Helen Cox's Blog, page 6

Postcards from Thirsk: Yarnbombing

Thirsk, North Yorkshire is a small market town about thirty minutes north of York. It also happens to be the place I lived in during my teenage years. There, I attended school, frequented The Ritz Cinema and waitressed in a traditional tea-room so I could afford to buy records put out by unsigned indie bands who would disappear off the face of the planet after their debut single.

I have my suspicions that this unassuming little tourist haven is actually the secret centre of the universe, but that’s another story.  Today, I’m just sharing some cosy, woolly, photographs snapped in my one-time home town.

Thirsk Yarn Bombers have recently ‘yarn-bombed’ the market square to celebrate the Tour de Yorkshire bike race, which passed through Thirsk a few weeks ago. Multi-coloured pom-poms and embroidered, woolen flags hang all around. Everywhere from bollards to bus shelters.

Woolen produce? Not a surprising sight given the rural roots of the Thirsk community. It still isn’t unusual to see someone driving a pony and trap up the main roads of the town.

No lampost is too long, no flower pot is too small. Woolly over-coats for all.

Even the signage is in stitches.

Toadstools are often found out in the Yorkshire forests or, in this case, stretched over a parking barrier on the main road into town.

So many of the knitted decorations are inspired by the cultural emblems locals are proud of. Steam trains still rattle up and down the tracks of North Yorkshire railway lines, or what’s left of them after the closures of the late 20th century. These engineering giants of old still draw visitors from all over Britain, and indeed the world.

And then there’s this Teletubbie. I’m not really sure what to say about that… something for the kids?

Adventures in American Diners

Whilst conducting research for my first novel, Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner, I stumbled across an incredible blog created by 25-year old, New Jersey gal, Hollie. It was immediately clear, from what she’d shared, that Hollie had been on many a vibrant adventure, and that we shared a common interest: American diners.

Overjoyed to find another individual on the planet who is as nuts about cheesecakes and milkshakes as I am, I asked Hollie if she’d mind answering a few questions about her fascination on the subject. She kindly agreed and even allowed me to share some of her photographs from the numerous diners she’s visited. Here’s what she had to say about American diners, and why she loves them.

Helen: What is it that appeals to you so much about diners?

Hollie: I like diners because there is a little bit of everything on the menu.  In my experience, diners have some of the largest menus.  That means they are a great place to meet most people for breakfast, lunch or diner. Finally diners normally have great coffee, and I love my coffee!

Helen: What are your favourite things to order at a diner?

Hollie: My favorite items to order at a diner are the Greek specialities, breakfast such as eggs or pancakes and the dessert.  Most diners have a homemade bakery section which often house the best desserts I’ve ever had.

Helen: Where is your favourite diner and why is it your favourite?

Hollie: My favorite diner is the Jefferson Diner in northern New Jersey.  It’s a classic, retro-feel diner with a huge menu.  They have everything from breakfast to lunch to dinner, plus the best red velvet cake I’ve ever, ever eaten. Another great thing about the Jefferson Diner is the service. The waiter gave us several recommendations, especially about different cakes.  You could also tell that there were many regulars there that he knew everything about. By the end of the meal and after his recommendations, I felt welcomed and happy.

Helen: Diners regularly appear in pop culture, why do you think that is?

Hollie: I think diners have been around for so long, they are a staple of our culture. They are normally inexpensive, fairly fast service and friendly. It’s almost like friendlier fast food or being in your own kitchen. Diners were also one of the first sit-down dining restaurants created in America.  They appeal to so many people.

Helen: If you opened your own diner what would be the theme/colour scheme and why?

Hollie: I would choose a pale yellow and shiny silver scheme with a checker print floor.  I think yellow is an inviting color and I would love for guests to feel welcomed.

Helen: What is your favourite flavour of milkshake?

Hollie: My ideal milkshake is vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup, lots of whipped cream and a cherry on top.

You can follow all of Hollie’s adventures in American diners on her blog, here.

Off Stage at the Starlight Diner

Two months today HarperCollins will publish my first novel Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner and to celebrate I’m releasing the second of three, free short stories. The stories are designed to introduce readers to The Starlight Diner and to some of the characters in the novel while offering new readers a sample of my writing style.

If you missed the first one, fear not. It’s still available for free here. Hundreds of people downloaded it and sought me out on Twitter and Facebook to tell me how much they enjoyed it. This, of course, means the world to me. More so than I can ever articulate.

Set in New York in 1977, the second story explores how waitress Mona Montgomery first came to work at the Starlight Diner and the dreams she left behind when she did. Like Bernie from the first story, Mona features in the full-length Starlight Diner novels.

Are you ready to meet her?

You can download a PDF copy here.. Or you can access it on Smashwords, Wattpad, Kobo and Shakespir.

I really hope you enjoy what I’ve written.

For fun tweets about diner food, fifties music and New York City life, why not follow the Starlight Diner staff on their Twitter feed @MilkshakesNYC?

Much gratitude to Joanna Swainson, Dean Cummings, Jo Pugh and Ellie Wood for their insightful editorial guidance on this story.

Snail Mail Sunday: Rainbow Mail

A few months ago @Awoworld sent me a letter written on coloured paper. I was amazed by the cheery impact the colour had on me as I was reading and decided to devise my own little rainbow system for snail mail.

You know, cause I’m all cool like that.

I put the package together over the course of a couple of months, writing seven mini letters on coloured paper with matching envelopes. I stenciled the initial of the colour on each envelope. Because I’m a word nerd, the contents of each envelope had to be somehow alliterative with the initial on the outside of it.

I just get cooler and cooler.

My rainbow system went as follows:

R / Red contained a Reply to the last letter I was sent.

O / Orange was the ‘Out and About’ envelope and contained a little letter describing a day trip I took, alongside some mementos from the the day out.

Y / Yellow contained a letter about what happened to me Yesterday.

G / Green contained a letter in which I Geeked Out about a particular subject.

B / Blue contained Bits and Bobs such as tea, stationery and a washi sample.

I / Indigo contained a list of things I am currently doing e.g. reading, writing, eating, watching, dreaming out etc.

V / Violet contained Verse – I copied out a couple of my favourite poems.

I think I may have taken geekiness to a new level with this particular snailmail creation!

To finish off the package I stacked the envelopes, tied them with twine and stuffed them in a larger envelope which was decorated with rainbow-themed washi tape and stickers. It was very gratefully received which is of course the best part of sending something like this through the post: knowing you’ve made someone smile.

Writing Partners: the when, the how and the why

Author note: when searching for an accompanying image it seemed logical to reflect the setting of my first novel: New York, 1990. This is how I imagine my writing partner, Dean Cummings and I might’ve looked had we gone to high school together in the 90s. Rad.

Whenever I talk about my ‘writing partner’, the most common question I’m asked is: ‘what does a writing partner do?’ As most people I meet down the pub aren’t in the market for a gushing monologue about how somebody living more than 4000 earth miles away has changed my life and my approach to writing, I usually offer the most straightforward description I can of our dealings.

Each week, we exchange a chapter of our work in progress. We then read it and type up feedback on what we particularly enjoyed about it, alongside some suggestions for strengthening that chapter even further.

That’s the closest I can get to an Inigo Montoya-esque summing up of the situation.

I often suggest to other writers I know that they might benefit from a writing partner,

but not everyone is sure when or how to go about it. Or why it might be so important.

Based on the experiences I’ve had with my writing partner Dean, here’s my take the subject.

When is the best time to connect with a writing partner?

There are no hard and fast rules but ideally when you’ve written, or nearly-written, a first draft. That way, you have writing in the bank to send to your partner each week. Checking over your last chapter and making some edits and enhancements is a lot quicker than writing it from scratch. If you have to do that, you may give up on the process because you don’t have the time to commit to it.

In my opinion, having a writing partner is one of the most rewarding experiences out there but like most rewarding experiences it will require an investment of your time. Having a first draft under your belt before seeking editorial guidance from someone else is therefore quite handy.

How do I find a writing partner?

There are more avenues to explore than you might think. GoodReads has a number of genre-specific groups that have separate sub-folders for those looking to buddy up with another writer. If that isn’t already an option in the group, ask the administrator. They are usually both visible and friendly, it stands to reason that somebody running a group is keen to connect people.

You could also visit one of the online forums specially designed to help writers find other writers looking to partner up.

If those fail, there’s also Twitter. Ask people to retweet your call out for a writing partner. I did this when I was looking for Beta Readers (more information on that journey in a blog post next month) and it worked a treat.

Why should I get a writing partner?

I’m not big on telling other people what they should do, or why they should do it, I can only tell you what having a writing partner has meant for me.

From a professional perspective, I like to think that I’d have landed a publishing deal at some point, like many other writers, but the truth is I wouldn’t have been picked up so quickly (ten months from first draft to book deal is pretty fast by anyone’s standards) if I hadn’t had Dean to guide me through my rewrites. Or to offer encouragement in a week where I might have received anywhere between one and six rejection emails.

Showing an early draft to someone you barely know is a daunting thought. Nobody likes the idea of putting all their flaws out on exhibition, but it’s a leap of faith worth making.

Though we started out communicating solely on the subject of writing, writing is a pretty personal pursuit that demands deep and meaningful discourse. Consequently,

over the months since I first emailed Dean last September, we have developed a rich friendship, and I am so grateful for that friendship. He has kept me sane, or about as sane as I’m ever going to be, throughout this very unsettling, topsy turvy experience.

There’s a bit of a stereotype out there about writers being quite lonely creatures but meeting Dean has shown me it doesn’t have to be that way. Having someone to keep you grounded and to understand the frustrations involved in creating engaging but meaningful stories is nothing short of priceless.

Thanks to the unwavering support of my writing partner over in Canada, my first novel, Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner is being published by the Avon Books imprint at HarperCollins on 4th July 2016.

Are you a bigger film geek than Esther?

Those who’ve followed me for a while know I’m something of a film geek. Before writing my first novel, I edited a film magazine and wrote a book about the important,

moral lessons learnt from some pretty questionable movies. I even met my husband at a film quiz after my team didn’t show up and I joined his.

Nearly four years later, he even proposed to me at the film quiz. Yes, over a microphone. Yes, in front of a lot of people. So film has played a bigger role in my life than my parents could have ever imagined when, back in the eighties, they used the VHS player as a cut-price babysitter.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that the lead character in my first novel, a waitress called Esther Knight, is up on her pop-culture, particularly film. The above collage includes nods to most of the movie references in Milkshakes and Heartbreaks at the Starlight Diner, I’ve left a few out so there are one or two surprises when you actually read the book, but how many do you recognise? Are you as big a film geek as Esther and, by extension, me?

Have fun wracking your brains!

P.S. If you’re a fan of film references, quite a few pop up on the official Twitter feed for the Starlight Diner series @MilkshakesNYC. So, you know, that might be worth a look.