Paula R.C. Readman's Blog, page 20

Who’s That Indie Author? Paula R C Readman

Paula R C Readman: The Phoenix Hour Genre: Time Travel Background: I left school poorly educated. In 2002, I set myself…

Who’s That Indie Author? Paula R C Readman

Please check out my interview on Book Club Mom…. Also you can meet other fantastic authors and writers too.

What a Wonderful Surprise

At the beginning of the year I submitted six pieces of work. To date I’ve suffered two rejections, one was for Essex Reading Year short story competition which I’ve heard nothing further about, so I’m taking that as a rejection. My short uplifting story, Dreams of India Sky was rejected by Cafelit.

I received news this week that my short story, Just a Packet of Seeds has made it into the Bridge House Publishing anthology, Gifted. I was shocked because I really wasn’t expecting it not after Dreams of India Sky was rejected. Both of the stories aren’t my normal dark Gothic Tales as I had been seriously thinking about changing the direction of my writing and trying the lighter side of life. Since doing the book talk in Brentwood, I’ve changed my mind as I now feel the gothic tales I’m writing are finding the readers.

The Gifted anthology will be launched in December 2023. I’m so pleased to be among so many other great writers.

Thanks to a comment I made on my friend Dawn’s post, I’ve been invited to a local radio station to talk about my writing. It’s amazing how one thing leads to another.

At the moment, I have set my writing to one side as I have four commissions for paintings to complete. I’ve decided to divide the year up so during the summer I’m painting because there are too many distractions while writing. In the summer, my garden cries out for my attention as I grow vegetables and the lawn needs cutting, too. I can stay more focused on the writing in the winter months once I’m in a flow.

https://mybook.to/Never Reaching

I was pleased to find that my new novella, Never Reaching the End has recived its first UK book review.

Have a great day. Now I’m off to do some painting. I’ll be back soon.

It’s arrived!

If you remember I ordered a display cloth to cover a table when I’m selling my books at a book talk or festival. Please read here for the link to the post. Well, at last, I’m pleased to say the cloth arrived, and I’m very pleased with it. I’m so glad I went with the black and white images as it allows my book covers to stand out.

My New Display Cloth

I have some good news I want to share with you at a later date. It’s connected with my writing, but first, I want to tell you about some art news. I now have four art commissions to fulfil, which I’m really excited about. Hopefully, the sales will add money to the pot for our journey to Scotland in September. I’m amazed to find both my art and writing are taking off, which I never expected.

I shall catch up with you again soon,

Have a great week.

Paula R C.

I Did It!

Yes, I finished writing my talk in time. On Saturday, with my pulse racing, my husband drove me over to the Social Club in Brentwood where I was to speak to a writing group about my journey to publication. With my whole body shaking I managed to just about breathe life into my talk, and get my points across in a chatty, conversationalist way. I messed a few things up, and mispronounced a few words, but overall I was pleased with myself and how well the talk was received by the audience.

Click to enlarge.

I wanted to look at the audience all the time but needed to focus on what I had written, otherwise, my brain would have emptied out and I would have lost the power of speech. I highlighted a few sentences in bold to remind myself to address the audience directly with some amusing anecdote or some point to help me keep my contact with them.

Thank you, Dawn for recording a tiny part of my talk.

Below is part of my talk, before the event in the library when I was thirteen, and met the library cat.

Every writer’s journey is unique, and mine was no exception. I started writing to prove to myself that anything is possible. Allow me to take you on a spot of time travelling. I promise you I’ll keep it short.

Imagine being five years old. It’s 1963. You’re with your mother walking into a brand-new library. The space was light, airy, and magical, with rows of new books sitting on wooden shelves. You’re from a poor family. Your father works as a master miller, your mother a housewife, with four young children. You all living in a cramped little cottage, a dark place with wooden floors and rugs.

Today is a special day. You have your mother’s undivided attention, which is rare. The library smells fresh. You’re excited at the thought of being given the opportunity to take as many books as you want as new things are a luxury to you. You eagerly run towards the children’s book section, drop down to your knees, and carefully select some of the brightest and most beautiful covers.

You hug them tightly to your chest and turn to your mother, she’s smiling. You are happy. A woman comes over and speaks to your mother. Your mother is no longer smiling. A look you recognise has replaced it. A frown that’s closely followed by anger.  

The woman tells her, “You need to fill a form out before your daughter can take the books.”

Your mother lowers her eyes to you, and you’re ready for what she is about to say. “Put the books back.” Your heart sinks, but you don’t question her. You run back to the shelves and return the books. Your mother takes your arm and drags you from the library. You’re sad, but you don’t cry.

I learnt two crucial lessons that day in the library: The meaning of disappointment and the importance of being able to write.

Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment.

Hope to see you again soon.

Display Cloth and a Review

Time seems to be passing by quickly, as I feel like I’m running at high speed but not making much progress. My first talk is coming up soon and while reading blog posts by other writers, I came across an author who had a display cloth with her name printed on it. This cloth is placed on the table and hangs like a banner under the display of books.

After researching online, I found out that display cloths can be quite pricey. However, since I have three upcoming events this year, I decided it was worth investing in one. To design it, I used my Canva account and considered featuring my six book covers. However, my husband wisely pointed out that this could make the cloth appear outdated as I continue to publish more books.

Instead I created a simple black and white design and I felt this was within keeping with my Victorian Gothic Crime theme. When I display my books they will add the colour along with the book marks, to my stand.

Lovely Jim has finished reading my sci-fi novel and left me a wonderful review on Amazon. Thank you so much, Jim.

Click here, The Phoenix Hour, if you would like to check the book out for yourself. I look forward to reading your review. Thank you.

Have a wonderful week, everyone.

Seeking the Dark Latest Review

I’ve just received this review for Seeking the Dark. Amanita was the first character I created. I enjoyed writing her life story and rewrote the book three times before finally settling on Jacob as the lead character to tell her story.
Amanita’s life has been a long, lonely existence, but don’t be deceived by her appearance.
If you would like to read a copy for yourself, please click this link: https://mybook.to/SeekingDark
Let me know what you think of Amanita if you read the book. Thank you.

Thank you for this wonderful review

I do hope Elle Sie does seek out my other books and enjoys them too.

Thank you for dropping by.

Waiting on that First Review.

Writing a book is a difficult task, and finding a publisher is even more challenging, but the anticipation of receiving the first review can be nerve-wracking. While family and friends may praise your work, it’s the honest and trustworthy individuals who provide the real test. The ideal reviews should not reveal the plot, but provide a brief outline that captures the readers who are on the search for their next read.

Now my wait is over, I can relax and get back to thinking about my Granny Wenlock novel. I’m delighted Priscilla enjoyed “Never Reaching the End. ” She’s a reader who has always been truthful about my writing and even alerted me to some typos in my previous novel, “Stone Angels,” which I was able to pass on to my publisher for correction.

Here’s her wonderful review:

Thank you so much, Priscilla.

It’s great to know that the story I wrote is understood by others, and they get it. I always worried what’s in my head doesn’t appear clearly on the page. Now I can stop worrying Thanks to, Priscilla.

If you would like to check Never Reaching the End for yourself please click here

Have a great week, everyone.

Charity Shops and Bookmarks

Over the weekend, my husband and I visited the printing shop in town to pick up the bookmarks I had ordered for my upcoming book talk. However, during our previous visit, the owner informed us that one of the files hadn’t downloaded onto the memory stick, resulting in only five out of the six bookmarks I needed to be printed ready for my event.

Bookmarks

My home printer couldn’t handle the thickness I needed to produce high-quality cards, so I decided to have them printed at a shop. They were able to fit ten cards per sheet, which worked out well. I’m happy with the results. The printer has to complete the sixth bookmark in the set and is keeping a file on his computer for my next order. I’ve chosen to print the information sheets myself instead of paying the quoted price of £70.

Once we left the printing shop, we made a stop at our nearby animal charity shop to make a donation. During our visit, I came across seven plastic plate stands that were priced reasonably at 50p each. These stands are quite sturdy and can be easily folded for storage, making them ideal for displaying books. I plan on using them to showcase the books I intend to sell at the talks I have scheduled shortly.

I’m struggling to write 9,000 words for my upcoming talk. It’s a difficult task, and I’m not sure if what I’m writing will be interesting to others. It’s been exhausting trying to come up with topics that other writers would find engaging, such as my journey to becoming a published author, the publishers I work with, and my marketing strategies. I hope that my audience will find value in my presentation and feel that their time was well spent listening to me speak for an hour.

I’m guessing until I’ve done the first talk on the 13th May I won’t know whether I’m worth it or not. At least, I shall know before we travel to Scotland in September.

Today is the launch of my new novella Never Reaching the End. A big thank you to everyone who pre-ordered it. I look forward to reading your reviews.

Have a great weekend.

Never Reaching The End

Well, tomorrow is the day another book with my name on the front cover is released on Amazon. Never Reaching the End is a twisted tale of revenge.

How far would you go to get what you want?

Never Reaching the End

Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, I will have a proper book launch party for all my books. So far it hasn’t been possible. What with Covid and the lockdowns and then just the busyness of everyday living, the time has passed me by. It would be really nice to make more of a celebration of my achievement. Maybe next time.

Have a wonderful day. Chat again soon.

Another Review!

I can’t thank readers enough for leaving reviews on my books. Of course, one never knows whether the reviews will be positive or not. I accept reading is all about personal taste. One reader’s taste is another reader’s dislike.

Another way of looking at reviews is if you only have five-star reviews when your book is first released, readers might form the opinion they are from family and friends of the author. A few three and four-stars give a much more honest review of your book. It’s helpful to receive a few negative reviews as long as the reviewer has explained what they didn’t like about your book. These can be any number of things from, the writing style, typos, depth of plot, underdeveloped plot, etc. Some negative reviews have nothing to do with the author, but Amazon, which isn’t very helpful to readers or authors. The cover was damaged, it was the wrong book. Then there’s the one I received for one of my books, ‘The ending wasn’t what I was expecting.’

What can I say apart from it was the way I wrote the ending, sorry.

Of course, we authors become very excited when we receive an honest review from someone we don’t know on a personal level, especially when it’s unexpected. This week I received such a review.

If you haven’t read my collection of short stories then click here

Thank you so much, Diana for your amazing review of my collection. I’m so pleased you enjoyed them.