Paula R.C. Readman's Blog, page 73

Clubhouse Chat Guest: Ray Daley

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. For 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 the clubhouse is via membership or invite to the clubhouse tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a guest over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

[image error]From Pixabay.com

Today, in the clubhouse I’m chatting with Ray Daley. Welcoming to the Clubhouse Tearoom, Ray.

Thank you, Paula.

Before we start, let’s order our refreshments. What shall I order for you?

I guess my favourite beverage would be anything cold and fizzy, but I really like Dr Pepper.

Now we have our refreshment, I’ll start by asking you when you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I’ve always loved Science Fiction. I grew up on Doctor Who, Space:1999, Blake’s 7, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars and Star Trek. Those books were available in abundance in my school. I guess when it came to writing, it was the thing I knew best and found easiest to write. I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone since then though. I’ve written Fantasy and horror stuff, and had them published too. At the time of writing this, my most recent publication is a horror summer camp slasher parody.

[image error]Ray Daley

 How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Far too many to count, I think I’d upset myself if I tried. Lots of partially started things, single lines, a few paragraphs. I think most writers have a folder where ideas go to die. Every now and then I’ll dip into that, just to see if anything catches my attention or spurs my imagination. Some of them do. Not all of them stay dead. Heck, I’ve got a piece of fanfic I’ve been writing since I was 16.

Do you plot first or write a first draft of your short stories? Do you plan your story or let the characters lead you?

On the whole, I tend to just write. It’s rare I’ll plot stuff out, some stories will come to me mostly formed so I don’t need to map them out. Often, I’ll not be inspired enough to write it there and then, on those occasions I’ll write an outline or a framework, so when the mood takes me, I can write a story easily. A story has got to be incredibly good for me to want to write it down there and then. Otherwise it becomes a framework & joins the to be written pile.

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

Yes. I can tell when I’m very low, or hyper. My writing tends to reflect it. I can’t say if my readers notice but I can see it. It can be odd to have a note of your mental state at a given point, right there in a story. There are a few stories I can go back and read, things I wrote when my oldest sister, and Mum passed away. I can see my feelings writ large, in those.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Lots of them are! Most of them are people I’ve worked with over the years. It’s fun to include their names as a little Easter Egg for myself to find later. I’ll ask friends if they mind being in a story. No-one has said no yet. The people I really like feature a lot. A lot of the character names in my 1st novel were people I was working with at the time.

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

I’m a lot more organised now than I used to be. I’m doing a challenge at the moment to sub a story every day for a year. I get that done 1st each day, then do the related admin for that, archiving, logging the sub, posting daily stats online. Any free time after that is used for other creative stuff. I’m currently audioproofing my 2nd novel, to get it polished for PitMad in December. No actual writing has been done since August 10th. I shift focus now and then, either outputting stories, or getting submissions done.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?

Unless I’m doing NaNoWriMo or Camp Nano, I don’t have a daily word count goal. I’ll normally write until I’m done. That can be anything from 200 words to several 1000.

 Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

No. My name is there so if you like it you know who to seek out more from, and if you don’t you know who to complain to and avoid in future.

 What was your hardest scene to write?

Something for a recent story, it scared me so much I put off writing it for eight months. Eventually I realised that I had to just get it written down, or I’d build it up so much that I’d never get it done. It’s had 1 beta-read so far and I’ve used that feedback, but I think it still needs a few more reads before I’ll be happy to submit it somewhere. I do have 2 markets I want to send it to though.

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

Most of my work is short form, so normally between 1 and 2 hours at the most. I think the longest a short story has taken me was 3 days, but it needed a lot of research to get the details correct. My novels took 28 days and 26 days. While I do have ideas for other novels, I don’t know if I’ll ever write them. I’m not a fan of writing novels, it’s a lot of investment into a project.

Thank you for joining me here today, Ray.

Thank you for having me, Paula.

If you would like to know more about Ray check out his website. or join his Twitter handle @RayDaleyWriter

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

Clubhouse Chat Guest: DJ Elton

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. For 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 the clubhouse is via membership or invite to the clubhouse tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a guest over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

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Today I’m chatting DJ Elton. Welcome to the Clubhouse tearoom, Gopi.

Hi Paula! It’s great to be here to have a sit-down and natter with you. I love your enthusiasm with the Clubhouse, and your recent successes with your novels. And we’re having high tea. Lovely! Actually I’ll have coffee thanks, have you got any Columbian? Great. Any cakes? Scones and plum jam with whipped cream. You’ve made my week Paula; we’re a bit on the deprived side in Melbourne lately, with lockdown and all.

It’s lovely to have you here too. So let’s start by asking you when you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

I’ve always been writing short bits here and there throughout my life. Lots of poetry – about love, relating, feelings, spiritual themes. I did a major health cure of a pretty serious medical condition for over a year, ten years back, and wrote out that whole story, but I didn’t get serious about publishing until I wrote a novella, ‘The Merlin Girl’, and paid to have it self-published as it seemed easier at the time. I loved the writing part although the rest of it was a big lesson in what not to do. Ouch! But I learned from that situation. Currently, I’m doing short stories, micro-fiction and poetry because I want to tighten up in those areas and so I’m not thinking about ‘the novel’ at this point in time. My influences you ask? All the loved great ones like Alice, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Andersen’s Fairy Tales; these all grew my love for fantasy. Contemporary authors I like are Maria Lewis and Alice Hoffman, as well as Ben Elton and Ian McEwan. I write sci-fi and some horror too – more psychological than gory horror. Working as a clinician in mental health helped develop that in my writing.

[image error]DJ Elton

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

The last few short stories I’ve written have been quite tightly plotted out, but then the fun starts as I’m very flexible; other ideas creep in and take over, so I’m revising a lot and never rigid about plot. Adding or changing a character always brings new perspectives. I do like mind-mapping the story, key words, all of that, and then filling in the bits. It’s constant renewal until the first draft is done. Then edits and more edits, too many edits and that’s before the beta readers add their take.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

All of my characters have traits based on real people, some have more than others. Usually a character is made up of several aspects of different people put together. For this reason, haha, some friends and relatives love to hear what I write and some politely avoid it. I did write about someone once and it was pretty obvious who it was and I had chosen to hone in on some of their faulty behavior, so that didn’t sit well, but we have never discussed it, and I’m glad about that. But it could have been influenced by anyone…everyone has some fascinating traits!

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

People might be surprised to know that I’m quite self-disciplined. It’s all tied up with my meditation background which has been happening for some decades now; I don’t drink alcohol, smoke, use substances and I’m vegetarian. As a yogi I meditate for up to two hours a day, sometimes more, in chunks. It’s actually all about where you position your mind. My first meditation is early in the morning so at 5am I’m quite nicely primed to write as then I have a lot more clarity about what I want to say. I also have a wildly active imagination with all of the above, and rarely get bored. That’s probably why I chose the fantasy genre.

[image error]Including: Pin the Bunny by D.J. Elton

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

My writing work schedule is rather haphazard as I tend to multitask. I have my 5am writing slot, and I don’t sit writing at a desk all day. Maybe I would if I were writing a novel, but now I snatch time when I can write (or edit) and take it as it comes. I’m also finishing some postgraduate study in writing and literature, so I hope to have more regular writing time later in the year. I’m also involved in other admin activities and events tied into with my meditation practice, which keep me busy too, although lockdown has made most things online. Ideally I average an hour a day with 500 plus words; this is good for me at the moment. But then my favourite publisher will put out a juicy micro-fiction call, and it’s spontaneous writing and submitting there and then! You would understand that, wouldn’t you, Paula. (haha!)

(Yep, I do Gopi. We both love the Dark Lord and his micro-fiction call outs :-))

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

My pen name is DJ Elton. If I were to seriously take up another genre, eg: paranormal romance, I might consider using another pen name. I just need to separate myself a bit from the different hats I wear. It’s fun thinking up pen names. One became one of my characters and she could be getting her own novella. Social media is mostly in my pen name, and some of you will know me otherwise.

[image error]Including: The Sacrifice by D.J. Elton

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

The names for characters just seem to land. With fantasy and PNR there can be an influence that is medieval, Celtic, Far Eastern or made-up names. There are a lot of clichéd names about so sometimes research is needed to get the right name. I don’t know too much about my characters before writing them. They flourish as their story unfolds as it’s being put to the page. I would like to be super character-orientated and map each one out but there has to be room for spontaneity and improvisation. Besides, some of them come along and try and take over – I do believe this happens! – trying to hijack or steer the story line, and hey, sometimes you let them. As they come alive, then I start to relate more to their persona and needs.

What was your hardest scene to write?

This is an interesting question because I find horror scenes hard to write. So it’s not so much a scene, but the whole genre! I can write if it’s humorous – you know, plastic fangs and cheeky ghosts, that kind of thing, but dark, dark visceral horror just doesn’t flow out of my pen. I can’t get into the fear side of it, or maybe it’s about my fear side? I guess it is, although I don’t seem to feel that fear thing. I find this quite fascinating, and actually had a recent interview on my blog with three respected horror writers about what it is about it that inspires them, and it was mostly about fear. I’d be interested in your take on it too, Paula. Currently I’m writing a short story which has both a murder and a suicide, and the challenge will be to write it with that level of feeling and emotion intent, as I can sometimes write in quite a detached way. I have worked in community mental health in my past life, so I know a lot in theory and practical experience and I won’t need to research it. The story is psychological thriller stuff although this WIP is a paranormal romance.

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

It can take five minutes to write 100 words of micro-fiction; a drabble. Thirty minutes to write 500 words. That usually just flows out and I find it easy enough, especially with a given theme. I’ve had to cut a 450 word story down to 100 words a few times, and that’s an interesting little editing exercise which also adds much extra time. Editing and re-editing, all the drafts…that’s where my time goes. I’m talking about short stories now. I recently wrote a poem which is being published, and the research on it seemed to take forever (about three weeks!) whereas I wrote it up in ten minutes. Poetry is easy to write quickly, I find it really flows well. I did write a novella; it was only 15,000 words and took me three years to write, but that’s ancient history. Now I could write the same amount of words in less than two months, especially if it were the one and only WIP.

Thank you so much for joining, Gopi. It’s been great talking with you. It was sneaky of you to throw a couple of questions back at me. (hehe)

To find out more about DJ Elton and her work check out these links:

Twitter               https://twitter.com/djeltonwrites

WordPress          http://djeltonwrites.blog

Facebook            https://www.facebook.com/djeltonwrites/

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

Clubhouse Chat Guest: Suzana Sjenicic

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. For 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 the clubhouse is via membership or invite to the clubhouse tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a guest over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

Today in the Clubhouse tearoom I’m chatting to Suzana Sjenicic. Welcome and it’s lovely to have a chance to chat with you, Suzana.

Thanks for inviting me for a cuppa and a chat.

My first question for you is what refreshment would you like while we chat?

[image error]Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

I’d like some tea with lemon as days have gotten chilly and cozy, please! 

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

-My writing journey began so early that I did not know what genre even means (laughs)! I wrote my first short story as a child in this green hardcover book that I still have. It was entitled “Maja and the Dog” and it was about a little girl whose dog got hit by a car. I am not going to spoil it in case you ever get to read it, haha. Today, I write mostly short stories that revolve around romance, but are often involving some sort of adventure. I am drawn to this as I am able to dig dipper into characters and their relationships, and I guess, because I could base it on actual feelings I have experienced and therefore, make the story believable and relatable to readers. Along with fiction, as a psychotherapist, I write a lot about psychology topics; in fact, my first published book was on the topic of anxiety. 

[image error]Suzana Sjenicic

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

-The latest completed project was the book I just mentioned, “Anxiety Free.” I recently started writing something that I hope will turn into a novel, and it was an idea that was brewing for a little while before I elaborated on it in my head and finally put it down on paper. It came from a single thought and a situation that I imagined for some reason, and I thought that it could be interesting to work through it. Oddly enough, I imagined it as a movie before I even realized that I could turn it into a novel.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

-Oh boy, let’s count. I have one novel that I am pretty deep into but have abandoned a few years ago as my focus shifted on psychology, and the one I had mentioned earlier; that one is not even a chapter long yet. I have a bunch of short stories that are awaiting editing as well, and one potential project that I am still identifying and trying to find a place for.

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 always dive straight into chapters unless I am writing a psychology-related or any factual article or book, in which case I create an outline. Fiction, I always dive into quickly and let characters and the story take me on a journey. I often surprise myself with what unfolds along the way, it’s almost like watching a movie play out before my eyes.

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

-Very often, yes! Sometimes, I even write when I’m in a certain mood. Writing is a great outlet for emotional processing, and to me, serves as a creative tool instead of journaling.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

-Yes, some of the characters in my short stories were based on real people. Not entirely, but I have given them certain attributes and personality traits of people that I know. As I said earlier, it helps when there is something familiar in your writing, a feeling or a reaction to a certain person that you’ve already mastered. It adds to the truth that readers recognize. 

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

-Many people don’t know this, but I actually majored in acting in college prior to taking up psychology. I was a part of the Theater and Communications program, and acting has been my dream, alongside with writing, since I was a child.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

-It crossed my mind, but I don’t think I would do it. It’s a great way for authors to write freely and express themselves without censoring, but it’s not my cup of tea (no pun intended), at least for now

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

-I imagine character’s appearance and personality traits and the names find them that way. I don’t know everything about them before I start writing, but slowly develop, and get to know them along the way. I usually start with one of the major descriptors or experiences my character goes through, and build around it. 

What was your hardest scene to write?

-In the summer of 2011, I was a part of the summer-long program at the New York University, called Writers in New York. A class assignment was to write a short story based on a feeling, and I chose Guilt. The story was based on the feelings of a driver who was just in a car accident and whose passenger died. It was very emotional and intense to write that scene and dive into depths of the agony that character was feeling. 

Link to Suzana’s website

And here’s some links for to books and anthologies in which she has participated in:https://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-Free-English-Suzana-Sjenicic/dp/1990941095
https://sumatra.rs/product/oslobodjeni-anksioznosti-suzana-sjenicic/
https://www.amazon.com/CEA-Greatest-Anthology-Written-Guinness/dp/099471906X
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51278312-lonesome-train

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

A Dark Twisted Tale of Art and Murder.

Yesterday was the first time my dark crime novel Stone Angels was given away free. I was very nervous about this. Of course, as a writer it’s hard to imagine giving your work away for nothing, especially when you’re trying to build a writing career. In today’s publishing world its all about promoting and getting reviews to be able to market your work in more places. When Darkstroke my publisher told his authors about doing a special Promo weekend where we all promoted our books over a weekend for free, I felt I should join in. So once he selected the dates I added my book to his list.

Yesterday morning when I woke I was nervous about what the day would bring, how would Stone Angels fair. Of course, I wanted my crime novel to do well, but what if no one wanted it. I did my best on the limited funds I had by posting the fact Stone Angels was free to download. I posted it on Linkedin, Twitter, and a few Facebook groups. I was able to pay for Stone Angels to be promoted on Fussy Librarian too, but with money being tight after my husband’s hours were cut due to the Covid19 I couldn’t afford to spend on promoting on any other sites

As you can see by my slideshow my results have been good so far. My dark twisted tale is still available for free today so if you would like to download it please click on this link. I hope you enjoy finding out about the Serial killer artist, James Ravencroft and his ten stone angels.

Thank you.

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A Dark Crime Novel Stone Angels For Free.

For one weekend only you can download my dark crime novel, with a twist, Stone Angels for free. I hope you take this opportunity to own a copy.

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Yesterday while visiting the Writing Magazine site, I discovered they had posted my book on their subscriber’s bookshelf page. As a subscriber to the magazine you can post your book on their website for free. The only problem is they don’t tell you when they are going to post it. I have also submitted an article about Stone Angels to their subscriber’s page too.

I hope you’ll take up my publisher’s offer during their special weekend. So just click on the link, download and start reading.

I look forward to reading your thoughts on James Ravencroft and his ten Stone Angels.

Have a great weekend, and thank you so much for downloading Stone Angels.

Clubhouse Chat Guest: Maggie Cobbett

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. For 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 the clubhouse is via membership or an invite to the clubhouse tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a guest over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

[image error]From Google: Pineau des Charentes wine

Today, I’m welcoming Maggie Cobbett to the Clubhouse Tearoom to chat about her writing. Maggie, first let’s order our drinks. What would you like?

Hmm, may I be a bit cheeky, but my favourite alcoholic drink is Pineau des Charentes, but it’s pricey in the U.K so my consumption is very moderate.

Of course you can. The clubhouse has everything here.

Oh, thank you. And thank you for the invite too. Here comes our drinks.

Yes, the service is fast. Now we have our refreshments, let’s start by asking you what writing elements do you think is your strongest points, and what would you like to do better?

As a former language teacher, I think it’s fair to say that my grammar and spelling are strong points. On the other hand, that same background makes it difficult for me to write in the less formal style required by some publications. I do try, though.

[image error]Maggie Cobbett

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

I’m drafting an account of my experiences as a television/film extra, some of which have already been the inspiration for magazine stories. Writing a non-fictionalised account of the same period, though, is an exercise in not treading on toes and risking legal action, so I’m not sure when (or even if) it will be published.  

The idea of developing ‘Bill’s Last Night’ into a radio play is also ticking over. It began as a short story published in The Weekly News, became a five-minute play produced at the 2019 Writers’ Summer School (Swanwick) and still has scope for expansion.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

There are quite a few fragments that I may develop later. Years ago, for example, I won a competition with the first chapter of a novel for children, but I never took it any further and am still waiting for inspiration to strike.

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

I usually plunge straight in and see where the story takes me No one is more surprised than I am at some of the twists and turns that ensue.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Yes, many of them. This is particularly true of the core of my saga ‘Shadows of the Past’, which began as a memoir of a strange summer I spent in France as a schoolgirl. Names are changed, of course, but some individual characters are almost word for word as I remember them. Others are a composite of people around at that time.

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 What did you learn when writing your book? In writing it, how much research did you do?

I did a great deal of research for ‘Shadows of the Past’ and ‘Workhouse Orphan’. ‘Shadows’ took me back to France on several occasions to interview people about the ongoing effects of the German occupation of WW2. ‘Orphan’ took me into many archives, museums and even down a couple of coal mines.

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

Very hit and miss, but I can work for twelve hours at a stretch when inspiration strikes. Fortunately I have an understanding family and am allowed to get on with it. Tea is supplied at regular intervals by request.

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

No. I put so much hard work into my writing that I want everyone to know it’s mine. For the same reason, I’ve turned down offers of work as a ghost writer.

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

Names are often mixed and matched from people I’ve known in the past. Former pupils from my language teaching days are particularly useful for this and have provided both heroes and villains. I also use place names if they suggest a character to me. Seaton Carew in County Durham, for example, became a pompous Shakespearean actor.

I don’t know everything about my characters before I start to write and they often surprise me. Those in the background to begin with, for example, sometimes push their way to the front and completely upstage my original main protagonists. (Maybe that’s a legacy from my years as an extra!)

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What was your hardest scene to write?

The deprived childhood of my ‘Workhouse Orphan’ involved writing some tough scenes, because the story is based on the little I know of a boy who married into my family way back. Some passages reduced me to tears as I wrote them, particularly the deaths of his parents and best friend.

Thank you Maggie for chatting about your writing with me. How interesting that you based your character on someone from your family history. I did the same with my first short story.

Thank you again for inviting me, Paula.

It’s been lovely to catching up with Maggie. I hope you have enjoyed your wine.

Very much so. Thank you for spoiling me.

My pleasure. If you want to find out more about Maggie and her books please visit her website. They’re available from Amazon as downloads, paperbacks and one even as an audio-book, ‘Workhouse Orphan’. Maggie says it was a real labour of love.

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

The Darkness of Soul

I love writing short stories. I love writing for Black Hare Press but at the moment I’m on holiday from writing. After nearly two weeks away from my desk my mind is relaxed and ready to get back to my keyboard.

If you’re looking for a great read check out Black Hare Press latest release School’s In. An amazing collection of short stories by a brilliant selection of writers.

Please check out my latest short story in an amazing anthology

SCHOOL’S IN : https://readerlinks.com/l/1430924

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Clubhouse Chat Guest: Helen Matthews

Welcome to Clubhouse Chat page. For 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 the clubhouse is via membership or an invite to the clubhouse tearoom. Every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation I’ve had with a guest over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, about their work in progress, or latest book release. I’ll be talking to all sort of writers and authors at different levels of their writing careers.

[image error]Photo by Said Kweli on Pexels.com

Today, I’m chatting to Helen on the launch of her book, Facade by Darkstroke. Welcome and congratulations, Helen.

Thanks so much for inviting me into the clubhouse Tearoom, Paula. I’m all the happier to be here because I have a spa membership (a modest one that only lets me go three times a year at off-peak times). I’ve been paying my membership fee all through lockdown but I doubt I’ll use it at all in 2020. So, to treat myself, I’ve organised a lift today so I can have a drink. Mine’s a gin and tonic – Bombay Sapphire, please.

Of course, you could always use the clubhouse spa after our chat. Here’s our refreshments, so we can start now. First let me ask you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

Despite having done an MA in Creative Writing, I was incredibly naïve about the importance of genre. We didn’t really cover genre fiction on the course – crime, romance, historical and women’s fiction barely got a mention and most of the books we studied as examples of voice/plot/character were classics or literary fiction. I think the course directors wanted to push everyone towards writing the kind of books that win literary prizes. Many of the younger students were writing dystopian novels  or something about witches, yet I don’t recall Harry Potter being used to illustrate anything. So, I thought I was just writing ‘a book’.

When I won an award at Winchester Writers’ Festival for the opening pages of my debut novel, After Leaving the Village, part of my prize was a one-to-one with an editor at Little Brown (part of the Hachette empire). She loved the book and described it as ‘high end women’s fiction with book club potential’. So that’s what I said in my cover letter when I started submitting. Imagine my surprise when my eventual publisher said it was a suspense thriller and categorised it as crime! I now write psychological suspense and finally understand what I’m doing because I’ve read masters of the genre from du Maurier, Highsmith and Vine through to contemporary authors like Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and Paula Hawkins (Girl on the Train). I’m aware I still write slightly off centre from the formula, though, and this is because I’m aiming to inject some content for book club discussion (not just a write a page turner) and to satisfy my own interest in research.

[image error]Helen Matthews

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

Going by reviews and critiques, readers say my books are gripping page turnersand have a strong sense of place so they feel they are there, walking alongside the characters. I’m thrilled they think that but I’d like to be more literary in my use of language. Not at the Hilary Mantel end of the spectrum but perhaps a more concise Donna Tartt or, in psychological thrillers, like Tana French (The Wych Elm).

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

Although I have a new book on the go, I’m keen to tell you about my novel Façade which is published today, especially as it was a long time in the writing. It languished for years in my drawer of forgotten manuscripts while two newer, younger siblings were written and published. I went back to it after a phase of writer’s block.

When I took Façade out of the drawer, I totally revamped the plot but saved some of the main characters – estranged sisters, Rachel and Imogen, their parents and their decaying home, The Old Rectory. The story opens in 1999 when a child tragically drowns at the family home. The circumstances of the incident are hazy. Afterwards, Imogen disappears to live abroad, leaving Rachel to shoulder the burden of supporting her parents through their grief and the disintegration of the family. Fast forward twenty years and Imogen is back – penniless, childless and resentful – in the wake of another surprising tragic accident that killed her husband. As the web of silence and secrecy unravels, Rachel must fight to keep her family safe and find out the truth.

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How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Wasted work is frustrating, isn’t it? I rescue everything I possibly can. Some of my incomplete novels are mid-life juvenilia, if there is such a thing, and beyond help. But if I have work that’s half decent I like to recycle it. So, last year I realised I had quite a few short stories and pieces of flash fiction on my computer. Most had been shortlisted or placed in competitions, but not necessarily published (some had, but I checked with the publishers and all were happy for me to use the work again after twelve months). I decided these stories needed to earn their keep so I thought I’d gather them into a collection and try my hand at self-publishing. I didn’t have quite enough stories and flash to make a book, so I added in half a dozen travel articles I’d written about Cuba, India, Thailand and Albania.

I published it as an eBook called Brief Encounters on Amazon for £1.99. It’s sold quite a few copies and, as I put it exclusive with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), every quarter I get an opportunity to run a price reduction to 99p, or to offer it for free for a short time.  I’ve not yet tried the free option but plan to do it in September.

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter?  Do you plan your story , or let the characters lead you.)

I’m 70% planner 20% pantser and the other 10% is just generally confused. I jot ideas in notebooks, I research, I plan, I draw mind maps and jot down some character profiles. I try out schemes and templates and buy books about plotting that people recommend to me, most recently, Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Before committing to a new novel, I sketch out some kind of a format and write a few sample chapters to see if the idea has legs. Not all ideas have enough content to sustain a book of 90k pages. But once I get going, I ignore all the planning and let the characters lead me where they want to go.

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

That’s an interesting question as I’m currently reading through an ugly first draft of my latest novel and most of the draft was written during lockdown. I’ve sent it to my Kindle to get a real reader’s experience and I’m definitely noticing some bits are plodding, several are more tell than show, while in other chapters the writing is slicker and I can glide through. It might be down to my mood or it could be because of the strange disturbing times we’re living through. I’m fortunate that I don’t normally suffer from anxiety but during the early months of the pandemic I was still listening intently to every  news bulletins and worrying about family and friends, so it definitely had an impact on my creative work.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?

When I’m working steadily on a new draft I aim for 1,000 or more words a day but I try to express it as a weekly target allowing for days off, say, 5,000 words a week. I usually exceed this if I can concentrate fully on a project. My favourite time for writing is when I’m home alone but that doesn’t happen anything like often enough. Lately I’ve been focusing a huge amount of time on social media, PR and marketing for Façade, while also signing off edits and checking proofs. It’s hard to find time to work on the new book. That’s why I’m doing the read through – to see if the story inspires me to get back to serious editing.   

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I’m going to order up my second G &T now because this question takes me into a confessional space and it’s a little bit sad.

Many years ago, in another life, while extricating myself from a difficult, short, first marriage, I wrote some articles about marriage, trust and debt. This was therapeutic for me and, when the original article was published in the Guardian,  I used a pseudonym. I was then contacted by Woman’s Hour and invited onto the programme to talk about money and marriage. As it was radio, the pseudonym worked. Soon after, the phone started ringing again with an offer from a TV researcher to appear on Kilroy! Obviously, it would have been impossible to appear on a TV programme using a pseudonym and it would have blown my cover but there’s no way would I have accepted an offer from a show that plumbed the depths of human experience and turned it into a circus, anyway. To think I could have been a reality TV star back in the day – it might have helped my future book sales.

Since then, I’ve always been happy to have my short stories and novels published under my own name. I’m proud of them.

What was your hardest scene to write?

My debut novel After Leaving the Village was a suspense thriller with dark and gritty themes of human trafficking and modern slavery. I’m a passionate advocate of the fight against modern slavery and I’ve since been made an Ambassador for the charity, Unseen which helps survivors of trafficking. I wanted to treat my character, Odeta, with respect and dignity and give her a voice to allow readers to walk in her shoes and recognise that she was an ordinary woman just like you, or me, or one of our daughters.  Writing about trafficking meant going into some difficult places mentally because you can’t tell a truthful story and shy away from the horror of the lived experience. I strived to ensure no scene was gratuitous and reviews suggest I got that broadly right. One (male) reviewer said he’d never read a novel where he was so desperate to reach into the story and pull a character to safety.

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

It used to take me two years to get a book to a polished stage ready for submission. I’ve always been a huge admirer of authors who can turn out a novel a year. Then I discovered some authors are contracted to produce two, or even three, books a year. I would find that sort of deadline enormously stressful. It would suck all the pleasure out of writing and turn it into a factory production line type job. Perhaps I’d change my mind if someone offered me a six figure advance…

I am planning to speed up my output and, from now on, will aim for a book a year. I’m in some great writers’ groups who give generously of their critiquing support, including one group of just three authors, where we have time to give each other’s work proper consideration and feedback and hone it as we go along. Before joining that group I would probably have done a dozen rounds of self-edits before showing my work to anyone.

It’s been lovely talking to you, Paula and your questions have sparked a few memories. I brought my cozzie in case I had time for a swim but, actually, I think I’ll just stretch out on this lounger and soak up the last of the sun.

By all means, Helen. It has been lovely getting to know you better. Once again, congratulations on your novel. I look forward to reading it. Thank you for the chat.

If you want to know more about Helen and her books here’s an Amazon UK link, her Blog and her Facebook page.

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

Clubhouse Chat Guest: P.C. Darkcliff

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

[image error]Photo by Little Visuals on Pexels.com

Today I’m welcoming P.C. Darkcliff to the Clubhouse Tearoom. Welcome P. C. I’ve put our refreshment order in early so once our drinks have arrived I will start our chat. Oh here they come now. I hope the beer is to your liking?

This is great. Cheers. Thank you, Paula.

Right, let me start by asking you, when you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

I’ve always had too much imagination and I used to love watching and reading stories about magical creatures, so when I started writing, I naturally gravitated toward fantasy. If I remember correctly, my first story was about a talking dog. I love history and the occult, too, so most of my stories are usually darkish and historical.

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

Dialogues and anything that pertains to relationships come naturally. I’ve been struggling with battle scenes. My beta readers say that I’m getting better at them, but I think I still have much to improve.

 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 writing project is called Celts and the Mad Goddess. It’s the first book of The Deathless Chronicle. It’s about a Celtic tribe facing an insane, pestilential rat-goddess. The whole series will span two millennia, from the first century to the near future. The idea comes from a novel that I abandoned nearly ten years ago.

[image error]P.C. DarkCliff

 How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Only one, actually. It’s the second draft of a standalone novel called The God of Madness. I might polish and publish it once I have finished The Deathless Chronicle.

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter? Do you plan your story or let the characters lead you?

I’ve learned the hard way that it’s better to plot my novels. I write a paragraph-long outline for each chapter before I start the first draft. I make many changes while doing the second draft and revisions, but I like to have a solid base.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

My second novel, The Priest of Orpagus, is about an English teacher in Turkey. I spent a year teaching in that country, and I based many of the characters on my students and fellow teachers. Also, there’s a detective who lives in fear of his wife, whom he calls Dictator. I partly based their relationship on my parents. (Please, don’t tell my mom!).

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What did you learn when writing your book? In writing it, how much research did you do?

My new book is about Celts living in first-century Bohemia, so I had to do research on the history of that region and on every aspect of Celtic life. Fortunately, a Celtic historian, Kim Hood, offered to fact-check the story, and she provided many fascinating details that make the book more interesting.

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

Many readers might not know that I am not a native English speaker. I was born in the Czech Republic and learned my English while living in Canada.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?  

When I write the first and second drafts, I like to do a chapter a day, which is between two and three thousand words. It all depends on how much time I have, though. During the lockdown in April, I wrote a whole book (the second installment of The Deathless Chronicle) in about four weeks.

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

My goal is to publish a novel a year. I write the first draft as quickly as possible and send it to a few friends to see what they think of the storyline. Then I make changes, print the whole thing off, and write the second draft, which goes to my editor. Then come months and months of rewriting and polishing.

Thank you for this opportunity to chat about my writing, Paula.

You’re welcome. It’s lovely to have this chance to chat with you.

If you would like to find out more about P.C. check out the links below.

Celts and the Mad Goddess: 

Amazon author page:

FB author page: 

Website 

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

Clubhouse Chat: Ximena Escobar

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

[image error]Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

Today I’m welcoming Ximena Escobar to the Clubhouse Tearoom. I’m so glad you could join me today, Ximena.

Hi Paula! Thank you for having me.

Let’s start by order our refreshments. So what would you like to drink?

I’ll have an Aperol Spritzer please, not my usual drink, but I was just reminiscing about a summer in Italy with a friend! Lots of ice.

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

I mostly publish speculative fiction, but I don’t really have one. Deciding on a genre is not something I ever did or even considered when I started writing, nor when I chose what to read… I always read and loved literary books, but that has more to do with author voice than anything else. There’s not much demand for literary stories in the indie world though, so I’ve had to pull myself out of my comfort zone, and I delve into all genres. Usually it’s a theme or subject matter, which draws me to write for a given call; if the theme inspires me, it doesn’t matter too much if its fantasy or horror or paranormal romance. If I had to choose, dark fantasy and magical realism are the genres I’m most easily ready to write. And although Horror as such appeals to me least of all, I’m drawn to the dark.

[image error]Lovely Ximema Escobar

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

My imagery is strong, and the poetry in my prose. Also my characters. Because an emotion is what prompts me to write, I always know my characters intimately. I don’t always know what they do for a job—it’s not necessarily relevant—but I know their personalities, their fears, their secrets, aspirations, habits. My writing can be a little obscure, so I need to work on making certain things more explicit, without sacrificing the subtlety. I can get carried away describing abstract ideas which can be hard to follow. But I’m getting better at grounding these.

My plots can be a little weak. Writing genre fiction has made me better in this regard; helped me write fiction as opposed to blatantly writing about myself. The plot is never what inspires me to write a story, it’s always a deep emotion or a situation that represents it.

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

Oh, I’m not a planner at all and the characters and emotions always lead. But if it’s a longer piece, I’ll stop once the idea has taken a little shape and brainstorm, write a plot. It’ll invariably change as I go, but that structure helps push the writing forward.

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

Anais Nin – She was a diarist interested in psychoanalysis. Her non-fiction writing—about herself as much as about those around her—is deeply introspective. She shaped me as a person, not just a writer. I read her books in English, and this of course also influenced me (Spanish is my mother tongue)Virginia Wolf – She goes so deep, and her writing is metaphorical and poetic, describing the many thoughts and emotions one experiences simultaneously. It’s such an intimate reflection of the human experience. I don’t try to do this consciously in my writing, it just happens to a greater or lesser degree.Marguerite Duras – I love the cadence of her writing, it’s almost like it is spoken and not written. I hear what I write as I write it (I also went to the theatre a lot when I was young). This isn’t always a good thing. The reader probably won’t read it as I do, and, I often tend to add a word just because I my ear wants another syllable, but not because the content needs it. She’s French, and I always read her in Spanish.Henry Miller – I love the alcohol infused philosophical rambling, and his very masculine voice. There often is a little philosophy in my writing and it not may always survive the editing, but it gushes out. Gabriel García Marquez – He has been less of a direct influence, but his colourful and magical vision of the world is a big part of me. His writing showed me a naïve kind of beauty, that of the simplest things, which I think I sometimes I incorporate in my work.



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

Absolutely.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

A few. Some are completely made up though. And when they’re not, sometimes it’ll only be an aspect of that real person. Sometimes I’m inspired by real fictional characters, from a movie or book.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?  

Nope. If I’m not feeling it I don’t see the point. I won’t like the result. I usually have several projects on the go so I can tweak, rewrite, edit instead. Or read. That usually gets the juices flowing.

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Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Only after I’d published my first stories! I felt so exposed and painfully embarrassed, instead of the pride I wanted to feel; I wished I’d called myself something else. Especially as I don’t shy away from anything!

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

My wip is an invite-only secret project I’m in the final stages of, so I can’t say much other than it’s super exciting and that it’s meant working with other authors, exchanging story and world elements to connect the stories.

My latest publication is “School’s In”, a Highschool Horror anthology by Black Hare Press. It wasn’t the Horror element that appealed to me; I had to take the story to places I didn’t particularly need to go to make it fit; but just enough, and probably for the better. I love my main character Scarlett—which is also the title of the story. She’s self-destructive, but out of love for herself.

Also Unity, a Magical Realism anthology by Penned in the City, of which I’m one of the editors as well as a contributing author. We have compiled a number of wonderful stories, poems and art and, best of all, is all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. My poem “The Veil of Happiness” and my story “Portrait in a Velvet Dress” will feature within. Coming soon this October.

Thank you for join me, Ximena. Good luck with your secret project. I look forward to reading it when it’s published.

Here’s is some of Ximena’s links

Flash Fiction – Me and My Pen

SCHOOL’S IN – Anthology

UNITY – information link

BHP’S LOCKDOWN PHANTOM #2 

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