Author interview no.448 with novelist and short story writer Guy Mankowski

Welcome to the four hundred and forty-eighth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with novelist and short story author Guy Mankowski. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Guy. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Guy: I live in Newcastle, England. I started writing very young. Instead of all the normal things children do I would draw and write, but I never showed the writing to anyone. I pursued other avenues professionally for years but also kept on with something creative, which felt the most important. For years it was music but then one day in my early twenties I had an idea for a story that was inspired by a patient in a hospital I worked in. It was published and from then on writing started for me.

Morgen: I dabbled with limericks in my twenties but then life took over and only came back to writing in my late thirties but I’ve been catching up ever since. What have you had published to-date?

Guy: About ten short stories, two novellas, some short journalism and a novel.

Morgen: Do you have a favourite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Guy: Great question.

Morgen: Thank you.

Guy: The Intimates was discussed in a book group a few months ago and this question caused quite a debate. I do have favourites; they tend to be the characters that represent developments of people I’ve known or met in some capacity, and my imagination was attempting to try and complete them in my head. Without wanting to incriminate people, Carina from The Intimates seems the best example and probably my favourite. She was inspired by an Italian woman I met at a dinner party who divulged very little about herself, which gave me the room to project many different elements onto her – even though she is the focus of the book in many ways she still remains a mystery to me. A lot of the female characters in that book are inspired by the type of actresses used in Anthony Minghella’s films… I can’t describe how important his work has been to me; the Juliette Binoches and Kristen Scott Thomases.  Ideally I would have someone in that vein act the parts because to me they are evocative enough to be more than characters. They seem like signposts to the kind of world I would like to live in, and embedded in them are clues as to the kind of people that most interest me.

Morgen: Both great choices, and great roles in The English Patient. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Guy: I’ve just finished my second novel ‘Letters from Yelena’. It’s about a talented-but-troubled ballerina, who after a difficult childhood is only ever able to open up thorough the letters she sends to a writer. I was lucky to be awarded a grant by the Arts Council to go to St Petersburg to research it at the famous ballet schools there. The book is published by Legend Press on 1st October, although it can be pre-ordered as an e-book from 1st September, and the launch party for it is taking place at Dance City in Newcastle. The launch is combined with a performance of a scene from the novel directed by a renowned choreographer called Dora Frankel, so I’m excited about that. I’ve started writing a Christmas musical with a musician called Richard Walters, who worked with Bernard Butler from Suede and whose solo work I really admire. I’m also working with a guy called Gregory Fox on a comedy about a fictional reclusive Northern rock star, in the vein of Mark E. Smith. And I’ve started writing my third novel, as part of a Creative Writing PhD, which is called ‘How I Left The National Grid.’

Morgen: Great subjects… I’m guessing the answer to this is “no” given the variety you write, but do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Guy: No, I never suffer from writers block. Perhaps insufferably, I have the view that even a lifetime of writing could only chip at what I wanted to articulate, though that’s not to say that I value everything I write. I would say ninety per cent of it isn’t fit for human eyes but I hope it develops me in some way – with characterisation, or atmosphere. Dialogue has been one huge area I want to get better at so I’ve been focusing on that.

Morgen: Dialogue can be tricky to sound realistic but losing the ums and ers. One of my writing colleagues joined our group to learn and improve dialogue so we practice it when we can. I love writing dialogue and every Wednesday’s 5pm fiction piece is dialogue only. Do you manage to write every day?

Guy: I do write, in some way, every day. It always feels like I’m doing it for the first time though. It seems as shocking and pointless and important and repugnant than it ever was.

Morgen: Oh dear. A poet in one of my other writing groups says she finds the writing process tortuous but generally loves what comes out. I love both aspects. You mentioned a few of your characters earlier, do you have a method for creating them, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Guy: No. I’m not sure I even have an interest in them being believable – perhaps I should! I always feel it is most important that the characters are useful in some way, even if they merely represent something to the reader, or provoke something. I suppose the protagonist in my second book, Yelena, had to be believable because I map out her fears and desires as accurately as I can, and I did that by working into the narrative areas where she would have room to reflect and recover from the bad things that happened to her. The names – that’s always been tricky! I used to search on Google for ‘Top 100 Boys names, Top 100 Girls Names’ and find ones that fitted. Sometimes I would do that at work and I always feared my boss would find out and ask me if I was expecting a child. The problem with that approach is I ended up using names I liked rather than names characters might conceivably have. There’s only so many characters you can have called ‘Letitia’ or ‘Violetta’ without it turning into the plot from an Enya video.

Morgen: <laughs> I’m the same with Elliot; it’s stuck in my brain and I either want to call all my characters Elliot or at least have it as a surname. I usually resist but every now and then one sneaks in. Do you have to do much research?

Guy: Increasingly, yes. For Letters From Yelena there was such a huge amount to do. Had I known what I was embarking on I think I’d have felt a bit overwhelmed. Getting permission to get into some of the ballet academies took so much perseverance. Calling in favours, getting people to write letters for me in Russian, convincing choreographers and ballerina’s to meet with me. It took a lot of luck too – some strange fortuitous events happened that made the book possible and without them I would have just been stabbing in the dark. Some of the Russian ballet academies hadn’t let anyone from the West in before and in one I was the first to be on the grounds since before The Cold War. I think having the Polish surname helped. Had I been called Hank Marvin I think I’d have struggled to get in.

Morgen: Oh I don’t know… The Shadows have probably played there… or I’m sure his association with Cliff Richard would have done the trick. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Guy: Yes lots, and rightly so I think. Just unreadable stuff. Last year after The Intimates I wrote a novel about grief which meant a lot to me but which I don’t think I can reasonably foist onto anyone.

Morgen: A lot of my work is dark, and some autobiographical (whether readers pick up on that, I don’t know) but I think there’s someone out there for everything… as long as it’s well-written. I wrote a very therapeutic novel for NaNoWriMo 2010 that I thought would never see light of day but I’m seriously thinking of releasing it, although I’d have to change one of the names… which would be a shame as it works really well. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Guy: The seclusion, which can border on isolation. I was surprised how interested people were in my work. I very much like the sense of solidarity that exists between writers because we are all so familiar with how alone you can feel.

Morgen: Me too. I compare us to learner drivers; we all know how hard it is to pass. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Guy: I tend to scrawl out a few page plans and then lift a few lines from it as my brief for that day.

Morgen: What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Guy: Get to the bottom of exactly what it is you want to say and focus only on how to say that. Everything else is a distraction. You can be the queen of the writing group and getting a big round of applause every week but if you don’t address your own central concerns I suspect you’ll end up frustrated. Our inner worlds are so complex I think you’re only ever chipping away at it at the best of times so I’d say focus on that.

Morgen: Wow. Thank you for that. If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook (or hide the takeaway containers)?

Guy: This is a question which just makes me want to avoid sounding like David Brent. I’d say Peter Cook, Richey Edwards and a Swedish singer called Sarah Assbring, whose work has really inspired me. I would cook this salmon dish which I wheel out on occasion, though it still needs tightening. Peter Cook could offer scathing witticisms on the quality of my rice.

Morgen: David Brent (from The Office) is really popular. I had to Wikipedia Richey Edwards which makes really interesting (but sad) reading. Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Guy: I’m grateful for you taking the time to ask me questions.

Morgen: You’re very welcome. I’m grateful for your answering them. Thank you, Guy.

Guy Mankowski was born in 1983 and raised on the Isle of Wight, before being taught by monks at Ampleforth College, York. After graduating with a Masters from Newcastle University and a Psychology degree from Durham, Guy formed a Dickensian pop band called Alba Nova, releasing an EP on Comfort Records. After that he started working as a psychologist at The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in London, writing during any free moment he could get.

His debut novel, The Intimates, was published by Legend Press on 25th March 2011. It was chosen as a ‘Must Read’ title by New Writing North’s Read Regional campaign, nominated for the Waverton Good Read Prize and called in for the Dylan Thomas Prize. His second novel ‘Letters from Yelena’ is due to be published by Legend Press in October 2012, although it can be pre-ordered as an e-book from 1st September. The opening chapters of this won an Arts Council Research and Development Grant in September 2011.

His website is http://guymankowski.blogspot.co.uk, he can be followed on Twitter @Gmankow and his books can be found on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guy-Mankowski/e/B004D34GIC.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

Morgen’s Online Non-Fiction Writing Group

• http://nonfictionwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/335526669896374

Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group

• http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189

Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group

• http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934

Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group

• http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017

Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group

• http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author interview no.421 with poet, biographical fiction author and political journalist Matthew Abuelo

Welcome to the four hundred and twenty-first of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with poet, biographical fiction author and political journalist Matthew Abuelo. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Matthew. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Matthew: I’m based out of New York City which I have used as a source of inspiration over the years. I first decided to become a writer while living in Washington St. in the early 1990s, shortly after graduating from high school. At the time I really had no work skills and writing seemed the only thing I was good at as far as having a trade was concerned. Even then I had no allusion that it would be easy and figured it would take years to hone by craft. But my main inspiration came in the form of the fact that I was starving most days, only occasionally having the money to by food so I figured I had to do something but seeing it was going to take some time to reach my goal I started taking one low paying job and went to college in order to really learn the rules of writing so I knew what laws I was breaking at the time. Since then I’ve published three books: Last American Roar, Organic Hotels and The News Factory.

Morgen: Wow, the epitome of an impoverished writer. I didn’t have a clue when I was devouring Stephen King books in my teens that writing could be a profession – it took me another 20 years to twig. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Matthew: Most of my journalist writing is of a political nature, this is the writing I actually get paid for, from time to time but my three books are poetry and short fiction with a biographical base. I use to write blogs but have come close to giving it up, too close to opinion writing which I tend to hate since its mostly gossip garbage anyway.

Morgen: Maybe you could do what I do and fill it with guest pieces – you get to ‘meet’ so many wonderful people. You mentioned your three books, have you had anything else published?

Matthew: I’ve published several community-based articles with the local New York paper, The Times Square Chronicles. Organic Hotels and the Last American Roar can be found at lulu.com. The News Factory was released by the publishing house, Plain View Press, which is more of a non-for-profit progressive co-op of and for writers. I’ve also published several poems in various magazines and journals.

Morgen: Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Matthew: Every writer has faced rejection at some point. It just goes with the territory. There is only one thing to do in those situations, move on to the next publication or project.

Morgen: Absolutely. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions?

Matthew: I won the 1996 poem of the year award at Nassau Community College.

Morgen: Yay, well done. Are your books available as eBooks? How involved were you in that process, and do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Matthew: Last American Roar and Organic Hotels can be bought in ebook form. The News Factory is not at this point but maybe sometime in the future. I was not involved in the process, lulu did it and I would have no idea how to even go about conducting such a project.

Morgen: I’ve self-published six eBooks (four shorts, a writing guide and short story collection) and really it’s not that difficult. I did a talk on the subject to one of my writing groups having created a 9-page handout. I’ll probably fatten it and put it out as a free or 99c eBook. Do you have a favourite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Matthew: My favourite book is The News Factory since it is really what I had in mind as the book I would most like to write when I first started by endeavour. Since all my characters are based on people I know, I can’t really pick just one. Though I do have to say, there is a character named Otto in a piece called “Otto And The Bug” who I have particular fondness for. He really represents the dark side of me which has helped my through many a writer’s block.

Morgen: I say I write ‘dark and light’ but my dark side tends to overtake. Did you have any say in the titles / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?

Matthew: I have quite bit to say about my covers. My wife designs them which is really great since she is a graphic arts designer and overall artist. But I have the final say on what is used and not used. These covers are being used to represent my work so having the final say very important to me.

Morgen: What are you working on at the moment / next?

Matthew:  I’m going to be dusting off a few older writing projects very soon. This includes a play that I started about two years ago and now seem to have a better idea on where to go with it. Other than that, just been promoting TFA.

Morgen: I have loads of short stories that I want to look through again – I’m hoping that I’m older and wiser so they’ll all be tweakable. Do you manage to write every day?

Matthew: I wish I could say that write everyday but between by 9-5 job and a fairly healthy social life, my writing has been somewhat slow these days. Also being my own publicist has not helped.

Morgen: That’s the thing, apart from the day job, that takes the time, doesn’t it. Most of the authors I’ve spoken to have seen it as a necessarily evil although most (myself included) love the interaction with other writers / readers it brings with it. You mentioned Otto, do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Matthew: I don’t have any real method in creating my characters. The names usually come from an aspect of the characters personality. For example, my character Harvey Gray gets his name from the fact that he spends much of his time in the background of any given event which occurs in one of my shorter stories. He is really nondescript much, like the color nothing to catch your eye.

Morgen: I love that, maybe he could come to the forefront, get married, and have a brighter double-barrelled name. What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second-person?

Matthew: I usually prefer third person, it helps move the story a little quicker but it also allows you to get deeper into the environment governing each character. I have yet to try writing in the second person.

Morgen: Do have a go. You may not like it (many don’t) but I love it so it might grab you. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Matthew: Oh god yes, several in fact. I have a few pretty good starts to some stories which petered have out at some point. I don’t see myself going back to most of them.

Morgen: Time is a great asset (and lack of it a curse) to a writer, maybe you could finish them with ‘fresh’ eyes but it sounds as if you’re pretty busy anyway, maybe one day. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Matthew: My favourite aspect of being a writer is that it allows me to tell the stories of a lot of great people and places which unfortunately will go un-noticed despite their presents in their community. Most of them I have been given a bad rap for not being what the new image of New York is suppose to be. It’s really sad. But the great part is that most of the people who I write about just don’t give a damn about what other’s think of them. The part of writing that I like the least is that it takes an unbelievable amount of time to get any of my works done. The other thing I find less then desirable is the politics that govern many a poetry contest, unless you sound like someone else these days, there are many ‘need not apply’ signs behind these events.

Morgen: I don’t really enter poetry contest but that’s a real shame. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Matthew: Take time to learn your craft. This could take years but spending time honing really makes you a better writer and will help you find your own voice. Also write what you know and be honest about your subject. There is no better way to lose an audience then lying to them. Everyone knows enough about something that they should have more than enough material to get started and sustain a presents as writers. Also expand your horizons, it opens you to new experiences to write about.  Finally do your research when looking for a publishing company, there are many scams out there.

Morgen: I totally agree about ‘experts’ – if something isn’t right, there will always be someone to pick you up on it… but then that’s the great thing about eBooks, you can change them in an instant and re-upload. No-one’s pointed anything out to me yet but I do hope they would if there was anything that wasn’t right. If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook (or hide the takeaway containers)?

Matthew: Eugene Debbs, Nelson Algren and Noam Chomsky. I would feel like a midget in the room but hey the conversions would be unbelievable.

Morgen: Are there any writing-related websites and/or books that you find useful?

Matthew: Poets and Writers magazine.

Morgen: Ah yes, a popular magazine in these interviews. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how valuable do you find them?

Matthew: Nothing Binding, Writers Out and Goodreads, all three have been very useful in connecting with other writers.

Morgen: I’ve not come across the first two but am vaguely active on Goodreads – I should be more so (my books are listed, and generally slated, sadly, on there but I get regular ‘friend requests’ through which is lovely ). Where can we find out about you and your work?

Matthew: You can check out my website: http://deadrabbitnews.blogspot.com.

Morgen: Thank you, Matthew.

I then invited Matthew to include a synopsis of his latest book…

“The News Factory’ has been released to the general public. This collection of poetry and short stories is about the part of New York City which is quickly disappearing due to gentrification and exorbitant rents. These are residents of SROs, along with the buildings themselves, which continue to disappear at an alarming rate.

Matthew Abuelo is a writer, professional blogger and award-winning poet. He has two books out, Last American Roar and Organic Hotels, both can be found at lulu.com. He is also a former journalist for the online news site Examiner. He currently writes for the Times Square Chronicles. His third book “The News Factory” has just been released by Plain view Pre.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

Morgen’s Online Non-Fiction Writing Group

• http://nonfictionwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/335526669896374

Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group

• http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189

Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group

• http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934

Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group

• http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017

Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group

• http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author interview no.400 with journalist, reviewer and writer Emma Lee-Potter

Welcome to the four hundredth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with freelance journalist, book reviewer, blogger and novelist Emma Lee-Potter. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Emma. Please tell us something about yourself, and how you came to be a writer.

Emma: Hello Morgen. When I was little I always wanted to be a journalist. I’ve been a journalist for more than 25 years now and it’s taken me to places I never dreamed of. I’ve interviewed Richard Branson 40 thousand feet above the Atlantic on Virgin’s first flight to Miami, I’ve sat in a Bedouin tent in the Saudi desert with Prince Charles and Princess Diana and I’ve driven across the equator in a truck. I started writing novels after my children were born and was completely hooked. Now I combine a career as a freelance journalist and book reviewer with blogging and writing novels.

Morgen: Wow, what experience… and so much to inspire your fiction. Your blog (http://www.housewithnoname.blogspot.co.uk) lists you as a journalist, book reviewer and novelist so I’d like to start with your journalism. Are you commissioned by publications or do you pitch for work?

Emma: A bit of both. There are several newspapers and magazines I write for regularly and they commission me. But I also come up with my own ideas and pitch them.

Morgen: Do you have any advice for new writers when pitching their articles?

Emma: The key to pitching successfully is to get to know the publication inside out. Make sure that your idea is the sort of story they would actually run. And don’t be disheartened if they say no. Just come up with more ideas. And, of course, when you are commissioned, file on time and to the right length.

Morgen: So they know they can rely on you and hopefully take more. With your non-fiction, how do you decide what to write about?

Emma: I started my career as a news reporter so I pride myself on being able to write about pretty much anything. But these days I write primarily about books and education.

Morgen: You’ve interviewed authors, is there someone you’d like to interview but haven’t yet?

Emma: There are loads of authors I’d like to interview, but number one on my list would be JK Rowling. I can’t wait to read her forthcoming adult novel.

Morgen: Me too (although my reading pile is already huge). Re. your interviewing her, I guess she could always say “no”. You’ve bought a “tumbledown farmhouse” in France, the emphasis for your blog, looks like it could be an ideal writers’ retreat one day…

Emma: It’s in a very peaceful and beautiful part of France. so it would make a fantastic writers’ retreat one day. The tumbledown roof needs a bit more work first though…

Morgen: I love DIY… planes, not so much but I love driving. You’re also a book reviewer, do you choose the books you review or are you approached by publishers (or both)?

Emma: Both. I’m very lucky because publishers send me lots of books and if I like them I suggest them for review (and review them on my blog too).

Morgen: Writing friend and interviewee Helen M Hunt does the same. I’m often asked (by the authors themselves) to review books but I just don’t have the time. I don’t read enough as it is, although I plan to; I have a new lodger and another moving in next week who I’ll be taking to work at 5am daily so they go to bed c.9pm so I have to be quiet, and what’s quieter (unless they’re laugh-out-loud funny) than reading? Is there a technique for reviewing a book? Are you bound by word limits?

Emma: It’s important to make book reviews honest, informative and entertaining. As a rule of thumb I restrict my description of the storyline of a novel to a third of the review, and my view of the book to two-thirds. And obviously it’s crucial not to give the ending away. My book reviews in newspapers are between 400 and 600 words, and I tend to stick to the same word count on my blog too.

Morgen: A nice coffee break read. Do you find as a book reviewer and writer yourself that you can’t just “read” a book (that you’re not reviewing) but mentally pull it apart?

Emma: Not at all. There’s nothing better than being completely taken over by a book – and I regularly am! I don’t feel I have to pull everything apart. But then again, if I love a book I’m always keen to write about it.

Morgen: Now moving to your novels, are there any differences or similarities between writing non-fiction and fiction? Dare I ask if you prefer one over the other?

Emma: That’s a hard one, Morgen. I love the fact that my journalism is short and snappy and written to tight deadlines. But then again, I love fiction because I can let my imagination run riot and write exactly what I want to.

Morgen: That’s what I love about fiction. I write articles but (so far) only about writing although I can talk for England (despite predominantly writing flash fiction) and being given a 500-word limit is great practice… and possibly why everything’s coming out around then at the moment.

You have four novels published to-date (Taking Sides, Moving On, Hard Copy, The Rise and Shine Saturday Show), the first three are for adults and the latter is for children. Do you find it easier or more difficult to write for children? Were your children your first readers?

Emma: I came up with the idea for my children’s book because my daughter, who was 12 at the time and a voracious reader, asked me to write something for her. I loved doing it and wrote a daily instalment for her to read when she got home from school. But adult fiction is my first love. Actually, these days my daughter is a brilliant proofreader and critic and always reads my books before anyone else.

Morgen: It’s great having supportive family – my brother is a great editor (although I don’t ask him these days as he’s as he’s always so busy) and my mum will be honest, although sometimes (if a piece is too dark), too honest. You also have a new novella out called ‘Olympic Flames’, how did that come about?

Emma: I had such fun writing Olympic Flames. I wrote it after being approached by a new eBook company called Endeavour Press. They asked me if I’d like to write a novella set at the Olympic Games and I jumped at the chance.

Morgen: And perfect timing. You’re based in Oxford, England, have you ever been tempted to write an Inspector Morse-type story and / or use locations that you know?

Emma: I often write about locations I know (particularly the wilds of Lancashire, an area I love) and Oxford features in the new series of novellas I’m writing. It’s a wonderful city and I’m not surprised that Colin Dexter chose it as the background for his Morse books. Funnily enough, I live quite near him. I spotted him on the bus the other day!

Morgen: He was the main speaker at the recent Chipping Norton Literature Festival but sadly I missed him (I was volunteering in the ‘green room’ so was looking forward to signing him in but it was on the second floor so a colleague took his badge to him) I met some great authors (some I knew already and some new ones, and spotted Joanna Trollope from a distance) and had a wonderful time… not wishing my time away, but I’m already looking forward to next year. Are your books available as eBooks, and do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Emma: Olympic Flames and The Rise and Shine Saturday Show are available as eBooks and Piatkus plans to publish Hard Copy, Moving On and Taking Sides as eBooks soon. My husband’s just bought me a Kindle so I’m enjoying both.

Morgen: Aren’t they great. Most authors I’ve spoken to have enjoyed both and say the same thing as me, that they read paper books at home but eBooks when they go away. Do you have a favourite of your books or characters? If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Emma: My favourite book so far is Moving On, my second novel, which is about two sisters who take over their family’s newspaper empire.  I’d love it to be made into a movie (in my dreams!) and I’d cast Vanessa Kirby and Carey Mulligan as sisters Kate and Laura.

Morgen: I’d not heard of Vanessa (thank you Google Images) but she and Carey look like they would make great fictional sisters. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Emma: I’m writing a series of four novellas for Endeavour Press. They’re set in and around Oxford, so watch this space!

Morgen: Oh I will… do come back and talk about it… in a guest blog perhaps? Do you manage to write every day? Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

Emma: Whether it’s journalism or fiction, I write every single day. It feels as though it’s part of my DNA somehow. I don’t suffer from writer’s block, mainly because I don’t dare to miss my deadlines. Some days are harder than others, but I just make myself keep going. I’ve just downloaded an app called Pomodoro, which makes me write in 25-minute bursts. I really recommend it.

Morgen: Ooh… Google here I come. Wow. I’m so uneducated. Wikipedia says the method’s been around since the 80s. With your fiction, do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Emma: Both. When I wrote my first novel I wasn’t sure how it would end. My husband’s an engineer and he was stunned that I didn’t plan it all out in advance. So now I write a basic synopsis, but I don’t always stick to it.

Morgen: I’m the same. I loosely (4-5 pages) planned the first one but it naturally ended much earlier than I planned (so it’s only 52K) so I have only done rough notes since then. The third one I wrote for 2009 NaNoWriMo and hadn’t a clue until the day before what I was going to write about and it ended up being 117,540 words (in 28 days, and great fun to do). Do you have a method for creating your characters, their names and what do you think makes them believable?

Emma: I went to a talk by William Boyd recently where he said that he spent up to two years planning his novels and working out his characters. I definitely don’t do that, but I start with a vague outline of my characters – what they look like, their names, their backgrounds, and very crucially, the way they speak. I find that if I can get characters’ dialogue right, they are much more convincing and believable.

Morgen: One of the prompts for this blog’s 5pm Fiction slot is dialogue-only and it’s great practice. Reading it out loud helps enormously. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Emma: I tend to edit as I go along. The writer MJ Hyland once advised me to keep going and only edit once the first draft is done, but I just can’t do it. I start the day by editing what I’ve done the day before, and then carry on writing. Even so, I reckon that there comes a moment where you have to stop messing about with your work and send it off.

Morgen: You do. Four or five is usually my limit. One of my Monday night writers spends a week on a short story and admits to putting sections back that she’s previously taken out. I don’t have time for that. Do you have to do much research for your non-fiction and / fiction?

Emma: I do a lot of research for my journalistic work – it’s so important to get facts right and I check and double-check all the time. As far as my fiction is concerned, it varies. Olympic Flames, my new eBook, is set in the world of showjumping so I did a lot of research. For instance, I spent a lovely day at Greenwich Park, where the 2012 Olympic equestrian events will be held, soaking up the atmosphere and researching how it will all look this summer.

Morgen: Despite working in text, we’re very visual aren’t we. I’m forever flying my hands around pretending to do whatever my characters are doing – drives my dog nuts. What point of view do you find most to your liking when writing fiction: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Emma: Definitely third person. I haven’t tried first person, let alone second!

Morgen: I wouldn’t suggest it for novels (I’ve not yet finished Jay McInerney’s ‘Bright Lights, Big City’ despite loving second person and it only being a novella) but if you do have the inkling, second person short stories are fun (or least I have fun doing them for 5pm Fiction and Tuesday Tales). Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Emma: Of course I’ve had rejections. Hasn’t every writer? I grumble a bit and then get down to writing again. It’s crucial to keep going.

Morgen: Absolutely. I have had a handful of writers say they haven’t but either they’ve not written much and everything’s been accepted or they’ve not submitted. Do you enter writing competitions (or judge them)? Are there any you could recommend?

Emma: I was lucky enough to be a judge for the 2011 Costa first novel of the year award – and loved every minute of it. As far as writing competitions are concerned, magazines like Red, Stylist and Good Housekeeping often run them – and I’d definitely recommend keeping an eye out for them.

Morgen: There are a few places that list competitions (Sally Quilford’s https://writingcalendar.wordpress.com, http://www.prizemagic.co.uk/html/writing_comps.htm, http://www.firstwriter.com/competitions, http://www.jbwb.co.uk/writingcomps.htm, http://www.writersreign.co.uk/Writing-Competitions.html, http://www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com and I have a competitions calendar although I know I don’t list those magazines). Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Emma: Yes, I have an agent for my books. She is a huge support – and I don’t think I would have got my first book published without her.

Morgen: It’s notoriously difficult to get an agent these days but most say they’re worth their weight. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Emma: One of the main lessons I’ve learned is that writers can’t sit back and assume the publisher will do all the marketing for them. There are loads of ways to market your work these days, especially via blogs. Every writer should have a blog – there’s no excuse not to. As well as being a brilliant way to publicise your work, it’s great fun.

Morgen: It is and I’ve enjoyed building this one so much that I’ve started doing them for others… Jane Wenham-Jones most recently. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Emma: Write every day, even if it’s only 250 words. It hones your craft and one day you’ll wake up and you’ll have written a whole novel.

Morgen: Absolutely. 300 words is a 100,000-word novel in a year. I write an average of 300 words a day for 5pm Fiction, although I’m only 14 days in (or 45 if you include Story A Day May ). If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook (or hide the takeaway containers)?

Emma: It would have to be three people who are brilliant conversationalists and who would make me laugh. So I’d choose Paul Merton, Caitlin Moran and the late Anthony Howard. As for the cooking, I’d invite the fabulous Jamie Oliver to do it (or is that cheating?)

Morgen: I love Paul’s dry sense of humour and Caitlin always strikes me as being a party animal, I’m sure you’d have a blast. We met at the Chipping Norton Literature Festival so I know speak at live events, are you involved in anything else writing-related?

Emma: I sometimes teach journalism students. I benefited from fantastic training myself so I feel passionately about the importance of passing on what I’ve learned.

Morgen: That’s what I’ve found about the writing ‘industry’; that we’re all happy to help other writers. I compare it to learner drivers; we know how hard it is to ‘pass’. Are there any writing-related websites and / or books that you find useful?

Emma: My favourite websites are Media Guardian for everything media related and Sarah Duncan’s blog for a fantastic range of novel writing tips. And my favourite writing book is Keith Waterhouse’s classic Waterhouse on Newspaper Style. It’s full of good sense and I use more than anything else.

Morgen: Thank you so much, Emma. I really appreciate you squeezing in this interview.

I then invited Emma to include an extract of her writing and this is from Olympic Flames:

The crowd roared with delight as the chestnut stallion soared gracefully through the air. The fence was more than one and a half metres high, but the rider and horse made the jump look effortless. When the duo touched the ground on the other side, there was a swell of applause from the spectators packed into the stand. The rider, resplendent in a navy blue show jacket and skin-tight white breeches, ignored it all, set on taking the next thirteen jumps with similar ease.

Jack Stone’s jaw tensed as he watched. Stylish, brave and fast – this was a competitor he was going to have to go hell for leather to beat.

Up until now, he’d reckoned he stood a good chance of a gold medal. After all, the American showjumping team had won the last two Olympic titles. Not only that, they had left nothing to chance in their preparations for London 2012. They had been training in the US for months on end, and had only flown into London a week ago. But watching riders of this quality made him uneasy. Only for a second, though – Jack wasn’t the type to be racked by self-doubt. But even so, he felt a flicker of irritation that when it came to technique and speed, the European teams so often had the edge. They were elegant and self-assured and had dominated the international showjumping scene for as long as he could remember. He couldn’t put his finger on quite how they did it but when the chips were down they had the knack of pulling that extra special something out of the bag.

It was the first day of London 2012’s fiercely contested jumping event and Greenwich Park had never looked lovelier. The oldest of London’s Royal Parks, Greenwich was also one of the greenest, with long, tree-lined avenues and acres of lush grassland. Jack had ridden in some spectacular places in his time but this beat the lot. The jumping arena, dramatically bordered on all four sides by the flags of the competing nations, faced on to the elegant stone façade of The Queen’s House, part of the National Maritime Museum. Even with scores of sleek city skyscrapers towering in the distance and the distant hum of the Olympic traffic, it was hard to believe they were slap bang in the heart of London.

As he glanced across to the start, keen to check which rider would be up next, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd. Jack straightened up to his full 6ft 2ins and narrowed his eyes. The rider he’d just been admiring had completed a clear round in the allotted time and was dismounting from her horse. Tiny next to the massive stallion, she removed a pair of dazzling white gloves and a black riding hat to reveal a head of blonde curls caught up in a ponytail. But when she turned her head to smile at a couple of Olympic officials standing nearby, Jack gasped in disbelief. What the hell was she doing here?

I then invited Emma to include a synopsis of ‘Olympic Flames’…

Mimi Carter is the youngest member of the British showjumping team for London 2012. Fiercely competitive and a brilliant rider, she’s desperate to win an Olympic gold medal in front of her home crowd. But as injury threatens and an enigmatic old flame arrives back on the show jumping circuit, can she put her feelings to one side and realise her dream? And can she win her man and a gold medal for her country – all in the same day?

This sparkling romantic novella mixes love, horses and the Olympic Games to create a story that is moving, funny and inspiring – and is sure to keep you hooked until the very last word.

Emma Lee-Potter is a novelist and journalist. She has written three novels, Hard Copy, Moving On and Taking Sides, and is the author of House With No Name (http://housewithnoname.blogspot.co.uk), her blog about life, books, teenagers and France.

***

Update November 2012: I invited Emma to provide an update since our interview and she’s been really busy… two new novellas.

School Ties (available from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com)

Downthorpe Hall is a posh boarding school in the wilds of the Oxfordshire countryside.

Fresh from working in an inner-city comprehensive, Will Hughes has just been appointed as the new head. He knows there will be a host of challenges ahead. Tricky parents, rebellious teenagers and teachers who will fight his attempts to reform the school.

He doesn’t expect a battle for his heart.

But when he meets two women – the fiercely ambitious deputy head and a brilliantly smart science teacher – Will realises that the ties at Downthorpe are not just the kind you wear around your neck.

What follows is a tangle of competing ambitions and desires that leave Will bemused – and could force him to choose between the job he has always wanted and the woman of his dreams.

White Christmas (available on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com)

Everyone dreams of a White Christmas. But nobody dreams of one quite as much as Hal Benson.

Out-of-work actor Hal has been hired as a stand-in weather presenter by a ratings-chasing TV news channel. But actually, Hal couldn’t care less whether it rains or not. To him it is just a job.

But then he meets rival weather forecaster Lizzie Foster. She’s bright, determined and very beautiful. Fascinated by meteorology, she can’t believe that Hal is completely clueless about the weather.

They become friends, but as Christmas Day approaches, their relationship turns out to be as unpredictable as the weather. And sometimes as stormy.

Whilst everyone else is unwrapping presents, Hal and Lizzie are looking to the skies for signs of a White Christmas. So will the pair overcome their meteorological differences – and find true love?

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

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As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

Morgen’s Online Non-Fiction Writing Group

• http://nonfictionwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/335526669896374

Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group

• http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189

Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group

• http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934

Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group

• http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017

Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group

• http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com
• http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Story A Day May 2012: May 9th – The photographer that no-one else can get

Late April 2011 I discovered http://StoryADay.org and the project that is to write 31 stories in 31 days. Anyone who knows me or follows this blog, knows how passionate I am about short stories so my clichéd eyes lit up at this new marvel. And just a few days later there I was, breathing life into new characters. This went on to become (with some editing of course) my 31-story collection eBook Story A Day May 2011.

And here we are a year later doing it all over again. Today’s prompt was to write a story with an unreliable narrator, so here is my 594-worder following on from my Tuesday Tales story, The photo that no-one else can get.

The photographer that no-one else can get

“She told me she loved me.”

“Diana?”

The old man nodded.

The journalism student noted it down. “When was that?”

“August 19th 1997, my birthday.”

“But that’s…”

“I know. A couple of weeks before…”

“Where were you?”

“Paris. She came here a lot.”

“With Dodi?”

The old man nodded again. “She said she was going to leave him but…”

“Go on.”

“She couldn’t.”

“Why couldn’t she?”

“I can’t tell you, I promised.”

“It won’t do anyone any harm now, not after all these years.”

“She has family. Grand children… great grand children soon. No, it’ll never come out.”

“But you’re telling me now.”

“You won’t believe me and you won’t say anything, or print it. It’s too big a risk from an old fool.”

“I do believe you, Mr…”

“James. Call me, James.”

“But I… oh. I’m Naomi. I do believe you, Mr James, that’s why I’m here.”

“Not Mr, just James. Then you’ll know about the photographs, and the car.”

“Car?”

“My old white Fiat. Long gone. A square cube of metal used as someone’s coffee table no doubt.”

“So there was…”

“I read about it in the papers of course, so someone must have seen me but nothing ever happened. I waited, hid the car in a deserted barn until I knew the coast was clear then gave it to a scrap dealer on the condition he’d strip it for parts then crush it. He was a friend of a friend so I believed him. Never heard anything so…”

“And you have photographs?”

“Of course. Loads. Not printed, couldn’t have evidence lying around so I left them on the stick. I didn’t need to print them anyway, or ever look at them again. I have them all… up here,” he said, tapping his forehead.

“Where is it now, the stick?”

“In the car.”

Staring out to the car park, Naomi asked, “You still drive?”

The old man laughed. “No! Don’t be silly, dear. I’m knocking on 100. In the Fiat. The stick never came to light either so it’s probably underneath someone’s News of the World or remote control.”

“They don’t make the News of…” She looked up when the Manager, a tall plump woman with a red face, blocked the light from the window.

“Sorry folks, but it’s meal time.”

Naomi was about to ask another question, expecting to have a few minutes’ grace, when the Manager coughed overdramatically.

Closing her notebook, Naomi tucked it, along with her royal blue fountain pen, into her messenger bag. “Thank you, James. Do you mind if I come back another time?”

“Certainly dear, but don’t leave it too long. As I said I’m knocking…”

“I’ll see you out,” the Manager butted in and the two women walked towards the building’s exit.

“Get everything you wanted?”

“Almost.”

“Which name did he give you?”

“James…”

“Ah, it’s 007 is it today? Ms Windsor, we’ve had a stream of people here to see him over the years. Since he started saying… well, everything he’s just told you. Don’t believe a word of it. We let them in, let you in, to keep him amused so I’m sorry that you’ve wasted your time but he just loves to make things up, bordering on cruel if you ask me, trying to make people believe his lies.”

But of course the man wasn’t lying. He just had a bad memory. He’d been going by different names all his life. Never knew what his real one was, having been left in a handbag in a cloakroom in Victoria Railway Station.

If you like working from prompts you might be interested in my 365-Day Writer’s Block Workbook (Vol 1).

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything… and follow me on Twitter where each new posting is automatically announced. You can also read / download my eBooks and free eShorts at Smashwords, Sony Reader Store, Barnes & Noble, iTunes Bookstore, Kobo and Amazon, with more to follow. I have a new forum and you can follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook, like me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn, find me on Tumblr, complete my website’s Contact me page or plain and simple, email me.  I also now have a new blog creation service especially for, but not limited to, writers.

Unfortunately, as I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t review books but I have a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me reading it / talking about and critiquing it (I send you the transcription afterwards so you can use the comments or ignore them)  on my ‘Bailey’s Writing Tips’ podcast, then do email me. They are weekly episodes, usually released Monday mornings UK time, interweaving the recordings between the red pen sessions with the hints & tips episodes. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry.

 

Author interview no.276 with crime / mystery novelist, travel / features writer, journalist and ghostwriter John Barlow

Welcome to the two hundred and seventy sixth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with crime / mystery novelist, travel / features writer, journalist and ghostwriter John Barlow. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, John. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

John: I’m originally from a village called Gomersal, near Leeds. However, I’m now based in Spain. I’ve always written things, and eventually I got a book contract with HarperCollins when I was in my 30s. At that point I decided to move to Spain and write full-time, and I’ve managed to keep on doing that since then.

Morgen: No small feat. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

John: My latest novel, Hope Road, is a crime mystery. Before that I’ve done literary fiction and a book of travel writing. I also work as a ghost writer (financial thriller at the moment) and do some journalism, mainly features for a food magazine. But I’ll consider anything: last year I had a piece in Penthouse magazine about hunting wild pigs in Australia!

Morgen: Penthouse is actually supposed to be a good source for short story authors (she says making a mental note to check it out). Ah no, it’s Playboy. Oh well, sort of close. Anyway, moving on… Have you had any rejections?

John: Yes, lots. For my first book (which was initially represented in the US) it was torture; the waiting drove me to distraction. These days I don’t care about that stuff.

Morgen: They do get easier. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions?

John: I won the Discovery / Plimpton Prize in the American literary magazine the Paris Review. That in turn got me an agent and my first book contract. My last book, a food-based travelogue, was shortlisted for Best Book at the Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards.

Morgen: Wow, well done. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

John: Yes. They most definitely are.

Morgen: Are your books available as eBooks? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

John: I do read ebooks. My previous books are available as ebooks, although they are not available in all territories. Hope Road certainly is.

Morgen: How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

John: I’ve been doing a lot more recently, mainly because I have a new crime-mystery series on the go, and I see this as a long-term commitment. In the past I didn’t see myself as a brand, but if I can build a readership for these mysteries, that’ll be an advantage over the course of the whole series.

Morgen: More authors are doing their own marketing these days. I think it’s a combination of less staff at the publishers and more social networking – for me I love being an author now. What are you working on at the moment / next?

John: There are eight more mystery novels in the series to write. I am also working on bringing a couple of Spanish language versions of my books out, and also on a YA novel about environmental issues.

Morgen: Wow. I can see why you write full-time; there’s certainly enough to keep you busy. Do you manage to write every day? Do you ever suffer from writer’s block?

John: I have no other job, so yes I write every day. I don’t get writer’s block, because there’s always a mountain of revision and / or research to do, so I can always get on with that if I don’t feel like writing.

Morgen: That’s the key, isn’t it, variety. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

John: Plot. I plot pretty hard, but even then I find all sorts of stuff cropping up as I write. This is also one of the challenges of writing mysteries: when you change something at one point in the book, you often have to change a whole host of things elsewhere.

Morgen: Which is why I write short stories more than novels; less ploughing. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

John: I do an awful lot. Probably too much. It’s what I really love about writing. I go through endless revisions in endless ways. If I thought editing a text under water might help, I’d do it.

Morgen: I have some waterproof (or they might just be water resistant) books so you never know. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

John: Working in your pyjamas is great. Being able to take time off whenever you want is also good. What has surprised me about being a freelance writer is that the best and most enjoyable offers come out of the blue. I was sent on an expense-paid trip to a five-star hotel in the Bahamas a few years ago. Then, as I said, I was recently hunting wild pigs in the Australian bush…

Morgen: That does sound like a hardship. What do you think the future holds for a writer?

John: It’s not looking good. I can see a time when a handful of writers make a decent living, and the rest do it as a hobby. Who can make money selling novels for 99cents?

Morgen: You just need to sell enough of them, I guess. But yes, I agree. There are SO many authors out there all wanting to do the same thing – doing these interviews has made me aware just how many. Where can we find out about you and your writing?

John: Then door is always open at: www.johnbarlow.net.

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

John: My new book, Hope Road, is a bit like Kate Atkinson’s Started Early, Took My Dog, and it’s set in the same city, Leeds. To begin with I tended not to mention this in interviews, but I’ve changed my mind!

Morgen: You had me at Kate Atkinson (one of my favourite authors). Thank you so much, John.

You can find out more about John from his website, Twitter and Facebook, and buy his new book ‘Hope Road’ from Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk.

Praise for John’s previous books and articles:
New York Times – Barlow’s imagination appears unlimited, almost attuned to a parallel world.
Washington Post – John Barlow is back with another story that’s surprising, funny and satisfying… Intoxicated delivers the goods. It’s the real thing.
The Economist – A fascinating journal of his Galician wanderings. What comes through is a deep affection for Galicia’s people and culture.
Booklist – Wonderfully innovative. Magic realism meets Yorkshire pragmatism.
Time Magazine – With good humor and shameless enthusiasm, he has written a delicious meat mash note. Verdict: Read.
LA Times – A mouthwatering adventure.
New York Times – Like Mr. Bryson, Mr. Barlow has canny comic timing… What both writers get by on is cerebral charm that can verge on slapstick.
Yorkshire Post – A cracking read that’s impossible to put down.
Palm Beach Post – John Barlow demonstrates a vast love of language and, above all, the ability to tell a riveting yarn.
Matthew Pearl, author of The Dante Club‘ – John Barlow is the rare writer who can be playfully inventive, while deeply in touch with literary traditions.
Hollywood Reporter – A most compelling and delicious book.
Kirkus – Like T.C. Boyle, to whom he has been appropriately compared, Barlow paints personalities in broad strokes… Barlow’s lively imagination will carry along those who appreciate risk-taking fiction.
Charleston Post – …masterfully written and paced, rich in back story and subplots. At times enthralling and at others heartbreaking… a rewarding novel by a gifted stylist.
Edmonton Journal – Barlow is a very fine writer, and exhibits genius in figuring out new ways to describe food.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author Spotlight no.56 – Quentin Bates

Complementing my daily blog interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the fifty-sixth, is of crime novelist Quentin Bates.

Quentin Bates is a writer and journalist who has recently made the move into fiction with the first of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland:

Frozen Out (Constable & Robinson) 2011, published in the US by Soho Crime as Frozen Assets.

Also in German as In Eisigem Wasser (Lübbe, 2011) and in Dutch as Bevroren Tegoeden (Karakter, March 2012).

Cold Comfort, Soho Crime, 10th Jan 2102, Constable & Robinson, 15th March 2012.

Published in German as Kalter Troost (Lübbe, summer 2012) and in Dutch as Schrale Troost (Karakter, summer 2102).

A third book, tentatively titled Chilled to the Bone, is well on the way to completion and takes Gunnhildur right away from the city and into mountains, villages and farms of the rural western fjords.

And now from the author himself:

If I’d had a crystal ball to peer into, I’d have started work a year or so earlier. It’s also a long story that I won’t go into here, but I spent a long time living in Iceland, that large volcanic rock surrounded by fish and with a population the size of Croydon’s.

There are two schools of thought. One is that you should write about what you know, as that gives your work an authority and grounds it firmly. The opposite school says that you should write what you don’t know about as that way there’s so much enjoyment to be had from finding out things you never dreamed existed.

The decision to write a book set in Iceland was simple enough. I know Iceland very well and parts of it I know intimately after living there for a decade. On the other hand, with a squeaky clean record of boring honesty behind me, I didn’t know a great deal about police work other than from reading crime novels – so it was practically a perfect combination.

I came a little late to writing fiction after a motley career as a seaman, truck driver, teacher and a few other things before finding my way into journalism through a series of odd coincidences. Then came the idea of trying to write fiction – just in time to fit in with the wave of Scandinavian crime fiction. It wasn’t intentional, although it may look like a case of a bandwagon being hastily jumped on. My first crime novel, Frozen Out (Frozen Assets in the US), was going through the copyediting process just as Stieg Larsson started his sadly posthumous climb up the bestseller lists in English.

My rotund heroine, Gunnhildur, came to life quite suddenly as I was playing with the initial ideas that eventually became Frozen Out. To begin with she wasn’t the main character. Gunna was the sidekick. After putting away the fledgling manuscript and coming back to it a few weeks later, it was obvious that the main character was a dull collection of clichés, while Gunna, who had more or less jumped onto the page one day, cracking her knuckles and demanding to be taken seriously, was the far more interesting character. I have to admit to being deeply fond of her, even though I give her a rough time, load her with challenges and generally make her life difficult.

Writing Frozen Out was a long process in bursts of activity punctuated with periods of idleness. Well, not so much idleness as the day job that takes up valuable writing time.

Morgen: “A bandwagon being hastily jumped on” I love that, and, as you say, being able to do whatever you like to your characters.

You can find more about Quentin and his writing via his website http://graskeggur.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Twitter and Facebook.

      

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with murder mystery and YA author JT Lewis – the two hundred and seventy-fourth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can read / download my eBooks from Smashwords (Amazon to follow).

 

Author interview no.268 with romantic suspense, mystery, short story author, journalist, writing guide guru Chelle Cordero

Welcome to the two hundred and sixty-eighth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with romantic suspense, mystery, short story author, journalist, writing guide guru and spotlightee Chelle Cordero. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Chelle. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Chelle: I’ve always been interested in the arts – once an artist, always an artist even if the medium changes. I always dabbled with short stories and loved to rewrite some favourite TV shows. When I was 18 years old (yeah, a while ago) I was asked to write an article for a community organization I belonged to; it was published in a local weekly newspaper and the “light bulb” went off, I thought of adding writing to my repertoire. But it wasn’t until I was expecting our first child that I considered doing it as a full time freelance job from home. I began as a journalist and later added novelist to my credits.

Morgen: I had the light bulb moment in my late 30s when I went to creative writing evening classes and started to create characters. Once they took over I knew that was it. It took me another three or four years to really do something about it (quit the day job) but it’s such a thrill after having left school ‘falling’ into being a secretary (handy for typing speeds) because I didn’t know what I wanted to do, to finally know. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Chelle:  I love to read romance and mystery / suspense stories. I also love to write what I read. Two of my novels were written as psychological thrillers (Final Sin and Hyphema) and that is a genre I’d love to delve into more deeply.

Morgen: I heard on the radio this morning that more people are reading crime now than romance and you have both the most popular genres covered. What have you had published to-date? Do you have a favourite of your books or characters?

Chelle:  I have 9 novels (Bartlett’s Rule; His Lucky Charm; Within the Law; Final Sin; Courage of the Heart; Hostage Heart; A Chaunce of Riches; Common Bonds, Tangled Hearts; & Hyphema). I also have 2 writing guides that are based on my successful Amazon Kindle blog Living, Breathing, Writing.

I have a habit of falling in love with each of my heroes so it isn’t easy to choose a favourite. I MIGHT have a preference for Tom Hughes (from Within the Law). Tom was created as a secondary character in His Lucky Charm and his personal story was so compelling and a bit tragic, I was duty-bound to give him his own story and happy ending. Tom is not a saint, he’s got a bit of a temper, a whole lot of passion and is the kind of hunk I find attractive.

Morgen: I love it when a minor character is given (or demands) a meatier role. I read Kate Atkinson’s Not The End Of The World’ collection of short stories when I was starting out and she had a some characters in more than one story and it’s something that’s never left me so I’ve started doing the same with some of mine. And it’s often the background characters that a reader loves the most. If applicable, can you remember where you first saw one of your books in a bookshop or being read by a member of the public?

Chelle: A local indie bookstore ordered my novel Bartlett’s Rule for a book club reading and asked me to come in for a discussion. While I had the expectation that my book had been read, it still amazed me when the attendees pulled out their copies and made references to specific sections. They were overwhelmingly supportive and indicated that they liked the book. This was also the first time I was ever asked to autograph one of my books.

Morgen: Yay! That’s the downside to only having eBooks – to not be able to see it in someone’s hands (never say never ). What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Chelle: I emailed my manuscript for Bartlett’s Rule to my current publisher, Vanilla Heart Publishing, after the managing editor responded to my query. She promised me a response in 3 days, but later that night I received an offer for publication! I was so excited I couldn’t even speak. I dragged my husband into my office to read the email for himself. I still get a thrill whenever I see my name on a book spine or my by-line on an article.

Morgen: Wow. I’ve heard good things about Vanilla Heart (from interviewees Malcolm Campbell, Charmaine Gordon and Smoky Zeidel). Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Chelle: While I am sure that there are authors who have never seen rejection, maybe they have marketable fame, were fortunate to make the right query at the right time, or haven’t submitted after a successful publication, most writers can boast about papering their office walls with the rejection slips. So yes, I do know the feeling of rejection. But I also know that I am not interested in every book at the local bookstore – different people have different preferences – so I understand that what I write might not strike a chord in a particular reader. I do, however, listen carefully to reviews and other comments and try to learn as I write my next book.

Morgen: It’s a continual learning process, isn’t it, and how we improve. Have you won any competitions (or been a runner up) and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Chelle: A few of the plaudits my books have received are: Hyphema won the Dec 9, 2011. Friday Book Cover Vote on the Shades of Love website; Final Sin was an Honorable Mention in the Fiction Category of the 2010 NY Book Festival & a 2009 Pushcart Prize nominee; and Bartlett’s Rule was named one of Carolyn Howard Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009. While the mentions might help impress some new readers, I think the author receives so much encouragement that it helps us keep on doing what we do best.

Morgen: Absolutely – a nod from our peers. I mentioned eBooks earlier – are your books available as eBooks?

Chelle: E-book sales have taken off and I think are definitely the way of the future. All of my novels with Vanilla Heart Publishing are available in both print and multiple e-book formats. I credit our managing editor for being so proactive and jumping into the e-book market early on.

Morgen: How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Chelle: I do a lot of marketing and promotion on my published works, but I do it as a team member of VHP. Our managing editor helps with promotion on the VHP sites, book trailer videos, press releases and professional designs for marketing materials. Our author group helps with lot of cross promotion events as well.

I try to be “out there” as much as possible and let the public get to know me, the author, as well as have ready info about my books. I use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, I have an online presence with my author blog and website and I arrange personal appearances locally whenever available.

Morgen: That’s the thing – you get back what you put out (without feeling that you’re touting and have nothing else to say). If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Chelle: I don’t have full casts, but as I wrote my novels I did picture certain actors in various roles. Here are a few: In Final Sin Julie is Anna Belknap (Lindsay on CSI-NY) and Jake is Alex O’Loughlin (McGarrett on Hawaii 5-0). In His Lucky Charm Caitlyn is Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) and Brandon is a young Pierce Brosnan type. Ryan Hunter in Hostage Heart would be played by Eric Martsolf (Brady Black from Days of Our Lives). Reshma Shetty (Divya on Royal Pains) would play Sudah in Hyphema.

Morgen: Ah Hawaii 5-0, now there’s a blast from the past. Did you have any say in the title / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?

Chelle: The cover is the first impression potential readers have of your books; the title is the second. If the cover is attractive and eye-catching, they may be willing to browse through your book. Vanilla Heart Publishing provides all of the covers for our books but works with each of us to make sure the cover and the title truly represents the story.

Morgen: Regarding your characters, do you have a method for creating them, their names and what do you think makes them believable? Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Chelle: I start with a premise of an idea, sort of “what if” about a conversation, news story or even a random glance at strangers on the street. Then I create my main characters I literally give birth to them and give them full histories and personalities. After that I just let them interact. While I do have to corral them now and them, my characters pretty much write their own stories. My characters react to every situation based on their personal backgrounds. This makes them very consistent throughout the story, sometimes a little problematic, and makes every action driven by the individual and not the author.

Morgen: That’s my favourite part of writing – when the characters come alive. Do you write any non-fiction, poetry or short stories?

Chelle: I still write as a journalist and my articles and columns appear throughout North America in various newspapers and magazines. I use the same name for both fiction and non-fiction.

I do have short stories in anthologies from both Vanilla Heart Publishing and from Mandimam Press (UK): Forever Friends; With Arms Wide Open; Nature’s Gifts; Forever Travels; Love & Chocolate; and Nature’s Gifts 2011.

Morgen: Do you have to do much research for your stories?

Chelle: As a journalist I like doing research when I write. The accuracy also makes my stories more real and easier for a reader to get lost in. Since I cannot possibly be knowledgeable of all trades, cultures, conditions and locations, I need to research these topics. Even though I may do extensive research though I try to remember that my stories shouldn’t read like textbooks; instead I pepper the story with bits and pieces of information and give it a realistic sound.

Morgen: Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc., do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Chelle: I need noise and action around me as I write my fiction, it keeps my mind active and I think it helps to keep my writing lively.

Morgen: You’re definitely in a minority there but then you have the journalistic background – the ones I’ve spoken to revel in noise. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Chelle: Several years ago I wrote a story about two police officers who fall in love and their love is marred by both family problems and crime. The story underwent several revisions and to me no longer feels the same. Aside from the loss of the original story it was very time-sensitive (referring to the attitudes about female police officers). I put this manuscript to bed a long time ago and don’t think I will ever attempt any more rewrites.

Morgen: What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Chelle: My favourite aspect of my writing life is the creativity I am allowed, the chance to “get lost” in other places and situations, and the opportunity to make people think. The least favourite aspect is the uncertainty of a sale and income and having to constantly tell people that yes I do have a job and I am working.

Morgen: I have the ‘uncertainty’ to look forward to, although I’ve temped over the years so always have that to fall back on – hopefully I won’t need to and can just do bits and pieces to meet people (characters). What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Chelle: Never allow anyone to talk you out of your dreams. Writing is a hard life, it isn’t always glamour and pats on the back – it is a business. But if writing is what you really want to do and you are willing to put the effort in, it is a very rewarding and satisfying accomplishment. Keep writing.

Morgen: I love that: “never allow” – if you want to be a writer nothing else (or no-one else) can stop you. If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook (or invite three people, hiding the takeaway containers)?

Chelle: Two would be ancestors – on my dad’s side I would want to invite my great-great-grandfather, he was a ship’s captain travelling between the Netherlands and the Caribbean, his ship sank and I believe he was lost at sea. I would also like to invite my maternal grandfather who passed away long before I was born; he saved a young boy from death threats by smuggling him out of the deep south. I think for the third person I would invite Golda Meir; aside from being Prime Minister, she was involved in the formation of the State of Israel, and worked towards peace and the welfare of immigrants. In addition, Ms, Meir had become friends with my great-uncle and I heard stories of his visiting her family in Israel a few times. Each of these people got to see and do fascinating things, exhibited huge courage, made crucial decisions and truly made a difference in the world around them – it would be wonderful just to hear them talk about their lives.

Morgen: Wow – you have some great stories there from your own family – wonderful fiction fodder… or non-fiction perhaps. Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?

Chelle: I have 2 quotes I like. The first is from the song by Chad Brock, “Thunder’s just a noise, boys, lightnin’ does the work.” The second is by author Elbert Hubbard, “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out of it alive.” Both quotes explain a lot of the philosophy I live by. It’s more important to get the job done and not worry about the recognition, and you have to have a sense of humour.

Morgen: Absolutely. I try not to worry about life – my mum’s a dreadful worrier. I read a quote recently about comparing worrying to a rocking chair – neither get you anywhere. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Chelle: I spend time with my family when I can. I’m also very active in my community and volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician with my local ambulance corps. Many of my readers have noted the strong influence of emergency services in my stories.

Morgen: Ah ha, write what you know. What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Chelle: It is easier than ever to get published with the amount of small press publishers, ebook publishing and self publishing opportunities. And because it is so easy, it is more important for each author to maintain professional standards, edit well, and market their works.

Morgen: Absolutely. My only expenses is my editor and she’s worth every penny. Where can we find out about you and your writing, Chelle?

Chelle: My website http://ChelleCordero.com is a good beginning point since I also have links to many of my other sites. I also have a blog at http://ChelleCordero.blogspot.com. Readers can find me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter. All of my books can be found through major online retailers, some indie shops and places like Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/chellecordero.

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Chelle: Thank you Morgen for posing sometimes challenging questions which made me think and for allowing me this opportunity and forum to be heard.

Morgen: You’re so welcome, thank you for answering them. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?

Chelle: Your website is awesome – how do you find the time to do it all?

Morgen: Ah, thank you. The quick answer is not enough sleep. I really enjoy it and used to be a 8-9 hour sleeper but now it’s more like 4-6. The day job is going soon so I hope to get someway back but I live and breathe writing so if you do what you love doing, that’s the main thing, isn’t it?

Chelle has come a long way since first joining the Vanilla Heart Publishing queue of authors nearly two years ago with her first novel, Bartlett’s Rule. Now with nine novels on the market, she has solidified her standing as a Romantic Suspense author (7 romantic suspense & 2 mysteries.) She also has short stories in the VHP anthology With Arms Wide Open, Mandimam’s Press anthology Forever Friends, the VHP anthology Nature’s Gifts, VHP anthology Passionate Hearts and Mandimam Press anthology Forever Travels.

Bartlett’s Rule was named one of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009; Final Sin was a 2009 Pushcart Nominee; and Hostage Heart, Final Sin and A Chaunce of Riches were nominated in the 2009 Preditors’ and Readers’ poll and had top-ten finishes. Chelle Cordero was recently featured as one of the authors in “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” published by The Author’s Show in 2010.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author Spotlight no.53 – Chelle Cordero

Complementing my daily blog interviews, today’s Author Spotlight, the fifty-third, is of Chelle Cordero.

Chelle has come a long way since first joining the Vanilla Heart Publishing queue of authors nearly two years ago with her first novel, Bartlett’s Rule. Now with nine novels on the market, she has solidified her standing as a Romantic Suspense author (7 romantic suspense & 2 mysteries). She also has short stories in the VHP anthology With Arms Wide Open, Mandimam’s Press anthology Forever Friends, the VHP anthology Nature’s Gifts, VHP anthology Passionate Hearts and Mandimam Press anthology Forever Travels.

Bartlett’s Rule was named one of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009; Final Sin was a 2009 Pushcart Nominee; and Hostage Heart, Final Sin and A Chaunce of Riches were nominated in the 2009 Preditors’ and Readers’ poll and had top-ten finishes. Chelle Cordero was recently featured as one of the authors in “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” published by The Author’s Show in 2010.

And now from the author herself:

As a child I kept notebook after notebook of writing attempts. In one case I created an entire TV series written specifically for my then-favourite actor; the series he was in was cancelled and after all, wouldn’t his agent be thrilled that someone cared enough to come up with a new script for him? The agent was unimpressed.

I did a favour for a community organizer when I was 18 and wrote a brief article for the local weekly paper. It was published and while I didn’t receive any monetary payment, seeing my name in the by-line was a “pure adrenaline” rush. For years I went back to writing my TV series, (hey even though the agent didn’t like it, I did) and short pieces of prose.

Finally, pregnant with our daughter, I decided to work from home and write full-time. I lucked into an underpaid, monthly column in the cable guide pretty much right away. Other non-fiction spots followed, luckily most had better pay rates. I felt like literally stumbled into writing as a profession.

That was the first time I announced (sort of proudly) that I was a writer. I had gotten paid for my writing and except for that one ungrateful actor’s agent, I had never known rejection. My ego was definitely inflated.

However most of the people who took my pronouncement seriously asked if I had written any books. I had to be honest, while I enjoyed writing ANYthing, I really wanted to create stories, fiction, romantic stories of suspense, mysteries…

So while working freelance as a journalist, raising two precocious kids, keeping a home and volunteering in my community, I found the time to start writing stories. Despite the long list of published credits I had, agents told me I was too new to take a chance on and I finally knew what it felt like to receive a rejection.

My ego was still so super-inflated that each time I received a rejection, I became more determined to get a novel published – I used to tell everyone that I wanted to grow up to be a novelist. I kept writing and finally in late 2007 I submitted a manuscript called Bartlett’s Rule to Vanilla Heart Publishing; it was accepted (there went that ego again!). I finally felt grown up.

I am still a freelance journalist and I enjoy my work. But I LOVE letting my imagination run away and create characters and stories. I still get that pure adrenaline rush each time I see my name on the spine of a book. I enjoy taking different experiences of my life and fashioning it into a novel. It’s amazing to see how something as simple as a grocery store encounter can turn into the beginnings of a mystery.

Nine novels later, short stories in five anthologies, two writing guides and scores more newspaper articles, I absolutely love my life.

I will send anyone who sends an email to ChelleCordero@gmail.com with “Sampler” in the subject a FREE .pdf sampler of all my novels and writing guides.

For more information about Chelle, visit her website at http://ChelleCordero.com or her blog at http://ChelleCordero.blogspot.com. All of Chelle’s novels are available in print or e-book through online retailers like Amazon and Barnes and Noble and various e-book formats like Smashwords.

The blog interviews will return as normal tomorrow with Alison Richards – the two hundred and sixty-third of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me. You can read / download my eBooks from Smashwords (Amazon to follow).

 

Author interview no.250 with thriller and crime novelist and short story writer Stephen Leather

Welcome to the two hundred and fiftieth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with thriller and crime novelist and short story author Stephen Leather. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Stephen. Please tell us something about yourself, and how you came to be a writer.

Stephen: I was a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as the Daily mail and The Times in London and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. I’ve always been a fan of crime novels and thrillers so I guess I set out to write the sort of books that I enjoy reading. I wrote my third novel, The Chinaman, while I was working on The Times in London and the advances were big enough that I could start writing full time. That was twenty-five years ago and I haven’t looked back.

Morgen: You mentioned that you have a journalistic background, many authors have, do you think that helps?

Stephen: Very much. It teaches you to write concisely and to research thoroughly. I can’t think of a better training for a writer.

Morgen: Absolutely. I can imagine how many 2-hour evening classes that would take. What have you had published to-date?

Stephen: I have written 25 novels published by Hodder and Stoughton.  Of those 14 are stand alone thrillers, eight are in my Spider Shepherd undercover cop series, and three are in my Jack Nightingale supernatural detective series.  I have also self-published two novels in Thailand (as paperbacks and eBooks) and a further four books solely as eBooks.  I have also published four short stories as eBooks.  My self-published eBooks are Once Bitten (a vampire novel), The Basement (a serial killer novella), Dreamer’s Cat (a science fiction murder mystery) and The Bestseller (a crime novella set in the world of ePublishing).

Morgen: Wow, what a mixture. Do you have a favourite of all your characters?

Stephen: Jack Nightingale, supernatural detective, and undercover Dan “Spider” Shepherd are my favourites.

Morgen: Can you remember where you first saw one of your books in a bookshop or being read by a member of the public?

Stephen:  I once flew from London to South Africa, then took another plane to Zimbabwe, then a small plane to Victoria Falls, then a taxi to the Victoria Falls Hotel, then walked out on to the terrace to find an Australian reading a copy of The Chinaman.  “That’s my book,” I said.  ‘No it’s not, it’s mine,” he said.  I had to show him my American Express card to prove that I was indeed the author.

Morgen: I went to talks by crime novelist Stephen Booth and Peter James late last year and both recounted incidents of trying to tell members of the public that they were reading their books (Peter, for example, spoke to a little old lady on the train (who’d found the book) and she said he was welcome to have it (back) because it wasn’t very good anyway. Oops. Clearly not his market audience. Have you had any rejections? If so, how do you deal with them?

Stephen: My publisher Hodder and Stoughton rejected Once Bitten, The Basement, Dreamer’s Cat and Private Dancer (a Bangkok bar book).  I self-published them all and have sold more than 400,000 copies, so rejection doesn’t bother me.

Morgen: Very few authors have received no rejections but we keep going, don’t we. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Stephen:  I have an agent now but I think with ePublishing an agent isn’t necessary and can sometimes be a hindrance.

Morgen: You have a Wikipedia page, how accurate is it? Have you ever been tempted to make changes to it? (I would, especially putting on one of the hilarious photos from your website )

Stephen:  I tend to distrust anything I read on Wikipedia and don’t look at my page.

Morgen: You’ve written short stories, some of which are available as eBooks, and you mention a possible book of eight?

Stephen: I am working on a collection of short stories about a detective in Singapore, which is great fun. Singapore is a low-crime city state, and Inspector Zhang loves mysteries. But the problem is, there are very few mysteries in Singapore, almost all crimes are solved. And they have only ever had one serial killer.  I’ve written five short stories featuring Inspector Zhang so far. I was aiming for eight but now I hope to eventually have a book called “The Twelve Curious Cases Of Inspector Zhang.”  We’ll see!

Morgen: I love short stories so look forward to that. What are you working on at the moment / next?

Stephen: I am trying to finish my new Spider Shepherd book.  It doesn’t have a title yet. Then I will start on a new Jack Nightingale book. Busy, busy, busy!

Morgen: And on that topic, your website’s author page ends “I just wish there were more hours in the day” (don’t we all), given you are (or certainly appear to be) so prolific, do you manage to write every day?

Stephen:  Pretty much.  Though some days are a lot more productive than others!

Morgen: What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it?

Stephen: No such thing.  If I find I am running out of steam on one project then I switch to another.

Morgen: Well you do have plenty to choose from by the sound of it. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Stephen: A combination of both. If am lucky I will start writing knowing the complete plot but more often than not the story develops as I write it.

Morgen: I love that about writing. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that as time goes on your writing is more fully-formed?

Stephen: The latter. These days I tend to edit myself as I go along.

Morgen: Do you have to do much research for your novels?

Stephen: Huge amounts, mainly talking to people (especially cops) and visiting places that I write about.

To do the research for Fair Game, which was published by Hodder and Stoughton last July, I booked myself on one of the world’s largest container ships for an eighteen-day voyage from Malaysia to Southampton. The main reason for the trip was to research what life is like aboard a huge container ship, and to experience for myself what it’s like to sail through the pirate-infested waters around the Horn of Africa.

Morgen: Wow. That’s dedication.

Stephen: The hero of my book – undercover cop turned MI5 agent Dan “Spider” Shepherd has to go undercover on a ship that is about to be seized by pirates. It’s all part of a cunning plot to rescue the Prime Minister’s god-daughter, who has been seized by the pirate group, and to thwart a terrorist plot.

I got lots of work done, as well as getting the ship descriptions right. I’m not suggesting that every writer book onto a freighter, but I found it a brilliant way of shutting myself away from distractions.  My mobile only worked when I was close enough to shore to get a signal, and there was no internet connection. And as I was the only passenger, I was on my own for most of the time – the perfect writing environment.

Morgen: Absolutely. Apart from being at sea, I’d love that. Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc., do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Stephen:  I need noise. I guess because I started my working life as a journalist and also worked in busy newsrooms.  I do my best work at airport coffee shops!

Morgen: I imagine Thailand to be pretty hectic, and beautiful – I can see why you’re based there. What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Stephen:  Yes, done all three. In fact my Kindle bestseller The Basement has two viewpoints, first person and second person and was a fun book to write. I self-published it and across all formats it has now sold more than 200,000 copies.  Amazon Encore now publish it as an eBook and a paperback.  Generally my thrillers are in the third person, as that’s the best way to tell a story.  Second person is difficult to do and first person is quite limiting.

Morgen: Second person is really hard. It’s my favourite point of view to write but much over 1,000 words and it gets tiring (for writer and reader). Third person does tend to be the most popular, especially by agents. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Stephen:  Nope, pretty much everything I’ve ever written has been published, though I do have a few screenplays that haven’t sold yet but that I might well turn into eBooks at some point. I waste nothing!

Morgen: Good plan. I think I’d probably do the same… when I eventually wade through my back catalogue. What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Stephen: The typing bit is very, very boring.

Morgen: I don’t mind that. Having been a secretary since I left school (<coughs> years ago) I’m pretty quick – maybe you could dictate into a digital dictaphone and send me the files to type. It has made me a very slow handwriter, as I find out every time in my fortnightly writing group. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Stephen: Write every day.  That’s what writers do, they write. And read. Read as much as you can and learn from the good writers.

If it’s your first novel then you shouldn’t expect it to be published.  Very few writers see their first novel in print. I think of writing a book as being akin to running a marathon. Anyone who finishes a marathon deserves kudos. It’s a long haul. It’s hard work. But just because you’ve run a marathon doesn’t mean you should be running at the Olympics.

If you have written a book then you deserve a pat on the back. Well done you. But just because you’ve written a book doesn’t mean it’s good enough to be published. And just because you’ve been published doesn’t mean that people will buy it.

A very wise friend once told me about the Rule Of Ten Thousand.  Basically he took the view that it takes ten thousand hours to acquire any skill. That’s about how long it takes to learn a foreign language, or play the piano proficiently, or play pool expertly, or become a good poker player. It applies to almost everything (except maybe free-fall parachuting).

Morgen: Oh, I don’t know, I think I’d want 10,000 hours to practice that.

Stephen: My first book, Pay Off, was published, by Harper Collins, but by the time I had written it I had been working as a journalist for more than ten years and so had been writing for at last 10,000 hours. To be honest, I didn’t hit my stride until my fourth book.

Morgen: I’ve done four and a quarter, and 100+ short stories, and I feel about ‘there’.

Stephen: Let’s say you write for two hours a day. That means you hit the 10,000 hours after 5,000 days, which is what, thirteen years?  And yes, that’s probably how long it has taken most writers to reach the stage where they get published.

Morgen: Oh dear. Six down, seven to go then.

Stephen: Writing for the most part is a craft. A skill that has to be learned.  Very few writers published the traditional way see their first book in print. It’s often their fifth or sixth that is good enough to be published. Jack Higgins famously wasn’t published until after he’d written more than a dozen novels and he didn’t achieve any real success until his 36th – The Eagle Has Landed.

EPublishing has removed that learning curve. Now any book can be published, no matter how awful. And I think that’s bad for writers. My advice to any writer who has finished their first book is to relax, take a deep breath, and start the next one. Send your first novel out to every agent there is, and see what happens. You will probably be ignored, you might get a one-line rejection, but the fact is that if the book is good then it will be picked up. Eventually. And if you can’t get an agent, maybe consider that the book isn’t very good and make the next one better. And make the one after that even better.

Once you’ve done your ten thousand hours you can consider yourself a real writer and at that point you can go back and examine your early work.  You’ll probably realise how much it can be improved, or maybe that it’s simply not publishable. And if after you’ve done your ten thousand hours you still haven’t got an agent or a publishing deal, then maybe you should think about self-publishing.

Morgen: I didn’t try very hard to get an agent (a dozen emails and four face-to-faces) but I love the control that self-publishing gives. We have to promote our work anyway, don’t we? What do you like to read?

Stephen:  Biographies, mainly.  Especially of spies, cops and villains.

Morgen: And what do you do when you’re not writing?

Stephen: I have a private pilot’s licence.

Morgen: It’s funny, when you said ten thousand hours, flying sprang to mind.

Stephen: And I scuba dive.  And I drink Black Label whisky with soda while I sit in bars and listen to people. That takes up most of my free time.

Morgen: People-watching (listening) is part of the rules of writing, isn’t it? Are there any writing-related websites and / or books that you find useful?

Stephen: The review sites www.indiereader.com and www.redadeptreviews.com are good. And I pop on to the www.goodreads.com forums from time to time.  There are a lot of trolls on the Amazon Kindle forums, so you need to be careful there.

Morgen: Now that is funny. You’re on Twitter and Facebook, how valuable do you find them?

Stephen:  They’re a great way of getting your books reviewed and bouncing ideas off fans.  I get a lot of valuable feedback through Facebook and Twitter.

Morgen: I don’t do enough on there. There’s a fine balance between the bare basics (automatic blog retweets and oddments) to “buy my book” over and over). What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Stephen: As time goes on more people will have eReaders and I think that within five years there will be more eBooks sold than paperbacks.

Morgen: Apparently they have already overtaken hardbacks.

Stephen: But I don’t think paperbacks will die out for a long time yet. Most people do seem to prefer to hold a real book in their hands – I certainly do.  Publishers will have to adapt, and most are starting to change. Agents too will find their work much harder. In the past it was agents and publishers who decided which books were published and sold. But ePublishing has changed that, now anyone can publish their book and it is the readers who decide what sells. That is a major shift in power that I think people in the industry are only just coming to terms with.  But there is definitely a role for publishers in ePublishing.  I would say that ninety per cent of the eBooks that are self-published are awful.  And I would say that ninety per cent of the books published by traditional publishers are excellent.  So who are buyers more likely to trust when it comes to buying a book? That’s why we’ll always need publishers, because they more than anyone understand the importance of maintaining quality. And we’ll definitely always need writers – unless they can design a computer than can generate fiction!

Morgen: I still think that it’ll come down to reader reviews (interesting you say that you find Facebook and Twitter useful in that respect). If a book has a dozen 5/5 but fifty 1/5 then a reader’s going to think twice… plus an author can only have so many friends. You have two websites (http://www.stephenleather.com and http://www.jacknightingale.com – I really like the countup on the latter and it doesn’t disappoint when you enter the front door ), do you run them both and are they the best ways of finding out about you and your writing?

Stephen: The concepts are mine but I pay website designers to do the work.  It’s a skill that I just don’t have, sadly.  I was one of the first authors to have their own website – fifteen years ago – and I am constantly adding to them both.

Morgen: They’re very handsome. Thank you so much Stephen.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

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As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author interview no.227 with novelist Sophie King (aka writer and journalist Jane Bidder)

Welcome to the two hundred and twenty-seventh of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with author of ‘mum lit with a dash of dark humour’, columnist and journalist Jane Bidder (pennames Sophie King, Janey Fraser and Jane Corry). A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Jane. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Jane: I was an early reader, apparently and I started writing stories and poems when I was very young – about four or five. It was – and is – as natural to me as breathing. I wasn’t very good at anything else! I grew up in north London and read English at Reading University. I was then lucky enough to get a place on the Thomson Newspaper graduate trainee scheme. I earned a living as a journalist for many years and then my first novel was published in 2005. At the same time, my marriage broke up so I also took on other writing jobs. One was as a writer in residence of a high security (male) prison. I also became a tutor at the continuing education department at Oxford University.

Morgen: So many of my interviewees started when they were young. I used to envy those who knew what they wanted to do with their lives but I finally realised a few months ago that nothing could beat the thrill of creating something new. What genre do you generally write and have you considered other genres?

Jane:  I describe my genre as ‘mum lit with a dash of dark humour’. The next book like this is written under my other pen name (Janey Fraser) and is called The Playgroup. It’s about the lives and loves of people who run a playgroup and also the parents. Great fun! Funny you should ask about other genres. I had an idea for an historical in my head for ages and last year I wrote it. It’s called The Pearls and it’s about three generations of women who are artists and inherit the same strand of pearls. It was number eight in Italy this year and is being published in Germany next year.

Morgen: As you know (because we met up a couple of times) I went to Winchester Writers’ Conference this July and I had three agent pitches and they all wanted more historical (and crime) so definitely the write time, I’d say. What have you had published to-date?

Jane: I’m going to enclose a bibliography for this one! My first book was non-fiction about helping children to go to sleep. I was asked to do it, wearing my journalist hat. My first novel The School Run was published in 2005. Yes, I do remember it being on the shelves. It felt very unreal! Here’s the bibliography:

NOVELS UNDER JANE CORRY: THE PEARLS.NEWTON COMPTON (ITALY) AND RANDOM HOUSE (GERMANY). CURRENTLY NUMBER EIGHT IN ITALY

NOVELS UNDER SOPHIE KING:
THE SCHOOL RUN. Hodder & Stoughton 2005
SECOND TIME LUCKY. Hodder@Stoughton 2006
MUMS@HOME. Hodder & Stoughton 2007
THE SUPPER CLUB. Hodder & Stoughton. 2008
THE WEDDING PARTY. Hodder @ Stoughton 2009 (also in large print and audio). Shortlisted for Love Story of The Year 2010

NOVELS UNDER JANEY FRASER
The PLAYGROUP. Random House 2012

NON FICTION BOOKS UNDER SOPHIE KING:
How to Write Short Stories for Magazines – and Get Published. How To Books 2009
How to Write Your First Novel for How To Books 2010
How To Write Your Life Story for How To Books 2010

NON FICTION BOOKS UNDER JANE BIDDER
Mothercare Guide From Birth to Five. 1994. Conran Octopus.
‘Baby and Toddler Sleep Programme’ for Professor Pearce. I997. Vermilion.
Partners for Life. Orion. 2002.
When Mum Was Little/When Dad Was Little/When Gran Was Little/When Grandad Was Little – series of non-fiction picture books. Published by Franklin Watts 2004
Everything A Parent Needs To Know Before Their Child Goes To University. Published by White Ladder. June 2005.
Tidy Your Room; how to get kids to do jobs they hate. Published by White Ladder. July 2005.
Everyday Inventions; a series of four fact books about modern day inventions (ranging from mobile phones to vacuum cleaners). Specifically aimed at 7 – 11 year olds. Published by Franklin Watts 2006.
Everything a Parent Needs to Know Before Their Child Goes to Secondary School. White Ladder. 2007

Morgen: Wow, that’s some list. What was your first acceptance and is being accepted still a thrill?

Jane: ‘The School Run.’ Yes. Being accepted is still a thrill, especially in today’s publishing workplace where it is so hard to get in and also stay in. But it also carries that strange feeling; that sense that it isn’t really happening to you!

Morgen: That’s so lovely to hear after so many books that you still feel like that. Have you had any rejections? How do (or did) you deal with them?

Jane: I wrote ten novels before The School Run was published. Three went into editorial meetings but didn’t make it because they were too similar to other books that were about to be published. I felt hurt and bruised and worthless for a few days. But then another idea would come into my head and I’d start writing. It’s the only antidote to rejection. I also tried to learn from my previous books. For instance, I would look at plot and character more carefully.

Morgen: And presumably you still have them to do something with. Have you won or been shortlisted in any competitions and do you think they help with a writer’s success?

Jane: Yes and yes! I won the Elizabeth Goudge short story competition in 2004. My last novel The Wedding Party was short-listed for Love Story of the Year in 2010. I was a runner up in the RNA New Writers Scheme and also in the Harry Bowling competition for unpublished writers. And back in 1997, I came second in The Lady short story competition. Part of the prize was lunch with Arthur Hailey and Rosamunde Pilcher at The Savoy. That was an amazing experience. They help because it boosts your confidence and shows agents and publishers that you have something. So always enter competitions!

Morgen: I have done and do plan to again. I’ve had some wins and shortlists but even if I’ve not come anywhere, it’s usually got me writing something new so I then have them to do something else with, nothing is wasted. Do you have an agent? Do you think they’re vital to an author’s success?

Jane: Yes. My agent is Teresa Chris and she is very on the ball. Nowadays, it’s hard to be taken seriously by a publisher unless you have an agent.

Morgen: And apparently it’s more difficult to get an agent than a publisher these days, which is why so many new authors are going the eBook route. Are your books available as eBooks? If so what was your experience of that process? Do you have any plan to write any eBook-only stories? And do you read eBooks?

Jane: Some of them are available as eBooks. I’ve left it up to my publishers, to be honest. I’m not very techy! However, I wouldn’t mind some help with publishing my short stories as eBooks! I must look into this.

Morgen: I can certainly help you with Smashwords (their 70+-page guide is scary but so thorough and user-friendly that it’s easy to whizz through and now I have the template to work from). I will be going on Amazon next year but one of their options (KDP Select) demands 90-days exclusivity so it’ll have to be ‘new’ stuff. How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Jane:  My publishers (Random House) are very good at marketing. However, authors today are also expected to help as much as possible. Twitter etc is vital.

Morgen: It is, and it’s fun (although often far too time-consuming!). You write under pseudonyms, is there a particular reason for this and do you think they make a difference to an author’s profile?

Jane: I wrote under Sophie King to distinguish between my work as a journalist and my work as a novelist. But readers expect the same kind of books from one name. So if you want to do something different, like a historical, you have to write under another. The Pearls, for instance, is under my married name Jane Corry. I’m writing The Playgroup under Janey Fraser because I have a new publisher, Random House.

Morgen: If any of your books were made into films, who would you have as the leading actor/s?

Jane: I’ve often daydreamed about this. Hugh Grant has to take the leading male role in all of them. And maybe Jennifer Aniston, with Diane Keaton as gran/mum.

Morgen: I really like all three so let’s hope so. Did you have any say in the title / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?

Jane: Very important! Usually, I think of the title myself. The publisher will come up with the cover and ask what I think. On the whole, I feel that publishers know best.

Morgen: I think they do know their markets… most of the time. What are you working on at the moment / next? Do you manage to write every day?

Jane:  I’ve just finished the second book in my two-book deal for Random House. It’s ‘mum lit’ with lots of humour. If I don’t write every day, I get scratchy! I prefer to write first thing if possible.

Morgen: Me too. Morgen means morning in German and I’m definitely a morning person. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it?

Jane: When my children were young, I didn’t have time for writer’s block. Even though I have more time now, I still don’t get it. The ideas are always flying around. If I did get it, I would do what I teach my students. Sit and write the first thing that comes into your head for ten minutes and then make yourself stop. You’re bound to want to go on. It doesn’t matter if it’s rubbish, by the way. The point is that you started writing again….

Morgen: Exactly, you can’t edit a blank page. I’m the same, I have so many ideas I’m not sure if I’ll use them all (although fortunately I write more short stories than anything else so maybe I will). At least if I get stuck (which happens rarely) it’s easier to move to something else. Do you plot your stories or do you just get an idea and run with it?

Jane: I get the spark of an idea and then work out characters who would fit into it.

Morgen: Do you have a method for creating your characters and what do you think makes them believable?

Jane: No method. They just come.  Some are like me with lots of other character traits. I like using pictures in magazines too.

Morgen: It’s a ‘trick’ we use in our Monday night writing workshops and is really helpful. Google’s image page is wonderful if I’m looking for a character when on the computer. Do you write any non-fiction or poetry?

Jane: I started by writing poetry from an early age. I wrote non-fiction as my living for years. Now it’s a joy to just write fiction.

Morgen: You also write short stories for magazines, have you ever thought of writing / releasing an anthology?

Jane:  Yes. Would someone like to help me?

Morgen: I adore short stories so I’d gladly be a small cog. Do you do a lot of editing or do you find that your writing is more fully-formed these days?

Jane: I didn’t edit enough in the early days. Now I do about five revisions. I think it’s vital.

Morgen: I do three or four then let my editor, Rachel, pull it apart because I know she’s going to anyway. Do you have to do much research for your books?

Jane: That depends. For ‘The Playgroup’, I sat in on some playgroup sessions and also drew on the experiences of my own children. For ‘The Wedding Party’, I interviewed women vicars and wedding planners.

Morgen: That sounds like fun. Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc., do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Jane: Total silence. Ask my family about that one!

Morgen: What point of view do you find most to your liking: first person or third person? Have you ever tried second person?

Jane:  Third person for novels; first for short stories. The second person reminds me of my Latin classes at school. Not for me any more…

Morgen: Oh dear. Yes, it’s am acquired taste. I love it but then it lends itself to being very dark and I do like dark (and light ) but it’s rarely accepted, which is a shame although understandable. Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Jane: Yes. Some might be resurrected one day. Others were part of my self-imposed apprenticeship.

Morgen: What’s your favourite / least favourite aspect of your writing life? Has anything surprised you?

Jane:  Favourite – losing myself in another world. Least favourite – editing. Surprising? That I was right to edit because the work is better that way.

Morgen: My favourite / least favourite are the same (editing and research, although I think I’d enjoy your kind of research). What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Jane: Write about what you feel passionate about. Don’t write about the obvious. Write every day. Don’t show it to your family. Read. Believe in yourself. Walk around the room in the way that one of your characters might. Talk like he or she does.

Morgen: Sometimes I’m glad I just share my house with a dog as anyone else would think I was mad as I wave my arms around picturing what my character would be doing – it’s surprisingly helpful. What do you like to read?

Jane: A mixture. I’ve just finished a collection of short stories by Alice Munro. My daughter did her for A-level and didn’t like her. I read the text so I could grill her over breakfast and fell in love with Munro. I also love Anne Tyler. Right now I’m reading The Help. Isn’t everyone? I love the multi-viewpoint slant; my books are multi-viewpoint too where you see the story from the point of view of three or four characters. It moves the plot along and helps you get under your characters’ skins.

Morgen: I’ve not read The Help (yet, I have it) but saw the film – superb, helped greatly by a wonderful cast. If you could invite three people from any era to dinner, who would you choose and what would you cook?

Jane: Jane Austen. Yeats. Chaucer. It would have to be fish pie; I only make three main dishes. I did Latin instead of domestic science at school….

Morgen: Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?

Jane: All things must pass. Clare Rayner gave me that quote when I was working for Woman magazine. ‘It applies to good and bad things in life,’ she said. I’ve shared this phrase with several friends (and strangers on the street) going through a difficult patch.

Morgen: I’ve just helped my (soon-to-be-former) bosses move office and kept saying that it would all work out as we moved all our clobber from a spacious office to one just over half the size – it was a great excuse for a purge. Are you involved in anything else writing-related other than actual writing or marketing of your writing?

Jane: I used to be writer in residence of a high security prison. After that, I was asked to be a judge in the Koestler Awards which are given to people in prison. I also run occasional writing courses. I quite often look at people’s work free of charge.

Morgen: I first met you at a prison writing day course and it really opened my eyes to the work that writers-in-residence do, it was a fascinating day. What do you do when you’re not writing?

Jane: Walk with my husband and dog. Be with my children. Play tennis. Do tai chi and belly dancing. Cycle. Go to the gym.

Morgen: Are there any writing-related websites and / or books that you find useful?

Jane: Google! Someone told me about a book called ‘Self-editing for Fiction Writers’ by Renni Brown and Dave King. I glanced at it and found it useful but to be honest, my inspiration comes from my head and learning from my experience.

Morgen: I have loads of ‘how to’ books but I found the in-person courses (I’ve been on loads ) so rewarding, although the books are really useful to dip into. Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how valuable do you find them?

Jane: I need to do more of this!

Morgen: I’m on a few (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Goodreads etc) and am hoping that post-day job will allow me more time to contribute to discussions, although it’s very easy for the hours to get swallowed up so I think I’ll have to be disciplined as I’ve left to do more writing. What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Jane: We have to accept that eBooks are going to get bigger. I think it’s going to continue to be a tough market in mainstream publishing. But if you’re a real writer, you can’t give up.

Morgen: Absolutely. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Jane: www.sophieking.info, www.janeyfraser.co.uk, www.janecorry.co.uk

Morgen: Is there anything else you’d like to mention?

Jane: Just write. Don’t get too bogged down in websites. Write for the joy of it.

Morgen: And it is. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?

Jane: Are you going to write a novel about a group of bloggers?

Morgen: That’s an idea. I certainly have enough experience of my blog and some of being a guest on other sites… I’m sure a comedy could come out of that.

Thank you so much Jane, hope to see you again somewhere next year.

I then invited Jane to include an extract of her writing and this is from the forthcoming novel ‘The Playgroup’ which will be the first book released as Janey Fraser…

THE PUDDLEDUCKS PLAYGROUP NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER ISSUE
Welcome back, everyone! If you’re new, we’d like to give you an extra special hello! Here, at Puddleducks Playgroup, we understand that your first day might seem daunting. But we’re here to make sure you settle in – and that includes nervous parents!
‘We’ve got all kinds of activities to keep you amused and also help you learn! There’s our new Pyjama Drama group and our weekly Wriggle and Giggle Musical Movement group. This term, we’re very fortunate to have Kitty Macdonald (of Britain’s Best Talent fame) who will be running a music workshop morning and helping us with the end of term nativity play!
‘Please also put the following date in your diary: on September 30^th, there will be a Parents’ Social in the main hall so book your babysitter now!’
On the next page, you’ll find some advice to make the autumn term go with a swing.

VITAL DO’S AND DON’TS
DO make sure every item of clothing is clearly labelled – including underwear!
DO fill in the enclosed medical form, especially the allergy section.
DO fill in the Emergency Contact form together with your doctor’s details.

Please be aware that this term, we have a new security code which has been fitted onto the main door. If you are late, you will need to ring the bell so one of the staff can let you in.

Right! That’s it! We hope your little Puddleducks will have a splashing – sorry, smashing! –  start. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

THE PUDDLEDUCKS SONG
‘We are the little Puddleducks,
We love to learn through play.
It keeps us bright and busy
All (two beats) through the day!’

CHAPTER 1
‘Mrs Merryfield, Mrs Merryfield. We went to More-ishus. And it rained.’

‘Hi, Gemma!  Nice tan! Listen, I’m pretty certain Molly is dry now but just in case she’s not, there’s a spare pair of pants in her sandwich box. That’s the one with the picture of a giraffe on it – sorry I didn’t have time to label it.’

‘Morning, Miss Merryfield. Had a good break? Darren, have you said hello to your playgroup leader?’

‘Gemma, I’m so sorry. But we’ve just had Beth checked again and it turns out she’s allergic to wheat as well as salt, sugar, any kind of additives and – get this – any food that’s yellow. Weird, isn’t it? So can you make sure she doesn’t have any biscuits at breaktime?’

The stream of traffic on the first day of term was always hectic with the children running up to swing on her arms, wrap their small, warm bodies round her legs, bobbing up and down, unable to stand still for a second and announcing in breathy excited voices exactly what they’d been up to in the holidays. It was like lots of different hands playing piano notes at the same time.

Morgen: I love that image.

Sophie King (also Janey Fraser) has been a journalist for over 25 years. She has written five best-selling novels including The Wedding Party which was shortlisted for ‘Love Story of The Year 2010’. She has also written a series of children’s books called ‘Family Memories’ as well as several non-fiction books. In addition, Sophie has had hundreds of short stories published in magazines such as Woman’s Weekly and My Weekly.

Sophie gives regular talks at bookshops and literary festivals including Winchester and Guildford. She runs nationwide workshops and has led a writing course on Thomson Dream, a cruise ship. Until her recent move to Devon, she tutored at Oxford University and West Herts College. For three years, she was writer in residence at HMP Grendon. She has also appeared several times on breakfast television and Woman’s Hour, including a recent Christmas programme on rivalry in the kitchen!

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.

 

Author interview no.225 with poet Cendrine Marrouat

Welcome to the two hundred and twenty-fifth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. Today’s is with poet Cendrine Marrouat. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Cendrine.

Cendrine: First of all, thank you very much for allowing me to appear on your blog.

Morgen: My goodness, you’re so welcome. Thank you for saying “yes”. Please tell us something about yourself and how you came to be a writer.

Cendrine: Well, I was born and raised in southern France and decided to move to Canada in 2003. I am a freelance journalist, reviewer and blogger, as well as an author and spoken word artist. So far, I have self-published five collections of poetry, and recorded and released one CD (Rizen). My last book is titled Five Years and Counting. A Journey into the Mind of Soul Poetry. How did I become a writer? It happened all of a sudden, actually. One night of January 2005, I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper, and started writing like a mad woman. Upon completion of my first poem, I knew I was in love with poetry. The relationship has been a little rocky over the years, but I think that poetry and I will never stop loving each other. (laughs)

Morgen: “Like a mad woman”, yes I can relate to that… and to the love of writing. So you write poetry, have you considered other genres?

Cendrine: I have also dabbed into short stories and theatre. I really hope I will be able to direct my two plays one day!

Morgen: That would be great. If you’d said radio or TV I could have pointed you towards the BBC Writers’ Room but plays I’m not so sure, although interviewee Gary Dooley would know. http://duotrope.com has a mass of opportunities but that’s just fiction and poetry. Any suggestions from anyone reading this? How much of the marketing do you do for your published works or indeed for yourself as a ‘brand’?

Cendrine: As a self-published author, I have to take care of everything. However, if my books had been released through a publishing house, it would be the same thing.  With that being said, unlike many self-published authors, I consider myself an entrepreneur. As I mentioned earlier, I am a journalist, reviewer and blogger, and I have a solid online experience. I know a thing or two about social media and marketing. Plus, I am not scared of trying new ideas, even if they fail. As a result, promoting my books has become a natural process — a process that I actually enjoy.

Morgen: You’re one of few if the answers to that questions to-date are anything to go by but then we tend to enjoy things more with practice, don’t we? What are you working on at the moment / next?

Cendrine: These days, I am really busy writing for my six titles on Examiner.com, as well as my blog. And when I have some time left, I also contribute to Digital Journal.

Morgen: Time? Mmm, I remember that concept. What is your opinion of writer’s block? Do you ever suffer from it? If so, how do you ‘cure’ it?

Cendrine: Writer’s block is part of a writer’s routine. When it hits me, which is quite frequent, I just focus on other things. I do some research, listen to music, read, or go for a walk. Usually, inspiration comes back quickly. The more you fight writer’s block, the more it will try to fight you back. So let it be. Embrace it like you would any other challenge in life.

Morgen: A question some authors dread, where do you get your inspiration from?

Cendrine: Life and God.

Morgen: Are you involved in anything else writing-related other than actual writing or marketing of your writing?

Cendrine: All the time. For example, I interview a lot of people, especially artists. I review books, music, plays, exhibitions, movies, etc. I also try to focus on important but undercovered issues. It is important to me.  I am also a professional translator and proofreader. So, these positions involve a lot of writing as well.

Morgen: So many strings to your bow. What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

Cendrine: My creative process is all over the place (laughs). I usually need a title to start anything. Then, I will go with the flow — even if I have an outline in front of me. I am always in writing mode. Every time I have an idea, I quickly jot it down on a piece of paper for later use.

Morgen: Ah yes, “quickly” (my brain = sieve) Do you write on paper or do you prefer a computer?

Cendrine: I usually prefer using the computer; I edit my writing compulsively. The other day, I found an old handwritten poem in a box. The only thing that I could understand was the title. The rest was unreadable (laughs).

Morgen: Oh dear. Let’s hope it wasn’t a masterpiece. Some writers like quiet, others the noise of a coffee shop etc. Do you listen to music or have noise around you when you write or do you need silence?

Cendrine: I can write in almost any kind of environment. However, when it is time to edit my work, I need complete silence.

Morgen: Do you have pieces of work that you think will never see light of day?

Cendrine: Not really. If it happens, it’s probably because I forgot that I wrote them. (laughs)

Morgen: In that case we’ll say they were all terrible and it’s saved you the time writing them. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Cendrine: If you want to be a writer, practice, practice, practice. Study your favourite authors. What makes their style effective? Do not emulate it; instead, use what you know to make your own style approachable and relatable. And most importantly, pour your heart and soul into what you do. Also, never compare yourself with others. Be confident in your skills and your voice. You are the only one who can write exactly like you.  Finally, remember that “haters” (and people who think they know better than you) will always be waiting around the corner. Take everything with a grain of salt and follow this advice (an extract from my last book):

“Persist, you must,
Your soul, just thrust.
Let them inspect and scan.
Write for those who understand.”
(“Write for Those Who Understand,” p.76)

Morgen: Persist indeed – if a writer has passion… What do you like to read?

Cendrine: I like non-fiction. My favourite authors are Kahlil Gibran, Elizabeth Bishop and Alphonse de Lamartine. I also recommend Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (the author of “The Little Prince”), Michelle Antoinette Nelson (a.k.a Love the Poet), Tantra-zawadi, and Richard Bach (the author of “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull”).

Morgen: Is there a word, phrase or quote you like?

Cendrine: “My mind is like an open window.” This quote comes from a song by Abba, one of my favourite bands.

Morgen: I only discovered their ‘The Day Before You Came’ song recently and really like the lyrics (a bit like The Beatles’ ‘A Day In The Life’ except not quite so morose). Are you on any forums or networking sites? If so, how invaluable do you find them?

Cendrine: Before the advent of social networks, forums were the places to be for writers. Personally, I have never found them useful.  On the other hand, I love social networks. They have allowed me to easily connect with readers, as well as other artists and professionals from around the world. Some of them have even become very good friends. Social networks are powerful promotional tools. You just need to learn how to use them properly and effectively.

Morgen: Perhaps surprisingly I’ve met, and become friends with, some great writers via LinkedIn. When I was first invited to join I did so thinking it was business-only but then discovered their writing groups and became engrossed with some wonderful people. Where can we find out about you and your work?

Cendrine: You can find more about me and my work at http://www.cendrinemarrouat.com. My books and CD are in the store. Five Years and Counting is also available for purchase at the following: Amazon, McNally Robinson Booksellers, Lulu, the iBookstore and Barnes & Noble NOOK Bookstore. Rizen can be purchased on CDBaby, ReverbNation, Amazon and Apple iTunes.

Morgen: What do you think the future holds for a writer?

Cendrine: In this day and age, everybody can be a writer. It has become very easy to self-release a book thanks to services like Lulu. Unfortunately, this wonderful publishing democratization is also dangerous. Many self-published authors do not take the time to do any research and think that they can handle everything themselves — including editing and proofreading. Most of the time, they lack the proper training and will not ask around for constructive feedback. The result is a bad product that looks very amateurish. And we all know the rest of the story.  So, to answer your question, I will say this: The future depends on what writers are willing to make of it.

Morgen: Having a professional editor is a hot topic on LinkedIn with an author saying he could self-edit… needless to say he was shot down in flames from everyone! Is there a question you’d like to ask me?

Cendrine: What is your favourite genre?

Morgen: If it was a genre, I’d go for ‘dark’. Sometimes I go to write the lightest fluffiest thing and part-way through I can feel the creepiness… well, creeping over it. Probably not answered your question, so I’d say “crime and humour”. Thank you Cendrine.

I then invited Cendrine to include some of her writing and the following is an extract from Five Years and Counting. A Journey into the Mind of Soul Poetry. This poem is also the first track of Rizen.

Think upon those things

Hush, baby, hush.
The lull of the world will come.
Nascent dreams and fantasies
Open the door to freedom.

Hush, baby, hush.
Let the tears flow evenly
In the apex of your mind,
And feel the light through your spine.

Think upon those things
That make us human.
Think upon those words
That turn us against one another.
Think about those instants
When change soars into the sky,
When you feel limitless,
Impervious to sorrow.

So, next time you curse the world,
Remember that you are part of it.
Remember your significance
In the eyes of the beholder.

Then, and only then will you be able to think of beauty.

But, right now, hush,
And think upon those things.

Cendrine Marrouat is a self-taught, bilingual entrepreneur with eight years of experience in the freelance industry.

This former teacher is a journalist, reviewer, blogger and author who focuses on social media for small businesses and independent artists.

Her articles have appeared in a number of websites and blogs, including Examiner.com, Digital Journal, Technorati, Blogcritics, WAGTi Radio, and Creative Ramblings.

Originally from France, she currently resides in Winnipeg, Canada, and holds a bachelor degree in English to French translation.

Update August 2012: Cendrine recently released The Little Big eBook on Blogging: 40 Traffic Generation Tips, a comprehensive resource that provides bloggers of all levels with essential information and precise guidance to attract quality traffic to their blogs.

***

If you are reading this and you write, in whatever genre, and are thinking “ooh, I’d like to do this” then you can… just email me and I’ll send you the information. They do now (January 2013) carry a fee (£10 / €12.50 / $15) for the new interviews on this blog but everything else (see Opportunities on this blog) is free.

If you go for the interview, it’s very simple; I send you a questionnaire (I have them for novelists, short story authors, children’s authors, non-fiction authors, and poets). You complete the questions, and I let you know when it’s going to go live. Before it does so, I add in comments as if we’re chatting, and then they get posted. When that’s done, I email you with the link so you can share it with your corner of the literary world. And if you have a writing-related blog / podcast and would like to interview me… let me know.

Alternatively, if you’d like a free Q&A-only interview, I now have http://morgensauthorinterviews.wordpress.com on which I’ve rerun the original interviews posted here then posted new interviews which I then reblog here. These interviews are Q&A only, so I don’t add in my comments but they do get exposure on both sites.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel, which is being serialised on Novel Nights In!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do. I welcome critique for the four new writing groups listed below and / or flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays. For other opportunities see (see Opportunities on this blog).

The full details of the new online writing groups, and their associated Facebook groups, are:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to reading your comments.