Romy Gemmell's Blog, page 50

Online Launch Party for Summer of the Eagles

*Special Invitation*
You are invited to the online launch party for tween e-book, Summer of the Eagles, on Friday 13th April
All day at the Flights of Imagination Blog
Fun, Quizzes, and Giveaways
Hope to see you there!




Market and Competition

Hope everyone had a great Easter weekend and didn't overdo the chocolate! For the first time ever, I enjoyed the eggs but still managed not to put on any weight. This is momentous for me, as I've been very gradually losing the pounds for the past six weeks or so (8-9lbs now, if you want to know!) and thought I'd scupper it at the weekend as I usually do at Easter. Just shows how much this healthy eating plan is working - not too quick a loss, a little regular exercise, and a little of what I like! Actually, it's the only way it will keep working for me as I also love my Saturday morning croissant.

Anyway, I digress. Some writers might find the following market and competition of interest.

The Fiction Desk

This is a UK company who produce anthologies of short stories. Submissions should be between 2000 and 7000 words. Full details of the company and their submissions are on the website.

Sunpenny Open Short Story Competition

The closing date has been extended to 30th April, so there's still time to enter this competition for a story of up to 4000 words - no offensive content allowed. They are also running a Christian short story comp and inspirational novel comp, both of which close on 30th April. Full details here.

Good luck!
Rosemary

Easter Blessings

Iona Abbey and Cross
Wishing all the friendly followers of this blog a very Happy and Blessed Easter, whatever your faith or beliefs. I took the above black and white photo at Iona many years ago but I still like the starkness.

Thought you might like the following 9th century medieval poem from my favourite book of Medieval Latin Lyrics, translated from the original Latin (not by me!). It's such a lovely picture of nature too at this time of year.

Easter Sunday by Sedulius Scottus
Last night did Christ the Sun rise from the dark,The mystic harvest of the fields of God,And now the little wandering tribes of beesAre brawling in the scarlet flowers abroad.The winds are soft with birdsong; all night longDarkling the nightingale her descant told,And now inside church doors the happy folkThe Alleluia chant a hundredfold.O father of thy folk, be thine by rightThe Easter joy, the threshold of the light.



Talking About Books

Since I'm patiently waiting for Summer of the Eagles to be available on Amazon before having an official online launch, I'm having a short gap from the regular Author Spotlight. So for the Easter break, I'm posting a reminder of some of the lovely romantic ebooks I've read over the past few months, and there have been many more! I've linked them straight to Amazon as you'll get the blurb and reviews for each of them there. First, two little mentions of my own.

Tomorrow, Friday 6th May, I'm being interviewed about Summer of the Eagles on Penny Ehrenkranz's blog.

My little Kindle experiment, a collection of eight of my previously published stories, Reshaping the Past , is now on Amazon at only 97 pence.

Some recommended ebooks

His Leading Lady by Paula Martin 

Domingo's Angel by Jenny Twist

Watching Willow Watts by Talli Rowland

The Snow Bride by Lindsay Townsend

Dancing with Fate by Hywela Lyn

Reaching for the Stars by Janice Horton

Happy reading!
Rosemary

Writing Inspiration

We had another lovely weekend out and about, providing excellent inspiration for any writer. On Saturday, we went over to one of my favourite, prettiest little villages, Luss, at Loch Lomond. We've been at different times of the year and it was a bit cloudy the other day, but pleasant for walking around. It's a fascinating little place with an ancient history and I've previously written about it for Suite101. You can find my Luss article online, with a few photos, if you'd like to read more about the village and its history.

As well as enjoying the glorious scenery around the Loch itself, this time we followed the fairly new Pilgrimage Trail on the Pathway Project which highlights the history of St Kessog who seemingly came to these parts in 510.


This lovely Celtic Cross marks the beginning of the trail and the interpretation of the different parts is as follows:
the upper part contains the Christian symbols of the dove of peace, the grain of wheat, the fish symbol of the early church, the chalice, and the candle of hope.the Luss Lily which is only found on the Glebe (the area containing the trail)below the Lily are various faith symbols, not all religious, spelling out the word 'co-exist'.Since I also write occasional articles on Scottish history for The Highlander Magazine in the USA, I came home armed with plenty of new ideas. Loch Lomond itself always inspires me with ideas for fiction and I'm hoping to start a novella set around the area, once I finish some of my other work first! The Loch and Luss already feature in one scene in my mainstream novel that's seeking an agent or UK publisher at the moment.

On Sunday morning we went to the Palm Sunday service at the ancient Abbey in the next town. Once again, my imagination went into overdrive, in between the lovely parts of the service, as this was the very Abbey in which the Royal Stewarts worshipped in the 14th century. Each time I go, I'm full of enthusiasm for writing a novel or novella set around the Abbey. And of course, I've still to write an article about its history.

Meanwhile, I've far too many pieces of work to finish and submit and will need to get down to some work now. But at least my imagination has been energised again!

Rosemary

An Inspiring Interlude

Last weekend, we couldn't be bothered driving far for our usual walk by the coast so husband and I donned our practical footwear and headed off on foot to the local estate and woods just outside our village. We used to take the children there a lot at one time, as it's a wonderful natural adventure playground with lots of hidden paths and even a kind of assault course deep inside the woods. And at this time of year, the daffodils still provided a splash of gold to brighten up the various shades of green and brown.

It's a long walk from the entrance, some of which is gradually uphill, but what an inspiring morning out. Apart from the odd family car passing us by, the peace and tranquility enveloped us as we wandered past ancient trees and enjoyed the sunshine and bird song. We also like to chat while out for a walk, away from computers, emails and online work, taking the chance to catch up on each other's hopes and dreams for what we hope to achieve this year, or where we want to go together.


Then we came to one of my favourite views. From the little bridge, you can see part of the old Victorian kitchens at the head of the stream, and this time the colourful plants in the foreground only added to the beauty. I could stand there for ages just drinking in the scene, and allowing my creative mind to start weaving the beginning of a story or poem. The other hobby I enjoy is capturing the images and scenes on camera.


We only had a glimpse of the graceful large house at the top of the estate, and we bypassed the little shop and cafe and car park, preferring to keep to the solitude of being the only people walking the whole way that morning. As well as the exercise and fresh spring air, we both came back in a more reflective and inspired state of mind. As far as interludes go, it's one we're going to have to repeat!

Rosemary

Tagged, Lucky 7, and New Release!

I thought I'd put together a pot-pourri of a post today since several nice things happened recently and I don't want to delay mentioning kind authors.

First off - my good online writing friend, Paula Martin, tagged me on her lovely blog. For my sins, I need to answer the following questions before tagging a few other writers. So here goes!
What is the one book you couldn't live without?

Oh - I have lots of favourites but I think I'd have to choose a good encyclopedia to quench my thirst for knowledge (if I wasn't allowed Internet access). At one time I'd have chosen Jane Eyre for fiction, but maybe Pride & Prejudice now.
  What can you see out of your window at the moment?
 
A wonderful golden burst of forsythia against the freshly mown hilly back garden. And lots of birds flitting about or drinking from the bird bath.
 
What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
 
For me, it was frog's legs many years ago on a cruise, since I was determined to be adventurous. Nice garlicky, oily sauce but too rubbery!
 
What fictional character would you most like to marry?

Mr Darcy or Mr Rochester - all that simmering passion!

If ever a fictional villain was going to win, who would you want it to be?

Well, I do like the fact Becky Sharp from Vanity Fair did kind of win at the end, although she was dreadful towards her child.

How many types of cheese can you name off the top of your head?

About eight!

If you didn't want to be a writer, what would you want to be?

A singer, dancer or actress - or all three. But I wouldn't want to be anyone else, I'd want to be me (except when acting a role)!

Can you play a musical instrument?

I can still play the recorder a little. But I always wished I'd had the opportunity to play piano, and I'd still like to learn the flute. I adore music and love listening to my husband play the piano. My mother could play the accordian from ear when I was very young.

Do you own a Kindle or any sort of e-reader?

Yes, I've had a Kindle for over a year now and I love it for readign in bed, as it's so much easier than trying to hold a book. It's also great for taking on travels. But I still enjoy reading a print book downstairs.

If so, how many books do you have on it?

About 35 still to read and loads already finished.

You just got published. In a glowing review, someone calls you the next (insert name of famous author). Which author has to watch their back now you're on the scene?

I wish! And yet, I have that same reluctance again to be the next anyone. I'd rather be unique! Unless I could write like Jane Austen, but that would never happen since she was a product of her own time.

Great fun! Now tagging the following bloggers with these questions so we can get to know them better:

Joan Fleming
Karen Edwards
Jean Bull
Myra Duffy
Gail Crane

The other lovely mention I received was when Mindy Hardwick tagged me in the Lucky 7 Meme Challenge.

These are the interesting rules:
1. Go thou to page 77 of your current MS
2. Get thee hence to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they're written. No cheating!
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let each and every one of them know

Since my tween novel, Summer of the Eagles, was just released from MuseItUp Publishing on Friday in all e-formats, this is a good one to do! Watch out for news of my offcial online launch soon (once it's also on Amazon).
So here goes - this is an exciting bit in the second half of the book when 13 year old Stevie is in danger:

His grip loosened slightly, and Stevie pushed against him with all her strength. One arm released her as he tilted backward. She'd done it!
     But as she attempted to slip from his other hand, he lunged back at her.
     "Oh no, you don't. I'm not finished with you yet."
     This time, she noticed the glazed look in his eyes. She'd made him even angrier. How could she escape now?
     A loud swishing sounded beyond the man's head.

Hope that's whetted your curiosity!

And now to pass the Lucky 7 Meme Challenge on to these authors:

Patsy Collins
Anne Johnson
Rosalie Warren
Sue Perkins
Pat McDermott
Linda Kage
Frances Garrood

Rosemary

Author Spotlight: Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz

A warm welcome to prolific Pacific Northwest writer and editor Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz who writes lovely stories in a variety of genres, including the following medieval romantic novella, Lady in Waiting . Penny kindly answered some questions for us today.


LADY IN WAITING: Blurb

Mabriona is cousin to the beautiful and spoiled Princess Alana. When Alana is forced to marry a man she despises, Mabriona is torn between her loyalty to her cousin and her attraction to the handsome Prince Blayne.

Tragedy befalls the cousins on the way to Prince Blayne's castle. Servants, believing Mabriona to be Alana, refuse to listen when she tries to explain.

While she waits for Blayne to recover, Mabriona meets his equally handsome younger brother, Madoc, a bard.

When Blayne awakes, will Mabriona choose life with a future king, will she be sent home in disgrace because of her inadvertent lies, or will Madoc win her love with his poetry?

LADY IN WAITING Short Excerpt:

"Today's the day, Mabriona," Princess Alana said as Mabriona entered the chambers. She wiped tears from her eyes with an embroidered linen. "Prince Blayne will be here, and soon I'll be his wife. I think the worst part of being father's daughter is marrying someone I've never even met."

"You've always known your marriage would be arranged for the benefit of the kingdom, Princess, but I'm sure he'll be very nice," Mabriona replied as she opened the heavy drapes covering the windows. She looked at her cousin and sighed. She wanted to feel sorry for Alana, but they'd had this discussion so many times. Mabriona was tired of it. Alana had known from the time she was a child that she would not wed for love. Why can't Alana just accept her fate? Outside the day was as wet as the one before and the one before that.

"Nice? Who wants nice? I want someone handsome and dashing. A knight in shining armor who will love me forever. I certainly don't want someone like my father who will make me do everything I don't want to do."

Lady in Waiting is available from MuseItUp Publishing, Amazon (US), and Amazon (UK)

Rosemary, thank you for hosting me today.

You write in a variety of genres, which do you prefer?

I enjoy writing everything from fiction to non-fiction, children's to adult. I would say though that I am most comfortable writing fantasy as that is what I often chose to read for pleasure. It's true what the experts say about "write what you know." It doesn't have to be personal experience to "know" something. If you read a lot of romance, you write romance, or if you always read mystery, you write mysteries. Although I have to say all of my stories tend to have a touch of romance, so romance is probably my second favorite genre in which to write.

What is the most difficult part about starting a new book?

For me, these days, it seems to simply be finding the time. In addition to my own writing, I'm an editor for a small publishing company. I find myself spending more time editing other people's books than my own. When I do have time, though, I would say discipline is the hardest. It can be so easy to get distracted (the house needs cleaning, a cup of tea would be nice, the sun is shining…) and maybe that's why I often prefer writing short stories to novels.

Does your writing ever conflict with your editing work?

I guess I answered this one above. Yes, it does. When I have a lot of books in my editing queue, it's difficult to find time to work on my own stories. When I was first retired from my day job, I was better about making the time to write. For some reason, I seem to have very little free time for writing now. I really need to take a close look at what I do each day and carve out the time to finish the two WIPs I have going.

How do you promote your books and does it work?

I have a website and a blog. I'm on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, and Jacketflap as well as a couple of other sites, although I'm not active on all of them. I do virtual book tours when I have a new release. I email friends, family, and writing contacts. I also do press releases to my local papers. For print books, I approach local book stores.

Does this work? I doubt I'll ever get rich with my writing, but I know I'm reaching people I might not otherwise. I think the big thing is just keeping your name visible.

Do you think eBooks are the future?

I doubt print books will ever go away entirely, but yes, eBooks are here to stay. Some books…photography, art, etc., wouldn't be the same in an electronic format. Everything else seems to be fair game. I personally have a Kindle and love being able to carry hundreds of books around with me. If I finish one book, the next one is there to read. I used to think children's picture books wouldn't make the transition, but now I see more and more kids with electronic readers. It certainly has opened up the field to authors who might not have been published otherwise since epublishers have less to lose by giving an unproven author a chance.

Do you find time for hobbies?

I read for a living, but I also read at night for an hour before I go to bed. The good thing about working out of my home is that when the weather is nice, I can go out and work in my garden and not feel guilty. I also exercise a couple of days a week. In the evenings, I crochet while my husband and I watch some of our favorite TV shows or a movie. I enjoy cooking and trying out new ethnic recipes and that's easy to do preparing dinner.

Any tips for new writers?

The one thing I wish someone had told me when I started out was don't be discouraged by rejection. Even the very best writers get rejected…sometimes even after they've published a few books. It all comes down to being in the right place, at the right time, with the right story.

Of course, it's critical that writers follow guidelines, grammatical rules, and have a good story to tell with a unique twist. It's better not to follow the fads because by the time your book gets published, the fad might be long past.

Thanks for the great answers to my questions, Penny!

Penny's other published work available from the publisher: Love Delivery; Mirror, Mirror; A Past and a Future - also available from Amazon

Ghost for Rent, coming 2012-2013

Ghost for Lunch, coming September, 2013

Many Colored Coats, coming October, 2014

Boo's Bad Day, coming June, 2015
From 4RV Publishing

Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz has published more than 100 articles, 75 stories, two ebooks, a chapbook, and her stories have been included in two anthologies. She writes for both adults and children. Her fiction has appeared in numerous genre and children's publications and non fiction work has appeared in a variety of writing, parenting, and young adult print magazines and on line publications. She edits for a small traditional publisher. Visit her website and writing blog for more information.

Her three romance stories: Love Delivery, Lady in Waiting, and Mirror, Mirror are available from MuseItUp Publishing. Her middle grade novels, Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch, will be released by 4RV Publishing. Her short story collection A Past and A Future is available at Sams Dot Publishing. Two picture books, Boo's Bad Day and Many Colored Coats are also scheduled for publication with 4RV Publishing.

Spring and Summer (of the Eagles) Almost Here

I had a wonderful day out yesterday to Loch Lomond with my lovely daughter and husband for lunch at the Marina. As well as a delicious meal (my daughter's treat for Mother's Day), the beautiful scenery only added to the pleasure. My heart always lifts when visiting this majestic Loch, in any weather. Spring was definitely in the air, together with a little nip of a breeze. As usual in our west coast, a few clouds eventually spoiled the otherwise blue sky but didn't spoil our walk along by the shore. I'll try not to gobble up all the chocolates in one go now! And my clever daughter also put together some lovely music for me - looking forward to hearing what she chose once I start writing (she knows the type of music I enjoy).

My son phoned later in the day for a wee chat, as he and my daughter-in-law should be presenting us with our first grandchild in late May and they're trying to get everything ready for this major change in their lives. Can't wait!

Just had confirmation this morning that my first tween novel, Summer of the Eagles , should be released at the end of the week. I'm going to organise a cyber launch on my children's blog for one day next week, once I know it's definitely available. Watch out for details at the beginning of next week and we'll have an online party!

Hope everyone else had a good weekend.
Rosemary

Featured Author and Guest Post: Paula Martin

I am delighted to welcome wonderful writer and good blogging friend Paula Martin back to my reading and writing blog today. Paula's new novel, Fragrance of Violets , is set in the beautiful Lake District and it's obvious that this author knows her setting.

Paula has kindly written a very interesting post about the importance of knowing the background detail for any novel set in a real place, and she practises what she preaches! Thank you for this, Paula.


But first, an intriguing blurb and buy links:

Fragrance of Violets

The title comes from a quote by Mark Twain: 'Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it'.

The story, set mainly in England's beautiful Lake District, is about two people who need to forgive each other and also deal with other issues in their lives.

Abbey Seton distrusts men, especially Jack Tremayne who destroyed their friendship when they were teenagers. Ten years later, they meet again. Can they put the past behind them?

Abbey has to forgive not only Jack, but also her father who deserted his family when she was young. Jack holds himself responsible for his fiancée's death. He's also hiding another secret which threatens the fragile resumption of his relationship with Abbey.

Will Abbey ever forgive him when she finds out the truth?

Find Paula's books on the Whiskey Creek Press website; Amazon (UK) and Amazon (US)

Setting my Novels

Many years ago, some scenes for a major British film were shot in my home town. We watched some of the filming one evening. When the film was shown the following year, of course we went to see it. In one scene, a bus pulls up outside the Town Hall. You could sense the reaction all over the cinema, with people muttering 'Buses don't stop there.' In that split second, the illusion was lost as people with a personal knowledge of the location were distracted by an inaccuracy.

A minor detail, I know, but it has stayed with me, over 40 years later. I've read similar inaccuracies in books about places I know. Someone drives along Quay Street in Galway – nope, it's a traffic free zone. Someone looks out from the White House and sees Pennsylvania Avenue beyond the Washington Monument - wrong, the Monument is south of the White House, and PA Ave is north.

In my opinion, writers must always take into account of the fact that one or more of their readers will know the place(s) in their book(s) unless, of course, they are completely fictitious. All the research in the world will probably not give you the information to avoid making an error which causes the reader to say 'Buses don't stop there' (or similar).

This is why, so far, I have set my novels in places with which I'm familiar. His Leading Lady was set mainly in London, which I know fairly well. Fragrance of Violets is set in the Lake District, an area I know intimately. The village in this story is based on a real village, but I've given it a different name and 'moved' a few buildings around! Similarly, in my June release, Changing the Future , I've used a real Lakeland village (a different one) but given it a new name.

Eighteen months ago, I wouldn't have dreamt of setting a novel in Egypt, but having spent two weeks there, I think (hope!) I absorbed enough to write reasonably authentically about Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. I had to do more research than, for instance, a novel set in the Lake District, but at least I had a basic knowledge on which to build.

When I was writing a fan fiction story, I set part of it in Galway City in Ireland. I'd never been there and, to my knowledge, none of the people on the loop where I was going to post it had been there either. However, I still wanted to make sure my setting was accurate, so I went over to Galway for a few days. I walked from the Cathedral to Eyre Square, and then down Shop Street and Quay Street to the harbour at Claddagh. Maybe I could have done that on a street map or even with Google street view but it wouldn't have been the same. I was able to absorb not only the sights, but also the sounds and smells, as well as the whole atmosphere of the place.

In short, I need to experience a place for myself. Not simply to avoid basic inaccuracies, but also to help my readers to experience it too. I admire those writers who can use settings with which they're not personally familiar, but I find I need to be comfortable with my setting in order to give it some authenticity.

You can find out more about Paula on her Website; Blog; and Group Blog (with 3 other writers)

Paula Martin had some early publishing success with short stories and four contemporary romance novels, but then had a break from writing while she brought up a young family and also pursued her career as a history teacher for twenty-five years. She has recently returned to writing fiction, after retiring from teaching and has had two more novels published, His Leading Lady in June 2011, and Fragrance of Violets in 2012'. Two more novels are currently awaiting release and she is working on a fifth.

Paula lives near Manchester in North-West England, and has two daughters and two grandsons. Apart from writing, she enjoys visiting new places and has travelled extensively in Britain, mainland Europe, the Middle East, America and Canada. Her favourite places are the English Lake District and Ireland. She's also interested in musical theatre and tracing her family history.