|
|
I have been passed my Lucky 7 by the fabulous Sue Uden, a lovely writer chum I met on Twitter and who lives just along the coast in Chichester.
Lucky 7 is just a bit of ‘blog fun’ for authors. Like Sue, this is my first time to be tagged, so I hope I am going to get it all correct.
The instructions are:
- Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
- Go to line 7
- Post on your blog the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they are – no cheating
- Tag 7 other authors to do the same
Here is the seven line extract from page 7 of my second novel Parade:
‘Yeah. I thought it might starve or something. Die of hunger, or cold, you know. They’re tropical creatures, they don’t like the cold.’
‘What about the owner? They might be worried?’ I offered in the silence that followed.
‘I put signs up. With the telephone number.’ He pointed to the grey pay phone dangling on the hall wall. ‘So no one’s called then?’
‘Not as far as I know, Alan.’ My mouth was filling with water and I thought I was about to be sick. I could smell the parrot, though it might have been Alan.
On to the Next Seven
So the final task is to pass this Lucky Seven on to seven authors (and, again like Sue, I hope this is not the point at which I lose friends and followers!) :
- Katy O’Dowd @katyod
- Sarah Tanburn @workthewind
- Abi Burlingham @abiburlingham
- Rachel Connor @rachel_novelist
- Hemmie Martin @HemmieMM
- Mel Sherratt @writermels
- Julie-Ann Corrigan @aspirinnovelist
So now I am coming to spread the happy news. Good luck with it all folks.
During a recent conversation with a fellow writer, we discussed the difficulties of self-editing and the merits of courses, workshops and ‘how to’ books, and editing and other fiction writing techniques. Neither of us has studied for an MA in Creative Writing or, certainly in my case, an MA in anything. We were pondering the merits of various online and face-to-face courses and workshops, many of which, like MAs don’t come cheap. And like MA courses the value depends on many things, including what you seek to gain from the experience and, probably most crucial in my ‘umble opinion, the tutors.
I would love to have completed an MA, but the time when it would have been most valuable (I’m guessing) was when I was most short of time and cash. I’d had my second child and as a freelance journalist and copywriter maternity pay was not on the table, so I had to continue working while I attempted to raise baby and his older brother. Instead, I attended workshops run by the likes of Mslexia editor Debbie Taylor, Spread the Word and New Writing South, read voraciously – writing magazines like aforementioned Mslexia, The New Writer, Writing Magazine and Writers’ Forum, blogs, articles, ‘how to’ books and, of course, fiction itself. This was the easy bit; I have a degree in English Literature and have always been an eclectic and voracious reader. I read and read and read, and wrote and wrote and wrote. And I joined writers’ groups, online and off.
I shared some of my favourite ‘how to’ books with my friend and thought I’d share them with you. There’s only one solely dedicated to editing, but a damn good one it is too. In no particular order, here they are:
 Wanna be a Writer by Jane Wenham-Jones.
I first met Jane at a Women in Journalism event yonks ago. Jane is a skilled networker, a fine writer and enjoys a glass or three of fine wine, which makes her a top dollar bird in my book. As well as contributing regularly to Writing Magazine Jane has penned four novels, numerous short stories and countless reportage pieces. She is very well qualified to offer advice. And there’s plenty of advice in this laugh-out-loud funny, beautifully presented, easy to read guide. It’s a gem, and it’s published by a small, innovative press so you get brownie points for buying too.
 Reading like a Writer by Francine Prose
This one came to my attention via spec-fiction writer Sarah Tanburn. It’s in almost direct contrast to the Wenham-Jones book, but has pride of place on my bookshelf and I refer to it often. Prose (she had to be an author didn’t she?) is an Amercian academic and author of several novels. She teaches at a prestigious US university. However, boldy, she begins her book by saying that MAs are generally only worth doing if you are paid to study. Her major claim is that you can learn everything there is to know about writing by reading, and studying carefully, the greats. Chapter by chapter she takes you through the major areas of technique using examples to illustrate her points. The book ends with an extensive, if a little daunting, essential reading list. Well worth it, and a fraction of the cost of an MA.
 Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell
Bell is another American and this is one of a series of ‘how to’ writing books of his, covering character, dialogue, plot and structure. I have only read this one, but on this evidence I’d recommend them all. Combining a sharp commercial eye with practical, easy to remember techniques and exercises this is one of the best books on editing I’ve ever read. Bell’s focus is commercial fiction, but he illustrates that his techniques can and should be applied to literary fiction too. Using examples from classics like A Christmas Carol and Holywood blockbusters, like the Die Hard films, he shows you how to break down your masterpiece into managable chunks and unpick it before offering tips how to build it again, and build it better. Marvellous.
Self-editing is notoriously tricky; I find it hard, even though I work as an editor, and there is no substitute for the experienced outside eye. But you owe it to yourself and your novel to make it the very best you can before you either submit it to agents and/or publishers. And if after you’ve rewritten and rewritten and rewritten you feel the need for an external editor there are many well respected literary consultancies out there - you ‘ll find them listed in Mslexia, Writing Magazine and online zines, but as I work for Cornerstones I’ll recommend them.
 First of all, thank you to Laura for inviting me to a do a blog post, am very happy to be here!
It’s always difficult, isn’t it, to know what to write for someone else. When you have a blog yourself you’re content enough to fill it full of pictures of fluffy kittens wearing silly clothes or art nouveau posters of sci-fi overlords and, oh hang on, maybe it’s only me who does that?
So, in the spirit of continuing to lower the tone of a really rather wonderful website here, let me first of all declare that I am a big old tree hugging hippy type though not into the strange clothes, or strange teas, or strange, oh damn it maybe I’m not a tree hugging hippy type after all. Now that we have that all sorted out, I won’t use that particular analogy again, but I will say that I am a believer in coincidence. There, I’ve said it.
Three things happened during the writing of The Scarlet Ribbon to enforce that belief, or maybe it was coping with new baby and extreme lack of sleep, who can say for sure?
James Quinn is the lead in the book, the feisty young surgeon who wants to become a man-midwife after a tragic loss. Not long after his name was chosen, my Dad was in the College of Physicians, Dublin, and it being an old and venerable place even the names graffitied into magnificent desks there are also old and venerable – one such being ‘James Quinn’.
Carissa O’Flaherty is a love interest in The Scarlet Ribbon, and keeper of a really unusual, uncommon name. It is anglicised in the book, but as James explains Carissa is Cara Íosa – meaning friend of Jesus, and pronounced with a hard c and ee-oh-sah – so called after recovering from a serious illness in thanks to God by her parents. Not long after her name was picked I went to get my hair done at a new salon and my hairdresser for the appointment was, you guessed it, called Cara Íosa.
The title of The Scarlet Ribbon was initially The Scarlet Ribbon. Then it was switched to James Quinn Man-Midwife and submitted to the publisher, The History Press Ireland, as that. THPI said that they would like a name change and after an editorial and marketing meeting had come up with…. The Scarlet Ribbon.
Spooky, eh?
The Scarlet Ribbon was chosen to launch the History Press Ireland’s fiction line.
Written by father and daughter team Michael (a doctor and medical historian) and Katy O’Dowd, the book follows James Quinn, a young Irish surgeon battling prejudice, suspicion and personal demons in his controversial quest to change the face of medicine.
Following his marriage, tragedy strikes, thrusting James into a life of turmoil and despair. Throwing himself into his work, the young surgeon eventually begins to find solace in the most unexpected of places. From the backstreets of Paris, through the glittering social
whirl of London and finally back to Ireland again, this is a story of the thorns of love and the harsh reality of life in the eighteenth century, where nothing is simple and complications of all kinds surround James Quinn, man midwife.
The Scarlet Ribbon is widely available in bookshops and online.
www.derryodowd.com
Katy is an arts and entertainment journalist and has worked for Time Out, Associated Newspapers and Comic Relief and her articles have appeared in The Times (London), Metro (London) and many other arts and entertainment publications, paper and online.
Alongside writing under the pen-name Derry O’Dowd, whose next book she is working on, she writes under her own name. ‘The Lady Astronomer’ will be out with Doctor Fantastique Books in May. She also reviews movies for STUDIO magazine, and is currently co-editing ‘Nasty Snips II’ a horror anthology which will be out with Pendragon Press at Halloween.
Katy blogs at www.katyodowd.com
And can be found on twitter @katyod
 - Photo by Emma Frith-Suttey
This week I’ve been thinking about process. I’m about to start a read through of my WIP. In January I began a new novel. The idea has been bouncing around my head for around a year, during which time I’ve worked on the editing and promotion of my debut, BloodMining, and polishing novel #2 which is out on submission. I hope to attract an agent *fingers crossed*.
Two days ago I tipped the 30k mark with the WIP and it is at this point that I usually read through the narrative to make sure that things are on some kind of track, hanging together, to identify character traits that I haven’t noted on my character profile sheets and so on. I won’t do any serious editing, though if I notice that a character changes age or eye colour I will of course correct, likewise hideous spelling or grammatical errors.
This is my third novel, so though I do not claim to be an expert a system of sorts is emerging, and although, when asked, I describe myself as a pantser, I have realised that there is planning, of a kind, in my method. My method goes like this:
1. An idea rumbles. A theme, characters develop, start to talk to me, a location emerges. This can take anything from a few months to a few years. I read around the subject, cut out images that appeal or inspire, buy a dedicated notebook and begin to fill it.
2. Before I write anything I have an idea of the story arc. This doesn’t mean that I necessarily know the ending (I didn’t with my other two books and I don’t with this one), but I have a sense of the journey the character (s) will make.
3. I choose a working title. Even if I know it’s rubbish; it often is. I use the theme or a motif as a starting point to generate this.
4. Profile sheets are started for the leading characters. These will be altered and added to as the work progresses. I like to be surprised by my characters; they often oblige.
5. I decide on a structure and point of view. Again, open to change. With BloodMining I wrote 20,000 words in first person before realising that this was all wrong, and switched to close third. With novel #2 I knew it would be first person immediately; but at the end of the first draft I knew that I had to give another character a larger voice. So the narrative unfolds through alternative first person accounts, one past tense, one present.
6. I jot down scene ideas and their purpose.
7. I write. Fast and loose. No serious editing. I silence my inner critic (a garrulous little bastard most of the time). I aim for 1,000 words day, at least five times a week. Sometimes, I manage more, sometimes less. I’ve young children and another job…
8. Periodically I write brief summaries of each chapter/scene. The pertinent points only.
9. When I’m approximately one third of the way through, I read what I’ve got. See above. Note more scene ideas.
10. I write the rest.
11. I print out the MS. I just don’t see stuff on screen.
12. I scribble all over it.
13. I draw up a detailed outline. Shuffle scenes around. Remove/add scenes
14. I rewrite.
15. Repeat 14. Many times.
For me, the hardest part is silencing that little bastard. And it gets tough around the 60k mark. One of the most exciting things is when characters leap up and say, ‘Hey! What about me? I’m important too.’ I thought my current WIP was going to be about friendship and rivalry and community. These elements are there, but it’s turning into a love story… and that’s something I never thought I’d write. Early days, however, so things might change again. And that’s one of the joys.
Now, back to it.
Novelist John Barlow speaks out
 99 pence for a novel? That’s what my latest book costs on Amazon.co.uk. It’s a psychological mystery called HOPE ROAD, and it took me a year to write. It’s now selling for the cost of smoking three Marlboro Lights, or eating three Chicken McNuggets. Because of the way Amazon pays royalties, I get 35% of that. So, one fag per sale (I wouldn’t choose the nugget, I’m looking after my health).
I used to think old-fashioned, ‘traditional’ publishing was bad. But in retrospect, the days when we’d get 10-15% of the cover price (around a quid on a 7.99 paperback) were the bonanza years. I decided to self-publish HOPE ROAD because ebooks were stealing all the attention. Also, the miserable royalties that traditional publishers were (and still are) offering on ebooks (25% of net earnings, rather than the 100% of net that an ‘indie’ writer keeps) made a foray into the ebook/self-publishing market look like a smart move.
But why pitch your precious novel at the three-nugget price point? This is the logic. Unless your name itself is sufficient to gain visibility and sell the book, you need to garner some initial sales and reviews, which will help to bump you up the rankings. Without a position up the sales ranking on amazon, you might as well not be there; nobody can see you.
This is how indie writers have managed to beat the big publishers, by selling their ebooks at knock-down prices and rising up the rankings. Create a fanbase, the theory goes, and for your next book you can go to a higher prices, such as to 1.99, at which point you get 70% of the cover price.
But that was last year. Since then two things have happened:
1) Every single human being in the world has suddenly published a book on Amazon.
2) The 99p approach has been hijacked by the big publishers.
HarperCollins imprint The Friday Project uses the strategy all the time, and the guy in charge of The Friday Project is Scott Pack bulldog-savant of the British book trade. If Pack thinks it’s a winning formula, it probably is.
A few days ago I was exchanging pointless comments on a pointless bookblog with a person I’d never met from Tuxon or the Isle of Sheppey or somewhere, and I made what was for me a fairly interesting remark. It went like this:
 If the big houses ALL start to use 99p as a starting-point for ebook sales, what do indie writers do? Give away their books for free (which, of course, already happens)? Why stop at free? Why not offer a small amazon voucher with every ‘purchase’, or a dollar for a guaranteed review on amazon? How about ten dollars for the first twenty ‘purchases + reviews´? If we are so keen to get up those amazon rankings, how many writers would pay for the privilege?
OK. I did say ‘fairly interesting’.
I am now seeing novels at 74p. What happens if amazon ever remove any kind of notional minimum price for a ‘paid’ book sale? 12p for a 500-page saga? Thruppence for my next fucking novel? I let you have my car at weekends in exchange for posting a review on goodreads?
You think I’m joking.
I think I’m joking.
But only just.
 John Barlow was born in Leeds, England in 1967. He studied English Literature at Cambridge University and worked as a university teacher before becoming a full-time writer in 2004. His fiction has been published by HarperCollins/4th Estate and his non-fiction by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. His work has been translated into six languages.
Contact:
John’s website
Twitter
Facebook
Buy HOPE ROAD:
Barnes & Noble
Sony
Kobo
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
short story, flash and young adult novel writer Rebecca Emin
 Rebecca with some of her work It’s difficult to recall precisely how I met Rebecca Emin… other than to say it was definitely online. It might have been Twitter – we’re both enthusiastic tweeps, Facebook, we’re both in the Ether Books stable, we pop up at places like Good Reads and we both blog – Rebecca at Ramblings of a Rusty Writer. We have a number of mutual writing chums. In many ways I’m surprised we didn’t meet earlier. Suffice to say I’m delighted that we did hook up. Rebecca is one of the most generous and supportive writers around. You can find out what she’s up to in these various locations by clicking on the relevant link.
Rebecca is a prolific short story and flash fiction writer, but she’s here today to celebrate the launch of her young adult novel New Beginnings. It’s an engaging story with an important message. You can buy it on Amazon here or here. And you might want to read my review. I gifted this book to a couple of my just-thirteen-year-old son’s friends, and both (girls) said they thoroughly enjoyed it.
So, please, give a big warm welcome to Rebecca Emin.
Tell us a little about yourself, Rebecca. Why do you write?
This is actually the question I found the hardest to answer. It’s like saying to someone ‘why do you breathe?’ I have all these ideas in my head and they sit in there, buzzing around until I write them down. There’s no way I could not write, and particularly now, it’s not something I could give up.
You’ve written short stories, with a not- inconsiderable degree of success. What made you decide to write a young adult novel?
Funnily enough I wrote the first draft of my novel first. When the manuscript was being left to rest, I started to write short stories and flash fiction. It has surprised me really as although I get a great deal of satisfaction from completing a novel, I think I get more pleasure from writing short stories and especially flash fiction. This has been a learning curve; in early 2009 I was completely unaware of the term ‘flash fiction’ and it is now my favourite form.
 The overriding theme of New Beginnings is a very important one – bullying and how to deal with it. What inspired you to cover this topic? Personal experience?
I have been bullied on a number of occasions, but most notably when I started at senior school. I didn’t tell anyone (outside of school) about it for a long time but as I have got older, I have mentioned it to a few people and most of them have had experience of bullying in one way or another. I realised it is a common problem and therefore decided to write about it because of that. If I can help one person who is being bullied, I will be happy. That is also why I am donating 10% of any profits I make to the charity BullyingUK.
The bully, Molly, is portrayed sympathetically. Did you find this hard?
This is an interesting question because early last year I met up with a bunch of school friends, and someone who had no idea about what I had been through, let slip what had happened to the girl who bullied me before I got to know her. It was when this happened that the ending clicked into place, I was determined to show, especially for younger readers, that bullies are most likely not picking on them because of any fault of theirs. There can be a lot more to it than that.
I found the portrayal of first love, those early stirrings of sexual feeling, poignant and very believable. Were the scenes between Nathan and Sam fun to write, or difficult?
I found it incredibly easy to write these scenes. I just thought back to my early childhood crushes and took it from there.
Your lead, Sam, is a theatrical; she loves singing and acting, and it is clear that your knowledge of this world is extensive. Research or personal experience?
I love theatre and especially musical theatre. I guess I let Sam experience some of the things I used to dream of doing. As for the ‘celeb appearance’ I have met that particular person several times and he was the natural choice to include as he is always very generous with his time, and I think he would do what he did in the book if he could.
I am trying to not give away too much here, as I am sure many people who read this will not have read the book yet!
You have three small children. How do you manage your time?
There is generally a little bit of panic, many lists, and a great sense of underachievement if I am honest.
What do your children make of your writing?
They are typical children in that their opinions change like the weather. One day they are taking my book in for ‘speaking and listening’ and telling all their friends I am an author. The next I get told off for ‘working’ too much. I hope they will be proud of me when they get older.
And what’s next for you? Your writing ambitions?
For the first part of 2012 I have decided to concentrate on short stories. I’d quite like to put together a collection of short stories for children, and I also want to write more stories for adults. I am currently finding out about various magazine markets for fiction, as well as planning to submit more stories to Ether Books.
I am currently trying to find a publisher for my second novel, so I would like to get that sorted out one way or another as well.
And finally, a daft question I ask everyone here. Coffee or tea? Beer or wine? Marmite or Bovril? Dark chocolate or Milk? High heels or flatties? Blusher or mascara? Last two for the girls only!
Coffee mostly, but I do like Earl Grey tea at times.
Wine, although I don’t drink very much to be honest. Half a glass goes straight to my head now!
I love marmite!
I always wear flat shoes (I am 5’10 and my husband is 5’6!). I always think I would find it hard to walk in heels.
As for the make-up, mascara.
Thank you for having me over on your blog, and for the interesting questions!!
And thanks to you, Rebecca and good luck with that book.
 - Harry, relaxing with a book
Bestselling author Harry Bingham talks
I first encountered Harry in my capacity as editor of hagsharlotsheroines. We reviewed a couple of his (fine) books. Recently, we reconnected when he and author Claire King led a debate about the activities of Brit Writers. Today, Harry talks books and TV/ film deals. Many thanks for sharing your story, Harry.
I’ve been writing now for more than a decade: six novels, four works of non-fiction, more of both on the way. I’ve only twice in the past got close to any kind of film or TV deal. Once, I met a production company who wanted to pitch one of my non-fiction books as a documentary idea to Channel 4. The production company told me at the time that they got 1 in 20 of those ideas taken up and I was one of the 19.
There was another occasion when a production company wanted to buy the feature rights to my second novel. That novel, interestingly, was the worst I’ve ever written, although also the most compact and the most contemporary. And from a screenwriting point of view, the novel offered a couple of strong lead characters, a manageable budget, and a very topical, marketable concept. The novel’s actual quality wasn’t seen as particularly material, and nor should it have been. However, although the people behind the production company had strong track records, and although they made a written offer for the rights ($10,000 upfront, a further $90,000 on the first day of principal shooting), the deal simply disappeared for no known reason. My film agent was furious but also said that these things are commonplace. In the books world, an oral offer of publication is completely reliable. In the world of film, you actually need to have cashed the cheque before you can rely on anything. (Other film agents have said the same thing to me too.)
But forward to the present. My most recent novel is a crime novel that is being published in the UK, the US, and across Europe. It is genre crime, but with a twist: the detective is a very, very unusual woman and the strongest character I’ve ever created. Given that the various TV networks need a continual supply of same-but-different crime dramas, the book virtually begged to be marketed to TV.
My literary agent handles books only, as does his agency, AM Heath. But they work hand in hand with a well-known film-only agency, so I was in the happy position of having a film agent already on my side. She read the book, liked it, and thought it was saleable. So she sent it out to a number of production companies, both large and small.
We ended up with a number of expressions of interest and two firm offers. One of those two was from a major production company, associated with a major TV network. You’d think that that offer would unquestionably be the superior one, only not. The production company works semi-independently from its parent network, so it is in effect having to pitch its product to all the networks out there, just as any regular indie producer has to do.
And the indie producer was just excellent. They ‘got’ the book. Got why the character was special. Wanted to preserve that specialness. I think they may yet take the risk of making a programme that alienates two-thirds of its potential audience in order to create something that’s adored by the remaining third. We’ll see. All that lies a long way in the future.
They are in the process of acquiring an option which will run for eighteen months. Their first job will be to pitch the idea to the networks. That means BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. It also, increasingly, means finding an overseas partner too. Then a script needs to be written. I’ll be able to offer feedback on that script, but won’t be given the chance to write it. (Nor should I be, given that I have no experience in screenwriting.) With a script in hand, expressions of interest from the networks need to be fashioned into proper commissions. Actors and directors need to be located. And so on.
It’s often thought that film and TV money is huge and life-transforming. Not so. I’ll get a few grand upfront for the option deal, and of course my film agent will get her much-deserved cut. Thereafter, if the TV series goes ahead and if my Fiona Griffiths goes on to become as well-known on the small screen as Inspector Morse and the rest – well, there’ll be plenty of money, but the kind of dosh that would put me on a par with a moderately prosperous accountant, not the sort of money that will put me into the hot tubs and giant cigar bracket.
Then finally, comes the whole issue of creative control. I’ve left all financial issues in the contract to my film agent and am mostly being led her by on the creative stuff too. On the other hand, there are real creative concerns in play here. I need to establish my novels as the ‘core’ Fiona Griffiths, in the same way as Stieg Larsson’s books command the subsequent films. But my books haven’t yet been published and have no mass audience. The scale of audience that TV can bring is likely to dwarf book sales. And any successful screenwriting does, of course, need to depart from the underlying text, make its own creative moves.
So how are these things to be balanced? There’s an industry-standard clause which forbids the screenwriter to kill or maim any returning character who is not killed or maimed in the books. But that still leaves huge areas wide open. So, for example, Fiona Griffiths has a romantic interest, whom the novels portray as a decent, blokey sort of chap. A screenwriter would be allowed, in theory, to turn this character into a cross-dresser, or a stutterer, or be frightened of open spaces. Those things would unquestionably challenge the creative thrust of the books, yet can’t reasonably be prohibited by contract, because screenwriting does need creative freedom.
One answer is trust. Do I trust my production company? Yes, I do. I believe in their vision. But they’re only one part of the whole jigsaw. Maybe a big German buyer will send feedback on a draft script which pushes the whole project in some strangely unexpected direction. Or a UK network may want some very populist, safe show. These things may happen and I can’t prevent them.
I would, I have to say, one day like to take a good screenwriting course (maybe one of our own!) and start to learn the intricacies of that game. At least if I came to be in charge of the script some day, I’d have some slightly greater measure of control. But that probably won’t happen. Tom Clancy once commented that selling a novel to Hollywood was like selling a daughter into prostitution. Well, I know what he means. If you sell the rights, you sell ‘em. You have to recognise that they belong to someone else and that that someone else may do something unexpected with them. But that’s life. Me, I’m just happy to have got this far.
About the author
Harry Bingham is an author of fiction and non-fiction, including his forthcoming crime novel, TALKING TO THE DEAD. His editorial consultancy, The Writers’ Workshop, offers a variety of help for those wanting to write for the screen, including screenwriting courses, script feedback and help with film agents.
 exciting new crime writer Mel Sherratt
Like so many of my author mates I met Mel Sherratt on Twitter. Recently, she published her debut crime thriller TAUNTING THE DEAD. Set in the criminal underbelly of Stoke on Trent DS Allie Shenton must work her way through a labyrinth of secrets and lies to uncover the truth behind the brutal murder of a wealthy businessman’s wife. It’s a cracking read, and perfect for these long, dark nights. You can read my review here. The story of Mel’s journey to publication is one of tenacity, hard work and drive, and she is a talented new writer on the crime block. You can read her account of this journey on her blog High Heels & Book Deals, and for more information about Mel check out her website.
You can buy TAUNTING THE DEAD here.
Thanks for popping over, Mel. Tell us a little about yourself. Why do you write?
Hi Laura, and thanks for inviting me to chat. I write because I don’t think I’d be good at anything else. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t write. Before I was made redundant I was a training consultant writing policies and strategies and workforce plans. Then every night I’d come home and write murder and mayhem.
You write crime thrillers now, though you started writing women’s fiction. What attracted you to the crime genre? Where did your interest spring from?
When I first started to write books, ahem, twelve years ago, I wrote in the genre I enjoyed reading then. I read authors such as Adele Parks, Marian Keyes and Lisa Jewell – I still do. I worked with an agent on one particular book for two and a half years but it never went out on submission. During this time, I’d started to work as a housing officer for the local authority and wanted to use this background for the setting of some new books. I wrote what I lovingly call my grit-lit series – crime for women, predominantly with women characters – with the strap line Laugh a minute. Cry a minute. Crime a minute. One novel did go out on submission with my current agent but it wasn’t deemed to be ‘crimey’ enough, even though it covered topics such as domestic violence, murder/suicide, assault, drugs etc with the odd serial killer thrown in! So I set out to write a crime thriller that hopefully would appeal to both men and women, hence TAUNTING THE DEAD.
The novel’s setting – Stoke on Trent – is your home town, and the sense of the city is so strong that, like all great crime fiction, it’s almost a leading character in its own right. Why did you choose Stoke as your setting? And what do you think the city brings to your narrative?
Thank you so much for that. I enjoy reading books where the setting is pivotal, but I think there’s also a balance to strike. As you know, having read TAUNTING THE DEAD, I’m not big on descriptive passages, tending to show not tell through dialogue, and I always fear that people won’t find a sense of place because of that.
I write sex, murder and violence. It doesn’t make a place attractive to live in, no matter where the setting. There’s no getting away from that. So I thought, why not set it in my home town and maybe the sense of place I know will fit in naturally with my writing? I’m not sure if the city I live in brings as much to the narrative as I do – to me, it’s fiction and it does fill me with dread as well as pride when I get reviews about Stoke on Trent’s underworld!
 The plot of TAUNTING THE DEAD is labyrinthine, and you keep your reader guessing right up until the final few pages. There are crime writers, like Minette Walters, who don’t know whodunnit themselves until they’re a good way into their book. Did you know who the perpetrator was all along, or did you find out as you wrote?
I did know from the beginning who murdered Steph Ryder. I planned for a month before starting to write. The book is set up so that it could be one of six people on the night and before I wrote it, I worked the ‘what if’ question into every one of their back stories and kept twisting and twisting until I found the right one best placed to do it. I am, however, willing to let the book grow organically during the first draft as I know from past experience that I’m on to a winner if I do that. There’s always a reason to go ‘off plot’ when I read back.
Research. Before you write the first draft, or afterwards? And how much?
Ah, research. As this was my first whodunnit, it kind of evolved as I went along. My first idea was for DS Allie Shenton to be a family liaison officer, but as I wanted a lot of the scenes away from the house, I had to rethink. I also had to learn all the forensics and police procedures. Forensics tripped me up quite a lot of times, not particularly research wise but in the sense that I couldn’t do what I wanted to do because it was easy to prove with today’s methods so I had to rethink. And rethink. And rethink. I’m not sure if I’ll ever write another book as hard as TAUNTING THE DEAD in the sense of everyone lying to each other. It meant I always had to be thinking about what the other characters didn’t know yet – or even thought they knew but they were wrong. But then again, it’s the challenge, isn’t it?
Your villains are deliciously nasty. How did you approach getting inside the heads of such an unsavoury bunch?
Oh, Lord. I’m not sure I can answer this one apart from saying that as a writer of several books before this one, maybe it comes naturally? Which is a really weird thing to say! I read a lot of crime novels for research and I suppose my own style came out while writing TAUNTING THE DEAD.
I wanted my villains to be good looking, butter wouldn’t melt in their mouths type of men. Ones you can imagine raising thousands of pounds for charities, not necessarily taking a hammer to anyone’s shin! I wanted to have the shock factor in the book.
Although she is a vacuous and self-centred drunk, I found myself feeling deeply sorry for your main victim, Steph Ryder. Was this your intention?
Several people have mentioned this to me now, which is an absolute joy to hear. Because, yes, I wanted to show someone who had become selfish in her ways, similar to that of a spoilt child. It’s why the book is in two halves – before Steph is murdered so you can see why everyone would have a motive to kill her and after to see who actually carried it out. Steph did like her life, but she was bored. Her husband spent a lot of time working away from home and because of this she chose alcohol as her friend. It ultimately became her downfall as she kept saying too much and acting foolishly.
There are some extremely violent scenes in the novel. Were these difficult to write?
Dare I say no? I think I must go into character as I write as they certainly don’t come from experience! I can’t however watch the vicious stuff. Me and the fella argue all the time when I ask him to switch off a violent film as he can’t understand why I can write it but not watch it. I think it’s just because as a reader you can detach yourself from the visual images. You imagine them but also get caught up with reading the words.
I also like sentences that say so much in a few words – ‘Terry pulled his arm back as far as he could and with brute force, brought down the hammer on Phil’s right shin.’
Your lead, DS Allie Shenton, is a happily married woman. This struck me as unusual (in a good way) because the protagonists in so many thrillers are loners, with lots of personal baggage. Allie does have issues and she is vulnerable, but I wondered if you could explain your choice to give her such a solid home life.
A bit of a long story this one. When I first started to draft out TAUNTING THE DEAD, the initial idea was for Allie to be a family liaison officer and stay close to the main suspect. But as I like to write about lots of characters, I found that more things needed to happen outside the house. So I changed her into a detective sergeant. In that first draft, Allie did split up with Mark and go to stay with her mum. Through the book, Allie noticed that her mum was suffering from dementia and that was her back story. I moved Allie out of her marital home so that I could show how she realised her mum had dementia by being around her more. But TAUNTING THE DEAD became too big to keep this sub plot. And as I got to know Allie and the main suspect, Terry Ryder, I thought it would create more sexual tension if she was in a loving relationship. I also wanted to go against the norm.
And something happens to Allie’s husband at a later date, because of her job, that would test even the strongest of marriages…
How do you manage your writing time?
I get up early and once the bloke is out of the door at seven, if I haven’t already started by then, I get cracking. I can work until he comes back in at tea time and often continue into the evening, depending on what I’m working on. If I’m first drafting, I aim for 3-4000 words a day. If I’m editing, I aim for twenty pages. That’s not to say I spend all that time writing, that would be insane. To get to my target for the day, a lot of time in between is spent on Twitter or chatting to people online as I use this as my virtual office to stop me going stir crazy. Emails and blog posts are done at the end of the day or at weekends, when the belly of the writing is done.
I am also great at setting myself daily word count/pages to edit targets and failing to do them. But I somehow manage to always do the full thing by my self imposed deadlines. The mind is a powerful tool. It can, however, fill me with self doubt too. Swings and roundabouts.
TAUNTING THE DEAD is the first in a series following DS Allie Shenton. So what’s next? Can you give us a taster of what’s to come? Your writing ambitions?
Actually, I can’t. I do have ideas for book two and book three – as you know, the first book ends on a cliff hanger so more to this series can be added. But the whole purpose of self publishing TAUNTING THE DEAD is to try and get a traditional deal. However, I do aim to write book two by the end of this year regardless. I’ve had some fantastic comments about it and I’m itching to get going with Allie and her team again. I also might bring out the grit lit series as an ebook trilogy.
My writing ambitions? To get that print copy! And to keep on enjoying what I do.
And finally, a daft question I ask everyone here.
Coffee or tea? Coffee – with Coffee Mate.
Beer or wine? Wine.
Marmite or Bovril? Euuewwww!
Dark chocolate or Milk? Milk.
High heels or flatties? Purlease! High heels. Thought I might know the answer to this one!
Blusher or mascara. Mascara, definitely.
Many thanks to Mel, and the very best of luck with TAUNTING THE DEAD.
It’s been a hectic few months, with promotion taking up most of my time as opposed to writing. But it has been worth it. The response to my debut, BloodMining, has been fantastic. Better than I ever dreamed for, so thanks to all for your warmth and support. I appreciate it.
Taking part in a blog tour, and doing interviews and readings and the like, has not only been hard work and fun but revealing. It’s been an opportunity to step back and analyse my writing practices, what motivates and inspires me, how I work and whether or not this is the best method for me right now. I’m on a journey and learning all the time.
Also, I’ve started submitting novel #2 (I will tell you the name soon, promise) to agents *sharp intake of breath* It’s tough out there at the moment, but when hasn’t it been? And if you don’t submit you’ll never get representation. I have written to six agencies, after doing my research as any sensible writer does, and I’ll keep you posted. The novel has already received some positive endorsement – a finalist in Brit Writers’ Award, highly commended in the Winchester Competition, so I hope it’s a case of finding the right match. Fingers crossed.
As well as interacting with my virtual writerly friends on Twitter and Facebook, I have been getting out and meeting other writers face to face too. Gabrielle Kimm’s second novel launch in Chichester (I heartily recommend The Courtesan’s Lover. Read my review here) and at a fantastic New Writing South event at the Jubilee Library last week. There was a brilliant array of speakers, including writer Emlyn Rees, Myriad Editions’ Vicky Blunden, ShortFire Press’ Clare Hey and marketing director of Faber and Faber Jo Ellis. Discussions ranged from funding opportunities for writers to the Digital Arena and help for writers to navigate the platforms available to them and their work. There is so much talk about about the future of publishing, and it can sound rather frightening and gloomy, but Saturday’s event was full of optimism, and was invigorating as well as inspiring. Thank you NWS.
And talking of getting out and about I’m off to the NWS Christmas shindig later this week. So for those of you I don’t see: all the best for a happy, healthy and creative holiday period.
 some of my most treasured Books make great presents for all but the illiterate. End of. So, today, I’m offering the definitive guide (*ahem* *coughs* my guide) to some of the best books of the past couple of years that I believe will make splendid gifts for friends and family alike.
There are fabulous non-fiction books out there on subjects as wide ranging as cooking, bee-keeping and taming gnus (okay, I made that one
up) but as an author of fiction, and a reader of fiction, this is where I’m concentrating. For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you’ll recognise many on this list that I’ve been bleating about for some time.
In no particular order here’s ten of the best:
Sisterwives by Rachel Connor – the story of two women, their personal histories, the husband they share and the isolated, religious community they inhabit. An intelligent, thought-provoking read
Cold Light by Jenn Ashworth – a brilliantly unsettling tale of bored teenagers, missing boys and murder in a grim northern town. Almost as brilliant as Ashworth’s debut A Kind of Intimacy. Also well worth gifting.
Hurry Up and Wait by Isabel Ashdown – a deeply affecting, beautifully written tale set in the 80s about a young woman overcoming the classroom bully and other demons. And if you’ve not already read Ashdown’s debut, Glasshopper, add this brilliant novel to your list.
The Devil’s Music by Jane Rusbridge – a fabulous tale of knotty family secrets and memories. Moving and memorable.
The Courtesan’s Lover by Gabrielle Kimm – a second novel set in sixteenth century Italy, this is a sexy, compelling story of forbidden love, secret tunnels, a loyal eunuch and Machiavellian boys. You might think about offering this with Kimm’s wonderful debut His Last Duchess.
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes – a gripping, disturbing thriller about domestic violence, obsession and redemption.
The Eloquence of Desire by Amanda Sington-Williams – a middle aged man is exiled from 50s England after a scandal at work. This is the story of the devastating effect this has on him and his family.
Invisibles by Ed Siegle – another beautifully written tome from the Myriad Editions stable. A meditation on being seen and being invisible.
Room by Emma Donoghue – enough said.
The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell – ditto above.
I’ve read lots of other, wonderful, books this year, but these have stayed with me the longest. Most of them are published by smaller, independent houses – they need our support more than the big six – and most of them are written by women. Likewise. Plus, I’m a woman.
Go buy and enjoy!
|
|
Recent Comments