When I told my editor I was going to have the first 300 words of my forthcoming novel critiqued in Writers Magazine she said. “You’re brave!” James McCreet does a wonderful job of stripping your writing down to the bare bones. So I offered it up with some trepidation.
But, I am so glad I did. I’ll take his comments on board but overall I was so pleased with his summary. The phrase ‘Keep the Faith,’ springs to mind.
All I have to do now is complete the final edit of Who’s Got The Biscuits (I love the title but may have to tweak it, dunno)
Set in Bradford and Morocco it’s a thriller but with humour. I had so much fun writing the characters and hopefully will be published this August.
I probably don’t need to tell you, but nature is such a phenomena in so many ways. I have started my new book a few weeks ago and was really struggling with the theme. I had the first half of Chapter One written, but I wasn’t sure what it was I was trying to write. The answer? Hike, get outside, climb the hills and let mother nature give you the peace and inspiration you need.
After two hours of hiking up, what we call, the 7 Hills I had the storyline mapped out, This will be the third book featuring Billy Lynch, his friends and family. The trouble that boy and his father get into is… believable, well kinda 😂
After the tranquillity of the forest and the hills and the turn in the weather I decided this week a trip to the coast would be in order. There is something awesome about rough seas. As a young man I once had the privilege of spearfishing during a storm in Gran Canaria. These days when I look out to sea I wonder if I was actually quite mad. But the today’s trek served it’s purpose as I walked I was inspired to write the darker side of the next book. Needless to say not everyone will survive. Ah, days can be so very different 😉 Happy Trails, folks x
I read this book way back in 1973. I had seen the film in late 1972 and was eager to see how the book by (Mario Puzo) compared, or vise versa. I remember my girlfriend’s mother refused to let her go with me because it was too violent. I was 15 and we lived on a Bradford council estate. I could only surmise that my girlfriend hadn’t told her mother of our exploits and the fights between my group of mates and the local skinheads. 😂 The movie is a superb adaptation of the book, which is a rare thing even in those days. The dialogue in many places is like for like and so fans of the book were not disappointed. Maybe that’s why it has been so popular and timeless?
Move on 50 years and I find myself scampering round the back streets of Savoca,Sicily. If you are not familiar with the place, it is set on a mountainside and is one of the most beautiful villages in Sicily. It is also the location of a scene from the Godfather movie. The Bar Vitelli in Savoca is the bar where Michael informs the owner that he intends to marry his daughter, Apollonia.
The bar is now a popular tourist haunt (isn’t everywhere?) It’s full of memorabilia from the film and you can treat yourself to a ‘peasant’ dish of eggplant and cheese on bruschetta for a mere 18 euros.
It is also where the wedding of Michael and Apollonia was filmed and the famous walk down the hillside to the town. What surprised me most was when I went into Google maps the “Wedding Walk” is actually shown as a route 😂. If you are a Godfather fan and do get the chance to visit Savoca in Sicily I can recommend it. Apart from the Bar Vitelli it’s a beautiful place to explore.
I often wonder if Lewis Carrol (AKA Charles Dodgson) had any idea how sustained and popular his book would become at the time of writing. I would guess not, but Alice in Wonderland must be a phenomenon in comparison to the average novel. This Christmas we visited Castle Howard, who had a plan to take us all down a rabbit hole.
The book is said to have been inspired by a ten year old girl called Alice Liddell. Carroll was a friend of the family and spent quite a lot of time with them. He had a stutter which didn’t affect him when he was around children.
You start the Howard’s Alice Adventure on the Grand Staircase, where on the China Landing you find a lush Victorian riverbank. From there you see where Alice would write her invitations for her spectacular Tea Party. As you stroll along you are treated to the childhood home of the author and his ten siblings. He would tell them fantastic stories and often write them down.
I would say it was a good little Christmas adventure, there had been a lot of thought and work put into all the exhibitions. When you think that a book written in 1865 is still bringing joy to people one hundred and fifty five years later it’s quite an achievement.
I wonder if anyone else has seen old books transformed into entertaining exhibitions? If you have please share in the comments. Or, even better write a blog post and we’ll have fun reading it. Happy trails x
It’s a curious feeling when you finish a book. It’s kinda sad in a way, because you know that’s it. The characters are done for now, there are no more adventures left for them. Of course, it might be a welcome relief, depending on how much trauma your character has suffered. In my new novel, I know of at least one character who will be very happy to put his feet up for a while. But what’s next?
As you writers already know, now its a case of getting the book out there. Oh, for an agent haha.
“There you go, delivered on deadline. Sort out the marketing etc, I’m off to start my next book. After a well deserved holiday, of course.”
That is the fantasy. In reality I now start the query letters and wait for the rejections. These don’t bother me as much as it appears to bother other people. I know how competitive the market is and so it appears to be a lottery. Now here comes the back up plan. Self publishing:
Luckily after self publishing my first book this won’t be the minefield it was last time. I’m already on Amazon KDP and up until recently KDP select. I have decided to quit KDP Select for a while and try Draft2Digital for the eBook version. I’ve done some extensive research and they are probably my best option, regardless of a lot of poor reviews. These reviews are on Trustpilot and to be honest I’ve heard some poor reviews concerning Trustpilot. So, I’ll give it a go and make my own decision.
Has anyone else self published and what are your thoughts? I’d be interested to know.
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