The Riddle of Writing

The Last Summer by Judith Kinghorn - sweeping historical romance

2012-01-26T14:40:00.000-08:00

I read the paperback version of this which had a different cover showing a large country house, but I don't think that is out in shops yet. (I got it from Amazon Vine) But you can pre-order!

I read it on a train to London, and it took me two journeys to demolish it - a substantial novel then.

The Last Summer is set during the beginnings of World War I and tells the story of Clarissa, who loses her luxurious lifestyle and her home during the book.Impeccably written and well-researched this is an atmospheric and haunting read. It takes the reader from languorous summer days by the lake on a country estate to the horror of the trenches with equal aplomb.

The love story at its heart unfolds over sixteen years or so, so this is no flash in the pan romance but the real thing. Judith Kinghorn skilfully navigates our journey through love and loss, and despite the fact the reader knows that Clarissa and Tom must somehow find the inevitable happy ending the tension is nicely built through all the different episodes.Part of the story unfolds through letters which hold a secret not revealed until the end.

The social and historical background feels real. Clarissa's journey from society debutante to independent woman who wants to work for herself must be the journey many women took in this period and the book highlights this nicely. The back of the novel says it was "the end of a belle epoque" and Clarissa senses this before it is made real to her through the events in the story. People have likened this book to Downton Abbey, but it is not quite as cosy. Death and duty are here too, and the stifling repression of the moneyed classes.

This is a perfect balance of romance and grit, by a great new writer. Don't miss it.

Bringing your inner artist to heel - the long haul

2012-01-18T02:53:00.000-08:00

Last week I read a great article in the Guardian called "unleash your inner artist" in which well-respected artists from different disciplines told the reader what inspired them. Each had ideas for setting the right conditions, and they varied from "Find a studio with more than one window" to "go on a journey with someone who is as different from you as chalk from cheese".

As a writer I have no trouble at all finding inspiration. I could start twenty books tomorrow. But the question is, could I sustain them? Never mind unleashing the inner artist, how do I bring it to heel?

For novelists, most of their work of their first draft happens in the middle of the book. For me the pattern looks a little like this:

Inspiration! (The beginning! I write feverishly.)
Hard graft,
H a r d G r a f t,
H a r d G r a f t,
H a r d G r a f t,
H a r d G r a f t
Aha! The End is in sight.
The End - breathes a sigh of relief.

So a lot of the trick of it is about keeping inspired through the long middle. The characters or subject must have viability for the long haul, and be fascinating enough to sustain my interest over the eighteen months it takes me to research and write the book.

One of the best quotes in the Guardian article was from Guy Garvey, singer/guitarist with Elbow, who quoted in turn some advice he'd been given by songwriter Mano McLaughlin.

"The song is all, he said. Don't worry about what the music sounds like; you have a responsibility to the song. I found that really inspiring: it reminded me not to worry about whether a song sounds cool or fits with everything we've done before - but just to let the song be what it is."

When I start out I have an idea of what the book will be.As I approach the middle I realise that the book is moving away from my vision of it. I try to bring it back. It persists in going its own way. Much of the hard graft in the middle of the book is about the battle between my control of the story and my imagination which wants to take a looser journey.Somewhere near the end of the hard graft phase I realise I have to "let the song be what it is" and allow the story that wants to be told to have free rein. Just about then, I glimpse the end.

Subsequent drafts are about letting go of previous rigid ideas that I had about what my book might be, and who I might be as a writer. I have had to let go of ideas that I might be a) as brillliant and respected as Hilary Mantel b) as popular and best-selling as Dan Brown c) about to be tipped as the next TV book club read, or d) the ground-breaking quirky new voice of the 21st century.

You might have to do the same. Maybe you thought it was literary fiction, until you found you had written a fast-moving convoluted thriller with a crazed psychopath. Maybe you thought you would like to write a romance, until you found it impossible to force those love scenes and ended up with a murder instead.Maybe you became so interested in the motivations of your central couple that the plot never happened and it became a meditation instead and you found you had written a literary novella.

I write historical fiction so here are my top tips for inspiring myself in the long haul.
Surprise, surprise, they all involve leaving the computer and going out, and none of them are hard-line research. They are what I call "dabbling."

Browse your subject in a second-hand bookshop.Don't rush, allow lots of time for diversions.

Wander round a place your character might have lived.

Look up his/her name on Ancestry.com and find out what his/her namesakes did

Go horse-riding. (In my books most people travel by horse)

Go to an Antique shop, auction or museum and handle objects from the period.

Find a spot to daydream about your book and make a point of allowing time for the mind to drift.

Let the song be what it is.

Three old trades - trunk-maker, wheelwright and hawker

2012-01-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Whilst researching The Gilded Lily, and London low-life of the 17th century, I was often impressed by how labour-intensive simple manufacturing was, before the industrial revolution, and also how ideas of ethical ways of making a living have shifted over the centuries. I thought I'd share some of the trades that are now almost lost to us in England.

The Trunk-Maker
A trunk-maker made trunks, chests, portmanteaux and cases for holding knifes or weaponry. He needed to be skilled in woodworking, metalwork and leatherwork in order to carry out his craft. So that although it was not highly regarded, he must have had to master a number of different skills.The wood needed to be shaped in the same way a barrel-maker made barrels, and then the structure covered with horse or sealskin with the hair left on, or hide tanned in the tannery. To stretch the leather over the wooden frame it was first boiled and pummelled with a mallet to soften it. Once it was stretched over, metal bands secured the whole thing in place. The bands were heated in the fire and hammered and nailed on. Travelling trunks had rings to strap or chain them before or behind the carriage. Portmanteaux and buckets were made solely of leather. The Portmanteaux carried linen clothing or hats, gloves and stockings, and could be shaped to sit over the horses back or attach to the saddle. Buckets for watering horses, or carrying other liquids were also stitched together by hand and then sealed with rabbit-skin glue and the seams greased to make them watertight.

The Wheelwright
The wheelwright made wheels for road-waggons, carriages and carts.This is why the name "Wheeler" was quite common. I used the name Wheeler in The Lady's Slipper for one of my characters who I felt 'turned' from his original ideals. When making a wheel, it consisted of several parts.There was the nave or centrepiece, a circular wooden boss, and the spokes which were inserted into the nave, and also into the fellies or outside rim of the wheel. An iron tyre was fitted to the outside edge whilst red hot so that it moulded well, and also so that it burnt a small depression into the wood.This made it lay flat with the wood and roll easily.Considerable strength was required to bend the wood to make the fellies, and for the stretching of the iron band around the rim. Picture and more information about wheelwrights from
http://apetcher2.blogspot.com/2011/03/life-in-year-3rd-february-worshipful.html

The Hawker

A street seller of birds called himself a "hawker" from which we get the name for any person who travels door to door selling his wares.There is evidence that goldfinches were caught just outside London at Chalk Farm (then an actual farm rather than a Tube station!) and also at Finchley. Goldfinches were favoured because they looked pretty and lived the longest of caged birds - about fifteen or sixteen years, and were therefore better value than the average bird which survived three to nine years in captivity.Birds were also sold in bird shops, where as many as five hundred birds could be displayed. The hawkers skill was to catch the birds by means of a bird net fastened to the ground by stars - iron pins - and open at one end. A caged call-bird was put in the middle of the net. Hours went into the training of this decoy.The bird was trained to sing loudly to attract other birds, and when sufficient birds had congregated under the net the catcher pulled a line and the net fell.Birds were caught and sold for their song especially in London, where bird-song was prized. Linnets were very popular, but catching them was cold work as it could only be done in winter. Thrushes nests were plundered for their eggs, and the fledgelings were hand-reared in country cottages specifically for sale to the hawkers who would then sell them on at a profit.

Birds and cage images from http://www.christmasballs.com and http://allaboutbirds.com

Writing an Icon - an unusual art

2011-12-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

I was reading in our free Parish Magazine that one of the nuns from our local monastery has been commissioned to write an icon for the local church. Of course it is a painting, but the terminology for producing a religious icon is to "write" it. I wondered why the word "writing" was used, so I did a little investigation.

An icon (from the Greek eikon - an image) is like a picture, but is not supposed to be an actual representation of the person, more like a window into our understanding of the qualities that the saint or holy person represents, and a window into our own soul and relationship with God. An icon can be compared to a carefully constructed poem. Every element, like a word in a poem, fits very concisely and precisely to add to the overall meaning and harmony of the whole.

Each icon is supposed to be unique and written with a prayerful attitude, requiring many hours of painstaking work, including contemplating the symbolism of that particular saint.

"It's very important to be at peace with yourself and with the world around you. Writing an icon is a form of prayer. Each brushstroke is like a form of meditation. You have to have that inner peace. Otherwise, you can't do it." Maria Leontovitsh Manley, icon painter.

Not all icons are portraits, although this is the most common form. Above - a 12th Century Icon showing monks ascending a ladder to a welcoming Jesus. Note the devils trying to pull them off!

Nothing artificial is used in the production of an icon, which is usually painted on a wood panel that represents the Tree of Life or the Tree of Knowledge, and sometimes it is called an ark to recall the Ark of the Covenant.

The board is covered with linen cloth which represents the shroud of Jesus and then the whole thing is painted with gesso and egg tempera in the required design. On the right is the earliest known icon of Christ from the 6th century.

Colour plays an important role in the design. Red represents divine life, and blue human life, whilst white is the pure essence of God, only used in resurrection and transmigration scenes. If you look at icons of Jesus and Mary, often Jesus wears red undergarments with a blue outer (God become human) and Mary wears a blue undergarment with a red overgarment (human granted holy gift by God).

Often elaborate gilding is used, made from real 24 carat gold leaf. Gold, which does not tarnish is supposed to represent the Holy Spirit, or breath of life, because you have to breathe on the fine gold leaf to get it to settle into the glue before it can be burnished to a high shine.

There is a specific order to writing the icon: from the most general space (background) to the most specific (the face).

In an interview with iconographer Marek Csarnecki he says:

"There is a pragmatic reason for painting the face last. Although the face is the most important part of the icon, every detail in the icon is part of the transfigured reality, and has to receive the same level of focus and attention. Experience has shown me that if I start with the face, I obsessively work on it to the detriment of the rest of the icon, and it loses its overall harmony or wholeness and develops lopsided.
It’s best to work from the outside to the inside, giving every aspect of the work its due. Painting the face first is like having dessert before dinner. You might lose your appetite for the rest of the meal."

I had no idea icons were so complex, or that they had such a rich history and tradition. I am looking forward to seeing what Sister Mary Stella writes for our local church. Apparently her icon will be of Saint Oswald and St Aidan (The patron saint of the local church and St Aidan has links to the North of England.)

Pictures are from wikipedia commons.

Unputdownable - The Courtesan's Lover by Gabrielle Kimm

2011-12-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

The Courtesan's Lover is exactly the sort of book to keep you occupied over Christmas as you sip mulled wine before a cosy fire. In fact I would liken it to mulled wine - rich, deep and satisfying!

Set in a beautifully realised Renaissance Italy, it tells the story of Francesca Felizzi, a wealthy courtesan, who decides to 'go straight.' The first section of the book shows us her life as a courtesan - the glamour and the potential danger are neatly interwoven. For the book to work this part has to be believable and the author spends some time setting this up, so we understand just what a courtesan's life would have been like, right down to how a citrus fruit is used as a contraceptive device!.The setting of Napoli is impeccably researched; the nitty-gritty of Francesca's business is described frankly, but there is nothing here that would shock the average reader.

Once Francesca falls in love, the rest of the book is concerned with how her former clients interact with each other, and how each past encounter now poses a danger to the one true relationship in her life. The reader is kept on tenterhooks wondering which of her lovers will betray her. There are plenty of colourful characters, not least her servant Modesto, a eunuch, whose plight is both touching and sad. There can be few books that examine the tragedy of these young boys whose voices were preserved by the worst kind of intervention.

There is plenty of danger to add spice to this romance.
We fear for Francesca's life when she entertains the sadistic Michele - the client from hell, and fear for her daughters at the hands of the irrational Carlo, her lover's son. Gabrielle Kimm racks up the tension and the pace so it builds nicely to its conclusion.

The Courtesan's Lover is a well-written pageturner, a good old fashioned story with action, romance and a sumptuous setting. Very highly recommended.

The UK Historical Writers Association Dinner

2011-12-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

How much noise do fifty writers make when they are gathered together for dinner? The answer is - it's deafening! It could be that we are desperate to speak after staring at our computer screens and notepads in our solitary imaginary worlds, or it could be that historical fiction writers are just loud, but lip-reading skills would have certainly been a bonus!

On the way in to The Westbourne I got chatting with Cassandra Clark, who then introduced me to more people. It was hard to read everyone's name-badges, without missing chunks of the conversation, but over drinks we spoke of agents good and bad, of promotional postcards, and booksignings, and the fact that some plots never seem to go where we want them to go. In short, lovely to share experiences and know that others are travelling the same path.

When we finally say down to dinner and people were eating, the noise abated enough for us to have a proper conversation. I was seated at one of the smaller tables along with what I shall call the "Roman cohort". I found out some interesting facts about roman armour from Lindsay Powell - that it was chain mail, or individually made, not always the plate armour we see in films, and as an added bonus he filled us in on not-so-ancient American politics.

Also on my table was Ben Kane, who not only writes best-sellers but seems to be a great organiser,as it was he who had master-minded the evening. Ruth Downie was opposite me, all the way from Devon, and it was interesting to hear that she has the same trouble with slaves in her books as I have with servants and chaperones. We have to get rid of them if we want a scene to be between just two people, and then bring them back whenever the character needs to go anywhere.

Gabrielle Kimm was next to me and we already know each other from a long while back when we were both short-listed for the same prize. (Neither of us won, but it made us friends.) I had her latest book with me to persuade her to sign it for me, and on the way home I finished reading it, so a review is coming soon.

What was going on at the other tables I have no idea, but looking over my

shoulder it seemed everyone was engrossed in conversation with somebody. Thanks to Stella for her warm welcome. It was lovely to meet all those writers. And thanks to everyone I met for a great evening. At the top are the books of the folks I met, if you are looking for a Christmas present for someone, why not choose one of these....

Find out more about the Association:

http://www.thehwa.co.uk/

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

2011-11-30T02:11:00.000-08:00

For the time of year you can't do better than this stunning debut by Eowyn Ivey. The Snow Child is a beautifully written novel of longing and loss, and the battle of human beings to make their place at the edge of habitable nature.

In the wilds of Alaska Jack and Mabel build a snowman - a girl - on the night of the first snowfall. After this a little girl mysteriously enters their life. From the book I gather the Russian myth of the snow girl was collected by Arthur Ransome (of Swallows and Amazon's fame), and this myth has been skilfully interleaved with the narrative in Ivey's book.

The tale borders on the mythic and shifts between what is real and what is imaginary, and this is what gives it its uncanny power. The snow child herself is like nature, not easily tamed, and for most of the book we are not sure whether they are taming the girl or nature herself. For example Jack and Mabel's speech is in speech marks, but the snow girl's is not. This gives a sense in which we almost imagine we are hearing her voice, that it half-blends with the background. Masterful.

The book portrays the realities of survival, the killing of animals and the sheer hard work with an unflinching eye as Jack and Mabel eke out an existence where neighbours can mean the difference between survival and failure. I enjoyed Esther and George, the rumbustious neighbours, and the portrayal of Garrett, the boy who turns into a man before our eyes.

For me the star of the book is the landscape, reflected beautifully in the bare-boned prose.

Very highly recommended.

The Creation of a Master-piece - Guilds in England

2011-11-17T02:07:00.000-08:00

From the 14th century right up until the 18th century in England, no master-craftsman could set up in a particular craft unless he became a member of its Guild.

So what were these Guilds that had such a stranglehold on craftsmanship and production?

The Guilds were controlled by a self-elected oligarchy, or confraternity of craftsmen, a system greased by bribery and favouritism.

Above, a bootmaker from Northampton shows his wares.

Guild Laws restricted a man to the manufacture of only one article, for example weavers were not allowed to dye their cloth, shoemakers were not permitted to mend shoes and bowyers could not make arrows for their bows, only the fletchers could do that. This was supposedly to protect each craftsman's job, but in practice led to much dispute and difficulty.

If you became a member of a Guild you would have to make your goods from specified materials, employ a specified number of apprentices, and sell at the Guild's fixed prices. If you failed to do this, or produced shoddy goods or work not approved by the Guild you would face penalties such as a fine, punishment in the pillory or imprisonment. Each Guild had a Court, and cases not satisfied in the Court would go before the Mayor who would arbitrate.

Only freemen of a particular town could join the Guild for their craft. Even if you had been a Guild member in another town, you still had to serve 5 years bound to a recognised master in the new town before you could prove yourself by making your "master-piece" and finally being admitted to join.

No one was allowed to sell their goods by candlelight, in case of passing off faulty workmanship under cover of darkness, and no work could be done after eight o'clock Saturday night until Monday morning, to respect the Sabbath.

Guilds were social as well as business institutions, and concerned themselves with the welfare of their workers and founded schools and alms-houses, even occasionally in some crafts supplying dowries for poorer women workers. Each Guild had its own Chaplain to conduct the services, and its own patron saint - St Anthony for grocers, St Patrick for saddlers, St Clement for tanners, St Stephen for weavers, and so forth.

Crafts were highly specialised, there were Guilds of longbow-string makers, salters, horners, patten makers, quilters and pin makers. Above you can see the Guild of Painters, of 1695. As you can see they are all dressed alike. Each Guild had its own costume, with variations for the different ranks. Apprentices wore blue cloaks in the winter and blue gowns in the summer. Nobody was allowed to wear cloaks below calf-length until they reached old age.

Many of England's finest buildings are the Guild Halls quite a few of which survive. The one pictured is Leicester's Guild Hall, a fine Elizabethan example.

"a haberdasher and a carpenter,

A webber, dyer and a papicer

Were with us eke, clothed in a livery

Of a solemn and great fraternity.

Full fresh and new their gear apyked was,

Their knives were ychaped not with brass,

but all with silver wrought full clean and weel.Their girdles and their puches every deal.

Well seemed each of them a fair burgess

To sitten in a Guild Hall on a dais"

Chaucer

A gentle undemanding stroll through an English Village

2011-11-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

This small undemanding guide to the English Village would make an ideal gift for a townie or visitor to England just before they drive off into our rural byways. Divided neatly into 10 chapters, each section conveys a sense of the traditions and formation of the features of a typical english village. The Village green, the pub, the church and the big house are all here. I particularly enjoyed the section on the big house - the legacy of manor houses has been frequently undervalued and Wainwright makes us understand what they contributed and underlines the appeal of such series as Downton Abbey or Cranford.
Simplistic black and white woodcuts serve as illustrations - colour pictures would have helped bring the text to life (my only quibble). As will be apparent from its size, this is more of a general guide than an in-depth examination, but it packs a lot of information into a small space.
And talking of houses - I highly recommend Simon Jenkins paperback book England's Thousand Best Houses, a brick-shaped county by county guide to the big houses referred to in Wainwright's book. Jenkins is chairman of the National Trust and gives succint descriptions of each house's history, quirks and claim to fame.
Each house warrants at the most a couple of pages in this paperback, but again it is surprising just how much information can be compressed into such a small space. For historical fiction writers, this is your best guide to where to see period houses. All the houses in the book are open to the public and helpfully graded with stars to denote their importance. Oddly enough, I have often found the houses rated 1 star such as Lancaster's Cottage Museum to be more interesting than those rated with 5 stars, an accolade reserved for edifices such as Windsor Castle.

The Darling Strumpet by Gillian Bagwell

2011-11-13T08:46:00.000-08:00

Only another historical fiction writer could appreciate the amount of research that has gone into Gillian Bagwell's novel "The Darling Strumpet". And as I have researched a book in the same period I hope I could have spotted holes in the historical background had there been any - but the detail was impeccable, no holes here!

The way the historical fact blended with the characterisation and story was excellent.

I am fascinated by Nell Gwynn and her journey from rags to riches via the English Theatre. I used to lecture students on a theatre course about the Restoration, so of course I could not wait to read this novel. Those interested in this aspect could do worse than visit the current National Portrait Gallery's exhibition of actresses - the scale of the portraits brings you quite literally face-to-face with Nell Gwynn.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/jun/07/national-portrait-gallery-first-actresses

But, back to the book -

Nell begins this novel poor and hungry, but soon realises she has a commodity she can sell. Her first encounter does not go entirely to plan, but we all know that she will end up in the bed of a King. Gillian Bagwell is skilful at keeping the reader's interest although of course we all know what will happen to Nell. In an age where violence was the norm, it is no use being coy about sexual relationships, and these are dealt with frankly. Most of the explicit encounters are at the beginning of the book and they lend the book its necessary earthy tone. The whole point of Nell Gwynn was how she used her 'charms', after all.

Once Nell Gwynn is established as a royal mistress the book examines how she is still, as a woman - not to mention the King's whore, excluded from all the decisions and intrigue of life at court. In many ways Nell was better cut out for the role of aspiring courtesan than established mistress. Gillian Bagwell draws these contrasts nicely, and I admired the way she did not let the reader's interest flag.

The novel gives you the sights, sounds and smells of Restoration London and brought Nell's journey vividly to life.

Very highly recommended.

The Jazz Age of the 17th Century

2011-11-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

Under Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, there had been little spending. No gambling on horses, no visits to the theatre, no music or dancing - even Christmas Day was banned. One of the broadsheets of the time lamented,

We are serious people now and full of cares,

as melancholy as cats, as glum as hares.

But after ten years of gloom, how did England celebrate? Well, with an intensification of all the old delights. Fashion was at its most outrageous, with new styles brought from France and Spain, in an outburst of feverish spending.

Charles II tried to bring in a standard costume for men at court, described by John Evelyn in his Diary of 1666 as "Eastern fashion of vest, changeing doublet, stiff collar, bands and cloake", but Pepy's wagered that it would be less than a year before the court was back into French frippery, and he was right.

The country was tired of restraint and wanted ostentation - the more extreme the fashion, the better. Clothes were adorned with ribbons and lace and plumes. Wigs came in, and the carrying of fancy-hilted dress swords.

Pastimes became not only frivolous but positively juvenile. A favourite indoor sport of the young townspeople was pillow and cushion fighting.

Pepys reports:

"anon to supper; and then my Lord going away to write, the young gentlemen to flinging of cushions and other mad sports till towards twelve at night."

Another popular pastime was playing cup-and-ball - see all the ladies and gents playing it at the head of this page. Blind-man's buff was a fashionable indoor game, as was building houses of playing cards. The second Duke of Buckingham was apparently very skilled at this, and would spend hours erecting his elaborate "card palaces".

(left 18th century painting of a boy with cup and

ball)

Dancing was no longer stately as it had been before Puritan rule. Nobody wanted the dull old dances any more. New italian jigs and corantos were danced at a more lively tempo. It must have been the equivalent of the Jazz Age in the twenties after the staid waltzes of the Pre-war era.

And all at once three new beverages - tea, coffeee and chocolate, were imported within a few years of each other and at once became extremely sought after, despite their expense. Coffee houses became fashionable places for men to meet and discuss state affairs, so much so that the King became scared of what might be being said behind his back, and issued an order to ban them. But so numerous and popular had they become that enforcing the order was impossible and the King finally gave up the attempt.

And thank goodness, for we still use coffee shops as a place to meet and gossip with our friends, or to discuss the latest news.

Limning - the exquisite art of the Tudor miniature

2011-10-13T02:15:00.000-07:00

Limning is a thing apart from all other painting or drawing, and it excelleth all other painting whatsoever in sundry points

Nicholas Hilliard

'Limning' was the contemporary term in Tudor and Stuart times for miniature paintings, portraits which were portable and could be held in the hand. In the days before photography, these likenesses were much prized, and the making of them was considered to be a specialised art, apart from general portrait painting with its own skills and techniques. Many of these special techniques stemmed from those used in medieval manuscript illumination.

Miniatures were designed to be worn as pieces of jewellery too and were kept protected in delicate cases of gold or ivory, or stored in cabinets of rare imported woods. Most limners were also jewellers, as was the case with Nicholas Hilliard, probably England's best known limner.

The painting was done on vellum, the skin of an unborn calf, which is hairless and made the fine surface needed for such small work. It was then backed onto card - often a playing card to give enough rigidity. Dry colours were bought from the apothecary and mixed with a binder in mussel shells. The brush - then known as a pencil- was made from one or two squirrel hairs.

The elaborate clothing in court portraits as in the one of Elizabeth I, left, was brought separately to the studio so that Hilliard could paint the detail without tiring the sitter. This portrait, somewhat idealized, was painted when Elizabeth was in middle age.

Real gold and silver were applied with gum arabic and burnished using an animal tooth set into a handle. To give the crisp effect of lace a more solid white pigment was dribbled painstakingly into its intricate pattern to leave a slightly raised effect. An even heavier paint was used to make raised droplets of "pearls". The sitters often appear paler than they would have when the painting was new because the Red Lake pigment fades in the light.

In Hilliard's Treatise concerning the Arte of Limning he tells us he is extremely fussy about cleanliness, and will not allow coal fires to burn where he is working, lest soot should fall on his work. Even more he urges those who wish to paint miniatures to wear only silk so that particles of lint and fibre might not fall on the work from their sleeves.

This portrait by Hilliard was identified as Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 18th century, although there is still some dispute.

The inscription 'Virtutis Amore' is an anagram of the name 'Marie Stouart.' The style and costume indicate it was actually made after her death as a memorial portrait following her execution in 1587.

I love the transparency of her veiling and the way Hilliard has treated all the different shades of white. I imagine it must have been very difficult to paint something so detailed after the sitter is dead - not to mention spooky!

Miniatures were often given as love tokens or signs of political loyalty. Some portraits have a hidden symbolic meaning that has been lost to us, such as this young man against a background of flames, holding a portrait of a lady. Perhaps he was indicating a flaming passion, or perhaps survival from a catastrophic event.

The art of limning was passed down from master to apprentice. Hilliard was first apprenticed to Robert Brandon, a Goldsmith in Westcheap at the Sign of the Gilt Lion and Firebrand. (What a great name!)

In his turn Hilliard employed Isaac Oliver as his apprentice, and he also became very fashionable in Court circles, almost ousting his master. Isaac Oliver's family were Huguenots and fled France to escape religious persecution. He became known for his realistic treatment of children and his slightly less formal portraiture. Below you can see delightful portraits of two Elizabethan girls.

In The Lady's Slipper, Alice's father encourages her to take up miniature painting. Alice finds the techniques and scale of the work too exacting and decides instead to study botanical painting. However, I loved looking into the art of the miniature and really came to appreciate the skill involved in these small jewel-like portraits. Pictures are courtesy of the V&A museum.

Reading Guides - extra value for your readers, and how to write one

2011-10-06T09:33:00.001-07:00

I am nearing the end of proof-reading my new novel, The Gilded Lily, and have decided to make a Reading Guide for it. When I brought out The Lady's Slipper, St Martin's Press asked me to put one together and I really enjoyed it. I thought of it as a bit like the extras on DVD's - the "Making Of" or "Behind the Scenes" that seems to so often accompany a film.

It gave me a chance to tell the reader what inspired the book and to give some historical background that would help with their understanding. St Martin's Press suggested a really good format, so I thought I'd share it with you. If you are about to self-publish your book, why not add a Reading Guide, an added extra for your readers which will illuminate, educate and entertain.

Here are some suggestions for content:

The story behind the story.

What inspired you to write that particular book, and how does it relate to your career/hobbies/skills? This is a story, so take as much care as with your book itself to make it a good story. Perhaps there was an interesting incident whilst you were writing it, or a sudden realisation that made writing the book essential.

The historical or technical background to your book

A chance to help the reader understand the context of your book, when and where it was set. I remember reading Geraldine Brooks's reading guide in Year of Wonders in which she described how living in a small village made her understand the tensions of the closed-off village of Eyam during the plague. I used mine to explain about the tensions of the English Civil War, particularly for US readers who only know about the US Civil War and little about the English Civil War.

A Meet the Author profile

Just what it says, a little bit about yourself, especially anything that relates to your writing. You can say where you live or were brought up, something of your non-writing life too will give the impression of a well-rounded person. A good way is to ask someone else to interview you, the answers will sound more natural and less like you are selling yourself.

Fun Facts

Even in a novel there may be interesting facts to highlight for the reader. For The Lady's Slipper I could have chosen fun facts about shoes, or about Restoration fashion, or even "Gruesome Facts" about the Civil War, but chose instead to appeal to gardeners and flower lovers by giving them snippets about orchids. Here are my examples:

The lady’s slipper orchid is also known as American Valerian, Nerve Root, Camel’s Foot, Steeple Cap, Noah’s Ark, Two Lips, and Whippoorwill’s Shoe.

One of the most famous, endangered wildflowers in the United States is the pink lady’s slipper,Cypripedium acaule. But it is officially endangered in only two states: Illinois and Tennessee. Georgia lists it as “unusual.” New York lists it as “exploitably vulnerable.” But in the other twelve states it is not listed at all! Even wild flowers like this one can be quite common in many places. The Endangered Species Act required that each state create its own list of plants (and animals) that need protection within its (state) borders. These lists are updated regularly. You can find out which plants are endangered in your state by visiting www.americanmeadows.com.

One of the earliest books about North American plants is from Jacques Philippe Cornut’s Canadensium Plantarum. Published in France in 1635, it features an illustration of a yellow lady slipper. Cornut himself never visited America, though he received imported New World seeds and plants for his botanical garden in Paris. See illustration below.

And yes, a picture is a good idea. Even a black and white picture adds a little bit extra. It could be a photo of you, or something else relating to your book.

Related Reading

This could include books that have directly influenced your own book, or ones on a related theme or from a similar period. It is nice to explain why you chose them or how the writer influenced you. See my reading guide for examples. I really loved this part and found it hard to choose only ten books. But I decided I wanted to pique the readers' interest, not drown them!

Discussion questions

Make sure these are a mixture of general and easy, such as "discuss the Character of X. What does he contribute to the novel?" and harder and more exacting, such as "In what way does the language of the novel reflect X's obsession with food?" That way, your questions will suit a wider range of people and groups. Don't be afraid to highlight your major themes through questions. Sometimes readers read the Reading Guide first, so it can help to point readers to your major concerns, whether your book is deep literary fiction or light entertainment.

If you feel your book has no deep themes in itself, make your questions more about the characters, or ask them to compare the characters' lives with their own.

Your next book

Don't forget to mention your next book somewhere. I nearly did!

Hope you enjoy writing yours as much as I did mine. If you are a writer with another example, please add a link to it in the comments below. Thanks!
You can look at my whole Reading Guide here

Quaker Week - The Strong and Silent Type

2011-10-04T01:53:00.000-07:00

This week is Quaker Week in England, and I thought I might celebrate by re-posting about my Quaker Character, Richard Wheeler. The original post was on Marg's Historical Tapestry site, please bob over there for a look at all her articles.

Richard Wheeler

Like all my favourite heroes he is handsome, strong and capable, but unlike most other heroes when the novel opens he has just become a “seeker after Truth” or a Quaker. Today we tend to view the Quakers as quite conservative, but in the 1650’s when the movement began they were seen as dangerous, radical, even insane. Through the latter half of the 17th century and beyond they were persecuted for their beliefs which were seen as challenging the stranglehold supremacy of the church. Even when they fled to the New World, the persecution continued.

Richard Wheeler was brought up as the wealthy son of a landowner, but his life changed when he followed Cromwell and his parliamentary troops in the War against the King. Richard saw this as a battle for the common man and democracy, so that ordinary people could have more control over their land and property. During The Civil War the English nation tore at its own throat and the battle of brother against brother claimed thousands of lives. Richard Wheeler was brought up as the wealthy son of a landowner, but his life changed when he followed Cromwell and his parliamentary troops in the War against the King. Richard saw this as a battle for the common man and democracy, so that ordinary people could have more control over their land and property. During The Civil War the English nation tore at its own throat and the battle of brother against brother claimed thousands of lives.

On the left you can see a painting of Oliver Cromwell at the Storming of Basing House by Ernest Crofts RA.

Basing House was attacked by Parliamentary troops on three occasions. The final assault came in August 1645 when 800 men took up position around the walls. Between forty and a hundred people were killed. Parliamentary troops were given leave to pillage the house and a fire finally destroyed the building.

Richard fought for Cromwell against his own ruling class, but the horrific bloodshed he witnessed made him vow never to take up arms again, and led him to join the fledgling Quaker movement which had made a pledge for peace. Quaker meetings are a “sitting in silence” - but the restless man-of-action Richard finds the silent reflection both refreshing and difficult. He remembers his part in the atrocities of war and wrestles with his conscience, particularly as he finds he is falling for Alice, his artist neighbour. Not only does she have radically different views from his own, but also she is a married woman.

Giving up his fine things to live a simpler life – leaving behind his luxurious lifestyle and fine clothes, is not nearly as easy as Richard anticipates, but harder still for an active man is the idea of “turning the other cheek” when threatened or challenged. The seventeenth century was a violent and bloodthirsty period, a period in which hangings and burnings were commonplace entertainment, and Richard is trained as a swordsman in an era where to be manly is to be able to handle oneself well in a fight.

So what happens when Richard becomes locked in a bitter battle against his former childhood friend, and worse, when the life of the woman he loves is in danger? Will Richard fight to defend her, or will he stick to his Quaker vow of non-violence?

My research for Richard Wheeler took me to fields where the Civil War was fought, to the Armouries Museum at Leeds, and to libraries where I looked at Quaker journals and George Fox’s diary.

Richard Wheeler’s House was based on Townend in Troutbeck, Cumbria which was built in 1645. (see left)

You can find out more about Richard by reading The Lady's Slipper!

"Top Pick!" RT Book Reviews

"Highly recommended" Historical Novels Review

"Women's fiction at its best" - History and Women

The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai

2011-09-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the white background, which seems to happen if I copy from a word document - no idea why.

This is a very well-written book, which will appeal to the literary-minded and to book lovers everywhere. A homage to a childhood of books, and examples of their power pepper this story in which a librarian is abducted by a child.(Those who say it is the other way round have missed the point, the child is kidnapping the world of books in my view.)If you liked "Matilda" as a child, then you will probably enjoy this.

Ian is the book-mad ten year old who hides out in the library, and Lucy the librarian who wants to 'save' him from the homophobic Christian sect his parents have become involved with. The characters of Ian and Lucy are complex and not easily pigeon-holed; at times the reader is pleasantly confused as to who is the adult and who is the child during their extended Road Trip through most of America. But this is like life, and feels refreshingly honest. The journey itself is somewhat aimless, and for me this is the only weak point of the book, that the middle seemed a little too long, but then the plot soon picked up again and I was once more hooked.

If you are an evangelical Christian, then you may have to consider if it is for you, as the fundamentalist parents and Pastor Bob, who wants to rehabilitate gay teenagers back to the straight and narrow are truly gruesome. However, I do not feel the book is deliberately anti-Christian.I feel that Makkai made the choice she did for a reason - some Christians use what is written in a book to determine their behaviour, and say the B

ook is the literal truth. What Makkai is pointing out is that in the end it is only a book, written on paper, like every other book in the library. And as such, the child (or anyone) could always choose other literature as their raison d'etre. At the same time Makkai shows how real events become fictionalised (as in the Bible) by including an episode from Lucy's father's and grandfather's past where exactly this happens, and the real events grow into something more than they were.

In short, this is an intelligent novel, one to make you think about the power of books. Definitely worth discussing in a reading group, and spending your money on. I look forward to reading Makkai's next.

Unpublished Novel Competition - Crime

2011-09-29T01:45:00.001-07:00

Have you a print-ready novel sitting in your drawer? Then what have you got to lose?

This is a genuine, no fee competition that stretches over 12 months.

SEPTEMBER UNPUBLISHED FICTION AUTHORS PRINT READY COMPETITION
This competition starts SEPTEMBER 2011.

More details here:

http://www.nawe.co.uk/DB/jobs-and-opportunities/unpublished-fiction-author-competition.html

Roman Ruins and the Fall of Nations

2011-09-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

I've recently come back from Seville where I was researching for my next book, which will be set in partly in 17th century Spain. Seville is a city that was first under the Moorish and then under Christian rule. Its Cathedral still retains the tower of the old mosque, where the muezzin would call the faithful to prayer, incorporated into the gothic splendour of its catholic vaults and pillars.

What I didn't realise though, was that Seville was also the third largest Roman city in the empire, after Rome and Alexandria, settled in 206BC. It was the birthplace of Hadrian who spent his youth there.The excavated ruins, now known as Italica, lie a little outside Seville, and up until this century were ignored as ruins of little interest. These ruins include a very well preserved amphitheatre where you can walk the path the gladiators took from the passageways up to the searing heat of the arena. A truly terrifying spectacle to see the ranks of seats and imagine the roar of the crowd, the amphitheatre is truly monumental and seats 25000.

There are also thermal baths, and some of the most beautiful intact mosaics I have ever seen, inside the villas of the roman dignitaries. One shows the seven gods of the days of the week, (shown above) and one over thirty different species of birds.

Unfortunately, the bulk of the Roman town, including its Forum and many other important buildings lie underneath the current suburb of Santiponce, and cannot be excavated without demolishing the new town. To uncover some of the Temple remains, householders were re-settled to allow archaeology to take place. It is staggering to think that until a recent preservation order was put on the site, many of the mosaics were removed complete into the hands of amateur enthusiasts or wealthy collectors. Below you can see a mosaic of the life of Zeus about to be removed by a private collector.

What struck me most about this was how the city of Seville has been held by three very different sophisticated societies each of which has cannibalized the previous culture for its own ends. Moorish tiles are everywhere, despite the fact the Moors were forcibly expelled from Spain in the 17th century. Seville's modern bypass was built using some of the stone from the Roman ruins of Italica, as were many civic buildings right up until the thirties. Walking Seville you come across the Columns (a remnant of the Roman Era, topped by Caesar and Hercules), a little further and you can immerse yourself in the moorish architecture of the Alcazar Palace, and a few more strides takes you to 17th century Baroque Seville, all cheek by jowl. This is what makes a city fascinating, in my view, and it is interesting to think that my 17th century characters would have known Italica as simply "old Seville" - a ruin, marked on maps as a heap of old stones of little importance or significance.

Goodreads Lists featuring The Lady's Slipper

2011-09-16T02:25:00.000-07:00

The Lady's Slipper is on seven Goodreads Lists. Take a look at the company it's in. My favourite category is probably "Dresses to Die for" though the ones in the top five would certainly take some beating. The most frequently mentioned book in these lists is The Hunger Games, so I will put that on my TBR list, though I know nothing about it. Anybody read it?

What's the book you can't wait to read this summer?

Books You Wish More People Knew About

Historical Fiction: England's Second Civil War and Restoration

What will you read this year (2011)

Dresses To Die For!

What Should I Read in 2011?

Review of The Rhetoric of Death by Judith Rock

2011-09-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

Judith Rock has certainly led an eventful life. She has been a dancer and choreographer, a police officer in the NYPD and also holds a doctorate in art and theology. You might think it would be difficult to weave ballet, crime and Jesuit theology into one novel, but Judith Rock does it with aplomb.

Her main character, the delightful Charles du Luc, is rather too good looking to stay as a Jesuit priest without encountering romance, and without it causing him problems. He is also blessed with a fierce intelligence which he puts to use to solve the murder of a young boy at the Jesuit college of Louis le Grand where he is employed to teach Rhetoric.

The story has many notable and well-drawn characters, most of whom, including the police officer that dogs Charles' investigation, were real people of the time. The past is brought beautifully to life in Rock's evocation of 17th century France. She obviously knows the geography of Paris well and the college feels authentic. I had no idea that colleges put on ballets of such lavish proportions, but evidently they did.

This is a novel with texture - a fast-moving exciting plot which keeps you guessing who-dunnit, alongside the deeper theological questions of who to serve when the holy orders demand one thing and your conscience another. There is a dash of politics and romance too, which made the novel my perfect in-flight entertainment travelling home from Seville.

Judith Rock's new novel, "The Eloquence of Blood," another in the Charles du Luc series, is out now and you can hear Judith talking about it on my other blog Royalty Free Fiction. I chose this earlier book on the basis of her interesting article and wasn't disappointed. Highly recommended for francophiles and historical crime fans.

Finding your readers

2011-09-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

I have noticed a disturbing thing, which is that the e-book and kindle readers consistently rate my novel lower than those who buy the paper version of the book. Have any other writers noticed this phenomenon?

From this, I can take it that those who read on e-readers are not "my readers" - i.e the readers that will love my book. Either that, or that those who buy e-books regard all books as more disposeable, and are quick to give up on a book if they don't love the opening chapter, and are therefore rating all books more harshly than those people who buy paper books. But it is obvious that there is a distinction between the paper book buying public and the e-book buying public at least in my corner of the historical fiction market.

So, it seems to me that finding your reader in this tide of e-books is not as easy as just exposure. It is not just a matter of getting the book to the notice of those who are internet-savvy. People are buying the kindle version or e-book version, but how do I target the thinking reader, perhaps someone who reads literary fiction as well as popular fiction and has a broad diet of reading, not just historicals?

Someone suggested that I should blog about what is of interest to my readers, and this would build an audience for my work. This is dead easy if you are a non-fiction writer. If your book is about horse -management, then you blog about horses. So - blog about history, you might think! And of course I do, but fiction readers are not necessarily as interested in my research as I am, and those of my readers who are also writers are too busy doing their own historical research to want to read mine!

But the thing I like doing the best is discussing books with other book-lovers. I've decided that this is probably the best way to bring my book to people's attention - by simple word of mouth. And I am more than happy to meet readers face to face, give talks to book groups, the WI, libraries or any other place where readers meet. Any takers?!

Three Question Thursday

2011-09-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

I put three questions to Zoe Saadia, who is the author of a book about Pre-Colombian Native America, a topic which has had scant attention from other historical novelists.

Tell me 3 things that helped you as a writer.

Well, it's hard to define who or what helped me first.

· My obsession with anything Native American began as soon as I learnt to read (not that I lived anywhere near this continent). So probably this obsession comes as the first drive of my writing career.

· Relocation to California when I was in my mid twenties, utterly fed up with being an accountant, was another push that could not be ignored. As a girlfriend (a wife somewhat later) of a relocated software engineer I was offered to do nothing but have fun for a few years. Some of the relocated wives went for a life of shopping and homesick boredom; I disappeared into the wonderful Californian libraries.

· And of course, my family – my husband, my parents, even my kids these days – are of an invaluable help. They kept believing in me all those years when I worked on the research, then the first (unsuccessful) novel, through the writing classes, then this current novel, then the process of translating it into English, refusing to accept the polite "not interested" from my countrymen publishers, then polishing it and so on. It took years of frustration and no-income and I'm not sure I would have persisted if not for the fact that my husband continues to push and give moral support.

Tell me 3 things you hope your readers will enjoy about your book.

· My book deals with the interaction of nations in pre-Columbian North America, which, for some reason, catches people by surprise. The general assumption is that the Americas were hardly populated and not cultivated at all, while the exact opposite is true. I think the reader would like to discover some new, unknown cultures and even empires.

· The story comes before the history. The history lesson my novel is teaching is written fairly lightly and not "aggressively". The novel is full of action and drama, with a fair amount of love and betrayal – it could easily fit in another historical setting, such as Medieval Europe or Ancient Greece. It's just a novel, regardless of the message I am trying to smuggle along the way!

· This novel is getting positive reviews. The storyline is strong and the characters are vivid and full of life – worth getting acquainted with!

Tell me 3 things that have inspired you in life.

· As an avid reader and writer of historical fiction, I can say that I drew much inspiration from great writers such as Colleen McCullough and James Clavell.

·As a history geek, I'm inspired by great generals such as Caesar and Hannibal (inspired to do what, I haven't quite figured out yet); by great politicians - Caesar again, before his infamous dictatorships, and the Great Peacemaker of the Iroquois; and, to leave aside the fighting spirit, by a few great scientists such as Eratosthenes for his early (and by our standards amazing) discoveries.

· I also draw inspiration from some people around me who take life with an amount of good, healthy humor.

By 1,250 AD the Great Mound of Cahokia on the Mississippi River was the centre of the largest North American empire, populated more densely than the 13th-century London. A hundred years later the Great Mound lay abandoned.

“The Cahokian” is a historical novel, based on the final years of that empire.

The chief warlord of Cahokia - a magnificent center of the Mississippians - is embroiled in a dangerous political conspiracy. An attempt to escape the consequences brings him northwards, up the O-hi-o River and into the lands of the powerful League of the Iroquois, where his life takes an unexpected turn.

Thanks Zoe, for answering my questions.

Anyone else who would like to answer the same three questions, just email me

Want to be a poet? Cath Nichols invites you in.

2011-09-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have always loved poetry, both the writing and reading of it, as a way of enriching our dialogue with the world. Someone else who has found a rich source of pleasure in poetry is poet and lecturer Cath Nichols. I took the chance to ask Cath about her writing life, and was really inspired by her answers. If you live anywhere near Lancaster, don't miss her excellent workshops.

What is it about poetry that makes it essential to you?

Cath: Something about the reading of poems makes me go into a different space/time experience – reading them in my head or hearing the poet read them out loud. It’s not usually a ‘story’ space (escapism, learning or forward momentum) as I get from reading prose. It’s more like meditation or a quality of attention. If prose is forward momentum, poetry is circular! It ripples out form centre. Certainly when I’m writing poetry, too, there is a sense of ‘tardis space’ – time spent ‘in’ poetry is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside!

2.Tell me about the themes that most excite you at the moment, or structures in poetry or prose that make your eyes light up.

I have been preoccupied with the sea for years and various myths. Also hybrid people and characters: mermaids and over the last couple of years the Procne and Philomela myth where both women are turned into birds. I’ve noticed that I often get hooked on material that was someone else’s first. The hook is where my mind keeps going back to a thing that I disagree with strongly. It’s the gritty irritation than later develops into something. Often a kind of injustice in the older writing that needs re-writing for today (in my opinion). Philomela (the nightingale in various odes) had real appeal: why should she sing a sweet sad song having been raped by her brother-in-law? It made me furious! So, I wrote a poem and later a play (set in the present and involving an Asian family in Manchester) to work out a different approach.

I am building up a novel now which is a response to Shakespeare’s Cymbeline. Again deep outrage that Imogen’s husband agrees to a bet to test his wife’s faithfulness. She is put at great risk; he believes she has been unfaithful and sends someone to kill her; and then at the end of the story they reunite to live happily ever after! Aargh! The gall of it. Of course I realise in those days women had to put up with a great deal and possibly marriage was the best protection available, so you’d do all you could to make it work, and forgive all kinds of crap. But not now.

Structures: something about rhythm and alternation. It happens in my poems and dramatic writing. There’s even a trace of that in the novel. In prose it seems to be to do with suspending the revelation of plot; and in a poem it’s to do with tension and enjambment...

3. You are interested in radio and the aural experience of words. How has this influenced your work?

It was a big part of my PhD research. I’d noticed that many poets write for radio as dramatists, docu-drama writers and sometimes as poets. I love Michael Symons Roberts work (he used to be a BBC documentary producer and later Head of Religious Broadcasting before becoming a full-time poet and academic). Paul Farley and Simon Armitage too have done a lot. Way back you have Dylan Thomas and in fact almost every poet based in London in the forties. Samuel Beckett did some innovative stuff (the first really radiophonic work All that Fall – using sound in a distorted way for atmospheric effect). Joan Littlewood and Charles Parker valued working-class history and experience. With Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger they made the Radio Ballads series: this pretty much invented documentary without commentary – people were heard in their own voices for the first time instead of transcribed interviews being read by actors! That followed on from the invention of new technologies that made recording equipment portable – writers and producers could get out and about. Kathleen Jamie did a wonderful radio play in the 90s that had imagined characters from Larkin’s Whitsun Weddings talking about their lives since the great Whitsun train ride. Their stories were interleaved with Larkin reading the poem. You can listen to it in the British Library if you go to the sound archive there. All of it is just so inspiring.

I’ve done some local radio short drama and poetry but I’m still trying to crack Radio 4 drama. New writers have to go via the Afternoon Play slot which is pretty pedestrian. Only the famous get asked to do docudrama stuff, which would be more up my street. So, watch this space!

4. Which other writers have made a lasting impression on you and why?

For novels, Shani Mootoo’s The Cereus Blooms at Night. Fabulous, surprising novel set in the Caribbean with race, sexuality (as in queer as well as straight) and gender issues seamlessly woven through a great story set in the past and present.

Anne Carson, a Canadian poet and Classics professor who writes book-length poems or sequences. The Autobiography of Red (Red is a little ‘creature’ from a Greek myth alive in the present day), and Glass and Gods. The sequence where the narrator goes home to Mum after heartbreak but re-investigates Emily Bronte and the moors sums up a particular kind of sadness and detachment. It is sometime shocking when it describes certain acts of desperation, but it’s so truthful as to how humans can be with each other. And she never loses her amazing touch of language and surprise even though there is a fair amount of ‘story’ going on. Carson also does translations of Greek drama and writes fantastic essays.

5. You teach poetry workshops, what has surprised you most about the process of passing on your skills?

I really enjoy it. University students on Creative Writing courses are sometimes there because they want to write prose and might be a bit dismissive of poetry. So getting them engaged with an exercise and enjoying themselves feels terrific. In other non-uni settings students are more likely to be keen poets already. I think it becomes a dialogue. I’m interested in people’s responses and the happy coincidences and surprises.. When you have a conversation you sometimes stumble on things you didn’t know you knew – or they do! I think teaching makes you a better writer – so long as you can create the time to keep writing your own stuff.

6. Tell me about your publications, and how we might join a workshop with you.

Collection, My Glamorous Assistant (Headland, 2007).

Pamphlet, Tales of Boy Nancy (Driftwood, 2005)

I think these are out-of-print now. But I’ve poems forthcoming in Poetry Wales and The Stinging Fly and, I found out last week I’ll be in 2012’s Lung Jazz: Young Poets for Oxfam. (I’m not that young but the line was drawn at 40 at the time of sending work in!)

I’m teaching a six week course at litfest in Lancaster (near the train station)

on Monday evenings from the 26^th September. http://www.litfest.org/litfest-workshops/

We’ll be exploring how ideas about form can inform the way we create free verse poems. I felt that poets today often get stuck in one of two camps: the ‘strict form only brigade’ and the ‘totally free verse crew’. I wanted to show how both sides have something to offer the other and that free verse (where many writers start) can become stronger from a few well chosen techniques. It’s partly about re-drafting: making your initial poem much more ‘poem-y’. Lots of exercises, some reading and happy discussions I hope.

Mondays 26th September - 31st October, 6.30pm-8.30pm.
Cost: £60 (£50 concs.)
Book by 9th September by phone, 01524 62166, or by cheque (post to Get Writing, Litfest, The Storey, Lancaster LA1 1TH, with course name, ticket price and your full contact details)

The Water Theatre by Lindsay Clarke, Review

2011-09-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

Totally absorbing, real literature.

The Water Theatre's hold on the reader is difficult to define, but I think it succeeds superbly as a work of fiction precisely because it operates on so many levels. As pure story, the characters are engaging and the plot (which I won't spoil) gripping. But this is also a serious work, with big ideas and depth.

On the one hand it is a story of one man's transition from naive teenager to man-of-the-world, and through that into some sort of acceptance and maturity. His family and the surrogate family he aspires to be part of, thinking them preferable to his own humble beginnings, both feel real, and are portrayed along with all their conflicting tensions - the complexities of class, politics and religious allegiances.

On the other hand, it is an exploration of how the imaginative faculty can bring us to a different more metaphorical experience of the world, and how old rituals can have transformative power. The fact that we might all be living out our own myth is hinted at by the archetypal names of the characters and by the structure of the plot.

It asks very real questions about the nature of evil and the best way to change an oppressive regime.The novel spans forty years and three continents, so this is a book with scope. It brings us back to asking about where a poetic vision and a spirituality might meet, and whether we can keep our innocence as we gain our experience.

If I could give this book more than five stars I would. Undoubtedly one of the highlights of my reading year.

Confessions of a historical fiction writer - Leftovers

2011-08-31T01:17:00.000-07:00

The question I get asked the most, and the thing people are most obsessed with when I talk to them about historical fiction is historical "accuracy".

Recently whilst working on my novel "The Gilded Lily" which is set in 1661, I was working with minor characters that were twins. In those times according to my research, people still were very suspicious of twins, viewing them as something unnatural, eerie and an enigma. The most common view of the time was that twins were sired by different fathers (if they were not identical) or that the mother had conceived twice by the same man (and was therefore a bit of a nymphomaniac) if they were identical. In the case of non-identical twins one of the babies was therefore often labelled "the bastard" and the woman ostracized as an adulteress.

During the research I went off on many intriguing sidetracks, fascinated to discover the story of conjoined twins, who were even more suspect to the 17th century eye, and viewed as an aberration against God or monsters. The conjoined twins born at Isle Brewers, Somersetshire, in 1680, were among the earliest live-born English conjoined twins and people travelled from all over the country to see them. The twins died, probably in 1683, after being bought from their mother and exhibited for money by a certain Henry Walrond, an unpopular country squire who also by the way was a great persecutor of the quakers. A memorial plate in Lambeth Delft still exists that was made after their death to commemorate their popular appeal as a sideshow attraction and to mourn the passing of a unique "monster".

All this was engrossing, so I duly included back-story scenes about the twins birth and wrote them into the plot. At the end of the first draft I realised that all the stuff about the twins was unbalancing the main thrust of the narrative and undermining the main characters, so reluctantly I cut most of it out, leaving a few sentences so as not to "waste" my research. After the second draft, leaving in the information about attitudes to twins raised questions in the reader, rather than being illuminating. So I cut it further. In the finished draft a mere veiled reference is made to my identical twins birth and back-story.

What a shame, I thought. There is such a good plot in there, but unfortunately not for "The Gilded Lily". My research on twins went the way of much of my research - cut to make way for a better story.

This often happens. The research cannot show too much in a novel or it turns into a history book, or readers get frustrated whilst you go down back-alleys of the plot. I recently read Mary Novik's brilliant book, Conceit, (set in a similar period to The Gilded Lily) about the daughter of the poet John Donne. At the back of the book she says,

"I have consulted all the usual scholars and biographers but, after all is said and done, this is my seventeenth century and I have invented joyfully and feely."

There can be thousands of individual views and reconstructions of an era, and all will contain accuracies, inaccuracies, omissions and inventions. That is the nature of fiction.

Whilst browsing online the other day though, I suddenly came across this - the cover drew my eye as it looked historical. When I clicked on it I found this blurb:

"London 1661. In this era the old belief that twins cannot be sired by one man still prevails, a superstition which automatically makes the mother of Edgar and Emma Torbet an adulteress. Desperate to protect her children from their violent father she flees, finally settling in London......

It made me laugh because all the time what I thought of as bits of my story had already been germinating and sprouting in someone else's imagination. It reminded me that we can never own history, and that what are the leftovers to me will make a very nice main meal for someone else. Good Luck with Twins, Katherine!

But what's the betting that when The Gilded Lily comes out, a reader somewhere will say, "she didn't get that right, about the twins. In the 17th century they...."

Story is King - Originality

2011-08-27T05:43:00.000-07:00

The net is full of writers who want to be the next best seller, whether or not they have been through the route of traditional publishing.

I was interested to read a review of one self-published novel which said it had many typos, errors of grammar and other textual flaws, but that this did not mar the reviewer's experience because the story was so good. The book has sold a lot of copies and is flying high in the e-book charts. I think the flaws might have irritated me more because to me spelling, grammar, and generally 'good' english is part of being a writer. I was brought up to think that way through my old-fashioned education.

But more and more I see that these "good english" skills have been replaced by machines that do the job of checking spelling, grammar, repetition, past participle searching and so forth. So in the current world of writing (at least as far as one reviewer is concerned) Story is King.

There are millions of stories out there all clamouring for an audience. If we are to believe Christopher Booker in The Seven Basic Plots, all of us are replaying ancient myths whether we know it or not, so originality is hard to achieve. What makes an idea original and how can one go about finding something original? And not just to one reader, but to many?

I'm sure it must be partly about voice. The readers must trust the storyteller. On this journey the initial premise of the story must transport them so that the readers lose their own reality and join with the writers vision, but at the same time feel that they are on this journey alone.

Often people say, "It caught my imagination" as if somehow the author has managed to trap it like a butterfly in a net. So, how to catch an imagination? The writer has to make the reader work hard so that they are engaged in creating the scenes in their head, but not so hard that they tire of it and put the book down. This is a hard tightrope to walk, the juxtaposition of the familiar to draw the reader in easily, and the unfamiliar to make it interesting.

Everyone thinks their story is unique, so I cannot claim to have done anything startlingly original, but thinking about this I realise that my best and most surprising ideas come from the following practices:

A lightness of touch. Trying to be original somehow provokes the very opposite.

A sustained attention on the minutiae of the character I am working with.

Researching real events. Truth is often more original than my mind seems to want to invent.

Giving the characters room not to reply to each other in words but to do something physical instead. Allowing them freedom of movement.

"Originality lives at the crossroads, at the point where world and self open to each other in transparence in the night rain."

Jane Hirshfield

Image from: http://www.paintermagazine.co.uk/

Flipback books - Print fights back

2011-08-15T02:30:00.000-07:00

A new concept for reading, I love the look of it.

Sideways bound book that fits in a handbag or pocket and is the size of an i-phone.

Anyone handled one of these yet?

click the link to see what it's all about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXnfQS9cWgg

Hitting the Airwaves

2011-08-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

This morning I was scheduled to do an interview with Radio Cumbria, and never having done a radio interview before I thought I'd better supply myself with a crib-sheet of names, dates, and reminders. This is because my debut novel, The Lady's Slipper, is just out in paperback, but since writing it I have written and finished a sequel (to be published soon) and I'm nearly at the end of a third. So it is a long while since I was fully immersed in that book.

Last week when I saw The Lady's Slipper on the book table right at the front of a Motorway service station I could hardly believe I had written it. It is actually great to have ceased to worry about it because I am so busy with another. I stood there, a little dumbfounded, looking at all the other wonderful books on the table with it, thinking, "Wow, did I write that?"

But back to the Radio Interview. Fortunately, on Radio nobody can see you, so I didn't have to stress about what to wear or what I looked like. I arrived early of course - I'm one of those people who is early for everything and would rather be 20 minutes early than 1 minute late. I had my reading glasses and hastily-scribbled crib sheets in hand, and was taken up to the studio which seems to be a tiny cupboard of a place in a vast concrete building.

The feeling beforehand was a little like going in for one of those language aural exams at school where you know they are going to ask you lots of questions, and you are terrified you might not understand the question, let alone know the answer.

Several well meaning friends had warned me not to say "errm...."! (Sorry, folks)

The interview was conducted remotely - my interviewer was in Carlisle, and I was in Kendal, but I was met by the cheerful Suzie in Kendal who let me in, and wrestled with the technology which was playing up by flashing green lights when it shouldn't and refusing to connect us. Anyway, seeing my pile of notes she gave me this lovely advice before I went on air:

Don't worry. It's their job to make you look good and to keep the interview rolling. They will have researched you and supply you with questions which they know you will have interesting answers for. So relax. You won't need your pieces of paper.

The machinery was still refusing to function so we ended up doing the fifteen minute interview by telephone, but Suzie was right. Being on the phone actually made it easier, like chatting with a friend. Belinda asked interesting questions not just about the book but about other aspects of my writing life and I never once looked at the papers. And it was refreshing to chat about some different aspects, not just "what's the book about?"

I enjoyed it a lot and you can hear it the fifteen minute interview with Belinda Artingstoll on Listen Again here. Scroll almost to the end of her programme and you will find it, just after "Forever in Blue Jeans!"

17th century Aromatherapy

2011-08-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

My article on 17th century Aromatherapy can be seen on the Historical Belles and Beaus Blog here

just published Debra Brown meets just published Teresa Bohannon

2011-08-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

In these days when e-books and small publishers are making it possible for authors to find their own niche readers, many more books are available to suit many different readers.

Two successful authors who are reaping the benefit of this explosion in publishing are Debra Brown and Teresa Bohannon.

I am delighted to welcome Debra Brown whose book, "The Companion of Lady Holmeshire" was just released this month, interviewing Teresa Bohannon about her just-out Regency Romance, "A Very Merry Chase."

Debra Brown: Your first published novel is a Regency Romance novel, why did you choose this genre?

Teresa Bohannon: Actually, after a somewhat convoluted path, it chose me. Books are the love of my life. Even when I was tiny, I couldn't wait until I could read all by myself. Fortunately, I had a mother who didn't mind reading to me. I started out very early with fairytales, then myths, legends, reference books, encyclopedias, and history--always, even when very young, in search of great heroines and strong female characters.

About age ten or so, I discovered Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote some truly wonderful action/adventure style females that could darn well save themselves if Tarzan or John Carter didn't happen to be around to do so. Then came Tolkien and epic fantasy, followed by epic romances via the risque Angelique novels written in France in the 1950's. I loved the romance and the adventurous females in these books, but to be honest I scanned or skipped the sex scenes. Then one day I discovered Georgette Heyer and.... "Ta-Dah!" No more skimming required.

Debra: Do you remember the first Regency romance you ever read?

Teresa: That would be Georgette Heyer's 'The Grand Sophy' - strong, willful, witty, matter of factly in charge and most of all, for me, both financially and emotionally independent, i.e. everything I loved in a female character.

Debra: Which Regency romance authors have most influenced you in your love for the Regency period?

Teresa: Georgette Heyer, Dame Barbara Cartland, Jane Austen and actually just about every Regency that was written in the seventies and early eighties. I literally devoured every one that I could get my hands on, and especially Claudette Williams and all the authors of Coventry series. I remember they had lovely white covers graced with gorgeous paintings of couples in Regency dress.

Debra:Could you tell us a little about how you researched the Regency era for A Very Merry Chase?

Teresa:I originally wrote A Very Merry Chase 35 years ago, and believe me that was a whole different world from research and writing these days--especially in small town America. I remember filling several legal pads with every historical, social, and cultural detail I could glean from the Regency novels I was reading. Fortunately, there were a two public libraries and a decent sized University library near by that I could visit. Their early 19th century collections were abysmally small, of course. So I had the public librarians borrow several titles for me from libraries in large cities to read locally. I wasn't a student at the University at that point, so there wasn't anything they could do to help me, other than look the other way while I sat there for hours on end reading. One of the big problems I encountered, even at the public libraries, was the fact that most of the books I needed to read were considered reference books and could not be checked out, so I had to read them on site. I suppose looking back on it, that the librarians I actually spoke with were amused, here I was a scrawny little old country girl with just a high school diploma, dreaming of writing books about the early 19th century British Aristocracy; but as best I can recall they were all very kind and none of them laughed at me or told me I couldn't do it.

Debra:Are there any Regency era historical figures who particularly intrigue you?

Teresa: Although this was at a time when women authors such as Jane Austen, Fanny Burney, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Maria Edgeworth were starting to emerge, my favorite Regency figure is still probably Emma, Lady Hamilton. Her history is tragically sad, but fascinating, and epitomizes so much of women's history. She was literally a cultural icon and Supermodel of her day yet she died alone and in poverty, mainly because she was a woman and, in the end, powerless in a man's world.

My BA and MA are both in history, and although the university I attended didn't have a women's studies concentration per se, I personally concentrated on women's history in my research for each of my classes. To me, Emma Hamilton personifies the harsh way that the majority of women have been treated throughout history, and while this was particularly true when physical strength ruled the day allowing the males to build a power base for themselves and their heirs that generally excluded women, it really wasn't much better as time marched on and we supposedly became more civilized. Traditionally men have set the rules, and most women were punished harshly if they attempted to step outside their socially acceptable niche--particularly when their looks faded, and they were no longer perceived as desirable by the men who held the power. And that in a nutshell is pretty much what happened to Lady Hamilton.

Debra: What inspired you to write A Very Merry Chase?

Teresa: I wanted to be an author more than anything in the world. At the time I originally wrote AVMC, I was young and bright but also uneducated by the standards of the publishing world. I dreamed of writing and becoming financially independent, and I suppose, becoming the same sort of strong, self-reliant woman that I so admired in the books I read. The choice of Regencies was almost a given since they were the traditionally female genre that I most enjoyed reading at the time, and to this day, when I just want to sit back and relax and read for sheer entertainment, I love nothing better than a simple pleasures of a Regency Romance. However, let me state, for the record, that I would hate living in the real Regency era, even if I were incredibly, independently wealthy and could afford all the luxuries the period had to offer. The Regency Romance era that so many readers love, is as much a fantasy as anything ever written by Tolkien or H.G. Wells. In reality, the Regency, as was much of history, was dirty, smelly and uncomfortable, and it was a particularly harsh existence for women--even those in the upper classes whose sole responsibility was to provide an heir and a spare.

Debra: Tell us a little bit about A Very Merry Chase?

Teresa: A Very Merry Chase is a mostly light-hearted tale with just the tiniest taste of Napoleonic era intrigue. The heroine is the Right Honorable, Lady Sabrina St. Clair, who is wealthy, beautiful, and most independently minded, and who also happens to be on the verge of becoming--according to her less generous peers--an old-maid, or in the vernacular of the times, an ape-leader or antidote. Sabrina is anachronistic in that she does some things that no well-bred lady of the Regency era would ever dream of doing; but she's not particularly blatant about it. For Sabrina, the rebellion is more passive-aggressive in style, manifested, much the same those most women actually living in the Regency (or any other historical era).

The story opens with Sabrina's traveling coach being stopped by highwaymen as she journeys to London for the season. The hero of the story is Brenton, Lord Branderly, Duke of Brensted, an unusually tall gentleman, who, after spending most of his adult life wandering the world, has returned to England in search of a bride and heirs. They meet under rather unusual circumstances, clash repeatedly and eventually fall in love--she reluctantly, he determinedly--against a comfortably Regency backdrop of witty repartee, beaux, belles,dancing, mishaps, mayhem and misunderstandings.

Debra:What project are you working on next?

Teresa: I actually just released an illustrated version of Jane Austen's The Widow's Tale, otherwise known as Love and Freindship(sic), which I compiled from period sources. However, now that project is out of the way and A Very Merry Chase is finally published, I'm free to revise, finish and publish some of the other books I've written. My next release will be a paranormal romance that I started approximately 25 years ago. It actually began life as a series of short stories about a trio of reoccurring characters moving through time together. Over the years it has been written, rewritten, tweaked and edited more times than I care to count; but somehow I just couldn't make myself write that final chapter until last December--and I still don't have a title for it! And then after that I have a children's fairytale that I have an artist working on illustrating, a short story collection I need to edit and publish, a horror novel I need to fish, and about a dozen Regency Romance novels floating around in my head that I need to write.

Very many thanks to Teresa and Debra for this interview, you can purchase A Very Merry Chase here.

Two great entertaining books - 'The Mesmerist' and 'Darcy and Fitzwilliam'

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

The Mesmerist by Barbara Ewing

I borrowed this book from the library, knowing nothing about Barbara Ewing, but just liking the sound of the story. And I have discovered a great popular writer, who I see has just published another book, The Circus of Ghosts. Obviously lots of other people know how great she is, because it is currently sitting in the number one slot in Smith's. So yes, I have bought that one too.

The Mesmerist has been brilliantly researched and gives insights into the Victorian craze for mesmerism with its then scandalous and salacious overtones of being able to affect another person through the use of

healing hands. This area of human capacity is still mysterious even today, and indeed is mysterious to Cordelia, the mesmerist of the title. Ewing does a great job of exploring the intricacies of how it might feel to mesmerize - or be mesmerized.

The book also has a great forward-moving rags to riches plot with many twists, which is based around the struggle of women for respectability in professional life, and how they might seize responsibility in a man's world. I can't say much more about it, or it will spoil the unfolding story.

The main characters are women who are seen at all stages of life, from very young to the dementia of old age, all of whom are interestingly drawn and leap vividly to life off the page. There is murder, a riveting court case, and all the fun of the theatre.

Very highly recommended.

Darcy and Fitzwilliam by Karen Wasylowski

I am not a particularly fanatical Austen fan, certainly not a purist, but I do like the wit of Jane Austen, and so was ready to embrace the tale of Darcy and his cousin with open arms. I was not disappointed. What impressed me most about this book was that it was the feel of Austen, but updated. It is very difficult to be funny in an Austen-esque way and still be fresh. Too often the humour doesn't properly succeed. But the impact that Austen must have had in her day is all here, in this laugh-out-loud romp through Darcy's post wedding adventures, and those of his irrepressible "brother".

I was unprepared for just how funny the book would be. The scene where Lizzie is giving birth, with Amanda's small, curious, stiffly-educated son looking on, is hilarious, and had my husband wondering why I was laughing so much. Even the servants have been wittily expanded, and the book is funny because it is so well-observed. It pokes fun at regency attitudes to women, and gently lampoons the mores and morals of the time. There is also a sense in which the English themselves are satirized, and this is refreshing, but not at all offensive.

After the initial forty or so pages of set-up the book fairly sweeps along with misunderstandings aplenty, and it is no slight volume. The characters have to be impeccably constructed for the situation comedy to work, and Karen Wasylowski has done this thoroughly, also the research on her period and The Peninsula War gives the reader just the right amount of setting.

A great read, that works whether you have read any Austen or not.

Doodle Day

2011-07-22T00:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome to she-writers from the blog hop. How do you doodle!

You can find out more about the blog hop here.

Thinking Time

As a writer I often feel I need some thinking time. It is tempting to launch in to the writing with a feeling that only physical writing is what matters. And we are told to write, write, write.

But this can be a little unbalanced if it is not preceded by some thinking time. I don't even mean the "Let's work out the plot" thinking which feels like hard graft, but rather the free-form flow of thought which is the writer's equivalent of doodling. The doodle up top is from www.doodlerblog.com

I love to doodle down my ideas around my novel. These can be vague atmospheres, things I am interested in, images I'd like to include. Half-formed or unformed ideas. Some of my jottings seem random, but often I find that there is some sense in my nonsense. Did any of you make these sorts of doodles around people's names when you were at school? (See below) Go on, admit it! I use this idea sometimes to work around a concept or character in my writing.

The more professional doodle on the right shows how you might like to use word and image together, it is from this blog. Do you doodle? Happy Doodling!

A Writing Saint

2011-07-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

The village where I live has a fantastic flower festival every year, where various individuals and organisations dress the church with floral tributes. The theme this year was "For All the Saints" and there were 17 displays in all. Each had a picture of the Saint and a depiction of their attributes in flowers. There were the obvious ones, like Francis of Assisi, complete with birds flocking around him, and the less obvious like St Bernard Mizeki who was murdered in Africa as late as 1896 in a tribal uprising. The amount of work that had gone into these displays was awe-inpiring.

But of course my favourite was Saint Luke, who is believed to have written Acts as well as his own Gospel. I can imagine him sitting there with his blank sheet and writer's block, and thinking what can I blog about today?! He was a physician before he became a great friend of St.Paul and was convinced by him of his faith. Thus he is the patron saint of physicians, and also of all creative artists including writers.

Whoever made his display had done it beautifully and included some healing herbs such as digitalis (foxglove) and his writing implements.

Also beautiful was the tumbling ivy in a swathe around the pulpit. What you will be unable to experience from my pictures is the scent and light. So many flowers gave off a wonderful aroma in the church, and the light pouring through the stained glass was breathtaking.

Books on the Move

2011-07-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm privileged to have a mobile library that visits our village once a fortnight. Originally set up to visit care homes and sheltered housing for the elderly in our area, it also stops at several villages including ours.

The driver, Gerry, who has won an award for the best mobile librarian, told us this week that because of restructuring, the service will be stopping for slightly less time in future, so we will have to be quick if we want to change our books. It is quite a skill being able to drive this monster down our country lanes, and then still be able to have a conversation about books. The library service is not just about access to books, but about the expertise of the librarians who can help you to find just the title you need.

Last week I nearly forgot it was 'library day' and my husband had to yell, "The library's here!" and I had to hurry up the road to catch it before it left. Inside the van it can be a squash working round the other people who are also returning books or browsing. Evidence of its visits to Care Homes is in the big selection of Large Print books on the shelves. Apparently there are Large Print reading groups in some of the homes.

Magna Books - large is beautiful

The Lady's Slipper is being published by Magna Books in large print. Last week I passed through the small Yorkshire village of Long Preston where they are based and stopped to take this pic.

Long Preston has a lovely village green with a maypole, and an old-fashioned inn. The stone building on the left houses this publisher. Through the windows I could see cardboard boxes of books - I hope mine's in one of them and that soon it will be gracing the shelves of our mobile library and available to borrow at all the care homes the big yellow van visits. And I hope with the advent of ebooks large print companies such as Magna will find a way to continue to survive.

The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale

2011-06-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Agnes Trussel has a secret, she is pregnant and on the run. Fortunately for her she loses her way and never gets to stay with the enigmatic beauty she meets on the coach to London. Just as well, for Lettice Talbot is a courtesan and comes to a bad end. Instead Agnes finds herself inadvertently apprenticed to a firework maker, which takes her on a parallel but very different path.

The plot is not a fast paced one, but this does not matter because the 18th century is beautifully evoked - from the Trussel's rural farm where they eke out an existence, to the descriptions of the intricacies of pyrotechny. The novel seems to have been painstakingly researched, and the research is a big part of the book. The set pieces of slaughtering and curing a pig, and of creating fireworks, though long, are fascinating to read.

The relationships are finely drawn, particularly that of Blacklock the firework maker and Agnes, whose shyness and misunderstanding of each other ring painfully true. None of the characters are obviously likeable, but that makes them all the more human and interesting.

The novel takes place over the nine months that it takes Agnes to deliver her child, and the passage of time is so skilfully done it feels real. I borrowed this book from the library, but I shall be buying Jane Borodale's next because the quality of the writing in this novel is outstanding.

Art and The Landscape

2011-06-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

One of my most long-standing friends had an exhibition of her paintings over the weekend. Laney and I go back a long way - right back to our teens when we were at the same Art College doing a Foundation Course, and we have stayed in touch ever since despite lengthening distances and changing life circumstances.

Laney is a painter and printmaker who makes landscapes in mixed media and is particularly interested in ancient rocks and trees, and in uncovering evidence of man's early spirituality through her work. She paints with chalk and charcoal and wash, I paint my landscapes with nouns, adjectives and verbs. There is a commonality in what we do, which has helped cement our friendship. So it was a real pleasure for me to drive over to her "Open Studio" to see her some of her work displayed in her studio and house. Only then did I realise what a body of work and what a superb collection her recent work is. Of course she had sold seventeen of her paintings by the time I got there, and eighteen by the time I left!

As creative people we need these times to take stock of what we've achieved. A pause to reflect.

For a writer, it might be seeing your work roll out of the printer, or a book on a shelf. For an artist, the chance to see all your work in one place is a marker of what you've achieved and a visual snapshot of your current approach to life.

For me, seeing Laney's approach, which is to find interest and beauty in the every day landscape where she walks her dogs, made me pause and look again at the landscape, see new things I might not have seen before. And I realised that writing is an essentially visual endeavour. The pictures are everything. And words are a plastic medium we can manipulate in all sorts of different ways. But both writing and painting require that we really look, pay attention, and find new ways to express what is hidden beneath plain view.

If you want to see more of Laney's work you can go to her website

Writing to me is......

2011-06-24T02:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to all those on the blog hop from http://www.blogaliciousblogs.blogspot.com/.

Writing to me is......
my entertainment, my way to explore subconscious ideas, my urge to tell a rattling good story.
I love a good drama. I'm a particular fan of BBC costume dramas, particularly the adaptations of Dickens and Jane Austen, and I love the cinema. I like big films with epic ideas. Favourite films include The Shawshank Redemption and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

To me, writing is like running my own film in my head. You might think this would mean I'm in complete control of my ideas, with everything all neatly planned out to follow a well tied-up plot. But no. I quite often surprise myself, and that is the joy of it, the entertainment factor.

The novel I am working on right now had a character, Zachary, who was supposed to die in chapter two, but in fact he has gone on to become one of the main protagonists. He has a cunning criminal mind, and unsurprisingly I suppose, he has managed to cheat his own death. I am only just beginning to explore and get to know him in this first draft. At the end of it I will know him better and be able to go back and re-write him as a more credible and three-dimensional character.

Often the ideas I am exploring don't come out until the end of the first draft. There is a sort of "aha!" moment then, when I suddenly think, "so that's what I'm really interested in exploring!" Then I'll go back and look at those themes in more depth. My second novel, The Gilded Lily, as well as being an adventure about two girls on the run in Restoration London, (see the lovely engraving) is about the nature of stories themselves - our own, and how we tell them. And what difference the stories people tell about us make to our lives. I didn't know until I finished the book and read it as a reader instead of a writer that storytelling itself was the idea that motivated the story. So that's the subconscious element.
The third thing writing is to me - telling a good story - is because I love to read. My house is weighed down with books. No chance of a Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz for me, the house is just too heavy! I always loved it as a child when a story really gripped me and would not let go, so when I'm writing I'm looking for that same effect. And when I'm hooked into my writing I know my readers might get hooked too.
Even my cat loves to read (well, my book anyway!) I think most writers are readers first and writers second. So I am looking forward to reading the other posts on this blog tour, and networking with other writers.

The others writing about writing on this bloghop are

1. Paula - http://hardlineselfhelp.com/

2. Stuart - http://bornstoryteller.wordpress.com/

3. Karen - http://karenvwasylowski.blogspot.com/

4. DK Levick - http://dklevick.wordpress.com/

5. Shannon - http://reflectionandreview.com/

6. Corinne - http://www.everydaygyaan.com/

7. Sonia - http://soniarumzi.com/

8. Sulekha - http://sulekkha.blogspot.com/

9. Dora - http://peacefrompieces.blogspot.com/

10. Sarah - http://sarahbutland.com/blog/

11. Marcia - http://insidejourneys.com/

12. Roy - http://royd-spiltmilk.blogspot.com/

13. Janki - http://janukulkarni.blogspot.com/

14. Tina - http://tinahoggatt.wordpress.com/

15. Thelma - http://widowsphere.blogspot.com/

16. Muriel - http://mumugb.blogspot.com/

17. Nolan - http://nolanwilsonfreelance.com/blog

18. Deborah - http://www.deborahswift.blogspot.com/

19. Jennifer - http://remembernewvember.blogspot.com/
20. Grace - http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.com/

21. Dora - http://blogaliciousblogs.blogspot.com/

The Beauty of Independence

2011-06-20T02:50:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to do a signing in my local bookshop on Saturday as part of Independent Booksellers Week. The Carnforth Bookshop hosted me and went to the sort of trouble that only an independent bookshop would.

The manager had made a beautiful 17th century costume which stood in the shop window, and on the day was worn by my protagonist's namesake, Alice, a local student who I discovered also had an artistic career in mind. I hope she will not get herself into trouble stealing an orchid, like my heroine!

This is exactly the sort of creativity and thinking that enables the independent bookseller to respond to market needs and its own local community.

In the delightful upstairs room, crammed with all manner of hardback non-fiction, some dating back eighty or more years, I gave a talk to a lovely group of people who were happy to discuss books over a coffee whilst waiting for everyone to assemble.

Looking round these second-hand shelves the talk got onto ebooks, and the fact that ebooks are so disposeable that in fifty years time things published in ebook format might well be lost to us, whereas these titles were still with us and available for us to enjoy.

Although the turnout was small, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and appreciate the effort that had gone into the event.
Love your Local Bookshop here!

Further reading: Guardian article about the survival of local bookshops http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/14/independent-bookshops-survive

Tuesday Tip - The Castle on your Doorstep

2011-06-14T06:52:00.000-07:00

Often we fail to appreciate what is on our doorstep. A mere eight miles from where I live is the glorious Sizergh Castle, described in Simon Jenkin's book "The Thousand Best Houses" as one of "the twin glories of the Elizabethan North."

The other of course is Levens Hall, which I know well and used as a model for Fisk Manor, the home of Geoffrey and Stephen Fisk in The Lady's Slipper. I love to sit in an actual location and write a scene. It helps give realism to the architecture and a sense of place.

So when my sister came to stay we went on a long overdue visit to Sizergh Castle, ancient seat of the Strickland family since the 13th century and still inhabited by the same family today. There are photos of family members in 1980's shoulder pads amongst the gloomy-looking portraits, quite a few of them from the Stuart period in which I have a particular interest.

Apart from these gorgeous gates - just right for driving a carriage and pair through, the highlight for me was the Inlaid Chamber - a panelled bedroom, with a hanging plasterwork ceiling. This is mind-bogglingly ornate, the inlaid panelling made of poplar and bog-oak to give a rich texture of ornate renaissance motifs. It must have cost a fortune, but the sheer extravagance came in handy later on during hard times. The panelling was sold off to the V&A Museum by an embarrassed and cash-strapped Strickland for £1000 some years back, but the V&A, magnanimous as usual, have loaned it back for dispay in the house.

Selling off the family panelling might well now make an appearance in my next book, as I like the idea of a hard-up aristocrat stripping away the wealth and luxury to leave a bare room.

As well as an interesting tour around the house, the gardens at Sizergh are a delight, with barns and beehives, rockeries and topiary.

So my Tuesday Tip for writers is to visit that hidden gem that is not very far away, that you have always been meaning to visit, but haven't quite got round to yet.

A Question of Balance

2011-06-11T02:47:00.000-07:00

Hello to my fellow writers from She-Writes on the blog hop, and to new readers. Here you will find my writing tips every Tuesday (The Tuesday Tip), book reviews, and snippets about how I research my books. Visible on the blog at the moment are a review and an article on "The Poisonous Garden." I look forward to connecting with you via your blogs over the weekend. Happy hopping!

Apologies: It appears that there is some problem with Google at the moment for commenting. If you have visited and been unable to leave a comment, thanks. I have been unable to leave a comment on some of your blogs too,I hope this is a temporary blip.

Blogging and Balance
We all like to have new followers for our blogs, and that is why most of us jump on to a blog hop, not to mention getting interest from visiting with other bloggers. But this week I have been reading Susan Hill's "Howard's End is on the Landing", and it made me stop and think for a moment about my use of the internet and my online activities.

In her book, Susan describes how she gave up buying books for a year and read only what was already in the house - long forgotten favourites, half-remembered purchases, odd things that had somehow appeared on her shelves. Not only did it enable her to settle back with some classics without the pressure to buy the latest best-seller, but it also re-aquainted her with the stamina to read long and deep works of fiction.

She limited her internet use too, and found that her attention span for longer books increased. Now I'm not suggesting we should all do this, but I realised that there is a subtle pressure to build a following on the internet, particularly for writers, who feel they must now have a "following" even before they are published in order to stand a chance of attracting a publisher. For published writers the pressure is even more, as they struggle to attract sales through a frenzy of online publicity. This can feel as though you are being bullied by the internet.

There is a plethora of advice about how to get your blog noticed, and it is tempting to try to follow it all, running yourself ragged in the process clicking madly on different advice sites and tips for bloggers.

So today I took a deep breath, to smell the roses. I have posted this a bit late because I wanted to spend time in my lovely garden, rather than in the virtual world. And I think it is important to blog for my own pleasure, not because I am trying to build an empire of followers - though a few more would be nice!

It's a question of balance, I think.

Mistress of My Fate by Hallie Rubenhold

2011-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

When I pick up a novel written by a former historian I always wonder if it will turn out to be over-heavy on the factual detail, but I need not have worried with this rumbustuous adventure by Hallie Rubenhold.

Set in the late 18th century when society is arguably at its most decadent, the book begins the story of innocent 17 year old girl as she flees Melmouth House after the death of her 'sister', for which she has the blame. Penniless, she meets George Allenham who sets her up as his mistress, and gives her a new name. A new life begins, and the somewhat green Henrietta Lightfoot thinks she has found her one true love.

When he mysteriously disappears, she must track him down in order to survive, and the rest of the book concerns this search for her lover as she struggles from one dangerous location to the next. By the end of the book we have been thoroughly entertained in brothels and the seamier side of Covent Garden, but the central mystery remains thus leaving Henrietta Lightfoot with more work to do.

There are more volumes of the tale to come, all to be published by Doubleday, hence the few loose ends at the conclusion of the book. This was still a satisfying read though, and if I suspected that the book might be racy (subtitled as it was "The Confessions of Henrietta Lightfoot") I found there was nothing offensive about the descriptions of Ms Lightfoot's encounters with bawds, men with wandering hands, and other gentlemen of ill-repute. The historical detail is beautifully done.

What will determine your enjoyment of this novel is the "voice" of its heroine. It begins by adressing you as "My dear reader" and Henrietta continues to do this throughout. The effect of this is to distance the reader from the drama, as it is always being told as if it is a piece of gossip. This makes the voice very intimate, but also means the reader never quite enters Henrietta's head, so the tale is told in the same tone throughout, a bit like a visit to a favourite eccentic aunt. This will probably work well for some readers but not others. If you like Henrietta's style then you have a treat in store - two more volumes are scheduled.

I chose this to review from the Amazon "Vine" programme, and it has not yet been released - when it is, I'm sure it will appeal to readers looking for a well-researched lightweight historical romp.

Giveaway of The Lady's Slipper

2011-06-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be nice to bring other geat books to your attention at the same time as promoting my own. You can find more historical fiction writers describing the inspiration for their books on www.royaltyfreefictionary.blogspot.com

The blog features the bestselling Gabrielle Kimm with "The Courtesan's Choice", Ann Weisgarber, winner of the Langum award for Historical Fiction, Charlotte Betts - another award winner for her debut "The Apothecary's Daughter", and fifteen other fantastic reads.

Oh and there's a giveaway of The Lady's Slipper. Just leave a comment on www.royaltyfreefictionary.blogspot.com to enter.

A Poisonous Garden

2011-06-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

Whilst researching The Lady's Slipper I had to look into the effects of orchid root when it was ground up and taken as medicine. This involved finding out what kind of solvents might have been used to keep the root in suspension, once it was pulverized, and then what sort of quantities might cause hallucinations or nausea if taken orally. Needless to say, I did not try it myself, but relied on various historical reports and on the medical journals of the time!

Weights and measures were different in the 17th century, for example barley could be sold in pecks or in pints, and with small quantities such as medicines the basis for an apothecary was the system of the "grain". Weights were as follows:
One grain
One scruple = 20 grains
One drachm = 60 grains
One ounce = 480 grains
One pound = 12 ounces = 5760 grains
The only liquid measure in the Apothecary System was the liquid grain which was the volume of water weighing one grain, but this was not introduced until much later in 1885. (The picture above shows a 17th century set of weights.)
As a novelist, although I might have wanted to use the term "scruple" for Geofrey Fisk to measure his medicine I chose not to, as "scruple" in modern usage has quite a different meaning.

Until the 20th century lady's slipper root - sometimes called moccasin flower - was used by Native Americans as a nervine and sedative, but modern pharmaceuticals with less side effects have replaced it today.

In Britain there have only been three deaths over the last fifty years that might have been caused by plants, but that does not mean you should not be wary of certain flowers and berries.

Hemlock is the most notorious killer, which causes paralysis of the lungs if ingested. In the Middle Ages a general anaesthetic was made out of hemlock, henbane and opium and used before surgery, particularly during amputations. Hardly surprisingly this kept the patient in a deep sleep for several days until the antidote was administered - vinegar!

Another poison, Deadly Nightshade or Belladonna, was used in the 17th century to increase a woman's attractiveness by dilating the pupils. It was dropped into the eyes, and caused blurred vision. If you were to drink it however you would suffer from convulsions, coma and finally death.

More information about poisonous plants from www.thepoisongarden.co.uk
fascinating talks about Garden lore
http://www.capabilitybowes.com/

Romantic Historical Fiction - 40 book Giveaway

2011-05-26T03:10:00.000-07:00

To celebrate its Anniversary the Goodreads Site for Romantic Historical Fiction Lovers is celebrating with a forty book giveaway. The Lady's Slipper is one of the books on offer, along with others by best-selling authors like Gabrielle Kimm, Anne O'Brien, Christy English, Sara Sheridan and of course Emery Lee (who hosts the site)

You can find the Romantic Historical Fiction Group on Goodreads and Facebook

GoodreadsRHFL@groups.facebook.com

Why not join the group and celebrate with us!

The Tuesday Tip for writers - Write what you don't know

2011-05-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

David Fuller, author of "Sweetsmoke" left this as a comment on the Royalty Free Fiction blog.

"I have a theory with which most teachers of writing disagree. I believe you should write what you don't know. I believe you should do research and learn about other things. Then, when you write, you come into the equation and fill up the work, as it emerges through your own prism. So there it is: Write what you don't know."

I thought this was a great tip, as it is often the way I work. In historical fiction, I often find new aspects to the story this way, and it also keeps my mind fresh and interested. And David, I couldn't have put it better myself.

The Somnambulist By Essie Fox

2011-05-23T03:23:00.001-07:00

I must confess I have always had a liking for the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and when I was a costume designer I used to collect Victorian and Edwardian clothing. So I was somewhat surprised to find when I began writing my own novels that they do not slot into that time frame. My enthusiasm for the period remains undimmed though.

I was excited to hear about the Virtual Victorian's new novel The Somnambulist, and when it popped up as a selection for Amazon Vine I could not resist.

And what a gem it is. Bravo to Essie Fox, it is a long time since I have enjoyed a debut novel so much. It is literate, engaging and atmospheric. What's more, it has a plot that kept me turning the pages, and just when I thought I had discovered all the secrets of the book, there was one more twist in the tale.

Phoebe's journey to uncover her past takes her from the glitz and glamour of the East End Music Hall stage to the deliciously spooky Dinwood Court, surrounded by dark woods and deep water, and haunted by the death of the daughter of the house, Esther.

From the book:
"Life is rarely perfect." My father continued. "We all make mistakes. The thing is to forgive, and," he paused at the sound of some high muffled laughter, the splashing of water, "and never forget."

Novels are rarely perfect, but this one very nearly is. Beg, buy or borrow it, for a reading experience you will find hard to forget.

Here's the blurb:

'Some secrets are better left buried...'
When seventeen-year old Phoebe Turner visits Wilton's Music Hall to watch her Aunt Cissy performing on stage, she risks the wrath of her mother Maud who marches with the Hallelujah Army, campaigning for all London theatres to close. While there, Phoebe is drawn to a stranger, the enigmatic Nathaniel Samuels who heralds dramatic changes in the lives of all three women. When offered the position of companion to Nathaniel's reclusive wife, Phoebe leaves her life in London's East End for Dinwood Court in Herefordshire - a house that may well be haunted and which holds the darkest of truths. In a gloriously gothic debut, Essie Fox weaves a spellbinding tale of guilt and deception, regret and lost love.
Every heart holds a secret...

Tuesday Tip - Add complexity

2011-05-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Your story should be layered, just like life. There is no life-story that is not intersected by hundreds, if not thousands, of other life stories. All of these characters will have their own inter-relationships, but more importantly all will have their own imaginative life.

In writing fiction it is easy to forget that the character also has an imagination, perhaps a fictional life or an attachment to a certain story. To make a character complex and nuanced, we must tap into their imaginations as well as our own. I am just reading Essie Fox's The Somnambulist. She does this really well, the life that Phoebe's Aunt Cissy lives is more to do with what her imagination rests on, than it is to do with her mundane life.

Likewise, when I was writing "The Gilded Lily" the story of "Snow White and Rose Red" had profoundly affected the way the sisters felt they should behave towards each other, providing an ideal which both struggled to maintain.

So delve into your characters imaginations. What might they fantasize about, what key stories have they heard, which book has affected them so much it has changed their life?

Paperback Writer

2011-05-14T02:36:00.000-07:00

Paperback writer
"Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write, will you take a look? Based on a novel by a man named Lear, And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer, Paperback writer. It's the dirty story of a dirty man, And his clinging wife doesn't understand. His son is working for the Daily Mail, It's a steady job, but he wants to be a paperback writer, Paperback writer. Paperback writer.

It's a thousand pages, give or take a few, I'll be writing more in a week or two. I can make it longer if you like the style, I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer, Paperback writer.

If you really like it you can have the rights, It could make a million for you overnight. If you must return it, you can send it here, But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer, Paperback writer. Paperback writer, Paperback writer - Paperback writer, Paperback writer - Paperback writer. " Recorded: April 13, 1966 at Abbey Road, London, England
The Beatles - John Lennon - rhythm guitar, background vocals,Paul McCartney - lead vocal, bass guitar,George Harrison - lead guitar, background vocal,Ringo Starr - drums

Who would have thought it, the paperback of The Lady's Slipper is now available in some online stores. I haven't yet received my copies, but when I do I will be able to stop humming this tune at last!
Looking online I was surprised to see that this song has been ascribed various deeper meanings. According to one online forum it is a metaphor for prostitution - pertinent because the Beatles were being pressurized by their label and felt they were about to lose control over their product.

As writers if our books sell well we are also subject to market pressures to produce more of the "winning formula". If they don't sell well then we are perhaps advised to give up what we want to do in favour of following the example of other best-selling writers. What I particularly admire about the Beatles is the way they managed to re-invent themselves, shift and evolve with their current interests and yet still produce work of such enduring quality that not only sold in millions, but has remained iconic even now.

The Tuesday Tip - A Visual Narrative

2011-05-10T02:49:00.000-07:00

If I'm ever stuck in my work in progress, or can't seem to generate enthusiasm to write, I go to Google and type in Narrative Painting as one of the keywords, and the period I'm interested in - in my case the 17th century. Trying it today, some of the first random images to come up were these:

The work above is by Vermeer, this one by the Flemish painter Frans Snyders.

By writing around the character I see - a draughtsman or maybe a geometer looking out of the window, his attention caught by ....? Well what? Let your imagination supply the answer. I am particularly taken with the oriental rug which pehaps came from one of the places he is mapping. Has it just arrived? Is that why it is draped in the foreground like that? Where will it go next?

The second picture - well, what a variety of fish. In a world where mostly I see cod and haddock, and the occasional tuna sandwich, this is an eye-opener. Most of it looks as though it is writhingly alive. And what is that in the bottom left? An otter? My market scene has just taken on fresh vigour!

Sometimes all the imagination needs is a little stimulus - a prod, if you like. Questions are what oil our creative faculties, as it is human nature to want to resolve questions. Google Images supplies you with all the questions about your period that you need. It is at our fingertips, and is such a rich resource, especially for those writing historical fiction. Most writers have a visual narrative running in their heads which needs feeding. If the imagination is hungry, then go and feed it!

The Long and the Short of it

2011-05-09T02:44:00.000-07:00

Two recommended books from my recently read pile - one very short, (about109 pages, although it is so short the pages aren't numbered) the other much longer, 410 packed pages.

First - the short one.

Sum - Tales from the Afterlives by David Eagleman

This is one of those books I long to give to any narrow-minded, fundamentalist bigot, with a fixed view of God and the cosmos. But I am fairly sure that there won't be any reading this blog, so it is a good job that it is also a mind-expanding read for the rest of us too.

The book posits various afterlives as a series of short stories. What is genius about it is that it suggests what we might perceive as a good idea for an afterlife, but these nirvanas quickly reverse into making us think about, and appreciate, what we already have right here, right now.

For me it felt like opening the curtains and letting great gusts of fresh air into the room. Eagleman is a neuroscientist, but don't let that put you off - here is inventive spiritual questioning at its most sane.

Now, the long one.

The Redemption of Alexander Seaton by Shona McLean.

Dark, grisly,stuffed full of historical detail and the dour dialogue of 17th century Scotland, this is a thriller to read on a cold night with the wind howling outside and rain lashing at the windows.

Alexander Seaton, a failed minister with a past, stumbles upon a murder. In pursuit of the killer and his own redemption he embarks upon a series of travels which take him through the terrors of the witch-hunt, the then-current obsession with Papists, and an encounter with his own demons.

Richly atmospheric, this is not a read for someone looking for a fast-moving plot, although there is plenty of detail to hold the interest. The characters, especially the unlikeable, bitter Alexander seep into the mind somehow, and this makes the final denoument gripping and satisfying.

Lakes Writers School

2011-05-07T02:21:00.000-07:00

Two of Cumbria's top writers – the award-winning children's writer Janni Howker and novelist Sarah Hall – will be running workshops at the next Lakes Writers School course, 16-20 May 2011. They will be teaching on:
The Essential Elements of Creative Writing, including Conquering Point of View, The Joy of Telling the Truth, and The Power of the First Person Narrative.

Other speakers on the course include Cumbrian poet Angela Butler, ghostwriter Andrew Chamberlain and commissioning editor Ali Hull.
Any local authors who want to improve their creative skills are welcome to come along, either on a residential basis or as day visitors. The course, which has been running twice a year since 2003, aims to help writers at all stages, from beginners through to published authors. It takes place at Lands End, Watermillock. For more information, go to http://www.lakesschool.com/

For more information on the course, phone Ali Hull on 07977 670868 or Mark Finnie on 07917631785

Note for editors – to talk to the course organisers, phone Ali Hull on the above number or Mark Finnie on 01768 863331

The Tuesday Tip - the reader loves to snoop

2011-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Who doesn’t love a secret?
Create interesting characters by giving them a secret or intrigue that they don’t want people to know about. Characters need skeletons in the closet, buried emotional wounds, hidden needs and shameful pasts. These are what keeps the reader engaged, creating tension and an urge to delve deeper into the characters background and personality.

A book is a wonderful excuse to be nosy and snoop in a way that is unacceptable in everyday life. It is the one thing a book can offer that real life does not – we can probe the underlying motivations of fictional characters in a way we dare not attempt with our real-life acquaintances, friends or lovers.

Incomers 1592

2011-05-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

At the end of the 16th century London had become such a popular place to live that Elizabeth banned any more building.

The Act of 1592 says there are
"great Mischiefes and Inconveniences" from the habit of dividing up houses "into several Tenements or Dwellings". Because of this overpopulation it was hard to find food or fuel - after all coal had to be brought in by boat from elsewere, and there were few trees left standing. The document says

"great Infection of Sickness and dearth of Victuals and Fuel hath growen and ensued."

Elizabeth was also concerned about the kind of incomers that were making their way to the city.

"Many idle vagrant and wicked Persons have harboured themselves there and divers remote places of the Realme have been disappointed of Workmen and dispeopled."

The solution? Just as we are preserving the countryside with our Green Belt laws, a law was passed forbidding any more building

"That noe person (shall) henceforth make and erect any newe Building or Buildings House or Houses for Habitation or dwelling within either of the said cities [of London and Westminster] or within three miles of any of the Gates."

Of course the law had no effect whatever, and by the time of the Restoration, the city had stretched to Piccadilly and beyond.

Which is just as well, for by the time my two incomers - Sadie and Ella Appleby from Westmorland - arrive in 1661, it is a veritable warren of tenements and rookeries, alleyways and ginnels. The Gilded Lily tells how the sisters hope they will be able to hide from their pursuers. But the London underworld is full of beggars and ne'er-do-wells who will sell their soul for a penny, and they soon find there is no-one they can trust.

Not even each other.

The Tuesday Tip - The Absence of Things

2011-04-26T01:51:00.000-07:00

At Art College I remember we did the lovely standard exercise where we drew the spaces around an object. This then revealed the object more clearly than drawing the outline of the thing itself, precisely because it by-passed the preconceptions we might already have about the object's shape. The Chinese philosophers and Zen calligraphers urge us to pay attention to what is missing,

Thirty spokes on a cartwheel
Go towards the hub that is the centre
- but look, there is nothing at the centre
and that is precisely why it works!

If you mould a cup you have to make a hollow:
It is the emptiness within it that makes it useful.

In a house or room it is the empty spaces
-the doors, the windows that make it useable.

They all use what they are made of
to do what they do,

but without their nothingness they would be nothing.

Tao Te Ching - Man-Ho Kwok, Jay Ramsay, Martin Palmer Translation.

Sometimes it is more effective to describe something in terms of what is not there than in terms of what is. A setting could be described in terms of what is not there instead of what is. This is particularly effective with describing characters too; what is missing from their personalities can be what makes them what they are. Describing what is absent taps into the lack that lies at the heart of us, and so draws the reader in.

A greener clean

2011-04-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

When I was researching The Lady's Slipper I came across a reference to people cleaning pewter in the 17th century with Goosegrass. The plant was apparently very common in this area, and used in vast quantities. Try as I might I could not see much of it in the hedgerows and concluded it must sadly be rarer now in these parts than it was back then - until just this week.

I have inherited a beautiful garden from the previous owners of my house, full of beautiful tulips and apple blossom. We have had sunny weather the last few weeks so I have taken to weeding. And which is the most common weed in my garden? Yes, Goosegrass. It's everywhere, and as fast as I pull it up, the more of it sprouts.

We recently found an old pewter tankard in the loft which I wanted to keep out on display as it lists all the Kings and Queens of England from Alfred the Great (871 - 904) right up to Elizabeth II (1952 -) -nearly 60 of them! It was looking a bit old and tarnished so I thought I'd better try out the pewter polishing the old way. So here is a picture of the tankard before.......and after! The 17th century folk must have been at it for hours, because I polished quite vigorously and I have to say the Goosegrass didn't do much except disintegrate and make my fingers green. I can imagine Ella the maid's frustration at the amount of effort this might take!

It did give me an interesting sense of how much longer people must have taken over their daily chores though in those days, and led me to take a little more time in peeling the potatoes today by taking the whole bowl into the garden so I could take my time and enjoy the view - rampant Goosegrass and all.

You might know goosegrass by another name - Cleavers, Clithers, Robin run-in-the-grass, Burweed, Loveman, Mutton chops, Clite, Clide, Clitheren, and Goosebill, from the sharp, serrated leaves, like the rough-edged mandibles of a goose. In the 19th century Goosegrass used to be known by the nickname of Beggar's lice, from clinging closely to the garments of passers by and because the small burs resemble these creatures. It is also known to some as Harriff, or, Erriff, from the Anglo-Saxon "hedge rife," a taxgather, or robber, because it plucks the wool from the sheep as they pass too.

Below - cleaning pots and pans in 17th century Holland - can't spot any Goosegrass here, and they both look quite cheerful, in fact the woman on the right looks like she might be singing as she works. Notice the fine ladies in the backgound, gossiping away whilst the work goes on.

The bookshop from heaven

2011-04-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome SheWriters from the blog hop.

I have recently moved house to a lovely historic village, and our nearest small town is only five minutes drive away. Having spent a few weeks heaving boxes of books and then trying to find shelf-space for them all, I vowed to buy less books.

No sooner had I said this than I went to the supermarket in our local town and almost next door was this - Aargh! the lovely Carnforth bookshop with its 14 higgledy-piggledy rooms of 100,000 second hand books! As you can see, the door is wide open, and who could resist? When I got inside I found there is coffee on the boil and a downstairs section with new books. You can even buy the gift-wrap and cards if you want to buy a book as a present, or for the musical - indulge in reams of sheet music.

Needless to say, I was in there more than an hour (the appropriate for Lent idea of "shall I try giving up buying books" forgotten) and I came out with three books. As an antidote to internet buying, it is a true bookaholic's browsing experience. Particularly delightful is a room of hardback fiction all at £1.

Though I have to say the writer in me is reluctant to buy second hand as I know how much work goes into a book and how the royalties from it stack up, but I forgive the Carnforth bookshop as it has a very good section of new fiction that you come to first before going upstairs to the used books.

As a reader of course I can't resist cheap second hand books, and the smell of leather and old paper. And the charm of exploring narrow stairways and inter-connecting rooms all stacked floor-to-ceiling with mostly one-offs.

Guess I'll be needing a few more shelves.
And if you are searching for a rare out of print book, why not try them www.carnforthbooks.co.uk

Lost Followers

2011-04-20T03:12:00.000-07:00

If there is anyone out there who knows how to get the icons of my followers back, please let me know! They just disappeared one day into the ether and now there is a hole in my blog where all the pictures should be. Try as I might I can't find what to click on to get them back. Any clues anyone, or has everyone sunk without trace forever into the Bermuda Triangle of blogging?

Tuesday Tip - Rejections

2011-04-19T05:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to She-Writers, nice to see you here.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach 140 rejections

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo 397 rejections (and it became a film) - (Wow - she was persistent!)

Watership Down by Richard Adams 26 rejections

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 97 rejections (and it won the Newbery Medal for best children's book of 1963; it's now in its 69th printing)

Cinder Edna by Ellen Jackson 40 rejections (and it has won multiple awards and sold 150,000 hard copies).

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot 17 rejections

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell 38 rejections

Dune by Frank Herbert 20 rejections

etc etc

Rejections are demoralizing, painful and hard to take. The best advice someone gave me after my book had been rejected by 10 publishers was, "believe in yourself and get on and write the next."

I took the advice, and was able to escape the feeling of failure (even if only temporarily) by immersing myself in a new imaginative world. It didn't make the rejections go away but by the time the next book was half-way done, the first had found its publisher.

Statistics are pinched from the excellent writing website of Mary Carroll Moore:
http://howtoplanwriteanddevelopabook.blogspot.com/

Still unpublished? First Chapter competition

2011-04-14T08:02:00.000-07:00

Great work still has no home? Dust off those manuscripts and give them a final polish.

Lightship First Chapter competition - Deadline 30th June 2011

Win a year of expert mentoring from an author, literary agent and editor, and have your finished novel published by Alma books.

http://www.lightshippublishing.co.uk/

Tuesday Tip - book trailers, interview with author Cynthia Neale

2011-04-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Book Trailers are all the rage at the moment. If you are writing a book, then I suppose now is the time to start collecting images or material to make a trailer for your next book. If you want to have a go yourself, there is a link at the end of the interview.

Never seen a book trailer? Here's a very good example. I met Cynthia Neale in the historical fiction group on She Writes. Her debut novel, Norah, about an Irishwoman in 19th century New York is just out.

I asked Cynthia:
What made you decide to have a book trailer?

Cynthia: My publisher, Lucky Press, recommended doing a book trailer. She is very progressive and there are other Lucky Press authors with book trailers that I took a look at. And then I also went on She Writes and looked at book trailers. I felt that if done professionally, a book trailer can be a great marketing tool. I had shivers watching a couple of book trailers and wrote down the titles of the books to buy in the future.

Did you do it yourself, or did someone else do it for you? If the latter, what sort of discussions did you have about its content?

My friend's son, Nathan Sorrentino, is a student at Geneseo College in New York State and he created a video for a course that caught the attention of Google who asked him to do some work for them. They live in Rochester, NY and when I visited there in October, we had dinner and brainstormed what kind of trailer I would like. He would do it for the experience and as a friend and I would give him a "tip." We e-mailed back and forth for a couple of months. I wrote up the text and he gave me links to music downloads with a one-time use fee (minimal). He found some images himself in archival material and I sent him photos of landscapes in Ireland I had taken in 2008. Nathan understood the legal requirements and the technical aspects of making this video, but he also could fathom the heart of what I wanted to relay in the video. He advised doing some tweaks here and there. I edited the text a few times and sent it to my publisher who also did some tweaks on my texts. Nathan is a talented young man and anyone who would like him to do a book trailer, should contact him. His information is on the credits at the end of the trailer.

Where did you source the images for the trailer, and how did you go about finding the music?

The sources are listed in the credits of the trailer. I listened to a lot of the music on various sites. I have a lot of Irish music I listen to and dance to, but I didn't want to go about getting permission, etc. I had even thought of asking some musician friends to play for the video, but time was of the essence. It took quite a few hours for me to pick out just the right music for the video, but I felt quite pleased with deciding on the tunes I found. And the cost was only about $30.00!

What sort of feedback have you had about the trailer and has it raised interest in your book?

Since the trailer went up mid-January, there has been nearly 1500 hits and many positive comments. Comments from some people in other countries, including Ireland. As an American writer, I wanted to be delicate, but strong, about the subject of The Great Hunger. I was not born in Ireland and many of the Irish-born still have a good deal of angst over this event in their history. I found that it was necessary to include the background (my first book material) of An Gorta Mor to make it understood what was at stake for the Irish, and especially Norah McCabe, to have immigrated to a city such as New York. I have had positive feedback from the Irish-born and from everyone who has viewed the trailer. Now...for a screenwriter!

Thank you Cynthia. Very best of luck with "Norah."

Review

Norah is a story of a young immigrant woman battling hardship, poverty and prejudice in New York in the 1850's. It has obviously been lovingly researched. The portraits of Norah Mc Cabe and her family are beautifully drawn, and we catch most of the character of Norah from the attitudes of her Mam and Da who want the best for her but are unable to understand just how far she wants to climb. Cynthia Neale is particularly good at getting inside the minds of her characters to understand their motivations. This is her first novel for adults, previously she has written books for children.
Make no mistake, although at times the language is breathtakingly lyrical, this tells it like it was, grit and all. All the hard facts of life for an Irish immigrant are between these pages; poor housing, the bordellos, street fights, and the cut and thrust of the gang underworld. At a time when to be black made you a second-class citizen, the book raises the question of what forms a person's identity, particularly for a white minority such as the Irish in New York.

Da discusses black equality with Norah:

"We all feel inferior, Norah."
"We all feel inferior? The Irish? Or all human beings?"

At times this novel is rather documentary in style, and it is certainly not the usual run-of-the-mill historical, but I can highly recommend it as a slice of real life for anyone with an interest in this period of New York history, particularly those with family or connections to Ireland.

Fancy making your own book trailer? Here's how with the excellent article by Brenda Coulter.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977019853

Tiny cathedral windows that sing

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

Up until the 17th century there were no real guitars - the only instruments similar to a guitar were the lute and, in Spain, where my new work in progress is set, the vilhuela.

In the early 17th century the Guitarra Morrisco became popular in Spain in the Moorish areas where what we know now as flamenco guitar and dance began. This type of guitar spread to other European countries where it became known as the Baroque Guitar or sometimes simply the Spanish Guitar.
A good example of this sort of Baroque guitar can be seen in Vermeer's painting "The Guitar Player."

Also evident here is the inlaid decorative edge and "rose" or fretwork, which was a feature of this period in many instruments. In the 17th century there were specific craftsmen who made a living carving this sort of decorative panel. They are so beautiful and intricate.

They are crafted from of wood, or for the more detailed ones, parchment, cut in ornamental layers to give a three dimensional effect.

You can click on the picture below to see more examples. I am almost tempted to invent a "rose" carver just so that I can feature a description of someone making one of these, but unfortunately I already have quite a few craftsmen populating my novel already!

The designs are similar to those of "rose" windows such as in the great cathedrals, but in miniature.

As it is, the Spanish guitarist is a "bit-player" in my cast of characters - nevertheless, I think the look and feel of the guitar is important to the book, and I love this sort of research.

The Tuesday Tip - en-dashes, em-dashes and hyphens

2011-04-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

I asked another writer friend why my computer won't supply me with the right sort of dash when I need it, and seems to make an arbitrary decision about the length of dash. This led to a discussion on which sort of dash should go where. For the benefit of anyone else struggling with this, this is what he sent me. Thank you James!

The Hyphen

These are shorter than en-dashes and are only used to link two words or parts of a word:

There is a trend towards fewer hyphens.

• Don’t hyphenate compound nouns, like dressing gown, dining room, etc.

• BUT compound adjectives are hyphenated when they qualify a noun:

half-open eyes or the eyes were half open

dressing-gown cord

• Be consistent: use ear ring, earring or ear-ring, but use the same one all the way through a piece.

• Sometimes they are necessary to make things clear

thirty-odd people ≠ thirty odd people

extra-territorial rights ≠ extra territorial rights

re-cover ≠ recover

re-creation ≠ recreation

re-sign ≠ resign

• No hyphens between an adverb of degree and the following adverb or adjective: slightly ill, not slightly-ill.

The En-Dash

This is as wide as the letter n: –

• It indicates a pause: “Paul could hardly stand – his legs were covered in blood.”

• Parenthetical, with space before and after.

(Note on autocorrect: Word converts a hyphen to an en-dash when you follow it with a space, a word and either another space or a piece of punctuation. If you insert a hyphen between two words it’ll just sit there, even if you put spaces around it. Put another space after the next word (then take it out of course) and the hyphen will change to an en-dash.
The Em-Dash

This is twice as wide as an en-dash, a bit wider than a letter m: —

It is only used to show cut-off dialogue if speech is interrupted.

The dashes go inside the quotes if other punctuation is replaced, outside if not.

There’s no keyboard key for this, just as there isn’t for the en-dash. But in this case, there’s no Autocorrect either. Ctrl+Shift+m makes a good shortcut.

How to set up a keyboard shortcut in Word:

Menu  Insert  Symbol. If that gives you a choice of Browser and Advanced, pick Advanced.

Find the em-dash in the list of symbols – on my version it’s about half way down and a little right of centre – it’s distinctly longer than the en-dash on the top line – and select it. (If you don’t want to set up a shortcut, just click Insert to drop the symbol into your document at the current insertion point.)

Click on Keyboard Shortcut.

Press the key combination you want to use, check it’s okay, and press Assign.

Press OK, then Close on the previous window.

Agent seeks Historical Fiction Pitches - contest

2011-03-31T01:58:00.000-07:00

Irene Goodman is seeking pitches from historical novelists. Anyone got a manuscript ready?
www.irenegoodman.com/historical_fiction_contest.php

"Irene Goodman is looking for brilliant new historical fiction, and is holding a pitch contest to find those hidden pearls. Irene currently represents historical fiction authors Diane Haeger, Carrie Bebris, Amanda Elyot, newcomers Anne Barnhill and Juliet Grey, and many other New York Times bestselling authors.
The event will start with pitches only. A pitch should consist of 3-4 single-spaced paragraphs. It should include a brief plot description, the major characters, and the time period and setting. The final word count of the novel should be indicated."

What is interesting is that her list of criteria gives a fair idea of the sort of fiction she thinks she can sell, so worth looking at even if you are not ready to send anything. Her website has full details.

Tuesday Tip - Location, Location, Location

2011-03-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

I've just moved house so I have suddenly become only too aware of the importance of location.

I read so many books where the important scenes happen in the obvious places - domestic arguments in the kitchen or the bedroom for instance. But perhaps these scenes could be more vivid in another place.

When a scene is not working, consider just changing the location.

An argument can be much more vibrant if one person is chasing another down a busy street, or if the disagreement takes place in a library where people are supposed to be quiet.

When revising your work, why not list three alternative locations for your scene? At first I was reluctant to do this, worrying about "how will they get there?" but for important scenes, the "where" of the scene outweighs the smaller consideration of the backstage transitions from one place to the next. And a change of location breathes new texture into your work.

An excellent book on location and how it can be both background canvas or foreground character is "Description and Setting" by Ron Rozelle in the series "Write Great Fiction."

And now - I'd better get on with unpacking those books.....

The Tuesday Tip - One sentence

2011-03-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Scent and smoke hit the taste buds with a thwack at three o'clock in the morning. (first version)
Scent and smoke and sweat can suddenly combine together and hit the taste buds with an acid shock at three o'clock in the morning. (second attempt)
The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three o'clock in the morning.

Opening sentence of Ian Fleming's first James Bond Novel, Casino Royale.

Tuesday Tip - One sentence can be the key to your whole book.

This anecdote from "Writing Your Way" by Manjusvara.

Calling unpublished novelists:Virginia Prize for Fiction 2011

2011-03-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

THE VIRGINIA PRIZE FOR FICTION 2011
Call for entries open Jan to July 2011
The Prize is open to any woman over 18 who has written an unpublished novel in English. The shortlist will be compiled in August 2011 and the £1000 prize will be awarded in November as part of Richmond’s Literary Festival.
The Prize: In 2009, to celebrate 20 years of success as a small independent publishing house, Aurora Metro launched a new competition to encourage and promote new writing by women. Heartened by the quality and depth of the response to this, Aurora Metro is pleased to announce the second Virginia Prize for Fiction, in 2011, named in honour of the inspirational author Virginia Woolf.

Aurora Metro are also open for year-round submissions, see their website for details.

Where do I buy books?

2011-03-12T04:45:00.000-08:00

I live in a small village but nevertheless it has plenty of places for me to indulge my passion for books.

The first is the ubiquitous chain store. This is a photo of the shop window of my local branch which is full of garish posters of the TV Book Club books and Mother's Day special promotions. It is certainly attention-grabbing, as it focuses on cut-price offers and doesn't display the actual books except stacked one on top of the other so you have to crane your neck and peer sideways down through the window to get a glimpse of the stock they are selling. It seems vaguely insulting to just stack them this way. The least they could do is stand the top one up! As a book buyer it doesn't tempt me to stop in front of the window. A fair percentage of these piles in the window are celebrity hardbacks. I mostly use this shop to buy magazines, the local paper, and guide books to holiday destinations. Last week I bought some files and envelopes here.

The second is the Fireside Bookshop which displays rare and collectible second hand books in its bay window. The window often features highly visual books on Arts, Antiques or lost cultures, and the display shifts and changes regularly. Inside it is like a cosy parlour with a real fire burning, and second-hand books on every subject all neatly shelved and labelled. In here I have found a lovely old copy of "Mayhew's London" and quite a few other non-fiction gems about my favourite period, the 17th century. When I go in, I inevitably come out with a parcel under my arm. Part of it is the attraction of it having a varied stock, not just the ones on the TV book club lists. Mostly I buy non-ficion here, though it does have a good selection of novels.

The third is my local charity shop. Actually there are three, all within a half mile of my house. This morning I bought Emma Donohue's "Room" from this one for £2. Not bad for a hardback. I asked the woman at the counter if I could take this picture and she apologised for the state of the shelves. Actually the untidy and random nature of it is part of its charm, I think. As you can see I could have come away with a bedside lamp or any amount of bric-a-brac as well, so I think I have been quite restrained.

None of these bookshops stock my book - the chain won't stock it till it's out in paperback, and even then, might not - "it depends on central office". And the second-hand ones haven't yet hit the charity shop shelves!

And of course, like most people, I buy books (too many books!) online.

Where do you buy books? What sort of bookshop do you like best?

Amazon Reviews, do you read them?

2011-03-10T16:06:00.000-08:00

In the last few days I have read a number of posts about Amazon Reviews and whether people refer to them when buying a book. I know that the person who selected the books for our book group chose only ones with four or five star reviews. But then another friend said they thought it suspicious if books had not got a spread of opinion - "looks like their relations have written them" she said.

Just yesterday I received an invitation to join Amazon Vine and get free books to review. Well who can turn down free books? But then again, I'm only too aware of the resposibility of reviewing someone's just-out novel, and thereby affecting (or not) its sales. A writer friend of mine had the most grim review ever for her excellent debut novel from an Amazon Vine member, and it ruined what should have been a celebratory moment of achievement. On the other hand an honest review from an informed reader who reads similar fiction cannot be a bad thing.

I myself pay less attention now to Amazon reviews than I did. Being an "insider" in the world of books changes your attitude towards everything to do with their sales - from discovering that publishers pay to have books on 2 for 1 tables, to the fact that the top ten in Tesco have not earned their place by outselling the books at 11 and below. From the whole business of fake reviews written by the authors themselves to whether your book is placed spine or front out in a shop - not to mention the extraordinary lengths some people will go to in order to sell you their book. I have to confess I am no longer that naive book buyer I was a couple of years ago who takes it all at face value.

Most of my books are bought because either someone has recommended the title, or I like the look and sound of it in the bookshop. I accept that readers even of the same type of fiction can have vastly different opinions and that the net is as good a place as any to air them, as it is a faceless place where class or racial barriers effectively cease to exist.

If you are in any doubt about the usefulness of Amazon reviews why not try as someone suggests, looking at the reviews for The Bible, of which there are quite a few- here's a quote from my favourite :)

34 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent work by a world renowned author, 17 April 2007

By EhFiist "joebeard" (Alabama, Texas) - See all my reviewsThis review is from: Holy Bible [NKJV] (Hardcover)

This book is a must read for anybody interested in How the World Was Made. It chronicles in excellent detail the creation of our World, our Universe and Everything. The characters depicted in the book truly come to life in ways one couldn't possibly imagine.........etc etc

If you would like to follow up the theme of online reviews, here are links from the recent Guardian posts The Guardian and Comment

Tuesday Tip - 3 Ways I Read for Editing

2011-03-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

Reading your own book is something novelists must do over and over. After the first draft is written, here are the three ways I read to edit. I find a method whilst I am re-reading helps me to focus.

1. Character Viewpoint. Go through the text from each of the character's points of view. This might mean three or four different reads. In a long novel you can read each part that features that character; this will reveal inconsistencies or conundrums that you will need to look at, and make you work out what the character is doing between scenes in a bit more depth.

2.Theme. This focuses on the main theme. Read it again looking for ways to highlight or emphasise the theme. I also look to see if the theme is expanding naturally through the book.

3. "Person who knows nothing about it" read. This is the most important because you have to imagine you are a reader who knows nothing at all about the book or the subject. It helps me if I imagine another person reading it. Yes, you've got it - create another character in your head as dissimilar to yourself as possible and then imagine her/him reading the book.

Suggestions anybody?

Re-organising the bookcase

2011-03-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Talking of the Physicality of Books - Kim from She-Writes has sent me this link to an Animation entitled Re-organising the Bookcase. I'm a big Rodrigo Y Gabriela fan too, so I loved the music.
Here's the link - Thank you Kim! Why not check out Kim's writing website too?

The Physicality of Books

2011-03-03T14:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to She-Writes members on the Blog Hop. Sorry if you are not from the UK and the TV programmes I mention in this post are a mystery to you.....

I was un-surprised to hear Claire Balding say on My Life in Books on BBC2 that the physical presence of a book really matters to her. She held up an old gold-tooled tome of "The Myths of Greece and Rome" and asked her fellow guest to sniff it, which he duly did.

And in another episode of the programme Giles Coren talked about how he read from his father's edition of "The Great Gatsby" at his funeral and clearly the fact that it was that particular edition was very important to him.

For me the books that matter to me are inseparable from their covers because I pick up and put down that book umpteen times whilst reading it. I have the opportunity each time I handle it for the cover to go into my subconscious mind, and become indelibly associated with the story.

Each time someone mentions "Jane Eyre" I have a very specific edition in mind - the one my grandma gave me which was in a blue leather binding with a red sewn-in silk bookmark. It was a birthday gift and I treasured it. And if you were to say "Wolf Hall" then it's the black version, not the white.

When I go on review sites such as Goodreads I get irritated if I can't find the right edition of the book I want to review. Which probably explains why, now that I have a Kindle, I have mostly ignored it and gone out and bought the real book instead. I am still more attracted by the actual book itself in a shop than the virtual book, even though the latter may be cheaper.

You would think that now I am moving house I would have learnt my lesson and be a grand supporter of the virtual revolution - here are about half the boxes which are packed with my books ready to move house. And I'm afraid there are more boxes upstairs. And some books I can't bear to pack until the last minute, because I might need them for the research I'm doing at the moment. (By the way, the blur at bottom right is the cat running to escape being boxed with everything else.)

For me books are furniture as well as entertainment. They are my chosen wall-ornament, and I enjoy looking at the nice row of colourful spines and interesting typefaces. For me a room is unfurnished unless it has at least one bookcase. Someone told me it was a rather pompous way of displaying your education and ridiculously middle-class. But putting my Kindle on the coffee table just won't do.

And I'm so glad that I was able to give my daughter the hardback of my first novel - and hope in time it will be an heirloom of some curiosity value. In fact people are predicting that first edition hardbacks will be a very good investment in the future when digital books are the norm.

At Christmas I still wrapped books for my sister even though she has an e-reader. You can't unwrap a digital book and it does not have the same concrete presence. There is just something about the physicality of books.

The Tuesday Tip

2011-03-01T08:20:00.000-08:00

On Tuesdays I post a tip for writers.

Today - Repetition.
Remember trawling through your manuscript trying to spot the repetitions, such as "Who's calling," he called.

Or perhaps, "He eyed the maid with interest. "Aye," he said, looking her in the eye, "I'm Iron Jack, the ironmonger, and I've come to collect Eileen's ironing."

I know, none of your writing is as bad as that. But if you laughed guiltily at the first example, here is the answer. A neat little downloadable gadget that will scan your manuscript for you and do all the hard work.

Here's the link.

http://www.gaddy.fr/repetitiondetector/online.php?l=en

Unpublished Novel Competition

2011-02-26T06:24:00.000-08:00

Calling all unpublished novelists - yes even genre fiction and experimental -

2011 Unbound Press Best Novel Award

Deadline: Thu 1 Sep 2011

Submit the first 10,000 words of your novel. There is no theme. All styles (including experimental) and genre-based fiction (mystery, crime, fantasy, science fiction, historical) are welcome.

Closing Date: September 1, 2011

Winning and Honorable Mention entries notified no later than December 31, 2011

1st Prize – £500 and Publication

2nd Prize – £250 and Publication

Honorable Mentions – Free, detailed critique of the novel

Entry fee £20
http://bit.ly/ihGdfl

What are you waiting for?

My Award

2011-02-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

Quote of the day from Hilary Mantel:

"Unlike the historian, the novelist doesn't operate through hindsight. She lives inside the consciousness of her characters for whom the future is blank."

I've won an award! No, unlike Hilary Mantel, nobody has yet given me an award for my writing.

But thank you to Fi and her Magical Writing Haven
and to ponderdeeply.blogspot.com

for giving me the

'One Lovely Blog Award'.

Here are the rules for the award: (For those of you who hate chain letters, it's ok, you won't get bad luck if you don't comply, and I'm afraid I can't promise you thirty thousand books by next week)

Most important:
Accept the award! Then post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and their blog link.

Pass the award on to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered.

Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Here are my award winners: I'm afraid I can't think of 15 right now, but here are 10 it is definitely worth your time checking out:

The Secret Writer
Nevets QST
Jen Black Author
The Literary Project
Veggiebox (author Aliya Whiteley)
Park Benches and Bookends
Frances Garrood
Historical Belles and Beaus
The Virtual Victorian
Alis Hawkins

Macmillan New Writers - I haven't included you all, so it leaves space for you to do this too if you feel like it.

Fashionable Punctuation!

2011-02-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

I have just been reading a historical novel which I very much enjoyed, (I'll call it Book A) but what what struck me on reading it was how many exclamation marks there were on every page! I had a look back to its publication date and found it was first published in 1993!

I have recently read another book published by the same author (I'll call it Book B), this one was published in 2005 and the exclamation marks in it are a very rare breed indeed. Barely a one.

Here is an example from Book A :

"More," she said. "No! don't go!" Her arms closed tighter."I'll be so cold! Stay with me!"

I'm fairly sure that if this passage were in Book B it would read:

"More," she said. "No. Don't go." Her arms closed tighter. "I'll be so cold. Stay with me."

So what has happened to the exclamation marks? Is it that as readers we prefer a more serious tone these days? For without them the passage certainly reads to me as more intimate and less melodramatic. Are there writers out there who have ceased to use exclamation points, and if so, why?

I have read in several creative writing books that exclamation marks are to be avoided in dialogue unless the person is actually shouting. This idea seems to have spread so that we are inclined to believe that any fiction with exclamation marks must be bad fiction.

Renni Browne in "Self-editing for Fiction Writers" says that:

"...there are the stylistic devices that make a writer look insecure, the most notable offenders being exclamation points and italics."

In Book A , the writer certainly did not look insecure, though there were at least one and sometimes as many as six exclamation marks on most pages. But it seems to me the reader is pretty adept at catching the prevailing tone of the book irrespective of the individual punctuation marks, and it was still a gripping and enjoyable read, and was reprinted again recently and was very well received. The punctation seemed a necessary part of her style.

So my question is - is the fashion for no exclamation marks just a fashion, or does it signify that we want to read a different, more serious type of literature?

I have to admit, they are rare on my pages, but then I am the product of a recent creative writing course where they nearly always got a red line through them when they did dare to appear. Perhaps it is the advent of creative writing courses, where the participants must be seen to be producing "serious" work that have endangered the exclamation point.

And by the way, I highly recommend "Self-editing for Fiction-Writers", especially for writers with no critique group to help them along.

Browne and King have a website too, well worth a look if you want to check out the book before buying!

(Apologies, like most writers I just had a bout of insecurity!)

She Writes Bloggers Ball

2011-02-17T15:04:00.000-08:00

Welcome to members of She-Writes participating in the Bloggers Ball. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's a blog hop for sites about books or writing. Full details here:

http://megwaiteclayton.com/1stbooks/

I am new to blogging, so my tips are a bit basic - but here they are. My top tip for bloggers is that most people are visual as well as verbal and a few pictures make all the difference.

So dancing at the Bloggers Ball is not all about the words.

Writers sometimes need reminding to break up the text with pictures.And don't forget to ask permission or credit the online site you took them from, or link to it.

If you are a published writer you can link your blog to your Amazon.com author page by following the simple links at Author Central, thus gaining more readers, and also feed it to Goodreads via their author widget.

I am part of a group of writers - Macmillan New Writers, who are all published by the same imprint. We have a joint blog, which can be a good idea, to give each other mutual support and encouragement and to celebrate publications and successes, so that might be worth considering too - teaming up with a small group.

Isn't this a great way of seeing other people's blogs and sharing ideas - happy writing everyone.

Writer seeks imaginative readers

2011-02-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

One of the things a writer must remember is that a book is a collaboration between the writer and the reader. When a reader constructs the images in their mind from my words they are using the powers of their imagination to make the story come to life. (Sebastian Faulk's new programme on the BBC which celebrates famous literary personalities demonstrates the power of the imagination of the reader for whom these fictional people - Heathcliffe or Lady Chatterley- have become real.)

So the worst reader as far as a writer is concerned has to be the reader with no imagination, who fails to be able to imagine the story world from the clues I have left them on the page.

Each reader's construct of the book they are reading is unique.

"For all the voices and masks of my performance, there is an intimacy with the reader. We are in this game together. Reading, real reading, is a strenuous and pleasurable contact sport. Fun, but it's not television. In "Art Objects" Jeannette Winterson calls reading sexy. I'll go along with that smart idea. Reading, I might say to my students, is not like dating; it's a matter of full engagement." Maureen Howard

So you might think then that a good reader might have a store of images or large amount of life experience, have met many different sorts of people so that they will be able to recognise something of my descriptions and identify with them. That is helpful, yes, but I think good readers are more - they are practised imagineers.

Imagination comes from practice - the more you read, the more adept you become at slipping into the fictional world you are reading. The more fictional characters you meet the easier it becomes to recognise and identify with certain types. Imagineers also imagine other things and are creative in other ways, however small, because reading is a creative act.

Of course as a writer it is our task to supply the reader with enough clues to be able to imagine that our characters live independent lives apart from the book. Some clues might seem as though they are useful but actually inhibit the imagination. Personally I do not like too much description of physical appearance. If for example I tell you that "Joan is blonde, 37 years old, dresses in pastel pink skirt and white shoes" then you will get a picture in your mind of Joan. However this may not be the sort of imaginative hook that will allow a reader to begin to make up an imaginary life for Joan. If on the other hand I tell you little about her appearance but say, "In our office, Joan was the person people forgot to ask when ordering the coffee," then maybe you might start to get to know Joan on the inside a little more and want to empathise with her and start to grow her a life.

Too much obvious research can kill a novel, and the flow of a story. We want to get the reader to contribute their half of the story and not do all the imaginative work for them. If I leave nothing to the reader the book will never be able to take flight in their heads.
There is a famous story about John Buchan, who wrote dozens of successful adventure novels. At one point in his career he was going to write a novel about the Canadian Arctic. This was way before he arrived in Canada to serve as governor general, and he knew nothing at all about Canada. Fortunately for him, his son had just returned from spending a year there.
"Tell me 10 facts about the Arctic," John Buchan demanded. The son began to list them, but his father interrupted after just three facts had been delivered: "That's enough. That's plenty. I can manage with that."
The rest he went ahead and invented.

Or rather the reader went ahead and invented.

The Art of Mourning in the 17th Century

2011-02-03T06:32:00.000-08:00

picture from The Museum of London

My post about 17th century Mourning Jewellery is at Historical Belles and Beaus here

and you can read my post on coping with criticism as a writer at Nevets QST here and there's a draw for a free book!

To the Moon

2011-01-27T05:35:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks I have been reading a few poems a day from "To the Moon" a anthology of lunar poems edited by Carol Ann Duffy, who must have had a fabulous time making this selection. What I love about it, is that the Moon is one of the few constants in humanity's ever-changing view, and because of this the collection enables us to see not just the Moon in all it moods but also the waxing and waning of poetry itself through the ages.

Arranged chronologically the poems span from Sappho (500BC) to Alice Oswald who is still with us and every age between. From rampant rhyming romanticism to thinly-pared prose-poems, it's all here. A journey through the fads and fashions of poetry which makes us surprised we ever thought that way, and equally startled that we think this way now.

This one-pointed collection also tracks our relationship with the Moon from the purely mysterious and symbolic, to the mundane essential light before the advent of electricity, and beyond to the time of the Apollo space mission where it becomes mere conquered dirt under our feet. I suspect the anthology was produced on the anniversary of the Moon Landings. There are several poems inspired by mankind's "giant step" including poems by Dannie Abse and the marvellous "Translunar Space March" by Edwin Morgan which describes the plaque we have sent into Space to inform alien races who/what humans are.....

..."A deodorized American man

with apologetic genitals and no pubic hair

holds up a banana-like right hand

in Indian greeting, at his side a woman,

smaller, and also with no pubic hair

is not alowed to hold up her hand,

stands with one leg off centre, and

is obviously an inferior sort

of the same species. However,

the male chauvinist pig

has a sullen expression, and the woman

is faintly smiling, so

interplanetary inteligences may still have homework."

If you haven't yet got a copy of this excellent book,you can see the moon rise today at 2.05 am and set again at 10.40. Plenty of time to write your own poem. Or you could wait for the next full moon on Friday 18th February and write by the light of it.

Non-Fiction Fave - "The Gunpowder Plot" by Antonia Fraser

2011-01-20T09:27:00.000-08:00

"There was a double eclipse in the early Autumn of 1605 - a lunar eclipse on 19th September, followed by an eclipse of the sun in early October........"

I thought I would share with you some of the Non-fiction titles I am using to research my next novel, which is set just after the Gunpowder Plot in the reign of James I.

Subtitled "Terror and Faith in 1605" Antonia Fraser's book "The Gunpowder Plot" on the subject is immensely readable and entertaining. Covering the political machinations and religious divisiveness that lead up to the plot itself, and ending with the anniversary a year later and the anti-catholic bonfires, it tells you all you need to know to really understand "Bonfire Night" as it is celebrated here in Britain.

For the historical novelist there are extracts from letters and papers with sources so that these can be traced for more information. But even better she enables the reader to understand the weaknesses in character which meant that the enterprise would always be doomed for the plotters. It is illustrated with black and white contemporary paintings and engravings, maps and a family tree of the English succession. Very highly recommended.