Paula R.C. Readman's Blog, page 75

Guest Book Tour: Richard E. Rock

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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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Welcome to the Clubhouse Tearoom, Richard. I’m so glad you found us okay. I apologies for all the cloak and dagger, but our location must be kept secret. Let’s put in our order for refreshment early. What would you like me to order?

I’m not a drinker, so it would be tea. And nothing fancy, either. Just good old fashioned English breakfast tea,  please.

So let’s start with asking you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I have very vivid nightmares, so it was only natural that I’d start writing horror. Nothing makes me happier than waking up from an absolutely ferocious bad dream. I reach straight for my notepad and start writing down the details before they fade away, as dreams often do. Pretty much everything I write now starts with a dream or a nightmare, so I guess you could say that the genre chose me, and not the other way around. 

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 currently working on a sci-fi horror novel. I had a series of nightmares about UFOs and aliens. Wanna know something cool? I actually dream sequels to previous dreams! I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but I’ll have a UFO or an alien dream, and a few nights later I’ll have a dream that carries straight on from it. So, over a few weeks, I basically dreamt an entire story, and that’s what I’m working on now. It takes place on an unnamed island off the east African coast and in Arizona. The main characters are two sisters, refugees from Burundi, and an American metalhead, separated by thousands of miles and a ten hour time difference! 

[image error]Up and Coming New Writer: Richard E. Rock

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

None, I’m proud to say. I never start a project that I’m not going to finish. I only start work on something if it excites me, and if it excites me it becomes self-perpetuating. 

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

I always get stuck straight into a first draft, and I rarely know how a story’s going to end when I start writing. When the first draft is completed, only then do I start thinking about the structure and doing research. I think of crafting a story as being rather like sculpting clay. You have to have the material to work with in the first place! As Sherlock Holmes used to say: “Data data data! I cannot build bricks without mortar!”

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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?

1. Dylan Thomas. No writer can evoke images, characters and feelings in me the way he can. He taught me that words have an inherent power.

2. Stephen King. When discussing storytelling, writers like to talk about “the voice”, but Stephen King goes one better. He has “the groove”. His writing style is like a great riff in a metal track that grabs you right at the start, drags you right the way through it whether you like it or not, and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Genius.

3. Zadie Smith. As a writer, I find that she has a lot in common with Stephen King. Not in subject matter, obviously, but in style. She’s got that “groove” too. When you start reading a Zadie Smith book, your eyes slip effortlessly over those words. She makes storytelling look so easy. Which, as we all know, it most certainly isn’t.

4. George Orwell. I’m talking specifically here of his novels set in the age in which they were written, such as Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Coming Up for Air and A Clergyman’s Daughter. His writing is incredibly evocative, brilliantly character-driven and fuelled by righteous anger. As a reader, you get dragged through the muck and grime and dirt and poverty with his characters, and by the time you put the book down, feel as though you’re in need of a bath!

5. Shirley Jackson. The Haunting of Hill House, in my humble opinion (well, actually in the opinions of a lot of people) is the perfect horror novel. Again, she’s an incredibly evocative writer, but what sets her apart is how deeply she delves into the psyche of the protagonist. Eleanor Vance is one of the most richly fleshed-out characters I’ve ever encountered in fiction, and we as readers feel everything she feels on her nightmarish journey. 

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Pretty much all of them. All my characters are bits of people I know bundled together to make a whole. Something I enjoy also is using a story as a means of character assassination. If someone’s pissed me off, you can bet they’re going to turn up in a story of mine in a not particularly favourable light!

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

Packed. I work as a commercial scriptwriter in the radio industry, so I’m writing from 9-5 every day. Then I’ll come home, have tea with my girlfriend, disappear upstairs and write for an hour or two more. 

Do you set yourself a daily word count? 

When I have a book on the go, I aim to get a thousand words done per day. Some people would consider this light, others would think it ambitious, but there’s nothing like that feeling of excitement when you start seeing your novel taking shape. It encourages me to keep going and to write more and more and more. Writing begets writing, in my experience. 

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I do write under a pseudonym, or an immortal name, as I like to call it. My real name, or mortal name, is fundamentally unspellable. In the age of Google, having an unsepllable name is a non-starter!

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

I’m about 40,000 words into my current horror novel, which when completed will be my third. I spent a year each on the two that are in the can. But I never work exclusively on a novel, I always have other projects on the go at the same time, such as short stories, competition entries, scripts etc.

This has been fun, so thank you for thinking of me.

You’re welcome, Richard.

If you would like to know more about Richard, check out his website:https://richarderock.com/

Pre-order link:  https://t.co/u6SoL1tbB4?amp=1

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

Guest’s Book Tour: Liza Miles

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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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Welcome to Clubhouse Tearoom, Liza. Let me put our order in before we start chatting.

Thank you, Paula. My favourite non alcoholic beverage is chai tea, but as I am trying to help mother nature and use public transport as often as I can, so I might choose a Prosecco cocktail with Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, from the Edinburgh Gin Company.

While we wait for our drinks I’ll start by asking you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?
I started writing about fictional relationships after an adventure with online dating and realising that I was really quite happy by myself. Happy endings don’t need to be two people heading off together, which is how a lot of general women’s fiction ends. I wanted to explore the what if’s if that doesn’t happen. As a family mediator I have met a lot of people in different relationships which have thrived and died or stunted one or both people. I am fascinated by choices people make as well, and the psychology behind those decisions.

Tell us a little about latest writing project.  Is it a new idea, or one you have been mulling over for some time?
Love BItes was really my Lock Down project.  I had written the first story All Change and Mind the Gap last year and performed a shorter version of it at a spoken word event in Stirling.  The audience encouraged me to write more.  The second story in Love Bites is called Grace.  Grace is actually the prequel to a novel I started writing in 2018 , a rather dark domestic noir set in Scotland in the late 1950’s.  A lot of the characters and the events in that story come from real life situations as told to me by women I worked with in Canada when I was a support worker to women exiting the sex trade.  

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?
I am writing a YA novel My Life’s not Funny, about a young girl called Amelia.  She ages from ten to sixteen during the course of the book.   I have several other projects on the go too.  An untitled and incomplete book of poetry; A novel – Children of the Arbutus  which is told in the current time, but also in the 1700’s.  It deals with the racial divide between white settlers and the Coast Salish people who helped them; as well as managing time to write Grace.

Do you write a synopsis first or write the first chapter? Do you plan your story, or let the characters lead you.
My characters always lead me.  I might have a sense of the story but sometimes, as with the YA novel, they will do something opposite or different to what I thought.  Sometimes what starts as my first chapter, or beginning, ends up later in the novel or story.  In one of the stories in Love Bites, the ending became the beginning.  I do ask them lots of questions such as how old are you, when/where were you born.  What do you look like, although sometimes I will have met someone who I know looks exactly like them.  That can be very helpful.  Or sometimes I will hear a line when I am walking in the street between two people talking and I realise, that lady is in my book.  So and so would say that exactly, in that way.

Is there anything about you your readers might be surprised to find out?
The character in the first story in Love BItes is about me.  A couple of colleagues who read the book had no idea that it was until they came to the part when “Polly” moved from Canada back to Scotland.  They were a bit shocked!  Perhaps also that I am a really shy person and my characters are not at all shy, for the most part. 

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

Like many writers who have not been able to give up the “day job” I have to be very disciplined when I am working as a writer.  I usually start at about six am and write until at least 9 before taking a break and having breakfast.  Due to one of my jobs being at home it has been a lot easier to schedule delivering training and my writing life.  I find I am too tired later in the day and the words definitely do not flow as easily.  I try to write for at least four or five hours four to five times a week.

[image error]Liza Miles

Do you set yourself a daily word count?  
I try to write at least one thousand “good words” each time.  That means, I may write more but not all of them will stay in the story.  I tend to write quite quickly so I can easily get 3000 words down on paper and edit them down by reading them out loud.  I find reading out loud is the best way to see if the words are working.  Doing justice to the story. 

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I did wonder about writing the novel Grace as a man, or a gender neutral name with just initials, but I have decided against it.  Because the subject matter is dark and involves men who are abusing women, I knew I will be accused of all sorts of gender stereotyping, but these stories, as they were told to me, did happen.  Not to one or two women as happens in Grace, but often in a small community.  The abuse was known and talked about, but never reported.  I am also concerned about how the story I am writing about Indigenous peoples will be perceived using my name. Although the protagonist is white, she has a part indigenous heritage in her former life.    But I have decided to stay as Liza Miles, unless there is a very good reason and it will help the book for me to use a pen name.

What was your hardest scene to write?

There is a love scene in one of the stories in Love BItes that was really challenging.  I didn’t want to write about the actual sex, but I did want to emphasis enthusiasm of one of the characters.  It took a few rewrites to get that right.  I am also having a challenge in the novel about Grace because I  want the scenes about her subjugation to be about what is wrong with what is happening.  The opposite to 50 shades which I have not read.

[image error]Love Bites

How long on average does it take you to write a book & story ? 
Love Bites took four months to come together and publish, that said I started with several characters and ideas for four of the stories (out of seven).  The final story, which is only 2000 words took me an afternoon to write and another half day to edit.

I think at the moment I can write 70,000 words, edits and re-writes in six months.  When I first started it took me almost a year to complete 30,000 words.  The writing muscle, once exercised, is amazing and I need to write every day.  On days when I am not working on one of the stories, I do motivators, poems and random creative writing for at least half an hour.

Thank you, Liza for joining me in the Clubhouse Tearoom for our chat.

Thank you, Paula. It was fun to do, and really helpful.

Below is some links to Liza’s book and Facebook page
Liza’s Book Link: Love Bite Liza’s Facebook Page: Love Bites

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

Guest’s Book Tour: Jill Girardi

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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 Marta Dzedyshko on Pexels.com

Today I’m lucky enough to be chatting to Jill Girardi writer turn publisher. Welcome the Clubhouse. I’m so glad you managed to find us okay. It is a bit off the beaten track. I’ve ordered the drinks.

Thank you so much for invite us, Paula. It was pretty easy to find, once you knew where to look.

You’re welcome. My first question is when did you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I used to run a record label called Razorback Records with my close friend, Billy Nocera. The label had (and still has) a horror theme to it. Billy lives and breathes horror and pretty much taught me everything I know about it. Being immersed in it every day for over a decade, it was only natural that I chose the horror genre when I finally decided to go after my dream of being a writer.

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

My strongest point is probably being able to write with clarity. It’s easy for me to write coherent sentences that anyone can understand. Nothing is worse than reading a book and trying to wade through jumbled sentences. There are a million things I’d like to do better. I tend to write in a ‘bare bones’ matter and have to go back in and try to add extra details later. I’d like to actually be able to get the scenes I come up with sound as glorious on paper as they do in my head. Haha.

[image error]The Fabulous Jill Girardi

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 currently working on my Hantu Macabre/Haunt Macabre book series. It’s going slowly, as I’ve started rewriting the book for a Western audience (it was originally written for a Malaysian/Asian audience) and I am also in the very beginnings of the second book in the series.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Four to five projects, I think? A couple of them are finished, but I wrote them when I had just started my writing journey and boy, are they awful! But they do have potential. I’d like to try and rewrite them one day now that my skills have developed a bit more.

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

1. Daphne DuMaurier – Her “Echoes from the Macabre” collection is a dream collection. Every story is horror gold. It is my utmost desire to be able to write a story such as any of the ones found in this book.

2. Brandon Scott – His “Vodou” series is bar none the best series I’ve read in a long time. I also have the pleasure of calling him a dear friend. I have learned so much about writing from him. I read his books like author textbooks!

3. Tunku Halim – Tunku Halim is a Malaysian author who has been referred to as the Stephen King of Malaysia. I stumbled upon his books when I was living in Malaysia and immediately bought up everything I could find of his. He is one of those authors who makes you say, “I want to do that too!”

4. Ni Kuang- This man is a novelist and screenwriter. He has written over 400 screenplays, many of them for Shaw Brothers martial arts movies. As a huge fan of these films, I have been touched time and time again by what he has created, and it has definitely influenced my writing, especially when I write stories set in China.

5. Anita Amirrezvani – Another author I stumbled across while living in Malaysia. Although she also is not a horror author, her book “The Blood of Flowers” is so incredible that it made me dream of one day crafting a story like that.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Many! The main character in my book series is named Suzanna Sim- Suzanna after the famous Indonesian scream queen, and Sim after one of my dearest friends whose last name is Sim. There are plenty of other characters in my books based on historical people such as Mona Fandey (A Malaysian pop singer turned murderous witch doctor), Ichiro Suzuki (a Japanese baseball player), Leon Lai (a Chinese pop idol) and even several of my friends.

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

I am actually a 300 year old chupacabra currently inhabiting the body of a small woman.

Did you uncover things about yourself while writing your books (or stories, play, poem) whether that be a long forgotten memory, a positive experience etc.

I tend to exorcise my demons by turning painful moments from my past into horror stories. I often find myself surprised at the long forgotten emotions I dredge up. It’s very cathartic.

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Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

I sometimes wish I had used a pseudonym as it would be nice to have a beautiful sounding, flowing name instead of the one my parents graced me with. I do have one martial arts/fantasy story published under a pseudonym, however.

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

It takes me forever! I wish I was as prolific as you, Paula, and also Dawn DeBraal. The two of you accomplish more in a year than I have in six!

LINKS:

http://www.kandishapress.com

Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @kandishapress

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Please check out the Clubhouse Bookshop for the Latest News of members’ books. The Clubhouse Bookshop is free to join too.

Guest’s Book Tour: Sally Zigmond

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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 talking to Sally Zigmond in the Clubhouse Tearoom. Welcome Sally.

Hello Paula. Long time no see.

It has been awhile Sally. Let’s order before we chat. Anything you fancy?

That asparagus quiche looks absolutely delicious and what’s that? A glass of iced tonic water plus a lemon slice. Thank you. Just need to make myself comfy. So where do I start?

First, I would like to ask you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

How long have you got? I can bore for England about my writing. Right. I began writing in earnest when my two boys were well-settled into senior school and I had some time on my hands. I took a few adult education classes run by the local council – remember them? When I’d had enough of pottery and jewellery-making, I hit on “Writing for Profit and Pleasure.” I wasn’t interested in the former (just as well) but it renewed my teenage passion for writing. I then discovered a new small magazine dedicated to writing by women for women. This is how I came to know lovely Jo Derrick who was the first editor to have faith in me. I haven’t seen her for ages but I know if we both walked into a cafe, bar or book event, we would continue where we left off; the same with you, Paula.

I first wrote contemporary short stories to find my feet and discover my voice – yes, I know – mixed metaphor! Very soon my stories were historical and long. Now I still write short stories every so often but consider myself a historical novelist.

[image error]Ivy Lord, Sally Zigmond, and Paula

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

Tell me a writer who hasn’t! I have loads of half-written stories on file in various stages of development.  My novel writing is different. When I feel I have edited a novel into a reasonable shape, I’ll keep on submitting to at least 30 different outlets until it’s published – not always with a good result. As yet, I’ve never had the support of an agent for more than a couple of months or any publisher whom I feel really happy with apart from the covers. (I love all my covers!) It would be great to have an agent who believes in me plus a viable publisher. There’s nothing wrong with self-publishing but you need supreme confidence and the ability to cope with nasty critics. I’d crumble into a heap of sodden tissues  It’s not for me.

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

That’s easy, Paula! I love writing dialogue and, luckily, I somehow find it easy,  possibly because I am a quiet person who loves to overhear strangers chatting on buses, trains and cafes etc, not to be nosy – well not really – but to see how they communicate and try to work out their relationship or whether they like or love each other. It’s a great way to find characters and relationships for fiction and I also find long pauses can say more than words.

But I wish I could write more quickly. I’m a cautious person, a tortoise rather than a hare. I am amazed that many of my writer friends can write well over 1,000 words a day.  Not only that, but many have that elusive agent, a big publisher and deadlines to meet. Yes, I envy them but know that the only thing I can do is t follow Samuel Becket’s golden rule: “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

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

Only five, Paula? You are cruel! Fortunately, My English Literature course at Uni covered most well-known poems, plays and novels. Some I still read, but not the most famous. So I prefer Ann Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Jane Austen’s  Persuasion and Our Mutual Friend by Dickens. I always reread the novels of Barbara Comyns and Penelope Fitzgerald.

My five favourite historical novelist are Elizabeth Chadwick, Andrew Taylor, Elizabeth Freemantle, Antonia Hodgson and, of course, my good friend, Nicola Slade. I love the police procedurals written by Ann Cleves, Elly Griffiths, Ian Rankin, and William Shaw. Have I ever told you that throughout my adult life I was a bookshop employee?  My dream is to own my own bookshop, fill it with books and cats and live in the flat above.

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

I am currently on my ninety-ninth-whatever draft of a novel set in the 14th  century based on the Yorkshire village where I lived until recently. I’m having fun editing, cutting and getting new ideas  and it’s getting better every day – according to my evil inner critic. I am currently half-way through an intensive six-month online historical novel course which is helping enormously but is keeping me from concentrating on my WIP.

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

I am a total pantser. If I started with a detailed synopsis, I would be bored to death. To me, writing a novel is like being an explorer in an unknown world. I have a beginning and an end but never know the journey in between. I like meeting new characters along the way. Are they friend or foe? Who knows? Time only will tell.

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

I always start with the most basic research. I began with a place. I have written short stories based on places I have never visited but I couldn’t do that with a novel. I have to feel, smell and soak in the atmosphere  – smell the coffee, as it were. Then what was the weather like? My novel begins during The Great Famine but before The Black Death. Who was on the throne? Edward II, it so happens whose murder was the most gruesome ever. (Not that this is mentioned at all as it’s in the future.) Was the country at war – yes, as it happens with the Scots.

So that was a start. Then come all the details that will form the plot and the narrative drive – and so on. So you see, for me, research is a long process. Then I start writing – maybe write a short story to get a feel for it If I come across something I haven’t a clue about, for instance, there’s a lot about sheep and shepherding in my WIP. I have talked to farmers, read loads of books, both contemporary and historical, fiction and fact. I find agricultural shows and sheep-dog trials provide me with nuggets of information I can cobble together. Mind you, I doubt if I could fool the Yorkshire Shepherdess! Then there’s the religious communities in Yorkshire in the 14th century. What were they like? Research never ends but with historical novels, most has to be discarded or else you’ll be in danger of massive info-dumping which kills some historical novels stone dead.

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

In the 1970s I worked in the London branch of Interpol as a French and Spanish translator. Looking back I couldn’t believe how much alcohol was consumed and how sexist office life was then. We women had to put up or shut up.

How many hours in a day do you write?

Not enough. In my ideal world I would write all day. I am like an old steam engine. When I start, I huff, puff and chug slowly building up a head of steam and when I’m going there’s nothing that can stop me. If the door bell or the phone rings then wham. I come to a full stop and I might not be able to write again that day.

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

As I set all my novels in Yorkshire, I look for the names of  Yorkshire villages or Yorkshire trades. With historical novels, you have to be so careful with first names. If you call your Victorian miss, Sandra, you kill your credibility stone dead. Do I know everything about them? Not at first. It’s like meeting a totally new person.

It’s high time I shut up, Paula. And we haven’t spoken about Stone Angels, yet, but it’s right at the top of my TBR pile.
Thank you so much for joining me today, Sally. It’s been lovely to meet up again. I think we should try some of the lovely cakes

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When hobbies become lifesavers. During lockdown my husband’s hobby of repairs bicycles

Guest’s Book Tour: Carl Plummer

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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]English Breakfast tea and crumpets

Today I’m chatting with Carl Plummer. Welcome to clubhouse tearoom, Carl. Shall we order now? What would you like?

A very strong Twinings English Breakfast Tea for me, please (just a dash of milk). Toasted crumpets with salted butter would not be pushed aside.

While we wait for our drinks can I start by asking you when you first begun your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre? 

I decided to write what I wanted to read.

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

I think my dialogue is okay – the voices of the characters very distinct. I tend to overwrite descriptions – especially the pastoral stuff and I tend to get a bit too Sir Hubert Parry.

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

Plenty of mulling – and an idea that came into my head while writing the last book. Still mulling – but about half-way through.

[image error] British expat author Carl Plummer

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

I have 2 finished projects – Pelham and the Plan on the Clapham Omnibus, (soon to be under the searing eye of my editor), Pelham on Tin Islands, and one work-in-progress – working title Pelham and the Man with the Mandolin. 

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

No synopsis at first. I have a starting point – a scene in my head, and a final scene. I work my way from first to last. Often, the first scene (chapter) may become 2nd or 3rd and the last scene may become penultimate or ante-penultimate.  Not very disciplined, maybe, but I remember John Le Carré talking about this in an interview, years ago. And if it is good enough for him…the only difference being, he is a brilliant author…and me…well….

I am very ‘character led’ – give them a situation and watch them do something stupid.

[image error]Carl Plummer book cover

Choosing only five of your favourite authors, or screenwriter, or poet, and can you list them in order 1 begin the top of your list and say how have they influenced your writing?

An unfair question, maybe not, but a difficult question if looking for a definitive answer. I must put Cervantes at the top, only wishing he had written more. (If I choose him, that makes six authors – but he cannot go unmentioned – we novelists owe it to him. Can we take that as read?).

Rex Stout, Raymond Chandler, P.G. Wodehouse – and I am not going to put them in order. They all have a narrative wit, as if talking to just you, because you are in the know – you understand, you are taken into their confidence. Maybe it is the first-person narrative they use so much. I think that is what got me into writing first-person narrative. When I write, I feel I am talking to someone who understands, someone who gets the jokes. All havebeautiful prose, with action, with humour, adventure, and moments of darkness, and distinctive voices.

Screenwriter: I would choose Alan Plater. (Born in Jarrow, brought up in Hull, where I were born). He has written so much, but my favourites would be his Beiderbecke series: The Beiderbecke Affair, The Beiderbecke Tapes and The Beiderbecke Connection. He has done so many things, including some Mrs. Marple, Dalziel and Pascoe, Inspector Lewis, Maigret, Campion, and way back in the 70s, some Softly, Softly.

He is maybe what can be described as a jobbing writer – akin to a session musician – and they are invariably the best – they have paid their dues, like all the great singers and guitarist of the 60s and 70s before they became famous.

This may sound a bit silly, but I like his wry humour; (apologies for the wryly – breaking a writer’s rule) there is a gentleness to his humour, if that makes sense.

Influence on me – the humour, I hope.

Poet: My go-to poet when I feel like a dose of verse is Derek Walcott. His Homeric narrative poetry is lyrical, with mixtures of Caribbean, patois, French Creole, and English. The language is so rich, and there is always a sense of journey, escaping, and going into the unknown.  I wish we had more of him on audio, reading. Omeros is perhaps his most famous work, but for anyone new to him, I would suggest The Schooner Flight from The Star-Apple Kingdom. You can ‘hear’ the words. You can ‘feel’ the words – the hot sand, the sea, the sea-salt winds. Influence on me – the imagery, making the reader hear and feel. (Sounding a might pretentious there – sorry).

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

I spend a great deal of time on research – and will often get lost in a subject while doing so. A good teacher knows 50 times more than what he/she is teaching; I think the same should be with writing.

What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

No real schedule. My students take up so much time, many of them sending me essays or snippets, or questions on WeChat late in the evening or at the weekend. I don’t mind that; I teach Theory of Knowledge and Literature, and their questions always prompt me to question things myself or send me delving into some research – things I can use in my writing.

Do you set yourself a daily word count?  

No. perhaps I should. I would if I could, but I would have to be living like a hermit in a cabin in a forest. (I would quite like that).

How many hours in a day do you write?

I have bouts. A bit like binge-drinking. Nothing for weeks then a whole weekend or an evening and night (a nuit blanche) – non-stop. I don’t do word counts; I don’t count hours – I write the scene. I spend hours going over a scene in my head – over and over again – for days, even weeks, until it is written in my head, description, dialogue, everything. Then it goes onto the page. Then leave it for a few weeks: edit – leave for a few weeks – edit. Edit, edit, edit. Cut, cut, cut.

Is that tea ready yet?

Yep. You enjoy your tea and crumpets while I let our readers know where to find out more about you, Carl.

Old Libraries and Amazing Books

[image error]Google photo of Harewood House.

When I go into rooms like the one above I want to find the oldest book in the room and hold it. I want the ghosts of the people that have held it to speak to me across the decades. I have several old books in my own collection and I would love to meet the people who have owned them.

To me the magic of books is throughout the ages people have respect the knowledge within and taken care of them. This is why so many amazing books have survived today. Books of magic spells portrayed in fairytales and used by witches and warlocks were simple books that other couldn’t read. In the future maybe kindles and iPad will be viewed in the same way, as access to the information contained within them isn’t available to others.

[image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error][image error]Some of the books I own. Some have their original owners names in.

While ebooks do have a place in today’s world they do needs to have a hard copy available too because there may come a time when access to the internet isn’t available or you’re not able to recharge them. A book can be opened by anyone. The words within can be decoded. Unlike a Ebook that no one can hold and will never have its own past or future. No ghosts to tell its history, no hands to turn its pages, no name hastily scribbled in the first, or marked with.

Within the pages of my book collection I find little notes and bookmarks. These tell me something about the people who once owned them. I have the whole family history of the Duck family. From births to death spanning across centuries. William Duck born Thursday morning March 19th 1809. I know he went on to marry and have children of his own.

[image error]Sad to think Plain Bill Duck died so young.

Guest’s Book Tour: Mehreen Ahmed

Welcome to my guest page. Here, every few days, I’ll be sharing a conversation, over tea and cakes, or maybe a glass of something stronger, if they are not driving, with a friend 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 Riyoko Wibowo on Pexels.com

Today, I’m pleased to chat with Mehreen in the Clubhouse

Thank you so much for this invite, Paula

Please can I start by asking you when you first began your writing journey what drew you to your chosen genre?

I had already read Tagore, Woolf, Joyce and Nazrul Islam among many others by then. They left a permanent impression in my mind. Consciously or unconsciously, I was attracted towards this genre, Literary Fiction, which emerged in my writing. I think in all honesty, it was the influence of such great minds in the first instance, which drew me towards my chosen genre.

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

I think so. When I was writing The Pacifist, a section in one of my chapters clearly reflects my mood. I was taking a nap one summer’s afternoon. When I woke up after the siesta, I was feeling really groggy and depressed. To cut my depression, I decided to work on the chapter. My mood was evident in the chapter. The result was that I felt, I had successfully projected a mood, which I had actually experienced. It was authentic.

[image error]The Fascinating Mehreen Ahmed

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

I based many of my characters on real people. I observe human nature closely. I think even though I say so myself, and try to portray them realistically in my novels, however, I often transcend reality as I do so.  I based the protagonist in Moirae, onthe character of a refugee I had once met for instance but reading it, I didn’t always seem it as him.

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

It took me about seven years to write The Pacifist. The Blotted Line took about five, Moirae about one year, Jacaranda Blues about two, and Snapshots about a quarter of a year. Now, the novel I am writing is like taking forever. Hmm. Grim.

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What was your hardest scene to write?

I always find it hard to write romance. The dialogues either sag or become stilted stereotypes. I just can’t seem to get it right when it comes to writing romance. I must have a cold heart that I can’t feel the passion’s fury. 

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Writing internationally and trying to make a name, I should have I guess. But what name would I have taken? Eastern name, Western name? It was too difficult to choose a name, so I decided to keep my own.

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

The Pacifist is a historical fiction set in the gold rush period in NSW early 19th century. I had done lots of research when I was writing this book. I had also learnt a lot about the gold rush period. With my other books, which are more or less just fiction, I relied on my observations. However, Snapshots, my travelogue through four continents, required some research into historical details, which I collated over my travels.

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How many hours in a day do you write?

I don’t think I can count hours as such. Some days, words flow like mountain spring and I would write for hours. Other days, they stagger like speed bumps. Those days are the hardest days.

How many unfinished projects do you have on your computer?

I have at least four, my second collection of short stories, Flash collection, nonfiction collection and a fully-fledged novel.

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

I hope they do. The element of surprise always keeps readers close. However, my love for nature they surprise them along with my portrayal of human conditions or even my style of writing in a stream of consciousness mode, which delves in the characters’ thoughts rather than their external behaviour. Hard to say.

Thank you so much for joining me today, Mehreen, it has been a delight to have this chat.
If you would like to read Mehreen’s books please check out the sites listed below.

Mehreen’s Amazon Author’s page

Mehreen’s Goodreads Page:

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My Little Writing Room

Today I received an email from my friend Kirsty asking me about my writing room.

Here’s the link to her blog if you would like to find out more. My Little Writing Room. Please be very quiet

Is Stone Angels an Intense Sensory Experience?

Wow, it’s amazing what you can find out about your novel by doing a random search on the net. I came across this site today Shaxpir Project. Linguistic for literature.

They say on their site: We’ve analyzed hundreds of millions of words, from thousands of different authors, training our linguistic models to recognize the most vivid words in the English language… the words that create the most intense sensory experiences: colors, textures, sounds, flavors, and aromas. Based on our analysis, we’ve scanned through the pages of this book to find the two pages at the extremes, both the most-passive and the most-vivid pages, so that you can compare them side-by-side and see the difference:

So what did I find out about ‘Stone Angels that I the author of the gothic crime novel didn’t known. Well, that my novel can be broken down into different categories: vividness, passive voice, all adverbs, ly-adverbs, and non-ly-adverbs. Yep, I know we writers must be careful about the numbers of words we use that end in ly.ie. Quickly, slowly etc.

I’ve never done a creative writing course but I do know when writing we should use all the five senses to create a vivid picture for our readers to experience our stories. The passive page Prosecraft has selected will be passive as it is mainly dialogue. Click here to read it for yourself. Do I think it is worth signing up to use this company as their site says, Does your story have a heart