Unfortunately, I also found them a little daunting and didn't read them. Their hardback covers reminded me of the sort of books found in the libraries of a grand stately home so I assumed they were too educated for the likes of little old me, a farmer's daughter growing up in rural Cornwall. It wasn't until I was a young adult that I came across the set again and took another look. To my surprise I discovered that the books were just normal books and that I had read several of them already, just with another book cover. This experience taught me a lesson... book sets are just as much about being ornamental and projecting an image of the owner, as it is about the books inside the covers.

Now is the era of the box set, which has all the advantages and intrigue of the above but now neatly slid into a carefully designed box. They are so popular that publishers now use box sets in a number of ways in an attempt to get a reader to buy not one but several books in one hit.

So what are the types out there? Lets take a look and the categories I have found.

Standalone novels by the same author.
My Jane Austen box set, published by Wordsworth Editions, is a perfect example of this. Austen's six novels, which were published anonymously in her lifetime, proudly bear her name on each spine and take pride of place on my shelf. Notice that the spine area is just as important, if not more so, than the book covers inside, which is unusual for a book.

Box set include Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey,
Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility

Series by the same author
The Complete Anne of Green Gables Collection by L. M. Montgomery is published by Arcturus. Over a series of capers and experiences, it tells the 'coming of age' story of Anne during the 1800s. Although written in the early 1900s, we can see that great care has been taken to appeal to today's reader. Bright colours and contemporary illustrations on the box cover and spines are used to appeal to a demographic that may not normally go for historical fiction.

Standalone novels by the same family.

The Complete Brontë Collection, once again published by Wordsworth, is a good example of family box sets where the customer gets three authors (Anne, Charlotte and Emily) for the price of one box set. These types are less common for obvious reasons as not many families can boast so many successful writers. This particular box set is a good example of how publishers can use box sets to sell less popular books. How many of you have read The Professor, Shirley or Villette? If you had a box set you might give them a try.

Agnes Grey, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Jane Eyre, The Professor,
Shirley, Villette, and Wuthering Heights

Standalone novels with the same protagonist

Although the Anne of Green Gables collection has the same protagonist throughout, I see it more of a series due to the fact that she grows up through the books. Sherlock Holmes Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle, published by Arcturus, is in a different category again as each story is a stand-alone tale, yet with the same protagonist throughout.

Collections by age

Box sets are perfect for children - and their parents who are desperate to encourage their children to read.  Little Miss: My Complete Collection Box Set is published by Farshore. It includes all 36 Little Miss books. Designed to appeal to toddlers and children aged 2+, careful consideration has been made regarding who the protagonist is and the readership it is likely to attract. You will also note the change in design of the box. Less important is the 'ornament' appeal, now its about keeping the books together so they can be tidied away at the end of the day, hence the lid.

Collections by company

Box sets are about reassuring the reader that the publisher has done the work for the reader by choosing good quality books for them. That reassurance can also come from the company or business that has produced something else but can be linked and add sparkle to the books that inspired them initially or were inspired by them. A good example of this is Disney Storytime Collection, published by Autumn Publishing. The reader knows the stories and the illustrations already, but now have the books to read too!

I am sure I have missed out on other types. I suspect there are box sets by genre rather than author too (ie horror) but this post is long enough already. So next time you are in a book shop or surfing the net, take a look at what box sets are on offer and ask yourself why do they look like they do? Will it look good on the bookshelf in my home? Are there any books you've not heard of before nestled next to the well known ones? Is it the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy second cousin? Happy hunting everyone!

Victoria Cornwall

It's Beginning To Feel Like Christmas...

Every Christmas I like to browse the new festive releases from my publisher, Choc Lit, & their imprint Ruby Fiction. As always, the covers look amazing. Congratulations to all the authors who have been busy writing these festive treats over the past year! Why don't you have a browse too! If the blurb tickles your fancy, just click on the book cover to find out more. All the books are available in ebook and audiobook format and some are in paperback too! Enjoy!

Laughing All The Way by Berni Stevens

If you received a mysterious invitation for a fun-filled festive train ride the week before Christmas, would you go?

When teacher Dee Nicholls receives her invitation, she isn’t sure what to make of it. Surely it’s some kind of joke to get her out of bed early on a weekend? Perhaps a clever festive marketing ploy?

But as the Christmas countdown begins, it becomes clear that Dee isn’t the only “Jingle Bells Express” invitee. There are other people out there who have received the same invitation: Tom the intern, Rachel the aspiring writer, Dylan the musician and his dog Muttley – and they’re not the only ones!

Could the unusual festive journey they eventually take together show them all the true meaning of Christmas, and also that happiness is sometimes right in front of you – if you just take the time to look?

***

Strictly Christmas Spirit by Helen Buckley

Ex-dancer Emily Williams turned her back on the sparkle of popular dancing show Strictly Dancing with Celebs to help those in need. Now the only dancing she does is teaching lonely pensioners to waltz, and the closest she gets to disco balls is making baubles with the homeless people in her Christmas crafts class.

She’s certainly not star-struck when Hollywood heart-throb Blake Harris is sent to her at short notice for community service, and has no desire to babysit the arrogant actor with his bad boy antics and selfish ways. Christmas might be a time for miracles, but Blake seems to be a lost cause.

Could their time together, coupled with a dash of Christmas spirit, lead to a miracle change of heart for them both?

***

A Cornish Christmas at Pear Tree Farm by Angela Britnell

Pear Tree Farm in Cornwall, owned by the kind-hearted Nessa Vivian, is known for taking in lost souls, and ex-soldier Crispin Davies is certainly one of those. But the once sleepy caravan park is now a thriving business, and far from the peace and quiet Crispin was craving, he soon finds himself roped into helping out with a short-notice Christmas festival, organised by Nessa’s force-of-nature sister, Lowena.

But despite Crispin’s initial reluctance, his involvement in the festival serves to throw him together with Ashley Spencer, an American woman and fellow lost soul, who works at the nearby Tregereth House. Could Lowena’s ambitious scheme result in a more hopeful Christmas and New Year for them both – with a few surprises along the way?

***

Christmas at Serenity Bay by Helen Bridgett

Chloe Walsh’s skills as location manager for the beautiful seaside village she calls home have come up trumps again, and Serenity Bay is now the setting for cosy crime drama The Montgomery Mysteries, starring amateur sleuth Dominic Montgomery and his crime-solving dog, Agatha.

But Chloe is in a race against time. Filming has to finish before the village Midwinter Festival but schedules are tight – and a mystery saboteur is intent on slowing things down even further. Not only is Chloe facing problems with the shoot, she also has some personal conundrums to solve – a diva actor has commandeered her flat, her mum is having a late mid-life crisis, plus she has no idea what to buy for her Christmas-obsessed boyfriend!

Can Chloe sort out her life and save Christmas for an entire village?

***

Christmas of New Beginnings by Kirsty Ferry

Not all festive wishes come true right away – sometimes it takes five Christmases …

Folk singer Cerys Davies left Wales for the South Downs village of Padcock at Christmas, desperate for a new beginning. And she ends up having plenty of those: opening a new craft shop-tea room, helping set up the village’s first festive craft fair, and, of course, falling desperately in love with Lovely Sam, the owner of the local pub. It’s just too bad he’s firmly in the clutches of Awful Belinda …

Perhaps Cerys has to learn that some new beginnings take a while to … well, begin! But with a bit of patience, some mild espionage, a generous sprinkling of festive magic and a flock of pub-crashing sheep, could her fifth Christmas in Padcock lead to her best new beginning yet?

For more Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction festive reads please click HERE 

***

Summer's Christmas by Ella Cook

Summer by name and summer by nature – that’s how people describe Evelyn’s happy, outgoing daughter. Even if her favourite time of year is actually Christmas!

But Summer has gone through more than any eight-year-old ever should, and that’s part of the reason Evelyn is leaving everything behind to return to her childhood home in the village of Broclington; just her, Summer and Summer’s best friend – a Shiba Inu dog called Tilly. Unsurprisingly, Evelyn is hesitant to let anyone else in, although local vet Jake Macpearson seems intent on winning her trust.

When Evelyn receives the news that every mother dreads, it’s Jake who comes to the rescue. With the help of the Broclington community, could he be the man to bring festive magic to August, and make all of Evelyn and Summer’s Christmases come at once?

***

Perhaps now is a good time to mention my own festive novella! Originally published by Choc Lit as an ebook and audiobook, I always hoped that one day it would be released in print.

I am delighted to say that it is now out in large print for the very first time this Christmas!

A Daughter's Christmas Wish by Victoria Cornwall

Christmas, 1919. A promise to a fellow soldier leads Nicholas to Cornwall for Christmas, and to the teashop managed by Rose: the youngest daughter of a family whose festive spirit has been blighted by their wartime experiences.

But as Nicholas strives to give Rose the best Christmas she could wish for, he begins to question whether his efforts are to honour his friend - or if there is another reason...

The large print format is published by Ulverscroft and you can buy a copy HERE

This is my last post until after Christmas, so I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!

Victoria Cornwall

In Which We Discuss Burnout

 

I haven’t written a single word (with the exception of this blog post) since July. It's rather strange to share this situation with the NPOV readers, as writing is who I am. It’s what I do, my joy, my love. Or it always had been. Starting in May, the idea of writing gave me a stomach ache. Bad timing, of course, as I was in the middle of writing and editing the third book in my Olivia Sinclair series. Things were going well, the first draft was completed, but I was in such a hurry to finish that first draft and meet my deadline, that I wasn’t paying attention to my state of mind or the quality of the book. When my editor and I decided that a massive rewrite was necessary, instead of excitedly breaking out my red pen (I do love a good rewrite!), I hit the wall hard and started to panic. I was completely floored at the realization that I didn’t have the capacity to do any work at all on this book that was scheduled to be published in November. My creative well run completely dry.  

Part of me wanted to just continue to write, to push through this difficult period in my career. After all, I am a professional, right? Nope. Burnout is not a work ethic issue. My problem went deeper. Pushing through the difficulty wasn’t going to help me with my current situation.

I’ve never been a quitter, but stepping away from writing seemed the only thing to do. I needed a break, needed to put my feet on the floor in the morning without a deadline hanging over my head. Luckily, my publisher was able to grant me an extension. So with my looming deadline dealt with, I purposefully, and with more than a bit of difficulty, stopped all things related to writing. I went on long walks, cooked all the recipes I wanted to try, and tackled a long list of cleaning and sorting, all the while wondering when my well would be full.

Even though I wasn’t working, per se, I was jotting down notes on Post-Its, thinking of plots and stories, dreaming up heroes and those who would take them down. As expected, I quickly came to miss my time at the keyboard. But I also know that it’s not time to start writing yet. Although I'm not in a perpetual state of panic, my creative well is still dry. Turns out this break from the job I love is turning into a patience lesson. 

My writing career ran hot and fast for the past few years in a wonderful whirlwind of working with fabulous editors and connecting with readers who like what I write. The time proved blissful and satisfying, but utterly exhausting. I’m pooped. With a bit of luck, this break from my writing life will give me a deeper knowledge of my craft, and enrich my future prose with a greater understanding of who I am as a writer. While audio books (and the occasional Netflix binge) has provided me ample comfort during the time of creative crisis, getting back to my craft is the light that awaits at the end of this tunnel. I’ll get there. With any luck, I’ll be a better writer for it.

How about you? Have you ever suffered from professional/creative burnout? How did you work your way through? And, most importantly, when did you know your creative well was full? (Any advice appreciated!!!) 

 

Audiobooks for the win!

Fasten your seatbelts, readers. I'm pretty certain this post is going to get some of you pretty riled up, but I've recently gone through an epiphany, and I'm going to bare my soul and share it here. In 2006 when my husband and I relocated across the country, I purged a giant portion of my books. In fact, I only hung onto the tomes that I knew I would read again, crying a little as I parted with the bulk of my childhood books and many of my other favorites. I’ve been carrying books around with me since I left my parents’ home, and throughout my life my books have provided me comfort, in addition to hours of entertainment.

But the wheel turns and attitudes change. Lately (oh, this is difficult to write) my favorite way to get story doesn’t involve a book at all. I hereby declare myself an audiophile. I adore audio books. There’s nothing like being read to by a professional reader, and audiobooks let me go about my day-to-day activities, like cleaning house and exercising, all the while listening to my favorite book. Although I have a well loaded Kindle, and I do read on it occasionally, lately I’m getting my story via audio.

Industry pundits say that audio books are experiencing unprecedented growth. Now, more than ever, there are choices galore and all kinds of content available. As I wondered why I felt such guilt over abandoning the physical books which I’ve loved forever, I realized it doesn’t matter how we get our story, how we absorb the words and sentences that take us to new worlds and expand our minds. Be it physical books, e-books, or audio books, at the end of the day it’s really about a tightly woven plot that resolves in a satisfying way and character relationships that involve us emotionally.

As I curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, headphones at the ready, I like to think that listening to a book is teaching me to use my brain in different ways, to focus on what I hear, and to make me a better listener. I will always have a soft spot for books, of hours spent in bookstores, of the smell of bound volumes, and of the way physical books enhanced my life will always be dear. I’ve just moved on and embraced a new way to get my story.  

How about you? Are you attached to physical books? Do you like listening to audio books? Drop and a comment and let me know.

Happy reading (or listening), everyone.

Terry

 

What a Year – Its Strange Effects, Also Reflections on the Generosity of Authors

 

First things first! Leah Fleming, old friend, RNA member and reader of this blog pointed out that The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Quotations is a brilliant source of titles! And, of course, she is right.

So back to it!

This has surely been a year like no other – apart from 2020. The more things change the more they stay the same.

For me, the worst part of lockdown has been the physical isolation from family and friends, especially from my writing friends. At the time of writing, we have just had Covid restrictions extended for another month. It will be almost two years before we can see our younger daughter. At least we can see her sister and our granddaughter and hug THEM. When you are a grandparent, it takes extraordinarily little to keep you happy, and there IS light at the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully, my brain fog will lift, too. It’s probably part of advancing age and decrepitude, but we also find ourselves anchored inside a small circle of activities, and for both of us, all our energy has disappeared. We are both remarkably keen on a nap in the afternoon nowadays!  Still a change will be as good as a rest (surely). It may help stop the feeling of life being sucked from our brains!

---

July 1st is the middle day of the year, and also Canada Day, and my birthday. Also last year it was the day that the 2020 version of “Children in Read” was announced.

For those who have no idea what this is, it’s now a major charity fundraiser for the BBCs Children in Need appeal. Last year, it attracted about 600 contributing authors and raised almost £22,000. It was founded by a Liverpool businessman, Paddy Heron, who continues to organise and drive the event forward from year to year. Now in its seventh year, it has raised increasingly larger amounts each year.

Paddy normally “opens the shop” to donations in early July. Most authors are only too happy to donate a book. Children in Need, and Children in Read are both excellent causes to be associated with and have the highest approval of almost any charity in the UK. Last year I got involved and approached Jo Rowling and Philip Pullman, among others. Jo Rowling donated a copy of The Ichabod, and that went for £800. Philip Pullman donated three signed bookplates, and they went for about £350. Members of the Romantic Novelists Association seem to have taken the event to heart – about 200 members donated one or more books.

Once they are open, to donate a book is so easy! Just email Paddy Heron at childreninread@yahoo.com or Tweet (DM) to him (and Follow him) at @ChildrenInRead and tell him you would like to donate a book. All genres and all age-groups are welcome,  BUT NOT YET! 

What does Paddy need? Your name, with a “head shot” photo, your book title and a “cover shot” photo, your bio, and the “book blurb”. He also needs your Author web page and Twitter address. BUT NOT YET!

After the Auction, on November 13th, Paddy and the team will contact you with the details of the winning bid.  You then sign a copy of your book and post it to the winner!

Could it be easier, or more worthwhile? I don’t think so! 

Apart from being a great charity (Children in Need is arguably the best-known charity in the UK) I also see this as an outstanding promotion for ALL participating authors. To be there, on display, on an equal footing with the great and the good from ALL levels and genre of authors in the UK, is fantastic for “putting yourself out there”.  The auction website also comes with “share buttons” for Facebook and Twitter, making it extremely easy indeed to publicise your own generosity, and both the Charity and the Auction.

The costs for this are derisory – for me that works out at around £10 for the cost of a book, an envelope and UK postage. You would be mad not to!!!

And for Readers? You see the widest choice of books in ALL genres, waiting for YOUR bid. From Kate Mosse to Lucinda Riley and Tom Kerridge, and of course, JK Rowling and Philip Pullman!

If your bid wins, you receive a signed and usually dedicated copy of the book – and ALL the money that you bid at auction goes straight to Children in Need!

On the hedgehog front we are having regular visits every night from what I think are two “boars”. No sign of any hedge-sows or hoglets yet, but we live in hope. Hedgies are very much solitary animals, and certainly “do not play well with others!” Their main reactions to each other are pushing and shoving matches, usually ending with the smaller hog assuming the “ball” position until the coast is clear.

And to close - remember, Carpe Diem!! Life sucks, but it's still better than the alternative, 

and I will let you know as soon as Paddy opens the Auction.

 

 

You Had Me At Cozy!

Who out there has read a cozy? I'm the first to admit, I stay pretty genre-centric with my reading. I started reading cozies a few years ago as a way to escape the tedious amount of research and reading I was doing for my WWII novels. Helena Dixon's Miss Underhay Mysteries, followed by Posie Parker and Carmen Radtke's Murder at the Races. However, these are also historical fiction. I started to wonder, am I a book snob?

According to BookRiot, there is a big fat line between being a book snob and personal preference. (Whew!) I was just being picky. Okay, time to branch out. For me, choosing a book is a little like going to your favorite restaurant. You know what you like. You get it every time. So why chance a good night out by trying something different, something you might not like? However, trying something new, I reminded myself, is also exciting and refreshing.

I started reading contemporary romantic comedies. Shocker, I liked them. Sandy Barker, Nina Kaye, Aimee Brown, Julie Houston, Paige Toon... and Fiona Leitch. Now, Fiona Leitch has a particular skill of luring you in and blazing you with laugh-out loud comedy threaded into nearly every sentence that, at times, leaves you breathless. Yes, breathless. At least that is what I found when reading her self-pubbed murder-mystery mashups The Bella Tyson Murder Mysteries - Dead in Venice (with the tag: There are worse things than writer's block 😁) and Murder Ahoy. When I heard she'd written a cozy series for Harper Collins, I thought... okay, here we go!

I found Fiona's writing effortless. I'd started to flip back the pages and ask, "How'd she do that?" And this was between tears of laugher. The Nosey Parker Murder Mystery Series is no different. Here's the series blurb:

Ex-copper turned caterer Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker returns home to Penstowan, the small seaside town in Cornwall where she grew up, after almost twenty years in London’s Metropolitan Police Force. With her teenage daughter in tow, and her slightly batty mother still living there, Jodie plans on having a quiet life running her new catering business. But she soon discovers that life in Penstowan is not as quaint (or boring) as she remembers. Missing brides, bodies in the shrubbery, annoying writers pushed off cliffs and movie star madness all conspire to get this not-so-amateur detective back on the case. Helped by her old childhood sweetheart Tony and hunky newcomer, DCI Nathan Withers, not to mention new member of the family Germaine the Pomeranian dog, finding the killer is bound to be a piece of cake. Murder, mayhem and much consuming of pasties will ensue, to prove that when Jodie’s around, murder is always on the menu…

I wanted to know more about Fiona, her writing, and how she comes up with this stuff! SO, I asked her!

 

Hi Fiona! I read and loved your Bella Tyson series, Dead in Venice and Murder Ahoy, how was writing the Nosey Parker cozies different than writing your other books? 

The main difference is that I’m not allowed to swear in the Nosey Parker stories… I’m kind of joking there, but actually it’s true: because I’m writing to contract, I’ve been far more aware of the market and of the audience I want to attract (many of whom don’t like the kind of strong language that Bella makes liberal use of). With the Bella Tyson books, I just kind of write what I want and hope it finds an audience; with Nosey Parker, I’m actively hoping to attract them. The other big difference is in writing for a hopefully long-running series. I’ve made sure that I’ve introduced a lot of secondary characters who are interesting in their own right, who I can use again and again in further adventures. In the Bella Tyson books, it’s mainly just Bella and Will who are recurring characters. I’ve also had to do a bit more world-building, setting them in a location (based on a couple of real towns) which I can use again and again.

Why are you so funny? No, really. I find I laugh my way through Fiona Leitch books, and I often wonder if you are this funny at home. Is your family constantly in stitches? 

My whole family is funny. I grew up in a household where there was a lot of laughter and playfulness. My mum, my sister and I regularly get each other into bouts of full on hysteria, where we’re crying with laughter and it actually hurts, but we can’t stop. My son and I have the same effect on each other. I suppose I AM funny all the time! Although whether my family are laughing with me or AT me is another matter… I used to want to be a stand-up comedian, until I actually got a really big debut gig through the BBC. It was the most terrifying experience of my entire life, and utterly cured me of the desire to ever do it again.

You know that saying, write what you know? You can plead the 5th here (meaning you don’t have to answer), but are your characters loosely or closely based on real people?

There is one character (in Murder Ahoy!) who is based on a real person, although (unbelievably, as she is a total monster in the book) a watered-down version. All my female MCs do have elements of me in them, I have to admit, although I wouldn’t say that I am quite as nosey as Jodie! Also in Murder Ahoy!, one of the other characters is based on a book blogger who I got to know after Dead in Venice came out, as she absolutely loved it and has since become one of my biggest on-line cheerleaders. I named the character after her and based some of it very loosely on her, but I was quite concerned because that character also turns out to be a bit of a monster and I was worried that she would be hugely insulted, but she loved it!

Who is your inspiration for Jodie, our detective MC? And what kind of research did you do to prepare?

Physically, I had the actor Sheridan Smith in my mind when I was writing Jodie, because I’d love her to play her in the TV adaptation (please let there be a TV adaptation!). In terms of her actual character, I used to work in an office with someone who was an ex-copper and she was incredibly nosey; whenever she saw something going down by the water cooler she had to get involved. It had been part of her job as a police officer, and she didn’t seem able to stop. It was actually quite annoying! But I wanted to make Jodie different to a lot of the cozy sleuths out there, in that she isn’t a complete amateur. I wanted it to be as believable as possible, without turning it into a police procedural thriller. In terms of research, I focused more on the locations (places that I know and love), and on the crimes in each book, rather than on Jodie herself. So I now know a lot about wild flowers in the North Cornwall area; Goldsmiths College art alumni (I went there myself, along with but not at the same time as people like Damien Hirst, Anthony Gormley, Damon Albarn and Mary Quant), and about the toxic properties of pufferfish. 

What is your writing process? Are you a sticky-note writer? Please say it isn’t so. I’ll be instantly jealous. Well, are you?

God no! I don’t get the whole sticky note thing. I never used to plan - I started off writing screenplays, and if you need to go back and rewrite things it’s much simpler with a script than with a novel (the word count of a script is probably about 25% of that of a novel). But I’ve found that I do need to outline novels, particularly when I’m writing a mystery; I need to know where the different twists and turns will be, where I’m going to plant the clues and the red herrings, and if I don’t plan it means I’ll probably be looking at a major rewrite. So I have an outline, sometimes quite rough, sometimes more detailed, but I will find as I’m writing that I have other ideas or I’ll deviate from it, it’s not set in stone. I think maybe the sticky note thing is helpful if you struggle with structure - it means you can write scenes and jig them around to fit - but I’m one of those annoying types who can just ‘do’ structure, so it seems like a waste of time to me.

What else are you working on?

I just finished outlining the next 3 books in the Nosey Parker series, so hopefully I’ll be writing them soon! I also have 3 other books outlined, romcoms rather than cozy mysteries, and I’ve got 2 others written that I’m trying to get out there. I’m pretty busy… 

Murder on the Menu is out now, as is the 2nd installment of The Nosey Parker series, A Brush with Death! A Sprinkle of Sabotage will be released next month. Buy here: mybook.to/Brush

Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She's written for football and motoring magazines, DJ'ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called 'Sod Off'. After living in London and Cornwall she's finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters. Find her on Twitter: @fkleitch

Thank you Fiona for taking time to answer my questions. As you can see, I'm pretty nosey too. So, readers, what genres do you read? Have you ventured out into the unknown and tried something new?  Are you a reformed book snob picky reader? Tell me about it.

Have a lovely day! 

Andie xx

Books to read before you die

Every year I am asked the same question from close relatives and friends... "What do you want for Christmas?". I don't know about you, but I find this a tricky question to answer when the gift giver has a price limit a) because the things that spring to mind don't usually fit into a £25 or less bracket (ie a holiday to an exotic island) b) I am at that age when I don't want anything very much, c) what I do want I am rather picky about.

Does that make me sound awful or have I just said what most people feel when asked what they would like?

This year I looked to the internet in the hope it would remind me about a gift I thought I wanted earlier in the year but had since forgotten. "Books to read before I die" popped up and, after a little researching, I was confident that I would have an answer for my gift giver... ie a list of books she could choose from.

I soon discovered there are a lot of websites recommending books that I should urgently read before I kick the bucket. Reading all the lists, I suddenly felt as if I had missed out on something big and I was at risk of being shooed away from the pearly gates in heaven because I had not read a particular book!

However recommendations from others can be fraught with problems and you have to ask yourself, Does this list maker have an agenda? For example, would a publisher recommend books from their competitors or stick with their own book releases? I suspect the latter. Suddenly the list does not seem so comprehensive and unbiased as it could be.

Another problem I've discovered is that the books that settle near the top of a list can have a particular political leaning which matches the political views of the list maker. Is this okay? I guess it is only natural for this to happen. I guess the most important thing is for the reader to be aware of this and make their choice accordingly.

I also began to wonder if the type of books recommended has more to do with matching the list maker's reading preferences than giving solid recommendations that will educate and widen the readers experience. Some lists were... how shall I phrase it... too intellectual for me. Surely a list should have a bit of a mixture in it such as romance, crime, fantasy, children's books, classic and modern? One particular list was so hard going that I felt exhausted (and rather depressed) from just reading the blurbs! I came to the conclusion that this particular list maker was not the sort of person I would want to be stuck in a corner with at a party. Either that or he hadn't really read the books himself.

I quite liked this LIST from the Business Insider. It was compiled in 2015, so it is not up to date, but I think it still stands the test of time. It has a good mix of genres, books for all ages, a mixture of classic and modern, and political and character observation. It was reassuring to discover that I had already read quite a few! Suddenly I didn't feel such a literary fool!

My final choice came down to the following. Yes I know, they are hardly a bunch of laughs, but I had sound reasons for choosing them:-

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
I have seen the television adaptations and wanted to know how close they were to the novella.
First impression... I didn't realise the story is only 93 pages long! It reaches novella size with the inclusion of an editor's introduction and preface. It is amazing how something so small became such a huge success. There is hope for us all!

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
I chose this for the same reasons as above. So often we come to believe that film adaptations are true adaptations of the novel, but film has their own unique problems and have to adapt the written word to help the story make sense onscreen.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My current work in progress touches on segregation and racism in the American army during WW2. I was interested to see how another author tackles this subject as the novel is about racism in the 1930s. I have also seen the film and, once again, wondered how close it was to the source.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger
I chose this book because it is believed that the killer of John Lennon was obsessed and influenced by it. I know nothing about the contents, but have always been intrigued by what was in it and how it could play such a role in a murder that shocked the world. I didn't want to be influenced by someone else's review so I knew I had to read it myself. Now was the opportunity to do it. When my gift giver heard I had chosen this book, she said 'That's heavy reading for you'. Her reaction made me wonder what I have let myself in for!

So I have some reading to do... all different from my preferred genre (no... they are not my legs in the picture. If I sat like that whilst reading I would probably do an injury to one of my hips!). However, where reading is concerned, I do think it is important to stretch oneself and try something new. I only hope I don't come to regret it!

What book would you recommend a person should read before they die and why? Or perhaps you think there shouldn't be a bucket list for books. What are your thoughts on the subject? I would love to know.

 Victoria

A Head full of Stories

How many books do you have 'on the go' at one time? How many stories do you need to keep in your head at one time, because you are part way through them?

For me, the answer is usually 'too many' but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Reading, I have an 'upstairs book' and a 'downstairs book'. Even when we are away in the motorhome (like now), I have a book I read in bed, usually on my kindle, and another I am reading in spare moments in the day time. Typically the 'upstairs book' is a novel, often written by one of my many writing friends, and the 'downstairs book' is non-fiction, possibly researching my next novel.

Writing, I often have two books on the go. Right now there is the one I am revising in line with my editors comments, and the one I am half way through a first draft of. Beyond that, there are vague ideas beginning to float to the surface for the next novel, and I've brought a couple of research books away in the campervan with me to help get that one started. I also have a notebook with some scribbled ideas for the novel after that...

When you add to this the TV series we've been watching, whose storylines I also need to keep in my head, it's no wonder I get stories muddled at times! Thankfully The Dublin Murders ended just before we left home so I can forget about that one (started well, went weird, unsatisfactory ending). I probably won't catch up with The Name of the Rose (loving this adaptation of one of my favourite books) until we are next home, around Christmas. We've brought a DVD box set of Peaky Blinders to watch on this trip, and will probably get started with that soon.

The Name of the Rose

I know many writers who only ever write one book at a time, and don't start a new one until the previous one has been revised and gone to proof-readers. And some writers refuse to read novels while they are first-drafting a book. Maybe that's a good idea to help keep characters and storylines straight in your mind... but I rather like the jumble of ideas, the mixed-up dreams in which a character from my novel finds herself in a medieval Italian monastery, my head always packed to the brim with plots.

A view inside a writer's brain

How about you? How many storylines are you keeping track of at any one time?

Adding Realism To Your Writing by Victoria Cornwall

A novel is like the inside of an intricate clock. Just like the well-oiled cogs and gears of a clock, a book has many elements which need to interact smoothly so it provides an enjoyable read. This week I am going to chat about a character’s reaction to a given situation. Their reaction is one of those key elements. A good reaction can strengthen the reader’s interest in the character or plot  … a poor, ill-written reaction can lose a reader’s support and loyalty.

As a writer, I try to imagine how the character would behave and think in any given situation and describe it as accurately as I can. However, over the years I have come to realise that people do not always behave how we would expect them to. If a writer captures this unexpected reaction in their writing, it can add realism to the situation and more depth to the character. It can also add an unexpected twist. Here are two examples of what I am trying to explain. They are both related to losing someone special:-

Imagine you are writing about a young widow learning how to navigate life again without her husband by her side. The story starts with a scene of her sitting by her husband’s hospital bed. They are holding hands as he finally succumbs to a long, drawn out battle with cancer. The last two years have been particularly brutal. The normal emotions of denial, shock and heart rendering grief come to mind. Scenes involving tears, emotional numbness, relatives offering comfort, doctors saying things that in the moment make no sense. Those scenes are in her future, but right now she is still holding his hand as it begins to grow colder in hers. Her love, her soul mate, her friend has just left her forever. The perfect reactions to her husband’s passing are just waiting to be written. But wait! STOP and think again.

Remember that she has just spent years by his side battling cancer. The last two years have been particularly bad. What if his personality had changed over that time? What if he had not accepted his diagnosis well and had railed against the unfairness of it all. She had nursed him up to the point of his admission to hospital and she is now in a state of physical and mental exhaustion. Her love for him had changed as his illness had changed him. The happy years of their marriage are a distant memory as his anger, frustration and physical changes had eaten away at their marriage as efficiently as the cancer inside him. He was not the man she fell in love with. What if she felt a great sense of relief at his passing? Imagine the guilt she would have at experiencing such feelings. She would feel unworthy of the sympathy offered by friends and relatives. She would feel like a fraud. In the story she will eventually learn to understand her husband's reaction to having cancer, understand her own reaction to living with someone she no longer recognised and finally forgive both her husband and her reaction to living with cancer. She will fall in love with her husband all over again as her memories of their happier times together become easier to recall. She has to do all this before she can grieve normally again and feel the true depth of her loss. Finally she learns to live without him, but her initial “abnormal” reaction actually adds realism and an extra dimension and twist to the normal grief process. Her reaction may at first seem abnormal, but it is actually very realistic. Chronic illness is a terrible strain on family members and we can add this side into our story too.

I used to work in intensive care as a nurse. After the death of a patient, I came across his son sitting in the corridor. I sat down beside him ready to offer words of comfort. We were both in our mid-twenties and had never spoken before.  Back then, if I was to write the scene, I would have had him expressing his grief at losing his father, perhaps eyes brimming with tears, hands trembling in grief, reactions all equated with grief. The reality was very different. Although he was very distressed, he did not show it in the normal way. His mind was whirring and he was agitated as he didn’t know how to arrange all the practical things to do with a death in the family.  He gave the impression of being rather selfish – only thinking of himself and all the jobs he had to do. Where would he get the death certificate from? How would he move the body to the funeral directors?  Who would he have to notify? His father had died yet he was talking as though it was a problem to be solved. However, I understood his thought processes as not long before I had been in a very similar situation.

He had no experience of dealing with a death in the family. He felt ill prepared and knew little about how to sort out funerals, wills, death certificates etc. The one man he would normally turn to for advice was no longer there and he was in panic mode. He felt his loss very deeply, but expressed it in a different way and was overwhelmed by the practicalities facing him. He wanted to be a support to his mother and protect her by doing all the practical things required, but he felt totally inadequate for the jobs ahead. He felt that he was already failing his father and as he sat outside the intensive care unit, numb with shock, he spilled out his worries to a nurse who happened to sit down beside him. Luckily, from my recent experience, I could help him more than most.

So just remember, although it is important for a character’s reaction to be a believable one, sometimes you can add depth, a twist or an added layer to a plot or character, by allowing them to react in a way that is not quite what one would expect.

Fiction by Victoria Cornwall

IF ONLY THE WALLS COULD TALK ... OR MAYBE THEY DO by Victoria Cornwall

Buildings can form a great backdrop to a scene, but they can also be used to tell us about the characters’ mind-set, past and even their future. Buildings can show the passing of time, add tension to a scene or show the class the character has been born into or aspire to join. Buildings are an amazing tool and are, in my opinion, not used to their full potential, yet they can draw a reader into the story and help them to walk in the footsteps of the characters themselves.

An example of this is Manderley, the house in Dauphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca. It holds a sense of doom for the new Mrs De Winter. Its rooms feel haunted by her husband’s former wife, the heirlooms are hers and even her portrait still hangs on the wall and gets her into trouble. In addition to all this, the housekeeper constantly reminds the new wife how Rebecca liked to run it. Little by little the present Mrs De Winter feels overshadowed by the former wife as her confidence is gradually whittled away. Mrs De Winter never meets Rebecca in the novel, she doesn't need to. The house is a constant, imposing reminder of how great her husband's former wife was and the housekeeper uses the building to her full advantage to taunt her about this every moment she can.

When I wrote A Daughter's Christmas Wish, I ensured that each main character had a building linked to them which helped to tell their story.

The heroine, Rose, feels lonely and trapped in her unexciting life living with her parents. Her mother still grieves for the loss of her son and is unable to move on in her life. Their home reflects this and, hopefully, the reader will be able to empathize with Rose's feeling of being trapped in a dull life. If only she had someone who could help her to feel festive again as Christmas approaches … cue the arrival of a lone soldier, called Nicholas.

Nicholas has returned from the Great War and has a promise to fulfil - to give a fellow soldier’s fiancé, Rose, the Christmas she has always wanted. Once again I have used his home to show his class, the past he has tried to hide from and how the passing of time (and war) have changed it. He also imagines the future too, which I hope shows his mindset in that moment.

Yet for these two people, who are from very different classes, to meet I needed a neutral setting and, for the first time in my writing career, I used a place of work – a teashop. This allowed them to meet and be alone together, an oasis for their festive countdown to Christmas to begin and their relationship to grow. It is where shy Rose feels most confident. This allows her to blossom and think about leaving her grief for her fiance behind her. Hopefully the reader will feel that they are watching Nicholas and Rose from a quiet corner of the room as these two people learn to live in peacetime again.

As a writer one must use all the tools at hand. We often use smell, taste, sound, feel, sight, thought and internal emotions to convey what our characters are experiencing, but the buildings that form a backdrop to their lives can also speak volumes - in their own quiet way.

A Daughter's Christmas Wish

Available as an ebook & audiobook from 20th November, 2018.

Available to pre-order today. 

Victoria Cornwall

WRITING OUT OF SEASON by Victoria Cornwall

I've lost count how many times I've written a scene describing the season in some way. Often, my fictional timeline is in a different season to the one I'm experiencing in reality. I've written about the burnt amber leaves of autumn while wearing shorts, a t-shirt and with the pungent smell of suntan lotion on my skin. I've written about the blustering gales of winter as I munch on an Easter egg. I've written about the fresh new shoots of spring  ... well you get the picture.

Last year I began writing my first Christmas novella. I was in the middle of a novel at the time, but I was advised that if I was going to write a Christmas themed story it would be a good idea to set the other novel aside as it would be easier to write about Christmas around the Christmas period.

I seriously considered the advice given to me, as although I can easily imagine a winter season in the summer, there is something magical about Christmas that is not so easy to capture when the celebration has come and gone.

I know that many of my friends have successfully written a Christmas story outside the festive season. They've told me that they have used decorations, mince pies and Christmas music to recapture the mood as they write. This sounded like a great idea and probably works well, but I wasn't so sure if it would work for me and this is why ...

1. Christmas is very special to me and I wanted it to remain that way, neatly tucked away between November and January ... a warm, cosy, spiritual oasis filled with generosity, family and a well known biblical story. Did I want to recreate it in March and April? I'd rather be munching on a chocolate Easter egg by then.
2. By the time Christmas is over I've had my fill and quite relieved to pack the decorations away and give the house a good clean (a task which is so much harder with a wilting fir tree wearing tinsel). The house clean signals that the hard work (and stress) of the big day is finally over. Did I want to be reminded about it during the summer? I didn't think so.

So I set my current novel aside and began to write my first Christmas novella around Christmas time last year.

Did my plan work? Was it easier to write a Christmas themed story around Christmas time?

I loved writing A Daughter's Christmas Wish during the build-up to Christmas. It felt special and not like work at all. I hope I managed to capture the build-up and magic of Christmas, but perhaps only someone who is an expert on Christmas will know the answer to that. What do you think, Father Christmas?

Did I keep Christmas neatly tucked away between November and January?
Not quite. I finished the book in February/March. During the late summer and early autumn I was working with my publisher to prepare it for publication, which inevitably requires immersing myself into the build up to Christmas outside of the festive period.

Although my mind has been pre-occupied with Christmas far longer than I had anticipated (6 to 7 months in all), I've loved every minute of it. Maybe immersing myself in the festive spirit of goodwill outside the Christmas period is not so bad after all!

Now, I think its time to put my feet up. I have a little respite ... until, of course, the real countdown to Christmas begins!

A Daughter's Christmas Wish will be released on 20th November as an ebook and audiobook.
It will be available to pre-order soon!

To find out more about Victoria Cornwall's books click HERE