Reading and Writing

Author Spotlight: Myra Duffy

2012-02-02T00:59:00.000-08:00

A very warm welcome to fellow Scottish writer, Myra Duffy. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Myra through our local writing group and I’m delighted to introduce her, and her writing, to a wider audience. You can read more about this interesting writer at the end of the interview.

Myra’s second Alison Cameron novel set on the lovely Scottish island of Bute, Last Ferry to Bute, is a truly absorbing mystery, with enough twists and turns to satisfy any reader of cosy crime and mystery. I particularly enjoyed the fact that protagonist, Alison, is an ordinary wife and mother who always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It also brought back memories of wonderful family holidays on Bute.

Last Ferry to Bute

Blurb

When her mother’s friend, Jessie, expresses some concerns about her safety in the exclusive Hereuse Nursing Home where she now lives, Alison reluctantly agrees to investigate. She also is persuaded into helping with the arrangements for her college reunion on the island, resulting in frequent trips to Bute.

Then the mysterious deaths begin and Alison is soon caught in the middle of several strange occurrences. Between trying to discover if Jessie’s worries have any foundation in fact, and concerns over the smooth antiques dealer with whom her besotted daughter is working, Alison is soon out of her depth. Then she is confronted with some mysterious deaths. Can she find out the answer to her questions before she too is in danger?

Myra kindly agreed to answer the following questions

You also write short stories and non-fiction, Myra - which do you prefer and why?

I’ve always enjoyed writing non-fiction because it comes from personal experience and I feel confident about my areas of expertise. The non-fiction I’ve written to date draws on my experience of initially managing a section within a large organisation, then latterly managing a small organisation and dealing with the problems that can arise from limited resources and both paid and voluntary staff. I hope to write an updated non-fiction management handbook for small organisations at some stage.

In recent years I’ve concentrated on fiction. I’ve always written fiction, but mostly for my own interest rather than with a view to publishing, though winning a number of prizes over the years has been very encouraging. Short stories tend to come to me almost fully formed - a sudden idea - and I like to write character based short stories with a sting in the tale. But mostly I prefer to write novels, though they are more difficult and more time consuming, of course. Over the length of the novel you have time to develop both character and plot. My Bute novels feature the same main character, Alison Cameron and I’m getting very well acquainted with her.

Do your management skills help you to organise your writing time?

I would love to say - absolutely! However, it’s not quite as easy as that. Managing characters in a novel is even more difficult than managing people in real life, though in theory you should have much more control. But the discipline of management has helped me in planning and keeping to a plan. For example, I set myself the task of writing 50,000 words in a month for the Write a Novel in a month initiative last November (NaNoWriMo) and I did complete it, though by the end I was writing some 6,000 words a day. Probably that would fall into the category of ‘Just in Time’ management!

Why did you choose to write 'cosy crime'?

The main interest for me in any crime is the puzzle - who did it and why. I suppose this springs from the development of the characters and I like to keep the reader guessing as long as possible, though there are plenty of clues in the novel.

Bute is an ideal place to set such stories. It’s a small island off the West coast of Scotland with a population of no more than 6,000 people, except in the summer when the population is swelled by many visitors. This gives me all the benefits of a location that has strong associations for people in the West of Scotland (many of whom spent childhood holidays on Bute) and indeed with the many people of Scottish descent throughout the world. It allows me to focus in on the characters and use a kind of shorthand for the locations. And in a small place you have lots of opportunities for local gossip and intrigues to help move the plot along! I prefer not to write about violent crime, as I write the kind of books I like to read.

How do the islanders feel about your Alison Cameron mysteries being set on Bute?

Some of them are rather bemused, I think. But everyone has been very supportive, very helpful. And I do know a number of people living on the mainland, having read the books, decided to take a trip to the island. So I suppose I’m doing my bit for island tourism, though I am very careful to have a large disclaimer about the characters not being based on anyone I know. I do use real locations, but often change details for purposes of the plot.

I must add that the island isn’t the hotbed of crime that my novels suggest. In fact there is very little crime and it is a beautiful place with lots of unspoiled beaches and excellent walking, including the West Island Way. A lot of money is being spent on upgrading facilities, including the Art Deco Rothesay Pavilion which features strongly in the next book.

Do you have a favourite writing place?

I write in the attic, which isn’t nearly as Spartan as it sounds! I have a PC facing a blank wall to avoid distractions. But I can write anywhere and often write some of my novel on the ferry to Bute.

What are you working on now?

My current novel, the work-in-progress, is for the moment called Last Dance at the Rothesay Pavilion and the plot centres on the renovation of the Pavilion. During the last war Bute (especially Rothesay) was a very busy place as many army and navy personnel, including some from Canada, were stationed there and there is a fund of stories about what went on. Ettrick Bay, for example was used as a practice run for the D-Day landings. I’m weaving some of this history into the novel and I hope the twist will please readers.

Any tips for new writers?

Join a writers’ group! There’s no doubt in my mind that joining Erskine Writers a few years ago was just the impetus I needed to take my fiction writing seriously. Everyone has been so supportive, I’ve learned lots and the opportunities to enter competitions and receive advice from the judges have given me exactly the kind of help I needed. Writing can be a very solitary business and apart from the opportunities to develop your skills, a writing group offers a great social focus.

Thanks for those great answers, Myra, and for being my guest today! All the best with your novels.

Last Ferry to Bute is available from Amazon (UK), in print, and at the special e-book price of £1.99 for a limited period. Also available from Amazon (US). The previous Alison Cameron mystery on Bute, The House at Ettrick Bay, is also available from Amazon.

You can pop over to Myra’s blog to read a little about Bute and perhaps hear what Last Ferry to Bute protagonist Alison Cameron has to say for herself.

A graduate of the University of Glasgow, Myra Duffy’s early career was in Education, with teaching posts (secondary and Further Education) in London, Madrid and Glasgow. She then held further posts in Educational management, finally as Director of the Scottish Wider Access Programme (West).

Myra has written in a variety of genres since early childhood and still possesses a copy of her earliest novel, Jewels in the Snow, written at Primary school. She also wrote plays and on Friday afternoons the teacher allowed her to recruit classmates to act them out, or sometimes they were performed with glove puppets, a much loved Christmas present. Her first real success was winning a national writing competition at the age of thirteen. She continued to write and be published in local magazines during her schooldays and wrote short plays, performed at the local church.

Because of her background in management, she is a well established non-fiction author, specialising in educational articles and in management training handbooks for small organisations. Recently she’s had the opportunity to devote more time to her first love – fiction. Myra has been a prize-winner in a number of competitions run by Erskine Writers, of which she is currently President and also had some success in the competitions of the Scottish Association of Writers (at their annual conference). A number of short stories have been in publications such as My Weekly and the Ireland’s Own anthology.

Myra’s preference is for writing novels and to date these comprise When Old Ghosts Meet (published 2009), and the first of the Bute novels The House at Ettrick Bay (published 2010). Her latest novel, Last Ferry to Bute (published 2011), is also set on the Isle of Bute. Both Bute novels have the same protagonist - Alison Cameron, an ordinary woman who finds herself involved in extraordinary events.

The work in progress is provisionally titled Last Dance at the Rothesay Pavilion but Myra says she “is struggling with a bearded man who keeps appearing and I’m not quite sure what he intends to do!”

Blog Interview and Research

2012-01-31T04:47:00.000-08:00

Just mentioning that I'm profiled on Adriana Ryan's blog as her Alphabet Author for G - in case anyone has a few spare moments to waste.

I'm also talking about historical research from replica newspapers on my Romancing History blog - there just might be someone interested in that!

Rosemary

TV Drama

2012-01-30T03:10:00.000-08:00

I'm sure many of us have been watching Call the Midwife and Birdsong the last couple of Sunday evenings. What wonderful drama for cold winter nights. I haven't read the book on which the first is based but I can't imagine it would be any better than watching the characters' lives unfold, and the way it portrays the awful living conditions in which some people lived.

Although I'm thankful at how much medicine and treatment have moved on, there is something reassuring about the humanity, compassion and capability of those nurses that reminds me of the reason I went into nursing straight from school, many years ago. I only lasted half way though the 3 year training before discovering I dislike hopitals, but at least the whole environment and training was so much more regimented and particular than it seems these days. If anyone is interested in the campaign to make nursing standards higher again, please have a look at Frances Garrood's new blog.

I did read Birdsong when it first came out, as I was studying the period at the time. I loved the novel, and Sebastian Faulks' writing, although I thought some of the early scenes of passion between Stephen and Isabelle in the book were over written. I did understand the idea behind it, to show the two extremes of passionate love and horrific war. But I thought the TV drama was beautifully filmed and loved the way it took us from the dreadful trenches to the passionate love affair through Stephen's flashbacks.

Much as I adore reading, as a visual person it's a stunningly good drama or film that remains in my mind long after the final credits. Even better when both the book and film are memorable - and novels are certainly better for filling in the little details that have to be missed out in filming. Best of both worlds!

Rosemary

Book Review: The Help

2012-01-26T02:12:00.000-08:00

Instead of spotlighting an author today, I decided it was time for another book review. One of the most thought-provoking novels I read towards the end of last year was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Set in Mississippi during the 1960s civil rights movement, this is the life-afirming story of three women who helped to change the perceptions of their small-town world.

When young white college graduate Skeeter returns home hoping to start a career in journalism, she discovers her beloved maid, Constantine, has gone and no one will tell her why. While her mother's only concern is that her daughter will make a good marriage, Skeeter soon discovers another side to her town in the lives of the black maids and she sets out on a life-changing course of action.

The other two main characters in The Help are Aibiline, the wise and wonderful maid who has brought up 17 white children, sometimes providing the love and affection they're denied by their parents, and Minnie, Aibline's sassy, loud-mouth friend who has a talent for cooking but can't keep a job. When they become involved in Skeeter's project, it is amidst the fear of being discovered and the subsequent horrific risk to them and their families.

While the characterisations are first class, it is the strength of the story line, the authentic setting, and the humanity that makes this an unforgettable novel. It is hard to imagine that this kind of situation existed during the swinging sixties, and it reminds us of the hard-fought battle for basic human rights.

The Help is now a film but I haven't managed to see it yet. If anyone has read the book and seen the film - do you think the film was an accurate portrayal of the novel?

Rosemary

Robert Burns: The Farmer Poet

2012-01-25T01:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Burns Day to anyone who is Scottish by birth or persuasion. I thought it might be good to acknowledge that this is our National Bard's annual birthday celebrations. Even in Scotland, Burns' popularity is mixed, although many primary schools still try to instill some knowledge of our famous poet into young minds, just as they did in my day.

I find the man fascinating and he appears in my mainstream novel that is seeking an agent just now. But it is his poetry that continues to inspire many. Apart from the well known Auld Lang Syne that is sung all over the world at New Year, and A Red, Red Rose and Ae Fond Kiss which are two of the most romantic songs, he penned so many wise words that they fill whole books.

Born on January 25th, 1759, Robert Burns started adult life as a farmer in Ayrshire, but his profound understanding of human nature soon catapulted him to fame when his first book of poetry, The Kilmarnock Edition, was published in 1786. The man himself had quite a reputation with the ladies and that sometimes overshadows his sheer genius at describing the human condition, whether with humour or insight.

Tonight, all over Scotland, and in other parts of the world, people will be celebrating a Burns Supper, when kilts and bagpipes and haggis will be on full show. But it is Burns' verse that will take pride of place. Here's the first verse of his humorous Address to the Haggis:

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

See if you can translate it into plain English! I'm putting another bit of history about Burns on my Romancing History blog.

Rosemary

Milestones and Encouragement

2012-01-24T01:54:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe I've reached the blog milestone of having 100 friendly followers! Thank you so much to every single person who has ever taken the time to follow, to leave a comment, or to share a little bit of themselves with me online. I couldn't let it pass unremarked, or uncelebrated. So I'd like to offer some encouragement on the blog today, through a few of my favourite quotes. Maybe one or two will touch someone's heart or provide inspiration.

"No one can make you inferior without your consent." Eleanor Roosevelt

"Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind." Leonardo da Vinci

"A bird does not sing because it has the answer, it sings because it has a song." Chinese Proverb

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot)

"Yesterday is but today's memory and tomorrow is today's dream." Kahlil Gibran

Blogging Friends and Awards

2012-01-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

One of the most enjoyable aspects of blogging is all the lovely online friends we make in cyber world. Between seeing a photograph of each other and entering into dialogue and discussion on various subjects, it's almost as good as chatting over a cup of coffee sometimes - although I would prefer that if possible!

Another advantage of being part of this online community is the encouragement and support writers share around. And one of the cutest ways to do this is by passing on the various Blog Awards that occasionally do the rounds. I'm delighted to have received two such awards in as many days.

The first is the Liebster Award, German for 'dearest' - and how lovely is that - from charming blogger, Anne.

The Liebster Award should go to bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers and I'm delighted to award this to these five friendly bloggers:

Linda Kage; Jude Johnson; Ute Carbone; Ciara Gold; Anne Gallagher

The other cute award is the Irresistably Sweet Blog Award from fun and interesting writer, Patsy.

For this other award, I have to tell you 7 things you might not know about me (oer - that's difficult!), then pass the award on.

My Seven:

1. When a child, I sang at the old people's Darby and Joan club with my brother.

2. I loved the Girl from Uncle and wanted to be a secret agent when I grew up.

3. Favourite colour is green.

4. Loved colouring in the loops of letters in school exercise books (when very young!)

5. Played an April Fool trick on an English teacher in high school (at least, I stupidly took the blame)

6. Wanted to be an Air Hostess at one time (long ago).

7. Went midnight swimming in the Isle of Man when sixteen.

And now I'm delighted to pass the Irresistable Blog Award on to:

C.K.Volnek; Marie T; Paula Martin; Carol Bevitt; K.C.Woolf

Rosemary

Featured Author: Chris Longmuir

2012-01-19T01:15:00.000-08:00

A warm welcome to Chris Longmuir, who is a writer of many talents based in Scotland. I’m a big fan of Chris’s crime novels (see my previous interview with Chris) and I was intrigued to read her historical saga, A Salt Splashed Cradle, since I like her writing so much. And I love that cover!

The book did not disappoint. From the first page, the reader is transported to a Scottish fishing village in the 1830s. With a strong cast of characters, A Salt Splashed Cradle tells a fascinating tale about the detailed everyday life of the fishing community and the impact on that community by the arrival of beautiful, incomer Belle. Although married to one of the young fishermen, Belle is not immune to the attentions of the local Laird’s son. Belle is an unusually well rounded character, neither wholly good nor completely bad, and the story of her difficulties in being accepted into her new family ensures an absorbing read.

BLURB

A Salt Splashed Cradle

This historical saga is set in a Scottish fishing village in the 1830s and reflects the living conditions and the morals of the ordinary fisher folk of that time. The novel follows the relationships of Belle, her husband, Jimmie, her daughter Sarah, her mother-in-law, Annie, and the rest of the Watt family.

James and Annie Watt are a typical fisher family, and Annie is horrified when Jimmie, her eldest son, brings Belle to the village as his new bride. She makes her displeasure obvious to Belle who struggles to find acceptance in the village. Belle is engaged in a losing battle however, because the villagers regard her as an incomer.

Jimmie, anxious to buy his own boat, leaves the fishing village to sail with a whaling ship. The story follows him to the Arctic, and on a whale hunt, before he returns home again. Meanwhile, in his absence, Belle has fallen for the charms of Lachlan, the Laird’s son, and embarks on a tempestuous affair with him. When Jimmie returns she struggles with her feelings for him and for Lachlan.

By this time the women in the village are starting to regard Belle as a Jezebel who will tempt their men away. A mood of hysteria engulfs them and they turn against Belle, in an attempt to force her out of the village.

What will Belle do? And will she survive?

A Salt Splashed Cradle is available from Amazon (UK); Amazon (US) and Smashwords.

You can find out more about Chris on her website and blog.

Chris Longmuir won the Dundee International Book Prize in 2009 with her first crime novel. The prizewinning novel, Dead Wood, was published by Polygon and was so successful that the first print run sold out within four months. Since then Chris has published two further novels as e-books. Night Watcher, her second crime novel, was published in March 2011, and her historical saga, A Salt Splashed Cradle followed three months later. Boosted by the success of her novels, Chris delved into the depths of her computer to dig out her short stories which she published in two volumes as - Obsession & Other Stories, and Ghost Train & Other Stories.

Chris also writes short stories and historical articles for magazines which are published in the UK and the US. She is currently working on a further two crime novels. Chris is fascinated by electronic gadgets of all types and descriptions and is never happier than when experimenting with new hardware and software. She designed and put up her own website and builds computers in her spare time. She describes herself as being a bit of a techno-geek.

eCollegeFinder Blog Award Nominee!

2012-01-16T01:48:00.000-08:00

I was surpised and pleased to discover that this blog is nominated for a Top Writing Blog Award from eCollegeFinder - no idea how that happened!

Anyway, it made me decide to offer a few basic suggestions on how students, and anyone else, might improve their writing acumen, whether in academic or creative writing.

Basic Skills

Read published work, as a reader first then to absorb how it was written: sentence structure, paragraph length, punctuation and grammar.
Allow time to go through and check exam answers in case of silly mistakes (thanks Lynette).
Take time to read and understand the questions in forms or exams.
Learn the basic rule about the apostrophe in it's: the only time this word needs an apostrophe is to denote 'it is'. If you are showing possession, (the book lost its cover; the car needs its lights fixed) it should always be 'its' - no apostrophe.
Be careful of the apostrophe in plurals: it should be the girl's coat if talking about one girl, but should be the girls' coats if talking about more. In plurals, the apostrophe goes after the s.
Another one is the difference between your and you're (thanks Paula). The apostrophe is only used to denote a missing letter (a) - so it's: You're looking great (meaning you are...), and Don't forget your books (no apostrophe for possession).

Creative Writing

Study the kind of magazine in which you want to be published, or the kind of books you want to write.
Write something every day, even if it's only a diary entry.
Read widely - that's how to discover different styles of writing.
Write in your own voice - you are unique.
Never give up your dreams - every piece of writing is a step closer to your goals.

I'll leave you one of my favourite quotes of Chinese wisdom:

"Do not fear going forward slowly, fear only to stand still."

Rosemary

Author Spotlight: Jenny Twist

2012-01-12T01:13:00.000-08:00

I’m so pleased to welcome Jenny Twist to my Reading and Writing blog today to talk about her novel Domingo’s Angel. This was one of the most absorbing and heart-warming books I read during 2011. From the moment English woman, Angela, enters the seemingly idyllic Spanish village and captivates Domingo, the reader is introduced to a wonderful cast of characters. The author brings the whole area and people to life, especially the matriarchal Rosalba who takes charge of the villagers in an entertaining way.

One of the strengths of this novel is the way the romantic setting is interspersed with strong historical background and details of the terrible troubles the villagers suffered during the Civil War. More than a light-hearted Mediterranean romance, Domingo's Angel explores the lasting power of love and forgiveness.

Welcome to my blog, Jenny, and thank you for answering the following questions

You write short stories and novels - which is easier?

I find it easier to write short stories, perhaps because my first attempts were in short story form, but it might be something to do with my penchant for horror stories, many of which are shorts. Maybe I have the format stuck in my brain. I have a tendency when writing novels to go at a breakneck pace and then I wonder how I got to the end so quick and only have half the length I intended. I think I'm getting it under control, but I always have to go back and add more in.

Why did you choose Spain for Domingo's Angel?

I live here, in the open countryside between two of the famous Pueblos Blancos, the white villages of Southern Spain. The life here is still very old-fashioned, more like England in the 1950s than present day Europe. The people are now very used to foreign tourists, but fifty years ago these villages had hardly been touched by tourism, if at all. There was some, but not much, incursion of foreigners on the coast.

A friend of mine who has been coming to this part of Spain for years said twenty-five years ago there was no pathway to the beach in Torremolinos, now a thriving British resort. You had to walk across a farmer's field to get to the sea! It is even more true of these villages. Twenty-five years ago there were no roads between the villages, just dirt tracks. Transport was mainly by mule.

I thought, What would they have thought of a foreigner arriving here just after the war? And the idea for Domingo's Angel was born.

Are any of the characters based on real people?

I don't believe any of them are based on real people, although I can see resemblances to people I know. Rosalba is probably an amalgam of real Spanish old ladies that I know, but with a good dash of my own grandmother, who was a matriarch of the old school. She had six children and twelve grandchildren and we were all in awe of her, but adored her at the same time.

Angela looks a bit like a dear friend of mine in England, who isn't afraid of anything and would certainly not have baulked at setting off alone to live in a foreign country, but there the resemblance ends. Some of her experiences relate to those of my own mother, who would have been her age at the time. Domingo is an archetypical Spanish boy. Full of good humour, ingenious, a little larger than life. He resembles a wonderful goatherd I know who is given to large gestures and likely to burst into song at a moment's notice, but I don't think I modelled him on my friend particularly.

And Guillermo the Mayor? Now there's an odd character. I know a few pompous officials in Spain, but he is a bit over the top. I had no idea why he was so obsessed with money and status, but as the story developed he told me himself and I grew to love him. And where did the marmalade cat spring from? I know of no such cat. He came straight out of the left field.

Was it difficult to find a publisher?

I thought it was terribly difficult to find a publisher. I must have sent out dozens of submissions before I found Melange and I had some unpleasant experiences on the way. One publisher received my book with great enthusiasm, wrote a glowing critique and said they would love to publish it. I almost signed the contract before my husband pointed out that in the very small print it said 'author-funded.' I read the contract again. It mentioned vast sums of money but at no point specified who was paying whom. I contacted them to query this and they admitted that they were, indeed, a vanity publisher (between clenched teeth, I suspect). What a scam!

I now know it is very rare to find a publisher straight away and that my experience was, if anything, easier than most.

What next?

I've just finished a novel, tentatively entitled All in the Mind about an old woman who starts getting younger. This is the synopsis:

Tilly wakes up in a strange room inexplicably furnished in 1940s style. At first she thinks she has somehow slipped into the past, but it is even stranger than that. She is part of an experiment working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease. It seems to be working, but it has a strange side effect. Tilly and her fellow experimental subjects appear to be getting younger. (Sounds great!)

Any tips for new writers?

Read Stephen King's On Writing.
Write about what you know.
Keep your paragraphs short and don't get carried away with purple prose.
DO write in grammatically correct English. Spell check everything and get other people to proof-read/edit your work before you send it anywhere.
DON'T listen to anyone who tells you should:
A) Stick to only one point of view. The whole point of writing in the third person is so that you can tell the story from more that one viewpoint. Or
B) The story should be told through the thoughts/speech of the characters. This advice has resulted in some dreadful passages where the author either makes the character talk to himself incessantly or writes reams of conversations where the characters tell each other vast chunks of information that they must already know. For example, a character telling his best friend whom he has known for years that he has a daughter.
Before you even begin to send your story to publishers and agents, join author groups on the web. Other authors are incredibly supportive and helpful. They will tell you who the good publishers are, how to set up a website, how to promote. Some will even give you a critique or review. A lot of publishers put out submission calls on these sites and when you submit in response to these, the chances are your story will actually be read. If I had known about them before I got published, I would have joined the sites before I even began to approach publishers and agents.

And finally, don't give up. Most publishers and agents don't even read your stories, so getting rejected doesn't say anything about how good they are. Stephen King, who is surely one of the best-selling authors of all time, papered his wall with rejection slips when he was just starting. I've just used all mine for scrap paper for my grandchildren to scribble on. Ha-ha!

Brilliant advice, Jenny. Thanks again, and all the best with your future writing.

Here is the blurb for Domingo's Angel and buy links:

When Angela turns up in a remote Spanish mountain village, she is so tall and so thin and so pale that everyone thinks she is a ghost or a fairy or the dreadful mantequero that comes in the night and sucks the fat from your bones. But Domingo knows better. “Soy Angela,” she said to him when they met – “I am an angel.” Only later did he realise that she was telling him her name and by then it was too late and everyone knew her as Domingo’s Angel.

This is the story of their love affair. But it is also the story of the people of the tiny mountain village – the indomitable Rosalba - shopkeeper, doctor, midwife and wise woman, who makes it her business to know everything that goes on in the village; Guillermo, the mayor, whose delusions of grandeur are rooted in his impoverished childhood; and Salva the Baker, who risked his life and liberty to give bread to the starving children.

The events in this story are based on the real experiences of the people of the White Villages in Southern Spain and their struggle to keep their communities alive through the years of war and the oppression of Franco’s rule.

Available from Amazon (UK); Amazon (US)

Find out more about Jenny on her website

Jenny Twist was born in York and brought up in the West Yorkshire mill town of Heckmondwike, the eldest grandchild of a huge extended family. She left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and escapologist’s assistant, she returned to full-time education and did a BA in history at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford. She stayed in Oxford working as a recruitment consultant for many years and it was there that she met and married her husband, Vic. In 2001 they retired and moved to Southern Spain where they live with their rather eccentric dog and cat.

Jenny's first book, Take One at Bedtime, was published in April 2011 and the second, Domingo’s Angel, was published in July 2011. Her novella, Doppelganger, was published in the anthology Curious Hearts in July 2011, Uncle Vernon, was published in Spellbound, in November 2011, Jamey and the Alien was published in Warm Christmas Wishes in December 2011 and Mantequero was published in the anthology Winter Wonders in December 2011.

Huge apologies to Jenny and all other people leaving comments - I can't get in to leave a reply on my own blog! It keeps freezing when I try to go to comments, so this is the only way I can thank you all for visiting. Hope it's a temporary glitch as I love replying to comments!

Talking About First Novel and Writing

2012-01-11T05:50:00.000-08:00

I'm really pleased to be profiled on writer and editor Penny Ehrenkranz's blog today - would love to see a friendly face if anyone has time to visit!

Rosemary

Chocolate Competition

2012-01-09T01:19:00.000-08:00

Well after all the chocolate I've consumed over this past month or two, I don't really want to think of the sweet temptation any more - or for quite some time (maybe until Easter).

But here's a non-fattening reminder of the competition the wonderful Choc Lit publisher is running at the moment. It's for a short story of up to 1,500 words and the central theme is - chocolate, in any form. Closing date is 31 January. If you need any more incentive, prize winners also receive chocolates!

You can find all details on the Choc Lit website.

Good luck!
Rosemary

Author Spotlight: Diane Fordham

2012-01-05T01:32:00.000-08:00

I am delighted to welcome Australian author, and fellow blogger, Diane Fordham to my first Author Spotlight of 2012. Diane's exciting debut novel, Dream Keeper, is now published and hopefully will be keeping readers awake all over the land! Great cover.

Welcome to Reading and Writing, Diane, it's great to have you here. Please tell us a little about your debut novel.

DREAM KEEPER is a supernatural thriller. The dream travellers’ desires to fulfil what’s missing in their waking world imprison them in their dreams. Dream Keeper is building his kingdom: The Dream Tunnels. People are falling asleep and not waking up. How was Senior Investigator Macarthur T Egan supposed to apprehend and arrest someone who popped in and out of dreams?

DREAM KEEPER is about our desires and the consequences. It is also about facing our fears!

Sounds thrilling and creepy! I'm sure readers would like to know more about you, so thank you for answering the following questions.

Tell us a little about how you became a writer.

I was always keen to learn how to read and write. Before I could even read I would turn the pages and make up my own stories. I'm sure the moment I could write, I would walk around with an exercise book and pencil and make up stories - how I wish I kept all those note pads with my scribbles in them.

How did Dream Keeper come about?

Dreams tell us a lot about ourselves. What inspired me to write Dream Keeper is my fascination of dreams; their ability to guide us through our waking world by revealing our hopes and desires, and the power of the subconscious through those dreams to sort out our fears and assist us in facing those fears. One day I asked myself, ‘What if there was a price for the reprieve our dreams gave us from our waking world?’ - and Dream Keeper was born.

Was your genre influenced by any favourite writers?

Stephen King and Dean Koontz sit on my bookshelves, perhaps they are my influence.

Current writing plans?

I have just finished writing my third novel manuscript (I've sent the first chapter to Allen and Unwin who run a Friday Pitch program) and already thoughts of a sequel to this one are whirling around in my head. I want to revise my second novel manuscript too, and my short stories of course - I will always write short stories.

Any tips for new writers?

Read. Read. Read. Write. Write. Write. Read and write some more. Be persistent, be determined, never give up and always believe in yourself!

Great answers! Thanks for that, Diane.

Dream Keeper is available in print from the Author Website and Amazon (US) and Amazon (UK)

You can find Diane at her very interesting blog.

Diane enjoys life on the mid-north coast of NSW in Australia – where the rainforests meet the sea. She does what makes her happy and brings out the best in her – She WRITES! Her dream is to one day write something that impacts on, and changes peoples’ lives in an uplifting and positive way. Writing is her passion; the magic that dreams are made of.

Armed with loads of persistence and determination, Diane has been privileged to have short stories, poetry and articles published in literary magazines, journals, writers’ bulletins and newsletters. She is thrilled to have 50 plus of her short stories published in general circulation magazines.

You can also read some interesting stories about dreams on Teresa's blog.

Goals and Inspiration

2012-01-02T02:17:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012!

I love the anticipation of a new year, with all the possibilities that lie before us if we grasp them as they arise, or as we seek new directions. So, as you can see, my first task was to create a slightly new look to the blog to freshen it up a little.

I don't make resolutions any more, but instead try to set a few writing goals. My mainstream novel is out searching for an agent at the moment, and two short stories made their way out at the very end of the year. But this year, I must get that second Regency period novel finshed, polished and sent out as soon as possible - that's the priority. Then I hope to finish writing a children's novel, while redrafting another. Also have a few specific short stories and articles to write and send out. Meantime, I have a competition to finish judging for a writing group, and then I'll have another to start judging in late January. Plenty to keep me out of mischief!

For inspiraton, I adore quotations and short verses and have been writing down many of them in a little notebook over the years. Here's the one I like to read at the start of a new year - taken from the front of a birthday card I was given years ago. Unfortunately, it was anonymous.

'Stretch for a sunbeam, reach for a star -
go for a beautiful dream.
Pick out some wishes, no matter how far
or how hard to reach they may seem.
Cherish some hopes that are dear to your heart -
and as a new year comes into view,
treasure and keep them, and know from the start
that this year you can make them come true.'

Have a wonderful year making those dreams come true!
Rosemary

Happy Hogmanay and New Year!

2011-12-31T01:38:00.000-08:00

Another year drawing to a close already. It's been a rollercoaster in many ways: first historical novel published; first tween novel accepted (to be published in March); son married; news of first grandchild expected next year. I think 2012 will be just as exciting!

May I wish everyone who reads this blog a very Happy New Year, filled with much health, love and success. Thank you so much for making blogging such an enjoyable and satisfying form of communication. Thanks to all the authors profiled on here this year. I look forward to introducing many more in 2012.

So raise a toast on our Scottish Hogmanay for Auld Lang Syne and a guid New Year!

Rosemary

Music and Chocolate

2011-12-27T01:21:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone who was celebrating had a great Christmas. Our festivities began on Christmas Eve when we went to the Abbey in a nearby town for the early evening Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. A magical experience for someone who loves music and atmospheric ancient buildings. My favourite piece by the wonderful choristers was the hauntingly beautiful 'O Magnum Mysterium' by Morton Lauridson. A lovely way to begin the celebrations.

We had a happy time with our family over the past two days and, as always, I am now indulging in the annual chocolate overload from all the edible gifts. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not. Everyone knows how much I enjoy chocolate, and the family buy me exactly the right kind. However, I'll be glad once the boxes eventually disappear, or I'll never fit into any of my clothes. Fortunately, my husband helps out by eating all the chocs he likes!

Now, it's catching up with friends before the Hogmanay and New Year celebrations. And maybe grabbing a few hours for some work in between... except daughter bought me the new PD James book and it's calling to me every time I walk past it!

Rosemary

Christmas Joy

2011-12-22T01:37:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful affirmation of the joy Christmas music and meaning can bring to people everywhere. This took place in a California Mall. It's worth watching right to the end.

Enjoy!
Rosemary

For Horse Lovers of all Ages

2011-12-19T01:19:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm interviewing lovely tween author, C.K. Volnek over on my Flights of Imagination blog, where she is talking about her great new book, A Horse Called Trouble. For horse lovers of all ages, C.K.'s novel explores what happens when troubled teenager, Tara, is sent for horse therapy and meets an equally troubled horse. And both are in danger from the nasty Alissa.

C.K. is kindly offering a FREE download of A Horse Called Trouble to one lucky reader who leaves a comment below her interview on Flights of Imagination.

Rosemary

Wish I Was Here...

2011-12-14T01:07:00.000-08:00

Today is the launch party of Janice Horton's great new book, Reaching for the Stars, and I'm taking part in her 'Wish I was here' blog tour. So in the spirit of the theme: Wish I was in Venice. One of my all time favourite destinations, I love the romance, the mystery and history of this unique place. From the water taxi along the length of the grand canal, and the 16th century buildings, to getting lost in the meandering narrow lanes, I'd happily be there right now!

Meantime, while I'm dreaming of Venice, here's the blurb for Janice's book.

Reaching for the Stars

Scottish celebrity chef Finn McDuff is media stalked and disillusioned after winning his third star and losing his third wife. He decides he’s had enough of all the food campaigns, the TV cookery shows, the constant frenzy surrounding his private life and, after giving up all his accolades and closing down his restaurant, he disappears.

With the enfant terrible of the kitchen missing, two rival newspapers, having lost their media meal ticket, compete against each other to whip up further public curiosity in the missing chef. Love him or hate him, everyone is out looking for Chef McDuff. Who will find him first and whose side will you be on...?

Sounds great! You can buy Janice's book at Amazon (UK) or Amazon (US)

Enjoy the launch, Janice
Rosemary

City Scape

2011-12-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

I'm away behind with lots of writing jobs and various other items of busyness, but today I enjoyed a little escape up to Glasgow. Not for Christmas shopping (didn't do a single bit), but to meet up with my lovely daughter-in-law for lunch and a blether. She and our son are making us first-time grandparents next year and, after a difficult beginning to the pregnancy, it was great to see d-in-l and her little 'bump' manage into the city.

On my way back to the station, I couldn't help noticing all the busy shoppers with bulging carrier bags from various stores, as to be expected just a couple of weeks before Christmas. But mainly, I was looking at all the beautiful lights and almost wishing it was much darker to see them in their proper glory. And forgive me for feeling smug, but I took pleasure in carrying nothing more than a handbag. I could enjoy the atmosphere without worrying about what to buy for whom and then having to carry it. But, fear ye not, I've still to do some of my shopping yet!

I hope the photo gives some idea of the glorious canopy of star-like lights stretched across some of our city's most gracious architecture - had to keep looking down to avoid tripping over anything. Lovely day out, and I even wrote on the train both ways. Must do it again soon!

Rosemary

Featured Author: Linda Rettstatt

2011-12-08T01:34:00.000-08:00

I’m delighted to welcome fellow Champagne author, Linda Rettstatt, as my featured author today. Linda is an award winning writer of meaningful contemporary fiction and her latest novel, Reinventing Christmas, is an ideal read to put us in the mood for the festive season.

Welcome to reading and writing, Linda. Please introduce yourself.

Born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania, I worked for my hometown newspaper following graduation from high school. My writing career began with reviewing community theater productions (a task no one else on the news staff wanted.) I penned my first novel in 2004 and now have ten published. Four of my books have finaled for EPIC eBook Awards.

I write women's fiction and contemporary romance, and my background as a psychotherapist serves me in digging deeply into the emotional and psychological depths of characters. I am the owner and moderator of Women Fiction Writers, an online critique group of women writers from the USA and Canada. My work is published with Champagne Books, Class Act Books, and Wings ePress, and will soon be coming to Turquoise Morning Press. You can find me on my website and blog.

I currently reside in Southaven, Mississippi where I’m allowed to share an apartment with my cat, Binky (as long as I continue to bring home the Fancy Feast).

Reinventing Christmas

M.J. Rich is about to breakup with her boyfriend and seeks the comfort of her family’s familiar traditions for Christmas in Pittsburgh. Brady Cameron plans to spend the holiday alone at a Pennsylvania ski resort, drowning his sorrows. They meet while stranded by a winter storm in the Philadelphia Airport and agree to share the last rental car available, since they are both heading west. But a blizzard forces them off the highway and into an abandoned hunting cabin. Upon rescue, M.J. invites Brady to join her for a traditional family Christmas. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that nothing and no one is the same as when she last visited. Christmas turns out to be nothing either M.J. or Brady expects. It’s even better.

Reinventing Christmas is available at Champagne Books and at Amazon (US) and Amazon (UK) for Kindle.

Thanks for joining us today, Linda, and all the best with your novels!
Rosemary

From Floods to Snow

2011-12-05T02:05:00.000-08:00

Last week, we had crazy flooding in our village and the nearby towns. We're used to rain in the west coast of Scotland, in fact we're famous for it, but this was exceptional. The highest rainfall happened overnight so we weren't even aware of the extent of the problem at first. Our village main street was completely under water (we live at the top of the hill!), cars and buses couldn't get into the nearest main town because of floods, and the trains stopped around lunch time. We've never seen anything as bad as this. Husband was away for two days and couldn't get a train all the way home when he returned. But apart from the village street, which wasn't quite cleared until the end of the week, life soon returned to normal.

Last year, it was excessive snow falls which interfered with transport and travel, and I'd heard we were not meant to have any before Christmas. But it snowed last night. There's only a light dusting of it on the streets and grass this morning but it makes everything look so pretty. And in the midst of everything, our central heating boiler broke down. I was certainly grateful for the little electric heater! Fortunately, a new pump has finally got everything working again, after a few airlocks.

On Friday, I had the pleasure of going through to Edinburgh to meet up with lots of online writer friends for our Christmas lunch. You can imagine the volume of chatting, as we only get together in person a few times a year. I didn't even manage to speak to everyone properly as we ran out of time and many of us had trains to catch. When I eventually got back to Glasgow, the gorgeous Christmas lights around George Square and Buchanan Street ensured I retained that warm glow of a lovely day out in good company.

I love this time of year, with cold days and cosy dark nights, the brightly lit towns, advent and carol singing, the run up to Christmas. But I'm also grateful for warmth, home, friends and family and am very aware that many people don't have those necessities of life. Sometimes we need a little discomfort to remind us of the blessings we have!

Rosemary

Featured Author: Pauline Barclay

2011-12-01T00:59:00.000-08:00

I’m beginning a new venture on this blog over the next few months, where I hope to feature different authors and display one of their book covers on the side bar for the month in which they appear.

So to start us off, I’m delighted to welcome independent author, Pauline Barclay, who as well as being a prolific writer is lucky enough to live on one of the lovely Canary Islands. Pauline is a brilliant blogger who takes part in many online forums and blogs, and she is always helpful to other writers. Her three published books have already gathered a huge number of five-star reviews on Amazon Kindle.

Hello Pauline, please introduce yourself!

Years ago I gained a BA (Hons) degree from the Open University, today I spend my time writing fiction.These days, I live on the beautiful island of Lanzarote with my husband and two rescue doggies and it is a wonderful place for inspiration to write. Though born in Yorkshire, UK, we have lived in Suffolk and Surrey and before moving to Lanzarote, we lived in Holland in the beautiful town of Leiden.

I have three published novels, Magnolia House, Satchfield Hall and Sometimes It Happens… In between marketing and all my other commitments, I am busy with my fourth novel!

You can find out what I get up to at my blog and website

Pauline’s Latest Book

Satchfield Hall

When the news reached Henry Bryant-Smythe about his daughter’s indiscretion, he not only dealt with it, but stamped on it with such a resounding thud, that the consequences ricocheted through the years and well into the future. Henry Bryant-Smythe cared nothing for the consequences of his actions and even less for the feelings of those involved, with the exception of his own, and these he cosseted.

Celia Bryant-Smythe’s disgrace set in motion events that would affect the lives of many people, taking decades to unravel. Lives would be lost and destroyed and it would take until the death of the one man who had callously started it all, Henry Bryant-Smythe, until it was finally over.

Satchfield Hall is not about gentleness, tranquillity and privilege; it is about power, love, lies and, in the end, revenge.

A sweeping saga set in 1942 through to1986

Available now from Amazon Kindle

Thanks for visiting today, Pauline, and all the best with your novels.

Rosemary

Trains, Writing and Blog Awards

2011-11-26T02:08:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely evening speaking about historical fiction and research at a writing group on Wednesday evening, a little further south from where I live. Since the train was the most sensible way to travel in a late November evening, I made the most of the forty minute journey down and took out pen and paper. I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy writing on trains, or in my favourite cafe. And this was no exception. By the time the train drew in, I’d written around 600 words of my WIP (I checked the word count when transferring it to the computer yesterday). So as well as enjoying time with old friends and new, while talking about a favourite subject, it was very productive evening all round. I read on the way home!

I’m delighted to accept the cute Liebster Award from a supportive and friendly online writing colleague, Angela Barton, for blogs with fewer than 200 followers. I also received one from another lovely online friend, Melanie Robertson-King for my Romancing History blog. Liebster is German for dearest and I love the way we encourage and support each other in this competitive world of writing. I do enjoy reading other writers’ blogs as much as possible. So in the spirit of the award, this is what I and my recipients must do:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger

2. Choose your 5 bloggers to receive the award and tell them by leaving a comment on their blog

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog

4. Hope those five people send it to their chosen bloggers!

It’s now my pleasure to pass the Liebster Award on to the following five bloggers:

Gwen Kirkwood: a genuinely lovely person and writer of great fiction with a farming background

Debbie White: a brave writer who is positively moving on after personal trauma

Jean Bull: a new blogger who has published a great sounding book with a lovely cover

Anita Chapman: another fairly new blogger whose posts are so interesting

Freda Lightfoot: prolific novelist of some great titles and more recent blogger

Happy writing and blogging,
Rosemary

Targets, Goals and Motivation

2011-11-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

So that's us into week four of NaNoWriMo and it's been an interesting experiment. Since November has been a busy month in general, I never really thought I'd make the target 50,000 words. But I'm still following my own target of writing another bit of the novel every single morning before getting distracted with online activity, or going out, and I really feel the benefit of getting back into that kind of routine. Still not sure if I'm concentrating on the right novel but I might as well try and finish it - even if it's by the end of the year rather than the end of November!

My thoughts always turn to writing goals towards the end of a year as I love a new start in January. I don't always write them down, but usually have some big goal in mind, in addition to writing and redrafting the shorter pieces. Getting at least one novel published has come to fruition and another goal to see my first tween novel published is coming true in March. This coming year, I'd love to have my mainstream novel accepted by a UK publisher and I'm redrafting it to send out before this year ends.

But we all need motivation to keep going. All my blogging friends and writing colleagues help to keep me writing (thank you!) as we're encouraged by successes, sympathetic in rejections, and empathetic about the struggle it sometimes is to remain optimistic. So to motivate us all for the coming year, here are two blogs to sign up to for challenges in 2012, although some may already have found their way to them. Both are the brainchild of Sally Quilford and can be used as a double motivation if you're so inclined.

The first is the Pocketeers blog - for all writers interested in writing a pocket novel of the type published by My Weekly and People's Friend, which both require 50,000 words.

The second is Sally's '100,000 words in 100 days' challenge - completely feasible at a mere 1,000 words of writing a day, of any kind. So we could try a pocket novel AND part of a novel, or some short stories all in the time scale. It's all the motivation I need to keep on with the good writing habits, and it certainly helps knowing other writers are taking up the same challenge.

Onwards and upwards!
Rosemary

Friday Friend Post

2011-11-18T06:28:00.000-08:00

I'm delighted to be featured as the Friday Friend on the lovely Heroines with Hearts blog today, courtesy of Paula Martin, where I'm talking about romancing history.

Would love you to pop by and say hello!

Rosemary

Change of Scene

2011-11-14T02:07:00.000-08:00

I'd like to say I got time off for good writing behaviour on Saturday, but I'm just over 14,000 words into my NaNo novel. But that's fine, as it's moved my previously languishing book on to a total of 35,500 words and I'm writing a little every single day. I still want to finish redrafting my other book and get it away while continuing with this one.

Anyway, on Saturday morning, husband and I returned to one of my favourite historical buildings, Pollok House near Glasgow and I guess it could be classed as research. I mentioned it ages ago on my Romancing History blog, but on that day we'd only enjoyed the gardens and surrounding Park. This time we explored the house itself, as well as having coffee down in the original kitchens, now a cafe and restaurant. The original Georgian house was built in the 1750s, although other parts were added over the years. I'd been through the house with our writing group over a year ago but this time we wandered round ourselves so I could absorb the atmosphere.

For a gracious country house, it has an air of homeliness about it, although visitors are not allowed into all areas. It's also a popular venue for weddings and one of the guides kindly advised us to visit the long, open library first before the current wedding started there! I almost lost husband to the fantastic grand piano on the way through to another room, while I would happily have sat in the beautiful little Morning Room. The famous paintings adorning many of the walls added to the pleasure of wandering around.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the visit is the friendliness of the discreet guides who are always happy to answer any questions with their inimitable Glasgow humour. We were invited to come back at the end of November, beginning of December when the whole house is decorated in all its Christmas finery. Try and keep me away! And best of all, it's exactly the kind of research useful for my NaNo novel, so what more excuse do I need for another visit.

Rosemary

Viking Gold

2011-11-11T03:57:00.000-08:00

Just posted a little bit about the launch of V. Campbell's debut YA novel, Viking Gold, on my Flights of Imagination blog.

Rosemary

An Interlude

2011-11-10T04:01:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, we enjoyed our writing group's annual awards meeting and evening dinner. It's a lovely tradition - a later afternoon meeting where we read a short piece to a particular theme, either original or written by someone else. Then our annual cups and prizes are awarded for the winners of that year's in-house competitions (I was third in the children's story). After a short break, we enjoy much chat over dinner.

This was our second year at a local equestrian centre in the nearby countryside so our theme for reading was 'the countryside'. I was impressed that so many members had written an original piece for the day - and every one of them was excellent. I took the easy way out (NaNo was my excuse!) and read a short amusing extract from 'Jude the Obscure' about an escaping pig and country girl Arabella's enticement of Jude. Made me want to read the novel again as it's some years since I studied it.

This evening, I'm off to the debut book launch of one of my daughter's friends. Should be fun. Once I've read it, I shall profile 'Viking Gold' on one of my blogs eventually. So, on with some more writing before the evening gallavanting again!

Rosemary

Getting Creative

2011-11-07T02:35:00.000-08:00

So, this is us into the second week of NaNoWriMo today. Has it been worth it so far? Definitely. First of all, the reason for me signing up still holds true: I've replaced my world-class procrastination with good writing habits. I've managed to write some of my new novel every single day and even if I haven't exactly kept to the suggested word count, I'm now 8,530 words further on. I begin each morning straight after checking emails and don't look at forums, blogs, twitter or Facebook until I've produced some more words.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I find it difficult to continue for hours at a time, so I often go back in the afternoon and do a little more, if I'm in. But here's a strange thing, the whole exercise is making me more creative in general. In addition to NaNo, I'm also still doing final edits on the tween novel and preparing a talk for a writing group in a couple of weeks. Then I suddenly had an urge to get on with redrafting the mainstream novel that is actually finished. But I've always felt it needed a rewrite of the first couple of chapters which were too long. After putting off the major restructuring I knew I wanted to do, I began it yesterday and got right into it!

Maybe I should be putting all that creative energy into the new novel, but here's the reasoning behind my way of working. The tween novel is being published in March which is why it's going through edits just now, and I enjoy those since I'm learning and improving all the time with a professional editor. The current new novel will need redrafting and editing after NaNo before I can even think of submitting it. But the completed mainstream novel has already been through the NWS (with a good report) and was already at one agent. I've never been happy with the first two chapters and now I know why - already I can see a huge improvement in the pace of the novel after changing it and I'll enjoy editing the remainder of it in light of my own further experience (she hopes). Then I'll start submitting it again, while I work on the new novel. Are you still with me!

Hopefully, I can keep all this up over the rest of the month! Meanwhile, if anyone needs an incentive to get a novel finished, you might be interested in the call for submissions from Carina Press. Good luck to all fellow NaNo writers!

Rsoemary

Third Day of NaNoWriMo

2011-11-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well, already I've achieved what I set out to do - getting into the good habit of writing some of my novel each day. It definitely works best for me if I get started as soon as I've had my shower. I take my breakfast through to the computer and eat it while having a quick look at emails (because I can't wait to see who has contacted me) but don't read the forums and blogs until after writing. I'd discovered this before, of course, but had got into bad habits!

As a complete panster, I just start writing and hope my subconscious thoughts about the novel come together in some way to produce enough words to move it on. I almost came to a halt this morning but ended up with another 1,150 words. Hopefully, I'll do some more before the day is out or else I won't make the target (I've written 3728 words so far), although I'm not so worried about the word count as long as I get most of the way through the novel. And it all depends what else I have on each day, or how long I'm out - today is one of the few days I'm staying in. Might even get that huge pile of ironing done at some point.

I'm curious - do any of you manage to write for more than an hour or two at a time on the one piece? I don't seem to be able to sustain any more than that before needing to do something else and I suspect that's why I find novel length more taxing than short pieces.

Onwards and upwards!
Rosemary

Mad November Begins!

2011-11-01T04:26:00.000-07:00

So that's NaNoWriMo underway! Whether or not I make the 50,000 words doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of things, but it will get me back into the good habit of focusing on one particular novel until it is finished - and that's the sense of achievement I'm aiming for.

Meanwhile, I have an excerpt from Dangerous Deceit on Lindsay's Romantics blog today, where she is celebrating the mischief of Bonfire week: http://lindsaysromantics.blogspot.com/

And now I must try and finish the edits on my Tween novel, then there's the writing group... why did I sign up for NaNo again?

Rosemary

Competitions

2011-10-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Before I get caught up with actually writing my novel (for a change) when NaNoWriMo starts on Tuesday, Ist November, I thought I'd mention these competitions. Plenty of encouragement to get the creative juices flowing!

The New Writer Prose and Poetry Competitions
Lots of great competitions. Closing date: 30th November 2011
Full details on TNW website

SAW St Andrew's Day Short Story Competition
Short stories of between 1,500 and 2,000 words - judged by Robin Pilcher.
Closing date: 30th November 2011. Full details here

Commonwealth Short Story Prize
Short Story between 2,000 and 5,000 words
Closing date: 30th November 2011. Full details here

The following is an unusual competition I've been asked to mention - warning: it's absolutely feminist!
Mookychick Feminist Flash 2011
Poem or fiction under 200 words. Full details on website

Good luck!
Rosemary

Introducing C.K.Volnek

2011-10-27T01:44:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to welcome fellow MuseItUp tween author, C.K. Volnek, to my Flights of Imagination blog today. C.K.'s wonderful debut novel, Ghost Dog of Roanoke Island, is an imaginative contemporary story inspired by a real mystery on the island from the 16th century.

Please pop over and say hello to C.K. on Flights of Imagination!

Rosemary

Lavender Dreams - Anthology for Cancer Research

2011-10-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to announce that a new anthology, 'Lavender Dreams', has just been released from one of my Canadian publishers, MuseItUp, and it includes one of my short stories. The collection is in memory of one of the well-loved editors who died from cancer earlier this year. I'm so pleased it's released in the week I'm celebrating fifty plus years of a relatively healthy life, as it reminds me of others. I dedicated my story to my lovely mother who survived a major operation for cancer many years ago and lived cancer-free to enjoy another ten years or so before she passed on at 80 years of age.

Lavender Dreams contains ten stories: fiction, fiction based on a true story, and one non-fiction. My story is called 'Waiting' and is fiction based on an actual incident. The idea is that stories from different Muse authors will be featured another year, so that the book always remains fresh. All royalties from the authors and the cover artist will go to cancer research. It is also coming out in print in a couple of weeks and will be available on Amazon as well as from the publisher.

If you would like to buy a copy to support cancer research, Lavender Dreams is now available in ebook from:

MuseItUp Publishing (all e-formats) at $1.99
Kindle Amazon (US) at $2.30
Kindle Amazon (UK) at £1.44

If anyone would like to display this lovely badge on the side of their blog, please feel free to support it in this way! Thank you.

Rosemary

NaNo Decision Made!

2011-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I've pondered all the comments here and elsewhere and thought long and hard about signing up for NaNo, and I made my decision half an hour ago. I am now signed up and, if not quite ready to roll, at least I'm trying to get other things up to date so I can start as organised as possible on November 1st.

Thank you all so much for the advice and opinions - all gratefully received. I'm going to treat it as a fun challenge to try and cut down my terrible procrastination. And if you think I'm kidding about my lack of focus, I'm still a bit undecided which piece of writing to tackle during the challenge. These are the contenders:

Continue the Regency novel that already has 22,000 words - but even that needs restructuring
Continue another Regency novel that has only 3,000 words but might be fun to write
Continue the contemporary novel set in Scotland that already has 14,500 words
Continue the contemporary novel set in Scotland that already has almost 16,000 words
Write the late Victorian crime novel that has only 2,200 words and a rough synopsis
Write the 12th century novel that has only 2,700 words so far
Continue changing a 2000 words short story set in 16th century Venice into a novel
Continue the children's time-slip novel set partly in Ancient Egypt that has about 7,000 words so far

And that's just the novels that are already started! I'm also redrafting another children's novel and a mainstream adult novel to send out. Let's forget about all the short stories for the moment!

Shocking lack of focus isn't it? In my slight defense, some of these novels were started for the purpose of entering the novel competitions at our annual Scottish conference (for a critique). Only I didn't finish them afterwards and started another one each year - apart from the tween novel being published finally in March 2012). And I completed the mainstream novel that had a good NWS report from the RNA last year (now looking for an agent). And of course, one previous NWS Regency finally made it to publication this year.

Remember I mentioned I was a butterfly writer? Now you see the evidence! So, one decision is already made - need to make the other one this week so I can register the title of my NaNo novel. But I promise you, I need that month of focus!

Edits and NaNoWriMo

2011-10-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

I'm right in the middle of the second edits of my forthcoming Tween novel, 'Summer of the Eagles', and I'm enjoying them immensely. Not because I don't have many (I do!) but I'm learning so much from this particular content editor. The publisher, MuseItUp (MuseItYoung imprint), is Canadian, the editor is American, and I'm allowed to keep my British spelling and phrases where possible. But what a lot I'm learning - about using active verbs and getting rid of far too much use of words like 'was', 'had', 'would', and so on. I don't always agree with every suggestion, and Susan is happy with that as she wants me to think for myself and keep my own voice. I'm now going to go through all my other writing and put some of this into practise - I hope!

I've been reading and hearing a lot about the annual NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I must admit I'm tempted to sign up for the first time. I'm a bit wary about the committment to try and write 50,000 words in one month, as I have a competition to judge during November, as well as the other writing projects on the go. BUT... I can't quite get into my next Regency novel as much I should and that's about the number of words I still need to finish it.

The connection between the edits and NaNoWriMo is that the whole philosophy behind the November writing month is to switch off your internal editor, forget about spelling, punctuation and grammar, and get the story down. As a panster type of writer, I think this might be an ideal way for me to move on with the book. After the month's challenge, of course, the book then has to be redrafted and edited, but I love that part of the process. It's getting the initial full length book written that's my problem as I'm too easily distracted by other writing.

So, I'd love some advice, opinions and experiences about NaNoWriMo, please, from anyone who has tackled it in a previous year. Or even if you're thinking of signing up this year. I need to decide soon!

Rosemary

Interviewed on Jude's blog

2011-10-18T03:13:00.000-07:00

The fascinating Jude Johnson, who I profiled on my Author Spotlight last week, has now posted an interview with me about writing and Dangerous Deceit on her own lovely blog, Words that Remain.

Thanks, Jude!
Rosemary

Monday Market: The First Line

2011-10-17T01:39:00.000-07:00

I found details of this intriguing little journal and thought their 'first line' approach to stories very useful for kickstarting ideas, as well as for submissions to their publication. They provide the first line of a story and entries should be between 300 and 3,000 words.

The first line for the current submission is 'It had been a long year', and entries should be emailed by November 1st 2011. They offer a token payment of $20 for published stories, but it's also a great site for first line ideas. This is often all we need to start the seeds of a storyline, so it's a valuable creative exercise.

Full details and rules of submission are on The First Line website.

Rosemary

Author Spotlight - Jude Johnson

2011-10-13T01:39:00.000-07:00

Today, I’m delighted to welcome very interesting fellow Champagne author Jude Johnson into the Author Spotlight. Jude’s first novel, Dragon & Hawk, was published a few months ago and it introduced me completely to another time and way of life.

It’s always fascinating to read about an unfamiliar period of history through fiction and Dragon & Hawk takes the reader right into the later part of 19th century Arizona. The story is rich in historical detail, from the dangerous conditions in the mines to the saucy girls in the local saloon. The excellent characterisation of the three very different Welsh brothers drives the story forward. Each brother is carefully depicted but it is Evan Jones, the dragon of the title, we follow most closely in this book as he seeks to find his true love, the Senora.

The Senora herself is an interesting character – a curandera, a healer, and the hawk of the title. Their love is never straightforward and is hard-won but they are meant to be together. The author doesn’t spare the grittier details of life, the hardship and cruelty, but the characters feel like real people who lived and loved in those difficult times. An added bonus, or distraction, depending on your taste, is the addition of Spanish and Welsh phrases throughout the story, but they are always understandable and add to the authenticity of the period. Dragon & Hawk is an enthralling read!

Jude kindly agreed to answer the following questions.

Do you prefer to write (and read) historical fiction?

At the moment for writing, yes. I’m a Gemini, so I change my minds (my multiple personalities have multiple personalities) rather often, but so far writing history enthrals me. Though I have dipped my nib into fantasy a couple of times, it still was historical fantasy.

Reading-wise though I am all over the place. I have a huge stack of paper books and e-books to read: an Arthurian fantasy, a contemporary murder mystery, and a Persian-flavored take on Cinderella are all calling to me. Plus I’m reading nonfiction history of the American Revolution.

Why did you write about three Welsh brothers?

I fell in love with Cymraeg, the Welsh language, and started studying back in 2001. Then I went with my son’s (then) grade school class on a field trip to the copper mining town of Bisbee in Southern Arizona where one of the miner tour guides told us how the original mine managers went to Wales in the late 1870s to recruit workers. After all, the Welsh coal miners were renowned even then for their knowledge, skills, and scrappiness. Suddenly, a circuit snapped on in my brain and I imagined how they must have reacted when they arrived in such a hostile environment so totally alien from their homeland. I mean, Wales is lush green and trees and rain and sheep. Southern Arizona has this vast desert; Bisbee even then had no trees, no rain, big deadly rattlesnakes, and the Apaches weren’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat.

How did you do the research needed for Dragon & Hawk?

I started with things I didn’t know: mining details and how those men lived. Thank goodness for historical societies and how they preserved so much of those days! I am fortunate to live in Tucson where the first Territorial historical society was formed in 1874. Their research library has a ton of original documents, photographs, maps - even the original, hand-tooled leather ledger book of all the stagecoach and train robberies compiled by the Wells Fargo Detectives. I would get lost for hours reading and noting the little details, such as a real stage robber who came from Wales. I was also fortunate at the time to have two Native shaman and a long distance horse racing enthusiast to consult. My mom had also shared stories of my grandmother, who was a curandera - a Mexican mystic and healer back at the turn of the twentieth century. Those details were vital for me; I wanted my Welsh friends to know what it was like for them here, and I wanted my Arizona friends to learn about the cultures immigrant miners brought to our state.

I recently signed a contract with Anaphora Literary Press to have my research about real Welsh immigrants published. It’s called Cactus Cymry--Influential Welsh in the Southern Arizona Territory. (Cymry is the Welsh word for Welsh people.) It should be released in the next month or so - woot!

How important is natural medicine to you?

I have to kind of chuckle here because when I first shopped my manuscript around, a number of publishers labelled it a fantasy because of the natural/Native healing rituals. These aren’t fantasy to many, but are used constantly around here. We even have an “Integrative Medicine” clinic at the University of Arizona Medical School that incorporates herbs and Native medicine rituals. It’s second nature to me to use herbs and natural elements before anything else. My “real career” is as a chiropractic physician, and while I limit my practice to strictly accurate chiropractic manipulation, I tell my patients where to find information on alternatives if they so desire.

Are you writing a sequel?

Two sequels are already written and are in the queue for publication by Champagne Books. Book Two is Out of Forgotten Ashes and is scheduled for release in April 2012. Book Three is Dragon’s Legacy and will be released in July 2012.

My next project is in a different time and space from Dragon & Hawk. I’m working on a Revolutionary War tale based on the true story of a friend’s ancestor who was pressed into the British Navy, jumped ship in Boston Harbor, and nearly froze to death hiding out in a cranberry bog. And that’s just the beginning of his adventures!

Any tips for new writers?

Write what you love to read, or write what enthuses you. If you aren’t excited about it, how can you expect anyone else to be? Don’t worry about trends or what’s hot; the cycle always turns. And be open to change; characters don’t always do what you want them to! Sometimes their ideas are better than your original ones, so be ready to go with the flow.

Fascinating! Thank you for your insight, Jude.

Where to find Jude:
Website; Blog; Facebook; Twitter
To buy Jude's Books: Champagne Books
Jude's Amazon (US) Page
Jude's Amazon (UK) Page
Fictionwise

Coming soon (from catalogue): Anaphora Literary Press

Author Bio: Granddaughter of a curandera, a Mexican healer who uses herbs, psychology and a little bit of mysticism, Jude incorporates a bit of family legend into her Dragon & Hawk series. Currently, Book One, Dragon & Hawk, has been released by Champagne Books, with Books Two and Three slated for release in Spring 2012. Jude's short story Within The Mists, about a Lieutenant of Nelson's Navy rescued by a selchie (a woman on land who becomes a seal in the sea), is now also available from Champagne Books as an e-read.

Jude loves adventure, action, romance, and fantasy to spirit her readers into a different time and place. She has studied the Welsh language – Cymraeg - enough to order beer, swear, order pancakes, and ask for the facilities. Trips to Britain to capture the cadence of the melodic Welsh accent and attitude allowed her to infuse her Welsh immigrant characters with realism. Jude also speaks fairly bad border Spanish. Home is situated in the Catalina Foothills of northern Tucson, Arizona, near Pima Canyon and not too far from Sabino Canyon. Jude lives with her long-suffering husband and son, as well as two deranged cats who don't mind watching bobcats, coyotes, and javelina frequent the yard - but only from behind the double-paned windows.

Behind the Scenes Novel Spot

2011-10-10T05:26:00.000-07:00

Way back when, the Champagne Books authors were given the opportunity to apply to be a featured writer on the Behind the Scenes Novel Spot. Although my first novel was just coming out, I reckoned October was far away and duly applied.

Well, from today, I'm the featured author all this week! This is a novel idea (excuse the pun) as I had to write an autobiographical piece to be spread over 7 days - kind of showing the writer and the influences behind the writing, as it were. It was fun to compose, although when I begin to read it over this week I'll probably wish I'd mentioned this, or left out that!

Online writing can seem a bit removed from real life sometimes, until we realise people might actually read it - a bit like any kind of writing really. And isn't that why most of us write and send work out in the first place, even though it's a scary thought sometimes. But it's fun to think about some of the influences through our lives that shape us today.

And if anyone wants to read my 7-day ramblings, they start today on Behind the Scenes!

Rosemary

Friendly Blogger Award

2011-10-07T02:26:00.000-07:00

It's always lovely when blogging friends acknowledge one another and perhaps introduce writers and readers to blogs they haven't come across before.

So I'm delighted to accept this cute Friendly Blogger Award from my lovely writing friends: Janice Horton and Gilly Fraser. Than you both very much - I love reading your blogs!

In the spirit of giving, I'm now passing this award on to the following friendly bloggers. I follow many more, but these are the people whose blogs I regularly read and enjoy:

Vikki Gemmell (my talented daughter)

Joan Fleming (supportive friend and new blogger)

Myra Duffy (another supportive friend quite new to blogging)

Teresa Ashby (one of my favourite short story writers and amusing blogger)

Joanna Campbell (another favourite short story writer)

Joanne Fox (yet another lovely short story writer)

Frances Garrood (novelist and writer whose posts often make me smile)

Diane Fordham (encouraging Australian writer)

Carol B (friendly writing snippets)

K.C. Woolf (inspiring words for women)

Paula Martin (bloggging writer who feels like a friend)

Debs Carr (friendly Jersey writer aided by Grumps her dog)
Angela Barton (another lovely blogging friend)

Please pick up your award, ladies, and take a bow for keeping me entertained!

Rosemary

The Day After the Launch!

2011-10-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

I had such a good time last night at my very first book launch and reading. Thank you so much to all my family and friends who came along to support me, and a special thanks to my daughter and her friends who helped to set out the nibbles and clear it all away! My dear, long-suffering husband deserves extra special thanks for everything he did to make it such an enjoyable evening. And I even sold many books (you can tell I'm not a busines woman). Dear Lorna brought me the gorgeous flowers in the photo. Thanks too, to all my lovely blogging and Facebook friends who wished me well.

As a bit of fun, and hopefully some interest, I tried to dress in a vague semblance of Regency style. I just adapted a dress I had at home by sewing a ribbon under the bust, and I wore medium long white gloves, and even sewed some pearls on a cream ribbon to tie in my hair. Unfortunately, the hair wasn't long enough to pull neatly into a topknot, but my heroine, Lydia, usually had rather untidy hair.

I also brought along a parasol, a fan, a reticule and a shawl to illustrate the kind of items a Regency lady wouldn't be without. And I even showed a mask which my daughter bought me last Christmas - it might feature in the next book, if I ever get it finished! I've posted some photos of what a real Regency lady might look like on my romancing history blog.

So, all in all, I had a lovely evening and the venue was perfect. And the icing on the cake was the fact the local Art Club has an exhibition on in the elegant hall at the moment, so the walls were beautifully adorned with lovely paintings. Roll on the next launch!

Rosemary

Live Book Launch and Reading!

2011-10-03T01:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it's finally here - my very first book launch and reading of Dangerous Deceit. It began with a fun cyber launch in May for the e-book and now it's a live launch of the print book in front of family, friends and acquaintances!

To make it more interesting and fun (I hope), I'm dressing in vaguely Regency-style, adapted from what I already have. It won't be completely authentic, but will give a flavour of the evening fashion of the period. I also have a fan, parasol, shawl, something that will pass for a reticule, and even a mask - although I won't be wearing the latter. Think I must be a frustrated actress!

The lovely venue is the Watt Hall, in the Victorian era MacLean Museum in my original home town of Greenock, from 6.30pm to 7.30pm, this evening, Monday 3rd October. I don't know whether to be excited or nervous, or both!

Rosemary

Jane Eyre: From Book to Film

2011-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Last week, I managed to see the new film of Jane Eyre at the cinema, an event I'd been longing for as this is one of my all-time favourite books. As always, I was a little nervous about the portrayal of Mr Rochester since he's been my literary hero for a long time, through many different versions of the novel in film and TV. I also loved the recent TV production starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, which had more time to develop the characters.

So what did I think? It was a beautifully made, atmospheric film, with stunning cinematography, excellent main characters and an intriguingly different beginning from most versions. I don't remember seeing Michael Fassbender before and I wasn't disappointed with his portrayal of Mr Rochester. Mia Wasikowska seemed the embodiment of the young, but strong Jane Eyre, and Judi Dench, excelled (as always) in her portrayal of Mrs Fairfax. And the Yorkshire accents sounded authentic.

But... one of the biggest disappointments for me was the love story itself. I love the passion in the book, and the relationship between Mr Rochester and Jane just didn't convince me in this version. I felt more emotion during the scenes with the young Jane and her fragile childhood friend at the terrible Lowood school. Perhaps the film was too short to develop the main romance with enough conviction, but even the ending left me, and my friends, a bit bemused. Although Thornfield Hall is a ruin at the end, this looked like a set piece and it was a bit incongruous for Jane to find Mrs Fairfax suddenly appearing in time for her arrival. And that rather diluted the final meeting between Jane and Mr Rochester.

Obviously a film is never going to be 100% accurate in bringing the pages of a novel to life, and something is bound to suffer. On the whole, it was an enjoyable, atmospheric film but I don't think it's the film version of Jane Eyre I'll most fondly remember.

Rosemary

Mills & Boon New Voices

2011-09-26T03:01:00.000-07:00

In case anyone isn't aware of this (who might be interested), the latest Mills & Boon New Voices competition is now under way. Authors who haven't had a book contract may enter the first chapter of a romantic novel up until 10th October. Anyone registering on the site can comment on those chapters, and a short list of twenty will be announced on 20th October.

The next stage will be second chapters from the top ten, and so on until they find the winner on 4th November. Sounds like a great opportunity for anyone wanting to write for M&B.

Full details and registration are on the New Voices website, which is appropriately titled: Romance is not Dead. Good luck if you enter!

Rosemary

Introducing Elizabeth McKay

2011-09-23T03:39:00.000-07:00

I'm so delighted to be featuring new Scottish children's writer, Elizabeth McKay, on my children's writing blog, Flights of Imagination.

Many short story writers will know Elizabeth's fabulous women's magazine fiction, as she is a regular author in Woman's Weekly among others. Now Elizabeth has added another success to her list with the publication of her first picture book, Wee Granny's Magic Bag, by Floris Books in Edinburgh. This a gorgeous story book for young children, and even the adults will enjoy reading it!

Please pop over to Flights of Imagination to read about Elizabeth's exciting new venture.

Rosemary

Free Online Writers Conference

2011-09-22T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the last minute information, but I thought I should mention this brilliant, and free, Online Writers Conference, October 3rd to 9th, from one of my Canadian publishers, MuseItUp Publishing.

You just have to register here by Sunday, September 25th. There are so many great workshops and even an opportunity to pitch a book idea to one of the designated agents or publishers online - our MIU publisher, Lea, is very generous in sharing opportunities for writers.

I've just registered, so maybe see some of you there!

Rosemary

Monday Market: Tales of Old

2011-09-19T00:57:00.000-07:00

Tales of Old Masthead

This is another interesting audio magazine I came across "for historical fiction and alternate history." Short stories from 3,000 to 6,000 words are required for podcasts, set in any historical period. They accept unpublished or previously published stories, if the author retains the copyright. Payment is $25 through Paypal, so it might be a better market for stories already in print somewhere else, if you're hoping to make a living from your work! However, audio is becoming more popular and this seems a very accessible market.

Full submission details are on the Tales of Old website.

Rosemary

Nostalgic Reads: Victoria Holt

2011-09-15T02:53:00.000-07:00

A small selection of my Victoria Holt books!

After the previous nostalgic post about Mary Stewart, this next one had to be about Victoria Holt! I first discovered these gripping romantic suspense novels in my teens and was completely hooked. Between visits to the library, then buying every hardback I could afford after leaving school, I couldn't get enough of their escapism. Even the titles were enough to ignite the imagination.

The Victoria Holt novels tended to be historical, with unusual settings, dark and often dangerous heroes and a feisty heroine. Some were almost Gothic in their mystery and suspense, with titles like The Demon Lover and The Devil on Horseback. Exactly what this romantic, escapist teenager wanted to read. There were an incredible thirty two books under the Victoria Holt name, published between 1960 and 1993, and I probably read every one of them. I can't even pick out a favourite now, but the titles that come to mind first are The Shivering Sands and The Legend of the Seventh Virgin.

But Victoria Holt was only one of the pseudonyms of the remarkably prolific writer, Eleanor Hibbert. Born in 1906, this British author also wrote some of the best and most popular historical novels as Jean Plaidy, which taught me more about history than school ever did! But she didn't stop there - she also wrote as Philippa Carr and Eleanor Burford (her maiden name), as well as a few others. No wonder she sold a million books by the time she died in 1993.

I'm not the only modern writer who is still influenced by those Victoria Holt novels well into adulthood, for romantic suspense is high on the list of the type of novel many of us love to read - and hope to write! As with the Mary Stewart books, I'm still wondering whether to read all my Victoria Holt books again, or if perhaps they belong to a different time in my life and I'd be disappointed. Watch this space!

Rosemary

Change and Reflection

2011-09-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

The Cobbler at Loch Long

I missed my swans, so I've brought them back and changed my photo again, partly because I can't find a decent one. The dear husband of a good friend passed away suddenly the other day and we were fond of him, so I'm in a more reflective mood today. When I suddenly lost different members of my family some years ago, I always turned to writing, preferring to work out grief in creativity.

It certainly makes my husband and me more aware of our own passing years, and the things we still want to achieve. I'm not overly ambitious, never have been, but once again I'm looking at all the stories, poems and novels that lie in various levels of completion on the computer and in files. And I think it's long past the time that I finish what I started, send out those seeking publication, and rewrite the alarmingly long list of those to be worked on and improved.

Autumn and winter always seem ideal for writing, when we can stay indoors more (if we're lucky) and enjoy darker, cosy evenings which lend themselves to any type of creativity. The writing group also begins this week, with a full programme to inspire me. All I need now is to limit my television viewing - I love all the dramas at this time of year. Maybe I should start setting goals down on paper, instead of keeping them vaguely in my mind. But the main thing is to finish what I've started, before time runs out too quickly.

Mark Twain summed it up nicely:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Rosemary

Book Review - Clara by Janice Galloway

2011-09-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

One of the most absorbing books I’ve read in recent years, was Clara by Janice Galloway. Right from the start, I was intrigued by the unusual way in which it uses a variety of narrative devices, from prose to letters and musical scores. The prologue is almost poetic in its introduction to the main character; very descriptive yet without naming her. Instead we have the vignette of a young girl preparing for a piano recital, mentally and physically. As she lays out her clothes, we see them as a detailed yet concise list. When dressed, she sits and waits: “The fist on her lap clenches, releases, spreads its fingers into a starfish. Hands have a memory of their own; they will know what to do.”

Clara Wieck was a world-acclaimed pianist and composer long before she became Clara Schumann, wife of composer, Robert, and mother to their eight children. This is a feast of a novel, taking the reader into the world of nineteenth century music, peopled by such maestros as Mendelssohn and Brahms, two of their great friends. Although the novel is a little slow at times, with intricate detail, it offers a deep psychological insight into Clara’s childhood with her exacting taskmaster and music teacher: her driven, unbending father, Friedrich.

But it’s the love story between Clara and Robert that makes compelling reading. As lyrical as a musical score, no details of their single and married lives are spared, with the author drawing on the contents of the diaries in which they often communicated with each other. The addition of sections of musical notes and words enhances this passion. It’s also a deeply intimate portrayal of a marriage between two outstanding talents and the compromises expected of Clara in particular. When Robert begins their joint diary, the reader becomes an eavesdropper on their marriage. He calls it: “This little book…a diary that affects us both in our household and our marriage; our wishes and hopes shall be written here.”

Clara is a highly stylized novel, but the story is told by an accomplished author who draws the reader into another world where music is the reason for living. As might be expected from two such passionate musical talents, the marriage is not without problems, including Robert’s increasing mental illness, but it’s a love story right until its poignant end, even after a forced separation. Clara’s great friend, Johannes Brahms, tells her: “The world holds more pain than is fair. It holds more beauty. This is what music is for. You might play, Clara. Play.” And through this painful period of her life, Clara Schumann played her piano to full audiences.

Janice Galloway’s writing moved me as much as any exquisite music. Clara is an unforgettable novel, with an incredible heroine who deserves more of a place in music history.

Rosemary

Monday Market: Traveler's Tales

2011-09-05T02:53:00.000-07:00

The Algarve

Since this blog covers all types of reading and writing, I thought it might be good to profile a different type of market today - and it's probably one that most of us could try.

Traveler's Tales accepts non-fiction travel essays for their numerous anthologies and they seem to like humour! Two of the open submissions at the moment are for Women's Travel Humor and More Travel Humor. They do, however, accept all kinds of travel-related pieces, including the frightening, adventurous and grim. They also seem to be running a '30 Days in...' variety of destinations.

Something to note: I read under their 'submissions' that they might use a submitted piece for their online Editor's Choice section - at no payment, although they would offer 50% off their travel books. Stories published in any of their print books earn $100. Submissions are only through the online intake site which is given on the Traveler's Tales website, along with all other details. Might be worth a closer look for anyone who likes to write about their travels!

Rosemary

Introducing New Children's Blog

2011-09-01T04:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally finished creating my new blog celebrating children's writing of all ages, 'Flights of Imagination'. I could go on for ever tweaking it and changing colours and so on, but it's the first day of a new month and time to get it live! I've started it partly because my tween novel will be under Ros Gemmell, and since I already have a separate history blog for the Romy name, it seemed like a good idea - at the time. That remains to be seen, but I still like the idea of a blog dedicated to children's writing, from picture books to Young Adult.

So, to get us all in touch with our inner child, I thought this reminder of the wonderful Christmas Annuals from the early 1990s might help. My favourite weekly comic was Bunty, but I loved all the other annuals like Mandy and Judy. The photo shows a selection of those I still have on my shelves, which I think must have belonged to my daughter (!) The Dandy must have sneaked into my pile from my son, as he'd probably be reading them in the 90s. Obviously I was a bit old by then to be reading these. Who am I kidding, I still love looking through them.

So if you like children's books and want to follow my new blog, I'll be delighted to see you there at Flights of Imagination.

Rosemary

Autumn Joy

2011-08-31T01:57:00.000-07:00

Sedum Autumn Joy

Yes, this is the Reading and Writing blog! I've just changed the picture in the heading, which I took from a local walkway. I blame it on autumn. This is my favourite season and, here in Scotland, dusk is already creeping in ever earlier in the evenings. In fact, I've now cleared away all my more summery clothes to make way for the warmer, cosier kind in anticipation of even colder days. So, much as I liked my two swans on their misty loch, I now need a more autumny picture to brighten the blog.

One of the best side effects of cooler weather for me is that I come more alive. Summer is my least favourite season as it just makes me lethargic, with a tendency to overeat. But with the coming of autumn, my mind and body are more energised, eating is (slightly) more under control and the dentist and hair appointments are finally made. Please tell me I'm not the only strange person who feels this way!

On the writing front, I was excited to 'meet' the content editor for my Tween novel and to receive the edits for the first half. It was even better to read how excited she is by the book and that she didn't want to stop half way through. I'm hoping that bodes well for the tween readers who might read 'Summer of the Eagles'.

I've nearly finished creating a new blog for children's writing of all ages which will be live in the next few days. Then I'm hoping to finally finish arranging the small local launch for my Dangerous Deceit print books. And the writing group restarts soon. Oh, I do love autumn - now if only I can keep this more energised momentum going to get me through all my writing projects too!

Rosemary

Market Monday - AudioLark

2011-08-29T01:30:00.000-07:00

AudioLark is an unusual market I came across for stories and novellas, as it's for audio book first with the added possibility of ebook, if the story is not already published that way. One of the attractions is the length: from 8,000 to 35,000 words, although they will consider longer work.

They seem to be looking for most types of romance, young adult, and 'hard' science fiction. Royalties are fairly generous and, after taking a quick look at some of the audio books already on offer, I recognise a couple of the authors published by them.

You can find all details on the AudioLark website. As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with them, or who submits to them in the future.

Rosemary

Author Spotlight - Paula Martin

2011-08-25T00:48:00.000-07:00

Today, I’m delighted to welcome UK author Paula Martin to the Author Spotlight. Paula’s new contemporary romance, His Leading Lady, is one of the most enjoyable stories I’ve read over the last few months, and what a lovely cover. From the moment I started reading the first chapter, I was completely hooked and had to keep reading the rest of the book until the very satisfying ending.

The characters are very well drawn, with a perfectly matched hero and heroine. The background setting of a theatre and stage musical was the icing on the cake and seemed completely authentic, greatly adding to the enjoyment of the main story between Jess, one of twin sisters, and Kyle, the arrogant director. The added touch of mystery surrounding the disappearance of Lora, Jess’ twin, and the ensuing impersonation by Jess gave the romance a lovely touch of suspense. Highly recommended!

Paula was kind enough to answer the following questions. Thanks for being here, Paula!

Have you been writing fiction long?

It would be easy to say all my life – or at least from when I was about 8 or 9. I was a voracious reader as a child and my first stories were based on some of the books I read (usually school stories like Malory Towers). Soon, however, I was developing my own characters and, once I got to my teens, writing romances. My first novel was published when I was 25, and was based on one of the romances I’d written about ten years earlier. I had four novels published in the 60s and 70s and several short stories in romance magazines, then didn’t write any fiction for about twenty five years. Instead I wrote articles for several years for the UK Girl Guide magazine, one every month as the editor gave me my own ‘page’. I came back to writing fiction about four years ago, initially with fan fiction. Then, after a serendipity meeting with a Harlequin writer when I was America, I decided to try my hand at novels again.

What made you decide to set your novel in the theatre world and did it involve a lot of research?

I’ve always been fascinated by the theatre but, although I had a few minor roles in school plays, I couldn’t really act to save my life (can’t sing or dance either!). However, in the 80s and 90s, I worked backstage with two local amateur Musical Theatre Societies, and for about ten years I produced two shows each year with the junior section of one society. I was privileged to work with a lot of very talented youngsters and it was wonderful to see them develop in confidence, acting skills and stage presence. Many of them are still involved in musical theatre, and I know that at least five of them went on into professional theatre.

I’ve never worked in the professional theatre (although I have been backstage at the two big theatres in Manchester, does that count?), but I reasoned that rehearsals are pretty much the same as in the amateur world, as well as the glitches which happen with scenery and props. The main research I had to do was about how professional shows are financed; the rest came mainly from my own experiences.

Why did you set one scene in Scotland? (Which I loved!)

Once I had my hero’s name, Kyle Drummond, he HAD to have Scottish ancestry, so when I wanted him to introduce Jess to the (previously unrevealed) writer of the musical show, I decided to take them up to Scotland for the weekend. Also it had to be Argyll because the show is based on an old legend from that area. I think I had to do more research for the Scotland chapters than anything else – looking at maps and photos, tower houses, even finding out if there were any private airfields near Oban. I wanted to take a trip up there to make sure I got it right, but time didn’t allow, so I had to draw on my experiences of other parts of Scotland which I’ve visited.

Did you make up the story of the show they are putting on in the novel? (Great story by the way!)

Having decided that Kyle had a Scottish background, I needed the show to be based on a Scottish legend. I googled until I found a legend I liked, and one which I could visualise being adapted into a musical. It’s based on the legend of Black Colin of Argyll, or at least the part of the legend when Colin goes off to the Crusades leaving his young wife behind. The story of him cutting a ring in two and giving half to his wife is part of the legend, and provided the title of the show ‘Token of Love’. I’m wondering whether I could pitch the idea to Andrew Lloyd Webber or Cameron Mackintosh? (Definitely, Paula!)

Do you go to the theatre a lot?
Not as much as I used to. When I was a child, my parents were Gilbert and Sullivan fans so my very first experience of musical theatre was ‘The Yeomen of the Guard’ when I was about eight. I loved it (and still love the G and S shows). Repertory theatre was also still alive then, so my mum used to take me the weekly plays if she thought they were ‘suitable’ for me. Then I discovered Rodgers and Hammerstein shows through the Amateur Operatic Society in my home town, and I was hooked!

Once I started working with our local group in the 80s, I also went to a lot of other societies’ performances in various parts of Manchester (and further afield sometimes). I used to go to many different musicals and plays at the professional theatres in the city too, and once spent a week in London with my teenage daughter (who was also stage-struck) when we went to every afternoon and evening show we could fit into the week. That was in the days when theatre tickets weren’t as expensive as they are now! Nowadays, I tend to go mainly to the amateur shows, although occasionally I venture into the city centre for a professional show and, more rarely, to London. But I did go to Dublin last year, simply to see Stockard Channing in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ which is my favourite play of all time.

What is your favourite stage musical?

This has to be ‘Les Miserables’ which I’ve seen about ten times, both in Manchester and London. I LOVE the songs – and even thinking about ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ and ‘One More Day’ can make the hairs on my neck stand on end.

Of the shows I’ve worked with, either backstage or producing with my junior group, ‘Carousel’ is probably my favourite (I always cry at the end), although ‘Calamity Jane’ comes a close second, and then there’s ‘Guys and Dolls’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ and – okay, I’ll stop now!

Any tips for newer writers?

The classic answer to this is ‘Don’t give up.’ But maybe more important than that is: A first draft is not a finished manuscript. Learn the craft and the mechanics. Yes, spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence construction are all important. So work at it. Write a good story and write it well.

Thanks so much for having me as a guest on your blog, Rosemary, and for giving me such interesting questions to answer.

Paula Martin lives near Manchester in North West England and has two daughters and two grandsons.

She had some early publishing success with four romance novels and several short stories, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years. She has recently returned to writing fiction, after retiring from teaching and is thrilled to have found publishing success again with her contemporary romances.

Apart from writing, she enjoys visiting new places. She has travelled extensively in Britain, mainland Europe, America and Canada - and a few years ago she fell in love with Ireland which she visits at least twice a year. Her other interests are musical theatre and tracing her family history.

His leading Lady is available from the publisher Whiskey Creek Press, Amazon (UK) and Amazon (US)

You can find out more about Paula on her Website and Blog

Monday Market: Best of British

2011-08-22T01:29:00.000-07:00

A little change from short stories this week, but Best of British magazine is one that any writer might approach. And even if you don't want to contribute work to it, this is one of the best publications of nostalgia, although it also partly covers the present. It's an excellent resource for writers researching little details about the past as each issue contains a wealth of information about people, places, and all the everyday things that were part of British life.

Best of British does accept unsolicited articles up to 1,200 words, and is very photograph led. Payment for this is at their (undisclosed) normal rates. They also have a Postbag section for letters and photos, but they seem to have stopped paying for these contributions. I did send a full article recently about childhood summer holidays, along with a couple of photos, and they ended up using just one photo and a very short piece from the article for their Snap Happy section. Fare enough - I did send the article on spec, and they did pay me a little when it was published in the July 2011 issue.

Apart from reading the magazine with a view to submitting material, this is certainly one that I buy now and then just for the pleasure of wallowing in nostlagia for a while! Full details are on the Best of British website.

Rosemary

Networking

2011-08-18T02:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, I was at the monthly Glasgow networking event for writers, publishers, agents and anyone else in the business, known as Weegie Wednesday. I’d never been before, even though my daughter and a friend often tell me I should come along. But I was one of two speakers last night, so this reluctant networker had to go.

I was talking about being published in Canada and the difference between that and a traditional UK publisher. It was only for around ten minutes, then a Glasgow publisher (of which there are very few) spoke a little about his niche market (mainly non-fiction). It was before and after the little talks that the real point of the evening took place when I mingled with everyone and had some great conversation about writing and getting published. I enjoyed it, met some interesting people and have no trouble speaking to anyone, so perhaps I’m just lazy about doing this more often.

Because it struck me that most of my networking is now done online, and that it suits me just fine. I did mention the advantages of having a website or blog, of Facebook and Twitter and online forums, especially if published in e-book first. But I also go to a weekly writing group from September to May, so I get plenty of real interaction with writers in that way. And there’s also the annual Scottish writing conference where I meet up with lots of friends from far and near.

I don’t think I’ll ever be completely comfortable with attending networking evenings, although I’ll make an effort now and then. But I really do appreciate all the online friends and contacts I’ve made on blogs and forums over the past year or two. And I don’t even have to leave the house, or worry about transport to take me anywhere. So long live online networking, and thank you to all my lovely new friends for making it so enjoyable.

Rosemary

Monday Market: ShortfirePress

2011-08-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

In the search for alternative short story markets, I came across this very interesting site for digital short stories from established and new authors. They accept 'literary, upmarket fiction' between 2,500 and 15,000 words, which must be unpublished. Stories are emailed, and authors should provide a little information about their writing background.

The idea is that each story will be sold as a download to any type of e-reader device for 99p, and they provide helpful guidelines as to which kind of download goes to which e-reader. The author will receive a profit-share of each purchase. It sounds a good idea, as the low cost will hopefully encourage more readers to buy the stories.

The site is run by publishing editor Clare Hey and it was mentioned in a couple of the national newspapers last year. You can find all details on the ShortfirePress website. Might be worth a try for those who write literary short stories. You can read an extract from many of the stories on the website to get a flavour of what they publish.

I'd love to know if anyone has tried them already, or do please let me know if you ever have anything published by them.

P.S - when I tweeted about this just now, the New Writer Mag told me about a recent interview Vanesa Gebbie did with Clare Hey and you can find it here.

Rosemary

Author Spotlight: Hywela Lyn

2011-08-11T00:43:00.000-07:00

Hywela Lyn is pleased to announce that the winner of the download copy of Dancing with Fate is - Ange! Well done, Ange.

Thanks to Hywela for her generous offer (see comments box and below).

Thank you to all who commented and visited yesterday.

Today, I'm delighted to welcome a very interesting Welsh author to my blog, Hywela Lyn, whose fantasy novella, ‘Dancing with Fate’, enthralled me from start to finish. Melding Greek mythology with ancient Welsh myth, the story of Terpsichore and Myrddin transported me to another world and time. It was beautifully written with wonderful description of the ancient Welsh countryside and excellent characterisation. I look forward to reading Lyn's published novels, 'Starquest' and 'Children of the Mist'.

I asked Lyn the following questions which she was kind enough to answer in fascinating detail. And I learned a few things about horse riding! Lyn has generously offered a download of ‘Dancing with Fate’ to one of the commentators so please don’t forget to leave a comment. See blurb and details of a special offer at the end.

Welcome to my reading and writing blog, Lyn, and thank you for being such an interesting guest.

Good morning, and thank you Rosemary for the kind invitation to guest on your lovely blog. I’m so pleased to be here, and I feel right at home with the scenery and the little waterfall, I think I visited somewhere very much like it when I was on holiday in Scotland and it reminds me of my native Wales too!

How did you get into writing fiction?

In a word – escapism. Not that I’ve ever had anything terrible I needed to escape from, but I’ve never really felt comfortable in the contemporary world, with its fast pace and obsession with work and making money. Reading fiction as a child allowed me to immerse myself in fantasy worlds of the future or the romance of the past, and I used to daydream and pretend to be a variety of different characters, all very heroic, of course. As I grew up I started writing stories of my own and although writing is hard work, it can also be very relaxing and therapeutic to immerse oneself in worlds which are totally different to our own.

What inspired you to write fantasy and Science Fiction?

As I mentioned above, I regard books as a form of ‘escapism’ and what worlds are more ‘escapist’ than fantasy or futuristic worlds? I like writing stories that take me away from the modern world, to vast, beautiful and uninhabited landscapes, brave men and women who believe in old fashioned values and who are capable of loving each other selflessly and completely. Also with Fantasy and Science Fiction nothing is impossible – which doesn’t mean that ‘anything goes’, the trick is to make it feasible, and to have a rationale, so that the reader believes it could happen - but it does give you a lot more scope than most genres.

Do you write any in other genre, or would you like to?

I actually started out writing historical Westerns. I’ve always been fascinated by the old West, largely because I love horses, and horses played a major part in the opening up and development of the West - where would the cowboy be without his horse?

I read as much as I could of the history of the West, and having ridden English since childhood, discovered Western riding and learnt that ‘real’ Western riding is nothing like what you see in many older Westerns, where the horses get spurred, and hauled around by the reins. The cowboy was a skilled horseman, whose horse was often his only companion for long periods of time and was sometimes his means of survival when travelling long distances, so he would never treat it so roughly. Western riding uses the rider’s weight in the saddle to convey signals to the horse, and the reins are pressed against the horse’s neck in conjunction with a light touch of the spur or heels to ask for changes of direction. A cowboy would spend all day in the saddle which needed to be very comfortable for both rider and horse, and I discovered the truth of it when I started riding that way myself and took part in ‘endurance’ riding in Wales with a Western saddle. I feel this practical experience and knowledge of Western riding and equipment will be valuable in helping to keep my writing authentic in the Western romance which I hope to begin work on as soon as I’ve finished the third book in my futuristic ‘Starquest’ trilogy. Another thing I love about the Western historical, is the romance and adventure, the idea of brave men and women exploring a new land, and facing unknown dangers and challenges.

How important is your Welsh background in your writing?

I think it’s shaped my writing considerably. When I was writing ‘Starquest’ I watched the snow blowing in across the Welsh mountains in front of my home, like a mist, and it became a scene in the story. That scene actually grew to become the inspiration for a whole planet, Niflheim, the planet of ice and mist, which became the setting for the second book in the series, ‘Children of The Mist’.

Riding my horse in the mountains of Wales stimulated my imagination and many of the landscapes in my stories are based on actual places. Also Wales is a land full of myths and legends, and I’ve drawn on some of these and adapted them for scenes in my fantasy novella ‘Dancing With Fate,’ which features the Greek muse Terpsichore and Myrddin ab Morfyn, who was reputed to have been born in Carmarthen, not too far from where I lived, and who became the most famous magician of them all.

Do you regard blogging and social networking as a necessity for an author?

Absolutely. These days, unless you’re a bestselling author with a major publishing company, a writer is expected to do most of their ‘promotion’ themselves. Although my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, does send out copies of their books to on-line reviewers, and also does a certain amount of promotion, the bulk of the responsibility rests with the author. Promotion is a ‘necessary evil’. If no-one knows about you or your books, how can they be expected to buy them? You can pay for advertising on-line and in magazines, of course, but this can work out expensive.

There are many ‘loops’ and ‘groups’ and various websites where you can promote your book but you’re competing with many other authors, and I think readers will get a bit fed up of seeing the same excerpts or promotions all the time. I do very little of this type of promotion these days, unless I have a new release, but I still feel the need to keep my name ‘out there’ and blogging, and sites like ‘Facebook’, ‘The Polkerdot Banner’ ‘Twitter’ and many other social networking sites are invaluable for this and for keeping in contact with readers and other authors. I’ve made some wonderful friends from blogging, and love the way authors help each other by interviewing other authors and hosting guest posts.

Any tips for new writers?

I loved the ‘dragon’ books’ of Anne McCaffrey and wrote to her when I started writing seriously. I’ve never forgotten the advice she gave me: ‘Write what you would like to read’. I think this is great advice, write for yourself and your enthusiasm will shine through. Another tip would be to have a couple of critique partners you can really trust to point out such things as sudden POV switches and things in your story that just don’t work. Also never let yourself become discouraged, we all have to learn to accept rejection, try and learn from rejections and see how you can improve your work. If you are determined enough, eventually you will succeed.

DANCING WITH FATE

BLURB:

When Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit 5th Century Wales, and help the people regain their love of dancing, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.

Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE.

Video Trailer here.

Dancing With Fate is available from Smashwords HERE

I’d like to offer a download of Dancing With Fate to one of the commenters and a discount coupon for 25% off the list price for anyone who emails me and requests one. At the moment Dancing with Fate is only available as an E-book but will soon be available in print from Createspace, or from my website, and I will happily autograph copies if ordered direct from me from my website.

AUTHOR BIO

Hywela Lyn lived in Wales for most of her life, and the beautiful countryside and legends inspired her to write. Although she now lives in a small village in England, she is very proud of her Welsh heritage and background. She enjoys weaving romantic tales of the future, and distant, mysterious worlds. Her pen name is a combination of her first two names. 'Hywela’ is Welsh and her first name but it was never used and she has always been called by her second Christian name, Lyn. One thing remains constant in her writing: The power of love. Love, not only between her hero and heroine, but between friends and siblings, and for their particular world and the creatures that share it.

She is crazy about all animals, especially horses. She lives with her long suffering husband, Dave, and her animal family includes two horses, two feral cats and an adopted Jack Russell terrier called Bouncer.

Hywela Lyn’s first novel, 'Starquest', a futuristic romance was released by The Wild Rose Press in 2008. The sequel to ‘Starquest’, 'Children of the Mist', released a year later. Both are available in E-book format or print and she is currently working on the third story in the series. She has recently self-published her fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' featuring Terpsichore, Muse of Dance, on Smashwords. This was originally one of nine stories in the Wild Rose Press anthology ‘Song Of the Muses’.

She loves to hear from readers and fellow authors and can be contacted at: Lyn@hywelalyn.co.uk

AUTHOR PAGE AT THE WILD ROSE PRESS: (You can read a short fantasy ‘freeread’ of mine, here.)

Find Hywela Lyn at:

WEBSITE

BLOG

FACEBOOK

Market: Heroes and Heartbreakers

2011-08-08T01:40:00.000-07:00

I've been intrigued by this 'Heroes and Heartbreakers' site for some time now. Although I've not yet submitted anything to it, I have one or two stories that might fit if I can lengthen them slightly. It might be a good option for anyone writing romance, since the women's magazine market has decreased. It apears to be run by Macmillan and is partly an interactive website about all things romantic.

The submissions page asks for stories between 6,000 and 15,000 words - they should be original romance stories in any genre, from contemporary, to historical, to paranormal. They state that they pay '$1000 against a 25% royalty' (which is to do with the downloading of stories). To be honest, I don't exactly understand what that means as far as actual payment is concerned, but I might give it a try with one story to see how it goes (if they accept it!).

It does emphasise that the submitted stories will be edited by an in-house editor and romance freelance editors, which is reassuring. There also seems to be the possibility of blogging for them, or submitting excerpts from new novels. I guess the whole purpose of the site is to read what is already on it before deciding if our own work might fit.

Please let me know if anyone has had a story accepted for this site and what you thought of the experience.

Meanwhile, if you haven't already seen it do check out the bumper post on Womag blog for some great opportunities.

On Thursday, I'll be interviewing the very interesting fantasy romance/futuristic/sci-fi author, Hywela Lyn - not to be missed!

Rosemary

Nostalgic Reads - Mary Stewart

2011-08-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve always loved romantic suspense novels and very few writers wrote contemporary romance as well as Mary Stewart. The photo above shows just some of her well-loved novels that have been in my bookcase for a very long time. Born in England, Mary Stewart married a Scot and has lived most of her married life in Scotland.

Although she also wrote the acclaimed Arthurian novels, it was the romantic suspense that kept me turning the pages desperate to know the ending of each story. Exotic locations, independent heroines, danger, and often nail-biting suspense combined to make an irresistible read. An added attraction was the interesting information and knowledge painlessly absorbed along with a good story. It was in Airs Above the Ground, set in Austria, that I first learned of the famous Lipizzaner horses and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And when I watched them myself a few years ago, I suddenly remembered Mary Stewart's book - such was its impact on me in the days before I travelled to Europe.

A few of my favourites were:

Wildfire at Midnight (1956) – Ritual murder and suspicion on the island of Skye
Nine Coaches Waiting (1958) – Danger in a chateau in the French Alps
Thunder on the Right (1957) – Intrigue and dangerous mystery in the Pyrenees
The Gabriel Hounds (1967) – Mystery and suspense in Damascus
This Rough Magic (1964) – Dolphins and danger on a Greek island
The Moon-spinners (1962) – thrilling danger in Greece (made into a film)

One of her slightly more modern novels, Touch Not the Cat (1976), seemed different in some ways from the others, yet it still had that necessary suspense and danger to keep readers turning the pages. An even later novel, Thornyhold (1988), is still in my bookcase (in hardback) and I really must read it again one day as I don’t think it ever grabbed me as much as her earlier works.

I know I’m not the only modern writer who devoured Mary Stewart’s novels from my own romance-seeking adolescence, and her stories are no doubt the inspiration of many a romantic suspense novelist ever since. Mary Stewart is truly an iconic author.

Rosemary

Down to Business

2011-08-01T01:58:00.000-07:00

I think I've tweaked the blog long enough now, although I might make one or two small changes now and then. It's too easy to keep faffing about with it instead of getting down to writing posts! So today is the first day of August, it will soon be autumn here in my part of Scotland, and I feel slightly more business-like now that I've had a little time off. I've also updated my history blog if anyone is interested in a 13th century priory.

My plan is to post some kind of market news or competition details on a Monday. On alternate Thursdays, I'm aiming to look at favourite books and writers, or interview a variety of new writers. In between, I'll post about anything that comes to mind or that might be of interest to someone else. Or that's the plan - but as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way.

On a personal note, we were delighted to see our honeymooners yesterday, safely returned from a wonderful trip to Australia. Although they were still trying to get over the jetlag, it was lovely to see them so happy together. Our daughter (the bridesmaid) was also here for dinner and we had a great time looking at all the photos on our larger computer screen. Just waiting on the official wedding photos next.

Meantime, I shall leave details of a novel competition:

2011 Unbound Press Best Novel Award

Up to 10,000 words of an unpublished novel - any genre. Entry fee: £20. Closing date: 1st September 2011.
If shortlisted, you will have to provide the complete script.
Full details from Unbound Press.

Good luck if you enter,
Rosemary

Taking Shape...

2011-07-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Well the new look blog is starting to take shape. I'll probably tweak it a bit more before next week but I couldn't stay away from blog land any longer! Hopefully, I'll start some of the new posts next week and bring a bit more variety to all you lovely readers - hope you know how much I appreciate you. Haven't started on the other blog yet, but that can wait a few more days.

A little bit of excitement - Dangerous Deceit is now available in print! I have the shipment here and I'm so delighted to actually hold my first novel in my hands at last. I love my kindle and e-books but... nothing beats holding a print copy! It's available from Champagne Books - but I have a stock here in the UK of course. You know - just in case anyone wants to read it...

I've posted a link on the sidebar to the great reviews it's been getting - thought it about time I actually acknowledged them somewhere! Will be back soon.

P.S. I keep changing my mind about the heading. Trying the swans one for a while. I took that photo on a misty spring day on Loch Lomond - I loved the atmospheric silence and find it very creative.

Rosemary

Time Out

2011-07-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take some time out from blogging and so on over the next two weeks. Apart from the fact we're doing some overdue clearing out at home, I need to overhaul my writing and think about which direction it's going in next. I have far too many projects or half-finished typescripts on the go, not to mention the vast number of forums/blogs/twitter/facebook and two publishers' sites I'm on or take part in. And the writing is getting lost along the way, especially since I'm easily diverted.

I also want to revamp my two blogs and create a new one for children's/tween fiction in preparation for the lead-up to publication of 'Summer of the Eagles' next March. So I won't be posting on this blog again until the end of the month/beginning of August - if I can stay away - and it should look a little different when I restart!

A few improvements I'm hoping to make include:

a regular Author Spotlight
favourite books/reviews
markets/competitions
news/personal

The timescale of each has to be worked out, but I think it will give a better focus to the blog and will hopefully be more interesting to readers. A huge thank you to all who already follow my blog - it helps me to know I'm not talking to the ether!

Hope you are all having a good summer. See you in a couple of weeks.
Rosemary

Travels in Northumbria

2011-07-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

Bamburgh Castle

We came back yesterday from another stimulating few days away, partly visiting dear elderly friends in the Northumberland area. We've been many times before but have always gone straight down the west coast until we could cross the country on to the A1. However, this time we went down the east coast from Edinburgh so we could travel along a different coastline to our destination. And what a good idea it turned out to be, although we had so little time to explore that we've marked all the places we'll come back to on another visit!

Bamburgh Street

Our first stop was the very pretty town of Bamburgh which is topped by an impressive castle. Most of Northumbria is steeped in ancient history and we hadn't realised just how many castles this coastline boasts. The attractive main street has little shops and a lovely cafe/restaurant, The Copper Kettle. This is also where the heroine Grace Darling was born and, unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the museum. My mother-in-law's brother married into that branch of the family (they were from Whitley Bay) so it will be of particular interest to us.

We had a fleeting stop at Warkworth which has the ruins of a castle situated above the river on one side and the attractive town on the other. But we were disappointed to miss a visit to Lindisfarne. Since visitors have to walk or drive across the causeway at low tide, timing is all important. The other place we'll visit next time is the Farne Islands, by boat from Seahouses. People we met entertained us with stories of their visit to these islands full of birds and their fluffy chicks, where it is almost essential to wear a hat for protection against dive-bombing birds!

Alnmouth Beach

Alnwick Castle Gateway

Alnwick was next, where parts of the magnificent castle starred in the Harry Potter films. We were there on Sunday and the town looked a little forlorn, but the castle and gardens are hugely impressive - too expensive to explore when time was short, but I loved the tiny figures on top of the battlements and gateway. Nearby is the small coastal town of Alnmouth and we had a hearty meal there at the Red Lion. The best part of the evening was wandering along the almost deserted, vast stretch of beach - very good for the soul.

We were delighted with our choice of B&B accommodation as this area was newer to us. We stayed at the relatively new Sycamore House in Lesbury and couldn't have chosen better. In a quiet residential lane, Sycamore House was a peaceful haven away from all busyness. Although it was full, it has only four guestrooms so we hardly knew there was anyone else there until breakfast in the beautiful dining room. Glyn and Valerie were exceptionally kind and welcoming, going that little bit futher to make sure guests have everything they need. Definitely recommend it, as standards were very high.

Sycamore House

The village itself is lovely and the picturesque Crown Inn is within pleasant walking distance of the guest house, down to the river and over a small bridge to the village street, which is ideal if you've been driving about, or have been visiting all day like we were.

Too soon, we had to leave on the journey home yesterday but we stopped at the historic and pretty town of Corbridge on the way north. As well as a good walk from the carpark, over the ancient bridge to the town, there was a very interesting old church to explore - and a great little craft shop. Everywhere we went, we admired the beautiful brickwork of buildings and cottages.

Corbridge

For a writer, such little breaks in new areas is perfect - not too long away from the desk but coming home armed with new experiences, interesting information and more photos. Now just have to find a way of using it all!

Rosemary

Tall Ships Races

2011-07-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today began one of the biggest shows my birth town of Greenock, in the west coast of Scotland, has put on for many years. The famous Tall Ships have arrived at the historic James Watt Dock and the whole area has taken on a wonderful carnival atmosphere. They last came to Greenock in 1999, when the ships sailed into the East India and Victoria Harbours, spilling over to the Custom House Quay.

This time, however, the extravagana is taking place over the next few days at the site of a multi-million pound development of this historic part of the docks. The A-listed Sugar Warehouses are included in the regeneration and form a back-drop to some of the tall ships this weekend.

Apart from the thousands of visitors descending on the area, it's wonderful to see the variety of crew members from all over the world. Any ship taking part in the Tall Ships Races must have a majority of crew members in the 16 to 25 year old age group, allowing young people to experience the adventure of sailing on the open seas.

With stars such as Lulu and Deacon Blue making a concert appearance, spectacular choreographed evening fireworks, and the Red Arrows display, Greenock is certainly the place to be this weekend. We took the chance to visit this morning before it gets too crowded. And so far, the rain is staying away and the sun is shining! I've posted a bit of history about James Watt on my Regency blog for anyone interested.

Rosemary

A Scottish Island Wedding

2011-07-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Approaching Arran

The sun slowly rose in the almost cloudless sky on the island of Arran, as the preparations began in two separate hotels. The bridegroom nervously donned his kilt in his single room, while the bride and bridesmaid chattered as hair and make-up distracted them until the hour arrived. As the groom waited in patient anticipation in the tiny church, there was a clatter of hoofs announcing the arrival of the ponies and trap.

The first notes of Pachelbel's Canon alerted the guests. The beautiful bride was here. Slowly, she walked down the small aisle on her father's arm, followed by the lovely bridesmaid, and took her place beside her groom.

And so our son was maried to his beautiful bride on Friday as the small selection of family and friends looked on in delight. It seemed the more meaningful as they clearly spoke aloud their vows in such a lovely small church and I was so pleased to be asked to do a reading. My daughter was the bridesmaid - and 'best man' as it turned out, as my son's friend and his wife were about to have their first baby on the mainland!

The whole day was a delight. The ponies and Victorian trap were an elegant and romantic addition, carrying the bride and groom from the church at one end of Brodick to the hotel at the other side of the long promenade, much to the delight of all they passed by. The enterprising staff from one newer hotel even asked to use a photo of them in the carriage for their advertising and publications. As the two new families enjoyed a wonderful meal together in the evening, it was the end to a perfect day.

The bride, groom, bridesmaid and a couple of their friends went pony trekking the following morning while we explored the island, then we all met up for lunch.

If my long sight was better, I might have seen the golden eagle that suddenly appeared on the mountain top behind the distillery cafe. Mr and Mrs were in fine form, relieved the months of anxious preparation were over!

Our few days on the island were a mini holiday, as we explored the wonderful hills and glens, never far from the stunning coastal villages. The remains of the ancient castle at Lochranza sat in a peaceful setting, while the more imposing Brodick castle was hidden among impressive gardens. Overlooking the whole of Arran, the highest mountain, Goatfell, was visible from everywhere.

With its own whisky distillery, dairy ice cream, cheese, chocolate, beauty products (Arran Aromatics), as well as various other cottage industries, Arran is a delightful holiday destination and the ferry ride is around an hour from the mainland, making it ideal for a weekend escape. The best part of all is that even in busiest times, there are almost empty beaches, coves and country walks that give it the feel of another world. The Holy Isle is even more of a retreat and is a short boat ride away from Lamlash - and it's completely car-free.

So, all in all, it was the most memorable weekend of the year!

Rosemary

Computers, Short Stories and Wedding

2011-06-28T01:17:00.000-07:00

I've had a frustrating and worrying week with my computer after getting involved in a nasty antivirus scam - it's now being fixed by the wonderful local guy who is a whizz with computers. I bought my business XP model from him a few years ago. I'm using husband's now and then, so I'm not online as much as usual, and it's been quite liberating! I suspected I was now online far too much, at the expense of writing and organising work, and now I know it was true. However, I'm equally sure I'll be back to normal once I have my own machine again!

Today, the very kind Lindsay Townsend invited me to talk about my recent experiment of putting some short stories on to Amazon kindle. If anyone wants to read it, you can find the piece at Lindsay's Romantics.

And now I'm really looking forward to my dear son's wedding on Friday. He's getting married on one of our small Scottish islands and will be in full kilt outfit. It's a small wedding which suits us all just fine! I'll post some photos on the blog next week.

Rosemary

Fancy a Virtual Regency Ball?

2011-06-24T01:57:00.000-07:00

Today (Friday), I'm being roasted on the wonderful Author Roast and Toast blog, where the lovely hostesses, Sharon, Mary and Lynn are organising a virtual Regency Ball for me. Food and drinks will be served by the handsome Oliver. It begins at 10am (Eastern time) which is probably into the afternoon here in the UK.

It's an all-day fun party and I'd love it if some of you could join in the fun. I'll be available to chat to you off and on all day. Everyone who leaves a comment will be entered into the draw to win an e-copy of my new Regency romantic intrigue novel, Dangerous Deceit. The winner will be announced on Saturday.

Hope to see you there!

Rosemary (Romy)

A Little Kindle Experiment

2011-06-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Available now

A couple of my writing friends have been putting their novels on to Kindle very successfully and one of them,Chris, has been extremely helpful about how this is done. So I decided to give it a go in a smaller way!

At the moment, I have no intention of self-publishing any of my unpublished stories or novels, but I thought it might be a good idea to put together a collection of some of my published short stories. After all, they’ve only had one airing and some of them were in magazines years ago. There are also a couple of prize-winning stories among them. And I retain the copyright on them all.

So, my little experiment is now available on Amazon UK (£2.13) and Amazon US ($3.45). I chose only eight stories, all of which have vague similarities, in that they are each about relationships of some kind. The collection is titled: Reshaping the Past, with the subtitle of Short Stories of Love and Relationships. I designed the cover myself, which is really just to attract attention on the site, as it doesn’t matter on the Kindle.

The whole process was time-consuming, but the instructions Chris had provided made it all work relatively smoothly. And it was fun! Whether or not it will sell remains to be seen, but at least those particular stories are now available together and are easily downloaded by anyone who likes short stories. I can’t help thinking it’s a better use for them than lying forgotten in the archives!

Rosemary

Some Short Story Markets

2011-06-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

Please note, I've added another one below (on Thursday), if you've looked already!

Since there is much talk at the moment amongst blogging colleagues about the loss of more fiction in some women’s magazines, I thought the following selection of markets might be of interest. They are a mixture of submissions and regular competitions.

Bon Marche
One short story of around 650 words. You need the coupon from the magazine (which is in Bon Marche shops)

Dark Tales
Horror and dark fantasy. Quarterly competitions.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
Famous US Crime Fiction Magazine – all kinds of crime; new writers welcome.

Glimmertrain
US journal. Good quality short stories. Free submissions and competitions.

Granta
High quality literary fiction

Riptide
Short Stories with an undercurrent. Also regular competitions (one on Devon just now)

Mslexia
Quarterly New Writing section - often themed (women only)

Planet Magazine
Welsh journal; takes unsolicited short stories.

The Yellow Room
Literary journal. Regular short story competitions

Writing Magazine/Writers’ News
Monthly themed competitions in both magazines; subscribers only in the Writers’ News section.

Writers’ Forum
Excellent monthly short story competition, especially for stories that are a little different. First, 2nd and 3rd prizes. Critique optional. Head judge is Sue Moorcroft.

Yours
Over 50s magazine with one short story. No stereotypes.

UK magazines still taking short stories (at the moment) are: Woman's Weekly (and Fiction Special) , People's Friend, My Weekly (if published there before), The Weekly News, Take a Break Fiction Feast. Hope I haven't missed any.

Rosemary

Twitter Newbie!

2011-06-07T03:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I've finally jumped into another part of the 21st century social networking revolution and joined Twitter! I really did hold off as long as I could, determined not to add another time-wasting activity to my day, another one that would keep me away from writing.

However... the more I've been reading about all the authors who are now connecting this way, the more I began to feel left out. Since many of the RNA members are already onboard, as well as some of my writing friends, I knew I'd find enough people to follow who might begin to follow me. So I took the plunge yesterday - and was overwhelmed with all these tweets I started getting! But it was mainly from the people I knew, and who I was now following.

It's interesting so far. I have no idea yet how to make the most of it, but I'll learn as I go, especially when I have a couple of good friends to advise me on the way. One thing I do like is the fact you can't write any more than 140 character messages - I enjoy being that concise, although it's also a challenge. The first thing I did was to download the free Tweet Deck for the desktop, as that will organise the tweets in the way you want them and it does help.

So, I'll keep you posted as to how it goes and report back if it's really worth it. Meantime, if anyone wants to follow me I'm @RosemaryGemmell - and please let me know yours if you're way ahead of me!

Rosemary

Move Over Fred!

2011-06-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

Strutting our stuff! Daughter took this from the audience
(I'm at the front right, about to turn!)

Well all those weeks of tap dancing for fun ended (for this session) in our debut show routine on stage in front of a few hundred people! Fortunately, most of them were there to watch their darling wee girls in the other routines, but we knew the theatre was full. My dear husband and daughter came to support me, or maybe to laugh. It was funny being the only adult dancers in the changing rooms and, believe it or not, all those little girls of various ages were wearing more make-up than us!

The oldies: I'm second from the right!

So what was it like? Honestly, we had last-minute nerves just before we went on, not least because we were in the spotlight on a strange stage area after months of dancing on boards in a church hall. But the music is everything to me, which is why I love to dance. As soon as I heard the opening bars, I was ready to roll, if not rock.

There were six of us and we did a little routine to Dean Martin’s catchy ‘Aint that a Kick in the Head’. You can click on the title to hear him sing it on YouTube. It’s amazing how much difference the music makes. I had difficulty practising without it, as every step came at a certain point in the song – that’s what dancing is all about to me, and the notes make me dance!

So was it worth it? Oh, yes! I always used to sing and dance as a child but I just never got the chance to do it on stage. And one of the best things about getting older is the inhibitions lessen again. I read in a glossy magazine that if an older woman wants to know what her real personality is, she should think back to what she was like as an eleven year old, before puberty. And you know what? That seems to be perfectly true!

For a complete change of pace - I'm talking about Regency dancing on my other blog.

Rosemary

Blog Interviews

2011-06-02T01:39:00.000-07:00

Since I'm a new full length author, I've been really grateful to various people for interviewing me on their blogs. It's a lovely way to meet new online readers and friends and it's a relatively pain-free way to do some promotion and talk about the novel. When a book comes out first in e-book from an overseas publisher, we don't have the luxury of telling people to walk into a book shop if they want to buy the book, so everything tends to happen online - including the buying!

So once again, I am delighted to be featured on another writer's blog. Rachel Brimble is a UK writer who has become an online friend, and she kindly interviewed me for her blog where I'm appearing today. One of the lovely things about being on someone else's blog is that anyone who visits can check out that writer and her work.

So, if you have a moment, I'd love you to come and say hello on Rachel Brimble's Blog.

Rosemary

Belonging to a Writing Group

2011-05-30T02:43:00.000-07:00

Some of the writing group enjoying garden party

Since I was talking about the RNA in my last post, I thought I should move further back, to first being part of a writing group. That's where it all took off for me as a writer. I was taking those first tentative steps in writing back in the early 90s, and even had a short article published in the Scottish Home & Country Magazine. Then we moved house to a small village, and son and daughter had new schools to get used to, we had the new house to straighten and life took over again.

One evening, the local free newspaper popped through the letterbox. And it was one of those serendipitous moments. I had a quick look through and noticed an advert for a new writing group starting in a nearby small town. It was the only time the advert appeared and, fortunately, I'd kept the details. But I needed to pluck up the courage to go along to that first meeting where I knew not a single soul. Maybe it helped slightly that I'd had one little piece of publication, so I didn't feel a complete fraud!

But I needn't have worried. A couple of people knew each other but there were a few new writers like me. More importantly, they had managed to get funding for a tutor to get us started over the first several weeks, and Sheila happened to be the first person I met as I went through the community centre doors that day. Not only did our experienced tutor and writer start us off the right way, but she stayed in the group for many years and is still one of my dear writing friends. She was also a wonderful mentor in those early days when I was struggling to find my writing voice.

But that was only the beginning. Our writing group eventually became affiliated to the Scottish Association of Writers which encompasses writing groups from all over Scotland. The SAW has an annual conference each March, where members from all the writing groups get together for a wonderful weekend of talks, seminars, competition adjudications and fun. There are many competitions covering all kinds of writing - members enter them months before the conference and on the Friday evening/Saturday morning the results are announced by each adjudicator, who also gives a short resume of the competition entries and reasons for choosing the winners. The lovely awards are given out on the Saturday evening.

Anyway, back to the 1990s. Since we were now SAW members, I decided to go to my first conference at Crieff Hydro (it's moved to other hotels since then). I've always been a last minute writer needing deadlines, and this was no exception. But I managed to enter a couple of competitions, including my very first woman's short story. The lovely, late Ian Sommerville of My Weekly was the adjudicator. We all sat through each competition result with various levels of excitement. I was just so glad to be in amongst this huge group of real writers for the very first time.

Then came a defining moment in my writing career. I won the Woman's Short Story competition! To say I was shocked doesn't come close to the disbelief with which I sat there. When Ian went on to rave about the story and told everyone he was buying it for the magazine, I couldn't come back down to earth. I did, however, have to read it out to the whole audience from the stage. Fortunately, my voice held out and I didn't cry at the end, although I almost did.

I'd love to say that I suddenly became a great success and my writing career took off in a big way. But I was still playing at being a writer in those days and it had to take second or third place behind family, work and OU studies. But it did start me on my way. And the most important part of all this is that I stayed a member of my writing group from that day until now. I've gone on to write lots of published short stories, articles, children's stories, poetry and now novels. I've given lots of talks to other writers on market research, I've adjudicated competitions and I've served as president and secretary of the writing group.

Would I be at this stage today without my encouraging, supportive writing group? Probably not. For that was where I learned the craft of writing, heard professional writers share their knowledge, took part in competitions and workshops and met so many other wonderful writers. When I stand on the SAW stage next March as an adjudicator of a short story competition, I shall be remembering that it all happened because of walking in the door of that writing group all those years ago.

We end our sessions with a wonderful garden party at one of our members' homes, where we all take different food for the buffet lunch. It's a measure of the social aspect to our friendly group. I do encourage other writers to find a good, supportive local writing group. It might be the best decision you ever make!

Rosemary

Romantic Novelists' Association and Blog

2011-05-27T02:19:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Romantic Novelists’ Association in the UK comprises many different kinds of romance writers in a lively association, with ‘chapters’ around the country. Their parties and conferences are marvellous fun and their quarterly magazine, Romance Matters, provides great information and news.

But it is their New Writers’ Scheme which is second to none. Any unpublished novelist of romantic fiction can join the NWS each January, although get your application in quick as it's so popular! The fee includes an in-depth critique on a full novel from a professional author and is worth every penny. Two of my novels have been through the scheme and the first, Dangerous Deceit, is the one finally published this month. Prospective publishers and agents like the fact that a submitted novel has been through such a critique.

Any author who subsequently signs a contract can then go on to become a full member of the RNA, which I have now done! Today, I am honoured to be featured on the RNA blog , as I owe my continued efforts at writing full length fiction solely to the RNA.

If you want to come and say hello, you can find my interview on the RNA Blog.

Rosemary

Inspiration Behind Dangerous Deceit

2011-05-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

If anyone has time to spare and wants to have a look, I'm talking about the inspiration behind Dangerous Deceit on the lovely L.K. Below's blog today.

Rosemary

Festival of Romance

2011-05-23T01:59:00.000-07:00

For anyone who doesn’t know about it, the UK’s first romantic fiction convention is going to be taking place at Hunton Park, near Watford in Hertfordshire, from 21-22 October 2011. It will be a weekend celebration of romantic fiction of all kinds, for readers and authors, with author talks and fun activities like chocolate tasting, and a Festival of Romance Ball and Awards on the Saturday evening.

To celebrate the weekend, several literary awards are now in place:

The Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Romantic Novel

The Festival of Romance Reader Award for Best Historical Novel

The Festival of Romance New Talent Award.

The Best Romantic Novel and Best Historical Novel awards are for novels of romantic fiction published between September 2010 and October 2011 and will be judged exclusively by readers.

The New Talent Award aims to spotlight emerging talent and is open to unpublished writers. The industry expert judges are Donna Condon, senior commissioning editor at Piatkus, and Jane Judd, literary agent at the Jane Judd Literary Agency.

Details of the festival are on the Festival of Romance site.

You can join the online Festival of Romance community, where you will find details of the awards. Or click on the badge at the side of the blog.

Rosemary

Being Interviewed by Janice Horton

2011-05-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning one and all. I'm being grilled, sorry interviewed, on the lovely Janice Horton's blog today - please drop by and say hello, if you have the time!

Rosemary

Butterflies and Writing

2011-05-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

Some of my friends and family know that I like butterflies and they have often bought me one as a gift for birthday or Christmas - not a real one I hasten to say! Some of the lovely items that contained a butterfly include: a brooch, a candle, painted on a shawl, embellishment on a jewellery stand, a picture on a notebook. These are only the things I can think of immediately. Many of my gorgeous cards contain a butterfly, or two.

Well my dear friend, Catriona, surpassed herself the other day when she handed me a gift to celebrate publication of my first novel, Dangerous Deceit. She has always been hugely supportive and that was more than enough. Besides which, her husband bought my e-book for her right away so she could read it on her computer! So I opened the beautiful white box in mounting curiosity to find, nestled amongst white tissue paper, a heavy filligree hanging butterfly!

What a lovely, unexpected surprise, especially since we were supposed to be celebrating her birthday, which was my treat. One of the reasons I was so touched is because my friend knows that I consider myself a butterfly writer, and she actually wrote that on the card. How lovely that she knows me so well!

So, a butterfly writer. Why? Well the symbolism of that little insect who changes from a crawling catterpiller through different stages to such a colourful creature with wings, is a powerful image of a fledgling writer learning to make their words soar. Then there is the fact that I write anything and everything from short stories, articles, children's stories, and even poetry, to novels. I flit happily from one kind of writing to another, staying for a while before moving on to the next.

I also love the symbolism of butterflies in some cultures. In Greek mythology, Psyche, meaning 'soul', is represented by a butterfly. Even in Christianity, a butterfly often symbolises a person's soul crossing to the hereafter, and it is depicted in many works of art. In Chinese and Japanese culture the butterfly is often a symbol of joy and happiness. No wonder so many people use the butterfly symbol in some way!

Here are two little quotations to leave you, from my little gift book, Songs of the Earth:

"The butterfly flitting from flower to flower ever remains mine, I lose the one that is netted by me." Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet (1861-1941)

"I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man."
Chuang Tzu (369-286 B.C.), Chinese sage

Lovely Lilacs and Meditative May

2011-05-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

After all the excitement of the virtual launch of Dangerous Deceit on my Regency blog yesterday, I'm in relaxed meditative mode today - and probably need it! Isn't this the most gorgeous little flower card you've seen? It was delivered to me today and was sent by a lovely friend, Lorna, to wish me success with the book. It has really made my day.

Our weather up here in the west of Scotland hasn't been as warm as some parts of England recently, although we're not having the usual rain either. But I noticed our lilac tree was in full bloom and had to try and capture some of the flowers before they fade. I love the lilac colour among the green leaves and, although our tree could do with a good pruning one of these years, it still brightens up the uppermost corner of our garden which overlooks the hills beyond.

As to the meditation part - no I've not taken it up (yet!) - I find poetry and verse very relaxing, and I particularly like medieval and other early century writing when in that kind of mood.

The following is translated from the Latin, 12th century French verse of Marbod of Rennes (not by me!).

Meditation among Trees

Green turf amid silent trees and soft light airs
And a spring of running water in the grass,
They freshen a jaded mind, they give me back to myself,
They make me abide in myself.

Reminder about Cyber Launch

2011-05-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Just a wee reminder that my cyber launch party is still going on at my Regency blog - we're having a blast. The Champagne is chilled, if anyone else wants to join the fun!

Rosemary

Debut Novel, Dangerous Deceit, is now Available!

2011-05-03T03:07:00.000-07:00

So excited to announce that my first novel, Dangerous Deceit, is now available as an e-book from my publisher, Champagne Books and from Amazon (kindle). The publisher is also going to put it on Smashwords eventually, so it will be available in all e-book stores.

A print version will be released by Champagne Books in a few months.

Invitation - Thursday, 5th May

Please come to my fun cyber launch day on my Regency blog on Thursday, to help me celebrate publication. All comments on my Regency blog that day will be entered into a random draw to win an Amazon voucher.

Hope to see you there!
Rosemary

Another First

2011-04-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post this now so it's next to the previous post and you won't get too fed up with me mentioning success.

My children's novel, 'Summer of the Eagles' has been accepted by another Canadian publisher! I'm absolutely thrilled about this as I've always hoped to get this one published. It's set on a Scottish island and the first part won 2nd prize many years ago at our annual writing conference, but then languished unfinished while I got on with all the other writing I do (butterfly writer, that's me!). So I finally rewrote it in light of a bit more experience, finished it and found a publisher for this age group.

It's for their Tween range (10-14 years) and will be in e-book form, but I retain the print rights if they don't go on to publish it in print. So it's a win-win situation. At least two friends have already said their sons will want to read it as an e-book, and I haven't even told everyone yet! I've spent most of this afternoon reading the contract and filling out the marketing and bio forms.

So a message to all those at the beginning of their writing careers, or who feel like giving up sometimes: keep going! Each little piece of success we have adds to another and encourages us to never give up. If you love to write, then persevere and send your work out. I'm always happy to help with market advice (I've given talks on markets to local writing groups) so if anyone is looking for a specific kind of publisher please ask if you think I might be able to tell you anything worthwhile.

Rosemary

A Year of Firsts!

2011-04-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

This is obviously going to be my year of firsts! And my excitement about all of them is mounting…

In date order, so far (please forgive the excessive use of exclamation marks):

First blog interview here. It turned out to be enjoyable and encouraging, thanks to my lovely hostess and fellow Champagne Books author, Linda Kage. And I have some more lined up through May and June!

First novel being published next week (e-book first). I’m making the cyber launch date Thursday, 5th May – might as well compete with the Scottish elections, and people might remember the date. Will try and remember to announce it everywhere next week!

First tap dancing display. Gulp… just heard about this one last night and it’s scheduled for the first weekend of June. But I love dancing and dressing up, so I only have to get the routine into my head and feet now, along with my fellow mid-life dancers!

First offspring being married. This should be at the top, but I’ve left the best till last. Really looking forward to my son’s wedding at the beginning of July, especially since it’s going to be a lovely low-key affair in a tiny church on one of our Scottish islands. Will definitely post about it afterwards!

I think that's all the main events. Wonder what next year will bring…

Rosemary

Leaf Books Competitions

2011-04-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the great little publisher, Leaf Books, in a previous post when they had just brought out their first magazine. Issue 4 is now available and, as always, they have several interesting competitions currently running on their website.

Travel Writing: closes 30th April

Diary Competition: closes 31st May

Short Story Competition: closes 30th June

Review Competition: closes 31st July

Full details are on the Leaf Books site, where you can also download issue 2 of their magazine free, and sign up for their newsletter.

Well worth a visit!
Rosemary

Video Trailer!

2011-04-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

I've just put my little video trailer for Dangerous Deceit on my regency blog, if anyone would care to take a look. I'd really love some feedback, good or bad!

Oh what fun it is entering into this strange new online promotion world - at least Google makes it easier with YouTube and Blogger!

Rosemary

Cover Art for First Novel!

2011-04-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

Please excuse my excitement, but I'm now unveiling the cover art for my very first novel, Dangerous Deceit! Champagne Books has two excellent artists and Trisha, who did mine, has just won an award for another cover, so I'm delighted with how she has portrayed my heroine. It's not the usual type of Regency style and I'm hoping that will make it stand out! Lydia, my heroine, is young and innocent but very spirited and her hair has a tendency to lose its pins now and then. I asked for a hint of danger and that's what I've got in the mysterious background.

I've shortened my first name to Romy for romantic novels (at least I hope there will be more!), as I've been writing short stories and articles for years under my full name. There's some more detail about Dangerous Deceit on my Regency blog, as I want to keep this reading and writing one for more general posts about different genres and interests. I'm about to update the other blog after this. The novel comes out in May as an e-book first, followed by print about 2 months later, but I'll be announcing it everywhere, of course!

Rosemary

Bagpipes & Bullshot Blog Tour with Janice Horton

2011-03-31T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today I’m interviewing enterprising author Janice Horton whose fabulous romantic comedy, Bagpipes and Bullshot is on sale Friday, April 1st, as an e-book on Amazon. With its glorious Scottish setting in Dumfries and Galloway and a cast of eccentric characters, you are guaranteed a great read.

When handsome Scottish Laird Innes Buchanan meets beautiful Texan cowgirl Orley McKenna and brings her over to his impoverished estate in Scotland, it’s for more than her expertise with cattle. But before their romance can properly begin, Orley has to contend with a run-down country mansion, a frosty Lady of the manor, and a vengeful ex-girlfriend who puts Lady Macbeth to the shade.

Bagpipes and Bullshot is a wonderful romp of a novel with a hero and heroine to fall in love with and many laugh-out-loud moments. Although it’s a humorous novel, there is real background knowledge of the farming and breeding concerns which lends authenticity to the story. Brilliant fun!

So Janice, let's hear more about you and your novel!

What inspired you to write about a Scottish laird and a Texan cowgirl?
I was in America, standing on a Gulf Coast beach at sunset, thinking of how the warm breezes, blue waters, and southern lifestyle, were a world away from my own life in Scotland. I knew at that moment I wanted to write about two characters from opposite sides of the Atlantic meeting on that beach. You may think that in a contemporary novel, a cowgirl and a laird are far removed examples of what it is to be American or Scottish today, and you would be right. However, the premise of the story is about opposites attracting and exploring the emotional, cultural, and geographical differences between two people from opposite sides of an ocean. It is intentionally larger than life and that’s what makes it entertaining and fun. I’m told there are many laugh out loud moments in Bagpipes & Bullshot! (Definitely)

I love the details about cattle breeding. Did you have to do much research, and do you enjoy that part of writing?
I love the research part of writing, even though I probably only use a tiny fraction of the research I do in the book. It’s important to know what I’m talking about in order to write a convincing storyline. For example, I interviewed a local Scottish Estate farmer to double-check my cattle farming idea for Bagpipes & Bullshot on which the plot is hinged. He had just returned from the US where he had studied a composite cattle breeding programme. I was very excited indeed to find my idea was viable!

Do you ever use real people in your fiction? (Go on, do tell!)
I do remember when my first book was published, everyone I knew locally thought real people were in it and took great pleasure in pointing out which characters and people they had identified. I was horrified. My fictional village is called ‘Thornfield’ both in my first book and in subsequent ones – and my real life village is called ‘Thornhill’ - so I should have anticipated the situation. However, I can assure you I have never and never will use real people in my fiction. My characters are entirely made up from my fertile imagination. If they bear any resemblance whatsoever to a real person, it will be because my mind has conjured up and combined together the traits of people I have known throughout my life. (Good answer!)

Do you prefer e-books or print – and why?
I love both. I’m an avid reader and thanks to the availability of e-books I can download them instantly. If I want to travel, I can take as many books as I like on my e-reader and not have excess baggage. It’s fantastic. But, if you come into my study, you will see bookshelves filled with my favourite print books, many signed, and some by authors I know personally. I also have a special shelf of beautiful antiquarian books and first editions which I’ve collected over the years. In my kitchen, I have a bookshelf filled with cook books – all well-thumbed colourful hardbacks with glossy pages and photographs. You see, in my opinion, there is room for both and space for all. How lucky we are now to have so much choice in what and how we read!

What are working on now? Will you always use your Scottish environment as a background to future novels?
I’m busy writing my next book, which is entitled Reaching For The Stars. It’s the story of a disillusioned celebrity chef who gives up his hard won accolades - three Golden Stars - and goes into self imposed exile in a castle on a Scottish country estate. The heroine of the tale is a rising star in the culinary world, an ambitious chef determined to be the first woman in the UK to get three Golden Stars. So, when these two characters get together, the knives are out and the heat is on! As the novel is set against a backdrop of fine food and steamy kitchens - you can imagine all the fun I had researching this book. I found it all so interesting in fact, that I wrote an article on it for Romance Matters, the magazine of The Romantic Novelist’s Association, which was seen by a TV Editor who contacted me to say she wanted to film my research method for a local TV news programme. If you’d like to see the resulting short film, it’s up on my website.

To answer the second part of your question: I’m not sure if I will keep with the Scottish setting for future books. I have an outline for another book which I hope to start writing in the autumn of this year. So far, I have the premise and the main characters. I don’t usually work out a plot in advance and at the moment the story could be set anywhere at all. That’s not to say, of course, that it won’t be Scotland!

Coming back to your new e-book Bagpipes & Bullshot, how do you plan to get it noticed against all the thousands of others on Amazon Kindle?
Well, it’s very difficult to get new e-books noticed by potential readers unless it features on one or more of Amazon’s Top 100 charts, but because of the way Amazon calculates its sales, just a few sales on one particular day can make all the difference in pushing it through the charts. So I want you to ask your wonderful blog readers to support me by either buying the book on Friday 1st April 2011 (it is £1.38 or $2.24) or by telling other people about it through their own social network. The date is important because it’s the day I’ve asked everyone who might consider buying the book to buy it. I’ll be blogging and tweeting all day on Friday 1st April.

For direction to all of the other places I’ll be appearing on my Blog Tour throughout the whole day please visit my blog. I’ll also be running a prize draw on my blog (Friday 1st April only) to win Kindle beach protectors (an essential and stylish accessory for every Kindle, but alternatively you could always use it to protect your camera or phone!). All you have to do to be in with a chance to win is go to my blog and leave a comment.

But what about people who don’t have a Kindle? Can they download it for their PC, Mac, IPhone, IPad, whatever?
Yes, absolutely. Go to Amazon and download their free Kindle App for PC, Mac, IPhone or IPad and then buy Bagpipes & Bullshot. I’ll be forever grateful.

Thanks for that great information, Janice, and good luck with your book. And I can really recommend it! Don't forget, you can enter the competition on Janice's blog, and you can even listen to Innes playing the bagpipes!

About The Author: Janice Horton lives in Scotland and writes entertaining and humorous contemporary women's fiction novels which are, for the most part, inspired by the romantic beauty of the heather-filled glens around her country cottage. When she’s not writing novels she writes lifestyle articles and has had work published in national magazines and regional newspapers. She’s also been involved in BBC Scotland's ‘Write Here Write Now’ project. Her next novel Reaching For The Stars will be available soon on Kindle. Visit her blog here. You can follow Janice on Twitter at @JaniceHorton. Find her website here.

Taking Time Out

2011-03-29T02:24:00.000-07:00

We’ve not had a proper holiday for some time and, with son’s wedding at the beginning of July, we don’t know when we will. So husband and I took Friday to Monday off and went out on inexpensive away days. We both work at home, me downstairs, he upstairs (and never the twain shall meet!) but we decided we needed proper time together, so we could actually talk for a change and enjoy a different environment.

Over the four days, we made sure we had no cooking to do and ate out at lunch time or took a picnic and shoved something in the oven later. We didn’t stay out all day but we stayed off the computers, except for a short time in the morning before going out, and I sneaked some time on mine again late afternoon. Otherwise I’d have been in an agony of suspense – maybe it would be the time an editor or, hopefully, an agent was trying to get in touch. And I’m sure you all suffer from that suspense!

Country walk

So in those four days, we went to one of my favourite restaurants in Ayrshire, near the new Robert Burns Heritage Centre, took a ferry trip across the water to Dunoon, had a long walk and coffee down the coast at Largs, and walked around the nature trail at a beauty spot in the countryside, finishing with a two-course, cheap lunch at the coast.

Approaching Dunoon

It was great fun. We talked and walked more than we have for some time and still enjoyed being with each other after almost 36 years of marriage. Yet, being away from the desk and the routine freed my creativity again (as it did on the train journey in the previous post). I didn’t sit and write (it was too cold!), but I absorbed all the sights, sounds and smells of those days away, especially the day on the boat. And I’m ready to get on with the next piece of writing.

I didn’t get that call from the agent, but I did get my advance copy of the May issue of Take a Break Fiction Feast as my very short book review of The Little Stranger is inside the front page. I also received an email to tell me a little meditation is being held by The Upper Room, and I’ve received the cover of my novel! But I’m going to wait until next week to show that off. All that in those four days – maybe we should go away more often! So, back to work now, and blogging and chatting etc...

Happy writing,
Rosemary

Writing Versus Typing

2011-03-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely break from the computer on Tuesday and Wednesday as I was speaking at a very nice writing group down in Dumfries (near the Scottish borders) and staying overnight. So I took the train for a more relaxed journey, partly because I love travelling that way, as does my husband. One of my lovely writing friends down there was putting me up for the night and she picked me up from the station, then we had a great meal with some other friends before the meeting.

Anyway, since I was on the train, I took a pen and notebook so I could try and get a move on with my next novel. And you know what? I got far more writing done on the outward and return journey than I usually manage at home. I suspected that might happen, as I try to write for half an hour while having a coffee at Costa one morning a week at a nearby mall (conveniently near all the shops!), and I always seem to get on better that way. Yet, I used to think I preferred writing straight to computer, apart from poetry which I need to write by hand first.

So the question I have to ask is: do I write more because I'm using a pen and paper? Or is it because I'm out of the study and in amongst people (in my own little space in that larger environment). Maybe it's a bit of both. And it's great to come home and have something to put on to the computer, which in turn gets me writing even more. I wonder if I could justify having more than one coffee out a week!

Rosemary

People's Friend Link

2011-03-20T01:51:00.000-07:00

In case anyone hasn't noticed, Shirley Blair, fiction editor of People's Friend has written a post about the magazine on the womag blog. Reassuring news that they are still taking short stories, and increasing their specials.

You can read the post and leave a question for Shirley on womagwriter.

New Sun Rising (creative work for Japan)

2011-03-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

No one can have escaped seeing some of the terrible devastation in Japan on television. A compilation of writing and artwork is now being put together to raise money for the broken country.

New Sun Rising is looking for short stories, flash fiction, poems, artwork, photography etc, with a flavour of Japan. Full details and a great vlog (video blog) are on the New Sun Rising website.

Rosemary

Scottish Association of Writers Annual Conference

2011-03-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

Me in my finery!

I'm lucky in belonging to the SAW here in Scotland as we have a wonderful annual weekend conference each March. It's open to all members of Scottish writers' groups who are affiliated to the SAW, and members come from all over the country to enjoy a weekend of seminars, speakers, and results (and awards) of the many competitions. Then there's the chatting, eating and Saturday evening disco... and the chatting again. It's a great way of meeting old and new friends.

This year we were honoured, and fortunate, to have the lively and slightly outrageous Jane Wenham-Jones as our Friday evening speaker. What a delight! Jane also awarded the prizes on the Saturday evening. My own writing group did exceptionally well, with many members mentioned in the comps. I don't enter as many these days as I was adjudicating the Women's short story last year! But I did manage 3rd prize in the Book Review comp.

Victoria and Jane

I was most delighted, however, when my lovely, talented daughter, Victoria (Vikki, whose own blog is http://throughthelookingglass-vikki.blogspot.com/ ), won the TC Farries Trophy for a children's novel. Hers is a young adult novel and she had to submit the first 7,000 words, so now she must get it finished and out there! I'll keep prodding her - sorry, I mean encouraging her, but she works full time so it's not so easy.

Victoria with crystal trophy

So we're all inspired to get on with our writing - if I could just get off all the blogs, forums and chats that I've been catching up with for most of today!

Rosemary

Musical Inspiration

2011-03-08T03:32:00.000-08:00

One of my great pleasures is listening to music, even while working. From classical to Celtic and popular music, I often try to match my background music to the kind of writing. So for some historical pieces, I listen to my favourite Baroque period composers like Bach, Vivaldi and Albinoni. If I'm in a medieval mood, I listen to the Medieval Babes, or Gregorian Chant or similar. When I’m writing a story set in Scotland, I listen to Scottish or Irish Celtic music. I also like Enya, and the pure voice of Hayley Westerna in particular.

If I’m in a light-hearted mood, I love to put on a compilation of favourite pop music so I can get up and dance around now and then. I’m at the back of the house so no one can see me! My daughter introduced me to Muse and The Rasmus a few years ago and I love their dramatic songs, which might inspire me to try a quite different kind of writing one day. It’s amazing, sometimes, how the words of a song can suggest a storyline, or how listening to a particular rhythm inspires creativity.

For anyone interested, I've posted a bit about Haydn and The Creation over on my Regency blog.

Does music inspire anyone else to write? Or do you prefer silence.

Rosemary

Stylish Blogger Award!

2011-03-02T08:43:00.000-08:00

How lovely to receive this ‘Stylish Blogger Award’ from Teresa at A Likely Story. Thank you! My mission, should I wish to accept it, is to list 7 things about myself (might be difficult) and pass the award on. What a great way to find out about some of the interesting blogs around.

So here goes – you can skip this bit if you wish!

1. I was idealistic enough to think it might be romantic to become a nurse when I left school, and to work overseas when qualified. That lasted for one and a half years of the 3 year training until I realised I detested hospitals! And it was not romantic.

2. My husband and I met over the telephone when we both worked for the same travel company, but in different offices at first. We finally met now and then at the main office, but it took him a few months to risk asking me out (while I waited patiently).

3. My favourite classical music is from the Baroque period, especially Bach.

4. I love to dance! Have tried belly dancing, salsa and now do tap. Would like to drag the husband to tango next. But as soon as I hear rhythmic music anywhere, I want to dance, though it’s not always possible (not that much of an exhibitionist, yet).

5. My first short story was bought many years ago by the late Ian Somerville at My Weekly, after he awarded me first prize for it in the Women’s Short Story Competition at the Scottish Association of Writers conference. I still attend the annual SAW and have now adjudicated at it myself! How things change.

6. Since I didn’t go to university after school (because of going into nursing), some years ago I studied through the Open University as a mature student, which I thoroughly recommend. Came out the other end with a BA (Hons) and went on to do a Masters. Most life-enhancing thing I ever did. I love literature and history.

7. Although the first novel is coming out in May (after years of faffing around with too many different writing projects), I’m still trying to find a publisher for a woman’s contemporary (with historical sections), and two children’s novels. But I still write short stories and articles, and even get some of them accepted. Guess I’ll never settle to one type of writing.

Please visit the following nominated blogs if you can spare the time (they’re a lovely mixed bunch!):

Through the Looking Glass

Living, Writing and Other Stuff

May Contain Nuts

A Blond Bengali Wife

Brightwriter60

Janice Horton

Rachel Brimble

Linda Kage

Linda LaRoque

Novel Writing Courses

2011-03-01T01:38:00.000-08:00

I'm posting the following information in case anyone lives in these particular areas and is interested in learning more about writing a novel.

Novelist Sarah Duncan is running these two courses:

How to write a novel: London 3rd May; Birmingham 7th May, Oxford 8th May, Exeter 21st May, Bath 12th June.

How to sell a novel: London 24th May, Exeter 4th June, Bath 3rd July.

You can find more details from Sarah Duncan on her website.

Rosemary

Link to Lord Byron Post

2011-02-27T06:54:00.000-08:00

Today, my article on the mad, bad and dangerous to know Lord Byron is on the Champagne blog, if anyone wants to have a look.

He appears in one scene of my forthcoming novel, Dangerous Deceit, so I wanted to write a little more about him since he is such a fascinating character!

You can find the post here.

Rosemary