Laura Lyndhurst's Blog, page 3
August 19, 2021
NEW POETRY BOOK ‘POET-POURRI’ PUBLISHED!
I am pleased to announce that I have this week self-published my third book of poems, entitled ‘Poet-Pourri’, 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, interspersed with some pieces of prose. They were written to either picture or word prompts given to me, or made up by me without recourse to prompts at all. The mixture of both long and short, written to pictures or without, along with some prose, brought to mind the idea of pot-pourri, and hence the title ‘Poet-Pourri’.
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.
Poet-Pourri
Many thanks,
Laura
The poems are mainly social comments, both comic and serious, interspersed with some pieces of prose. They were written to either picture or word prompts given to me, or made up by me without recourse to prompts at all. The mixture of both long and short, written to pictures or without, along with some prose, brought to mind the idea of pot-pourri, and hence the title ‘Poet-Pourri’.
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.
Poet-Pourri
Many thanks,
Laura
August 1, 2021
What’s in a name?
Am I the only person who experiences a little spark of interest when a character in a book, or even a TV programme or film, shares my name? Why is that? It’s not like I’m the only person in the world with that name, a very long way from it, yet there’s always that little bit more interest when someone there on the page or the screen shares my moniker.
There’s more reason for that feeling when you know there is a connection, of course. I recently used a friend’s name, and a rather unusual one at that, in a book. It was near the end, just a new person who had entered the story and who wasn’t going to be developed, just a passing reference. I published and forgot, until I got an excited text from said friend, who’d just turned the page and seen her name; she was both pleased and excited, hoping that ‘her character’ would be a good person. I had to tell her that this particular person wasn’t going anywhere, not in this particular text anyway, although I’ve had an idea recently where she might figure in some kind of sequel; so that’s one reader guaranteed, should that story ever see the light of day.
My own experience, even more recently, was not such a happy one. There was my name, in a text by a well-known and commercially-successful author who I won’t name, so I had that little frisson of excitement; what was her role in this story? Not a great one, as it happened. Within what was supposed to be a God-fearing society she’d broken at least four commandments, having coveted her neighbour’s husband, committed adultery with him, murdered her own husband and born false witness by framing someone else for the crime, with that innocent someone being executed, thus making my ‘namesake’ guilty of yet another murder. Someone else in the tale was aware of what had happened, but using their knowledge to manipulate the guilty woman, so at least she was living in constant fear by way of some kind of justice: but whether she ever paid in a more official capacity I don’t know, the story moving off in quite another direction.
I have to take my comfort from quite another heroine who gets her man in a famously happy-ever-after film ending. What’s been your experience?
There’s more reason for that feeling when you know there is a connection, of course. I recently used a friend’s name, and a rather unusual one at that, in a book. It was near the end, just a new person who had entered the story and who wasn’t going to be developed, just a passing reference. I published and forgot, until I got an excited text from said friend, who’d just turned the page and seen her name; she was both pleased and excited, hoping that ‘her character’ would be a good person. I had to tell her that this particular person wasn’t going anywhere, not in this particular text anyway, although I’ve had an idea recently where she might figure in some kind of sequel; so that’s one reader guaranteed, should that story ever see the light of day.
My own experience, even more recently, was not such a happy one. There was my name, in a text by a well-known and commercially-successful author who I won’t name, so I had that little frisson of excitement; what was her role in this story? Not a great one, as it happened. Within what was supposed to be a God-fearing society she’d broken at least four commandments, having coveted her neighbour’s husband, committed adultery with him, murdered her own husband and born false witness by framing someone else for the crime, with that innocent someone being executed, thus making my ‘namesake’ guilty of yet another murder. Someone else in the tale was aware of what had happened, but using their knowledge to manipulate the guilty woman, so at least she was living in constant fear by way of some kind of justice: but whether she ever paid in a more official capacity I don’t know, the story moving off in quite another direction.
I have to take my comfort from quite another heroine who gets her man in a famously happy-ever-after film ending. What’s been your experience?
July 9, 2021
Criminal Conversation Trilogy is now complete!
The Trilogy is complete and available in paperback and eBook format on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited.
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July 2, 2021
NEW BOOK RELEASE!
I’m pleased to announce the publication of the final text of my Criminal Conversation trilogy, entitled All That We Are Heir To. Available now on Amazon in both paperback and eBook format and on Kindle Unlimited in the latter.
All That We Are Heir To
All That We Are Heir To
May 17, 2021
Anniversary
I only realised this morning that yesterday, 16 May, was the one-year anniversary of the self-publication of my debut novel, Fairytales Don’t Come True.
One year later, and what a year it’s been. Arguably, I might not have published Fairytales quite so soon had it not been for the pandemic and lockdown giving me far more time to spend on writing, and it didn’t stop there. I’ve since published the sequel, Degenerate, Regenerate, as well as my first psychological suspense thriller, You Know What You Did and two books of poetry which I never in my wildest dreams expected to write; October Poems and Thanksgiving Poems & Prose Pieces.
I haven’t made it onto any bestseller lists just yet, but I’ve made some respectable sales of all five texts as well as a good and regular number of pages read on Kindle Unlimited. I’d like to have more reviews (which author wouldn’t?) but I have a respectable amount of these, mostly sitting at the top end of the star-rating system; and I’m slowly getting more.
People seem to be enjoying what I write, which is the main point and why I continue to bash away at the keyboard. The third book to follow Fairytales and Degenerate is almost ready for publication, with the next month to six weeks, I hope, and I have another psychological suspense thriller partly-written as well as an eclectic collection of poems which might make another small volume in the future.
Here’s to the next year of writing, hopefully under non-pandemic and unlocked conditions so that I can get a holiday away from it occasionally. Sitting on the shores of Lake Garda drinking wine and watching people pass by is a great way to gather new ideas, and I wish good holidays, good reading and good writing to you all.
One year later, and what a year it’s been. Arguably, I might not have published Fairytales quite so soon had it not been for the pandemic and lockdown giving me far more time to spend on writing, and it didn’t stop there. I’ve since published the sequel, Degenerate, Regenerate, as well as my first psychological suspense thriller, You Know What You Did and two books of poetry which I never in my wildest dreams expected to write; October Poems and Thanksgiving Poems & Prose Pieces.
I haven’t made it onto any bestseller lists just yet, but I’ve made some respectable sales of all five texts as well as a good and regular number of pages read on Kindle Unlimited. I’d like to have more reviews (which author wouldn’t?) but I have a respectable amount of these, mostly sitting at the top end of the star-rating system; and I’m slowly getting more.
People seem to be enjoying what I write, which is the main point and why I continue to bash away at the keyboard. The third book to follow Fairytales and Degenerate is almost ready for publication, with the next month to six weeks, I hope, and I have another psychological suspense thriller partly-written as well as an eclectic collection of poems which might make another small volume in the future.
Here’s to the next year of writing, hopefully under non-pandemic and unlocked conditions so that I can get a holiday away from it occasionally. Sitting on the shores of Lake Garda drinking wine and watching people pass by is a great way to gather new ideas, and I wish good holidays, good reading and good writing to you all.
April 28, 2021
FEELING GOOD!
I'm feeling happy today because another two 5* reviews have been given to ‘You Know What You Did’, I’m so pleased!
I’m thrilled to find out that one of them was awarded by Miranda Rijks, a highly-successful author of psychological suspense thrillers with more than a dozen books to her name. I'm so grateful to Miranda for reading my book and reviewing it on Amazon. This has made my day!
You Know What You Did
I’m thrilled to find out that one of them was awarded by Miranda Rijks, a highly-successful author of psychological suspense thrillers with more than a dozen books to her name. I'm so grateful to Miranda for reading my book and reviewing it on Amazon. This has made my day!
You Know What You Did
April 13, 2021
Review you?
I’ve been considering writing a blog about reviews for some time now, but hesitated; it’s an emotive and controversial subject, after all, and I wasn’t sure. Recently, however, I’ve had some interesting review-based experiences, and felt it was time to go on record with these.
We all want reviews as authors, right? Of course we do; reviews sell books, we’re told by those in the know, and the books sold generate more reviews. This is why traditional publishing houses form Advanced Reader Groups; they want their new releases to go out on release day with a ready-formed body of several dozen reviews to convince the reading public that this book is the new must-have book for their library. But how do those of us who are obliged to go it alone, the independent authors, go about getting these valued reviews?
One way, Amazon suggested when I, as a newbie-rookie-indie, had just self-published with them, was to hold Free Book Promotions. Basically, set a day, or two (weekends are good, people are home and at leisure), and advertise your promotion everywhere you can; to friends, on social media, your groups on Facebook and Goodreads, on Instagram, or wherever. There are endless possibilities for letting the reading public at large know that you will be letting them download the eBook version of your new book for free; and, oh yes, you’d be grateful if they’d leave a review please. Thank you.
Except that very few of them actually leave reviews. I must have given away several dozen books via these promotions, in the first six months after I published, but no more; only one, maybe two, of these free(down)loaders actually left a review. I’ve personally downloaded my share of others’ free books through these promotions, and I’ve always reviewed them; I review every book I read, now that I’m an author myself, for the record. If you buy a book, ‘you pays your money and you takes your choice’; fair enough. However, it seems only good manners (to me, anyway) that, if someone gives you a free gift, you reward them with a review. It doesn’t have to be anything large, ‘I loved this’ and five stars, or ‘I hated this’ and one star; these still count as reviews, to the Amazon logarithm which is taking note of these things, and if a book clocks up enough reviews (20 – 25, I’m told) it will get boosted to the ranks of those appearing in the ‘also bought’ category of their advertising. Fifty reviews, and it will appear in their newsletter plus other spotlight positions. But it seems very few of these will come from Free Book promotions, so no more of those for me.
The arranged Review Swap is a difficult area; those groups, on Facebook or Goodreads where a deal is done, ‘I’ll review yours if you’ll review mine’, and I’ve never personally gone that route. However, if I see that someone has read and reviewed one of my books, and that person turns out to be a fellow independent author, having a hard time making the big time, it seems only good manners to me to return the favour. However, where a swap is arranged before books change hands, I sense a problem. It seems to me that someone is not going to come out of the deal well, if honest reviews are given. One party may well get a 5*, but if they only give a 3* in return the other party will feel aggrieved and resentful; so both (if they’re ‘playing fair’ by the implications of the deal) will give 5*, whether the books warrant this or not, to avoid offending the other. Either way, it’s not a good outcome.
There’s another potential abuse going on here as well. I was once invited to join a group by a friend and, as she is someone whose judgement I trust, I accepted the invitation. However, I quickly experienced the very aggressive ‘selling’ within the group. I was flooded, within minutes of being there and having ‘Liked’ a comment, with offers to review mine if I’d review theirs, and advised that I needed to get into the action, and fast. Too much, too soon, for me; I made my apologies, and fled. Not before someone, however, had decided to ‘review’ my book; it wasn’t too long before I got a 5* review which, when I read it, I knew to be a fake. If it hadn’t been my own book I might not have twigged; but it was, and it was blindingly obvious that this person hadn’t read the book. They must have read the ‘Look inside’ preview on Amazon, drawn some conclusions about characters and possible action, and written a ‘review’ which I found embarrassing. I want reviews, but genuine ones, not fakes. Amazon apparently agreed with me, and soon removed it; and I never thought I’d say this, but I was glad. I give honest reviews and expect them in return. How this person managed to leave a review on Amazon without having bought the book is a mystery, given how strict they are in such matters, and I’m still trying to work that one out. However, so perish all such ‘reviews’; not for me.
Then there’s reviewing friends’ books; another uneasy area not unlike the ‘review swap’ scenario. The fact that they’re your ‘friend’, even if that is on Goodreads or Facebook and you wouldn’t know them if you passed them in the street, means that there’s always going to be some sort of pressure to give them a good review, even if you hate what they’ve written. I feel a little uneasy at times about what I’ve done and justify it by always trying ‘mark’ (I’m an ex-teacher, old habits die hard) texts in line with their genre; meaning that I wouldn’t compare an erotic romance (for example) to a finely-crafted work of literary fiction to the detriment of the former; each is viewed within the parameters of its genre, so the erotic book, if a good example of its kind, can get 5* just as the more literary work can get only 1*, if it’s not well-executed.
And then of course there’s the paid review, which all those in the know tell you is a no-no. I recently opened an Instagram account, the better to publicise my work, and was delighted when I received Likes for the cover picture and blurb for my latest book, as well as for pictures of the three 5* reviews which I’d received for it in the first week after publication; this from a book blogger with a following in the region of 2,500 followers. It was late at night and, pleased at the thought of the advertising potential, I sent a message. When I woke up in the morning, the answer was there; this blogger charges for reviews, and would let me know how to proceed if I was interested. I replied politely to the effect that I don’t charge for my own reviews and don’t pay for them either, thanked the blogger and received equally-polite thanks.
I get that everyone has to make a living, and that some people have chosen to do it in this way, but I don’t like it. Firstly, the ‘Likes’ given to my work were now cheapened to someone touting for business, rather than liking the look of my book as a potential read. And secondly, like the review-swaps and friend-swaps already discussed, bringing money into the equation skews the whole deal. If you pay and get 5*, are you going to think that maybe, just maybe, that’s what you get for your money, even if you know your book could be better? Or, if you get 1*, you’re going to feel aggrieved and cheated, because you think your book is better than that.
I’ve also encountered people whose sense of reviewing is skewed; like someone who told me that ‘I don’t give reviews below 3* out of respect to the author’; what kind of attitude is that? If everyone did that then every book, however bad, would go out with a bevvy of only 4* and 5* reviews and then some members of the paying public would inevitably feel cheated. If I go to a restaurant and have a bad meal, I resent it. If a friend tells me the next week that they’re considering going to that restaurant, do I keep quiet and not tell them about my own bad experience ‘out of respect for the chef’? Of course I don’t, and it’s the same with books. People deserve to know all opinions, from 5* down to 1*, so that they can make up their own minds with the fullest range of evidence before them. Having said which, what about readers, confronted with that range of reviews from people they have never met. How do they decide which opinion coincides with their own? How can they possibly know? It all comes down to chance, in the end.
There may be other forms of reviewing of which I’m unaware, but I think I’ve covered the main ones, and I don’t like what I see. What will I do? I’ll carry on reading the books that I want to read and giving them honest reviews; even if that means I lose friends who don’t like what I’ve said (it’s happened already), or upset strangers because I got rather carried away in my review and included what they considered a spoiler (that happened too; I apologised and adjusted the review. I can take criticism as well as hand it out, I hope). I even got kicked out of an ARC group because my reviews were too honest. I wish I’d managed to jump before I was pushed on that one, but I sent them a withering e-mail which they probably didn’t read and I now consider my expulsion a badge of honour.
We can't do away with reviews; it's all gone too far and we can't do without them. But hasn't it all got rather too complex? If anyone can come up with a good alternative, please let me know.
We all want reviews as authors, right? Of course we do; reviews sell books, we’re told by those in the know, and the books sold generate more reviews. This is why traditional publishing houses form Advanced Reader Groups; they want their new releases to go out on release day with a ready-formed body of several dozen reviews to convince the reading public that this book is the new must-have book for their library. But how do those of us who are obliged to go it alone, the independent authors, go about getting these valued reviews?
One way, Amazon suggested when I, as a newbie-rookie-indie, had just self-published with them, was to hold Free Book Promotions. Basically, set a day, or two (weekends are good, people are home and at leisure), and advertise your promotion everywhere you can; to friends, on social media, your groups on Facebook and Goodreads, on Instagram, or wherever. There are endless possibilities for letting the reading public at large know that you will be letting them download the eBook version of your new book for free; and, oh yes, you’d be grateful if they’d leave a review please. Thank you.
Except that very few of them actually leave reviews. I must have given away several dozen books via these promotions, in the first six months after I published, but no more; only one, maybe two, of these free(down)loaders actually left a review. I’ve personally downloaded my share of others’ free books through these promotions, and I’ve always reviewed them; I review every book I read, now that I’m an author myself, for the record. If you buy a book, ‘you pays your money and you takes your choice’; fair enough. However, it seems only good manners (to me, anyway) that, if someone gives you a free gift, you reward them with a review. It doesn’t have to be anything large, ‘I loved this’ and five stars, or ‘I hated this’ and one star; these still count as reviews, to the Amazon logarithm which is taking note of these things, and if a book clocks up enough reviews (20 – 25, I’m told) it will get boosted to the ranks of those appearing in the ‘also bought’ category of their advertising. Fifty reviews, and it will appear in their newsletter plus other spotlight positions. But it seems very few of these will come from Free Book promotions, so no more of those for me.
The arranged Review Swap is a difficult area; those groups, on Facebook or Goodreads where a deal is done, ‘I’ll review yours if you’ll review mine’, and I’ve never personally gone that route. However, if I see that someone has read and reviewed one of my books, and that person turns out to be a fellow independent author, having a hard time making the big time, it seems only good manners to me to return the favour. However, where a swap is arranged before books change hands, I sense a problem. It seems to me that someone is not going to come out of the deal well, if honest reviews are given. One party may well get a 5*, but if they only give a 3* in return the other party will feel aggrieved and resentful; so both (if they’re ‘playing fair’ by the implications of the deal) will give 5*, whether the books warrant this or not, to avoid offending the other. Either way, it’s not a good outcome.
There’s another potential abuse going on here as well. I was once invited to join a group by a friend and, as she is someone whose judgement I trust, I accepted the invitation. However, I quickly experienced the very aggressive ‘selling’ within the group. I was flooded, within minutes of being there and having ‘Liked’ a comment, with offers to review mine if I’d review theirs, and advised that I needed to get into the action, and fast. Too much, too soon, for me; I made my apologies, and fled. Not before someone, however, had decided to ‘review’ my book; it wasn’t too long before I got a 5* review which, when I read it, I knew to be a fake. If it hadn’t been my own book I might not have twigged; but it was, and it was blindingly obvious that this person hadn’t read the book. They must have read the ‘Look inside’ preview on Amazon, drawn some conclusions about characters and possible action, and written a ‘review’ which I found embarrassing. I want reviews, but genuine ones, not fakes. Amazon apparently agreed with me, and soon removed it; and I never thought I’d say this, but I was glad. I give honest reviews and expect them in return. How this person managed to leave a review on Amazon without having bought the book is a mystery, given how strict they are in such matters, and I’m still trying to work that one out. However, so perish all such ‘reviews’; not for me.
Then there’s reviewing friends’ books; another uneasy area not unlike the ‘review swap’ scenario. The fact that they’re your ‘friend’, even if that is on Goodreads or Facebook and you wouldn’t know them if you passed them in the street, means that there’s always going to be some sort of pressure to give them a good review, even if you hate what they’ve written. I feel a little uneasy at times about what I’ve done and justify it by always trying ‘mark’ (I’m an ex-teacher, old habits die hard) texts in line with their genre; meaning that I wouldn’t compare an erotic romance (for example) to a finely-crafted work of literary fiction to the detriment of the former; each is viewed within the parameters of its genre, so the erotic book, if a good example of its kind, can get 5* just as the more literary work can get only 1*, if it’s not well-executed.
And then of course there’s the paid review, which all those in the know tell you is a no-no. I recently opened an Instagram account, the better to publicise my work, and was delighted when I received Likes for the cover picture and blurb for my latest book, as well as for pictures of the three 5* reviews which I’d received for it in the first week after publication; this from a book blogger with a following in the region of 2,500 followers. It was late at night and, pleased at the thought of the advertising potential, I sent a message. When I woke up in the morning, the answer was there; this blogger charges for reviews, and would let me know how to proceed if I was interested. I replied politely to the effect that I don’t charge for my own reviews and don’t pay for them either, thanked the blogger and received equally-polite thanks.
I get that everyone has to make a living, and that some people have chosen to do it in this way, but I don’t like it. Firstly, the ‘Likes’ given to my work were now cheapened to someone touting for business, rather than liking the look of my book as a potential read. And secondly, like the review-swaps and friend-swaps already discussed, bringing money into the equation skews the whole deal. If you pay and get 5*, are you going to think that maybe, just maybe, that’s what you get for your money, even if you know your book could be better? Or, if you get 1*, you’re going to feel aggrieved and cheated, because you think your book is better than that.
I’ve also encountered people whose sense of reviewing is skewed; like someone who told me that ‘I don’t give reviews below 3* out of respect to the author’; what kind of attitude is that? If everyone did that then every book, however bad, would go out with a bevvy of only 4* and 5* reviews and then some members of the paying public would inevitably feel cheated. If I go to a restaurant and have a bad meal, I resent it. If a friend tells me the next week that they’re considering going to that restaurant, do I keep quiet and not tell them about my own bad experience ‘out of respect for the chef’? Of course I don’t, and it’s the same with books. People deserve to know all opinions, from 5* down to 1*, so that they can make up their own minds with the fullest range of evidence before them. Having said which, what about readers, confronted with that range of reviews from people they have never met. How do they decide which opinion coincides with their own? How can they possibly know? It all comes down to chance, in the end.
There may be other forms of reviewing of which I’m unaware, but I think I’ve covered the main ones, and I don’t like what I see. What will I do? I’ll carry on reading the books that I want to read and giving them honest reviews; even if that means I lose friends who don’t like what I’ve said (it’s happened already), or upset strangers because I got rather carried away in my review and included what they considered a spoiler (that happened too; I apologised and adjusted the review. I can take criticism as well as hand it out, I hope). I even got kicked out of an ARC group because my reviews were too honest. I wish I’d managed to jump before I was pushed on that one, but I sent them a withering e-mail which they probably didn’t read and I now consider my expulsion a badge of honour.
We can't do away with reviews; it's all gone too far and we can't do without them. But hasn't it all got rather too complex? If anyone can come up with a good alternative, please let me know.
March 27, 2021
JUST PUBLISHED! PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE THRILLER
I am pleased to be able to announce that today I published my latest offering and my first foray into the world of psychological suspense. 'You Know What You Did' is a stand-alone work based on an idea which I had late in 2020. It's available in eBook form, and in the Kindle Unlimited library if you subscribe to that. Here's a taste:
'Amanda Roberts appears to have it all. The only child of prosperous, supportive middle-class parents, she married her first serious boyfriend, successful multi-millionaire businessman Jack Roberts, and has two beautiful children with him, Elsie and Nat. Additionally, she has her own career as a successful and best-selling author.
But now someone is upset with her; badly. And someone is out for revenge.'
If this sounds like your kind of read then please go ahead, and I hope you enjoy. Reviews will as always be welcomed.
Many thanks from Laura
'Amanda Roberts appears to have it all. The only child of prosperous, supportive middle-class parents, she married her first serious boyfriend, successful multi-millionaire businessman Jack Roberts, and has two beautiful children with him, Elsie and Nat. Additionally, she has her own career as a successful and best-selling author.
But now someone is upset with her; badly. And someone is out for revenge.'
If this sounds like your kind of read then please go ahead, and I hope you enjoy. Reviews will as always be welcomed.
Many thanks from Laura
March 9, 2021
Prosocial/Antisocial
I resisted using social media for some time; I couldn’t see the point. From what I’d heard it seemed to be a largely anti-social arena, where people were rude and insulting to each other. I tended to agree with certain T-shirts which I’d seen hanging in shops in tourist resorts making obscene remarks about Facebook because they’d ‘got real friends’.
It was only when I began self-publishing my books that I saw a use for social media as a way to publicise these. Nearly ten months later I’m still on a learning-curve with Facebook and Goodreads, with Instagram only recently joined and the jury still out on that one. But I’m very glad that I finally took the plunge.
Becoming a member of several Facebook groups for readers and writers, and interacting on Goodreads with members from both of those categories, has been a very good thing. True, I’ve had some approaches and exchanges I’d rather not have had, but I’ve survived those and, on the plus side, I’ve had some very positive interactions with other writers which have led to my extending the sphere of my writing activities into poetry, which I never thought I’d write in a month of Sundays.
Not only that, but I’ve made some real friends, in places as widely-spaced as Washington State and other parts of the USA, Goa in India, the Philippines, Canada, Australia and other parts of the UK. Given the locked-down life we’ve all been leading, my communications with these friends have been a life-saver, enabling me to get out of the house whilst remaining in it.
From anti-social to pro-social; a journey I’m very glad to have made.
It was only when I began self-publishing my books that I saw a use for social media as a way to publicise these. Nearly ten months later I’m still on a learning-curve with Facebook and Goodreads, with Instagram only recently joined and the jury still out on that one. But I’m very glad that I finally took the plunge.
Becoming a member of several Facebook groups for readers and writers, and interacting on Goodreads with members from both of those categories, has been a very good thing. True, I’ve had some approaches and exchanges I’d rather not have had, but I’ve survived those and, on the plus side, I’ve had some very positive interactions with other writers which have led to my extending the sphere of my writing activities into poetry, which I never thought I’d write in a month of Sundays.
Not only that, but I’ve made some real friends, in places as widely-spaced as Washington State and other parts of the USA, Goa in India, the Philippines, Canada, Australia and other parts of the UK. Given the locked-down life we’ve all been leading, my communications with these friends have been a life-saver, enabling me to get out of the house whilst remaining in it.
From anti-social to pro-social; a journey I’m very glad to have made.
February 23, 2021
Re-search
I had a wobble this morning. Out of the fog of ideas which frequently go around in my head came one which reminded me that I’d had a character in Degenerate, Regenerate, which I’ve only just published, send a message by text. It hit me then; did texting actually exist at the time when I’d set this part of the book?
Panic set in as I googled. I’d recently criticised another author for giving a character a transplanted organ donated by a stranger at a time when these operations were in their infancy and only being tested on related-by-blood persons. Anachronism time; and had I just done likewise?
No, thank goodness; the answer on Google was positive. The first text message, I read, was sent in 1992, and then Nokia released their first mobile phone in 1993. In 1994 Vodaphone got involved, with predictive texting being invented in 1995, and the whole thing took off from there.
I was in the clear. But it does remind me of the need to research even the most basic things that we take for granted on an everyday basis. I’m off now to check whether a 13-year-old in my latest project is legally allowed a small glass of wine to celebrate her birthday. Cheers!
Panic set in as I googled. I’d recently criticised another author for giving a character a transplanted organ donated by a stranger at a time when these operations were in their infancy and only being tested on related-by-blood persons. Anachronism time; and had I just done likewise?
No, thank goodness; the answer on Google was positive. The first text message, I read, was sent in 1992, and then Nokia released their first mobile phone in 1993. In 1994 Vodaphone got involved, with predictive texting being invented in 1995, and the whole thing took off from there.
I was in the clear. But it does remind me of the need to research even the most basic things that we take for granted on an everyday basis. I’m off now to check whether a 13-year-old in my latest project is legally allowed a small glass of wine to celebrate her birthday. Cheers!
