Jonathan’s debut novel, The Radio is now available in paperback and for Kindle. We’re very happy that Jonathan stopped by to chat about his book, his writing process and what superpower he would have…

Can you tell us about your debut novel, The Radio?

The Radio centres around the decline of the lovable, yet hapless George Poppleton, a middle-aged, henpecked father and husband who stumbles across an old transistor radio in his loft. His obsession with listening to the radio drives him on an unexpected journey, fuelled by the painful memories of the suicide of his only son many years before. It ends with an unimaginable twist and is the first part of a trilogy.

Do you plan? 

I begin with an idea. Maybe one or two sentences with the overall story and where I want to go with the story. The characters are then designed to fit the story. I usually pick two main characters, and summarise their three main traits. I then begin writing. Continue reading →

by

Jon Rance is the author of This Thirty Something Life. His new book, Happy Endings is available now. Jon popped in for a chat about his new book, his ideal dinner party and his favourite word. 

Hi Jon, thanks for joining us. Can you tell us about your latest novel, Happy Endings?

I’d be honoured. Happy Endings is the story of Kate, Ed, Jack and Emma, four late-twentysomethings all trying to find their own version of a happy ending in modern-day London. Its four inter-connected stories about love, growing-up, and, of course, the search for happiness. It’s a novel that’s very close to my heart because it took a long time to evolve from the initial idea to its finished state. I always knew I wanted to write a novel about happiness and how we’re all trying to find it, yet not many of us actually know what it is that we need to make us happy. It’s about that journey and I’m very happy with it.

Do you plan?

A little bit. I read a quote today that said there are two types of writers, architects and gardeners. I’m definitely a gardener. I plan as little as possible really because for me the story evolves organically as I write it. It comes from the characters and how they react to situations and I don’t know the characters enough at the beginning to plan a whole novel. It’s a bit haphazard at times, but it seems to work.

How do you approach editing? Continue reading →

by

Victoria Connelly is the author of the Austen Addicts series. Her latest book, Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy? is available now. 

Can you tell us about your new book, Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy?

Happy Birthday, Mr Darcy, is a light-hearted romantic novella. It’s the fifth book in my Austen Addicts series and takes place during the summer of 2013 when Warwick and Katherine are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice by getting married. But can Katherine put aside her fears about the future and can Warwick put down his pen long enough to actually make it up the aisle?

What superpower would you like to have?

I’d choose to be able to fly so I could soar above the beautiful English countryside. Oh, and never have to use public transport again!

What’s your favourite word? Continue reading →

by

Helen was a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme and her novel, The Ghost House is published today by Carina UK. 

Helen, thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us about your latest novel, The Ghost House?

It is a time slip thriller set in 1886 and 2013. The story revolves around a Police Woman Annie Graham, a crumbling haunted mansion and a diary she discovers, which may lead her to the man killing young women in the town before he gets to her.

Do you plan?

I always try and do a basic plot; I know roughly what I want to happen and where I want the story to go. I then take my index cards and write a mini synopsis of each chapter on them and pin them onto the big cork board next to my desk. Do I follow them? Not always because stories seem to take on a life of their own.

How do you approach editing?

With great trepidation and a huge sigh, seriously though I print out a copy of my draft and then I take my trusty red pen and sit and read through it marking my way. I also use a big notebook and reference my page numbers into the book with more detailed notes of what needs changing.

Continue reading →

by

Amy Bird

Hi Amy, thank you for joining us. Can you tell us about your latest book, Yours is Mine?

‘Yours is Mine’ is a psychological thriller about two women who exchange identities, masquerading as each other. One woman is persuaded to participate in the ‘experiment’ thinking it is part of a PhD study, and that it will help get her spark back while her military husband is overseas. The other woman, who planned it all, has a very different motivation, which unfortunately only becomes clear too late for our heroine. Although it’s very much in the thriller genre, the subject matter also really allows me to explore the idea of identity – and it all gets a bit existential.

What’s your writing day like?

I have quite a leisurely start – a sit-down breakfast, then a walk, and I’ll start to write at maybe 10.30. That way I know I am fully awake, and my brain has started to buzz with ideas. I’ll have a short lunch break around 1.30 and then back to it in the afternoon – and probably late into the evening. At the moment, because I’m working on a new novel, my time is broken up between writing and research.

For a new reader, can you quickly describe your writing style? Continue reading →

by

Margaret James is a novelist, journalist and teacher of creative writing. She is also one of the founders of the Exeter Novel Prize. Thank you for joining us today, Margaret. 

Thank you for inviting me to be your guest, Laura. I’m very happy to be here.

You’re involved with The Exeter Novel Prize. Can you tell us a little about it?

The Exeter Novel Prize is for an unpublished novel, but authors can have had other novels commercially published, or have published their work themselves. The team at CreativeWritingMatters – Cathie Hartigan, Sophie Duffy and I – are all teachers of creative writing. We felt that while there are very many short story and flash competitions, novelists are rather hard done by in this respect. We’re well aware that winning or being listed in writing competitions can help the authors along the road to publishing success. We are looking for submissions in any genre except children’s. Here’s the link: http://www.creativewritingmatters.co.uk/the-exeter-novel-prize.html. As with any competition, please read the rules carefully before entering.

  Continue reading →

by