So You Think You’ve Finished?
That elusive ending…
I was sat in front of my PC a couple of days ago thinking, so what shall I write about in this my second Blog post? What pearls of wisdom shall I share? As usual when you have these thoughts, nothing comes to mind. Not really a surprise! Then, miracle of miracles, the clouds parted and blew away the cobwebs.
For about a week, I’ve been trying to write the ending of my second book, but I just couldn’t get that last paragraph right. No matter what was put down, it never looked or sounded ‘it’. Of course, what’s down now I’m not 100% happy with and I doubt if when I finally decide that I can’t make it any better that I will be either. But, it does mean that it’s finished. Approximately 6 – 7 months of toil. Okay, I did enjoy writing this much more than my first, but perhaps that’s because I actually like my lead character this time. Don’t ask me why I didn’t like her in the first, it just ended up that way and I’d rather not dwell on it.
So, it’s finished. Is it? Of course not, the hard work has only just begun. I believe there are those talented individuals out there Continue reading
by 
The List
Fiction Friday
Which three things would your character like to try?
Fiction Friday: 28th february 2014.
List three activities that you could have your character doing. It could be anything from sky diving to a road trip from one end of the country to the other. Once you have your three things, pick one. If you are working on something at the moment, use your main character and write from the point of view of your character whilst they try this activity. If you’ve not got a character, open the book nearest to you and pick a name from there.
Write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going. Once you’re done, don’t edit. Just post.
by Undreamed by Paul Western-Pittard
Published by Paul Western-Pittard -Sept 2012)
Review by Helen Jackson.
Undreamed is a dark psychological thriller that tells the tale of Alice, a woman trapped between reality and a dream.
Alice is trapped in a nightmare. She leads two lives, both real to her, both flawless in their logic and texture, both filled with people that she loves and hates. One of these is a dream. She has no way of knowing which. A borderline junkie-heiress in Manhattan, or a recovering psych patient in Sydney, when Alice sleeps in one life, she wakes into the other.
Other than her own memory of them, her worlds are separate and seamless. In both her lives she tries to find clues to discover the root of her sickness, but nothing crosses over. She may as well be two completely different people. Caught in this impossible status quo, never able to bring herself to believe that the life she’s leading is true, Alice is trapped. Not believing either, she believes nothing. Then one day, her lives are fractured when something does cross over. First in Sydney then Manhattan, Alice meets a girl dressed in green. She knows this girl for what she is: the key to her escape. But as she unravels the girl’s secret, the realities of not one but both lives are challenged.
The question becomes: who is it that she’s really waking?
by Our Favourite Things: Book to Film Adaptations
It was hard to pick but here are some of our favourite book to film adaptations.
I love books. I try to read the book before I see a movie else I can’t form it properly in my imagination and it spoils the book if I do then try to read it. I prefer the stories in book form but these are five of the adaptations we think were great.
The Taming of The Shrew/10 Things I Hate About You.
Yes, OK, this is essentially a teen movie adapted from one of the great Shakespearian plays. It’s been given a modern twist and is set in a Seattle high school but I just happen to think it’s a great film. There were many Shakespeare references too, (Stafford sisters.) Of course it’s not a serious film (the part with Can’t Take My Eyes off You is testament to that,) but it’s funny and by the end, you have a warm fuzzy heart-warming feeling. Plus there was Heath Ledger. It was worth watching just for him. A fun, tongue in cheek, light-hearted adaptation that you can re-watch and still love – definitely one of our favourites.
(The Taming of the Shrew: William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library. 10 Things I Hate About You: Touchstone/Buena Vista, 1999.)
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption/The Shawshank Redemption.
This film was adapted from the novella by Stephen King. Although The Green Mile was Continue reading
by Graeme Simsion
Graeme Simsion (photo: Michael Clayton-Jones)
Graeme Simsion’s brilliant debut, The Rosie Project has been our book corner title this month.
It began life as a screenplay before he wrote the novel. Graeme joins us to talk about his new book, his favourite word and editing.
Can you tell us about your book, The Rosie Project?
The Rosie Project is the story of Don Tillman, a socially-challenged genetics professor, and his search for a life partner. Don constructs a 16-page questionnaire to find the perfect woman. Instead he finds Rosie, a woman who ticks none of the boxes, but who requires his help to find her biological father through surreptitious DNA testing of the candidates – every male student in her mothers’ medical graduation class. It’s a comedy – but I like to think it explores some serious ideas and may provoke a few tears as well as laughter..
What’s your writing day like?
There’s no such thing as a typical writing day for me. I don’t write every day because I have other commitments (meeting readers and booksellers, answering questions from bloggers…) and because I spend time thinking about what I’ll write, or how I’ll improve what I’ve written. When I was working on the sequel Continue reading
by Giving The First Draft A Chance
Your first draft needs faith.
I have been thinking about my first draft a lot recently. When I am not trying to start it, I am thinking about it – how I want the story to go, the characters and their backgrounds, the odd piece of description or dialogue that I think could work (most of the time I manage to write things down before they disappear out of my head forever. I have had things disappear and then I curse myself for not keeping a notebook nearby but that’s for another post.)
There are a few ways in which I have attempted to begin my story as I try to figure out where to begin. Should I start it with dialogue? Inner monologue? That’s the problem – you over think and then the false starts pile up and before you know it, you have 1,000 words of roughly the same scene. I end up going back to the beginning as I convince myself that what I am reading isn’t good enough. I worry Continue reading
by Bella Osborne
Bella Osborne
Bella picks the book that’s impacted her the most.
This is a very difficult question to answer. A few obvious answers immediately flew to mind, like the Boden catalogue as this is a book that impacts my bank balance on an all too frequent occurrence. A little more thought brought my favourite childhood book to the fore which was ‘The One Hundred and One Dalmatians’ by Doddie Smith although the only real impact I think that book has had is my compulsion for things that are spotty (see earlier reference to Boden addiction).
There was a chicklit book that I once read that when I had persevered to the end it gave me the encouragement that if they had been published then I at least stood I fighting chance – book and author will of course remain nameless.
When you sit down and really think about it, it’s amazing how many books you have read and loved and remember fondly. I love a bit of poetry so Wendy Cope would always make it into my top five books but to choose just one is a hard task.
So after a few cups of tea Continue reading
by Which Classics?
Which Classic Novel Should You Read?
There are many novels that are considered classics. When I began to list the ‘great novels,’ it amazed me to see how many of them I’d not read. Despite reading many things about it, I’ve not read A Catcher in the Rye. I own a copy but have never got past that. It just sits on my shelf hoping that one day I will get around to reading it.
Lord of The Rings is another example. I read The Fellowship of The Ring but then gave up in the middle of The Two Towers and never got to The Return of The King. I decided to watch the movies instead.
There are many other great novels Continue reading
by Rosie Blake
How To Get A (Love) Life is the brilliant debut novel from Rosie Blake.
It was published by Novelicious Books in January and we are very delighted to take part in Rosie’s blog tour. Rosie joins us for a chat – favourite words, ideal dinner guests, Albus Dumbledore and Charmed.
Hi Rosie, can you tell us a little about How to Get a (Love) Life?
The story focusses on Nicola Brown, an uptight and introverted young woman who has never had a date on Valentine’s Day. Following a bet with a work colleague, Nicola has to put aside her hang ups to go on as many dates as she possibly can in order to find the perfect man in time for February 14th. Of course, lots of hijinks ensue including a disastrous date or two.
Can you give us a few fun facts about Nicola?
Fun facts about Nicola! Of course! She likes to eat her chocolate mini roll at a certain time of the day, keep the cellophane on all her furniture and make long lists about … wait … did you say fun? Oh. Erm. Yeah.
by We Review How To Get A (Love) Life by Rosie Blake
The Dare: To Get a Love Life by Valentine’s Day.
Nicola has success in her professional life (she enjoys her job working for a talent agency,) she loves her family (even though her mother can be hard work,) and she has lovely friends. However, she doesn’t have a boyfriend and when her colleague, Caroline, discovers that Nicola has never had a boyfriend for Valentine’s Day, she sets Nicola a challenge to get a love life and that she needs to find herself a man by Valentine’s Day. For a girl set in her ways (and frankly has a case of OCD,) this isn’t an easy task.
Nicola’s important quest begins with some awful dates with horrible sounding men and at times, it was cringe worthy to read – I felt sorry for Nicola. The book was great and had me laughing out loud in some places.
by JoJo Moyes
The One Plus One is the new novel by the internationally bestselling author Jojo Moyes.
We’re huge fans of JoJo Moyes and we’re not embarrassed to admit that the ending of Me before You made us cry…just a little. We’re looking forward to reading the latest book which is called, The One Plus One. It’s being released by Penguin on 27th February. No long to wait.
About the book:
One single mum
With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to . . .
One chaotic family
Jess’s gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she’ll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess’s teenage stepson, can’t fight the bullies alone.
by Rosie Project Competition Winners
Penguin, 2014
And the winners are…
Thank you to all who entered our competition to win a copy of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.
Well done to our three winners: Caroline Stockwell from Clacton on Sea, Theresa Baker from Wakefield and Danny from London.
About the book…
‘I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’‘Tell me something I don’t know . . .’Love isn’t an exact science – but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don’s never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie – ‘the world’s most incompatible woman’ – throwing Don’s safe, ordered life into chaos. But what is this unsettling, alien emotion he’s feeling?
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion is published in paperback by Penguin, £7.99 paperback.
by Mslexia 2014 Woman’s Short Story Competition
Mslexia’s Short Story Competition is now open.
Mslexia are looking for entrants to submit an unpublished short story for their 2014 Short Story competition.
Stories can be up to 2,200 words and can be on any subject so you can pick your theme and content. All winning stories will be featured in the Jun/Jul/Aug edition of Mslexia.
The judge will be Jane Rogers.
The first prize will be £2,000 plus you get two optional extras – a week’s writing retreat at beautiful Chawton House Library plus, you can also opt to have a day with a Virago editor.
by Easy Ways to Promote yourself…
By Maria Vassilopoulos – Organic Books.
When I worked as a bookseller, there were three main ways I would get asked for books by customers. One was if a certain celebrity or known person had written a book, people would come in and already know what they wanted – for example, the new Jamie Oliver or *insert celebrity’s name here’s* biography. The other one was by title or cover, some customers would actually ask for “that red book” or “that tractors in Ukraine book”. The last one was for children’s books and centred around the age suitability of chapter and picture books, “is this ok for my *age* child/friend’s child to read?” kinds of questions.
It’s important to think about these questions when promoting your book and others that customers may ask. Also, it’s paramount to make sure that the booksellers know about them too. I only recommended books I knew something about.
By something I am meaning any extra information or activity that goes with the actual book, including launches, events, media coverage (big or small) and the main gist of the plot. This helps when people walk into bookstores wanting booksellers to tell them about good content.
by NK Fiction Friday: Money Money Money
Fiction Friday
Fiction Friday – 21st February 2014.
The prompt for today’s fiction friday: You find a money clip on the ground whilst walking down the high street. It contains £10,000. What do you do next? Which problems does it create? Solve?
Write for five minutes minimum and then keep going. Once you’re finished, post in the comments box below.
by Favourite Character Names
Five of our favourite character names.
There have been many characters with great names over the years. Who would not have a soft spot for a bad boy named Rupert Campbell Black? Or want to look after a boy called Pip? Here are five of our favourites. Which ones would you add?
Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind, MGM (1939.)
by Giovanna Fletcher’s Second Book Announced
Giovanna Fletcher reveals the title and cover for her latest book.
We loved her debut novel and have been waiting with excitement for the follow-up to Billy and Me. The book is called You’re The One That I Want and it’s due for release by Penguin on 22nd May 2014. A beautiful cover, don’t you agree?
by Valentines Day – inspiration or constipation
Bella Osborne
By Bella Osborne.
So it’s Valentine’s Day this month. You know this by the sharp hike in the cost of wilting flowers and the sea of pink hearts that assaults your eye balls when you enter a card shop. Love it or hate it, it usually incites a reaction in most people. I have to say I’m a bit ambivalent to it, well I thought I was…
When I was at school I used to find Valentine’s Day hugely entertaining as a few cheap cards delivered to key individuals could cause all sorts of havoc. I suspect poor old Mr Midgely always wondered why the attractive new Chemistry lab assistant had pledged her undying devotion to his home knitted tank tops and why the spottiest boy in class got the most valentines much to the chagrin of his better looking contemporaries.
I, of course sent my long-suffering husband a card on Valentine’s Day but that was all. We have tried going out for a meal to mark the occasion but it is usually a bit of a disappointment as the restaurant is full to the gunwales and the food often suffers because of it. I once managed to pour hot soup over my fingers when out for a Valentine’s meal and spent the whole Continue reading
by Victoria Fox
Victoria Fox offers her five writing tips.
1. Don’t stop until you reach ‘The End’ – you must have something entire to work on and edit, and it doesn’t matter if your first draft is raw.
2. Never give up. It’s trite, but true. You will face rejection at some point, no author gets away with this, and you must have faith and a thick skin.
3. Love what you’re writing. Is this the kind of book you would be excited to read? Have fun with it – this will inject so much life and energy into your voice.
by Robert Galbraith’s Second Novel Due in June
The Silkworm
A second outing for Cormoran Strike.
The second novel by Robert Galbraith (the pseudonym of J.K Rowling,) will be published by Little Brown. It will be the second novel to feature private detective, Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott, the first book being, The cuckoo’s Calling.
This one, called The Silkworm, will feature a novelist who is brutally murdered after writing poison pen portraits of people he knows. Little Brown have described it as ‘a compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn.’
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, she just thinks he has gone off by himself for a few days – as he has done before Continue reading
by Lynne North
Lynne North
Lynne North’s Best Writing Moment.
That has to be having my first book accepted by Ghostly Publishing, and having it launched at Earl’s Court Book Fair in London. You don’t get much bigger than that for a launch, do you?
Lynne North is the author of two children’s books, Caution: Witch in Progress’ and ‘Zac’s Destiny. For more information on Lynne and her books, visit her website.
by A Novel Ending?
Which Novel Has The Best Ending?
The beginning of any book is important. That first sentence is used to draw your reader into your story, but it’s usually the ending of the book that stays with me. The great ones have you thinking about them long after you’ve read that last page and put the book down.
The Hunger Games is one example. A surprising ending (especially with the changes in power. I don’t want to give too much away,) and as a consequence, one that I am still thinking about and I finished that in the middle of last year.
I adored the ending to PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. I was sad that Gerry was gone but optimistic that Holly was going to be OK.
by CLIC Sargent’s Get in Character Campaign
Have you ever wanted your name immortalised in a book?
An amazing selection of authors have joined CLIC Sargent for the ‘Get in Character’ campaign. It’s a chance for you or a loved one to have your name used for a character in a book.
It’s a unique 10-day Ebay auction and the aim is to raise £10,000 to help provide clinical, practical and emotional support to children and young people who are fighting cancer as well as support for their families.
Authors taking part include, Continue reading
by Mystery Postbag
New and upcoming books that have arrived with us this week.
We are feeling the mystery this week with the recent arrivals at Novel Kicks and we like a good puzzle. Here are a selection of new and upcoming releases that are on our to read pile.
The Accident by C.L Taylor.
About a week ago, I started receiving black envelopes with 10th April 2014 stamp on the back. Inside, was a diary page saying, ‘this secret is killing me.’ I got two of these in total before a black box arrived, containing a copy of this book. It really helped build the mystery and I now can’t wait to read. It’s due for release in April.
Fast-paced and suspenseful The Accident is perfect for fans of Before I Go to Sleep, Gone Girl and Sophie Hannah. A gripping debut about the deadly secrets your children can keep … Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a coma she is forced to face a very dark reality. Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into Charlotte’s private world. In her hunt for evidence, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her daughter and she’s forced to look further, into the depths of her own past. Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the reason that Charlotte is in danger?
by Trisha Ashley
Simon & Schuster, 2012
Trisha Ashley talks about a book she’s read that’s made an impact on her.
One of the most memorable books I’ve read recently is Leah Fleming’s novel, The Captain’s Daughter. The story begins with the sinking of the Titanic and something that happens amid the ensuing carnage and confusion, which will have repercussions that echo down decades.
There’s more than one love story in this huge and sweeping epic and more than one kind of love, as the stories and lives of several families are entwined over the years. To say a novel took you on a journey is a cliché, but this one certainly did – and a mystery tour at that, since I found it impossible to guess where we were going until we got there. I don’t want to give anything away if you haven’t read it, but the resolution literally hangs by a lacy thread…
by Diary of an UnSmug Married Blog Tour: Novel Kicks chats to Polly James.
Polly James
We are very happy to be part of the blog tour for Polly James and her debut novel, Diary of an UnSmug Married.
We had a chat with Polly to ask about her book, her ideal dinner guests and who she would like to swap places with for a day…
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve been given?
I can’t recall who it was who told me to read everything I write out loud, but it’s definitely the most useful advice they could ever have given me. It’s so much easier to tell if your dialogue sounds natural or whether something makes sense if you say it aloud, and it helps with comic timing, too.
I write a lot of dialogue, as I think it’s one of the best ways to help the reader get to know the characters you’ve created, and Diary of an Unsmug Married is written in the first person, so it was particularly important that Molly (who’s the main character) should have a distinctive and believable voice – because she’s the one telling everyone else’s story, as well as her own.
I found it much easier to decide if something I’d written sounded like something she would actually say when I read it out loud, and I think doing that is what helped me to bring her alive – or that’s what I hope readers of Molly’s story will think, anyway!
by Book Review: Diary of An Unsmug Married by Polly James
Diary of an Unsmug Married by Polly James is published by Avon (February 2014,) and is available in paperback and e-book.
The blurb:
What happens to love when life gets in the way?
Meet Molly Bennett. Married to Max and mother to two warring teenagers, she’s just ‘celebrated’ a significant birthday. Bridget Jones would call Molly a “smug married”. So why doesn’t she feel it? Is it because everyone seems to be having a better time of it than her? Or is it that Max has started showing more interest in ‘business trips’ and less interest in their sex life? Molly begins to despair. And then an old school friend starts flirting with her through Facebook …
I had not read the fictional columns on which this book is based so I had no idea what to expect (however, I am a huge fan of Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones. This book has been compared to both.)
Molly is what Bridget would describe as a smug married. She has a job working for a back bench labour MP called Andrew (who she calls the boss.) He’s a little bit of a liability to her and Greg (a colleague.) She has a mother who has a Continue reading
by Win a Copy of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Penguin, 2014
We have three copies of The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion to give away.
To celebrate The Rosie Project being our book club title for February, we’ve got three copies of the book to give away.
About the book…
‘I’m not good at understanding what other people want.’‘Tell me something I don’t know . . .’Love isn’t an exact science – but no one told Don Tillman. A thirty-nine-year-old geneticist, Don’s never had a second date. So he devises the Wife Project, a scientific test to find the perfect partner. Enter Rosie Continue reading
by International Book Giving Day – 14th February.
Today is International Book Giving Day.
International Book Giving Day is a day dedicated to getting new, used, and borrowed books into the hands of as many children as possible, to share the love of books & the generosity of giving … all on a day synonymous with love. It’s run on a purely voluntary basis by a team of dedicated children’s book enthusiasts from around the world, highlighting the importance of books for children.
It was built and created by Amy Broadmoore, founder of the American children’s book website, Delightful Children’s Books, in 2012. Inspired by her son’s desire to ‘invent a holiday when people gave books to each other’, the determination to link that with Valentine’s Day was born just 10 days before the day itself!
‘People not only give books to kids in their communities, they also share stories and photos via Twitter, Facebook and International Book Giving Day’s website. Connecting with others who are giving books to kids, is part of what makes this an inspiring holiday,’ says Amy.
by Winners – It Felt Like a Kiss
Published by Corgi, Jan 2014
Five winners announced in our ‘It Felt Like A Kiss’ competition.
Thank you to all who entered our competition. Five winners have now been picked at random.
Well done to: Dawn Totton from Newcastle Upon Tyne, Victoria Cunniff from Wigan, Gail Reid from Catterick Garrison, Diane Moston from Southampton and Clint Howat from Carlisle who have all won a copy.
About the book:
Ellie Cohen is living her dream. A great job at an exclusive Mayfair art gallery, loyal mates, loving family, and really, really good hair. Well, there’s the famous rock-star father who refuses to acknowledge her and a succession of ‘challenging’ boyfriends, but nobody’s Continue reading
by Musings of an Aspiring (Male) Romantic Writer
Mick Arnold
We’re happy to welcome Mick Arnold to his very own column, Mick’s Musings.
I suppose you could trace my writing aspirations back to Christmas 2010 when my wife had just finished reading what I generically termed a ‘Chick-lit’ book and insisted that I must read it and kept on persuading me until I relented. Two days and not much in the way of sleep later and I’d finished. Then I read it again; and again and after another two days, I woke up with this idea for a story in my head. I recall that I was reminded that I hadn’t eaten ten hours and about thirty (probably unreadable) pages of A4 later.
Annie Sanders; ladies, you have a lot to answer for. Prior to this book, I was likely an a typical male reader. You know the stuff. Science-fiction, fantasy. I still read Terry Pratchett, so I can still claim a degree of expected male testosterone, but now my shelves show a majority of Carole Matthews, Trisha Ashley and Miranda Dickinson alongside Mr Pratchett. So perhaps, in hindsight, it’s not that surprising that I write in the genre I do. Whether these Continue reading
by Is it Love?
Fiction Friday
Fiction Friday: Friday 14th February 2014: Is it Love?
For today’s prompt, it’s all about love (as it’s Valentine’s Day.) Your two main characters are Lucy and Tom. Have they just met? Are they are at a turning point in their relationship? Is it about to end? That’s all your choice. What will you have happen to Lucy and Tom?
Write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Don’t edit, just post in the comments below.
by Writing Tips – Graeme Simsion
Graeme Simsion (photo: Michael Clayton-Jones)
Graeme offers his five writing tips.
1. Enrol in a writing class – or at least join a writers’ group. A class will give you theory, discipline, feedback, industry savvy and encouragement.
2. Plan. Yes, some writers write by the ‘seat of their pants’ without a plan, and if that works for you, good luck and I’ll shut up. I bet it won’t. I bet you’ll get stuck about 25,000 words in, or later you’ll find you’ve written an unstructured mess. If that happens, go back and write a synopsis, then a chapter-by-chapter summary. Then start writing again with confidence you know where you’re going.
3. Write for Continue reading
by Book Themed Necklaces
Five Literary Themed Necklaces.
There are some wonderful literary themed jewellery available and they can make lovely, unique gifts for people who are into books. With it being Valentines Day tomorrow, here are five that would be on my wish list.
I thought this necklace was beautiful. It quotes one of my favourite poems (which I have to admit, I first heard a Cameron Diaz film,) i carry your heart by e.e. cummings. It’s handmade too. It’s available from Etsy for £19.81. Continue reading
by The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft
Extract from The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft.
The First Time We Met is the first book in the Oxford Blue Series. Released today, it is now available to buy in ebook format. We had a chat with Pippa yesterday (you can read our interview here.) Today, we’re featuring an extract from the book and we can’t wait to read it and find out what happens.
“By the time I get out of the hall, the tears are pouring down my cheeks. I tried, I really did, but apart from Immy and a few others, they’re a bunch of snobs and creeps, Rupert most of all. Why did I think this was a good idea?
Leaning against a wall, I gulp in the cool air and it helps a little, but it’s raining again and my dress is getting soaked. I’ve only been here a day and I already hate the weather and the people. So much for my big dreams of sophisticated independence when I can’t even handle a welcome dinner!
In my head, Todd’s laughing at me, clucking his tongue with his ‘Poor little Lauren, I told you you’d be better off staying home.’
No. I will not give up so easily. The Cusacks don’t quit. My father taught me Continue reading
by Calling Mrs Christmas
Review by Mick Arnold.
‘Calling Mrs Christmas’ is that rare breed of seasonal tale, in that behind the story of someone finding their calling to help them over a personal crisis (unemployment here) there are some serious social issues dealt with here that from a lesser author could have easily taken a lowly second place. Of course, this doesn’t detract from the main storyline as we follow Cassie through a Christmas certainly never to be forgotten, such is the skill of this author.
The story centres around Cassie, at the start deep in the depression caused by unemployment. She’s in a long-term relationship with the stoic Jim, a caring warder at the local Youth Detention Centre. Deciding to put her organisational talents to use, she starts up a business – the title of the book. As the business booms, from wrapping presents and decorating trees, to arranging corporate parties, life starts to look good for her again and the two of them have never been happier. Enter a rich client called Carter, Continue reading
by That Elusive First Sentence
That first sentence has become my nemesis.
I’ve now settled into the New Year and have just about stopped writing 2013 when I should be writing 2014. The new year brought new but familiar writing goals which is to get the first draft finally written in time to submit to the RNA in August (especially as I didn’t manage it last year.)
I have been thinking a lot about the first sentence as I attempt the first draft. How do you pick the moment and the words that will begin your novel? It has caused a little bit of stress particularly as it’s easy to overthink. Of the many books on ‘how to write a novel,’ that I own, having a good first sentence that grabs readers attention seems to be a common thread.
Of course, I know that Continue reading
by Cathie Hartigan
Cathie Hartigan-
Cathie Hartigan was a pianist and a music teacher until she swapped keyboards and became a writer and teacher of creative writing. She talks to us today about the novel that has impacted her the most…
The sheer size of Vikram Seth’s A Suitable Boy creates an impact. Its fat spine takes up four books-worth of space on the shelf. I took this monster thirteen hundred page novel with me on holiday twenty years ago and although I was in Italy, for much of the time I was transported to India.
But it wasn’t the foreign travel that provided the book’s greatest hook for me. At the heart of the novel is a simple question. Continue reading
by Pippa Croft
The First Time We Met by Pippa Croft is due to be published by Penguin on 13th February 2014.
The first in the Oxford Blue Series, it promises aspirational glamour alongside a steamy and captivating love story. On the eve of publication, we catch up with Pippa, to ask her about her new book, what’s currently on her desk and what we may not know about her…
The first time I fell in love, I was :
At Oxford! This may seem really lame (as Lauren might say) but I had a massive crush on a boy from my VI form but it wasn’t until I went away to university that we got together. He turned up one night very late at my room, having driven down from Manchester as a ‘surprise’. Well, I could hardly let him sleep out in the Quad, could I? And … er… Reader, I eventually married him.
You might not know this about me, but I:
Am terrified of heights. You know, the whole sweaty palms/heart racing/compelled to jump off type of terror. I decided to go abseiling as research for my first novel and while I survived, I would never ever do it again. It didn’t help that the radio was playing ‘Don’t Fear The Reaper’ as we drove up to the rock face, but I did use the terror in the book…
When I’m feeling down, I find that I’m always cheered up by:
A phone call from my daughter, finding my husband has booked a surprise day off work or checking the surf conditions on MagicSeaweed.com (I can’t really surf but I do try very hard.)
by Right Casting?
Does it ever live up to expectation?
When I write, I cast my characters. I find it helps to develop the person in my head. I also like to have a clear vision when I am reading a book. Imagination is great as it allows for so many possibilities. I try to read the book before I see any kind of adaptation, otherwise, I can’t visualise the characters correctly – as was one of my problems when I tried to read Twilight.
I watched the trailer for the upcoming release, Continue reading
by Book Club
