This was my fifth author event, second hosted by the wonderful Hourglass ladies, so I thought I might feel a little less nervous and more excited – but a little thread of anxiety still threaded its way through my mind.

It was the first time I had managed to make a Google form of interest in my books, so I had a rough idea of how many books to take. This was fantastic as I had already “sold” (I didn’t ask for money upfront) a fair amount of books before the actual day, which felt very exciting. I packed the orders in book paper gift bags with my logo on, and added some extra goodies in the bag too.

On the day itself, setting up the table felt exciting, seeing piles of my eight novels set out, surrounded by freebie postcards with my book covers on, book marks, and pens with my name on. There was also the obligatory tin of sweets that I dipped into during a quiet moment.

When the doors opened, a flutter of nerves spread across my stomach and only settled when the first reader arrived and we began chatting, having a photo taken together, then signing the book, or books they had purchased. Hubs takes the money as I am liable to forget! The day isn’t a money-making exercise, but a day to connect with new and established readers, many of whom I chat with on social media, so it’s lovely to meet in person. I am prone to hugging people, which I hope is appreciated and not received with fear!

Hearing readers talk about their love for DI Eva Wednesday and DS Jacob Lennox (yes, you, Emma Precious White!), always warms my heart, as they are very dear to me too. discussing each novel with a new reader is exciting to do as I can see in their face or hear in their voice, when a book chimes with them, or not, as the case may be. It’s a bit like research in action to see what hooks people.

The day was also about networking with other authors; many have become firm friends over the years. We have become a supportive network that I have come to treasure.

The day was beautifully rounded-off by a three-course meal and a Darker Ball, where readers and authors eat and dance the night away together. It was an amazing evening – Rachel Brightly and Jo Curtis of Hourglass always put a lot of thought and effort into their events – they are well worth attending whether you are an author or reader. I’m already looking forward to October 2018!

If you’ve never attended one of these events, remember everyone is a little shy at first, whether you’re an author or reader, but the day is busy and fun, so nerves are quickly dissipated and memories of the day glow in your mind for weeks.

 

I’ve posted a few photos of the day, some with readers and some with authors, so I hope you get a flavour of the day and tempt you to attend a future event. May be I will see you one day?

Happy Word Flow One & All

Since acquiring a 7 week old rescue kitten, Alfie, late July, my writing day has somewhat shifted its equilibrium – I’m not complaining, you understand…

I am delightfully (are you feeling the sarcasm?) woken at 5am – which has thankfully moved to 6am these past two mornings – by Alfie jumping onto the bed and purring his way up to my face, where he proceeds to knead my pillow until our eyes lock, and he knows he’s won.

By the time I’ve put my slippers and dressing gown on and padded my way quietly downstairs – so as not to disturb hubs who has pulled the quilt over his head – I’m fully awake and ready to prepare my coffee and Alfie’s breakfast. Once he starts eating, I slip away to the lounge with a mug of stimulant, and start writing.

I start by re-reading a few pages to see where I am in the story, then continue writing in my notebook, relishing the tranquillity the early hours afford me, until Alfie skitters into the room. The wooden floor allows his tinkling balls and toy mice to race along the surface for him to chase – that is until he spies my vulnerable feet in slippers and bare ankles which he loves to pounce on, sinking his razor-sharp teeth into my flesh. I’m trying distraction techniques as advised on pet websites, coupled with a resounding, ‘No Alfie’, and praise when he stops and licks me instead. It’s not quite working yet, but hey ho…

The rest of my writing day is interspersed with interruptions from Alfie, hubs and life in general, but when the word flow is good and I’m shrouded in peace, with Alfie sleeping nearby – all is well in my world – not the freaky, scary world we all live in – I don’t understand that world.

I just need to discover a distraction for Alfie’s new behaviour which is trying to bite and rub his scent from his head on the corners of my notebook, whilst I’m writing. Any advice welcome – please leave comments below…

Happy word Flow One & All.

When I’m writing, I hope to convey every nuance of humanity, every vision of nature, and every observation of the people I’ve seen in the supermarket, pub, or during a walk. But that’s a big ask and quite rightly paralysing, especially when writing the first draft of a new novel.

Instead, I need to focus on the small stuff, the single grey hair on the protagonist’s head, the dust motes hovering in the shaft of sunlight, the chipped nail polish on a woman’s fingers. Starting small gives me the corner piece of a jigsaw puzzle from which to build the bigger picture that eventually becomes a novel.

Of course, not all of the small stuff will remain in the novel once the full picture emerges – but I don’t know that when I start, it’s only further down the line that I can work out what to keep and what to save for another time. But starting small is less daunting and gets me to focus in on the minutiae to make the characters more rounded, and hopefully build a visual feast for the reader.

This blog post is like the topic – small!

Happy Word Flow One & All

‘The ability to trust in the difficult. The tenacity to understand that it takes time and patience to succeed.’ Colm McCann, novelist and professor of creative writing.

It wasn’t until a couple of reviews mentioned their love for the first line of my novel ‘In the Light of Madness’, that I realised how important a first line can be. Here is the opening to the book…

‘Gravestones jutted out of the ground like candles on a birthday cake. They marked an occasion in a person’s life, but were ultimately forgotten once the ceremony was over’.

When I received the manuscript back from my editor, I noticed he’d made a comment about the opening lines, and I panicked, thinking if I couldn’t even get that right, what must he have thought about the whole novel? Images of red pen marks pelted my mind. However, he was complimenting me on the lines – which is something to treasure from an editor!

But I’ll admit this now, it wasn’t the original first line when I wrote the first draft. No, it came to me much later, after I’d already completed the novel and was into the editing stage before sending it off to my editor. How blissful it would be if sentences like these spewed onto the page the moment we hit the keyboard. In reality, it’s not like this, so we should stop being hard on ourselves.

I read an article by Colm McCann in The Guardian (12th May, 2017) where he used the analogy of a house for your opening page. The first sentence is the doorway, and the reader has stepped inside, you can show them around the rest of the house, letting the story unfold slowly.

I will leave you with his comments, as I could not say this in a better way. ‘Open elegantly. Open fiercely. Open delicately. Open with surprise. Open with everything at stake.’ How could I possibly improve on that?

As a gentle nudge, may I show you the opening lines to my latest novel, ‘The Reluctant Mother’. See what you think…

‘I don’t know how I ended up here; I didn’t mean for this to happen to me. It’s supposed to be the start of a new life as a family, but now I barely know or care who I am.’

Happy Word Flow One & All

 

Whilst I acknowledge we’re due summer (hopefully) before this book event in October, I wanted to raise your awareness as there are only 20 weeks to go – frightening how time flies.

As this event is focused on the darker side of fiction, you will find authors of crime, horror, sci-fi, psychological thrillers and paranormal, to name but a few. It promises to be an exciting event, run by the talented duo of Hourglass.

In the evening, there is a sit down meal followed by a Darker Ball, and two charities will benefit from the event – Sue Ryder Hospice for the terminally ill, and Young Minds – a children’s mental health charity. The delicious menu can be viewed on the eventbrite page (hopefully the link will work – but technology is not always my friend). To purchase book event and Ball tickets

If you join the The Darker Side of Fiction page on FB, you will be able to see all the authors who are attending, and have the opportunity to order their novels. Authors tend to have swag on their tables that you can either take, buy, or is given alongside the purchase of a book.

I do hope to see some of you there – readers I have met before and new readers. or just browsers – I’m happy to chat with you all – and boy can I talk!

Hope you all have a beautiful day.

People always say how lucky I am to work from home, and in many ways I am. I only have to travel downstairs to get to work, the fridge always has something in for lunch, I’m always in to collect parcels (and answer ruddy cold calls), and in clement weather I can pop into the garden to add a few freckles to my nose.

Ironically, I still get up early and always get dressed rather than wear my nightwear, I always put some make up on, as it lifts my mood from ‘oh hell, I’m looking ragged’ to ‘I can get through this day for as long as my lipstick lasts’ (albeit usually brown, so not that visible!) and I spritz on some perfume even though often there’s no one around to notice. The lipstick had almost worn away by the time this photo was taken – just saying…

My experience from working as part of a team means that I miss the office banter, the gossip, and someone offering to make me a drink (although hubs will sometimes do that if around). I don’t have a staff Christmas party to attend, or works day out (the last one being in London and riding the London Eye – although I spent a fair amount of time sitting on the bench in the centre of the pod). I also got to leave the house and travel around Tower Hamlets or North Hertfordshire to meet lots of interesting people and see beautiful or otherwise scenery.

Working from home also means all the household chores are mine, and if I don’t do them, they glare at me demanding to be washed, hoovered, put away, or dusted. They always win otherwise I don’t have the head space to write with some semblance of clarity. On the plus side, I can always fit in two gym and swim sessions and an evening yoga class a week, as I arrange my own timetable. Win, win.

Happy Word Flow One & All