Keris Stainton's Blog, page 90

Still (mostly) offline

My lovely Mac is apparently in pieces. On a bench. They've managed to recover all the data, which is good news. The hard drive is, as expected, knackered, so they're putting in a new one. And trying to get the disks from Apple (I can't find mine), which is what's holding things up.

I should have it back by the middle of next week.

In the meantime, I can access emails on my old computer and Twitter on my phone. But that's pretty much it.

I'm getting a lot of writing done, but it's very weird not to spend all day online like I'm used to. I miss everyone and I feel very left out!

Computer down! Computer down!

So. My lovely Mac started playing up Saturday. I had mild panic and swiftly backed up some stuff. By Saturday night it was as good as dead. Just a blue screen and a small grinding noise.

Someone's coming out today. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it, if not I really hope they can get everything off it (music, photos, some book notes and old drafts). I am quite good about keeping lots of stuff online, but certainly not everything.

And if it can't be saved, it's new computer time for me, which, even though I can't afford one, gives me a little frisson of excitement. Mmmmm… New computer…

So I'm not going to be around much. I can get at email on my old computer, but not much else works. (Twitter doesn't work! *flails with withdrawal symptoms*)

On the upside, I'll get to catch up on NaNoWriMo.

The downside is that the next draft of my book was due today.

The one with the conscientious computer monitor

Harry has a really bad cough.

Me: "I think you should stay off today."

Harry: "Stay off? What does that mean, stay off?"

Me: "Not go to school. Stay home with me and Joe. What do you think?"

Harry: "Okay."

Me: "So you're not going to go to school then?"

Harry: "No. That means I get you all morning?!"

Me: *melts*

Five minutes later

Harry: "But on Fridays we do Activities."

Me: "Oh. And you don't want to miss it?"

Harry: "Well if I'm not there, I don't know who will get the computers out and switch them on!"

Me: "I'm sure Mrs B– can find someone else to help her, just this once."

Harry: "Okay. But I think someone will still switch them off with the internet connected and you're not allowed to do that!"

Me: "Well… do you want to go in then?"

Harry [resigned]: "No. That's okay."

It Gets Better… especially when you sing

This week is anti-bullying week, so I thought it would be a good time to share this video by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles – I can't get through it without crying.

I'm sure you're already aware of Dan Savage's IT GETS BETTER Project in response to the increase of gay youth suicide, bullying and hate crimes in America, but if not check out the amazing and inspiring videos on YouTube. And for more information, visit The Trevor Project.

 

Author interview: Claire Allan

I've just read and loved Claire Allan's fourth novel, It's Got to be Perfect. I met Claire (only virtually, so far) when we were both in an online writing group. She's lovely and I'm so impressed with everything she's achieved. Four books! All with pride of place on my "special" book shelf (shelf for books written by friends). So she's the perfect person to feature in my first author interview! (Hopefully the first of many).

What three books would you take to a desert island?

Very predictable but Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes, which is one a very select number of novels which I can read again and again still enjoy almost as much as the first time. It's brilliant – funny, sad, uses the word feck alot, has great leather trousers in it. Pretty much everything you could look for in a book. I'd also bring Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte because I adored it as a teenager and keep meaning to re-read it just to see if I still love it just as much and whether I still fancy Hareton or will Heathcliff win me over. I think I'd also bring a biography – not sure which one but I know I'm dying to read Portia De Rossi's Unbearable Lightness.

If It's Got to be Perfect was made into a movie, who would you cast in the lead roles?

Ooooh! Not that I've thought about this too much but Colin Farrell would be the hairy Anton (although I don't think Colin has a hairy back… but I'm sure they could whip something prosthetic up). I think Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) would make a good Annie, but perhaps she is a bit young and Scottish? Someone very thin and tall and glam would have to be Darcy – a bit Keira Knightly-ish but less annoying.

Your next book – tell us all about it please!

It has a working title of The 30 Something Crisis Club and it does what it says on the tin. It focuses on three friends, all mid 30s, all at a crossroads in their lives. They decide to have a girly holiday to France and their secrets unravel one by one. There is a very hunky French man to drool over too. And no, he has no excess body hair.

How do you write? Are you a plotter or a panster? Do you write in silence or in front of the TV? Do you have special writing pants? Tell us everything!

I completely fly by the seat of my very large pants. I tend to write more character led books, and have a notion of a plot but it is all very fluid as the characters take over and develop their own personalities. I do generally have a start point, and end point and a rough idea of how I'm going to get there but I'm open to change – which is very unusual for me as I do not do change well! I write, generally, in front of the TV in the evenings, with the sound down low. I always had to do my homework with the radio on while I was at school and this is my modern equivalent. I dream of a nice office, but generally it's me on the far end of my sofa glass of wine or Diet Coke close at hand and the laptop balanced on a cushion on my knee. I spend a lot of my writing time in my pyjamas – comfort is very important.

What book do you wish you'd written?

Probably Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes although I think no one but Marian could have written it – she took so much of her personal experience and put it in there with crippling honesty. I do get writer's jealousy over it though. Similarly, Designer Genes by Emma Hannigan is a brilliantly written book which really, really touched me but it is also based, loosely, on Emma's own experience of cancer so no one but her could have written it.

Bonus question! Is there an abandoned book, hidden in a drawer and, if so, what's it about and why is it abandoned.

There are starts of books, abandoned – maybe hitting 10,000 words mark. There is an aborted attempt to write Daisy from Rainy Days and Tuesdays' story but it was abandoned when Grace (the main character from RD&T) became too involved in it. I also think that book is done, best leave it alone and not revist the past.

Thanks, Claire. Find out more about Claire at her website.

Monday night is TV night

Last night I was a very happy bunny indeed. Because not only did I get to see one of my (many) TV husbands looking mean and moody (and narky and grumpy) in Accused (that's Christopher Eccleston in case you didn't watch it… or know me at all), it was also the first episode of the second series of Miranda. How I love Miranda. Yes, it's cheesy and silly, but it's just so joyful. It makes me very happy. I laughed like a drain all the way through.

And then, to recover from the misery-fest that was Accused – I tuned out every now and then and just thought about how foxy Eccleston looked in his checked shirt and jeans – we watched The Trip. I can't tell  you how much I love The Trip. Okay, I'll have a go. I think it's properly brilliant about the nature of fame and celebrity. I think it's properly brilliant about the nature of male friendship (a lot of dick-swinging…). It makes the north look completely gorgeous (as, of course, much of it is) and it also gives me plenty of opportunites to shout "We've been there!" Although we haven't actually eaten in any of the establishments they've visited so far and I haven't even been tempted by any of them. They all look quite nice, but I haven't seen anything I'd be willing to shell out £140 for. Also? It makes me laugh a lot. And Steve Coogan is surprisingly sexy. What more could you ask for on a Monday night?

What have you been watching lately?

The school walk

One of the benefits of being carless is doing the school run on foot. Not only do I have the most fantastic conversations with Harry, but we also get to walk along the canal, which is very pretty and different every day. Today it was foggy…

… and then five minutes later, it had brightened up a bit:

Gah! This post wasn't supposed to end so abruptly! WordPress must've eaten my last bit without me realising. What I said was it's been great for really appreciating the changing seasons, plus we get to chat a lot about trees and birds and ducks. Today it was why holly is spiky. I said it was to stop birds eating the berries. Really must google and find out if I was right…

The perfect Christmas gift… probably

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? No? Me neither. (Okay, I've bought three things.) But fortunately the fabulous YA website (*cough* which I may or may not have co-founded *cough*) Chicklish has a round-up of wonderful novelists offering signed and dedicated books for sale (*cough* and one of them is me *cough*).

So basically what I'm trying to say is if you'd like a copy of my book, email me on keris[dot]stainton[@]googlemail[dot]com and if you'd like a copy of someone else's book – it's okay, I won't hold it against you* – head on over to Chicklish.

* much

Aren't libraries brilliant?!

I know this is not news, but they just are, aren't they? I've finally got into the habit of checking my library online before buying a book and I'm amazed at how often one of the branches has the book in stock. And then I can reserve it (for 25p) and have it delivered to my local branch (which is very handy and the staff are lovely and my boys love it there). Just wonderful. No?

Harry the writer

Sorry to trot this out again, particularly for Writing Wednesday, but I just haven't got time for a proper post. I will next week, I promise.

Harry asked me what the book I was writing was about. I told him it was about three women who were friends, but then had a falling out. The rest is all him…