Last night my desire to have a dog sitting at my feet whilst writing, was very strong. Instead, I had to placate myself with my large soft toy dog, called Daphne – although I usually end up calling her Daphers – yes, I talk to her…

We don’t own a dog, but we board Guide Dogs in training, and have been holiday boarders of late. To my deep joy, we have one such dog coming to us on Monday for the week, so my writing hours will feel blissfully serene, thanks to him, as I tackle a tricky manuscript.

The reason I missed one greatly last night was because hubs was working a night shift, and I ended up writing until 3 am – I lost track of time! I was a bit stuck on the latest DI Eva Wednesday novel, but I had a breakthrough in the small hours – I just hope my brain doesn’t get into the habit of needing the darkest, quietest hours of the day to function at its best, otherwise I’m in trouble…

Writing in utter peace is delectable for me. My case in point is hubs has surfaced from his sleep and keeps chatting to me whilst I’m writing this. I invariably end up putting my headphones on and listening to Irish or classical music. I prefer instrumental music because I find that lyrics can be distracting. If I’m editing, I can listen to any genre of music. However, this doesn’t prevent him from still interrupting me – bless him. He has just poked his tongue out at me…

My eldest daughter, who has two years left at veterinary school, has agreed to me turning her bedroom into a study for me to write it, on the proviso that I hand it back to her when she comes home for the holidays – which is fair enough. Unfortunately, there’s a high bed to demolish, so it won’t happen until after Christmas, but I know it’s happening! After both daughters have finished university, we will move, and hopefully there will be a little hideaway for me – I can dream…

I really want a dog, but we’d have to stop boarding Guide Dogs if we did, so it’s another dream on hold…

So, dear reader, my dream for the future is to have a room solely devoted to my writing, with a small dog at my feet, and views over a garden and fields beyond. Whilst I’m dreaming, it would be lovely to have my crime series on TV – one is allowed to dream big…

Happy Word Flow One & All

 

A great way to add depth and realism to a character is to use the five senses – put the reader in touch with the mechanics of your character’s body – let them hold hands if necessary.

Aid the reader to hear what your character is hearing, be it a passing motorbike, or the melodic song of a blackbird. How does that sound make the character feel? Is she irritated by the noise, or does it soothe her?

To get the sense of seeing across, describe her surroundings using details of colour, shape, and texture, which is turn adds touch to the melange, and aids the reader to be at one with the character. Does she wear glasses? Is her vision blurred without them? How is her vision affected by alcohol?

Taste and smell can sometimes be forgotten when writing a character. I often attribute certain scents of perfume or aftershave to my characters, as it’s another way of rounding the character for me and hopefully for the reader. It’s also another way to have a character in the room even though not physically there, only her scent gently caressing the atmosphere. How does she feel when she smells his, or her, scent?

Does she like the pungent smell and taste of garlic – does it perhaps make her mouth grimace in revulsion? Is she vegetarian, does she have Coeliac’s disease, does she have a sweet tooth? You get my drift here.

I keep note cards on each character in my novels. I keep details on their physical traits, their likes and dislikes, their favourite tipple, what they look for in a partner, their back story, and their flaws. I may not include every minuscule detail in the novel, but it certainly helps me feel the character and hopefully allows me to convey that to the reader.

Happy Word Flow One & All

‘What does your writing day look like?’ I am sometimes asked; a question that prickles me with anxiety as I ponder the sporadic hours I write, or don’t write, as the case may be.

I don’t have a dedicated writing room – although I dearly want one – so I have a desk in the lounge overlooking the front garden that I mainly use. When the TV is on, I put my headphones on and listen to a wide range of music – Irish music is currently my preferred choice. Sometimes I just wear the headphones to block out the general humming of life that is spoiling my concentration. If the weather is clement, I may choose to work in the garden.

I don’t have specific hours of the day dedicated to writing; I tend to work around family life and when the urge takes me. For example, my husband is working a night shift tonight, so I will take the opportunity to work to the early hours of the morning, for as long as my eyes stay open and my brain remains alert. It doesn’t matter if I delete much of the work the next day – at least I’ll have something to work on and I will have moved the story forward. Sometimes I get up an hour or two before my husband does, and work in the early hours listening to the melodic song of the blackbirds in the garden.

I don’t set myself a word count, as I don’t like to pressure myself. Some days I’m quite verbose, and other days the words barely flow. Such is life, and I don’t punish myself, as so far, I’ve had seven novels published, so I know I get there eventually! Once I’m in the flow, I don’t like to be disturbed, hence I try writing when the house is empty, although my husband is beginning to get the hang of things when he’s around!

I wondered if I didn’t sound like a serious writer, until I read an article asking Kei Miller the exact same question (The Guardian, 2nd July 2016). He admitted to there being too many distractions – none of them notable – such as American TV shows and the entirety of the internet. How his words spoke to me!

This is why I have taken to handwriting my novels again – I did this for my first two novels – instead of typing them straight onto the laptop. This way I’m removed from the temptation of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, emails, etc. It does mean, however, that I am slower at responding to Tweets and FB posts than I usually am, but it also means that the WIP progresses faster.

As you may know, I eat jelly beans, jelly babies, dried mango, and popcorn whilst I write. What I haven’t mentioned before is that I have a large toy dog that sits across my lap, called Daphne. She keeps me company, especially when we’re not boarding a Guide Dog in training.

Happy Word Flow One & All

Where’s The Time Mr Wolf?

Finding the time to write is always tricky if you live with other people, have a job, have a social life, have an illness…let’s face it, life in general can just get in the way.

And isn’t it ironic, when we find we do have the time, we may not have the inspiration or inclination, but when our time is devoted to others, or work, inspiration pours into our minds so fast, we feel our minds will explode. Perhaps it’s because we’re not focusing on trying to write; we’re letting our characters and plot-lines brew in the teapot of our mind.

But fretting over not having enough time is counterproductive. We’re winding ourselves up and then not enjoying what we’re doing at the time. We will always find the time to write – just look at the amount of books published yearly – clearly we find a way.

The Blank Page Phenomenon

How often do we sit in front of a blank screen or blank page in a notebook and expect inspiration to flow from our fingertips or pen? And how many times do we find our minds empty, rigid, free-falling into a dark ravine? Too many times to count, eh?

However, the more writer’s blogs I read, and interviews with well-established authors I devour in writing magazines, the more I realise  that this happens to everyone – no matter how successful they are. What a relief! Now, instead of berating myself when I suffer with a dulled brain, I just tell myself that it’s a normal phenomenon and not to be so hard on myself. Hope you can be kinder to yourself too.

When One Book Is Finished, Will I Have Another One In Me? 

This is a doubt that can niggle away at the back of our minds. Maybe we’ve poured all our creativity into the one novel, leaving us with nothing left for another one? I feel this every time I finish one, and yet I have seven published so far, with another one completed, and two being written.

It’s okay to have a rest between novels, if that’s what our brain requires, although personally I like to delve into another one – alternating genres to keep my writing brain refreshed. There are no rules; just write when you’re ready.

I can’t say exactly where my ideas come from; they pop into my head whilst doing chores, or a seed is planted whilst reading a newspaper article. All I can say is that I keep getting ideas, which I jot down in a notebook, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying that maybe this novel will be my last? When I find the cure for this worry, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Wishing you all a beautiful day and a peaceful writing mind. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Word Flow One & All

Although I have seven books published by Winter Goose Publishing, I’ve never entered the Blog Tour arena, I’ve just never felt brave enough. I was daunted by the complexity of organising one and of approaching book bloggers – whom I know are a very friendly folk – but still I hesitated.

I belong to a fabulous book group on Facebook called The Book Connectors, and someone asked the question of how to set-up a Blog Tour. The group consists of readers, writers, and bloggers, so the answers were helpful – yet I still felt overwhelmed by the prospect. Then I fell upon someone who organises these tours for authors, and so I’ve jumped right in, and my first ever Blog Tour is running from the 29th August to the 4th September 2016.

I’ve attached the form below if any book bloggers are interested in reviewing  Garlic & Gauloises (Mobi provided) or interviewing me.  Garlic & Gauloises falls into the category of women’s contemporary fiction.

Garlic & Gauloises Blog Tour

Hope to hear from some of you!

I originally wrote ‘In the Light of Madness’ as a stand-alone crime novel, featuring DI Eva Wednesday and DS Jacob Lennox, but I found I had an affinity with her, and being without her made my world seem a lonelier place. She intrigued me, and all her anxiety about having a mentally ill mother passing on her malady made me wonder what was in store for her?

Wednesday has a tantalising half-sister, Scarlett Willow, who always overshadowed her with her beauty and charisma when they were growing-up. Scarlett is bi-sexual, which seems to intrigue the men around her, including Jacob Lennox, who meets her at Wednesday’s home during one of their working-lunches. Even though he has a disdain for journalists in general, Scarlett’s profession doesn’t get in the way, and soon the pair enter into a relationship.

As their relationship rises, dips, and fizzles, and Scarlett’s own mental health comes under Wednesday’s scrutiny, she tries to warn Lennox without revealing her mother’s own mental ill health issues. She has always kept her mother’s condition a secret from the workplace, fearing the mis-conceptions on mental illness will prejudice against her role as a DI and prevent her from attaining a higher position in the future.

Wednesday is 39 yrs old, ordinary looking, single, with something in her past that makes her fear entering into a relationship again. She is bright, sometimes passive-aggressive, and fiercely loyal to guarding her private life from her work colleagues. She is a team player, likes using mind-maps to work out crimes, and often lacks self-confidence in her ability as a career woman and daughter.

As the series progresses, I love her more, and I hope that the readers find her just as intriguing and enjoyable to be around.

If you’re interested in reading the series in chronological order to follow the backstory of both of the detectives, the order is: In the Light of Madness, Rightful Owner, Shadows in the Mind, and What Happens After.