Romy Gemmell's Blog, page 58

Monday Market: Best of British

A little change from short stories this week, but Best of British magazine is one that any writer might approach. And even if you don't want to contribute work to it, this is one of the best publications of nostalgia, although it also partly covers the present. It's an excellent resource for writers researching little details about the past as each issue contains a wealth of information about people, places, and all the everyday things that were part of British life.

Best of British does accept unsolicited articles up to 1,200 words, and is very photograph led. Payment for this is at their (undisclosed) normal rates. They also have a Postbag section for letters and photos, but they seem to have stopped paying for these contributions. I did send a full article recently about childhood summer holidays, along with a couple of photos, and they ended up using just one photo and a very short piece from the article for their Snap Happy section. Fare enough - I did send the article on spec, and they did pay me a little when it was published in the July 2011 issue.

Apart from reading the magazine with a view to submitting material, this is certainly one that I buy now and then just for the pleasure of wallowing in nostlagia for a while! Full details are on the Best of British website.

Rosemary

Networking

Yesterday evening, I was at the monthly Glasgow networking event for writers, publishers, agents and anyone else in the business, known as Weegie Wednesday. I'd never been before, even though my daughter and a friend often tell me I should come along. But I was one of two speakers last night, so this reluctant networker had to go.

I was talking about being published in Canada and the difference between that and a traditional UK publisher. It was only for around ten minutes, then a Glasgow publisher (of which there are very few) spoke a little about his niche market (mainly non-fiction). It was before and after the little talks that the real point of the evening took place when I mingled with everyone and had some great conversation about writing and getting published. I enjoyed it, met some interesting people and have no trouble speaking to anyone, so perhaps I'm just lazy about doing this more often.

Because it struck me that most of my networking is now done online, and that it suits me just fine. I did mention the advantages of having a website or blog, of Facebook and Twitter and online forums, especially if published in e-book first. But I also go to a weekly writing group from September to May, so I get plenty of real interaction with writers in that way. And there's also the annual Scottish writing conference where I meet up with lots of friends from far and near.

I don't think I'll ever be completely comfortable with attending networking evenings, although I'll make an effort now and then. But I really do appreciate all the online friends and contacts I've made on blogs and forums over the past year or two. And I don't even have to leave the house, or worry about transport to take me anywhere. So long live online networking, and thank you to all my lovely new friends for making it so enjoyable.

Rosemary

Monday Market: ShortfirePress

In the search for alternative short story markets, I came across this very interesting site for digital short stories from established and new authors. They accept 'literary, upmarket fiction' between 2,500 and 15,000 words, which must be unpublished. Stories are emailed, and authors should provide a little information about their writing background.

The idea is that each story will be sold as a download to any type of e-reader device for 99p, and they provide helpful guidelines as to which kind of download goes to which e-reader. The author will receive a profit-share of each purchase. It sounds a good idea, as the low cost will hopefully encourage more readers to buy the stories.

The site is run by publishing editor Clare Hey and it was mentioned in a couple of the national newspapers last year. You can find all details on the ShortfirePress website. Might be worth a try for those who write literary short stories. You can read an extract from many of the stories on the website to get a flavour of what they publish.

I'd love to know if anyone has tried them already, or do please let me know if you ever have anything published by them.

P.S - when I tweeted about this just now, the New Writer Mag told me about a recent interview Vanesa Gebbie did with Clare Hey and you can find it here.

Rosemary

Author Spotlight: Hywela Lyn

Today, I'm delighted to welcome a very interesting Welsh author to my blog, Hywela Lyn, whose fantasy novella, 'Dancing with Fate', enthralled me from start to finish. Melding Greek mythology with ancient Welsh myth, the story of Terpsichore and Myrddin transported me to another world and time. It was beautifully written with wonderful description of the ancient Welsh countryside and excellent characterisation. I look forward to reading Lyn's published novels, 'Starquest' and 'Children of the Mist'.

I asked Lyn the following questions which she was kind enough to answer in fascinating detail. And I learned a few things about horse riding! Lyn has generously offered a download of 'Dancing with Fate' to one of the commentators so please don't forget to leave a comment. See blurb and details of a special offer at the end.

Welcome to my reading and writing blog, Lyn, and thank you for being such an interesting guest.

Good morning, and thank you Rosemary for the kind invitation to guest on your lovely blog. I'm so pleased to be here, and I feel right at home with the scenery and the little waterfall, I think I visited somewhere very much like it when I was on holiday in Scotland and it reminds me of my native Wales too!

How did you get into writing fiction?

In a word – escapism. Not that I've ever had anything terrible I needed to escape from, but I've never really felt comfortable in the contemporary world, with its fast pace and obsession with work and making money. Reading fiction as a child allowed me to immerse myself in fantasy worlds of the future or the romance of the past, and I used to daydream and pretend to be a variety of different characters, all very heroic, of course. As I grew up I started writing stories of my own and although writing is hard work, it can also be very relaxing and therapeutic to immerse oneself in worlds which are totally different to our own.

What inspired you to write fantasy and Science Fiction?

As I mentioned above, I regard books as a form of 'escapism' and what worlds are more 'escapist' than fantasy or futuristic worlds? I like writing stories that take me away from the modern world, to vast, beautiful and uninhabited landscapes, brave men and women who believe in old fashioned values and who are capable of loving each other selflessly and completely. Also with Fantasy and Science Fiction nothing is impossible – which doesn't mean that 'anything goes', the trick is to make it feasible, and to have a rationale, so that the reader believes it could happen - but it does give you a lot more scope than most genres.

Do you write any in other genre, or would you like to?

I actually started out writing historical Westerns. I've always been fascinated by the old West, largely because I love horses, and horses played a major part in the opening up and development of the West - where would the cowboy be without his horse?

I read as much as I could of the history of the West, and having ridden English since childhood, discovered Western riding and learnt that 'real' Western riding is nothing like what you see in many older Westerns, where the horses get spurred, and hauled around by the reins. The cowboy was a skilled horseman, whose horse was often his only companion for long periods of time and was sometimes his means of survival when travelling long distances, so he would never treat it so roughly. Western riding uses the rider's weight in the saddle to convey signals to the horse, and the reins are pressed against the horse's neck in conjunction with a light touch of the spur or heels to ask for changes of direction. A cowboy would spend all day in the saddle which needed to be very comfortable for both rider and horse, and I discovered the truth of it when I started riding that way myself and took part in 'endurance' riding in Wales with a Western saddle. I feel this practical experience and knowledge of Western riding and equipment will be valuable in helping to keep my writing authentic in the Western romance which I hope to begin work on as soon as I've finished the third book in my futuristic 'Starquest' trilogy. Another thing I love about the Western historical, is the romance and adventure, the idea of brave men and women exploring a new land, and facing unknown dangers and challenges.

How important is your Welsh background in your writing?

I think it's shaped my writing considerably. When I was writing 'Starquest' I watched the snow blowing in across the Welsh mountains in front of my home, like a mist, and it became a scene in the story. That scene actually grew to become the inspiration for a whole planet, Niflheim, the planet of ice and mist, which became the setting for the second book in the series, 'Children of The Mist'.

Riding my horse in the mountains of Wales stimulated my imagination and many of the landscapes in my stories are based on actual places. Also Wales is a land full of myths and legends, and I've drawn on some of these and adapted them for scenes in my fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate,' which features the Greek muse Terpsichore and Myrddin ab Morfyn, who was reputed to have been born in Carmarthen, not too far from where I lived, and who became the most famous magician of them all.

Do you regard blogging and social networking as a necessity for an author?

Absolutely. These days, unless you're a bestselling author with a major publishing company, a writer is expected to do most of their 'promotion' themselves. Although my publisher, The Wild Rose Press, does send out copies of their books to on-line reviewers, and also does a certain amount of promotion, the bulk of the responsibility rests with the author. Promotion is a 'necessary evil'. If no-one knows about you or your books, how can they be expected to buy them? You can pay for advertising on-line and in magazines, of course, but this can work out expensive.

There are many 'loops' and 'groups' and various websites where you can promote your book but you're competing with many other authors, and I think readers will get a bit fed up of seeing the same excerpts or promotions all the time. I do very little of this type of promotion these days, unless I have a new release, but I still feel the need to keep my name 'out there' and blogging, and sites like 'Facebook', 'The Polkerdot Banner' 'Twitter' and many other social networking sites are invaluable for this and for keeping in contact with readers and other authors. I've made some wonderful friends from blogging, and love the way authors help each other by interviewing other authors and hosting guest posts.

Any tips for new writers?

I loved the 'dragon' books' of Anne McCaffrey and wrote to her when I started writing seriously. I've never forgotten the advice she gave me: 'Write what you would like to read'. I think this is great advice, write for yourself and your enthusiasm will shine through. Another tip would be to have a couple of critique partners you can really trust to point out such things as sudden POV switches and things in your story that just don't work. Also never let yourself become discouraged, we all have to learn to accept rejection, try and learn from rejections and see how you can improve your work. If you are determined enough, eventually you will succeed.

DANCING WITH FATE

BLURB:

When Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, is assigned to revisit 5th Century Wales, and help the people regain their love of dancing, her task seems simple enough. She is unaware there is a hidden agenda. Before she can return to Olympus her path crosses that of the mysterious Myrddin, and her heart is lost.

But Myrddin is promised to another. His mind is set on the dangerous task that lies before him, and the woman he has sworn to save. Nevertheless, he cannot deny the growing attraction between him and the beautiful stranger he meets along the way.

Terpsichore and Myrddin face a deadly force that threatens to part them forever. Is she destined to lose the only man she has ever truly loved? Is there nothing she can do to save him? Finally, when all seems lost, in desperation she finds herself DANCING WITH FATE.

Video Trailer here.

Dancing With Fate is available from Smashwords HERE

I'd like to offer a download of Dancing With Fate to one of the commenters and a discount coupon for 25% off the list price for anyone who emails me and requests one. At the moment Dancing with Fate is only available as an E-book but will soon be available in print from Createspace, or from my website, and I will happily autograph copies if ordered direct from me from my website.

AUTHOR BIO

Hywela Lyn lived in Wales for most of her life, and the beautiful countryside and legends inspired her to write. Although she now lives in a small village in England, she is very proud of her Welsh heritage and background. She enjoys weaving romantic tales of the future, and distant, mysterious worlds. Her pen name is a combination of her first two names. 'Hywela' is Welsh and her first name but it was never used and she has always been called by her second Christian name, Lyn. One thing remains constant in her writing: The power of love. Love, not only between her hero and heroine, but between friends and siblings, and for their particular world and the creatures that share it.

She is crazy about all animals, especially horses. She lives with her long suffering husband, Dave, and her animal family includes two horses, two feral cats and an adopted Jack Russell terrier called Bouncer.

Hywela Lyn's first novel, 'Starquest', a futuristic romance was released by The Wild Rose Press in 2008. The sequel to 'Starquest', 'Children of the Mist', released a year later. Both are available in E-book format or print and she is currently working on the third story in the series. She has recently self-published her fantasy novella 'Dancing With Fate' featuring Terpsichore, Muse of Dance, on Smashwords. This was originally one of nine stories in the Wild Rose Press anthology 'Song Of the Muses'.

She loves to hear from readers and fellow authors and can be contacted at: Lyn@hywelalyn.co.uk

AUTHOR PAGE AT THE WILD ROSE PRESS:  (You can read a short fantasy 'freeread' of mine, here.)Find Hywela Lyn at: WEBSITEBLOGFACEBOOK

Market: Heroes and Heartbreakers

I've been intrigued by this 'Heroes and Heartbreakers' site for some time now. Although I've not yet submitted anything to it, I have one or two stories that might fit if I can lengthen them slightly. It might be a good option for anyone writing romance, since the women's magazine market has decreased. It apears to be run by Macmillan and is partly an interactive website about all things romantic.

The submissions page asks for stories between 6,000 and 15,000 words - they should be original romance stories in any genre, from contemporary, to historical, to paranormal. They state that they pay '$1000 against a 25% royalty' (which is to do with the downloading of stories). To be honest, I don't exactly understand what that means as far as actual payment is concerned, but I might give it a try with one story to see how it goes (if they accept it!).

It does emphasise that the submitted stories will be edited by an in-house editor and romance freelance editors, which is reassuring. There also seems to be the possibility of blogging for them, or submitting excerpts from new novels. I guess the whole purpose of the site is to read what is already on it before deciding if our own work might fit.

Please let me know if anyone has had a story accepted for this site and what you thought of the experience.

Meanwhile, if you haven't already seen it do check out the bumper post on Womag blog  for some great opportunities.

On Thursday, I'll be interviewing the very interesting fantasy romance/futuristic/sci-fi author, Hywela Lyn - not to be missed!

Rosemary

Nostalgic Reads - Mary Stewart

I've always loved romantic suspense novels and very few writers wrote contemporary romance as well as Mary Stewart. The photo above shows just some of her well-loved novels that have been in my bookcase for a very long time. Born in England, Mary Stewart married a Scot and has lived most of her married life in Scotland.

Although she also wrote the acclaimed Arthurian novels, it was the romantic suspense that kept me turning the pages desperate to know the ending of each story. Exotic locations, independent heroines, danger, and often nail-biting suspense combined to make an irresistible read. An added attraction was the interesting information and knowledge painlessly absorbed along with a good story. It was in Airs Above the Ground, set in Austria, that I first learned of the famous Lipizzaner horses and the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. And when I watched them myself a few years ago, I suddenly remembered Mary Stewart's book - such was its impact on me in the days before I travelled to Europe.

A few of my favourites were:

Wildfire at Midnight (1956) – Ritual murder and suspicion on the island of Skye
Nine Coaches Waiting (1958) – Danger in a chateau in the French Alps
Thunder on the Right (1957) – Intrigue and dangerous mystery in the Pyrenees
The Gabriel Hounds (1967) – Mystery and suspense in Damascus
This Rough Magic (1964) – Dolphins and danger on a Greek island
The Moon-spinners (1962) – thrilling danger in Greece (made into a film)

One of her slightly more modern novels, Touch Not the Cat (1976), seemed different in some ways from the others, yet it still had that necessary suspense and danger to keep readers turning the pages. An even later novel, Thornyhold (1988), is still in my bookcase (in hardback) and I really must read it again one day as I don't think it ever grabbed me as much as her earlier works.

I know I'm not the only modern writer who devoured Mary Stewart's novels from my own romance-seeking adolescence, and her stories are no doubt the inspiration of many a romantic suspense novelist ever since. Mary Stewart is truly an iconic author.

Rosemary

Down to Business

I think I've tweaked the blog long enough now, although I might make one or two small changes now and then. It's too easy to keep faffing about with it instead of getting down to writing posts! So today is the first day of August, it will soon be autumn here in my part of Scotland, and I feel slightly more business-like now that I've had a little time off. I've also updated my history blog if anyone is interested in a 13th century priory.

My plan is to post some kind of market news or competition details on a Monday. On alternate Thursdays, I'm aiming to look at favourite books and writers, or interview a variety of new writers. In between, I'll post about anything that comes to mind or that might be of interest to someone else. Or that's the plan - but as we all know, life sometimes gets in the way.

On a personal note, we were delighted to see our honeymooners yesterday, safely returned from a wonderful trip to Australia. Although they were still trying to get over the jetlag, it was lovely to see them so happy together. Our daughter (the bridesmaid) was also here for dinner and we had a great time looking at all the photos on our larger computer screen. Just waiting on the official wedding photos next.

Meantime, I shall leave details of a novel competition:

2011 Unbound Press Best Novel Award

Up to 10,000 words of an unpublished novel - any genre. Entry fee: £20. Closing date: 1st September 2011.
If shortlisted, you will have to provide the complete script.
Full details from Unbound Press.

Good luck if you enter,
Rosemary

Taking Shape...

Well the new look blog is starting to take shape. I'll probably tweak it a bit more before next week but I couldn't stay away from blog land any longer! Hopefully, I'll start some of the new posts next week and bring a bit more variety to all you lovely readers - hope you know how much I appreciate you. Haven't started on the other blog yet, but that can wait a few more days.

A little bit of excitement - Dangerous Deceit is now available in print! I have the shipment here and I'm so delighted to actually hold my first novel in my hands at last. I love my kindle and e-books but... nothing beats holding a print copy! It's available from Champagne Books - but I have a stock here in the UK of course. You know - just in case anyone wants to read it...

I've posted a link on the sidebar to the great reviews it's been getting - thought it about time I actually acknowledged them somewhere! Will be back soon.

Rosemary

Time Out

I've decided to take some time out from blogging and so on over the next two weeks. Apart from the fact we're doing some overdue clearing out at home, I need to overhaul my writing and think about which direction it's going in next. I have far too many projects or half-finished typescripts on the go, not to mention the vast number of forums/blogs/twitter/facebook and two publishers' sites I'm on or take part in. And the writing is getting lost along the way, especially since I'm easily diverted.

I also want to revamp my two blogs and create a new one for children's/tween fiction in preparation for the lead-up to publication of 'Summer of the Eagles' next March. So I won't be posting on this blog again until the end of the month/beginning of August - if I can stay away - and it should look a little different when I restart!

A few improvements I'm hoping to make include:
a regular Author Spotlight favourite books/reviewsmarkets/competitionsnews/personalThe timescale of each has to be worked out, but I think it will give a better focus to the blog and will hopefully be more interesting to readers. A huge thank you to all who already follow my blog - it helps me to know I'm not talking to the ether!

Hope you are all having a good summer. See you in a couple of weeks.
Rosemary

Travels in Northumbria

[image error] Bamburgh CastleWe came back yesterday from another stimulating few days away, partly visiting dear elderly friends in the Northumberland area. We've been many times before but have always gone straight down the west coast until we could cross the country on to the A1. However, this time we went down the east coast from Edinburgh so we could travel along a different coastline to our destination. And what a good idea it turned out to be, although we had so little time to explore that we've marked all the places we'll come back to on another visit!

[image error] Bamburgh StreetOur first stop was the very pretty town of Bamburgh which is topped by an impressive castle. Most of Northumbria is steeped in ancient history and we hadn't realised just how many castles this coastline boasts. The attractive main street has little shops and a lovely cafe/restaurant, The Copper Kettle. This is also where the heroine Grace Darling was born and, unfortunately, we didn't have time to visit the museum. My mother-in-law's brother married into that branch of the family (they were from Whitley Bay) so it will be of particular interest to us.

We had a fleeting stop at Warkworth which has the ruins of a castle situated above the river on one side and the attractive town on the other. But we were disappointed to miss a visit to Lindisfarne. Since visitors have to walk or drive across the causeway at low tide, timing is all important. The other place we'll visit next time is the Farne Islands, by boat from Seahouses. People we met entertained us with stories of their visit to these islands full of birds and their fluffy chicks, where it is almost essential to wear a hat for protection against dive-bombing birds!

[image error] Alnmouth Beach
[image error] Alnwick Castle GatewayAlnwick was next, where parts of the magnificent castle starred in the Harry Potter films. We were there on Sunday and the town looked a little forlorn, but the castle and gardens are hugely impressive - too expensive to explore when time was short, but I loved the tiny figures on top of the battlements and gateway. Nearby is the small coastal town of Alnmouth and we had a hearty meal there at the Red Lion. The best part of the evening was wandering along the almost deserted, vast stretch of beach - very good for the soul.

We were delighted with our choice of B&B accommodation as this area was newer to us. We stayed at the relatively new Sycamore House in Lesbury and couldn't have chosen better. In a quiet residential lane, Sycamore House was a peaceful haven away from all busyness. Although it was full, it has only four guestrooms so we hardly knew there was anyone else there until breakfast in the beautiful dining room. Glyn and Valerie were exceptionally kind and welcoming, going that little bit futher to make sure guests have everything they need. Definitely recommend it, as standards were very high.

[image error] Sycamore HouseThe village itself is lovely and the picturesque Crown Inn is within pleasant walking distance of the guest house, down to the river and over a small bridge to the village street, which is ideal if you've been driving about, or have been visiting all day like we were.

Too soon, we had to leave on the journey home yesterday but we stopped at the historic and pretty town of Corbridge on the way north. As well as a good walk from the carpark, over the ancient bridge to the town, there was a very interesting old church to explore - and a great little craft shop. Everywhere we went, we admired the beautiful brickwork of buildings and cottages.

[image error] CorbridgeFor a writer, such little breaks in new areas is perfect - not too long away from the desk but coming home armed with new experiences, interesting information and more photos. Now just have to find a way of using it all!

Rosemary