Robin Anderson-Forbes's Blog
December 2, 2011
When I was last here at goodreads I think I mentioned in a couple of forum posts that I'd be devoting a lot of time to the play I was in and not much time here at goodreads.
Well, the play is now over. It was a great success! I learned alot and I really enjoyed working on not just one character but two. Yes, quite the challenge - I was on stage speaking for most of the 2 1/2 hrs.
Now, its back to promoting my novel and working on my other novel.
Well, the play is now over. It was a great success! I learned alot and I really enjoyed working on not just one character but two. Yes, quite the challenge - I was on stage speaking for most of the 2 1/2 hrs.
Now, its back to promoting my novel and working on my other novel.
October 1, 2011
October is LGBT History Month in the U.S. -- Here's a number of LGBT history type posts I've done over the years. Enjoy!
- Was The FBI Afraid Rock Hudson Might Seduce Their Young Agents?
- Beautiful: Ted Shawn in Cosmic Dance of Siva
- 19th Century Germany Gave Birth to Gay Rights Movement Says History Scholar
- Last of the 'Pink Triangles'
- Canadian Gay History: Jane Rule
- Canadian Gay History: Rev. Brent Hawkes
- Canadian Gay History: Brunswick Four
- Lost Memoir of an Androgyne from 1921 Discovered
- De-Lovely: The Cole Porter Story Makes Me Want To Sing
- The Curious Case of the Female Husband
- The Mollies' Club, One of London's Early Gay Clubs
- An Introduction to the Strange History of the Chevalier D'Eon
- Noël Coward: His Life in News Clippings
- Books on Gay History - 2010 Booklist
- A Memory by Edward Carpenter
- Carl Van Vechten's Impertinent Catalogue of Modern Composers
- Gay History Pictured: Bloomsbury Boys Raided
- Gay History: Anti-gay Terror in Nazi Germany
- Gay History: Sexual Freedom vs. Fascism in Germany
- Gay Life and World War II
- Gays in the Canadian Forces During WWII
- GLBT History Month: Gay Is Good
- GLBT History Month: History of ACT UP (Video)
- In Memoriam: Truman Capote
- LGBT History Month - Oscar Wilde Goes to America
- LGBT History Month - Walt Whitman
- LGBT History Month: Introduction to the Daughters of Bilitis
- LGBT History Month: Mental Health History
- LGBT History Month: Quentin Crisp
- LGBT History Month: San Francisco 1940 (Video)
- Nazi Germany and the "Homosexual Problem"
- 'One of the Boys' Reviewed
- Tab Hunter - Hollywood Golden Era Icon
- The Dark Side of Being a British Soccer Hero
- Was The FBI Afraid Rock Hudson Might Seduce Their Young Agents?
- Beautiful: Ted Shawn in Cosmic Dance of Siva
- 19th Century Germany Gave Birth to Gay Rights Movement Says History Scholar
- Last of the 'Pink Triangles'
- Canadian Gay History: Jane Rule
- Canadian Gay History: Rev. Brent Hawkes
- Canadian Gay History: Brunswick Four
- Lost Memoir of an Androgyne from 1921 Discovered
- De-Lovely: The Cole Porter Story Makes Me Want To Sing
- The Curious Case of the Female Husband
- The Mollies' Club, One of London's Early Gay Clubs
- An Introduction to the Strange History of the Chevalier D'Eon
- Noël Coward: His Life in News Clippings
- Books on Gay History - 2010 Booklist
- A Memory by Edward Carpenter
- Carl Van Vechten's Impertinent Catalogue of Modern Composers
- Gay History Pictured: Bloomsbury Boys Raided
- Gay History: Anti-gay Terror in Nazi Germany
- Gay History: Sexual Freedom vs. Fascism in Germany
- Gay Life and World War II
- Gays in the Canadian Forces During WWII
- GLBT History Month: Gay Is Good
- GLBT History Month: History of ACT UP (Video)
- In Memoriam: Truman Capote
- LGBT History Month - Oscar Wilde Goes to America
- LGBT History Month - Walt Whitman
- LGBT History Month: Introduction to the Daughters of Bilitis
- LGBT History Month: Mental Health History
- LGBT History Month: Quentin Crisp
- LGBT History Month: San Francisco 1940 (Video)
- Nazi Germany and the "Homosexual Problem"
- 'One of the Boys' Reviewed
- Tab Hunter - Hollywood Golden Era Icon
- The Dark Side of Being a British Soccer Hero
September 16, 2011
To give you a bit of insight into who I am and what I like, here’s seven things about myself (in no particular order):
1. I’m married to a wonderful man. We’ve been together for about 12 or 13 years and we’ve been officially married for 3 years. (Yes, I’m bad at anniversaries -- well sometimes...)
2. I love theatre. I love to watch and I love to perform. In fact, I belong to a community theatre company in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. We’re currently getting a production of “Hocus Pocus” ready to open at the end of November (2011).
3. I’m also an avid gardener. we have a large flower garden, a lovely herb garden and also a really nice vegetable garden.
4. I was born and raised on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I’ve lived in BC for the most part, but I now live on the South Western Shore of Nova Scotia. I love it here.
5. I’m now a confirmed cat person. I wasn’t always into cats (almost anti-cat really) but after living with one for so long I sometimes have a hard time thinking about life without our cat. Our cat completes our little family.
6. I’ve always loved reading. Growing up we didn’t have a TV most of the time. Even when we did have one, books were still a big part of my life.
7. For the longest time I struggled with my sexual orientation. Fortunately when I finally did come out it was a positive experience – full of love and understanding.
1. I’m married to a wonderful man. We’ve been together for about 12 or 13 years and we’ve been officially married for 3 years. (Yes, I’m bad at anniversaries -- well sometimes...)
2. I love theatre. I love to watch and I love to perform. In fact, I belong to a community theatre company in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. We’re currently getting a production of “Hocus Pocus” ready to open at the end of November (2011).
3. I’m also an avid gardener. we have a large flower garden, a lovely herb garden and also a really nice vegetable garden.
4. I was born and raised on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I’ve lived in BC for the most part, but I now live on the South Western Shore of Nova Scotia. I love it here.
5. I’m now a confirmed cat person. I wasn’t always into cats (almost anti-cat really) but after living with one for so long I sometimes have a hard time thinking about life without our cat. Our cat completes our little family.
6. I’ve always loved reading. Growing up we didn’t have a TV most of the time. Even when we did have one, books were still a big part of my life.
7. For the longest time I struggled with my sexual orientation. Fortunately when I finally did come out it was a positive experience – full of love and understanding.
September 8, 2011
8 September, International Literacy Day: 793 million adults can neither read nor write
This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States of America.
Read more at UNESCO .
This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States of America.
Read more at UNESCO .
September 6, 2011
To give you further insight into the writing of my novel
The Jolly Lobster
, here’s seven things or bits of trivia about it:
1. I wrote the original draft in pencil.
2. Both the actual speakeasy and Mills House, (Dorothy and Rose’s home) are based on a number of buildings and establishments I’ve been in over the years, including my own house which is a large Center Hall Colonial that used to be a hotel.
3. I made copious notes, timelines, and sketches for various aspects of the story. Some of these were done before I started writing the story, others were made during the writing process itself.
4. I studied thousands of photographs from the era until I went cross-eyed. I also studied maps, newspapers, advertisements, paintings, drawings and other things from the time period as well as nonfictional accounts of rum runners and speakeasies.
5. I’ve walked every inch of ground that I’ve written about in this story.
6. Every name in the story has either a significance or a special meaning of some sort. Only one name in the book is an actual person of historical note. (That person isn’t an actual character but they are mentioned in passing.)
7. After a night of writing I would put the pages aside; when I got up I would read the night’s output to my husband.
1. I wrote the original draft in pencil.
2. Both the actual speakeasy and Mills House, (Dorothy and Rose’s home) are based on a number of buildings and establishments I’ve been in over the years, including my own house which is a large Center Hall Colonial that used to be a hotel.
3. I made copious notes, timelines, and sketches for various aspects of the story. Some of these were done before I started writing the story, others were made during the writing process itself.
4. I studied thousands of photographs from the era until I went cross-eyed. I also studied maps, newspapers, advertisements, paintings, drawings and other things from the time period as well as nonfictional accounts of rum runners and speakeasies.
5. I’ve walked every inch of ground that I’ve written about in this story.
6. Every name in the story has either a significance or a special meaning of some sort. Only one name in the book is an actual person of historical note. (That person isn’t an actual character but they are mentioned in passing.)
7. After a night of writing I would put the pages aside; when I got up I would read the night’s output to my husband.
August 22, 2011
Lately I’ve noticed a number of threads at various forum message boards about balancing facts in fiction or how much fact should be in fiction writing, especially historical fiction.
My general thoughts on the matter are that like any other element in a story it’s all about balance. Moreover I think certain stories probably require a little more attention to factual detail than others. On the other hand, if the facts get in the way of telling the story then the writer needs to do or probably should have done something else. It’s all subjective though I suppose.
As for my own writing, I tend to do a lot of research in order to get details right and to give myself background flavour and insight into what I’m writing about. This research can be both a plus and a bit of a bane. Sooner or later, one has to stop researching and just get on with the writing.
One of the questions that a few people have asked about my debut novel, The Jolly Lobster, is whether or not the speakeasy (of the same name) actually existed. The answer is no. Water Street, the street it resided on exists and the area it is located in was home to a great many speakeasies. Water and Barrington Streets were quite busy places in the booze trade back in the day...Speaking of which, if you’re familiar with Halifax you’ll know that Alexander Keith's Brewery is located on Lower Water Street, mere steps as it turns out from my fictional speakeasy. How Keith’s brewery fared during prohibition is a question I actually asked them during my research phase. Unfortunately they didn’t have an answer for me. We are talking about a period of history where some of the facts are buried, lost or forgotten – in some cases conveniently so, in other cases not; it’s just the passage of time. In the case of Alexander Keith’s Brewery, Oland Brewery and any other specific Canadian distilleries and breweries, I decided to not mention them as I felt it would be too distracting to the story. The story isn’t about them really.
As for The Jolly Lobster itself, it’s based on a number of bars, hotels, dives, houses and other buildings I’ve been in over the years, both structurally and atmospherically.
As a former Army reservist one of the things that I can’t help being aware of in novels and movies are weapons. More specifically, I’m painfully aware of errors when it comes to weapons handling and types of weapons used. I almost ran into this problem myself – well sort of.
After I had finished writing my first draft I was going through my handwritten manuscript looking for errors. I think I went over it twice before I twigged to what was bothering me about the story. I had this nagging sense that there was a glaring error. The error in question was my choice of weapons; the original draft had a number of guys toting Thompson Submachine Guns, better known as “Tommy Guns”, aka “Trench Sweeper” and “Chicago Typewriter” and even “Chicago Piano”.
The Tommy Gun is probably the symbol of the gangster era. And my story has gangsters and speakeasies – it’s a great fit. Except that the initial production of the M1921 was in 1920 and amounted to 15,000 guns. So I felt it wasn’t likely that at that point in time the Thompson would have been as common a weapon for criminals as it was when the M1928 rolled out – especially in Canada. Rats! So yeah, I had some rewriting to do.
Sometimes I wish that I could just ignore “little details” like this but then I remember that if I was the reader and came across something like that I’d be inclined to dismiss the book as not being accurate or at the very least not plausible.
There’s other little nuggets of factual items in my novel but I think I would prefer for my readers to discover them for themselves. And on that note, if you haven’t already read The Jolly Lobster, please do -- It’s currently available as a Kindle eBook at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de.
My general thoughts on the matter are that like any other element in a story it’s all about balance. Moreover I think certain stories probably require a little more attention to factual detail than others. On the other hand, if the facts get in the way of telling the story then the writer needs to do or probably should have done something else. It’s all subjective though I suppose.
As for my own writing, I tend to do a lot of research in order to get details right and to give myself background flavour and insight into what I’m writing about. This research can be both a plus and a bit of a bane. Sooner or later, one has to stop researching and just get on with the writing.
One of the questions that a few people have asked about my debut novel, The Jolly Lobster, is whether or not the speakeasy (of the same name) actually existed. The answer is no. Water Street, the street it resided on exists and the area it is located in was home to a great many speakeasies. Water and Barrington Streets were quite busy places in the booze trade back in the day...Speaking of which, if you’re familiar with Halifax you’ll know that Alexander Keith's Brewery is located on Lower Water Street, mere steps as it turns out from my fictional speakeasy. How Keith’s brewery fared during prohibition is a question I actually asked them during my research phase. Unfortunately they didn’t have an answer for me. We are talking about a period of history where some of the facts are buried, lost or forgotten – in some cases conveniently so, in other cases not; it’s just the passage of time. In the case of Alexander Keith’s Brewery, Oland Brewery and any other specific Canadian distilleries and breweries, I decided to not mention them as I felt it would be too distracting to the story. The story isn’t about them really.
As for The Jolly Lobster itself, it’s based on a number of bars, hotels, dives, houses and other buildings I’ve been in over the years, both structurally and atmospherically.
As a former Army reservist one of the things that I can’t help being aware of in novels and movies are weapons. More specifically, I’m painfully aware of errors when it comes to weapons handling and types of weapons used. I almost ran into this problem myself – well sort of.
After I had finished writing my first draft I was going through my handwritten manuscript looking for errors. I think I went over it twice before I twigged to what was bothering me about the story. I had this nagging sense that there was a glaring error. The error in question was my choice of weapons; the original draft had a number of guys toting Thompson Submachine Guns, better known as “Tommy Guns”, aka “Trench Sweeper” and “Chicago Typewriter” and even “Chicago Piano”.
The Tommy Gun is probably the symbol of the gangster era. And my story has gangsters and speakeasies – it’s a great fit. Except that the initial production of the M1921 was in 1920 and amounted to 15,000 guns. So I felt it wasn’t likely that at that point in time the Thompson would have been as common a weapon for criminals as it was when the M1928 rolled out – especially in Canada. Rats! So yeah, I had some rewriting to do.
Sometimes I wish that I could just ignore “little details” like this but then I remember that if I was the reader and came across something like that I’d be inclined to dismiss the book as not being accurate or at the very least not plausible.
There’s other little nuggets of factual items in my novel but I think I would prefer for my readers to discover them for themselves. And on that note, if you haven’t already read The Jolly Lobster, please do -- It’s currently available as a Kindle eBook at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.de.
August 15, 2011
How I Conquered Two Years of Writer's Block and Wrote My First Novel.
Once upon a time I started writing a novel; about three years ago actually. And then I ran into a few snags. The plot was getting too complicated, the action too tedious and I was starting to not really care about what happened to any of my characters. After about a month's worth of frustration I gave up and put my notebook aside.
One of the really frustrating things about this chapter in my writing life was that I had done a lot of research into the time period and location. I had worked hard on character bios and made a story outline and I had even drawn maps of the streets and floor plans of the houses. But despite all of the planning; my characters were stuck in this parlour, twiddling their thumbs, spouting boring crap about nothing. I felt like dropping a bomb into the middle of the room, just to have something interesting actually happen and to make it all end. Instead, I closed my notebook and filed it away.
Most of my stories and screenplays have ended up either being filed away, or shredded, never to be revisited in any shape or form again. Time passes and for the most part I forget about all these stories, but the failure of this particular story was really galling. There were a couple of specific points or themes that I wanted to especially share; bits of history that most people have forgotten about or don't know about in the first place. Months went by and always present was this nagging in the furthermost regions of my brain, telling me that I had a story to tell. Inspiration was nowhere in sight though.
And then one day, my partner Ian, (who's actually my husband now) coyly announced that we were going to Nova Scotia for a vacation -- in March. I demanded to see the houses he planned on looking at whilst we were on "vacation". As I poured over the listings, it dawned on me that this indeed could be just the thing both of us needed. At the very least, we would get to see a part of Canada that neither of us had ever been to.
Several things happened to us on this "exploratory jaunt" to the east coast. Firstly, we fell in love with Nova Scotia. I was born and raised in British Columbia and I like to think it's a beautiful province. Moreover, for the longest time I couldn't possibly imagine a province more beautiful and ideal to live in. I hadn't counted on the beguiling beauty of Nova Scotia. The province with all its charms beckoned to us though and we ended up buying a big old house in a lovely little town on the South Shore. Our "vacation" was short and sweet, but we went back to British Columbia with more than just fond memories and an eagerness to get packed and moved to our new home. For starters, I felt like a heavy black cloud had lifted from the depths of my mind. I felt refreshed and revitalized; I had been taking everything in and not become weary of it all.
Back in Victoria, I started reading some of the books on Nova Scotia that we had brought back with us, so that we could bone up on the province's rich history. It was exciting and for the most part totally new to me. Many of the things that I read about hadn't been touched upon in history classes when I was in school.
One night, I was in bed, just starting to doze off to sleep, when suddenly, I sat bolt upright in bed. My jaw dropped. "My story takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- during prohibition!" I exclaimed.
Boom! All of a sudden these voices in my mind started talking excitedly. Not only that, but all these people started coming into my mind's vision. I quickly closed my gaping jaw and grabbed some paper and a pencil and started writing. I didn't stop writing until after dawn. Credit where credit is due; in point of fact, it was Martha, from my novel The Jolly Lobster that told me to stop gawking and to start writing.
Martha wasn't the only person in my novel to order me about. Very early on, I started having troubles with a character named Bobbie. The trouble was, Bobbie wasn't co-operating and my pencils were breaking. I'd get so far and the lead would break. So, I got yet another new pencil and some note paper and I started writing a biography for Bobbie.
It was at that point when Bobbie finally said, "You know; your problem is that you want me to be the lovable, ditzy drag queen. But you know damn well, I'm a hell of a lot more complicated than that mister."
Damn, damn, damn; busted by one of my own characters. I sheepishly agreed, and from then on, Bobbie was calling the shots on what she did in the story and how she was portrayed.
And that's the story of how I conquered two years of writer's block and wrote a novel called The Jolly Lobster. I went on a "vacation", came back inspired, and I started listening to the people in my head that were bursting to tell their story.
Once upon a time I started writing a novel; about three years ago actually. And then I ran into a few snags. The plot was getting too complicated, the action too tedious and I was starting to not really care about what happened to any of my characters. After about a month's worth of frustration I gave up and put my notebook aside.
One of the really frustrating things about this chapter in my writing life was that I had done a lot of research into the time period and location. I had worked hard on character bios and made a story outline and I had even drawn maps of the streets and floor plans of the houses. But despite all of the planning; my characters were stuck in this parlour, twiddling their thumbs, spouting boring crap about nothing. I felt like dropping a bomb into the middle of the room, just to have something interesting actually happen and to make it all end. Instead, I closed my notebook and filed it away.
Most of my stories and screenplays have ended up either being filed away, or shredded, never to be revisited in any shape or form again. Time passes and for the most part I forget about all these stories, but the failure of this particular story was really galling. There were a couple of specific points or themes that I wanted to especially share; bits of history that most people have forgotten about or don't know about in the first place. Months went by and always present was this nagging in the furthermost regions of my brain, telling me that I had a story to tell. Inspiration was nowhere in sight though.
And then one day, my partner Ian, (who's actually my husband now) coyly announced that we were going to Nova Scotia for a vacation -- in March. I demanded to see the houses he planned on looking at whilst we were on "vacation". As I poured over the listings, it dawned on me that this indeed could be just the thing both of us needed. At the very least, we would get to see a part of Canada that neither of us had ever been to.
Several things happened to us on this "exploratory jaunt" to the east coast. Firstly, we fell in love with Nova Scotia. I was born and raised in British Columbia and I like to think it's a beautiful province. Moreover, for the longest time I couldn't possibly imagine a province more beautiful and ideal to live in. I hadn't counted on the beguiling beauty of Nova Scotia. The province with all its charms beckoned to us though and we ended up buying a big old house in a lovely little town on the South Shore. Our "vacation" was short and sweet, but we went back to British Columbia with more than just fond memories and an eagerness to get packed and moved to our new home. For starters, I felt like a heavy black cloud had lifted from the depths of my mind. I felt refreshed and revitalized; I had been taking everything in and not become weary of it all.
Back in Victoria, I started reading some of the books on Nova Scotia that we had brought back with us, so that we could bone up on the province's rich history. It was exciting and for the most part totally new to me. Many of the things that I read about hadn't been touched upon in history classes when I was in school.
One night, I was in bed, just starting to doze off to sleep, when suddenly, I sat bolt upright in bed. My jaw dropped. "My story takes place in Halifax, Nova Scotia -- during prohibition!" I exclaimed.
Boom! All of a sudden these voices in my mind started talking excitedly. Not only that, but all these people started coming into my mind's vision. I quickly closed my gaping jaw and grabbed some paper and a pencil and started writing. I didn't stop writing until after dawn. Credit where credit is due; in point of fact, it was Martha, from my novel The Jolly Lobster that told me to stop gawking and to start writing.
Martha wasn't the only person in my novel to order me about. Very early on, I started having troubles with a character named Bobbie. The trouble was, Bobbie wasn't co-operating and my pencils were breaking. I'd get so far and the lead would break. So, I got yet another new pencil and some note paper and I started writing a biography for Bobbie.
It was at that point when Bobbie finally said, "You know; your problem is that you want me to be the lovable, ditzy drag queen. But you know damn well, I'm a hell of a lot more complicated than that mister."
Damn, damn, damn; busted by one of my own characters. I sheepishly agreed, and from then on, Bobbie was calling the shots on what she did in the story and how she was portrayed.
And that's the story of how I conquered two years of writer's block and wrote a novel called The Jolly Lobster. I went on a "vacation", came back inspired, and I started listening to the people in my head that were bursting to tell their story.
So, you've checked out my profile but you want to know a bit more.
Over the past twelve years I've worked online and published numerous websites. Some of them are even still around. (You can find them by going to my author site.)
For these sites, I've written thousands of articles, reviews for books, movies and various products, as well as short blog posts. In addition to all that, I'm also the techie, web designer and the marketing and promotion guy too.
Over the years, I've written a few stories, and screenplays but I've never done anything with them -- until recently that is.
For the past couple of years I've been pitching my first novel, The Jolly Lobster to the publishing houses. No luck. So, I finally got tired and decided to take matters into my own hands and go the self-publishing route.
Currently my novel is available as a Kindle eBook. I am exploring other formats and publishing options as well.
In addition to writing, I am also interested in acting and the theatre. Currently I'm involved in an amateur community theatre group called, Basement Theatre. We're a small group in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. I was Simon Bliss in their 2010 production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever. I'll be in the fall 2011 production; we're doing a play called Hocus Pocus by Jack Popplewell.
So, there you have it - there's a bit more "about me".
Over the past twelve years I've worked online and published numerous websites. Some of them are even still around. (You can find them by going to my author site.)
For these sites, I've written thousands of articles, reviews for books, movies and various products, as well as short blog posts. In addition to all that, I'm also the techie, web designer and the marketing and promotion guy too.
Over the years, I've written a few stories, and screenplays but I've never done anything with them -- until recently that is.
For the past couple of years I've been pitching my first novel, The Jolly Lobster to the publishing houses. No luck. So, I finally got tired and decided to take matters into my own hands and go the self-publishing route.
Currently my novel is available as a Kindle eBook. I am exploring other formats and publishing options as well.
In addition to writing, I am also interested in acting and the theatre. Currently I'm involved in an amateur community theatre group called, Basement Theatre. We're a small group in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. I was Simon Bliss in their 2010 production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever. I'll be in the fall 2011 production; we're doing a play called Hocus Pocus by Jack Popplewell.
So, there you have it - there's a bit more "about me".
