Stuart Aken's Blog, page 285

Author Interview with Faith Mortimer

Hello Faith,please tell us about you, as a writer.
Hello Stuart, first may I take this opportunity tothank you for inviting me along as your guest author today. Like many of my writer friends I entered the'writing' business later in life. My children were grown up and off my hands,I'd recently completed a Science degree (for interest and fun!), and when myhusband took early retirement I thought, aha! So shall I and this gave me theopportunity to complete that first book that I'd always wanted to write. I'ddecided on a story, (The Crossing)after listening to a good friend of ours telling us a tale about his father; awartime story of love, loss and heroics. One thing led to another and here I ama couple of years later with two completed novels ( The Crossing, The Assassins' Village), a short story collection andmy third novel, (Children of thePlantation) published in Amazon last month!
Your latestbook is Children of the Plantation;perhaps you'd you give us some insight into it in a few sentences?
My latest book is another in the Diana RiversMystery series entitled; Children of ThePlantation.It starts in the present; when heroine and amateursleuth Diana is asked to read through a collection of journals she is whiskedback to the turbulent times during the fifties and sixties in Malaya (now knownas Malaysia). Love, betrayal, murder and mystery all feature heavily in thisstory.
How did youcome to write this particular book?
After writing my first very popular Diana Riversmystery, The Assassins' Village, I was caught up in her character and lovedwriting about mysterious happenings. It seemed logical to write a follow up,especially when my loyal core of followers particularly asked me to!
Do you havea favourite character from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
It has to be Diana. She's a feisty lady, who'salways getting in trouble with her inquisitive ways. I also enjoyed writingabout Alex, whose story it is really about. He's on a rite of passage and issuch a mixed up kid. When he does a certain thing he really messes things upand causes a calamity with huge repercussions!
Where canpeople buy your books?
My books are available on;Amazon US  http://amzn.to/oLQt8cAmazon UK http://amzn.to/qe90LfSmashwords  http://bit.ly/iXHzBqThe book depository (paperbacks) http://bit.ly/oCON7U
Whatqualities does a writer need to be successful?
Many qualities spring to mind. Even when you'reenjoying writing it's a hard slog writing sometimes. It can be a lonely daywhen you sit there tapping away at your keyboard or holding a pencil. I finallygot down to serious writing when my children were gown up. I took a sciencedegree and once I'd realised that dedication, stamina and determination wereneeded to compete my degree I decided it applied equally to writing. Also I'verecently discovered that your readers are the MOST important factor once yourbook goes live. They have feelings and are NOT there as your personal cash cow.
 What's your working method?
When I am writing, time means nothing to me.Although I aim for at least 1500 words a day sometimes I can happily writethree times that - so long as there are no distractions. No radio or televisionwhen I am working! At the moment I write in the 'snug', a gorgeous cosy room inour 200 -year old stone house. I know I have found my niche in life. It'sfantastic to see the product of my efforts on a bookshelf in a store or onAmazon. I handwrite into a note pad, when I've finished for the day I simply close the bookand don't open it until the next day when I'll go over the previous day's work.I may edit then.When I come to put the completed notes onto my pc– this is my first major edit – the first of many!
What's thesingle biggest mistake made by beginner writers?
As I've already said it can be a hard slog. Whenyou're ready to publish make sure that the product you're going to offer is asgood as a paperback. Take time to edit and re-edit, over and over. Be patient –it will take time to make any real progress. Be friendly and polite to everyonewithin the same market – you never know when you might need them and goodmanners never hurt. You can also learn lots from others as well.
To whatextent are grammar and spelling important in writing?
Very important. As above – editing is boring witha capital B, but it pays off. The most annoying thing is you can check a MS 12times, read it out aloud and yet once it's printed you'll still finds mistakes.Groan. We all do it and the big boys are also culprits!
How much doyou revise your MS before sending it off?
Lots and lots. I also read it out aloud and getfriends to do the same.
Many authorssee marketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, and how do you deal withit?
Marketing is a huge part of writing – and not justmarketing the end product – the book – you have to market yourself. Be nice to people, remember they might be your reader. Ienjoy some of the marketing, it takes up an enormous amount of time but I've'met' some fabulous people and made loads of friends in the meantime! Thismakes up for it.
What sort ofdisplacement activities keep you from writing?
Family! Home, friends who don't always understandyou.
How longdoes it take you to write a novel?
My first novel (The Crossing) took me abouteighteen months with all the research (six months). I then wasted ages lookingfor an agent and then publisher. I eventually found one – who doesn't do a lottowards marketing – I believe it's best to do it yourself.My second novel, The Assassins' Village took abouta year and my latest, just about to be published; Children of The Plantationtook me about four months. I'm getting quicker. Also, as I'm becoming moreexperienced my books are tighter and less wordy – so shorter and therefore lesstime to complete.
Who or whatinspires your writing?
I can read a great novel and I then go aroundthinking about it for days – the author may have a style that I admire and itgives me the impetus to get down and begin to write a new book. No one writeror person inspires me though.
If there's asingle aspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it?
I hate the first chapter/s. It takes me a while tofind my stride. I often rewrite these many times. There are not enough hours inthe day, and I'll die before I've finally finished all I have to write!
Is there aparticular feature of writing that you really enjoy?
Once I'm well into it and on a roll. I sometimesfeel as if I could go on for ever.
Do youbelieve creative writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
Mmm. Hard question this. I think creative writing is a natural gift. One can acquire acertain amount of skill and polish, but the true writer has to possess thatcertain 'something', the spark, the feel and the need to get something down onpaper.
What are youwriting now?
I've just finished, Children of The Plantationwhich was published in September. I have another idea for a thirdDiana Rivers mystery in the pipeline and I've just begun my research for this.I have not yet got a title, but it will involve Diana and a group of actors inEngland.
Do you havea website or blog where readers can visit?
Absolutely, the link is http://www.faithmortimerauthor.comI'd love anyone to post me a comment on my blogthere.
Givenunlimited resources, where would you do your writing? Where do you actuallywrite?
Here. I live in an old stone-house in thefoothills of the Troodos Mountains on Cyprus. A beautiful Mediterranean islandand known as Aphrodite's own. I originally come from England. I write in 'thesnug' in the house, or on a shady terrace outside. Perfect and quiet. 

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Sympathy or Empathy?

Sympathy or Empathy?Sympathy: noun - harmony of disposition ortemperament, making people compatible; common feeling; sharing or being inagreement with the feelings or condition of another or others; feelings of pityand sorrow for the suffering of another; a feeling or expression of compassionor condolence.
Empathy: noun - the ability to mentally identifywith and fully comprehend a person or object of contemplation.
Sympathy is relativelycommon, especially for someone in distress of some sort. But it involves nomore than sharing feelings with the victim.
Empathy, on the otherhand, requires a deep and comprehensive understanding of the full implicationsof the emotions felt by a victim; it is, in a sense, 'becoming' that person inthe way that a fine actor will 'be' the character rather than simply portraythe person.
By all means portray acharacter sympathetically, if that suits the story. But, as a writer, you needto be empathetic and get into the skin of the character you're depicting.

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Stanza

Stanza: noun - a group of lines of verse used asa basic metrical unit of a song or poem consisting of a series of such groups;a verse; in some Greek and Latin metres - a group of four lines; in Italy - anapartment, chamber or room, especially one in the Vatican; a half or othersession of a game or sporting contest.
Here's anexample, but beware: I don't consider myself a poet.
Suburban
Suburban every Sunday manpolishing his whitework's vanwhen the stranger gives asmilehe would rather run amilethan take the risk to sayhelloto a man he does not know
Suburban weekday workdaymanstarting up his whitework's vanslams the door on wifeforlorncranks the engine parpsthe horndoesn't give a damn he'ssaidfor the neighbours stillin bed
Saturday suburban manin the street his whitework's vanputs his feet up for thetellyfills his glass and fillshis belly lets the wife go shop uptownif she'll shed herweeknight gown
Suburban every somedaymannow he's lost his whitework's vanlost the wheels and lostthe joblost his pride become asloball the days from now thesamebear the stigma feel theshame.
Pic: Approaching Goodmanham in East Yorkshire.
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Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Whether or if?

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Whether or if?
These two conjunctions are more or lessinterchangeable. However, 'whether' is generally used in more formal writing.And 'if' gives a better idea that possibility or probability is involved withthe alternatives on offer.
So:
'Whether you vote Labour or Conservative willmake no difference to your life: both parties will screw you unless you're partof the club.'

'If you vote Labour, you can feel that you'vetried to be socially responsible, but if you vote Conservative, you'll have to acceptyou've displayed no social conscience. Of course, the reality is that neithervote will improve matters for you, unless you belong to the small group makingthe decisions.' 


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Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Rabelaisian

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Rabelaisian: adjective - characteristic of orresembling the writing of French satirist François Rabelais (c 1494–1553); demonstratingexuberant imagination and language, coarse humour, and satire.
'I'd count it an honour ifI could write a book of such Rabelaisian power that it would be banned by theVatican, in the same way as the works of François Rabelais were banned.'
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Stuart's Daily Word Spot: We're, were or where?

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We're, were or where?Homonyms (words that soundalike but which have different meanings) cause much misunderstanding amongstthose learning the language. They should be familiar to native speakers, butseem to confuse a lot of folk. Here are some suggestions to help in rememberingthe correct usage for each.
'We're' is a contractionof the phrase 'We are.' If the phrase can be used in place of the word, thenthis is the one you need.'We're (we are) all goingto march on Parliament to protest about the way MPs have been making fraudulentclaims for living expenses.'
'Were' is the past tenseof 'are' and is used to describe something that has happened in the past.'We were going to theHouses of Parliament to protest, but we are now going to the pub instead.'
'Where' is a locationalterm, in common with 'here' and 'there'. It can be used in a question about thelocation of something or it can identify the placing of a person or object.'Where are the houses ofParliament?' 'Here they are; on the banks of the Thames, in London.''The Houses of Parliamentare where British MPs sit to make laws intended to keep them in power and positionsof privilege.'

Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Quadriga

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Quadriga: noun - a Roman chariot, pulled by fourhorses harnessed abreast; a representation of such a chariot in sculpture or ona coin.
'In his shining armour,and standing fierce and proud in his magnificent quadriga, Septimus Maxima wasa figure of terror in the eyes of the common folk on conquered Gaul.'
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But it'll be Worth it, Won't it?

Having spent the last few days on some domestic labours, I am slowly getting back into the groove of writing. There was the turning bay we had designed for the front garden; a necessity for the future when our daughter, now at university, will no doubt want her own car and somewhere to park it. That little job, requiring the laying of 31 edging stones and 3 tons of gravel, we have now completed.
Then I decided to redecorate and re-organise my study, having been encamped in here for 11 years without change. I've got the new carpet down, the painting all done and the furniture repositioned. Today, I put back the shelves that live two walls and started returning the books to these. But, it struck me that i had lost track of what books I have, so I decided to catalogue them as I was re-shelving them. It's an interesting and worthwhile task as I've discovered books I'd forgotten I had and haven't yet read, and others I have read but had forgotten. So far, I've catalogued just under 300, so a few more to go before the job is done.
Many of you will be aware that I have suffered from ME/CFS for the past 8 years or so, and may be surprised by the amount of physical work I'm doing now. Well, I've suspected that I 'd shrugged off the condition for the past few months, but, having been caught out twice previously only to discover the problem returned with a vengeance, I thought I'd give it a while before I started to test myself. Following the past three weeks, with much physical activity and a week's holiday walking in hilly country, I'm now convinced I have finally defeated the beast. It's a great feeling, as you can imagine. But I've aged 8 years and lost a good deal of strength and fitness along the way, so I need to start a programme of exercise to regain my former physical condition.
But it's truly wonderful to be free of the many symptoms I suffered over those years. I aim to make the best of the years ahead. And, as a start to that, I'm going to join the NaNoWriMo  and attempt to write a popular novel during the month of November. Watch this space for my progress. For those unfamiliar with this challenge, the idea is to write the first 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November.
So, wish me luck and join me here as I detail my progress.

Pic: Wandering way; a public footpath outside Driffield, East Yorkshire.
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Stuart's Daily Word Spot: Pathetic

Pathetic: adjective - bringing about an effect onthe emotions; moving, stirring; causing pity or sadness; full of pathos; arisingfrom or expressing strong emotion; passionate, earnest; miserably inadequate,feeble, useless (colloquially); in pathetic fallacy - the assignment of humanemotions or responses to inanimate things or animals in art and literature.
'When he was accused offraudulently claiming expenses to which he wasn't entitled, the politician madesome pathetic excuse about his lack of awareness of the rules.'
Jodie turned her back onthe man beside her. 'You're a pathetic excuse for a man, John. I don't know whyI let you take me in like that. Now, get out of my bed and don't ever comeback.'
Pathetic Fallacy:'Old Man Willow weptcopious tears, swelling the stream into which his roots spread, as hecontemplated the swan's sorry loss of his lifetime partner to the carelesslydiscarded fishing tackle left by an angler.'
Pic|: Trout stream in Driffield, East Yorkshire.

Author Interview with Sarah Baethge.

Hello Sarah, pleasetell us about you, as a writer.
I have always liked Science-fiction and Fantasy, andwrite primarily to entertain myself. I admit this does result in the creationof many things that I never finish when I see that they take too much personalknowledge I am not willing to share in order to be fully understood, but Ifigure that if I could not be a fan of my own work, there is little point inspending the amount of time required so I feel like my story is fully told.
Your latest book is 'TheSpeed of Darkness'; perhaps you'd you give us some insight into it in a fewsentences?'The Speed of Darkness' –my combination of Sci-fi andwerewolves. The first book I've ever written fully enough that I was comfortablewith pointing to a spot and saying: The End.
Excerpt-   Sam closedand locked his door. With clear disgust on his face, he addressed Nigel.  "Nice," he said sarcastically. "Nice to knowyou could have just gotten away easily when I jumped in to help you." Nigel fidgeteduncomfortably as he tried to keep himself from meeting Sam's gaze, "It doesn'twork like-""You certainly wereable to do it at will just now!" Sam yelled, stomping up to him."But Bart-", Nigelbegan, gesturing as he spoke."Your psycho friends!"Sam thundered in anger as he raised his hands above his head. "Thanks! Can'tforget those two freaks are now after me too. All because I didn't want to juststand by and watch them cut up some little fruit like you on tape!"Now I find out that'swhat you wanted." With a sickened look he folded his arms and stepped away fromNigel, who simply looked confused."What..?" Nigel calledafter Sam, as he looked helplessly at the back of the other man, "I neverwant-""Oh, come on," Sam saidderisively, turning around and grabbing Nigel's shoulder. "Why would someone,who can –FOR REAL- just zip away, stand around and wait for his buddies come at him with a knife for avideo?" Nigel finally met Sam'seyes and said, (as if it explained everything)"Bart had a flashlight."

How did you come towrite this particular book?
A couple of silly ideas knocking around in my head started to buildthemselves into a story; as I wasn't doing much else at the time, I wrote itdown until I got sick of it and filed it away for 2-3 years. When I pulled itback out and read it again, I liked it just as much as ever.
Do you have afavourite character from the book? If so, who and why this particular one?
I like Nigel Hunter, my mad scientist who startedexperimenting on himself when others refuse to let him test on animals anymore. When I was trying to decide how he would react to different situations, Ilet him do what I would like to do, but wouldn't really dare to.
Where can people buyyour books?
Both are here:http://beta.iwritereadrate.com/books/search-results/?author=baethgeand you can get 1 chapter of the other FREE.http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Sarah+Baethge&x=0&y=0
What qualities does awriter need to be successful?
Imagination and determination
What's your workingmethod?
Do nothing until after lunch, Relax on weekends;don't get trapped within your own book.Finish EVERYTHING.Don't ever delete anything; just file it away where you canget back to it when you're no longer sick of it.Yes, I realize the last two rules are currently eating up waytoo much space on my computer, but hey :P my crazy laptop has a multi-gigabytehard-drive.
What's the singlebiggest mistake made by beginner writers?
Deleting anything. There is nothing worse than suddenlyhaving the idea to fix where your story flagged out, to only find it's nolonger on your computer when you go to fix it.
To what extent aregrammar and spelling important in writing?
If you don't write correctly, others will have adifficult time trying to determine what you mean.
How much do yourevise your MS before sending it off?
I go through it as many times as it takes for me to beable to go through it without making any changes at all.
As a writer ofSci-fi, to what extent do you think genre is useful in the publishing world?
You have to know the name of the genre that your intendedaudience will look for or you might prevent your future fans from ever findingyour work.
Many authors seemarketing as a bind. What's your opinion on this, and how do you deal with it?
I'm somewhat iffy on this, I know that without somemarketing no one will ever find my work; but because I'm so attached to what Iwrite, I  would almost rather have thatno one ever see it before I am tempted to change it for the sake of boostingsales.
What sort ofdisplacement activities keep you from writing?
Reading, movies, and video games
What support, if any,do you receive from family and friends, writing group, or dedicatedprofessionals?
As I am not working any 'real' job I live with my dad andstepmother. I receive emotional support from my mother, grandfather, 2 sisters,brother, stepsister, and a good sized list of friends and family online.
Is presentation ofthe MS as important as agents and publishers suggest?
Save a couple random short stories I'm only self-published, soI wouldn't actually know.
How long does it takeyou to write a novel?
The actual writing is probably only a couple of months,but to let the ideas accumulate might take years.
Who or what inspiresyour writing?
Artwork, real life, TVBasically anything andeverything
If there's a singleaspect of writing you find frustrating, what is it?
Pace; if I stick to writing too much I start to hate it,if I take too much time off I lose the flow and cant continue what I wasworking on.
Is there a particularfeature of writing that you really enjoy?
I like having the control to make exactly what I want tohappen, it's why much of what I write becomes too silly or embarrassing to everfinish.
Do you believecreative writing is a natural gift or an acquired skill?
I think it is a common natural talent that must bepracticed to enhance to a worthwhile skill level like running or swimming.
What are you writingnow?
I have a couple of modern-fantasy ideas chasing eachother round my head, but the question has startled them into hiding to thepoint where I'm at a loss to describe what the story's even about. Won't have acharacter named Sam though. I've had far too many of those.
Do you have a websiteor blog where readers can visit?
Closest thing I have toa website is here: https://profiles.google.com/u/0/doUreallyWant2seeyou can get to my blogoff of there
Given unlimitedresources, where would you do your writing?Right at my desk where I'm sitting right now... Somewherenew would just distract me, prevent me from writing at all.
Where do you actuallywrite?
A little desk in the corner of my room on a happy little 15acre donkey ranch in central Texas. Within easy screaming distance of thecockatiel that has something to say about everything I do...