Paula R.C. Readman's Blog, page 49

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Cara Cooper

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. Those of you who are not a member won’t be aware that the location of the Clubhouse is shrouded in mystery. The only way to visit it is via membership or an invite to the tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation with all sorts of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers. Over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, I shall be chatting with my guest about their work in progress, or latest book release.

Today, I’m welcoming Cara to the tearoom. Welcome.

Thanks for the opportunity to join you for a cuppa, though, my favourite beverage at the moment is Aperol Spritz.

Then if that is so, let’s order your favourite beverage, Cara. Now we have our refreshments can I ask you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

Because I was still working full time at the day job, I wanted to choose a genre which needed little research so I went for romance. 

Tell us a little about latest writing project. Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time? 

I am terrible at plotting, I’m a pantster. This unfortunately results in me sometimes getting tied up in knots in the final stages. My latest pocket novel was started about five years ago and I simply got stuck and gave up. But, I never ditch anything completely. I find that often, the passage of time can result in my brain finally being able to get its act together. So, the pocket novel I’m working on at the moment has had a very long gestation but finally, I’m getting there.

Cara Cooper

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter, or let the characters lead you?

 I just dive in. I’ve tried doing synopses first, planning, doing the whole postage note thing where you put the main elements of your story on a huge board and absolutely none of those methods work for me. So, I generally know the beginning and the end. It’s the middle that needs really working on. I get many of my ideas from stories in the news, the more bizarre the better in some respects as many of my pocket novels are cosy crime as well as romance, and I’m a member of the Crime Writers Association as well as the Romantic Novelists Association. If I can get that first chapter written, I find that the rest will follow, even if I have to drag it, kicking and screaming to a conclusion. 

When reading your work through do you ever find that your daily mood swings are reflected in your writing? 

Yes, all the time although I’m actually influenced more by place although that can induce a mood. I find that a lot of my romances are set by the seaside because I find the coast such a wonderful place to be. It’s also very conducive to inducing different moods. A stormy grey day, or one filled with light and sunshine can reflect what’s happening in my stories. I find that practically every time I go on holiday whether it’s abroad or at home in the UK I get ideas and I guess it’s partly because of the stimulation of somewhere new and partly that my mind is more relaxed and open to suggestions and the all important, what if question that makes a writer want to sit down and work through a story.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people? 

Only very loosely. It can be very dangerous to base your characters too closely on people you know, for obvious reasons. Though as I’ve said elsewhere I do get inspired by news stories. I also like true crime programmes and podcasts so there are some darker characters who have been inspired by elements of real people.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? 

My writing brain is most fertile first thing in the morning and fuelled by quantities of coffee. So, I write in bed, in silence and I could never write later in the day.

Do you set yourself a daily word count? 

Only if I’m needing to meet a deadline. I don’t like to put myself under that sort of pressure because usually I’m motivated enough without setting specific number counts.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

 If I ever moved away from cosy crime and into more gritty crime, I’d use a pseudonym. 

How do you select the names of your characters? Do you know everything about them before you start writing their story? 

Names are the absolute bane of my writing life. I really should keep a notebook of interesting names I come across but I’m not disciplined enough. I love it when I come across interesting names and both Thomas Hardy and Dickens loved an unusual and evocative name, Fancy Day, Bathsheba Everdene, Peggotty, Uriah Heep – they’re all gems in my opinion.  No, I don’t know everything about my characters before writing a story because I find they evolve as I go on. I get to know them at a similar pace to the reader, so sometimes they surprise me, though I am always a good few steps ahead. 

What was your hardest scene to write? 

The hardest scenes I find to write are the ones which wrap up a storyline. Have I tied up all the loose ends? Have I left any questions which should have been answered? Have I given the reader a satisfying and believable conclusion? Those are all the sort of questions which go through my head when I’m coming to the culmination of a story. I’m old fashioned in that I like a proper beginning, middle and end without anything left to conjecture and that can sometimes be difficult to do if you’re the sort of writer who doesn’t plan.

Thank you so much for joining me, Cara. If you would like to find out more about Cara’s work check out her Amazon Author’s page:

Blog Page: http://caracoopers.blogspot.com/

If you want to find out more about Clubhouse Members’ Books, don’t forget to check out the Clubhouse Bookshops, too.

Answering Questions: Marketing

Dianne Stadhams has asked me: I know from reading your regular blogs that you have tried a variety of marketing routes to generate sales, Paula. Did the freebie sales weekend in USA (which I seem to recall ended with you listed as an Amazon Best Seller… well done) generate the scale of volume sales (post freebie) you hoped for?

Photo by Lukas on Pexels.com

In answer to Dianne’s question I shall try to explain from my point of view. To start with I don’t have any other novel sale records to compare my sales of Stone Angels with as it is my first published novel. Personally, I’m not happy with my sales so far, but this could be because as a new author you compare yourself to the best selling authors like J.K. Rowling, and expect your first book to be an overnight success. In the cold light of reality, I don’t have her marketing force behind me, and even she started with only a few sales. According to Wikipedia, J.K.’s first print run was a thousand copies of which five hundred were distributed to libraries.

When Stone Angels was first launched last August the prelaunch sale were about fifty ebooks copies sold. I had bought twenty paperbacks which I then sold to family, friends and people locally. I did two free-weekends in which I gave away over three thousands copies of my novels in the hope of receiving reviews. At the moment, I have 54 reviews which come from mainly America and British readers. Also the free-weekends are suppose to create payments via pages turned. (click on link for details) These I haven’t received many payments from as I feel readers will snap up a free book to read later, which might be years later. If like myself, readers will hoard books for later. I have several piles beside my bed, and yet I still buy more.

That’s where the problem lies. If a reader is looking around for a new book to read then if they make the choice for themselves they are more than likely to start reading the book straightaway. If it’s a free book, I’m sure the reader will download several books they quite fancy in one go to read at a later date. If you check out Goodreads. See screenshot below. These are all the readers that have Stone Angels on their currently-reading books list.

Taken today: These are all the readers that have Stone Angels on their currently-reading list.

As you can see some of them may take awhile to read Stone Angels. There are two ways of look at this 1) they bought the book, thus I’ve already received payment from them, so it is up to them when they read my book or not. 2) If they downloaded it as a freebie, when they get round to reading it they maybe pleasantly surprised, and enjoy the book thus they may seek out another book by me. This time they might be happy to buy one. (fingers-crossed)

I think it is far too easy to get caught up in the romance of being a writer and not look beyond the hard work involved. Writer don’t just sit and write. Today we wear several different publishing employee’s hats as we work. Even with the big six publishers still expect their writers to be able to edit their work to a high standard before submitting it, and wear a marketing hat to promote their work.

My expectations in reality were not to be a best seller with my first novel, though I did hope I would generate the money to market my next book. At the moment this isn’t happening. Over the last few months I’ve sold eleven more copies of Stone Angels. Though, I don’t know whether my marketing with Readfree.ly has generated any new sales this weekend. All I can do is hope I’ll earn the money back at some point in the future.

The feedback I’ve received since having Stone Angels published has boost my confidence though I’m now nervous about my new novel. I’ve decided to focus on getting my next novel written, and to see Stone Angels as example of my writing style for readers to experience. This in my mind doesn’t please me as I feel I’m undervaluing my hard work. In no other business would you work for free, or give away your product without expecting some sort of payment.

I guess what I’m saying is I’m hoping that at some point I will write a best seller, but then all writers wish that for themselves too.

I hope I’ve answered your question, Dianne. Thank you so much for following my writing journey.

Immortality comes at a price. So to does betrayal. Pre-order now by clicking here: Seeking The Dark

Marketing: It’s Tough.

Sorry for the silence. Been rather busy. Today, I’ve finished my acknowledgements and dedication for my new novel Seeking The Dark. The publisher, Darkstroke has signed off on it now so the novel is seen as completed. Hopefully, we have caught any error or typos this time, but I’m guessing some will have sneaked through. Time to start thinking long and hard about marketing. Unlike at the launch of Stone Angels, I’m more prepared this time.

To buy book click on link here Seeking The Dark

The other day I had an email drop into my inbox from a promotional site, Readfreely. I had used them once before and they were doing a special offer. So I thought I would give them a go and promote Stone Angels. I’m hoping to drum up more interest in my work before the launch of Seeking The Dark. The promotion was to cover the weekend and to be included in a newsletter though the company seems to be based in Britain their main market is in America.

At the moment I don’t see any improvement on my sales, but I shall wait and see how the ranking on my Amazon page looks tomorrow. Hopefully by June when a huge amount of the population of Britain will have been vaccinated we will be able to start promoting our work by meeting and talking to others. If the local independent bookshops have survived I shall get in contact with them to see if they would be interested in copies of both my books.

Missing Being a Goth

I’m really hoping by October the Whitby Goth Festival is back. It would be great to be able to hand out business cards again and enjoy the wonderful atmosphere of the time spent in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Tomorrow I’m back working on a short story and then it’s back to writing a new Granny Wenlock story.

Catch up with you all very soon.

Launching A New Book: What’s Your Category?

Sorry. It’s been awhile since I’ve written a detailed post but I’ve been rather busy. For about a year now, off and on I’ve been editing a novel I wrote when I first started writing. At the time, I wasn’t even sure how to write sentence properly, let alone tackle a novel. I had read a few books on ‘How To’ write to be published when I started writing Seeking The Dark in 2005. Though, back then the novel was going to be called, We, the Ancient Ones.

The idea started with a short story about a girl on a bus, who wasn’t all she seemed to be. My dear friend Lisa Moulds was the first person to read my early attempts at writing short stories. How she managed to pick her way through the badly written story, I’ll never know, but her comment gave me the encouragement I needed. Lisa wanted to know more about the girl on the bus, and so began my writing career. Though, writing Seeking the Dark was a huge learning curve for me, with it’s three title changes, and many edits, the plot is more or less unchanged and much stronger than I first wrote it. As for the girl on the bus, well, she took a taxi in the end.

My New Release: Seeking The Dark

A few days ago, in the Dark Fantasy Facebook Group I belong to, a question came up which I found relevant to a problem I’ve struggled with, and find very frustrating. It’s when your book doesn’t fit into a certain category.

With all of my books so far I find it hard to pin them down to being one thing rather than another. I’m not even sure if I can class my writing as a crossover between two different categories. I’m sure all writers feel the same when their work isn’t typical of a certain category. When advertising my first novel, Stone Angels on the promotional sites I selected Horror as their crime categories didn’t list anything which was suitable for my novel. Stone Angels isn’t a cozy crime, nor a police procedural so I listed it as horror, but I wasn’t sure that a true horror fan wouldn’t class it as horror. There wasn’t any blood, guts and terror in the truth sense of horror, though James Ravenscroft was cold and twisted.

Now my editing of Seeking The Dark has reached an end my publisher asked me to search out some ideas for a book cover. I went on Amazon and looked at the sort of covers that appeared on books listed under a similar theme to my book and was disappointed. Once again my book didn’t fit in. I realised I needed to think outside the box otherwise the picture on my cover would be like all the other books in the same category, neck biting, bloody fangs, half naked bodies with bloody mouths. The trouble is Seeking The Dark isn’t your typical Vampire novel. There’s no love-stricken immortal being mooning over an aging human.

So in my quest to find a suitable book cover I selected the one you can see above. I’m hoping it is moody enough to entice readers of vampires and horror books as well as readers of mysteries too. After all book covers are the shop windows to the story. I hope you will take a risk and be delighted with the tale within Seeking The Dark. The book’s launch date is the May 13th but you can pre-order it if you wish on Amazon.

Click On this Link: Seeking The Dark: Blurb

Immortality comes at a price. So too does betrayal…

Investigative journalist, Jacob Eldritch, is obsessed with solving the mystery of the Dead Men Sleeping, a series of unexplained deaths, but he isn’t aware that the Dark force is gathering strength. One evening, he spots a man leading a white-haired beauty through the crowds at his local bar.  A few days later, he sees her again at a hotel, in the company of a different man. A week later, both men are dead and the police add their names to the unexplained death list.

While conducting some background research at the library, a young girl doing her homework gives Jacob an unexpected clue. This turns the mystery of the Dead Men Sleeping on its head when he discovers they’re linked to the death of a Whitby ship owner two hundred and twenty-four years ago. Jacob must fight the Dark as it closes in, but will he survive?

Click on this link for Amazon: Seeking The Dark

Tearoom Guest’s Chat: Mary Kendall

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. Those of you who are not a member won’t be aware that the location of the Clubhouse is shrouded in mystery. The only way to visit it is via membership or an invite to the tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation with all sorts of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers. Over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, I shall be chatting with my guest about their work in progress, or latest book release.

Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Today I’m welcoming to the tearoom Mary Kendall to chat about her book THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE. Welcome to the tearoom. What beverage are you drinking?

I would love a cup of Typhoo tea if you can manage it—it’s hard to find over on my side of the pond. (No need for cream or sugar.)

Here in the tearoom we try to keep our guests happy. Now we have our refreshments, let me ask when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

My chosen genre, historical mystery, was really chosen for me by my upbringing. From an early age, I lived in old historic houses and farms that my father attempted to restore. These were places that were filled with things that went bump in the night and rife with mysterious stories of Revolutionary war chapel rooms and Civil War hospitals. One even came with its own family graveyard. My imagination became primed and ready.

Tell us a little about latest writing project. Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?

My current novel, THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE, has been in the making for over six years. It has been through many rounds of drafts, many rounds of editing and over 100 rejections. Yet here we are.

Mary Kendall

Over a hundred rejections. That was tough going, Mary. How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

I have about six novels in the hopper. Only unfinished in the sense that they never found a home.

Do you write a synopsis first, write the first chapter, or let the characters lead you?

I start off my writing with a germ of an idea that I scribble notes about and then maybe some scenes that will later fall in at some point. I am the classic pantser but, along the way, I begin to corral things and think about what chapters should come next. But, overall, it is the characters that lead the way.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is based on real life events and one of the two main protagonists, Blanche, was a real person.

Did you uncover things about yourself while writing your books? Whether that be a long forgotten memory, a positive experience etc.

Absolutely! For me this is one of the biggest benefits of writing. The things that rise to the surface through the process that had been buried deep or totally forgotten. I consider it almost a form of meditation.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I am writing under a pen name for a pretty simple reason: there was a famous twentieth century Irish author with my real life name. Imposter syndrome can feel bad enough as it is!

How do you select the names of your characters? Do you know everything about them before you start writing their story?

Names of characters tend to pop up in my mind quickly mainly because I will be in the flow of writing and do not want to be interrupted to stop and pick through names so I just go with what pops up.

What was your hardest scene to write?

The finale which I find quite poignant. But I do not want to say anymore and give it away.

How long, on average, does it take you to write a book?

First drafts of novels for me take from six months to a year. But then the process can go on for some time (another year?) to go through all the drafts that may be needed.

The Spinster’s Fortune:

Moonlit alleys, shadowy tunnels, and buried secrets…

Summer of 1929.

Of supposed unsound mind without a penny to her name, Blanche Magruder lies alone in a home for the aged and infirm. Meanwhile, her house, a crumbled ruin in the heart of Georgetown, Washington, D.C., is pillaged nightly by thieves looking for treasure rumored to be hidden there. A distant niece, Margaret O’Keefe, is tapped as executor and soon becomes embroiled in the hunt for recovering monies, taking it on as a welcome escape from her financial and marital woes. 

As Margaret discovers caches in unlikely spots throughout the house, family mysteries begin to unravel. She questions whether Aunt Blanche is an insane fool or a daring genius, yet Margaret must also wrangle with her own hidden truths. Pressed towards a convergence of their pasts and presents, the two women must ultimately face down a fateful discovery in order to rectify their lives. Shrouded in gothic undertones and dark artifice, THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is a tale that takes the reader on a strange journey through tangled webs of family deceit. But where does it end?  

Thank you for joining me, Mary. If you would like to find out more please click on the link below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X7KPJBR?geniuslink=true

Mary’s Webpage: http://www.marykendallauthor.com/

If you want to find out more about Clubhouse Members’ Books, don’t forget to check out the Clubhouse Bookshops too.

What’s Normal?

Today I’ve had a piece of flash fiction published on the CafeLit site. It isn’t my normal dark gothic tales, but a piece of social observation. The idea came from two different sources. One was I worked with a gentleman who had learning difficulties and the other was reading about a young man who set up his own business with the help of his parents to sell socks.
Please check out this link…

My dear friend P.J has an invite with me on her blog today. It is more to do with the main character, James Ravencroft in my novel, Stone Angels. She has updated a review she did on Stone Angels. Please do check it out. Here’s the link.

Stone Angels has 54 reviews on Amazon

Book Launch Chat: Liza Miles

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. Those of you who are not a member won’t be aware that the location of the Clubhouse is shrouded in mystery. The only way to visit it is via membership or an invite to the tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation with all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers. Over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, I shall be chatting with my guest about their work in progress, or latest book release.

Today I’m chat to mystery writer Liza Miles on the launch of her book, Murder on Morrison . Liza is having a launch party tomorrow so if you would interested in joining her here are the details for a zoom launch party at 2.30pm this Sunday February 28th.    https://us05web.zoom.us/j/82488142319? Meeting ID: 824 8814 2319
Passcode: wc7gAh

Welcome to the tearoom, Liza. Let’s start by asking you did you try to be more original when writing this book, or deliver what you felt the readers wanted?

Thank you for allowing me to join you in the tearoom. This was my first foray into a longer story in the mystery genre.  I wanted to be original and the female protagonist is very different from the characters I have read about in other works, but she has characteristics that I think readers of cosy crimes will like and expect. 

Did you feel energised or exhausted after writing this book?

Definitely energised. I was happy to type The End, but I loved hanging out with the characters.  I actually wanted to start the next book in the series, and I am working on the plan/plot.

Liza Miles

Do you want each of your books to stand alone, or are you building a body of work that are interconnected? Whether that be a theme, a set of characters, a setting, etc. Explain more for our readers. 

I am doing both. Murder on Morrison is the first in a series of novels featuring Rose McLaren, but my other works are stand alone. That said, one of the short stories in Love Bites called Grace, is the sequel to a novel I have been working on for the past two years.  It is a dark story.  There may be a longer sequel to come as Grace ages.  The YA Fiction y Life’s not Funny which is being published by Scaramouche Press in April is currently a stand alone, but I have a sense that the brother of the protagonist may feature in a second book.  As a writer I am very much led by my characters.  

How do you balance your demands on the reader with taking care of your readers? In the book did you spell everything out so your reader just had to read it, or did you rely on their emotional response to your words? 

Great question – I hope the readers are engaged with the characters and want to read about what happens to them, so definitely an emotional response to what is happening in the story.  In Murder on Morrison I wanted to go back put in more clues, but then I realised that if I were a reader I like to keep guessing who the murderer is until the end.

Do you hope your book will deliver you literary success and how will this look to you?  

For me literary success would be to have readers who enjoy my work want to share their enjoyment and tell their friends.  I am a very private person, and it is a privilege to share my words with readers and get to know them through online forums, reviews, emails etc.  Having said that I was private I realise I am happy to write about myself and make jokes out of some of the dafter or more serious aspects of my life.  Having readers respond to that is in my mind success.

Was there anything you edited out of this book, you wanted to keep in, but you knew it would be a better book by cutting it? 

Some of the clues and keeping it really tight.  It could have been longer, but I felt it read better at the current length.

How long did you spend researching this book’s subject matter, or was it a book you had already planned? 

I knew the character as soon as she came to me in a dream. We had a sit down over a breakfast cup of tea and she told me all about herself.  She was older, but the first time readers meet her she is thirty five. The setting, Morrison Street in Edinburgh is a favourite place of mine and it seemed like the perfect fit, which was lucky given I wrote it during lockdown where travel et al is not permitted.  I have read a lot of Agatha Christie and other mystery writers, so I had an idea of what I wanted to achieve from studying their work and what I felt worked for the genre.

What was the hardest scene to write in the book?  

To be honest every scene was enjoyable, except for one and I don’t want to say too much about it and spoil the story for readers.  Initially it was a murder, but it changed to attempted murder because the character became so dear.  A beta reader and the character protested loudly at being murdered.

How will you cope with bad reviews on this book?  

If the book is not to someone’s taste I can accept that.  If a review is bad is there something I need to learn from it?  

What’s the one thing you would give up to become a better writer? 

Having to work outside the profession of writing.  Although the experience of the outside world gives me food for thought and opportunities for mining, being able to write full time, attend courses and engage with mentors would be heaven.

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom, Liza. Good Luck for with the sales.

For more information check out the links below:

https://lizamileswriter.com

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Murder-Morrison-Rose-McLaren-Mystery-ebook/dp/B08RNQQMWT

https://www.facebook.com/lizamileswriter

If you want to find out more about Clubhouse Member’s Books don’t forget to check out the Clubhouse Bookshops too.

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Sal Cangemi

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. Those of you who are not a member won’t be aware that the location of the Clubhouse is shrouded in mystery. The only way to visit it is via membership or an invite to the tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation with all sorts of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers. Over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, I shall be chatting with my guest about their work in progress, or latest book release.

Photo by Purple Smith on Pexels.com

Today I chatting to Sal Cangemi. Sal Cangemi writes books and is best known for writing absurdist satires that flirt with horror and black comedy without ever committing to either genre. His plays, Avenue L and In the Kotten Kandy Lounge were staged, but he chooses to concentrate on novels and novellas these days. When not writing, Sal can be found enjoying a good cigar, watching movies (that most people have never heard of), and, of course, reading. He lives in New York with his wife, daughter, and cats. Welcome to the tearoom. First let me start by asking you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

Hello! It’s not easy to say when this journey began as it’s kind of been an on\off thing for a long time. However, I came back to writing two years ago after about a 20-year hiatus. I write satire that is mainly horror\comedy. I wanted to be a horror writer, but I am simply too much of a goofball and everything comes out with a large dose of humor.

What writing elements do you think is your strongest points, and what would you like to do better?

Characterization would be my greatest asset. I have worked for many years is many places and have an insane number of eccentric crazies to choose from when creating characters, situations, etc. I am mostly interested in story. Because of this I sometimes ignore the beautiful dance words can do on the page and just think story, story, story. I would like to become more poetic in how I choose words, create sentences, etc.

Sal Cangemi

Tell us a little about latest writing project. Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?

I have a finished novella that I have been sitting on and will look for a home for soon. I am also finishing up a new novel. Most of the stuff I have on deck are all relatively new ideas. However, I often do go back and take a scene or an idea from older stories or plays that I wrote and never did anything with.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Oh boy. Quite a few. I assume I am like most other writers as far as this goes. Most of it needs to stay where it is!

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter? If you only write short stories, do you plan your story or let the characters lead you?

I totally let the characters take me to the story. I usually have a basic idea and then go with it. Oddly, that basic idea, most times, is removed from the final story, which means I wing it. I am toying with the idea of outlining my next project. However, I usually start off trying this and then give it up. So far, I do not outline. I have not found one single formula of outlining that works for me. As a result, I likely re-write more than most authors. But thems is the breaks.

Choosing only five of your favourite authors, (Poet, Playwright, or Screen writer) can you list them in order 1 begin the top of your list and say how have they influenced your writing?

Oh wow, this is tough.

#1 is Rod Serling. When I was about 14 or so, channel 11 (in NY) began playing the old Twilight Zones. This was in the mid ‘80s. My mother told me that I would love them. I saw the black and white and old timey feel and thought, no way. But I watched one episode and never looked back. No question that the Twilight Zone is my number one influence.

#2 Clive Barker. When I was about 20 I found the Books of Blood and could not believe short stories could be so unique! His novels were also just so different, I was hooked. A one-of-a-kind writer.

#3 Woody Allen. Allen is, of course, a filmmaker, but his writing is so natural. His characters are just so real. They talk over one another. They move around in and out of the frame. They bitch. Just like real life.

#4 Charles Bukowski. Bukowski may be the most honest writer ever. He writes about waking with aches and pains and a hangover. He writes about love and hate. He was not afraid to put all of his character defects on the page. I am not as fearless as Bukowski, but I learned if I am not honest in my writing then it will become someone else’s – it will be some generic nonsense.

# 5 Mmm…does this one really need be mentioned? Anyone writing (certainly writing anything related to horror), is a fan of Stephan King. What can I say that has not already been said?

When reading your work through do you ever find that your daily mood swings are reflected in your writing?

That is a great question. I was having a horrible bout of depression yesterday (rare for me) and was writing and wondering this very thing. I do not think so. I think the characters dictate the tone and not my mood. However, there could always be subtle thing here and there that I am not seeing. But in short, I would say no – my mood does not affect the writing.

Is there anything about you your readers might be surprised to find out?

I play golf (not very well). I play guitar (better than I do golf). I love foreign horror movies. I love cats. Mmm…none of this is very surprising. 

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?

I work a fulltime day job so I write on evenings and weekends only. I wish it could be a fulltime thing but what writer has ever said differently.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Yes. My name is a bit of a mouthful and clearly Italian. But I just could not come up with anything cool so Sal Cangemi it is.

How do you select the names of your characters? Do you know everything about them before you start writing their story?

I just mix and match a bunch of names until I know it sounds right. Like a key in a lock and that lovely “click”.

Thank you so much for join me, Sal. To find out more about Sal Cangemi’s work click on the link below:

www.salcangemi.com

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Heading to Egypt.

The morning was bright when we headed out. The season is really showing signs of change. The birds are busy pairing up and there were plenty of robins about as well as great tits chattering in the hedgerows. Normally, robins are very territorial and will fight each other, but we saw no signs of that as they hunted for food among the leaf litter. First, we headed out to Cressing church, keeping to the road as the footpaths are still very muddy. One of the houses we passed is quite old. In the front garden was a large tree that neither Ana or I knew the name of it. I’ve looked it up and found out its a Phillyrea (Phillyrea latifolia) the tree is an evergreen with dark green glossy leaves and later in the year, it will have clusters of small’ greenish white flowers.

Today, wasn’t quick enough to snap a picture of a robin.

According to Greek legend the gods created Phillyrea from the sea nymph, Philyra who was so beautiful that Kronos fell in love with her. She was unhappy at the birth of her baby who was born half man half horse that she begged the gods to turn her into a tree.

Phillyrea, first introduced into England in 1597

The tree was introduced into England from the Mediterranean in 1597 by John Gerard, the herbalist, who in the same year published his celebrated Heball. Phillyrea was first planted in the gardens belonging to the Earl of Essex.

As we walked along the early morning traffic kept forcing us to jump into the hedgerow as cars race along the country lanes. It can be quite frightening at times. They don’t seem to want to slow down even when they see us which is the reason why I don’t like walking on the roads. I like the fact there isn’t any pavements as it makes where we live feel more rural. At the church, we took the path that led to Egypt Farm. As the path is not as well used, it wasn’t as muddy as our normal route.

Towards Egypt Farm

Egypt Farm (according to the book, An Essex Country Childhood by Emma E. Upson) gets its name from the Egyptian rye, a name for a certain grain from Germany, as Emma talks about (hay) rick-making. I’m guessing it must have been grown at the farm years ago before the short stem grain was created for modern machinery. The Egypt Farm yard is very nice and tidy and I told the farmer so as he step out of his barn. He laughed and said he was a bit OTT when it came to neatness. The farm house was built in the 15th century and was updated in the 18th century and has a lovely pond in front of it.

The house in the first picture of the slideshow you can see there’s no pavement. Our walk took 116 minute of which 84 minutes were brisk. We’re trying to keep fit.

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