Amanda Fleet's Blog, page 32

How was Bloody Scotland? (part 1)

Well, the short version to that question is: absolutely brilliant! The longer answer's coming in 2 parts...

Day 1: Friday 9th September
Hubby and I arrived in Stirling for lunch, after which I contacted Gordon Brown, one of the organisers, to say I was there and to ask what time I should register. He texted me back, telling me to go to the Albert Halls for ~4pm and we could sort out registration later. As it turned out, he didn't need me to go to the Albert Halls at all (he thought I was going for a rehearsal, but I was due to rehearse on Saturday). However, it did mean that I got to meet some of the other Crime in the Spotlight authors and hear them read their extracts, which was excellent. Rehearsals over, we all toddled back to The Golden Lion to register and have this picture taken of us in the Waterstones book shop in the hotel:

Photo by Eoin Carey for Bloody Scotland
L-R Sandra Ireland, Stephen Watt, me, Eva Holland
Liz Mistry, Daniel Pembrey
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Music while you work...

Writing essentials: music and caffeineThe other day, I was discussing listening to music while writing, with my writing buddy (Stuart Lennon - you can check out his blog here... http://stuartlennon.com/ Don't worry. It opens in a new tab so you won't lose me).

I can get addicted to a particular play list or album when I'm writing and then that music is forever associated with whatever I've been working on. Sometimes it's because the lyrics or the music are very apt; sometimes it's because the music is already associated with a location in the piece I'm writing. For example, when I was writing the Malawian scenes in The Wrong Kind of Clouds, I had Lucius Banda's "Freedom" album on in the background, because on a couple of my trips to Malawi, that was playing everywhere. Much of the rest of that book is associated with 30 Seconds to Mars' album "This is War" just because that's what I was listening to while I was editing it.
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Book Finds - August 2016

We all love it when someone recommends a new author or a new book to us. Well, I've decided to try and do one post each month where I tell you about books I've found and loved. Some of them might be bestsellers, but I'm suspecting that many of them won't be. What would be brilliant, is if you all share your 'find of the month' in the comments. Deal??

Okay, well the books I'd like to recommend to you this month are:

Addition by Toni JordanThe Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova BaileyEye for an Eye by Frank Muir
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Book Finds

We all love it when someone recommends a new author or a new book to us. Well, I've decided to try and do one post each month where I tell you about books I've found and loved. Some of them might be bestsellers, but I'm suspecting that many of them won't be. What would be brilliant, is if you all share your 'find of the month' in the comments. Deal??

Okay, well the books I'd like to recommend to you this month are:

Addition by Toni JordanThe Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elizabeth Tova BaileyEye for an Eye by Frank Muir
Read more »

More on Bloody Scotland: Crime in the Spotlight

Image from Bloody Scotland: https://www.bloodyscotland.com/

In my last post, I told you that I'd been awarded a "Crime in the Spotlight" slot (for new authors) at Bloody Scotland.

Well, I now know at which event I've been given 3 minutes to speak...

2pm on Saturday 10th September, in the Albert Halls at Stirling
And whose event am I gate-crashing???

MC Beaton and Fred Macaulay! Details of their event can be found HERE.

There are just 12 slots awarded, so I'm feeling honoured, thrilled, excited and terrified about it, in about equal measure (though terrified may have it by a significant margin!). Even the biggest lecture theatre that I've ever lectured in is about half the size of the Albert Halls and I'm just praying that I don't screw up.

Hope you can all make it up to the festival - it promises to be excellent (apart from possibly the 3 minutes that involve me...).

Better go and work on what I'm going to say in my 3 minutes!

Bloody Scotland!

Image from Bloody Scotland site: https://www.bloodyscotland.com/
The Bloody Scotland Festival is Scotland's International Crime Writing Festival. It's in its 5th year and this year will be held in various venues across Stirling, from 9-11th September. Some of the best-loved names in crime writing will be there, such as Chris Brookmyre, Stuart Neville, Peter Robinson, Alex Gray, Val McDermid, Lin Anderson, Mark Billingham and many, many more...

and me!!

I've been chosen as one of the Spotlight authors for this year's festival! This means that I get to read from The Wrong Kind of Clouds at the start of one of the scheduled events, and my book will be available from the Waterstones stall (one of the official sponsors of the event).

I am hugely excited about this and feel really honoured to have been chosen. I don't know which slot I've been awarded yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do.

The festival really has the Who's Who of crime writing. You can read the brochure for the event here (opens in a new window). Come along and join in the fun. It will be amazing!

What would you like to see in a newsletter?

Those of you who subscribe to my mailing list currently get an email each month, listing the posts of the month. I want to make this email more interesting and more like a newsletter. To help me with designing it, please could you let me know what you would like to see in the newsletters?

My current ideas are:

Photo of the Month
Given that Summer, the main character in The Wrong Kind of Clouds, is a photographer and so is my husband, I thought about including a photo each month, drawn from the collection on my husband's website (Colin Nicol Landscape Photography)

Recipe of the Month
This idea came after several people said that they were going to try out the recipe for the dish that LB (the policeman in The Wrong Kind of Clouds) cooks for Summer. LB is a keen cook (as am I). Would people be interested in LB's recipe of the month?

An update about what I've been working on
A few lines about what I've been writing or doing, plus links to more freebies and bonus scenes (although I can't guarantee a freebie every month!)

Chichewa (Malawian) Phrase of the Month
Some of the wrong Kind of Clouds is set in Malawi where the language is Chichewa. Do people want to learn some new phrases?

An Update about Chimwemwe Children's Centre
While I was out in Malawi, I helped to set up a charity - Chimwemwe Children's Centre - that works with homeless children to give them somewhere to live and to support them through education and training. It's what Samala (from the book) is based on, though Chimwemwe is entirely above board, I hasten to say! Would people be interested in a few lines each month saying what we have been doing in Malawi?

This Month's Finds
Each month I find interesting blog posts or articles. Many of these I Tweet about, but not all. Let me know if you would like my top 3 'finds' each month.

This Month's Posts
This would be a quick list of the posts for the month.

What do people think? I've created a survey for you to vote in. If there are other features you would like to see of if you have other feedback, please feel free to tick "other" and add your comments in the survey.

Thank you for your help!
(survey closes 23:45 GMT on 26th August)


Create your own user feedback survey

Projects, projects, projects... What next??

What to work on next???
I mustn't complain. Like any other writer, I've had times when no ideas have come to me and I've lived in terror that none will ever come again. Right now, I have the opposite problem. I have six different projects I could be working on, and don't know which to tackle first!

Each one will take me probably 3-6 months so I don't want to start on something and then realise I would have been better off working on something else.

So, what's brewing? I bit of an eclectic mix to be honest!
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Reviews for The Wrong Kind of Clouds

It's a scary thing, letting your book loose. People can read it. People can review it. They might love it (yay!)... they might hate it... (aagh!).

I confess to having had huge nerves when I've seen that a new review has gone up. Thankfully they have been largely positive (though a couple have left me scratching my head).

I'm delighted that a few bloggers have been kind enough to give me an honest review in exchange for a copy of the book. I've highlighted my favourite bits of their reviews, but the links will take you to the full version.

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Back to the grindstone...

Back to work time... But it's only work if you don't enjoy it. In reality, it's more play-time!
Well, the holiday is over. Much walking was walked, much wine was imbibed and several snakes were seen. But that's Yorkshire for you.

[There really were snakes! Here are a couple of pictures of them!]
Adult adder Just a baby!

But, it's now time to get back to work (though frankly, I love this kind of 'work') and I have a scarily HUGE list of stuff to work through. First up is proof-reading through the next novel before it goes off to my editor. There's also the never-ending treadmill of publicity and marketing to get back on top of and then I have a decision to make. I kid you not, I have six (yes... six) other major projects I could work on and no idea which to tackle first. More on all that soon.

Happy holidays (for those still escaping work)!

Oh, almost forgot. I have another Goodreads giveaway... ends 31st July, 2016.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway The Wrong Kind of Clouds by Amanda Fleet Giveaway ends July 31, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter Giveaway