Agency Model Revisited...

It's been quite difficult to keep up with the almost daily changes going on in relation to Apple, the big name publishers, e-books and the 'Agency Model'.

At the moment there's no final news on the results of the investigation being undertaken by the European Commission (on whether any competition laws have been infringed by agency model pricing).

But earlier this week the US Department of Justice filed papers alleging conspiracy, by Apple and five US publishers, over fixing e-book prices.
Obviously the publishers refuted this and Apple's spokesman denied any collusion.

Now, I'm inclined to accept they didn't actually get together and agree to fix prices- after all they're competitors in one way. But obviously once one publisher does something major, the others are bound to look at it and quickly follow suit without reference to their fellow publishers, just to avoid being put at a disadvantage in the market...

And they probably all share the desire to get one up on Amazon, just to get a little control back...

Three publishers quickly settled with the DoJ and agreed terms- read this piece in the Bookseller explaining.

Meanwhile four publishers have apparently offered a deal to the EC.

While there's a split between those publishers who've agreed to their agency terms being modified, and the remainder who are holding out, surely Amazon will take advantage?

You can read Alison Flood's concerns in the Guardian, 'The Apple ebook price-fixing lawsuit has terrifying implications'.

If your head is spinning from all those links, then you'll find this extensive piece, 'Agency is dead, long live new agency' by Phillip Jones rounding up all the information, with essential quotes and links, plus the implications of these changes, useful.

I can see 2012 is going to prove very interesting...

Commenting Problems Anyone?

A writer friend has let me know that she tried commenting on my blog a number of times and her message wasn't getting through.

So, I've removed the horrid Captcha and put comments on Moderated for the moment. I check my blog regularly so if you comment and you don't see your message after a couple of days please let me know, using the address on the right hand side of the page.

Sadly my blog gets frequent visits from spam websites (hence the moderation for the time-being) even though I don't click on those sites when they appear in my stats.

So thank you for visiting and reading, and I hope to read your comments soon. :)

Some Interesting Results for Historical Fiction...

A few weeks ago- okay perhaps slightly more than a few weeks- I followed a link to a survey on Historical fiction reading. This wasn't aimed at Historical Romance, or writers, it was for Historical Fiction readers generally.

Well the answers have been collated, and it certainly raises some interesting aspects about reading historical fiction, that even romance writers might find useful; many of the answers probably won't be a surprise.

In Mary Tod's survey results, which you'll find in a link on her blog 'A Writer of History-thoughts about writing historical fiction', the responses to the question asking 'Have you always enjoyed historical fiction?' showed (that of the 805 people (of both sexes) who responded to the survey) that 533 had been reading HF since they were a child/teenager.

The most popular reason for reading historical fiction was to "bring the past to life, appreciating how people lived and coped in very different times."
A good example of why getting your novel's setting, and the lifestyle and behaviour of your characters right is important.

And "a great story" was the second popular option...

For the many writers of Medieval and Tudor based stories, you're clearly producing work for the favoured time period.

There's a lot more information to discover including the frequent book or e-book buying preference.

So pop over to Mary's blog and find out more...

Historical Time Periods: Which Do You Prefer?

Over the years I've read novels that have ranged from Roman to Medieval, and on to Victorian times- I've enjoyed some more than others.

In college I studied Ancient History for O'level and when I moved on to A'level History I was starting in the 18thC, and I really couldn't get on with it.

I enjoyed the Victorian section of the course, with all the political change, but the 18thC was my downfall...

So perhaps it wasn't so surprising when my first novel was set in the early Victorian period when a lot of advancements began to take place- the continuing decline of the old horse-drawn coach services and the emergence of railways.

(No it didn't get finished, it only got to 40,000 words. Mainly because I realised there was a big chunk of story that had emerged during the writing, and it had completely changed emphasis- there was a romance developing against the story background which hadn't been intentional.

With that realisation there was the need to change the time period to fit the romance plot.
And I didn't have the knowledge and experience then to know I should just keep going and sort it out later...One day I might get back to sorting it out...)

I like reading novels set in the Regency, but I don't think I could write one. But if you want a source of information then Social Customs During the Regency on the blog for Jane Austen's World, has a lot of links under the numerous topics- too many to list here, and wide ranging.

It was actually my Dorset novel that started to get in the way of that first one, and it hastened the 'put it in a box and move on' moment.

Originally my Dorset novel was going to have a smuggling background, but again the facts and circumstances of the time period interfered- and for certain elements that I needed for my plot, a slightly earlier setting than I'd originally anticipated was essential.

It was during my research for that time span that I finally started to grasp the 18th C.
If I'd been able to approach the 18thC in this way back when I was doing my A'level, I might have got  the 1700's when I needed it...

It's the Weekend and Synopsis...

As it's Easter weekend- and I'm meant to be helping in a big tidy up my hubby has planned- It's only going to be a short post...

If you've ever struggled with writing a synopsis then have a look at the tips given by Nicola Morgan over on her Help! I Need A Publisher blog.

I have her e-book 'Write A Great Synopsis- An Expert Guide' and would recommend it if you are struggling, or don't know where to start.

Have a great weekend and don't eat too much chocolate.

I have to admit one chocolate egg was consumed yesterday afternoon/evening, but it was dark chocolate. :-)

New Role...

I've finally managed to get the computer to myself so I can catch up with all the news. Easter school holidays make writing of any sort difficult.

Last night (Wednesday) was the AGM at Nottingham Writers' Club. Sadly the cold and dreadful weather we had yesterday meant we didn't have too many people turn up, but there were enough attending to elect the Committee and discuss any issues that members wanted to raise.

Like any group it's hard to get people to volunteer for club committees as it is hard work. I started out as Assistant Secretary ten years ago, and progressed to Secretary, then Vice Chairman. Then last night I became Chairman.

It's only for a maximum of three years and if they get fed up with me, they can always elect someone else next April... :-)

I have to say that I've gained a number of skills during the time I've been on the Committee. I've met a number of writers and learnt from every one of them.
My organisational skills have developed- just wish I knew how to transfer that knowledge to a couple of my offspring...

When you work on a committee- any committee- you learn how to work with other people, and
multi-tasking.
Also you gain confidence, not only in yourself, but for dealing with other people.

I'm a different person to the woman who attended her first writers' club meeting eleven years ago, worried about not fitting in, or being good enough to join.

I quickly learnt that I needn't worry on either point.

So if you belong to a writers' group (anywhere in the country) and it's run by a Committee, then consider helping out, without volunteers groups may not be able to carry on.

 You only realise the value of something when it's no longer available...

Romance Terminology-Hero Types...

For any UK reader of Romance novels, who venture into US romance blogs, or reviewing websites there are terms you might not recognise, as well as those you'll be familiar with. So read this ABC of Romance from a few months ago and see which ones you recognise.

Alpha and Beta males are fairly standard. But now you can add Gamma Males. I like this term, as I really think my heroes fit this description. Gamma males are a mix of Alpha and Beta types and for me they can have everything I might want.

Now we like Alpha males (strong, dominant men who take charge), but honestly, I don't think I could live with one all the time and not want to smash him around the head!!!

Likewise Beta males are good (smart, know the value of humour, friendly, but aren't going to throw you over their shoulder and take you back to their lair), but sometimes you might like a little bit of those Alpha  tendencies...

So with a Gamma type you can have the nonthreatening hero who will turn into the decisive, instinctively strong male who will fight to save or protect, when those he cares for are threatened.

Alternatively, your strong man can show a softer side, supporting an unlikely charity, or has a pet that was an abandoned dog, and has now become his shadow...

Would you add any UK terms to the list in the article?

Are there any terms you particularly like or dislike?

Would you define the main types differently?

Yes, you guessed, I'm married to a Gamma type- and wouldn't change him... :-)
(Perhaps that's why most of the heroes in my stories are Gammas too.)

Oddest Book Title of the Year Winner Announced...

It's 'Cooking with Poo' by Saiyuud Diwong - and as I mentioned previously Poo is Thai for crab- but apparently Poo is also the author's nickname, so hence the title.

The winner got 38% of the votes, while the second place title (about the chicken sexer in Hebden Bridge) received 22% of the 1,363 votes.

Sadly the Estonian Sock Patterns that I favoured just couldn't compete with the top two titles, garnering only 12%...

For full results see the Bookseller article here.

So if you want publicity and sales for your non-fiction book, clearly an odd title can have its advantages...

Which Romance Category?

Beside the advice to write about what you know, the other suggestion for undecided writers seems to be to write in the genre you enjoy reading.

While you can't currently go back in time, you can learn about and experience the past in the here and now.
So I can see the logic of the latter. Every writer needs to read within their genre, so they know the requirements of that category, what's had it's time in the spotlight, and other developments.

While I prefer to write historicals, I'm quite happy to read contemporary, or futuristic. I'll even read fantasy- charming vampires, and werewolves.

(But like any book, if the basic plot idea doesn't appeal to me...)

I've experimented with my writing as I've learnt, but no matter when or where I set the story there was always a romance involved.

As a teenager I wrote a romantic saga set in space- there was even a prequel about the parents of my hero. But that didn't have a happy ending- the father died in an air crash during a snow storm...

I can still remember elements of that saga- the hero and heroine's long marriage, numerous children and grandchildren (some were even part alien), but I never kept the hand-written pages. And as I was a bit vague on the scientific theory of futuristic space travel, perhaps it wasn't quite the category for me forty years ago.

Then there's contemporary. I enjoy romances set amidst a mystery or crime- as long as any murders included aren't gruesome, in fact if they are involved then I prefer the murder off the page. I don't want to actually read about it as it happens.

I've always loved history. I'm lucky my family don't mind the occasional trip to historic buildings and places wherever we are on holiday, but too many and I have to go by myself...

Perhaps I've trained my brain to see my characters in an historical setting? They certainly appear in costume; well usually, apart from a character I started developing when I attended Sally Quilford's pocket novel workshop last October. :-)

I have a couple of contemporary characters who popped in last weekend, 'Hal' and his lady- who I discovered is wearing that red and yellow corset I mentioned recently- and why.

I will probably have a use for them when I do the Kate Walker workshop in May.

(If you know of anyone who might be interested and can get to Nottingham on the 19th May, please pass the workshop details on, there are places still available, and it's very affordable.)

Perhaps in the future I'll be able to create contemporary characters, but at the moment the historicals continue to dominate.

Cooking and Kitchens...

My usual weekend baking session went a little awry yesterday- me at home with the evening meal almost ready (I was planning to make the lemon drizzle cake after dinner) when my husband rang to say the car had broken down and they were waiting for the recovery service.

So the cake never got done, so one of my sons got to take chocolate cake in his lunchbox today instead of lemon drizzle cake...Not that he minds, but I'd like some of the chocolate cake for myself.

The cake-making got me thinking about the cooks of the past and how hard it must have been providing food every day, even for a small household.

We take it for granted that we can pop to the shops for a loaf of bread, a pint of milk or half a dozen eggs, but have forgotten how much time and effort those few items would have taken to obtain in the past- and that's before you even start cooking with them.

Quite a few larger homes open to the public now have kitchens you can visit and they're well worth spending a little extra time looking around. They echo the past in a way grander rooms sometimes don't.

A long time ago I lived in a house that had a small pantry in the kitchen, and it had the wonderful stone shelf for keeping food cool. It's such a shame that many of the houses that still have them, often rip them out during kitchen modernisations.


I was brought up in a late Victorian terrace house which still had a small scullery attached to the kitchen- with a view out to the coal bunker... I became quite adept at cleaning the ash out of the living room fireplace and laying a new fire. :-)

You can see an abandoned Victorian kitchen that was discovered in a basement of an old stately home here. Or on a grand scale there's the Tudor Kitchens at Hampton Court Palace.

For some good illustrations of kitchen objects have a look at this website- Old and Interesting.

Shire books has a section, Household Bygones, which has a selection of books- fire grates and ranges, old cooking utensils and table knives and forks among them.

If you want to look at some old recipes or 'Receipts' as they were called, then you'll find 'English Housewifery' by Elizabeth Moxon, on the Gutenberg website, interesting.

If you've visited any old kitchens open to the public, then please share your recommendations for a visit.

Flash Fiction Competitions...

Did you know that there is a National Flash Fiction Day this year?

Well there is. Don't worry you haven't missed it, it isn't until May the 16th, but you can read more about it here on the website.

You'll find a list of competitions on this page too. Most have a closing date of April, so you have time to get your entries in if you're interested.

There's even a blog where you'll find news and discussions.

As I've done a few pieces of flash fiction before I might have a go at some of the competitions listed.

If you want high profile, the Bridport Prize has a section for flash fiction. Their maximum is 250 words, though there is a £6 entry fee; but Bridport is a prestigious competition and wining would be good for the writing CV. (Do note the slightly earlier closing date for this year.)

Flash fiction takes skill, and just like a longer story, 250 words still need a beginning, middle and end. But that shouldn't be hard for a writer...

So if you enter any of the competitions listed, I wish you luck.

If you've written or read any flash fiction, what do you think of it?

Editing and Motherhood...

You may wonder what editing has to do with motherhood, but for me they're interchangeable at the moment.

I'm having a short break from the novel to work on a short story-it's been waiting for me to get back to it for over a year. I knew it wasn't quite right, and I think I was lacking confidence in my ability to produce a saleable story, so the more I tried, the more the story went into reverse or that was how it felt. So I left it, believing it was never going to work.

I've also felt like that whenever I've gone to the parents consultation evenings at school. But yesterday (Wednesday) the milestone of the last ever consultation evening was reached. Never again will I have to go with my long list of teachers to talk to (would I ever get through them all), with my notebook and pen to record the comments from each one, so I could then report back the (correct) details to the appropriate son...

(This is the one aspect of multiple birth families that never gets mentioned in books- parents evenings post primary school are long, tiring and require a lot of brain energy.)

In a few months the GCSE exams will be in full spate- in fact next week it's the art exam. With all the revision classes coming up, stress is building, but there is, as they say, light at the end of the tunnel...

I'm making the most of any calm spells to concentrate on shorter projects, hence the short story editing.

I can now see the light in the story too. The structure problems that I couldn't solve previously are resolving themselves as I change sentences, choose a different word here, adjust a description there, and take lines out- or put them back in.

I'm finally starting to gain that confidence I previously lacked.

I know I'm competing in a tough market with a high standard, so my story will have to be as good as I can make it.

Then it will be up to the sifting readers/editor whether it's a yes or no.

My previous attempts have always received the standard rejection letter, so I can either improve or get the same rejection letter again.

I'll let you know when I finally send it out, and no matter how long I have to wait- and I know it will be months-which type of reply I get. :-)

When Characters Interrupt...

Over the weekend I was being creative- making cakes.

Now I have to say I feel calmer than I usually do on a Monday morning after a few days of not having peace to write-having my other half and teenage children around is not conducive to my ability to concentrate on writing anything.

(My weekend blog post is usually written late Friday night when it's quiet.)

So it was quite unexpected when Sunday morning one of my characters interrupted me while I was brushing my teeth.

Now Jago is a secondary character in my Dorset novel. He is most definitely an alpha male, and he does have his own story, but that's for the future- even though he'd prefer his story done now. But as I don't know all of it he will have to be patient.

In fact his story starts a few weeks after his last appearance in the main novel. I know how he meets the future love of his life; I know her name and some of her back story, but that's about it. It all goes in the notebook specifically for his story.

So there I am, toothbrush whirring in my mouth and Jago springs into my conscious to tell me why he goes against his own rules at the start of his story. It's all to do with his sister.

And then, assured I was eager to go and write this insight down, he strode away, back into that area of my brain where my characters wait and continue developing until I'm ready to work with them.

Now I know to a non-writer all that would sound like I'm a little crazy, but to those of us who write, our characters don't always wait until we're at the keyboard to arrive.

Quite a few of my past characters have popped in to give me information when I'm in the middle of cooking a meal, or doing some other domestic chore.

(A few have even intruded while I've been writing a completely different story.)

So next weekend I'll make sure I've got a notebook and pen handy just in case one of them turns up...

Have any of your characters arrived at an unsuitable or inconvenient moment?

Costume Heaven for the Writer of Historicals...

The Dictionary of Fashion History by Valerie Cumming, C W and P E Cunnington published by Berg (an imprint of Oxford International Publishers Ltd). This is a revised and updated version of the latter two authors dictionary.

(When I saw the cover image of the Victorian, red and yellow corset, close to, one of my future (but unknown) characters flitted by wearing it...)

Now admittedly I do have quite a few books on historical costume on my bookshelves, some are general, other specific to certain time periods such as the 18th or 19th century. But they each have elements that the others don't.

The newer books have beautiful coloured illustrations, which allow you to see detail, while the much older books relied on old illustrations and black and white images to accompany the text. But old copies of books by Phillis and her husband can be very expensive second hand- and I've picked up a couple in charity shops, but still had to pay quite a bit for them.

The updated dictionary gives a general date period, and a description of the garment, sometimes even a relevent quote. I like the mid-19thC term Howling bags, a slang term for trousers which sport a very 'loud' pattern. I've seen some modern trousers that would certainly fit that description!

If you've ever wanted to know what a particular fabric looked like, or what fibres it was made from, then there's an A-Z covering 50 sides; a glossary of laces- again with dates and descriptions, and a page of obsolete colour names.

Now I don't think anyone would question why the (16th C) Yellowish-green Goose-turd became an obsolete colour...

There's a comprehensive Bibliography too- and I do have a few of the books mentioned.

As many of my characters inhabit the 18th and 19th centuries, I can visualize their clothes better and appreciate the effect on their movements, as well as the texture.

In my Dorset novel my heroine sometimes has to wear clothes that are completely different to her normal attire, and I know that when she first puts them on it will feel strange to her...

Ideally I'd go and look at costumes on display, but costume museums are few and quite a distance from me, and won't necessarily have garments from the time period I need. So books, the web and costume postcards are very useful.

If I chose a particular costume item I'd like for using now, it would be a Calash- especially when I've been to the hairdressers and the weather is breezy... :-)

From any century, what item of clothing, footwear or headgear would you choose?

Carol's News Round-Up: March/1

This is it, the first of my new posts covering interesting writing or book related items.

It was International Women's Day last week (8th March) and writer Linda Grant used her Twitter account to discuss the (continuing) need for feminism. She received a very large numbers of tweets and retweets in response, sharing their experiences of sexual discrimination over the years, that proved why the feminist movement was needed.

They are now available to read on a website called A Thousand Reasons. For anyone interested in social history, or wanting an insight into the lives of women in the 20th century, then read the responses- I thoroughly recommend it.

If you are in the UK and want to hear Linda Grant speaking about this, then listen to (14th March) Radio 4's Woman's Hour on the BBC 's Radio IPlayer. Linda's piece is 24 mins 30 seconds into the programme.

~~~~~~~~

The latest trend in the range of social websites is Pinterest. It enables you to pin a pictures from your computer or elsewhere on the web to a virtual pin board, so you can share an interest with other users.

And just to prove it is book related, you can even show book covers...

Now, it's a great idea, but this is one of those times when you really do need to read every term and condition carefully, rather than just clicking 'I accept'. Their copyright section is based in the USA, and they operate with reference to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act- so if you've not seen it then look here.

In Pinterest's indeminity section by signing up, you are agreeing to pay all costs if someone should take legal action for any infringement (despite there being a system in place for notifying of copyright infringement and removal)- as the other section clearly says you're agreeing not to infringe any third party rights, and you have the right to post the images etc.

So if you intend to use Pinterest, make sure the images are yours, or you have permission to use the images and give credit where it's due. I know most of you reading this already know that, but just in case there's anyone who doesn't...

Two quite hefty subjects to start with, but I promise I'll try for shorter items later this month...

A New Type of Blog Post Coming Today...

As those who know me well will tell you, I find useful or interesting news items on books, words or related publishing aspects, and relay them to my writer friends, who may also find them of interest or useful.

Since I joined Twitter I've found a lot more digital sources of opinion and information.

So as part of my rethink, on how I'm blogging and using other social media, I've decided to have a blog post specifically for writing/book related news/issues. Just in case you've missed the pieces on your own travels.

I will probably do this twice a month- dates to be decided- and give you the links to help.

I hope you'll enjoy this and find it useful, and perhaps contribute your thoughts in the comments section, or just say you've enjoyed-or not- reading it...

Deadlines and Decisions...

Over the past few days I've been pondering my Good Housekeeping Novel Competition entry- well my would-be entry that is.

I'm still not happy, and I have to be realistic- as I said last week, I won't submit a sub-standard entry; and at the moment it's not good enough and time is running out- with the closing date the last day of this month, and as entries have to be posted.

 I spent most of February coughing and unable to think due to uncontrolled asthma that had been triggered by the bad chest infection at the end of last year. (I never realised you could develop asthma when you are older.)
I'm still in the process of getting the right inhaler regime for me, but it takes time, and I'm not quite there yet.

I'm not sure how I managed to blog at all last month, considering my brain felt like cotton wool!

In the meantime I still have the rest of the novel to get on with, and that's what I'm going to do for the rest of this year.

As I also have the novella and a few short stories to get on with too, I'm not going to be wasting time.

In a few months I'll be telling you more about the (e-book) anthology in which I have two pieces of flash fiction; one piece under my own name, and the other- historical- under my Serena Lake pen-name.
It's still a work under construction at the moment and I don't yet know the expected date of availability, but when I do, I'll let you know.

And of course, you'll have to meet Serena officially... :-)

Is the Recession Good for Some Writers?

As I was out food shopping today, I noticed more price rises. By making a few changes in my weekly purchases, I can still afford the occasional book- their prices don't seem to be rising the same amount.

In fact, there seems to have been a surge of small pocket type recipe books covering, baking to quick meals, and all aimed at showing the consumer how they can eat well but at reduced cost...

A couple of days ago, I went to a publisher's website intending to browse some cookery books- I'd received an e-mail newsletter.
I came across a few of these pocket type books (to be published very soon) and looked to see who the author was. Well I was a bit taken aback when it said the author was to be announced...

Now it's only my suspicion- but have they rehashed an older work/s, updated it and added some enticing pictures of the completed recipes? Are they looking for a recognisable 'name' to go with it to boost sales?

I could be entirely wrong, but that's the lurking cynic in me!

But when there's a trend that will last for some time (as this recession surely will) publishers are sure to join in. It's business and they're part of it.

For the average (but brilliant :-) ) writer, the current recession is going to be a challenge, when magazines are either paying less than a few years ago, or doing more in-house. Then there's the reduction in short story markets; with the 'only previously published' restrictions implemented by a few...

It means the competition for both previously published, and those trying to get accepted for publication is going to be high.

Even simple things like entering competitions, your writing skills can give you an edge.
E-books are a different matter- especially if you have your own back list. If you've published to Kindle, or other digital outlets, you can control your asking price, up or down; even offer your book free for 24 hours and promote, promote promote.

For many writers these tactics have brought increased sales, so there's income from royalties- but there's no guarantee, and some genres sell better.
Though in long term planning, hopefully many of those readers will go on to buy the writer's other books- and I'm sure it's a good idea to be able to demonstrate a following for your work when you get the interest of a publisher.

The public may not be buying as many tree books, but e-book sales are on the rise, so a little judicious planning by digital authors can pay.

If you have any views on the subject, then you're welcome to share them in the comments section.

Social Marketing -the Talk...

I spent most of Wednesday answering the phone, exchanging e-mails and putting together a hand-out on social media, and a mini talk sheet on blogging, for myself -because the speaker who was booked for Wednesday night at Nottingham Writers' Club was ill, and as I was also going to be the chair that night, I needed to get an alternative arranged.

Aware that writers of all ages and experience need to make the most of current technology, I contacted fellow member David Bowman-writer, e-book publisher, and proficient in social networking-and between us we agreed a format for the evening.

Now my part was very small, I covered blogging, so anyone at the meeting who might be considering a blog would (hopefully) realise that it isn't hard to do and is a great way to start making themselves known. I talked about free blogs, building up followers and the types of posts a writer might use their blog for- such as announcing a competition win, or a short story sale/publication date...

David talked about Facebook and Twitter, and also author websites.

The recommendations that I picked up, relating to Facebook, was keeping your account for personal, fun things, and your writing for your author page- (your name) writer; so book news, links and photos relating to your writing goes only on that page, so your readers go there for the information. And of course if you have different pseudonyms, it makes it easier to distinguish between different genres, if you write in more than one category- so that's more than one writer name for me then.

As I recently joined Twitter and was discovering for myself, hashtags # are not only useful but important; retweeting can be helpful. That there is a fine line between over promotion and sharing good news, so its clearly something that you learn by actually doing once you're on Twitter.

But never underestimate how widely your tweets can be seen. Every tweet seen by your followers, is seen by the followers of each of them- so you never know who and how many will see that interesting piece of information...

Now websites. This was interesting; having a press area that was kept up to date, so the latest press release was available was important. As David explained if a journalist wants to interview you they'll have gone and checked out all the information on your website so they don't need to waste time asking basic questions- which is logical when you consider modern day journalism.

We finally talked about Amazon and e-book ratings, and how a writer promoting their books on Amazon can use these various methods of social marketing to bring potential book buyers to their work, by promotions and free book offers- so get high up in the Amazon rankings and it will enable you to get Amazon to promote your book which could be very useful if you're a relative unknown.

I'd not considered all these various methods being used together to maximise exposure- but then I'm only on stage 2 of my marketing plan at the moment... Yes, apparently you should have a marketing plan.

The words I did take take away from the talk were as follows: politeness; being professional and start this networking before you have the publishing deal...

I've got a long way to go, but at least I've started.

Successful Evening...

Just popping in to let you know I'll be blogging later tomorrow about my part in a talk about social marketing at Nottingham Writers Club this evening, and the information that has encouraged me to expand my social networking this year...

An Antsy Monday...

I usually find it difficult to write on a Monday. Basically it's the start on the week and there's a long to-do list- both writing and domestic. Then there's chores still hanging over from the weekend to complete.

Over the weekend I decided to do some baking and it went very well. Choc chip muffins, lemon drizzle cake and bread and butter pudding were made for individual family members. It's a way to use that creative buzz when there's no quiet to write- and often ideas and characters emerge when I'm cooking.

Then I had a mad urge to defrost the kitchen freezer on Sunday afternoon- there was enough ice to make bricks! In fact some of the pieces are still visible on the grass outside and they haven't melted yet...

I think this is just another part of my gradual process of getting better organised, so I can make the most of the time I do have to write.

My brain is whirling with so many ideas and thoughts at the moment that I can't settle. So I'm going to get through as many things as I can today, so tomorrow I'll be ready to sit down and get on with the important work- writing.

Do you have off days like this? What helps you get back on track?

Infidelity and 'Forced Seduction' in Historical Romance Novels...

I decided to blog about character behaviour after reading a couple of items on the Heroes and Heartbreakers website- they came up on Twitter links; then today I was in my local Waterstones branch glancing through a couple of new romances, and one of them brought these articles to mind.

The issues of infidelity, and 'forced seduction' (so wrong, in so many ways) have more relevance to historical than contemporary romance fiction. And perhaps mostly related to books produced for the US romance market.

A romance novel doesn't have to have a sex scene- or more than one of them- to make a good story with believable characters. But some of those characters will do it- it's part of who they are and it would be daft to deny it.

Personally I consider it's up to the individual  author whether they show that aspects of their characters. In my stories, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. My characters are usually quite clear about that point in their developing relationship.

Women today have freedoms and advantages that their sisters in earlier centuries didn't; so I don't feel it's right to apply modern day thinking to stories set in the past.

So let's start with Infidelity.

Here's Limecello's piece on the H&H website: 'When Going Strange...Isn’t: Adultery in Romance'.

Read any social history of the aristocracy covering 200-300 years ago and you'll quickly discover that infidelity was accepted if it was carried out discreetly. A number of  younger aristocratic children were actually fathered by other men- not the man whose surname they carried through life.

The ideal is fidelity within marriage- I believe in that myself. 

But in the circumstances of the two novels mentioned in the article, I could understand and agree it's not infidelity- when both partners know and agree to the situation for their own reasons.

Yes it goes against my personal view, but I can't impose my morality on another writer's characters/story.
If a storyline offends me, or just doesn't appeal, then I won't buy the book.

'Forced Seduction' is another thing entirely... It truly belongs in the past of the so called Bodice Rippers- horrid description.

Here's a list on Amazon that gives you an idea of some of the titles from the last thirty years- and yes I can confirm that over the years I've read a few of them- especially those by Johanna Lindsey...

Sexual violence against any woman is wrong. Sexual coercion is wrong. Seduction is not coercion.

( I'm not including erotica, bondage and associated preferences in this category, as it's legal and it's between consenting adults.)

I have to say that the line between coercion and seduction can be very thin for some writers. As I saw today when I was looking through the improved romance section in my local Waterstones.

I picked up a book by a US author whose name I recognised (but her stories have not appealed to me previously) and after reading the blurb on the back of the book, I did my standard routine of opening the book a couple of times at random pages and reading on.

Unfortunately I found myself on part of the story where this very thin line between coercion and seduction was on show. Perhaps it was tied up with the author's word choices in that scene, but I decided not to buy it.

Fortunately there are still a lot of good books from both the UK and US on the romance shelves that don't see the need to walk that fine line...

I've Been Tagged and Tweeted...

Just a quick post tonight before my planned post for tomorrow.

Earlier this week I was tagged by writers, Seaview (also a wonderful artist) and Teresa Ashby- thank you both.

Now the idea is to answer 11 questions, create 11 questions and nominate another 11 people to answer those questions, but as all the people I would have tagged have already been taken, I'll have to pass...

And if I answered all 22 questions I will never have anything stunning/amusing/insightful left to reveal (when I finally get my novels published). :-)

Meantime, I've been learning to Tweet and I'm enjoying it- though I doubt I will ever be prolific.

I've discovered how much information there is at my fingertips- and it's fun.

Now I'm off to check up on some info...

Editing: I'm Starting to Understand It Better...

After a few weeks of not writing at all because my brain was in frozen mode (figuratively) while I got some new medication sorted, and the approaching deadline for the Good Housekeeping Novel Competition just over a month away, I was starting to think I may not complete my entry in time for my self-imposed posting deadline of mid-March.

I'm still determined to do it, but I won't send a half-baked entry...

So this week, with brain now defrosted, I'm rewriting Chapter 1-again. My previous attempt was okay, but I'd removed too many things that were (for me) essential in the story set-up. So I've been combining the elements from the two versions I currently have, into one.

Getting the content of my first chapter right is essential to the plot of my novel, without it the main characters would have no motive for their initial actions.

It could be done as a Prologue, but some publishers seem to have an issue with prologues, so for the moment it's chapter one.

As I began rereading, and started to do my standard tidy-up before I moved on to the writing stage I realised my editing process had stepped up another rung of the ladder-compared to a year ago.

I've begun to pick up the smaller niggles which previously I would have missed; so when I've considered, will it cause confusion or jar with the reader? 25% of the time the answer is yes, and I've then resolved it.

For example, using 'endless' to recall his journey wasn't right in the context, as shortly after he had reached the end. So some quick thoughts from my vocabulary, cross-referenced between my big dictionary and my copy of Roget's Thesaurus, I decided which of my possible substitute words worked better- issue resolved.

Perhaps I'm just in analytical mode at the moment, so the editing is easier.

I'm sure that I'll go back to it next week with my writer's head on and make a few other alterations, but that's part of the fun side of writing.

I'm sure every writer has their own editing list, so here's my immediate issues list.

• spelling and grammar- especially get rid of excessive commas, exclamation marks and my personal weakness-ellipsis.
• read it aloud to make sure I've not changed tenses or viewpoint mid-scene.
• clichés-watch out for any that may have slipped through.
• a turn of phrase that sounds too 'current' for my time setting- it may be correct time-wise but still sounds too modern for the 18th/19th C.
• dialogue- does it sound right for that character, for the circumstances they're in at that moment, and does it flow when it needs to flow...
• words repeated too closely together, unless for a specific reason.
• Any inconsistencies.

I'm sure there's more I haven't covered, but that's my current list, and I'm fairly certain (apologies, overused phrases do creep into my blog posts :-) ) that ten years ago I would have only been able to manage one or two of the most obvious ones.

It's important to keep improving. And when I can see I'm improving it also helps my confidence quota. :-)

Do you have any editing blind spots, or words you know you overuse?

Odd Book Titles Voting Time...

Yes it's time to vote (if you're so inclined) for the fun titles in the shortlist for the Diagram Prize, the Oddest Book Title of the Year- for 2011. You can read about it here on the Bookseller website.

"The Diagram Prize for Oddest Book Title of the Year was first awarded in 1978 to Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice""

(The fact that it is still going suggests there's a slightly dippy portion of the population who like it- me included- and authors who are smart...)

I've voted, and have to say it was a tough choice this year. :-)

My personal favourite is the Estonian sock patterns, but I don't expect my choice to win this year, when it's up against titles like 'Cooking with Poo' ( it's actually Crab) or 'The Great Singapore P*nis Panic...' I think the latter is going to rate highly- and it's the only one available in digital format...

For the full list and voting form, go here. You can see the book covers too- which are quite normal, considering the titles.

If you've managed to miss this prize, then you can find out about it's history and discover what the winning book titles from earlier years were actually about, here.

If you're going to be in the running for a fun award, this is it. And you can be sure that it will get publicity and sales for books that wouldn't get much recognition beyond their own circles, or interest groups...

The winner will be announced on the 30th March.

Are you voting?

Early 19th Century Slang Examples...

The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue-  a Dictionary of Buckish Slang, University Wit, an Pickpocket Eloquence by Francis Grose (a soldier) is now available as an e-book on the Project Gutenberg website (*).

There's a short piece in the Telegraph Books section about it's download popularity.

Just reading through a few of the words and their explanations quickly open the world of the past- as long as you remember that not everyone spoke this way all the time, it can start a creative spark for a low-life character, or an immature young man about town- I have a couple of low-life hired men lurking in my brain for a future story...

For the writers among us, we're Brothers of the Quill...Okay, I know we use computers and it should be Sisters of the Quill, but we all know the problems female authors had being taken seriously at that time.

As a left-hander, I'm Caudge-Pawed, but I'm not a Chatter Box- still basically means they talk too much today, as then.

A Cloak Twitcher would suggest a dubious character anyway, and it seems they lurked in dark alleys and lanes to snatch cloaks from passengers- clothes were valuable and a decent cloak would have been expensive to some people.

And how could you describe someone with one eye? They had a single peeper.

There are a lot of words and phrases we'd still recognise now, and others that we may even remember older relatives using.

If it becomes very popular again, who knows what words might start to appear in conversation...:-)

(*) Project Gutenberg works within the American copyright system, so they may have books available to download that are not out of copyright in the UK, so check out any author dates under the Bibrec tab.

Delving into Twitter...

This week I've been considering joining Twitter. A lot of writer friends have told me it's brilliant and worth doing.

It doesn't seem that long ago that I was being encouraged to set up a blog, and that seemed like a mammoth task then too, but once you know the basics...

I know it's much easier once you understand how everything works, just a bit scary at the start- like starting a new exercise class and not really knowing anyone there...But I actually know quite a few people who I can start by following, so perhaps it won't be as daunting as I expect.

I bought Nicola Morgan's 'Tweet Right' e-book and read it straight through- great book for those like me who can do the theory, but get a bit scared of the practical, thinking it will be difficult...

And after further reassurance and useful info from a friend (who has an e-publishing business) I'm ready to do the practical bit...

So, do you have any useful advice you'd be willing to share before I sign up?

It's Monday and Time to Catch Up...

You may have noticed that my usual weekend blog post was missing. Well I was quite ill Friday to Sunday and I spent part of Saturday afternoon waiting to see the emergency doctor, for some breathing problems.

The nasty winter bug that I had late last year has kept coming back and heavier medication has been needed. I'm recovering, slowly, but it hasn't been conductive to doing much of anything over the weekend...

So here's a brief round-up of book news that would have appeared Saturday...

Congratulations to Patsy Collins, who entered a novel writing competition which she'd mentioned on her (very useful) blog, and won. Her novel 'Escape to the Country' will be published in March.
Do play Patsy's short video on the post- it will make you smile...

As last year, a man has made it onto the contenders list for the Romantic Novel of the Year. You can read the list of contenders for each category in the article, or for more detail on the Romantic Novelists Association website.

This year's awards include a new category "The Young Adult Romantic Novel category features protagonists who are teenagers/young adults."

And we can all dream of one day having our novel picked up by Hollywood. As a number of literary adaptions feature in this year's Oscar nominations, you might like to read the thoughts on the subject by five writers who have experienced this. "Hollywood ate my novel: Novelists reveal what it’s like to have their book turned into a movie."

Would you want one of your novels turned into a Hollywood film?

A Chick-Lit Novel Competition...

Thanks to Bertieb a member of the Writers News Talkback forum for highlighting this great competition.

"Novelicious has teamed up with Avon (HarperCollins) and Books and the City (Simon & Schuster UK) to bring you the chick lit event of the year!"

Novelicious Undiscovered 2012 is running this competition for UK residents, and offering some great prizes-a manuscript critique and a Kindle among the goodies for one of the winners.

All you need is the first 3,000 words of your chick-lit novel and you can send it by e-mail, so there's no postage to pay, or entry fee.

If you're outside the UK, already under contract to a publisher, or signed to an agent at the time of entry, you aren't eligible- sorry...

Closing date of the first stage is 3rd of April 2012- so get your first 3,000 words shining and ready to go. You retain the rights to your work too, so this is a good one to go for.

There are various stages, but you can read the details on their main page to see how it will work.

Now as with any competition there are rules and it's always a good idea to read the terms and conditions and understand them completely, so you don't disqualify yourself by making a simple mistake.

Rule 7 is very important. Especially for bloggers/website owners.

The winners are due to be announced on the 26th June, so it's not too long. But like any competition if there's a lot of entries then planned dates can go a little astray.

And if you enter- good luck. :-)

Update on Woman's Own Issue...

Just seen good news on Womag's blog that Woman's Own have sensibly decided to award their proposed short story winner, for their Summer Special,  a monetary prize.

Hopefully the publicity that this incident received will put off any other magazines or organisations considering going down this route- well we can hope...

Woman's Own - Opportunity or Free Copy?

There's a lot of writers commenting on the Woman's Own (WO) Facebook page. If I was signed up to Facebook, I'd have commented too.

They are offering 'budding authors' the chance to submit a story and the best entries will appear in their Summer Special. The piece clearly says 'There is no fee for publication'.

Now this is not a small magazine, it is part of a big company, so why not pay for those chosen stories?

WO stopped their regular fiction slots many years ago when they moved toward the real-life story market- and probably to compete with the flurry of new magazines opening (and selling in high numbers) that concentrated on real-life, celebrities and fashion.

I bought Woman and Woman's Own for years (before the changes) and loved reading the fiction pages. In fact I grew up with them both, along with Woman's Realm...

Many writers, who have left comments on WO's Facebook page, have expressed dismay and have mentioned that the editor and staff expect to be paid for their work, so why not the writers?

WO have not headlined it as a competition with a prize. And their response to criticism has been that readers have asked about writing short stories for them, and that it's not for professional writers...

I don't mean this unkindly, but (sadly) we all know people who think they can write a short story, but don't even know the basics.

(I speak from experience here (a few years ago) when I was the phone contact for the writers club, someone rang me up and it was clear from their remarks that they hadn't checked guidelines, and expected the well-known magazine they were asking about, to automatically accept their story.)

And then there are the inexperienced new writers who see it as an opportunity to be published and don't yet understand about payments and rights- if they understand about these things and want to enter knowing that, then fine, they aren't entering blindfolded.

I'm not against writing for free sometimes. Usually the writer is doing it for a particular reason and are happy to do so, and that's fine too. I've done it myself.

But if a story is good enough to be published in a magazine with a wide circulation, available to buy in major and chain newsagents and corner-shops, then it's good enough for the short story writer to be paid...

So, an opportunity or free copy for the magazine?

Beginning a Novel...

I've been having another rethink on my first chapter, after having tried a slightly different arrangement of words and which character reveals the sad news. But it just doesn't work so I've been rethinking again, and I'm ready to try another version.

So if like me you've ever pondered the start of your novel then you'll probably find this blog post 'What Should be on the First Page of Your Novel?' by Della Galton really helpful.

It reassures me I've got the right things there, I just need to move a few bits around in the chapter and expand some elements...

So version three beckons...

Charles Dickens-What He Means to Me on His Bicentenary...

Charles Dickens

200 years ago on the 7th February 1812, Charles Dickens was born.  There's even a Google doodle to mark the day.

There will be a wreath laying ceremony at Dickens grave in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey- where he was buried in 1870, as well as at his birthplace in Portsmouth.

Among the numerous world-wide events taking place, the Charles Dickens Museum in London  will be open between 12pm and 5pm to celebrate.

Introduction to Dickens will often have been by the films of his stories, Oliver Twist among them, either the 1948 black and white version or the better known colour version from 1968.

Personally I've had an intermittent relationship with Dickens and his novels for the last thirty plus years...

In secondary school my English class read through the play version of Oliver Twist; I took the part of Fagin. And as a member of the choir, one year we performed a number of Lionel Bart's songs from the 1968 version of Oliver for an open evening- and I can still remember a lot of the words...

Great Expectations followed in my O'level English Literature course.

Over the last ten years the spirit of Dickens has been around every time I go to my writers' club. Though we meet in the third generation building on a different site the Nottingham Mechanics hosted one of Dickens' reading tours; as did the hotel where the writers' club celebrated it's 70th anniversary dinner. The link to the great writer in the location was considered...

When you realise many of his works were written as serials for 'news' publications you can appreciate his genius. He didn't have months to write the next episode, his deadlines were very much shorter, and he needed a cliff-hanger each time so the readers would buy the next issue to find out what happened next.

Like all writers he observed the world and the people around him and he wrote what he knew about, however harsh the lives he portrayed, he reflected that reality in his writing.

142 years after his death, people are still buying and reading his books, and television is still dramatising his better known works...

That is a great literary heritage...

Saturday Snow and the Day After...

Usually the East Midlands seems to escape the snow that hits other parts of the country, but this weekend we were in just the right position for a heavy downfall.

As the Met Office and the weather forecasters on the regional news programme warned, Saturday afternoon the snow began to fall. At 3.15pm small flakes of snow began to flutter down from the murky white sky and slowly settle on the chilled ground.

As the evening passed the snow became thicker and faster and the city bus company suspended all services- not good news for anyone wanting to get home...

Eventually the snow stopped after seven and a half hours (and as predicted) there was about 10cm.

Now I've always loved snow. When I was in school, break times and lunch was snowball throwing time with all the other children, whether we were friends or enemies, and as soon as I was home it was outside to make a snowman.
No matter how well wrapped up I was, the snow always permeated my gloves and my fingers got so cold- and as soon as I was indoors in the warm and minus the gloves they came back to life...painfully.

Waking up today everything was so bright.

Starting to melt by mid-morning

But it didn't last long, and the trees soon began to shed their weight in sudden falls or gentle slides, while birds dislodged the snow topping on fences as they landed or skimmed over on their morning quest for food...
Now we're into the turning to ice stage as the night time temperature falls again.

Considering how badly some eastern European countries have been suffering this past week, the UK has escaped lightly.

Now I just need to go and find my boots for Monday morning...

I've Been Interviewed...

Following my donation to writer Steven Chapman in November, who was growing a moustache for the annual Movember fundraising event, Steven offered, as a thank you, the opportunity for his supporters to appear on his website in some form...

As I don't yet have a book to promote I opted for an interview about writing and me.

Actually Steven was trying out his interviewing skills, so I was happy to volunteer. He did brilliantly, so a big thank you, Steven. :-)

So if you want to discover my writing day or how I tried to sell romance to non-romance readers just click the above link and you can read my efforts...

And please leave a comment on Steven's blog if you enjoy the interview.

Reading Books and Symbols...

Last year I decided to make an effort to broaden my range of reading and try books by authors whom friends had said they'd enjoyed.

I start by reading one of the most recent books. If I can't finish the book then it's a bad sign, I won't be reading any more of their books...

One of the books I bought for reading over the Christmas holidays on my e-reader was the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' by Trisha Ashley. And I really enjoyed the tale of a twice bereaved house-sitter who didn't celebrate Christmas, but ended up doing just that and with a happy ending...

Actually I didn't get round to reading it until a couple of weeks ago, as once I'm in historical romance writing mode I will only read contemporary. And likewise if I'm trying to write a modern story, I'll happily immerse myself in an historical.

So my latest purchase is Trisha Ashley's, 'Chocolate Wishes'. I'm looking forward to finding out about Chloe and her former love, Raffy, an ex-rock star who is now a vicar...

But I was surprised to see some strange symbols on the back cover- the paperback is an HarperCollins Avon imprint.

I'd never seen these Content Guide symbols before, so I was intrigued to look closer and see what they meant.

Now 'Chocolate Wishes' has four symbols: linked hands which indicates Friendship; a statuette- think Oscar and you've got a good idea- which means Drama; a heart within a heart which obviously represents Love and a box with a tissue poking out to indicate Tear-jerker.

(It doesn't feature in this book, but the symbol for Sex is what looks like lace-edged knickers... :-))

Unlike age rating on Children's books that some publishers started to use a few years ago, I'm inclined to think this type of Content Guide is quite a good idea.

I know cover design and the blurb will often indicate what sort of book it is, but it can sometimes be a bit difficult to tell when the latest trend in cover design changes to something completely different and slightly...obscure.

I know that many readers of historical romances prefer novels without sex scenes, so I think content symbols would be very useful in this situation.

Have you read any books that use similar content symbols, and what do you think about their use?

Sleeping On It...

The last few days I've been trying to resolve a couple of issues.

I've been pondering how I can resolve the start of my Dorset novel without losing the elements I have that work and are needed- immediate setting and character elements. But those I don't want to lose, if I can absolutely avoid it, for getting that opening impact...

The deadline for the Good Housekeeping Novel Competition is the end of March, so I must get on with the changes I know I need, but as often happens another piece of writing is getting in the way...

So as I've settled down to sleep the last three or four nights I've told my mind to concentrate on the first chapter problem and forget anything else- repeating it two or three times as I relax.

And yes, my sub-conscious has sorted it out. I now know where I'm going...

Then strangely enough this afternoon as I sat looking at my computer screen just wondering if I could work out why I couldn't find the final 70 words for solving Jason's problem (this was the other piece of writing that I was supposed to forget).

It suddenly struck me that it was because Jason was in the wrong place. Yes the cabin had a bed in it, but there was no room for anyone to hide. But, if it was just a bedroom then I could add a dressing room and the problem could be resolved within my word limit.

Now you've probably guessed, that as I solved that issue and completed the 'story' in the 200 words allowed, I realised it's actually another 'inspiration scene' that will have to go into my story ideas folder for future development...

Just proves what happens when you sleep on it...

News of a Writing Romantic Fiction Workshop...

As I've been talking about romance novels in e-books this week, I thought you might like to know that there's a Writing Romantic Fiction workshop being held in Nottingham on Saturday 19th May,
10 am-4pm (including a 1 hour lunch break).

Nottingham Writers' Club is hosting the workshop and the tutor for the day is Mills and Boon Presents author, Kate Walker.

Kate had her first novel accepted in 1984
and celebrated 25 years as a professional author in 2010.

Kate Walker

Here are some details of what the workshop will include...

It gives an introduction to all the skills needed for success, from initial research to the final submission of the typescript. With advice and exercises, Kate will guide you through creating realistic characters, sustaining pace and conflict, packing emotional punch, writing sex scenes and crafting a satisfying ending. If you're just starting out writing romantic fiction or you've written a manuscript or two, this one is for you.

The workshop also covers the main aspects of writing romantic fiction that from her experience of teaching over the years seem to create the most problems for unpublished writers.

(Information courtesy of  Kate Walker and Nottingham Writers' Club)

If you're within travelling distance of Nottingham and are interested then you'll find the details here .

There's a (PDF) booking form with the details of how much it costs, and it's easy to download and print off.

I'm really looking forward to the day...

New source of E-Book Romances...

More publishers are expanding their market for romance novels in e-book form.

Last September Random House's Ebury imprint launched Rouge- their digital romance list. Books went straight to digital rather than the traditional print copy first.

Now Piatkus is launching Entice, their digital romance list with some books moving to print versions later.
Other romance sub-genres will follow, so there will be something for everyone who loves 'romance'.

A number of popular romance novelists whose books are published in the US, have had UK editions with Piatkus- they're the larger size paperbacks you see in the Romance section shelves of Waterstones. Among them authors Stephanie Laurens (who was a Mills and Boon historical author for a number of years), Jayne Ann Krentz and Mary Balogh.

Besides reissues, it looks like it is going to be an influx of books by American authors, but just as it seems to be difficult for a UK romance author to get their books published in an American edition, it's probably just as difficult the other way round too.

The romance reader is certainly going to have a lot to choose from. But is it neccesarily going to be good for the unpublished romance writers in the UK?

It will be interesting to see what happens...

A Sweet Award...

I want to say a big thank you to Rosemary Gemmell who has awarded me the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award.

These awards are a great way of making new friends and learning a lot from other bloggers.

Now the picture alone makes me feel hungry-which is not good when I'm trying to lose weight...:-)

So before I pass the award on, I have to find 7 things you may not know about me...

1. When I was in the Brownies, I was an Imp. I only got to be the Sixer about three months before I had to go up to the Guides.

2. I have Maltese ancestry.

3. I once got lost on a day trip (as a child) and was found watching a Punch and Judy show by the Cutty Sark- the Tea Clipper in dry dock at Greenwich.

4. I went on a camping holiday with my triplets when they were only 7-8 months old- this could explain why they don't like camping...:-)

5. As it's the start of the Chinese New Year- I'm a Pig/Boar.

6. My ears are not pierced- I wear clip earrings.

7. I was in the choir at Secondary School. Sadly I can no longer hit high notes...

Now here are my nominees for the Sweet Blog Award:

Scribbler Maxi's Musings

The Blogathon Challenge

StForce's Writing Blog

SK Adams

A Likely Story

KDP Select- Is it For You?

I know a few writers who have put their Kindle Direct Publishing books into this scheme and have seen a good response to their fiction and have recommended it.

But is it worth signing your KDP book up to the Amazon.com lending scheme?

If you haven't heard of the scheme or have and aren't sure if it's for you, then you'll find this article by author Caroline McCray (on the Publishing Perspectives website) a useful introduction.

Basically you are taking part in a lending scheme. US Amazon Prime members can borrow a book once a month and if it's your book you will get money from the Kindle Owners Lending Library Fund-you need to read how this is worked out.

But like everything, with advantages there are also disadvantages...

You have to offer exclusivity to KDP Select. So if you sell your e-book via your website, Smashwords or any other place, you'll not be able to for the 90 days you're signed up to KDP Select.
If you are selling your book in a hard copy, or any other (non-digital) format, you don't have the same restriction on selling elsewhere.

I can see that the scheme would mean your work would reach a wider audience- and we all know how word of mouth can sell books- but you can't absolutely guarantee it will result in more sales. For many it has, but there are probably books that don't or get very few.

It could be seen in some eyes as Amazon having found another method of dominating the book market.
But, when even agented (new) writers are not being taken on, because publishers seem to be wanting 'exceptional' books, you can't blame a writer for doing whatever they can to get their books to willing readers...

Best Laid Plans and Words..

This week just hasn't gone as I planned.

The plan for this week was: Monday- do any admin and any other outstanding tasks; Tuesday and Wednesday- concentrate on my Dorset novel.

Unfortunately one of my sons developed a bad infection in his injured knee-the result of  a slide on the AstroTurf in P.E last Friday. It was serious enough to need antibiotics, and of course he then experienced a few of the known side effects of the medication, usually whenever he moved about- dizziness and nausea. So he was home and I just couldn't concentrate as much as I needed to, when my brain was in worrying Mum mode rather than Writer mode...

This week was also manuscript night at the local writers' club.

I always enjoy hearing other writers' work, and Wednesday night's manuscript meeting turned into an interesting evening. A club competition judge had told a member that her monologue was not a monologue, but a story, and she wanted to know why her entry (that was then read out) wasn't the monologue she believed she'd written.

One of the long term members Phil C. suggested a brilliant description of what a monologue is- he calls it a 'think-alogue'.

I was leading the meeting last night, and was fortunate that everyone joined in, giving helpful feedback to the members reading their work (especially when they had specific knowledge of a targeted publication, subject or of a genre) and willingly sharing their insights.

Writers' groups don't suit everyone, but I know that I've learnt a great deal over the years from published members and visiting writers alike. Being able to enter competitions- especially in the first few years- where my efforts were among 8-14+ others, I didn't feel as intimidated and put off trying something that I might not have attempted without that impetus.

It's all about progressing as a writer and gaining confidence in your abilities, and it does take time.

Even now I'm still learning...

The Dreaded Synopsis-There's Hope For Me Yet...

If you've been following the tale of my Dorset novel, you may know that among the comments I received back from the judge of the competition (at my writers' club) the synopsis was mentioned.

I've always known that you had to include what actually happens at the end of the story- no, will Jean triumph in her battle of wills with Albert? You have to say if Jean does succeed or not. (No, Jean and Albert do not feature in my synopsis. :-) )

Then there's the issue of which type of synopsis- basic or detailed?

I'd gone for the more detailed type, when a basic version would have been fine. (Though even my detailed version I submitted, I'd edited down a bit.)

So looking at my synopsis I'd included the right things, but added in a lot more I didn't really need- but it did show me my plot hung together, so it wasn't wasted and I can refer back when needed.

 The main reminder for the new synopsis- 'broader brushstrokes'.

And this happily leads me to a new e-book coming out at the end of the week, 'Write a Great Synopsis' by Nicola Morgan. You may have read her Help! I Need a Publisher! blog- if you haven't, you're missing out on interesting posts.

I was very fortunate to get an early copy of Nicola's latest e-book to read, and I did, straight through. At the end my response was, 'so that's how you do it'. It really was like blinkers being removed and realising the synopsis is not scary at all.

It takes you from the basics- what is a synopsis? Through to how to write one, and even includes a section on synopsis for non-fiction. But the part I found really useful were the examples of a couple of synopsis from before and after.

I rarely recommend books to other people unless I'm really enthusiastic about them myself, as I am about this one. For any writer who has ever worried about writing a synopsis, stop worrying and buy this book as soon as it's available- you won't regret it. :-)

Now I need to get back to Dorset...

Non-Fiction, Apostrophes and Sad News...

It's been a while since I did a round up of interesting items I've come across while scanning the literary news, so here are a few links for this weekend...

I came across a short piece on the Bookseller website about the 'stand-out' books commissioning editors are looking for this year.
The Andrew Lownie literary agency have the views of twenty editors on what they are hoping for this year in non-fiction.

* * *

Apostrophes- especially when they're missing or in the wrong place completely.

Well there's been mixed views on bookseller Waterstone's intention to drop the apostrophe in their name. Managing Director James Daunt said that it was "a more versatile and practical spelling" for the digital age of e-mails and URLs.

You can test your skills with apostrophes at the start of  Philip Hensher's article 'Leave the apostrophe alone – it makes sense' in the Telegraph online. Admittedly now that Waterstones is no longer owned and run by its founder Tim Waterstone, the remaining bookstores are technically Waterstones...

And after all the comments about them changing the big W to a small w in 2010...Well they're going back to the big W.

* * *

Sadly, the death has been announced of crime writer Reginald Hill. His Dalziel and Pascoe characters were brought to the screen by actors Warren Clarke and Colin Buchanan.

Though I haven't read any of his books (crime fiction not being my preference) I tried not to miss Dalziel and Pascoe when it was on the BBC.

What was probably unknown by many (including me) was that he wrote other work using a number of pseudonyms.

Feedback is Important...

As you may know I've been waiting to hear what comments judge Sue Moorcroft wrote about my romance novel entry that won me the Nottingham Writers' Club  Romance novel trophy, late last year.
 (This was just the synopsis and first three chapters submitted.)

Well today I got the comments in the post (thanks to the club Prose Secretary, Christine).

Now I was stunned to win the award in the first place, so I was even more amazed when I read the judge's comments.

Like any feedback there are things I can do to improve the work, and there are certainly a number of those comments- many of which I was aware of, having had time away from the novel.

So I hope you and Sue don't mind me mentioning the really good comments. :-)

It has a "Thomas Hardy-esque plot" and the really pleasing bit for me, was this: "I get the feeling that I'll never be bored or find the action lacking. The writer has a good way with pace and momentum."

The dialogue 'shines out.'

And I've demonstrated 'excellent viewpoint control.'

"This is a promising opening, heavy on plot, pace and focus, and demonstrating a feeling for the nuances of craft."

The comments on the synopsis were as I expected, it was a bit more of a detailed synopsis (outline) than the basic version needed. (I know a good book to help sort that out.)

The feedback has certainly confirmed a few areas that I need to work on- as already mentioned.

The other less obvious value of the comments is this: confirmation of how much I've improved my writing skills, so I know my novel is progressing in the right direction.

Stand Alone or Serial Romance?

I've read a lot of romance novels over the years (apologies for the cliché) and they've been a mixture of both types of books.

Every novel should stand alone even if it is one of a series-who wants to have to read half a dozen books to find out what happened with everyone else, to make sense of the current book?

I know Mills and Boon Presents often had mini series- brothers, a set of close friends (male or female)- characters from one book popped up in a secondary role in the others in the series.

Certainly some (originally) US published historical romances I've read, and enjoyed have followed family groups- Jo Beverley's, Mallorens, Stephanie Laurens',Cynsters, and Johanna Lindsey's Malory family stories. And some times you do need the family tree the authors' provided (in the books or on their websites) just to keep the relationships straight in your head...

I've lost count of how many Regency spying groups there's been with anything from four heroes up to half a dozen. Sadly I think that category has been over-used...But they're fun to re-read.

Perhaps it's the influence of all these books over the years, but my novel does have a secondary character who has his own story too, and his lady love has an interesting brother... But that's for sometime in the future when the current novel is complete.

I don't read as many contemporary romance novels as I should- I have a few on my e-reader to get on with-so perhaps these are more stand alone.

Or is this one of the difference between the categories, or even between romances published in the UK and the US?

As a reader, do you prefer single novels, or do you like to read a follow-on novel centred on one of the secondary characters from the previous book?

Promoting Your Characters...

Now we all know that promoting your latest book is very important for sales (and future books perhaps), but have you considered promoting your character as a way of getting interest in your book?

Writer Rosalie Warren has started promoting her new fictional character from a ghostly tale- MarieT's story is about her upbringing by sisters/nuns, who may be ghosts...

She has her own Twitter handle @MarieTGhost and a blog Brought Up By Ghosts

Now perhaps this is something that is much more effective for children's/YA fiction. But do you think it would work for other genres?

We all know that writers need to use social media to promote their work, and I think this is quite a fun and different way to do it, engaging potential readers.

So what do you think of this? Would you try it, or do you think it might not work as well as usual social media methods?

Personally, it's an interesting idea...

Novel or Short Story...

At the moment my brain is in novel, rather than short story mode. Though I find that when I'm working on longer pieces my new ideas seem to be short story related, and vice-versa.

As I mentioned previously I've been getting on with combining all the information on my characters for my novel (before I rewrite Chapter 1) and it's been helped along by using the odd twenty minutes or an hour (as available) working on the information, between other tasks.

(I'm still waiting for the competition comments- but I hope to get them from the prose secretary via the post, soon.)

While I can't write the novel without quiet, I've discovered that combining the scattered information doesn't need the same depth of concentration as actually writing the story does; so I'm making a little more progress than I expected. And the list of questions I'm answering has given me some insights into my characters that I wasn't previously aware of.

So meanwhile, my short story attempts are on hold, but I'll certainly be making a note of this useful blog post by Sally Quilford, 'The Key Elements of a Short Story', so I can check I'm not missing something when I get back to them...

Planning for My Novel...

This is actually the first Christmas/New Year holiday when I've had any quiet time to write.

As my Dorset novel is going to be getting attention this year, I decided to repeat the useful planning I did earlier in 2011 for my novella- character sheets and chapter outlines.

It's not that I don't have this information, its just not in one concise form that's easy to refer to- it's on bits of paper, in notebooks and the synopsis and first three chapters.

So I decided to start with getting all my character sheets together, and actually completed about three hours-before the computer got taken over for editing photos by my OH...

I've been using the Character Fact List from 'The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing' and found it really helpful for my novella characters.

So knowing my novel characters still had weak spots, it was surprising to realise that over the last twelve months a lot of my hero's grey areas had finally emerged from the gloom, and I now only had minor points to clarify.

My hero Marcus, has always been much clearer than his love interest, as so often my hero is the first character to step forward when I have an idea. But I think that's just how characters develop for me.

As for my chapter outlines, I do think I'll need to jiggle a few bits about, as aspects of my plot have developed in an interesting- and probably more exciting- way.

(I used to be amazed how a writer could have the whole story in their mind before they began writing, but now I can see how it works.) 

There are aspects of the plot that I haven't resolved yet, but if it works like it did with similar aspects in the novella, then I'm not too worried about sorting them when I get to them.

On Wednesday I hope to have the comments back for the synopsis and first three chapters of this novel- which won the NWC Romance Novel trophy in December.
I'm prepared for the bad bits as well as the good...

Happy New Year...

Just a quick post to wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR and a successful 2012 for whatever you do.