Paula R.C. Readman's Blog, page 52

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Amy Grech

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 ROMAN ODINTSOV on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to the horror writer, Amy Grech. Amy like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press. Amy has sold over 100 stories to various anthologies and magazines including: A New York State of Fright, Apex Magazine, Beat to a Pulp: Hardboiled, Dead Harvest, Deadman’s Tome Campfire Tales Book Two, Expiration Date, Flashes of Hope, Fright Mare, Hell’s Heart, Hell’s Highway, Hell’s Mall, Needle Magazine, Scare You To Sleep, Tales from the Canyons of the Damned, Tales from The Lake Vol. 3, Thriller Magazine, and many others. New Pulp Press published her book of noir stories, Rage and Redemption in Alphabet City. She is an Active Member of the Horror Writers Association and the International Thriller Writers who lives in New York.

Welcome to the tearoom, Amy. Let’s order our drinks so what would you like to drink?

I’d love a Matcha latte while we chat! It’s such a colorful drink, Paula. Oh and I looking forward to your story in The One That Got Away!

And I’m looking forward to reading yours and all the other stories too. Can you tell us a little about your latest writing project. Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?

I’m working on final edits of my noir novella set in New York City and also a dystopian novella set in the not-so-distant future that features: A Golden Ticket. A Gathering. A four-hour eating orgy. Cyanide. “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” meets “The Hunger Games”. The concept had been percolating for a year or so before I finished it in a frenzy.

My noir novella was inspired by a real life crime in Park Slope Brooklyn. A young woman was robbed at gunpoint; she escaped unharmed. I toyed with that scenario. I thought: what if that young woman was armed with a hot pink, leopard print concealed a Glock 26 9mm that she could use to defend herself and beat her assailant at his own game? I’m very pleased with how it turned out!

I actually wrote the dystopian novella for a particular publisher that missed the publication deadline in our contract—they had a year—but they failed to meet that deadline, so I requested my rights back, and its searching for a new home…

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

At least half a dozen. Some of them are story ideas that were never fully formed. Others are complete stories, but I got bored with the plot, characters, sometimes both and abandoned them for more promising projects. Now that I have more free time during the pandemic, I’ve revisited a few of that are salvageable; I’m in the process of submitting them to various publications. I also have a few poems, but I have to be in the right headspace to work on those.

Amy Grech

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?

For my short stories, I’m definitely a pantser and proud of it. Flying by the seat of my pants is extremely exhilarating. I know a story is going well when my characters take over and I become a voyeur, along for the ride! I’m fortunate enough to have my characters in the driver’s seat more often than not.

I learned the hard way that it’s a good idea to refer to notes for novellas—I was wasting too much time repeating prose or mixing up characters’ last names. So awkward…Notes are also a great place to include research for reference. One of my novellas features a devious doctor. A scalpel is his weapon of choice, so I did my homework and learned the difference between a 10-blade, and a 15-blade; I also discovered that most scalpels are comprised of steel or titanium. Never overlook the importance of getting details right. I had a reader call out one of my stories because the gun a character uses doesn’t have a safety, but I wrote the story as though it had one, a glaring error.

Choosing only five of your favourite authors. Can you list them in order 1 begin the top of your list and say how have they influenced your writing?

Shirley Jackson: Her story, “ The Lottery” , works well on multiple levels. It examines mob psychology and the notion that people will abandon reason and act viciously if they are part of a large group behaving the same way. I explore a similar theme in my aforementioned dystopian novella.Stephen King: An aunt of mine gave me Pet Semetary and Cujo when I went to visit her with my parents and brother at the tender age of twelve. I’ve been reading his novels ever since. He inspired me to become a writer. His work explores the dark side of humanity, which can be morbidly fascinating.Ray Bradbury: His science fiction stories like, “There Will Come Soft Rains,” in which a house that has survived a nuclear blast in the year 2026 while its inhabitants have not. The house has automated systems, akin to a modern-day smart home. It goes about its daily routine, preparing breakfast for the family, etc., completely oblivious to the fact that they have become casualties of the fallout.Franz Kafka: I read his novella The Metamorphosis I found it quite unsettling—it made my skin crawl.H.P. Lovecraft: I share a birthday with him—August 20th—different centuries. I studied his work in college. The Call of the Cthulhu and the profound fear of otherness was intriguing.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Yes, Jack Masoch, was an ex. boyfriend of who broke up with me way back when in college. I thought we would end up married, but the feeling wasn’t mutual. Sadie O’Grady, was modeled on my domineering personality, in my story “Cold Comfort”,  which appears in The One That Got Away anthology. I wrote this story as a way of grieving his loss.

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

I’m a full time freelance Digital Content Strategist, so my writing schedule fluctuates drastically. On days when I’m in between projects with clients, I can write for six or eight hours in one sitting. If I’m on deadline for one of my clients, I might only be able to squeeze in an hour or two.

Do you set yourself a daily word count? 

I aim for 1,000 – 3,000 words daily. There are days where I fall short, but I might get some related research in. Other days I might exceed my word count if I’m in the flow. I always value quality over quantity.

How many hours in a day do you write?

I try to set aside a few hours to write a few nights out of the week and also weekends. Not an easy feat—in addition to being a published crime/ horror author, I’m also a full-time freelance Digital Content Strategist and there are times when writing takes a back seat to client projects, especially if I’ve got a tight deadline.

I always carry a little, red notebook with me, so I can jot down story ideas anywhere, like on the subway ride from Brooklyn to Manhattan. I always listen to music when I’m writing—it helps me get into the zone—that magical place where ideas flow freely! The process is fairly fluid—I write first drafts in a stream of consciousness style—then a few days later I’ll go through and edit typos and check for consistency.

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

Usually, names for my characters come together as the plot unfolds. I don’t know everything about them before I start writing their story. When I studied creative writing at Ithaca College, one of the instructors insisted that we prepare a life history for the characters in our work: where they were born, siblings, childhood friends, etc. While this practice can sometime be useful, I haven’t really done it since college, as it can be incredibly time-consuming.

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

It varies. It took me a mere 10 minutes to write my poem, “Machine Gun/Latté”, published in the A New York State of Fright anthology in a small notebook I carry with me everywhere while I waited for a train in Penn Station. It was inspired by a National Guard solider I saw standing at attention holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand and his machine gun in the other. I can write and edit a short story in a month or less. A novella can take anywhere from six months to a year depending on how much research is involved.

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom, Amy. To find out more about Amy’s books and writing click on the links below:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_grech or visit her website: https://www.crimsonscreams.com.  

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

How To Write A Novel

When I first started writing I tried to write a novel, but soon realised I was running before I had even learnt how to walk. Like most new writers I thought to be a real writer one must write a novel.

Since I’ve joined several Facebook groups I have seen the same question being asked repeatedly by new writers. How do I write a novel? It’s as though writing a novel and writing a story is two different things. Where in fact a novel is the grown up version of a short story. Just think about for a moment. Flash Fiction, short story, novelette, novella and novel are all means of telling a story the only difference is their length.

Here’s are my books: a novella, a collection of short stories, and a novel.

On average a short story word count ranges from 1,000 to 10k. Flash Fiction is anything under 1,000. sometimes submission call-out ask for 500 or less words. Writing a story will give you all the skills to tackle a larger project. To write a short story you need to have a brilliant hook at the beginning, a strong middle and an ending that ties everything together and gives a reader a satisfying conclusion. Your writing needs to flow, be engaging and have interesting characters, in fact everything you’ll find in a novel. The only difference between stories and novels is the lack of freedom in developing your characters, setting or plot line. In short stories every word has to have earned its right to be there.

After short stories comes novelette. These stories are between 7.5k & 17k words. Next we have what is known as pocket novels, the novella. A novella is piece of fiction that sits comfortably between a short story and a novel. These can be anything between 10k to 40k words in length.

Novels are broken up into difference lengths according to their genre.

Thrillers/ Horror/ Mysteries: 70k to 90k Science Fiction & Fantasy : 90k to 120K are longer because the authors needs the time to create new worlds in which their plots takes place. Historical Fiction: 100k needs to flesh out imagined historical world. Romance: 50k & 90k as these are stories about two people coming together the word count is much shorter

Many major authors have published novellas.

Ernest Hemingway : The Old Man & The SeaDoris Lessing: The Fifth Child Neil Gaiman : CoralineStephen King : The MistGeorge Orwell : Animal Farm

The list is endless. Goodreads has listed 588 world’s greatest novellas. I’m sure most established authors have enjoyed writing shorter pieces to flex their writing muscle and help clear their mind between writing books.

Writing short stories gives you the opportunity to learn the skills needed to condense a story into a limited number of words, the same skill needed for writing a synopsis. Another important skill you need as a writer is editing your own work. Editing is what takes a mundane story and turns it into a masterpiece. The more editing you can do for yourself increases your chance for finding a publisher for your novel, as well as saving yourself money too. Paying for an editor isn’t cheap, so the more work you can do for yourself the better. You won’t spot every typo or a weak plot etc. as writers we are too close to our own work, and we do need a second pair of eyes. The cleaner your MS the less work for the agent or publisher.

I’ve found while mastering short stories my editing skills have improved. Once I knew what to look out for in my short stories I tend to keep an eye out for the same mistakes while writing my novels. Things like repeating the same words. Starting too many sentences with the same set of words. Finding areas where you’re repeating the same information to your reader, information dumping. Are sentences too long? Can they be cut from 12 words to a nine and make the sentence stronger?

Another wonderful thing about mastering the skills by writing short stories is finding plenty of competitions and call-out where you can submit them. The more work you have published the better chance you have at securing a publisher or agent for your novel. Both my novella and novel started life as a short story. The novel Stone Angels was born out of an entry to a writing competition. The story, Roofscapes was the overall winner in the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival/ Writing Magazine Short Crime Story Writing competition. The Funeral Birds novella started life as an entry to the BBC short story competition which it didn’t win, but my friend Joan loved the story so I had an idea to turn it into a novel. When the chance came to send it to a publisher, I increased the word count and submitted it. And the rest is history.

Short stories are the way forward to bigger things.

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Amira Krista Calvo

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 chatting to the horror writer, Amira Krista Calvo. Amira Krista, like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press

Welcome to the tearoom, Amira Krista . My first question to all my guests is what would you like to drink?

Thank you for the invite to your tearoom, Paula. Please could I have a Michelada, extra spicy, thank you.

I hope I have found just the drink you have requested as I’ve never hear of it before. Now our refreshments have arrived, let me ask you, when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I started writing when I was a teenager, mostly poetry and a little prose. I took a long break between my first two years of university and my last two years, roughly a decade. When I went back to school, I was studying forensic anthropology, a field I have since departed after about five years. Working in this realm is what inspired me to write horror. I was doing research on migrant death at the U.S. Mexico border, studying body decomposition to contribute to research on identifying the bodies of missing migrants. The work I was doing was so terrifying, it began to seep into all of my creative writing, and I realised that the most horrifying things out there are centered around the truth. Although I switched paths and I am currently undertaking a PhD focused on horror cinema, my time working in forensic anthropology gave me my voice, as it drove into me the importance of representing my community and telling our stories to those who may not know them, no matter how difficult they may be to tell.


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

My last writing project was a short story for Kandisha Press’ upcoming anthology The One That Got Away called Heavy Metal Coffin. On the surface, the story is about a woman who is losing the love of her life to a cursed guitar, yet it has a far deeper meaning than that. I hadn’t planned to write the story. In fact, it sort of just poured out of me one day, on a day I wasn’t even planning to sit and write. The story is loosely inspired by some difficult things that I had to navigate during the first part of national lockdown in the UK. I feel like the story emerged as I was healing from that trauma – I never would have been able to even begin to consider writing something like this before, so it took me by surprise. As grim as the story was, I found it to be a good omen, a sign that things were getting better. It was almost like a bloodletting of everything dark that had swallowed us at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, I have started working on the foundations for what I hope to be my first full-length novel. This one is definitely going to be in the works for some time!

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

I honestly don’t have that many – I would say maybe two or three shorts, not counting the novel? This is not to say that I finish everything I write; I just tend to jot down ideas for stories and stow them away as opposed to starting them all. I am really easily overwhelmed and having too many works in progress will make it harder to finish any one of them. The two unfinished shorts I have open are actually nagging at me! I’d love to get the time to sit with them and give them love and then start something new.

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?
Normally I write a few bullet points before I hit the ground running. I really enjoy rounding out my characters and getting to know them before I let them lead me anywhere. I guess you could say I have some trust issues haha. I’ll write up a very brief synopsis and flesh it out in an outline. This guides me and helps me fill in the blanks. I do like some structure when I write – if I don’t set up a framework, I get carried away and can completely lose the plot. I do allow things to flow and change, though, but if I have markers, I can recentre myself if things get out of hand. I like to leave a few breadcrumbs in the woods.

Amira Krista Calvo

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

I’ve never had this experience within a single story, but I have noticed that work I produce during darker times is indeed much grimmer than work I produce when my moods are not so low. I have started pieces during low periods that I couldn’t finish when I had come out of it because I couldn’t really relate to what I was writing about at the time, and vis-a-versa. I also tend to write work that focuses on social commentary or mental health when I’m in a bit of a darker place, and everything I write when things are on the up and up plays a bit more with humour and can probably pass for YA fiction.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Heavy Metal Coffin wasn’t necessarily inspired by real people, but rather a real experience. During lockdown, my partner was diagnosed with CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). Miguel, the main character’s partner in the story, is meant to embody one facet of the disorder – he represented the exhaustion that is a result of living with CPTSD and how vulnerable it can make the person who is struggling. It’s easy to then assume that Tatiana is based on me, but she isn’t. She was inspired purely by the strength that a woman must muster in the face of danger.

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

Balancing my projects, my writing and university has always been quite difficult for me if I don’t set a very rigorous schedule, which is also difficult to do when things are overwhelming, so…. always haha. Normally I try to prioritise things that I have a deadline for, and as I write mostly for me and not just work inspired by calls for short stories and the like, creative writing tends to fall to the backburner when university starts to swallow me whole. However, I have started to find a balance so that I can nurture both my academic work and my personal work – I really need to give it more attention as the ideas are starting to pile up; I’m afraid they’ll begin to topple!

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I’ve never considered this! I quite like my name, as its reflective of my heritage and that is a large part of what I pour into my work, so I haven’t really come up on a project that would make me feel inclined to erase that. I don’t think this is something I see myself doing at any point, but there is a first time for plenty of things.

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

As I mentioned before, I really like to get to know my characters first. I think that if we are friends, so to speak, I will trust them to lead me in the right direction as I write. I tend to name them right away, and the names are often inspired by what they are meant to embody or are plays on the names of emotions they experience, things like that. I love rounding them out and will write about everything from their favourite genres of music, their favourite pair of shoes and most beloved snacks. I am a bit of an isolated person by choice, and at the risk of sounding a bit strange, which I probably am, I tend to give each story I write at least one character I would like to hang out with as I am stuck with them for the duration of the creative process.

What was your hardest scene to write?

The hardest scene in my story for the anthology to write was the scene where my main character, Tatiana, sees her partner Miguel for the first time after his possession. I had to draw on some very dark experiences from my past for it to translate to the audience how painful encounters like this can be with people you love. I remember having to take breaks from that portion of the story and saving it for last during the editing process. I actually only edited that part once as I didn’t really want to read it again at the time.

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom. If you would like to know more about Amira Krista’s books and writing check out the links below:

Link: Instagram: @horror_chromatic

Website: www.horrorchromatic@gmail.com

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

Hello, it’s all about me.

I’m chatting with Valerie Holmes on her Author Page, if you would like to join us.
Please do come along.

Meet prolific author, Paula R C Readman!

Photo by Sebastian Coman Photography on Pexels.com

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: J Snow

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 Mix and Match Studio on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to the horror writer, J Snow. J Snow, like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press and her story is called, Dear Meat 

Welcome to the tearoom, J. My first question is, what would you like to drink?

Please could I have a frozen orange soda thank you.

Now we have our refreshments can I ask you when you first began your writing journey, what drew you to your chosen genre?

I’ve always enjoyed psych thrillers, so naturally it’s the genre I’m inclined to write. I enjoy the challenge of creating horrific characters that are multidimensional, a psycho you can empathize with but feel you should hate. No one is all bad or all good, and when reading horror, I see too many flat ‘bad guys’. I like to explore the reasons, the psychology behind the actions, and I think readers want to understand that which can’t be understood. 

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

I like to think my attention to detail is the strongest point, but if I could stop overthinking my words and let things just… flow, that’d be fabulous. When I allow it to happen, those pieces tend to be my best. 

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

My latest WIP is a piece written from the POV of a man with paranoid schizophrenia. It’s a project I’ve been slowly working on for over the past two years. It’s taking me some time to develop the story around the character, but there are some who need to stew until the meat falls apart. 

J Snow

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

28 unfinished projects [image error]

Choosing only five of your favourite authors: Can you list them in order 1 begin the top of your list and say how have they influenced your writing?

I don’t really have favorites. I mean, King, Koontz, and Poe (of course) have a steady standing on my shelf and have been heavy hitters in the influence department since childhood, but I’m more intrigued by individual pieces, poetry in particular, that move me, that use language in a unique and elegant way without being obvious. Authors vary and are too many to count. 

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

I would say the opposite is true: my moods alter based on what I’m writing. I get into character, so to speak. I feel what they feel, see what they see, react as if the story is happening to me. For the darker pieces, I must rinse away the mental residue to handle my own company. 

Do you set yourself a daily word count?

Never. I find that to be a bit too anxiety inducing. I write until I’m mentally exhausted, be it 100 words or 5,000.

How many hours in a day do you write?

Typically one to two hours a day. Sometimes an entire day. A few pieces I’ve pulled overnighters for. If I’m in the moment, sleep is not a necessity. 

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

I research name meanings and choose them based on character qualities. I know most about them before beginning a piece, but they never fail to surprise me along the way. 

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

I’ve written some stories within a day, others over the span of a few years. It depends on how the characters react. Some take the lead. Some have to be coaxed along.
Thank you for allowing me to chat about my work, Paula.

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom. For more information about J Snow’s writing

Blog: https://jensnowauthor.blogspot.com/

Blog: https://www.pw.org/directory/writers/j_snow

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

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Lydia Prime

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 chatting to the horror writer, Lydia Prime. Lydia, like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press

Welcome to the tearoom, Lydia. As always my first question to my guests is what would you like to drink?

Paula, thank you so, so, much for having me! My favorite drink is normally a Captain and Coke, but since I’ll have to make my way across the pond, I think I can settle for a super delicious raspberry coffee with almond milk.

Lydia, our driver Brutus will take you home in our private Jet. We like to make sure our guests are happy to be here. Now our refreshments have arrived, let me start by asking you, When you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

Jumping into the deep end here, eh? Well, I suppose when I started getting my feet wet in the writing world, I’d already developed a fascination with all things doom and gloom. I sort of always knew that whatever I did, I’d have some monsters to contend with. Letting them loose on the pages made their existence less overwhelming inside me. Plus, you know, there’s that whole being a ginger and born with no soul deal, perhaps I have some things in common with all them jeepers-creepers!

What writing elements do you think are your strongest points, and what would you like to do better?
My strongest writing elements are something I’d have to think about for a while—I actually have an almost nonexistent sense of self-esteem. If I had to name something, I suppose my ability to twist innocence into something rotten, combined with unexpected left turns, resonates pretty strong. There are many things that I wish I could do better, one of them being less critical of myself. I either write something, and never look at it ever again, or I painstakingly tear my pieces apart, word by word, line by line, until they’re a mash of different voices making no sense.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?
Hahaha! Might as well ask me how many times I breathe in a day! I think I’m something of a commitment-phobe, and a half-way hoarder. If I can’t make something work the first time, I often put it down, (intending to check it out again later) and inevitably forget about it for months, sometimes years. If it’s not screaming in my face, it sort of just… stops existing in my world. Taking a guess, maybe upwards of 75?

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 am a trillion percent a “panster”-type-writer. I either find inspiration through images, or sometimes weird things that pop into my head. Sometimes a line repeats in my head and stories form around it. There are a bunch of pieces that I’ve written some rhyming verse as a “sort of” synopsis for a story, and then gone back and fleshed it out to be a full-on finished work. The Letter in The One That Got Away is actually one that started out that way, as well as Sadie, in the first installment of all-women-anthologies from Kandisha Press.

Lydia Prime

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

Daily mood swings are somewhat understated; my mood swings happen within minutes most days. That being said, I definitely see it in my writing. When I’m having a bad time, sadly for my characters, they are too. If I’m happy, or on a somewhat of an upswing, I find I actually don’t write very much. I suppose anger and my general level of depression are what drive me.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?
I write a tremendous amount of flash fiction, so I think I can safely say, many characters that I create draw from people in my life. I use a lot of hyperbole and metaphor when I write, whether it’s evident or not to the reader, I can always look back and remember exactly what was going on externally when I worked on each piece. I have actually written a few pieces that are direct correlations to situations I’ve been through, just magnified to make them less identifiable. It feels cathartic to expel some horrible situations I’ve lived through and project them onto imaginary beings in worse ways. Does… Does that make me evil?

Is there anything about you your readers might be surprised to find out?
Surprised is somewhat subjective, I think. If I had to peel the layers, I guess the fact that I’ve died twice, but for some reason, it just didn’t stick. Otherwise, I’m pretty open about everything, it’s hard to shut me up (as you may have noticed haha!) once I get started and feel comfortable.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?
I can’t sit down and write every day, I’m incredibly envious of those who can. I wish I could set myself a daily word count, but I’d be too flippant about it and never actually follow through (much like my ever-abandoned workout plan).

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
Writing under a pseudonym was the only way that I was going to get myself going. In my normal every day Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne attire, I’ve done too many things that I didn’t want tied to my writing. I didn’t want potential employers to see what I was writing or find out who I’d been in the past. When Superman/Batman takes over, well, she just lets loose. Lydia is who I wanted to be when I began my journey. Since I’ve known ‘er and leant her my experiences to use as her own, it’s become harder to differentiate where my daily life persona begins and my writing persona ends. Maybe it’s from becoming more comfortable in my skin, but I’ve melded my identities. I don’t bother to separate the author from the awkward kid in the shadows.

How do you select the names of your characters? Do you know everything about them before you start writing their story?
Do you remember being in English classes as a kid, and your teachers would over explain names that authors used to reflect hidden notes? I absolutely do that. LOL I may not know my character’s name when they’re born, but by the time I have their adventure planned out, I know what I want to use and can usually find a name that fits. Sometimes, they don’t mean anything at all, it’s just a name I was drawn to that day, but guess that’s part of the fun.

As for knowing everything about them… well, I think they sort of manifest as they come into existence. I often keep physical description out of my stories because I want my reader to be able to imagine the character in any way they want—sometimes they’re just amorphous blobs that I assign human traits and foibles, and never know what they look like. I guess I almost always know that they’ve gone through some horrible things in their lives though; because if they hadn’t, they wouldn’t be hangin’ around me. Hahaha!

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom, Lydia. To find out more about Lydia’s work please click on the links below.

Facebook.com/AuthorLydiaPrime Twitter.com/LydiaPrime Instagram.com/Helminthophobia

Blog: lydiaprime.wordpress.com Amazon: Amazon Author’s Page

Short Story Collection: Itty Bitty Horror Bites https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JQLFTLG/

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

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Hadassah Shiradski

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 DESIGNbyJA on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to the horror writer, Hadassah Shiradski. Hadassah ,like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press

Welcome to the tearoom, Hadassah. My first question to all my guests is what would you like to drink?

Thank you very much for the invite, Paula. Please could I have a glass of lemonade, Thank you

Now we have our refreshment. let’s start by asking you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I’d been interested in horror for a long time, although my first engagement with the genre was when my parents showed me The Addams Family (1991) as a child/preteen — before that, I was more invested in fantasy and adventure. That fantasy element is still strong to me, but it ends up being written with a darker twist. Around the age of fourteen, I started watching horror films such as The Ring and Let The Right One In, and I began reading horror. I quickly went from horror films to games, and by the time I decided to start writing, I far preferred games and stories that relied on atmosphere and background storytelling over ‘in-your-face’ horror or gore. I found myself inclined to try to create the same sense of unease with my writing — not aiming to terrify readers, but merely to unsettle.

Which writing elements do you think are your strongest points, and what would you like to do better?
My strongest points are definitely my descriptions and characterisation, and I’d say that I would like to be better at dialogue, as for me, that is the hardest part of writing. 

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

My latest project is a gothic horror-adjacent novella that I have been working on for quite a while. Nothing’s confirmed yet; I’m still redrafting. Similarly to ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’, the main characters are children, but unlike in ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’, they are obsessed with playing a make-believe game that escalates rapidly. Also, the respective narrators couldn’t be more different!

Hadassah Shiradski

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

At the last count, I have seven unfinished projects, if I’m including stories that are technically ‘finished’ but I’m not completely happy with yet.

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 mostly write short stories, and I tend to come up with a vague plan before anything else, really just a few scenes that have been playing in my head and a potential end point or future plot point, and then I write the first chapter or section. If I write a synopsis at all, I do so after the entire story is complete, and I very much let the characters guide the story. In ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’, I knew vaguely how the story would end, but I didn’t know the details until just before the characters made their intentions clear. I would be more specific, but I don’t want to spoil!

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?
Not to my knowledge! If any of them are influenced or inspired by real people, it’s very much subconscious — I might pull an element from someone I knew or encountered, but this doesn’t happen often, and I try to avoid this to the point that in the majority of my writing, I do not name characters after people I know in real life. Jacob from ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’ is a rare exception to this; growing up, I knew so many people called ‘Jacob’ that his character wasn’t at risk of being influenced.

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

I am not a morning person at all, so much so that I often won’t even consider writing until the late evening. On days that I do write, I normally start reading my current project or looking for inspiration at some point around 11PM, and I’ll write until I get tired or the inspiration leaves me. I wrote ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’ whilst I was attending university, so during that time, I would stop writing once I reached either the end of a scene or 500-800 words, normally around 1 or 2AM. I graduated in April 2020, so now I write in the dead of night, between midnight and roughly 4AM.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?
No, but if I’m writing a short story, I try to write at least one entire scene each time I sit down to write, which usually turns out to be between 500 and 1000 words. ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’ was written in chunks like this, with each ‘part’ being written roughly a week apart.

How do you select the names of your characters? Do you know everything about them before you start writing their story?
It’s quite strange for me, I either won’t know a character’s name until I’m a few drafts in, or it will be one of the first things I know about them. I make a point of avoiding names of people I know in real life — as a horror writer, I don’t want to accidentally have the character influenced by my memories of their namesake. I also try to come up with the type of name that I think fits them and the mood of the story, such as ‘ending in ‘a” or having three syllables, and I just wait to see what comes to mind and fits the criteria. I have to know at least a decent amount about a character before I start writing their story, but that knowledge doesn’t have to be complete, so I let a character sit in my mind for at least a week before I even attempt to write them. Sometimes, I’ll know the exact cadence of their voice but not their eye colour, or I’ll know how their words run together when they’re really excited, but not what their go-to insult is… Details about them will inevitably develop as I write them, and that’s part of the fun.

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

On average, it takes me a few months to write a short story, and about a week to write a flash fiction. ‘Piano Keys And Sugar’ took me three months to write, and although it was my first story, it seems to have set the precedent for how long these things take me. 

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom Hadassah.

Links: Twitter:  https://twitter.com/DassaWrites

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

The One That Got Away: The Last Thread

With the soon to be released new Women of Horror Vol 3 anthology The One that Got Away by Kandisha Press

Kandisha Press

I thought I would explain how I came to write my story for this particular collection. The Last Thread was inspired by a dream I had. Yes, I do have really weird dreams. My husband is very understanding about them, which is good otherwise I might have found myself wearing a nice white jacket with the fastenings at the back.

When I discovered what the theme was for this collection I decided I would write a sci-fi story. I enjoy thinking outside the box. I think horror can be so much more than graveyards on a moonlit night with howling winds and pounding rain. We are brought up believing that horror stories should have certain elements.i.e. Ruined church, dilapidated house, a deep dark wood, a car that breaks down on a deserted road deep within a forest, and maybe a strange hotel where there’s one light on in a top floor window. The list is endless.

What about the real every day horror we face in our lives? You know the trips to the dentist, or the doctor’s appointment. Are our fears less scary than pure supernatural horror?

Our early ancestors had real horrors of the natural cycle of life. From birth to death the darkness of not understanding what was happening to their bodies, minds or souls created the right atmosphere in which supernatural tales and magic was created.

Science has sterilised our world and has taken away many of our fears to the point where we see less horror in our day to day life. Having the ability to turn on the lights to keep the darkness at bay allows us to see there are no ghosts.

Though I do think they would return quite quickly if and when society breaks down such as during wartime or with this pandemic We are after all just animals that cannot see in the dark.

The Thread has two plot lines and a twist. Society is no more for the human race we are just travelers in space. My main character is Fulton he is alone in a rust bucket of a spacecraft, making a living however he can. He’s upset a few people he shouldn’t have done, and is on the run, but as the story unfolds we realise things are not always what they seem.

Fulton is a bit of a gambler, but now his luck has run out.

If you are interested in reading my story The Last Thread please check out the links below to purchase a copy of The One That Got Away. These are individual Retailers:

Amazon: 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TN13Z99/

Kobo: 
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the-one-that-got-away-women-of-horror-anthology-volume-3

Apple Books: 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1549962795

Barnes and Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940162245544

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Ashley Burns

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 samer daboul on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to the horror writer, Ashley Burns. Ashley, like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press

Welcome to the tearoom, Ashley. As always my first question to my guests is what would you like to drink?

Thanks for invite me to the tearoom. Please could I have a coffee, thank you.

Now we have our refreshments can I ask you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

Originally I tried going several directions to find where my voice spoke the clearest, but I always found myself looping through dark forests and darker desires. Once I realized how inspiring this genre was the words came easier. Will there ever be other stories? Maybe, but right now my little black heart is content with where I am at.

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

So I was given a theme for my latest story, faeries, and it has become one of those love/hate projects. I keep trying to take the reins back from my lead protagonist and her stubbornness has been quite frustrating. In truth, some of absolute favorite stories and books have roots in fairytale and folklore- tempting me for years to try my hand at one of my own.  So for now let’s just say “work in progress”.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

This is a tad embarrassing.  Double digits without a doubt! Maybe triple if I started at the beginning.  Some I come back to later, they just need breathing room, whereas others are just contributions to the collective consciousness. Flurries that lack the power to become storms.

Ashley Burns

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 love this question. On stories that are based loosely on real life places or events I try to essentially take notes and write a synopsis just so I’m not constantly have to pause, research, and write.  Stutter stops affect my ability to just let stories unfold. Generally speaking, I like to let my characters take the lead. When I try to corral them into specific molds I end up hating the results. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted a certain outcome and had to start from scratch because of my meddling!

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

Absolutely! And that’s why I try to the get the bulk of my ideas down in the first sitting, otherwise each day the tone shifts with my mood and the stories get really bipolar.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Most of my characters are a melding of people I know and what I think would happen to them in different situations. Sometimes its a name that sparks an idea, what I imagine that person would be like.

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

I’ve been a competitive kickboxer for years and teach it as well. I was the front woman for an all girl punk band. And lastly, my guilty reading pleasure is paranormal reverse harem novels.

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

Its a juggling act between my job and writing, which is why I try to write before work.  My mind is clearer and less muddled from the days stresses. 

Do you set yourself a daily word count?

I strive for at least 1,000 – 2,000 per writing session. On the longer days closer to 4,000.

How many hours in a day do you write?

Although I am not a “morning” person I usually get my most productive writing done right after breakfast.  My typical writing schedule is 1 1/2 hours during the week and at least 2 hours on my days off. Some days its just to keep the wheels greased, and I feel that keeps my mind in a creative mindset.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I tried to imagine if I could pull off a single name moniker like Cher or Sting but every single one made me laugh. Maybe someday..

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom, Ashley.

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

Clubhouse Guest’s Chat: Barrington Smith-Seetachitt

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 jonas mohamadi on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to the horror writer, Barrington Smith-Seetachitt. Barrington, like myself, is one of the writers featured in the Women of Horror Anthology, Vol 3 The One that Got Away published by Kandisha Press

Welcome to the tearoom, Barrington. My first question to all my guests is what would you like to drink?

Thanks so much for inviting me to your clubhouse tearoom! Could I have hot chocolate please? That seems the perfect drink for a cosy chat!

Now we have our refreshments may I start by asking you when you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

 Ahhhh! You’d think this would be an easy question, but I’ve had commitment issues with both genre and format. I attended a writing program that emphasized literary fiction, but once there, found I was also drawn to personal essays… and then screenwriting! It was after I began screenwriting that I began working with sci-fi, fantasy and horror, which then influenced my fiction. Recently I’ve discovered the term “speculative fiction,” which I embrace because it makes me sound more decisive than I am!

My story, “Shell,” in the anthology, is representative of my struggles, as it changed formats and genres. The first draft was actually a film treatment for a short film. Later, I wrote it as a story instead. My first submissions were to science fiction magazines. It was only when I saw the Kandisha Press call for submissions that it dawned on me that it might qualify as horror…

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

I’ve been told that my ability to build out worlds and characters is a strong suit. If you say “the character is a rusty fork,” I can go to town imagining the rusty fork’s home in the junk box, the self esteem issues it’s been battling since the trauma of being cast out of the silverware drawer, etc.  Something I wish I were better at is plot construction. Eventually I find my way, but the process is neither quick nor painless!

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

 You won’t be surprised to hear that I’m toggling back and forth between a short story and a screenplay, with the effect that both are taking longer than if I focused on only one. The story is hard to describe without detailing the rules of a dystopian reality, but it’s an idea that spent several years sitting in purgatory on my computer. The screenplay is a more recent idea, involving a social media influencer who becomes the beta-tester for an injectable app in order to get more followers, and there are… repercussions. 

Barrington Smith-Seetachitt (Photo credit to Sue Ball)

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Ohhhh… I think if I counted I might have a panic attack! 

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

For screenwriting, I make an outline. For short fiction, I’m often happy to free write from a prompt without any real agenda, until something resonates. From there I play with the material, developing and shaping it until, a mere twenty-odd drafts later, it’s a story! Writing a novel is terrifying to contemplate, but maybe someday I’ll be brave enough to try it and figure out if I’m a pantser or a plotter.

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

Not as much for screenwriting, I think because it’s a continuing work with characters who already have their own voices. But for prose, I think my mood affects the voice of what emerges from my pen or keyboard.

Are any of your characters inspired by real people?

Less by any specific people than by the circumstance or psychology of people I’ve known. In “Shell,” the protagonist, Grace, has a number of things happening in her life that echo things that have happened to people that I know, but her personality and emotional reactions are imagined. When I see her in my mind, I don’t see anyone I know.

In writing your story, how much research did you do?

 I often do a lot of research for projects, but this story didn’t require much. I was able to spend my research time doing fun stuff like moving one sentence back and forth multiple times before deciding to cut it altogether.

Did you uncover things about yourself while writing your story?

I did. I don’t think I was aware, until I got into the weeds of the story, how much emotion I have surrounding growing older. I strive toward equanimity and acceptance in life, but if I were given the opportunity to do what Grace chooses to do in the story, I’ve realized I’d be more tempted than I would have thought.

What is your work schedule like when you’re writing? / How many hours in a day do you write?

It varies a lot, and also varies according to what one considers to be writing. I take jobs helping clients write various things, so I can spend an entire day on the computer—writing, revising and problem solving—without touching one of my own projects. Other days, I might only work on my own project. I’m constantly looking for balance. When I get a screenplay fully outlined sometimes I’ll have several weeks where I wake up and write scenes until around noon, and then do other work in the afternoon. I think that’s a pretty healthy split, but it’s not sustainable when I’m in other phases of writing.

Thank you for joining me in the tearoom, Barrington. To find out more about Barrington’s books and writing click on the links below:

Blog:  barringtonsmith.com.  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarringtonSS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barringtonsmithsee/

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