Morton S. Gray's Blog, page 42
February 13, 2017
Spotlight on Guest Author Evonne Wareham
This week I’m joined by fellow Choc Lit author Evonne Wareham. Welcome, Evonne.
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Evonne writes romantic thrillers – known in the States as romantic suspense – and her books have won and been nominated for awards on both sides of the Atlantic. Most notably, her first published novel, Never Coming Home, won the Joan Hessayon award for the best debut novel of the year, presented by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.
As a change of pace from writing thrillers, she’s currently completing a novella which mixes romance with mystery. It starts in Bath, but somehow manages to move quite swiftly to the Riviera! She is hoping that this may kick off a series, loosely based around a Bath detective agency, but all ending up somewhere sunny and glamorous. Sunshine and glamour are characteristics of the thrillers too, although in those something much darker lurks in the sunshine.
Evonne likes to travel, and call it research. She’s currently a mature student, studying for her doctorate, which takes up a lot of her time, and is known as ‘the day job’. After a blameless career in local government in London, she is now back home, living on the coast of South Wales, so big cities and beaches have been known to creep into her books too. Also food, art, architecture, pretty clothes, shoes, very nasty villains, heroes with dark pasts and independent heroines who find themselves in dangerous situations.
I asked Evonne some questions:-
When and where do you write?
Wherever and whenever I can!
After years of work and academic note taking I prefer to write longhand and then type it up later, so I can write just about anywhere. I love train journeys, for the journey and also for the work that gets done. Trips to London for events held by the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Crime Writers’ Association (I’m a member of both, as I combine genres) are a special treat – 4 hours of writing time. I work in the house anywhere there is a comfortable chair. And outside it, anywhere there is a comfortable chair. As to when – that’s not always easy. I’ve just been through one of those periods when life throws ‘stuff’ at you, in huge bucket loads, which is why I haven’t had a book out since 2013. I’m really hoping that 2017 will change that.
Where do you get your inspiration?
It can come from all kinds of places. Sometimes it’s a matter of two ideas coming together which may have been knocking around in my head for a while and then something clicks and they gel. Other times it’s just one thing. I had a long lunch with some writer friends before Christmas and we got to discussing kidnapping. As you do. (Well you do if you have friends like mine.) By the time I had reached home I had the idea for a story which refused to leave, so I wrote it over Christmas and I very much hope it might be a romantic suspense Christmas novella for 2017. That one will have snow, not sunshine, which is unusual for me.
Can you give us a list of your favourite books and why they are your favourites?
Not so much favourite books as favourite authors. I think my writing tastes may have been formed by Enid Blyton’s Adventure series. (Lol. Mine too! Mx) My Mum liked to read me those, and if we got a new one one from the library that was a big day.
After that Mary Stewart, the classic British romantic suspense author. Now, I read a lot of American romantic suspense – Karen Rose, Jayne Ann Krentz, Nora Roberts, Erica Spindler and Linda Howard, to name a few.
I like Golden Age crime too, and am slowly gnawing my way through the wonderful re-issues that the British Library is putting out. The covers alone are fabulous and the stories are usually crime of the puzzle type, from authors who have been largely forgotten but still have good tales to tell.
What are you working on at the moment?
I have three novellas that I hope might see the light of day in 2017 and 2018.
One, the romantic mystery, is in the final stages of editing. I have a sequel written to that, and also the Christmas romantic suspense. With the latter two, they have not been submitted yet – they are still in hand writing – so it all depends if the publisher likes them.
After that, I am intending to go back to a full length romantic suspense that has been partially written, but which was abandoned when life got in the way. It’s a dark story with a pair of second chance lovers and I’m looking forward to completing it. After that … I have what I call my treasure hunt book, which has been quietly smouldering on the back burner for some time. It’s a story that goes back to events in the Second World War and includes a character who was a soldier in France, North Africa and Italy. I’m going to have to get to it soon, or he is going to be 100 years old! I need to do some research in Italy for it. That’s my story, anyway.
And somewhere in all that is an 80,000 word PhD thesis.
Thank you, Evonne. That sounds a very busy writing time and I hope life gives you the space to complete your books this year.
You can find Evonne at
Her blog http://evonneonwednesday.blogspot.com where she talks about writing and books and history and life and interesting places and research and anything else that comes into her head, every Wednesday.
On Twitter @evonnewareham
On Facebook as Evonne Wareham
Or you can contact her through her website www.evonnewareham.com
February 6, 2017
A New World
My debut novel The Girl on the Beach was released by Choc Lit on 24 January 2017, launching me into an unknown world of blog appearances, book promotion, rankings and review monitoring and readings!
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Release day was exciting. Nothing compares to seeing your book cover (brilliantly designed by the lovely Berni Stevens – I officially love my cover!) appear on Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Kobo, Barnes and Noble, iBooks and Google play.
You can’t help but try to monitor how the novel is doing in the market by looking at your rankings and reviews. Highlights so far have been reaching 106 in the Romantic Suspense chart on Amazon.co.uk (25 January 2017) and 80 in the Kobo Romantic Suspense chart (5 February 2017). I’ve been lucky to have some lovely words written about my book in reviews. I’ll put some of my favourites later in this post.
On the morning of 24 January, a few of my friends gathered to mark the occasion with coffee and cake. We had fun and I talked about my book and read out part of the first chapter. My first ever reading, but thankfully I got through without stumbling. It was almost surreal to watch my audience listening to my words. I had unexpected presents and cards too, which was a lovely surprise.
Since then I’ve discovered just how much time can be taken up with the promotion of your book. I’ve struggled to master apps to put clever book banners together and tried to work out how to promote my novel.
I have been overwhelmed by support from friends, some I have met in person, some only online, but they have been equally wonderful. Bloggers have come forward and asked me for posts – some asking challenging questions. Facebook groups have also been incredibly supportive, particularly my own little group, the ADC’s and Book Connectors. I am blessed with so much help.
If you’d like to learn more about me, than read some of the posts:-
Romantic Novelists’ Association
Lynda Stacey – Post on 27 January
I’m on more blogs soon. Lol.
A big thank you to everyone who has read the book and reviewed it. If you have read it and liked it, please do a short review for me – it makes a difference. Some extracts from my favourite ones below.
‘I read this book this weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it! Couldn’t wait to get back to it when I was halfway through. It was a really great page-turner, so easy to read because you can’t wait to find out the truth and see how it all unravels and who knows what! I loved the characters and the way she portrays them and understanding the dynamics between them and what their lives have held in the past and what they might hold in the future.’
‘A romantic mystery thriller in which the intrigue gradually unfolds against a backdrop of mutual attraction growing between the two main characters. There are several strands to this storyline, all of which are skilfully woven into an absorbing and immensely enjoyable novel.’
‘What a fabulous first novel. I loved it the romance and the suspence fabulous.
Brilliant characters especially every woman’s dream Harry Dixon.’
January 30, 2017
Spotlight on Guest Author Isabella Connor
First a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have downloaded my debut novel The Girl on the Beach since its release on 24 January 2017. I have been overjoyed by the response and support. The book is featured as book of the week on @TheAuthorHour on Twitter this week, which was a lovely surprise.
This week I am pleased to welcome fellow Choc Lit author Isabella Connor to my blog. Well that’s not strictly true, as ‘Isabella Connor‘ is the joint pen name of Englishwoman Liv Thomas, who works for the National Health Service in Southampton, and of Scottish-born Valerie Olteanu, an adult educator in the Canadian province of British Columbia. I spoke to Liv for this blog.
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Liv Thomas
I live on the South Coast, and though pretty widely travelled, I’ve never lived outside Hampshire. If I had a choice, I would live either in Ireland, or in the Alps. I work for the NHS, at the first hospital that was featured in Channel 4’s ‘One Born Every Minute’. I live with the OH and our West Highland Terrier, Sophie. The kids have flown the nest but all live locally. I love reading and writing (not ‘rithmetic though), also pub quizzes, and I have a girlie crush on Chris Evans (not that one!) whose character in the movie Push was the visual for Finn in An Irish Promise.
I am @Livbet on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Livbet – and will generally follow back, unless it’s someone whose tweets comprise of nothing more than links. I give those a miss because although it’s a useful promotional tool, I do think of Twitter more as a social thing.
I do have a blog, which is sadly neglected, but I am full of good intentions and plan to resurrect it in 2017 – there is quite a lot on it though, if anyone wants to give it a try. 
January 24, 2017
Publication Day – The Girl on the Beach
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My debut novel The Girl on the Beach is published today – 24 January 2017. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to see the cover appearing for sale on electronic platforms.
This novel was the winner of the Search for a Star competition 2016 run by Choc Lit Publishing in association with Lovereading with the working title of “Who is Harry Dixon?”
Blurb for The Girl on the Beach
Who is Harry Dixon?
When Ellie Golden meets Harry Dixon, she can’t help but feel she recognises him from somewhere. But when she finally realises who he is, she can’t believe it – because the man she met on the beach all those years before wasn’t called Harry Dixon. And, what’s more, that man is dead.
For a woman trying to outrun her troubled past and protect her son, Harry’s presence is deeply unsettling – and even more disconcerting than coming face to face with a dead man, is the fact that Harry seems to have no recollection of ever having met Ellie before. At least that’s what he says …
But perhaps Harry isn’t the person Ellie should be worried about. Because there’s a far more dangerous figure from the past lurking just outside of the new life she has built for herself, biding his time, just waiting to strike.
Praise for The Girl on the Beach
‘Intriguing and, ultimately, satisfying, with a wonderful romantic element.’ Bestselling Author, Sue Moorcroft
‘A gripping rollercoaster of a story that will keep you guessing until the very last page!’ Amanda James, author of Summer in Tintagel (Urbane Publications July 2016)
The E-Book of The Girl on the Beach can be purchased from :-
Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, iBooks, Barnes and Noble – The link for this is not up yet but should be shortly, Kobo, Google play
Such an exciting day!
January 16, 2017
Spotlight on Guest Author Linda Mitchelmore
First a quick shout out – My debut novel The Girl on the Beach is out next Tuesday 24 January 2017 – Squeal!!!!! That which seemed unbelievable is now believable!
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I have Linda Mitchelmore as my guest today. A fellow Choc Lit author, Linda has the sea in her veins, possibly because she was born within a couple of hundred yards of it in Paignton, Devon. Although she enjoys forays to the countryside, the sea always calls her home. That said, she is not the best swimmer in the world and prefers being on it, or looking at it, to being in it.
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Linda began writing at the end of 1990’s when her hearing deteriorated (through earlier viral damage) to such an extent she couldn’t hear very much at all. Music, cinema, theatre and TV were all no-go areas so she retreated into a rather silent world of reading. She had an ‘I could write better than that’ moment when reading a short story but soon discovered – umpteen rejections down the line – that it wasn’t so easy to get published. But she persevered and now has 300 or so short stories/serials and around 50 articles under her belt. These publications gave her the confidence to try her hand at novels and she now has three full length historical novels, and two novellas (one historical and one contemporary), and one full length contemporary novel to her name, all published with Choc Lit.
But all work and no play makes Jack (and Jill) a dull boy (girl) so Linda is always ready to accept invitations to coffee and lunch – although these days as she’s so busy with writing she has to limit them to once a week.
Equally, all day sat on a chair in front of a computer is not good for the rear, so Linda is something of a legend locally pounding up and down the hills around her home in her Hotter lace-ups in all weathers – 45 minutes minimum per day, and half an hour more than that for preference. Thank goodness for Cotton Traders ankle length macs, she says.
As well as walking locally Linda walks on Dartmoor with her husband and also along the coast path around Torbay at weekends when time allows. She’s been known to walk six miles for a newspaper on Sundays.
And the joy of her life now? That has to be her grandchildren, Alex and Emily. She is a very hands-on Grandma and has been known to bribe her daughter to let her have them come to stop at weekends.
And should there be a little window of opportunity to get away from it all there is nowhere she would rather be than with friends, Jennie and Richard, across the channel in Brittany. Oh, and if she can take her bicycle and cycle the canal paths near their home while she’s there, then she is in heaven.
Linda‘s Books:-
EMMA: THERE’S NO TURNING BACK – 2014
All published by Choc Lit
I asked Linda a few questions:-
When do you write?
Morning is my best time for writing and the earlier the better. If I have a deadline or just that urge writers sometimes get to get things down – when the piece wants to write itself almost – I can work after lunch but I’m not at my best after about four o’ clock.
What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m working on a series of linked stories, all set in the same place. All are very character-led, and most are emotional and quite deep, although not sad or low in any way. There is some romance in there, too. It will probably only run to a novella length. I’ve also got rough plots written out for two other novellas, and a full length novel I hand-wrote some time ago is slowly finding its way into my computer system – slowly!
Where do you get your inspiration?
Where don’t I get it? A snippet of conversation, an item in a newspaper, a photo in a magazine, a postcard, a secondary character in one of my own short stories/novels I think deserves a louder voice, a fellow passenger on a train/plane ….. sometimes my head is too full of things!
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Blurb for GRAND DESIGNS by Linda Mitchelmore
Carrie Fraser is an interior designer and cannot believe her luck when she is invited to work at Oakenbury Hall – a beautiful manor house in the heart of the English countryside. Nor can she quite get over the owner of Oakenbury Hall – the gorgeous (not to mention loaded!) Morgan Harrington. Morgan appears to have it all, but his previous life is clouded with sadness and heartache, which Carrie can relate to only too well. He is intent on running away from his troubled past to a glamorous, celebrity-filled existence in Cannes, but there’s a problem ….
Morgan is bound by his late father’s wishes to keep Oakenbury Hall within the family and have children (if possible) and the more time Carrie spends with him the more she yearns to be the woman to fulfil this wish. But the likes of Carrie Fraser could never be enough for a high-flying businessman like Morgan could she?
Thank you, Linda. I’ve read your latest Choc Lit paperback, Grand Designs, which is a lovely handbag-sized, tactile book. It is a sweet gentle romance. I wanted the heroine, Carrie to come and redesign my house decor and the hero, Morgan, to whisk me away to Cannes.
You can contact Linda on the following links:-
Facebook – linda_mitchelmore@facebook.com
Twitter – @lindamitchelmor (that is right without the ‘e’)
Website – http://lindashortstories.wordpress.com
January 2, 2017
Spotlight on Guest Author Victoria Cornwall
A special post today from guest Victoria Cornwall as her debut novel The Thief’s Daughter published by Choc Lit is out this week! Good luck with the book Victoria!
[image error]Victoria Cornwall grew up on a farm in Cornwall. She can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century and it is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish based novels.
Following a fulfilling twenty-five year career as a nurse, a change in profession finally allowed her the time to write. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, the Historical Novel Society and contributes to a blog called Novel Points of View.
Victoria is married, has two grown up children and a black Labrador, called Alfie. She likes to read and write historical fiction with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone.
The Thief’s Daughter is her debut novel and the first in her series of Cornish based novels.
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I asked Victoria some questions :-
When do you write?
Thank you for having me on your blog today, Morton. When I am writing a book I tend to write in the afternoon. I would like to be able to say its everyday, but due to other work commitments it is when I can sneak away. When I am in the “researching phase” of a new book, it can overlap into the evenings too. Of course, there is also the promotion aspect of being a writer, which also eats into your time, so when I am able to sneak away and actually write, it feels very satisfying to actually produce something.
How do you get your mind into the period and place you are writing about?
Research helps a lot, but I often walk my dog, Alfie, before I sit down and write. The quiet time I have with him helps me to empty my brain of the humdrum of daily life, think about the plot and the scene I want to write next. By the time the walk is finished I know what I want to say and am itching to get on with it.
Can you tell us a little about your book?
The Thief’s Daughter was inspired by several things. I have been a huge Poldark fan ever since I watched the 1970s TV series. The series introduced me to Winston Graham’s books, which I adore and have read many times. I am one of those people who have had the old TV series on video tape and DVD. So I guess it was inevitable that one day I would want to write an 18th century Cornish romance. I have even met the original Ross Poldark, Robin Ellis, who wished me well for The Thief’s Daughter.
I was born and bred in Cornwall, and I love the North Cornish coast. It was while I was walking the coastal path that I came across Pepper Cove, a narrow, rocky inlet that was once used for smuggling spices into Cornwall during the 18th century. I have changed its name in the book but it still features heavily in the novel.
So I had the time period, the location and the Cornish history to help form my plot. All I needed was a back-story for my hero and heroine. The heroine, Jenna, feels obligated to pay her brother’s debts so he can be freed from debtor’s prison. The debtor’s prison idea was inspired by a small pub in Bodmin, called The Hole In The Wall, which is located on the site of an 18th century, debtors’ prison. There is a plaque on the outside wall stating the dates the prison was in use and I have often walked by it.
My hero, Jack, was inspired by Graham’s hero, Ross Poldark. However, Jack may wear a tricorn hat and have dark, brooding looks, but the similarities end there. Jack is on the side of the law and he will do anything to bring the men he is after to justice. Unfortunately, a pretty young woman enters his life, whose loyalty to her brother leads her into terrible danger which he is unable to ignore. Suddenly, the line between crime and justice is no longer as clear as it was before he met her.
Thank you for having me on your blog, Morton. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself and chatting about what inspired me to write The Thief’s Daughter had made me want to start on my next book.
The Thief’s Daughter is published on 3rd January, 2017 to buy it click here for the Choc Lit website.
Thank you, Victoria. I was fortunate to read an advance copy of the novel and can say wholeheartedly to readers that they have a real treat to look forward to. I loved the book, especially the hero. I only tend to read at bedtime, but found myself sneaking time in the day to read this one. The cover is lovely too!
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About The Thief’s Daughter
Hide from the thief-taker, for if he finds you, he will take you away …
Eighteenth-century Cornwall is crippled by debt and poverty, while the gibbet casts a shadow of fear over the land. Yet, when night falls, free traders swarm onto the beaches and smuggling prospers.
Terrified by a thief-taker’s warning as a child, Jenna has resolved to be good. When her brother, Silas, asks for her help to pay his creditors, Jenna feels unable to refuse and finds herself entering the dangerous world of the smuggling trade.
Jack Penhale hunts down the smuggling gangs in revenge for his father’s death. Drawn to Jenna at a hiring fayre, they discover their lives are entangled. But as Jenna struggles to decide where her allegiances lie, the worlds of justice and crime collide, leading to danger and heartache for all concerned …
Published on 3 January 2017 by Choc Lit.
You can contact Victoria on the following links :-
Website: www.victoriacornwall.com
Twitter: @VickieCornwall
Facebook: www.facebook.com/victoriacornwall.author
Instagram: www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx
Pinterest: uk.pinterest.com/vickiecornwall
December 19, 2016
Merry Christmas
I’d like to wish you all a Merry Christmas!
With my debut novel, The Girl on the Beach, out on 24 January 2017, my mind is now turning to the new world (to me in any case) of book marketing. If you have any gems of ideas for this, or pearls of wisdom to share, please pop them in the comments below.
Each first for my book is exciting. After the euphoria of seeing my name on my gorgeous book cover, I found myself jumping up and down when I saw The Girl on the Beach on the new releases banner on the Choc Lit website. I guess this didn’t feel real, felt that maybe it had all been a dream, until I actually saw it. Again at the weekend, my excitement mounted when I realised there was a sample of the book on the iBooks website and was able to show my family my dedication to them. It’s all feeling very exciting and very scary all at the same time.
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I shall be appearing on a few blogs as a guest author over the coming months. Kicking off my appearances with a visit to Jo Lambert’s blog tomorrow (Tuesday 20 December) and the Romantic Novelists’ Association blog on 11 January 2017. If you would like me to be a guest on your blog, please let me know.
As we seemingly hurtle towards Christmas Day, I hope that you have a happy and peaceful holiday. I would also like to take a moment to remember those less fortunate and those in war-torn areas at this time of year. Merry Christmas!
December 12, 2016
Spotlight on Guest Author Christina Courtenay
I’m joined this week by Christina Courtenay, who writes for Choc Lit.
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Christina Courtenay writes historical romance, time slip and YA contemporary romance, all published by independent publisher Choc Lit (and also self-publishes YA romance under her own name Pia Fenton).
She is half Swedish and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, she moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East. Christina is a former chairman of the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association.
Her novels Highland Storms and The Gilded Fan have both won the RoNA Award for Best Historical Romantic Novel of the Year (in 2012 and 2014 respectively). Her latest novels are The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight (time slip) and New England Dreams (YA contemporary romance as Pia Fenton).
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I asked Christina some questions:-
How do you get your mind into the period and place you are writing about?
I do a lot of research; first the general background for the period I have chosen, then the details of exactly what happened, what people wore, ate, thought, etc. The English Civil War is a time in our history I have been interested in for a long time so I’ve read a lot about it and that helped.
Other than that, I try to imagine myself inside the character’s head to see and feel what they may have done. And I go the place I’m writing about, if possible, plus I always have a photo of the hero to help me visualise him (usually a picture of someone like an actor or singer, whose face/looks I use as a basis for creating the hero). I have a very visual kind of memory so need to see things.
Your latest novel features Raglan Castle. When you first went there yourself did you have any strange feelings like your characters?
No, unfortunately I’m not the slightest bit psychic, so I didn’t see or hear anything supernatural or paranormal. However, the castle ruins are so atmospheric that if you close your eyes it’s very easy to visualise how it must have looked in the past and there is definitely a tangible feeling of sadness – or maybe wistfulness is a better word? – that sort of hangs over it. A strong sense of what a waste it was for something so beautiful to be deliberately ruined (as it was by the Parliamentarians after the siege).
It affected me deeply and from my very first visit I knew I wanted to write about Raglan Castle and the last, heroic stand by the Royalists there in the summer of 1646.
Can you tell us a little about your next book?
My next books are still in the planning stage – I say books plural because I like to write both the time slip stories and the YA ones at the same time and I work on whichever one fires my imagination the most on the day. So basically, I have two books “brewing” but I’m not ready to put fingers to keyboard yet. The adult story will definitely be time slip though, as that’s my favourite sub-genre and I just love writing them.
Thank you so much for having me as your guest today!
It was lovely to have you on my blog, Christina.
To buy Christina‘s books, click on any of the book titles in this blog to be taken to the buying pages at Choc Lit.
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About The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight
“As the velvet cloak of moonlight settled over the ruined towers of Raglan Castle, the shadows beneath them stirred …”
When newly widowed Tess visits Raglan Castle, she experiences an extraordinary vision that transports her to seventeenth-century Wales and a castle on the brink of a siege.
Even when Tess leaves Raglan to return to Merrick Court, her late husband’s home, the strange dreams continue as her life becomes increasingly intertwined with the past. And when the new owner of the estate arrives – New Zealander Josh Owens – the parallels become even more obvious.
But perhaps the visions aren’t just trying to tell their own story, maybe they’re also giving a warning …
I’ve read The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight and found it a captivating read. I love the way the past and present in this time slip echo each other. The hero in the present, Josh, has been added to my list of all time favourite heroes.
You can contact Christina on the following links :-
Website: http://christinacourtenay.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinacourtenayauthor?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PiaCCourtenay
December 5, 2016
Spotlight on Guest Author Alison May
Thank you to Alison May for letting me delay her interview slot by a week while I announced my own book news. She joins me this week to answer some questions.
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Alison is a novelist, short story writer, blogger and creative writing tutor who grew up in North Yorkshire, and now lives in Worcester. She worked as a waitress, a shop assistant, a learning adviser, an advice centre manager, a freelance trainer, and now a maker-upper of stories.
She won the RNA’s Elizabeth Goudge trophy in 2012, and her short stories have been published by Harlequin, Choc Lit and Black Pear Press. Her romantic comedies, Sweet Nothing, Midsummer Dreams, and the Christmas Kisses series are published by Choc Lit. Alison has been shortlisted in the Love Stories and RoNA Awards.
You can find out more about Alison at www.alison-may.co.uk, on facebook at www.facebook.com/AlisonMayAuthor, or by following her on Twitter @MsAlisonMay
I asked Alison some questions:-
How do you approach writing a novel?
Honestly it varies from book to book. I never really worry about having ideas – ideas are easy. Once I’ve picked the basic idea I’m going to go with, I make a lot of notes about characters, setting and story ideas. I always have a new notebook for each novel. The notebooks have to be A4 size and preferably hardbacked – like most writers, I’m a stationary geek!
I then completely ignore all those notes and start writing a first draft. I like writing novels that are structurally quite complex – often with multiple points and view and different timelines – so my first drafts are always horrendously messy with great chunks that make no sense at all. So I always end up editing my manuscripts a lot before anyone else sees them. Even my agent would never get to see an actual first draft. For my last three books I haven’t actually written a complete first draft before I started editing though. I tend to get to about 80% of the way through the story, and by then I know in my own mind exactly how it’s going to end, so I then go back to the beginning and start revising what I’ve got and just tack the resolution onto the end.
For any new writers reading this and wondering how to approach their own novel, all I would say is this: there is no one right way to write a novel. Try different approaches until you find what works for you, and accept that what works for one book might not work as well for the next.
Tell us a little about the writing retreats you run with fellow Choc Lit author Janet Gover.
Janet and I have run three weekend novel-writing retreats together and we’ve got another two coming up next year – one in the spring and one in the autumn, both at the lovely Kings Court Hotel near Stratford-upon-Avon. We aim to offer a mixture of group workshops, one-to-one tutorials and individual writing time, all in a setting where you don’t have to worry about cooking or cleaning or anything at all really. You can just concentrate on your novel.
The spring retreat, in May, will focus on writing topics like characterisation, plotting, setting, dialogue and point of view. The autumn retreat focusses more on editing and polishing a manuscript and the process of publishing. All the details of both retreats are in the For Writers section on my website: https://alison-may.co.uk/for-writers/workshops-and-courses/ and there’s a discount on the price for anyone who books onto both retreats.
Is there a novel you wish you had written and why?
Too many to mention. I love The Blind Assassin by Margaret Attwood – as a writer that’s one of the books I most admire because it juggles so many different styles and voices and stories but each element is written beautifully.
From a practical bank-balance point of view, having written Fifty Shades of Grey, or Harry Potter would be rather nice too though.
One book I loved this year was Falling by Julie Cohen – I’ve been raving about it to anyone who’ll listen. The characterisation is beautiful. I’d be very proud indeed if I’d written that.
Thank you, Alison.
To buy Alison’s books, click on any of the titles in this blog to be taken to buying pages at Choc Lit. The books are available from Amazon, Kobo, Barnes &Noble, Apple iBookstore and Google Play.
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About Christmas Kisses
Three girls, three kisses, three gorgeous Christmas stories.
Holly hates Christmas with a passion and can’t wait to escape it – but then the flight to her once-in-a-lifetime holiday destination is cancelled.
Cora has had the year from hell, and faces a bleak Christmas working in Golding’s department store – in the most unflattering reindeer costume imaginable.
Jessica is in denial after her husband’s betrayal, and can’t help but think back to when her life still seemed so full of hope and promise …Three years from hell, three sets of broken dreams, three girls in desperate need of Christmas spirit.
Is the perfect Christmas kiss all it takes?
Includes Holly’s Christmas Kiss, Cora’s Christmas Kiss and Jessica’s Christmas Kiss
You can contact Alison on the following links:-
Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AlisonMayAuthor
Twitter @MsAlisonMay
November 29, 2016
Here it is …
I am now able to reveal the wonderful cover of my debut novel, The Girl on the Beach!
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Thank you Choc Lit for believing in my story and Berni Stevens for such a lovely cover design.
Book Blurb
Who is Harry Dixon?
When Ellie Golden meets Harry Dixon, she can’t help but feel she recognises him from somewhere. But when she finally realises who he is, she can’t believe it – because the man she met on the beach all those years before wasn’t called Harry Dixon. And, what’s more, that man is dead.
For a woman trying to outrun her troubled past and protect her son, Harry’s presence is deeply unsettling – and even more disconcerting than coming face to face with a dead man, is the fact that Harry seems to have no recollection of ever having met Ellie before. At least that’s what he says …
But perhaps Harry isn’t the person Ellie should be worried about. Because there’s a far more dangerous figure from the past lurking just outside of the new life she has built for herself, biding his time, just waiting to strike.
The Girl on the Beach is published by Choc Lit on all electronic platforms, but is now available to pre-order on iBooks! It will be officially released on 24th January 2017.
