Ellie Rees's Blog - Posts Tagged "indie-writer"

I was recently sat down with my family enjoying a curry while we watched something nondescript on the television. An advert for the recently adapted ‘Noughts and Crosses’ television series appeared (it’s incredible, by the way, please go watch it) and it just so happened that I was reading a book that I thought would make an excellent television show which made me think this would make a most excellent blog post.

I’d just like to clarify that television and film are not superior to books and vice versa; I truly believe that all these forms provide different types of audience experience that help them engage with a text in a special way that is unique to them. In fact, there was one particular book I wanted to place on this list but I just think it’s too perfect as it is (of course I’m not a television and/or film producer so what do I know?!)

Below are a few books that I love and think would make great television programmes or films, please feel free to add your own. As you will see once you start reading, my literature interests are somewhat varied…

The Time Rep Series by Peter Ward
I absolutely love this series and have followed it since the first book, ‘Time Rep,’ came out in 2013. The story focuses on Geoffrey Stamp, a 21st century dwelling male, who is recruited by a company called Time Tours from the 31st century to act as a travel guide to tourists from the future.
The series consists of three books and each one is silly, suspenseful and sci-fi goodness in equal measure. His writing is very reminiscent of Douglas Adams, which I particularly enjoyed in the most recent book ‘Time Rep: Pandemonium’ as his digs at popular television shows and Brexit genuinely made me chuckle.
I can definitely see this working as a television series as there’s so many elements to it than can be explored and amplified. I’d love to see how the various time periods would come to life and the scrapes the characters would find themselves in. I’m just a sucker for a time traveller story.

Who’s That Girl? by Mhairi McFarlane
I could have picked any of McFarlane’s books to put on this list; her characters are so relatable and they have some of the most believable dialogue I’ve ever read, even though they always seem to be in pretty unbelievable situations.
I chose ‘Who’s That Girl?’ because the central character, Edie, is sarcastic, intelligent, hilarious and basically everything I love about a female lead. She also goes through some shit and handles it like a boss (and by that I mean she still expresses and acknowledges emotion without the bastards fully getting her down, so to speak. Women don’t have to be an emotionally void robot to be empowering, see previous blog posts.)
The main premise of the book is that Edie attends a colleague’s wedding and ends up kissing the groom; chaos ensues and she ends up moving back to her hometown of Nottingham in a bid to hide away from the bullies. It’s such an accurate portrayal of how women are treated in society while still being really bloody funny. And it’s one of the sweetest romance stories you’ll ever read.
I know the rom-com seems to be dead or a dirty word these days but I think that this book has the potential to bring the genre firmly up to date. Edie is a wonderful romantic heroine and, yes, she does conform to some tropes because it is a romance novel but I never feel like she’s a victim of the genre and is the kind of character I’d like to see more of on screen.

Boy: Tales of Childhood and Going Solo by Roald Dahl
Why hasn’t anyone made a biography about this incredible human’s life?! Just why? The man had one of the most adventurous and interesting lives to have ever existed from the moment he was born and I know that I would be running to buy a ticket if his story ever made it to the big screen.
For anyone who has read the books the ‘Great Mouse Plot of 1924’ is a particular standout moment that would just be brilliant on the big screen as well as his time as a fighter pilot in WWII. And can you imagine all of that with some Quentin Blake illustrations thrown in, too? Magical.
Just someone go make this, please.

This blog and more can be found on my website https://elliereeslikestowrite.com/ell...

04/08/2020

An Ode to Myths

I have a confession to make. I’m a big old myth nerd. I just love them. From Ancient Greece to the Welsh myths I grew up with; I am gripped by them all.

I can’t pinpoint when this love affair began but I’m pretty sure it’s been for at least 90% of my life. As a child, like most who grew up in Wales, I learnt about the stories that have been interwoven into our collective history (especially in the lead up to St. David’s Day where, no doubt, you would have to draw your own version of a myth or recite the story as part of the school’s Eisteddfod. And for those not from Wales, google Eisteddfod.) The myth that always sticks out for me, and I’m still not sure why even after all these years, is that of Gelert. He was a brave dog who fought off and killed a wolf that was attempting to attack his master’s son but when the prince returned he saw blood dripping from Gelert’s mouth, assumed the dog had killed his and son and promptly plunged his sword into the poor thing. It wasn’t until he heard the baby crying and saw a dead wolf next to him that the prince realised what a prick he’d been.

Wales is built on these types of stories and I relish them being a part of my heritage. For those of you that have read The Arben Bridge you’ll hopefully notice a few nods to these myths in there as I felt they encapsulated the otherworldly universe I was trying to create.

I also love the myths of Ancient Greece and Rome and I’ve spent years trying to learn more about them. I was lucky enough to visit Rome when I was fifteen and as the tour guide explained the Romulus and Remus myth I was standing there eyes wide open absorbing everything he was saying and determined to learn more (meanwhile my brother was standing there wondering when we were going to eat pasta again.)

During lockdown I have discovered the wonderful podcast ‘Let’s Talk About Myths Baby,’ which I would encourage anyone with an interest in ancient myths to listen to because Liv the host is hilarious, and my love for this world has only grown. They are completely ridiculous and the women are always, always, always wronged which incites a huge rage within me and yet I am addicted! I think it’s because so many of our words and basis for our stories come from this time that I find myself utterly fascinated. Plus, as mentioned, the stories are so over the top you just have to embrace it and love them.

I don’t think it’s hard to make the link between my love of myths and why I like to write stories. No matter the setting there’s always a sense of right or wrong (in the context of the time period, I’d like to add), a great conflict and a character we’re either rooting for hoping get’s his or her comeuppance. Stories are an integral part of how we interact with one another; it’s how we learn and attempt to understand the mad world that we live in. I recently attended an online event hosted by the networking organisation Warrior Women on this very subject and the emphasis that the speakers placed on telling your story not only highlighted how it connects us to other people but, in a business context, also enables you to stand out and grow your brand.

Myths have been my gateway into storytelling and I am proud to continue to get my nerd on and learn as many as I can. The history and grandiosity of them all is simply delicious and, in all honesty, I feel like I owe them a huge debt because without them I wouldn’t have this drive to create outrageous stories for people to, hopefully, enjoy.

To read this blog and more visit my website at www.elliereeslikestowrite.com

As much as I love reading, in non-pandemic years, I don’t do nearly enough of it as I’d like. However, one of the few positives to come out of 2020 is that I’ve been able to devour more books than I usually would. Here, in no particular order, are five of my favourite fiction boos that I’ve read this year.

N.B These books didn’t come out this year, I just read them this year!

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
If you have frequented my social media pages this year you will know how much I adore this book. My friend lent it to me with a ‘This book is so you, you HAVE to read it’ and I replied with a ‘Sure, thank you’ and got to reading. Within a few chapters I was hooked and finished it within two days.
The book follows the story of famous actress Evelyn Hugo as she recounts her life story and her many husbands, starting in the heyday of glamourous 1950s Hollywood. The characters are well developed, the storyline is filled with dramatic twists and the central love story had me smiling and weeping on every page. I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I do but I now consider myself a superfan and will happily talk about it for days on end!

Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
I had been reticent to read this book for years as I don’t tend to get on very well with older texts. I understand the value they have in the literary canon, but I usually find myself frustrated by the plot, the characters or both, and after years of feeling guilty about it I finally decided that I don’t have to be and they’re simply not to my taste. However, I finally gave in after it was forced into my hand by a friend (the same friend who recommended Evelyn Hugo; she keeps me on the straight and narrow when it comes to books.)
This was a slow burn for me but I found myself turning the pages and trying to work out where things were going so before I knew it I was completely invested and eager to read as much as possible.
Rebecca focuses on the central character who is only ever referred to as Mrs de Winter and the second wife of the older Maximilian de Winter. When she moves into his familial home, once run by Max’s now deceased first wife, Rebecca, she finds it impossible to feel at home and make her mark on the place. As the plot progresses, we learn more about how this aristocratic world behaves and the relationships that the new Mrs. de Winter has found herself tied up in.
I’m so glad that I finally got over myself and read this because not only is the story fantastic, but the writing is also top level and genuinely inspiring. I read the whole book thinking ‘I wish I could write like this!’

The Flatshare, Beth O’Leary
This is a romcom with bite. I am partial to a romcom, especially those by Mhairi McFarlane (more on her later), and this one has been doing the rounds a lot on Instagram this year so I thought it would be a good lockdown read.
The Flatshare follows the lives of Tiffy and Leon as they become flatmates except, not really. Rather than sharing a flat in the traditional sense, Tiffy rents the flat for the evening and morning and Leon rents it for the day time, including the only double bed in the flat. As a result, the characters don’t meet for a while and their relationship grows primarily through sticky notes.
The book also touches on some hard-hitting issues including emotional abuse and the false imprisonment of Leon’s brother; both of which I feel were handled really well considering it’s a genre that is usually more fluffy. However, I appreciate that I’m lucky enough to not have experienced those things so understand that I could be wrong.
O’Leary writes with a warmth and humour that really does bring these characters to life in such a way that I found myself routing from them from the start. I’d also quite like to grab a few drinks with Tiffy because she sounds like the kind of bonkers woman I’d get along with.

The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller
You may already know that I’m a Greek mythology nut and this year in particular I have been striving to learn more about these ancient stories. I had wanted to read The Song of Achilles for years but, similar to Rebecca, I was always a bit intimated. I think I worried that the language would be too intelligent for me and there’s always a concern that a book with so much hype then turns out not to be enjoyable. Of course, none of this was true and I fell in love with the story within about five pages.
Miller retells the story of Achilles from his childhood to his time in the Trojan war from the perspective of his beloved Patroclus. I thought this was genius as you’d expect a story this epic to be told by the protagonist but Patroclus understandably gives a new perspective on this legendary hero. This perspective also gives the story an air of mystery to Achilles which I liked. After all, there are so many versions of Achilles’ life that it seems fitting for there to still be a few questions about what he was up to when Patroclus couldn’t see or be with him.

If I Never Met You, Mhairi McFarlane
As mentioned, I am a big fan of Mhairi McFarlane’s books. She writes romcoms with characters that perfectly encapsulate modern living and all the trials and tribulations that come with it. Her dialogue is also hilarious.
If I Never Met You plays into the trope of a fake relationship and although it’s a predictable storyline, as I appreciate most romcoms are, it’s McFarlane’s characters that always win me over. The central character, Laurie, is dumped by her boyfriend of eighteen years and embarks on a fake relationship with her co-worker to make said boyfriend jealous and win him back. However, there’s more to it than that and Laurie is one of the most realistic female characters I’ve ever read. She has her struggles at home and at work, yet her humour doesn’t really fade and her grit always shines through.