Laura Lyndhurst's Blog, page 2

Low Expectations

When I was a child the BBC produced very good dramatisations of the Classics. They used to show them at around 5 p.m., just before what I suppose would have been called ‘high-tea’—an early meal, lighter than dinner but replacing it, and only on Sundays. In our house t always consisted of seafood and salad—both of which I hated—along with bread and margarine—which I hated more—so the TV adaptations were the hight point of my Sunday afternoons.

These screenings of the works of Charles Dickens, R. D. Blackmore, Susan Coolidge and others were shown early because they were suitable for children, and were my own personal route into developing my skills at reading, which I’d enjoyed as soon as I’d begun learning when I’d started school. I’ve told the following story before, so if you’ve heard it, please bear with me. When I was seven I loved the BBC Lorna Doone so much that I couldn’t wait several weeks for the end, so took my saved-up pocket money and bought the book—my first-ever book purchase—so that I could find out sooner. Unfortunately the villain’s death scene on TV didn’t match up to the book, but special effects weren’t so sophisticated back then. Whatever, I was hooked, and books became a big part of my life—due in the main to on-screen adaptations.

Which is why I’m pretty disappointed with what’s on offer at present—Great Expectations, allegedly. I wasn’t going to watch it, judging from the trailer, but then I read that it had been filmed in Shrewsbury, part of it in the street where an old acquaintance lives, so of course I now have to watch so that I can play ‘spot the building’. I’ve only seen one episode so far, and haven’t seen the street or house, but it’s not encouraging.

To begin with, where Dicken’s book begins with Pip in the graveyard and the truly terrifying Magwitch starts up from among the graves to confront him, this adaptation sees fit to spend time giving us the convict’s backstory—as though there isn’t enough material in the book to fill out at least six episodes. Additionally, the child protagonist Pip is here shown rather too knowing and certainly too foul-mouthed—hardly a good role-model, I would have thought—while Joe Gargery, his blacksmith brother-in-law, is elevated above the childlike simplicity which makes him the moral centre of the story. As for Estella—it must be galling to Miss Havisham that, after all the care she’s taken to raise a haughty, proud, man-hating sociopath, she’s emerged with just another sulky teenager.

Worst of all though, this adaptation is being shown at the watershed of 9 p.m.—I can’t be the only child that was encouraged in her love of books by TV adaptations, so how is this helpful in continuing such encouragement? It’s not suitable for children, I hear those critics say, who’ve had a preview of the entire series. I repeat therefore—how is this helpful in encouraging children to read the wealth of classical literature that’s out there, and by association any other books at all?

It seems that Steven Knight, who’s responsible for this travesty, has claimed to have included material that Dickens would have used, had he not been at the mercy of the nineteenth-century censor—and which includes some kinky sexual practices, I’m reliably informed. I’m no prude, I’ve read quite a lot of that sort of stuff—but in Great Expectations? And how does Mr Knight know this for sure? Has Charles Dickens somehow been in touch from the hereafter?

Obviously there was an underbelly of society in Victorian London, complete with bad language, thieving, prostitution and the rest, and it’s equally clear that Dickens couldn’t give a graphic rendition on account of the heavy censorship of his times. He doesn’t do too badly though, with the thieves’ kitchen of Oliver Twist, complete with Fagin the fence, baddie Bill Sykes and Nancy the girl on the game—the latter suggested via hints rather than clear references. Does that mean though that we have add extra graphic content now? And thereby render it unsuitable to encourage upcoming generations?

I guess we live in Hard Times, but it’s a Bleak House where children can’t be encouraged to access the works of one of England’s finest writers.

To Be, or Not To Be?

I don’t watch the Oscar ceremony on TV. I don’t remember there ever being awards for best dental nurse, or office clerk, or whatever else I’ve done in my varied career over the years, so I don’t need to watch the acting profession doling out the statuettes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love films. We go to the local cinema every week, whatever’s on, and we haven’t had a dud yet. As far as I’m concerned though, actors are doing their job, same as everybody else, so I don’t need to watch them being rewarded over and above their pay-packet.

It's impossible however to ignore the plethora of news articles covering the Oscar ceremony, and one in particular took my attention this year. Angela Bassett was so fed up that the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress went to another that she sat stoney-faced and didn’t applaud the winner, Jamie Lee Curtis. As a result, Ms Bassett was praised for her ‘real reaction’ and for not expressing ‘feigned excitement’—and further, it was claimed that she had been ‘snubbed’, which bothers me.

The Oxford Languages dictionary defines ‘snubbed’ as meaning ‘to rebuff, ignore or spurn disdainfully’—and there’s also some contempt in there, according to other sources. It’s deliberate rudeness and nastiness, then, which is what I’ve always understood the word to mean. I’ve had a lot of job interviews down the years, frequently not being awarded the prize of the job at the end of the process. I was fed-up, certainly, but I didn’t think I’d been snubbed. The interviewing panel didn’t sit down with the express intention of being rude and contemptuous to me—they were there to find the applicant best-suited to the post—and it wasn’t me. I wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t what they were looking for. That’s life. I got over it, and found another job.

Ms Bassett wasn’t ‘snubbed’—she just wasn’t chosen, and nobody was asking her to display ‘feigned excitement’—although as a member of the acting profession she could have made a good job of it. All that was needed was to acknowledge the achievement of the one who beat her to the prize. It’s disappointing to not come first, but Angela Bassett was one of a small handful of nominees—as was I with my job interviews—and that’s quite an achievement in itself.

We all have to share this planet with each other, which isn’t always easy—but can you imagine how much worse it could be if we all showed a ‘real reaction’ on every possible occasion? What if I—for example—as an author, ignored all those memes and whatnots telling us that we’re not competing with each other but all in it together, meant to feel good for others who achieve something we don’t? What if I came out and said I hate with a passion all those authors who lament on social media that their daily KU page reads have inexplicably dropped from five thousand to four thousand? Or those people who show the screenshot evidence of their book having reached Number One on Amazon in its genre—often a genre so specialised that there are only half-a-dozen books in it anyway? Or those people who proudly display the rosette logo their book received from a one-person editorial company based in Scunthorpe? (Sorry, Scunthorpe). Or that friend who came second while I only made tenth in the AllAuthor cover competition? (Sorry, Marcia). And if we all behaved that way—.

See what I mean? And ‘mean’ is the operative word here. Go home, break the ornaments, drink yourself under the table, express your disappointment in private. But in public, crack a smile—a wry one, just to show you’re a good loser—or at the very least, put your hands together.

Play the game. Be kind.

Or do you disagree?

Independence Movement

I had an unpleasant experience last week, but I survived.

Seeking to find other outlets for my books, and encouraged by fellow indie authors whose books now grace the shelves of independent booksellers who support local authors, I approached an independent bookshop not ten minutes’ drive from my home.

It was settled within seconds of my approaching the proprietor—as soon as the word ‘Amazon’ left my lips. A dirty word, I was told. They don’t touch anything that’s had anything to do with that organisation. Their stock comes from one particular wholesaler and if I was part of that then they might consider me—but as things stood, no dice.

Well, yes, I had to concede. Many of us don’t have a lot of time for The ‘Zon, but if you’re in your sixties—like me—and don’t have maybe ten years to spend finding an agent who’s willing to take you, never mind a traditional publisher, then it’s a way to get your work out there. If I’d spent that long trying to get an agent for my first book I’d never have published the other five novels and four books of poetry that I now have to my name—and another couple on the way.

Oh. I was self-published too? Yes, I said, by now with a slight edge to my voice. As it was clear that my books were never going anywhere near the shelves of this particular establishment I could be frank—and managed to remain polite too. They didn’t think much of self-published authors there either. What a shame for them, I opined, as there are some very good self-published authors and books out there—and by the same token, some very bad ones released by traditional publishers, which I’ve had the displeasure of reading. Cringeworthy stories and badly edited—and I should know, I’ve worked as an editor.

At which point I left, with a flourish, I hope.

Those of you who’ve read You Know What You Did may recall that there’s a character who spends a considerable amount of time finding likely-looking self-published indies on Amazon, then reading and reviewing them on KU in order to give a helping hand to those authors—and that’s pretty much my position.
Of course, I’m one of what Amanda in the book calls ‘no-hopers’, but that’s okay, I can cope with it. What I can’t cope with is this blanket attitude that ‘self-published books are all bad books.’ It’s just not true, and I let the bookseller know my opinion.

So I repeat. There are bad self-published books, and I’ve read some of them—but I’ve also read some terrible books released by traditional publishers—presumably because they’re catering for a certain readership from whom they’ll make a lot of money. I won’t name those books, but suffice it to say that I was kicked out of the online ARC group of a traditional publisher because I gave honest, low-starred reviews to a couple of their books. They don’t want those sort of reviews, just high-starred ones, which is manipulation—yet it seems to be indie authors who get accused of that, via review swaps and so forth. Priceless, isn’t it?

By the same token, there are some very good books out there by the much-maligned self-published indies. If I hadn’t become one myself, and made contact with a whole bunch of others, just think what I’d have missed out on. The espionage romance of Amanda Sheridan, the gritty dystopian it-could-happen-tomorrow stories of Paul McMurrough, the come-through-adversity romances of Tracey Gerrard, the historical fiction of Marcia Clayton, the trials and tribulations of Onia Fox’s Jess, the brilliant Tristan Trilogy of Barbara Lennox—all to be devoured along with the Eclairs for Tea of multi-genre author Julia Blake.

There are so many more, and if I’ve missed you off the above list please forgive me. The point is that we’re a community, all giving a supportive and helping hand to each other. And I wouldn’t have missed that for all the paperbacks my non-supportive local bookshop won’t have on their shelves.

Their loss.

You Know What You Did
Laura Lyndhurst

Author Interview with Laura Lyndhurst

Fellow author Joseph Lewis interviewed me recently and has now published the results on his blog. If you'd like to read it, please go to

https://jrlewisauthor.blog/2023/02/18...

Thanks,

Laura

PUBLICATION DAY!

'INNOCENT, GUILTY' , a fourth book to follow the 'Criminal Conversation' trilogy, is now available on Amazon in ebook and paperback formats, and on Kindle Unlimited. If you've read and enjoyed the trilogy, why not find out what happened next in 'INNOCENT, GUILTY.' Here's the blurb:

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES…YET NOBODY WANTS TO TALK

It’s some years since the deadly events which decided Katie on her life course occurred, and matters seem settled for her and her extended family. Working, eating, sleeping, living and loving, they’re content to live a quiet life out of the limelight.

Life has other plans for them all, however. Several quirks of fate, along with one desperately-sought answer to a niggling question, ensure that events, and their lives, soon spiral out of control.

Solutions are sought, but there are no easy answers, and relationships come under pressure in the quest to do the right thing.

The innocence of some is obvious, as is the guilt of others, while elsewhere it’s not so clear-cut.

Difficult decisions have to be made, with results not always satisfactory, and repercussions which could echo down the generations.

Innocent, Guilty

PUBLICATION DAY!

'WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?', the sequel to 'YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID' is now available on Amazon in ebook format, with the paperback to follow in due course. If you've read and enjoyed 'YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID' then why not find out what happened next in 'WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?' Here's the blurb:


‘When you reach the top, the only way is down.’

Amanda Roberts knows this only too well. It’s been three years since her life imploded, with devastating consequences. But now she’s determined to build a new life for herself, and put the past behind her.

Meanwhile, her nemesis has scaled the heights as a rising star, to enjoy the view from the top of the tree.

Now though, it looks as if somebody else is unhappy, and gunning for both of them. Or is it just meant to look that way?

Amanda’s back. With attitude. But is she back for payback?

WHAT ELSE DID YOU DO?

Picture This

I haven’t written a blog in a while, possibly because few if any people tend to read them. I end up feeling like those guys who used to stand in the town square when I was young, waving a Bible or whatever and haranguing the masses—who pretty much ignored them.

I had an uncle who did this sort of thing in his youth, I’m reliably informed. He became a rabid Communist and used to go to Speakers’ Corner to brandish the Communist Manifesto and spread the word—and I’m sure he got ignored in his turn.

As his niece I’ve got something of the need to stand up and say my piece, although these days it’s through writing a blog—and most often getting ignored. Which brings me neatly back to where I began this one.

Why am I writing a blog again though, after all this time? It all began late last week, when I made and posted some memes, in these times of political turmoil in the UK—and promptly got my knuckles rapped in one Facebook group. Leave out the politics, I was told, it can be offensive and divisive, if you take it any deeper than this.

You don’t say. I was aware of that, even if I hadn’t spent many years attending social events in the cause of my husband’s employment, and where politics and religion were taboo subjects at dinners for just that reason. Very boring dinners they were too, for me anyway, as I can only make so much small talk. I played by the rules though.

As I did with my postings on Facebook. I had no intention of taking the thing any deeper, but I didn’t bother to point that out, along with the fact that the subjects I chose to pillory were pretty irrefutable, even by the most die-hards. The UK economy was tanked recently, a senior minister did jump ship on a flimsy pretext, we have gone through more Prime Ministers than I’ve had hot dinners this year and hey, why not elect the next one on the spin of a coin, a wheel of fortune or some similar method of random chance? Because that’s where we’re at in the farce that our government has become, and I for one will carry on our proud tradition of satirising such events.

Because it is a proud tradition, existing since the Ancient Egyptians, maybe before them, and hitting its peak in England in the 18th century when the likes of Swift, Pope and Defoe honed the art of biting satire to address social evils. Read Swift’s A Modest Proposal to see what I mean, if you haven’t already done so.

Pictorial satire moved towards greatness in the artworks of William Hogarth—who happens to have influenced my own writing. It reached a peak in the political cartoons of James Gillray, who pilloried kings and prime ministers in his work, and this is the root of modern cartoons in the media and memes on social media—which is where I come in.

A friend who likes my memes—and others like them—pointed out that, poke fun at the political situation as we might, it’s actually a frightening and embarrassing situation in which we find ourselves. That’s true, and it’s part of the point of the humour of these cartoons. We laugh at what we fear, especially if we feel powerless to do much about it. We could march on Westminster with our demands, and some will, but major change won’t happen anytime soon. Until that time comes we’ll do what we can, which includes making fun of the major players in this farce.

I won’t post my memes where they’re not wanted again though. Far be it from me to cause offence, or take it at being effectively told to get lost. I’ll just post in my own space, and those who don’t like what I’m saying won’t have to suffer it.

Thank you for reading—or not.

Finding Your Market

I might be due to the fact that I recently took part in a Facebook discussion about the difficulties authors face in marketing books on social media, but this morning I remembered an incident which may be relevant, being about books, if not about reading.

Many years ago I worked for a company which provided fruit machines and juke boxes to pubs, and was asked to bring order to the chaotic library which provided records for the juke boxes and which nobody was maintaining. Whilst sorting through the room’s contents, before shelving the records and creating a cataloguing system, I came across a quantity of explicit pornographic books and magazines hidden under the mess of vinyl. As it was lunchtime I left them on a table while I went out to get food and, while passing through the repair & servicing workshop on the ground floor of the building, I passed the time of day with one of the mechanics and told him of my discovery.

Imagine my surprise when I returned from lunch to find that the magazines and books had all disappeared.

Happily in this instance I was in possession of a product exactly right for an enthusiastic ‘readership’ located nearby. All it took was one small ‘advertisement’ for word to go round and ‘sales’ blossomed. If I’d had the stock I could have shifted that merchandise a thousand times over.

I think this memory reminds me that in our globalised society there is a market for our books, it’s just much harder to find the needles in the haystack. However, even if it seems hard going at times, it would be that much more difficult if we didn’t have social media. And I for one am grateful for that.

Editorial

Carrying out beta reads for fellow independent authors recently, I ran into trouble with regards to their punctuation and grammar. Discussions with the friends concerned yielded the information that there are several systems in play, rather than just one, these mainly being those of UK English and USA English. This was news to me, but I gave said friends the benefit of the doubt when assured that the latter system works differently to the former in terms of where speech-marks and full-stops are placed both when the speech forms an entire sentence on its own or is merely a section of a sentence. The problem with this, for me, seems to be that anyone trained in the UK system who reads something written in accordance with the USA system is going to assume that there are mistakes in such placement; and vice-versa.

And while on the subject of mistakes in text, don’t even get me started on the spell-checker operating in Word on my recently-acquired laptop. No matter how many times I set it for UK English, it keeps defaulting back to the USA variety. Even in that, however, it keeps making the most ridiculous suggestions that even someone totally illiterate would not use, and I’m forced to accept that this spell-check programme must have slept with whichever cyber-sleaze robot was interviewing for the post.

Being held to ransom by a psychotic spell-checker brings to mind an article which I recently read by a leading publishing house in which they announced that they would be dispensing with punctuation in all future publications. This incensed me, until I discovered that it had been a practical joke; the date was April 1st, after all. It seemed a rather negative gesture for this organisation to risk alienating their potential clients for the sake of a joke; however, given what I’ve said above, it may be that they have a point. Or should that be a period? or a full-stop?

NEW POETRY BOOK ‘SOCIAL CLIMBING AND OTHER POEMS’ PUBLISHED!

I am pleased to announce that I have this week self-published my fourth book of poems, entitled ‘Social Climbing and Other Poems’, on Amazon. It is available in both paperback and eBook form, the latter edition on Kindle Unlimited, if you subscribe to that.

The poems are mainly social comments, both comic and serious, in a book which was put together in conjunction with photographer Clive Thompson, the poems written to my interpretations of some of the photographs held in his extensive archives.

I have given the link to Amazon UK below; please change it to your nearest Amazon marketplace if you would like to read.

And if you do so, I hope you enjoy them; in which case, a review or even just a rating would be greatly appreciated.

Also please do check out Clive’s photographs, if you are in need, at https://www.alamy.com/portfolio/clive... and https://www.photos-clive.co.uk/

Social Climbing and Other Poems