Anita Dawes's Blog: http://jenanita01.wordpress.com, page 8

Meet the Characters...

Detective Inspector Snow
Continuing our series of posts featuring some of the memorable characters from our books, today we welcome Detective Inspector David Snow, the man responsible for saving Kate Devereau in The Last Life. Not that the book had a particularly successful conclusion, hopefully he will be in a talkative mood today.
As he walks into my office, I am struck again, by how much he reminds me of Tom Selleck. The same smile and boyish demeanour, but starting to show the signs of wear around the edges.
“Take a pew and thank you so much for agreeing to talk to us today, David. The first thing I have to ask, is how is Kate these days? We haven’t heard anything since we saw you last.”
He lowers his long frame into one of my office chairs, sadly inadequate for someone his size. It looks like dolls furniture, and reminds me to see about getting something a tad more comfortable for any future interviews.
“Glad to be here, actually Anita. I needed a break and taking time out from my latest case is more than welcome. Last time I saw Kate, she was much the same as before. They say there is still hope of a full recovery, but I’m not so sure…”
“You mentioned a new case, anything we will get to hear about?”
“At this stage, anything is possible. It all depends on whether I successfully solve the problems or not, I suppose.”
“I heard the sad news about your sergeant Jim Harris. Does this have anything to do with the case?”David hesitates, and I wonder if I have just pushed my luck. He is a detective after all, and not known for his small talk as a rule.
“Unfortunately, I am unable to comment directly at this stage. So much is still speculation. My writer Jaye Marie is pushing me to make sure I leave no stone unturned, and I owe it to her to try my best.”
Changing the subject, I ask him about the serial killer in his last case. Should be on safe ground as the case is probably closed.“Have you finally closed the case on Jack Holland yet?”Was it my imagination, or did a cloud just pass over his face?
“The forensic evidence was pretty conclusive, so I am reasonably satisfied we will not be seeing him again.”
“I heard a rumour that you might be contemplating retirement in the near future, is this true?”
He looked at me without speaking for what seemed like ages. I knew he did this sometimes when he didn’t want to talk. Then a slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth and creased the skin around his eyes. He was gorgeous when he did that, and I can quite understand the effect he has on women.
“I was thinking about it. Getting a bit long in the tooth now and the idea of moving away from it all was very appealing. But I am needed now, so what I want will have to wait.”
My next question was worrying me. Just how would this important man, senior Detective Inspector Snow react to my probing into his business? I decided to take the chance anyway. “I understand there is a new female presence in your office these days. What is she like?”
He looked at me, a stunned expression on his face as if surprised I knew about her.
“How on earth do you know about Detective Winton? I only met her two days ago…and before you ask, it is too soon for me to have any opinions.”
“Is she pretty?”
For the first time in the interview, he didn’t look at me. He seemed embarrassed, which was strange, unless he had made up his mind.“Come on David, you can at least tell me if she is pretty…”
“Okay, if it will shut you up, I will admit to feeling uncomfortable in her presence. She makes me feel awkward, as if she knows something I don’t… and on that note, I really should be getting back to work… I have enjoyed meeting you, Anita.”
“Perhaps we can talk again, after this case is solved maybe?”
As he slowly pulled himself out of the uncomfortably small chair I was surprised yet again by how tall he was. As he shook my hand, I caught another glimpse of the rare smile, the way he must have looked as a young man. I wondered where his story would end, and if Kate Devereau would be there when it did.
© Anita Dawes 2016

#FridayTakeaway...

 Every Friday, we are going to showcase one of our books, along with the opportunity to win a free kindle copy of the book. All you have to do, is say yes please in the comments...

This week, we are sharing The Ninth Life, the first book in Jaye's mystery thriller series.





Kate Devereau wakes up in a hospital, unable to speak or move. Her brain has shut down, refusing to acknowledge her dark and disturbing past, concealing a web of painful secrets.
Michael Barratt brought her to the hospital, insisting that her ex-husband had tried to kill her. And from the state of him, had tried to kill him too. He had been searching for Kate for years, ever since their doomed love affair, only to discover someone else had been hunting her too.
With the help of the DI David Snow, Kate will gradually piece her life back together, only to discover the nightmare is far from over. Her first instinct is to run, but David Snow convinces her to stay and help him put an end to the nightmare. A nightmare that will get progressively worse before it gets better.
Haunted by his own demons, will the Snowman manage to catch the twisted killer?
Evil lurks in this story and people die, but amidst the tears and heartache, a lost love struggles to survive…
Amazon review...  4.0 out of 5 stars An addictive and rollercoaster of a read 4 Mar. 2015 By Louise Wyatt
If you like the thriller genre that keeps up the momentum then The Ninth Life would be a good read for you. The pace never falters, building up the plot and characters with timely intervention. The author cleverly keeps the story centred around the main character, with the other players coming into the story and yet there are no plot holes or false timings.
Not once did I get bored reading it or find the story faltering at all - definitely one of those where 'you need to know what happens next' but I think the author's gift when writing this is to keep the protagonist centre whilst keeping the reader constantly hooked. The antagonist is typically a nasty character, one whom the reader takes an instant dislike to and the edge he adds to the story is almost palpable.
Other characters are kept to a minimum but play pivotal roles in the story; the good thing here is you never know quite how they will turn out. Will your fears be unfounded? Or did you correctly guess the next step? The ending is not what you would expect (another good talent to have when writing) but you'll have to read the book!
 

#Wordless Wednesday

I love my pen pot!

Twitter for Idiots…

I have a new challenge.
Yes, I know I have admitted to this before, and not managed to master all of the challenges I have faced in my quest to be an uber intelligent blogger with outstanding promotional skills.
The few I have conquered have gone a long way to encourage my endeavours though. Even on those dark days when nothing seems to be worth the effort, my new found knowledge keeps me going. And when I do manage to learn something new and incredibly helpful, I’m sure I can be heard all the way down in Australia!
I could list all my failures, but I won’t, simply because I haven’t written them off just yet. I call them my “works in progress”. Being stubborn does have its advantages, and I thank God for mine every day.
Back to my new challenge.
I have read an awful lot of helpful books, all aimed at newbies like me. The best so far have been the ones by Rayne Hall.Rayne Hall has written a series of easy to understand and helpful books on just about everything you need to be a successful writer and blogger. She also includes everything she ever did wrong in the beginning, just so you don’t!Everywhere I look, it seems, people are saying that Twitter is the place to successfully promote your books. If you know how. I have tried, several times in fact, to be clued up on Twitter, but somehow my brain has so far refused to grasp anything but the basics.HOWEVER… armed with Rayne’s instructions, I am determined to try again. And this might just sound like the last chance saloon, but I’m not getting any younger.
Time for some positivity…
I will learn and master the art of scheduling posts.I will also learn how to promote our books like a professional.I will learn how to use Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule my tweets for the best effect. (And that’s the first problem before I even get started. Which one do I use? They both say easy to use, but they haven’t met my brain.)
I discovered that there is a whole list of requirements, making it nowhere near as easy as I first thought.1.      Urls should be shortened (and that’s another thing I failed at)2.      Images have to be exactly the right size. You have only 140 characters to play with and images are deducted from these.3.      When tweeting a previous post, use the permalink instead of the original title. (Get a load of me, that sounded very technical!)4.       Your Tweets should all be different. Change the words and images. Don’t just retweet, it’s boring.5.      Create a document list of all your tweets ready to schedule, so you can use them again one day.6.       Decide which system to use. Some sound easy but not decided yet. You never know, I might just get smart enough to tackle Scrivenor at this rate!
Further post on my progress (or lack of it) coming soon.

The Rose…

The rose stands in the garden, bareNo petals on the ground.The winter took her flowers awayNo perfume to be found.

Silver frost on sharp thornsCold and silent is the air.Spring is indeed a long way offMemories of when she was fair.
Of long summer daysAnd the heat of the sun.The soft dew on her faceAnd the bees having fun.
Now the warmth has all goneShe stands naked and cold.Waiting patiently all winterShe slowly grows old.
But she will not lose her beautyThough time comes and goes.Each summer is a miracle,A peaceful, lovely rose.
© Jaye Marie 1970

What writing means to me…

I recently read a short story called 'Thirst' from 'The Secrets of the Fire King' by Kim Edwards and I was literally blown away. Basically, it was a reworking of 'The Little Mermaid' story but what a difference!
There was so much more depth and resonance, revealing exactly how the heroine must have felt and reacted to her plight. There was mystery, malice and yearning and quite possibly the most powerfully beautiful piece of literature I have read in quite a while.

All part of the learning curve I find myself on in order to become a better writer. I am discovering that characters must have an 'under layer' (much more depth). Something you feel as a reader opposed to what you see. I am also learning that you have to make time to write. Something I personally have trouble with. My days seem to be filled to the brim with things I have to do, plus all the things I would like to do, that there really isn't enough time for everything.

But I want to write, so I must organise myself, prioritise what I do (and not feel too guilty about the things I don't get time for)

Most authors, I have discovered, say that all these jobs and tasks are writing enemies, and I know just what they mean. I have been trying to knuckle down and make some kind of progress with my writing, and I'm afraid I have let myself down again. I thought that if I cleared some of my outstanding jobs, I would have more spare time. What a laugh! It's a bit like trying to dig a hole in a sand pit, I'm getting nowhere fast.

So as a good friend of mine once said, 'everything is important, but nothing is very important.'

I have discovered that you have to write and squeeze life in around the edges -- not the other way around.
They say you should learn to write as if your life depended on it --because it probably does!

How I edit…

I have edited a great many books in my time, usually for other people, and I usually start at the beginning and go through the first draft that way.
This is how I edited my own first book “The Ninth Life” and I think for a debut, it turned out quite well. It was meant to be a one-of, but the characters had other ideas. Or wasn’t it supposed to end the way it did?
So I was literally forced to continue the story, and when it was time to edit it, an interesting idea occurred to me. I have no idea where it came from, and I don’t think I have heard of other writers doing the same.
This sequel had turned out to be quite complicated. Maybe sequels are, I have no idea, not having written one before. The idea of editing all of the characters chapters separately seemed like a logical and workable thing to do.
That way I could see if the threads of the story (and their lives) were running fluently, and whether there were any gaping plot holes anywhere.
Well, I found quite a lot of holes and several lapses of continuation, leading me to update my running storyboard yet again.
At times, it seemed all I was managing to do was make it even more complicated, and I despaired. As I get older, there seems to be far too much of this despair happening around me, but I digress.
There are four main characters in “The Last Life” and all so different from one another, so I concentrated on each one in turn. I found that I could enter their own space and really get to know them personally. The result seemed deeper and more rounded.
I have discovered there are more ways to edit than there are for writing, and one is no better than any other. I allow the story to tell me how to proceed and this usually works well for me.
© 2015 Jaye Marie

Writing Inspiration...

These magical photographs are of an actual place in Cornwall, called St. Nectan’s Glen. I know it well because I have been there. I have stood beneath it, getting soaked to the skin, and I have climbed up the rocks and stood looking down at the majesty of the thundering water. The sight and sound of it put something in my soul that I know wasn't there before. It was a truly wonderful experience, and if I had the money, I would move to Cornwall just to be near it. And I would love to go and experience Niagara Falls too! (mind you, if I did, I may never come home again!)

If you ever feel a little bit worthless or a waste of space, and I believe a lot of us do feel that way sometimes, you need a place like this. You need to be able to see and feel something that you just know is stronger and more powerful than anything you have seen or felt before. Once you find it, you will be a different person, believe me. I always love to be near water, any kind of water. I wanted to live on a boat when I was growing up and it still appeals to me.

The first time I went to Cornwall I was not really prepared for just how much that County had to offer. Apart from all the quaint old villages there were magical forests, wonderfully rugged beaches and coves, dramatic rock formations and inspiring scenery everywhere you looked. I have had more inspiring moments in Cornwall than just about anywhere else.
I need some of that inspiration round about now, as I am still trying to finish the third book in my murder mystery series. I have the characters, location and theme sorted, but I need more ideas of how it will all work. I know I should just let my characters take me for a ride, but I'm not sure if that will work for me this time. I don't have a clue what will work for me, that's my whole problem right there!

Maybe I am not supposed to be a writer, but I don't really believe that. It is something I have wanted to do for a long time now, and I am determined to keep trying. One way or another I will get it right and get it done, but where is my inspiration at the moment? I think it is back in Cornwall without me...
© Jaye Marie 2016

Jesse (part three)

re-posted from February 2016...




Jesse turned up again today. I had been feeling predictably edgy for some days now, but hadn’t given him a thought. My routine was all to hell and my workload suffering because of it. I was forgetting what I was doing, right in the middle of doing it!
The impending radiotherapy was starting to haunt me, that’s if my breast ever healed enough for them to start. It was still uncomfortable and felt as though they had stuffed something in there, instead of removing anything.
Thinking about not seeing Jesse for a while, I assumed it was because he probably knew I was way out of his jurisdiction and would be wasting his time coming to see me. For what was going on now was not the small frustrations of an aging woman after all. This was something pretty big, or could have been.
I was still surprised to see him when I came downstairs, and his dark and brooding presence was so welcome, I cried.
Most people describe their own personal ‘black dogs’ as something to detest, something to be got rid of at all costs. But Jesse has been with me for so long now and seen me through some terrible depressions that I cannot resent him. He has become an old friend.
I know he shouldn’t be, for he is just a figment of my imagination after all. A symbol of all my failings and weaknesses. But when you are left with nothing else, you desperately cling on to anything, even a mirage of your own making.
I had a real black dog once when I was a child. A black Labrador retriever called Folly. She was a wonderful dog and was very kind to this miserable child when she really needed a friend. She gradually taught me how to hide all the sadness away, although I liked to imagine she deliberately took it away from me for a while.
All dogs are able to do this, I think and I miss having one of my own so much. This is probably how Jesse came into being, and although I cannot touch him, or feel his soft black fur, I can feel his calming presence in my soul, and will be forever grateful…

Jesse (part two)

 re- posted from December 2015...

Jesse was waiting for me when I came down stairs this morning, and for probably the first time ever, I did not resent his presence. Those sorrowful eyes echoed my own and I didn't feel so very alone any more.
I used to resent his arrival, knowing the black mood that threatened to descend was about to get a hell of a lot worse. But I have grown fond of him over the years. No one else has ever bothered to stick around, although I can hardly blame them.
I miss not being able to touch him, or put my hands on his noble head. To put my face against his thick fur and feel his warmth and compassion, as I have done in the past with the real dogs I shared my life with. Jesse gives me unconditional love; I just hope he knows that I care for him too.
I have been looking at other things a little differently too, wondering if it would be the last time I see them. I would miss so many things, but not all.
I have been trying not to think about what might be happening to me, but like so many times in the past, I will probably survive this too. The results will be negative again and my miserable life will continue. That is what I was concentrating on anyway. Not the miserable part though.
But Jesse knew.
He always knew what was in my heart, acknowledging the truth of the situation long before I did. Animals have no illusions, do they? They seem to accept what life throws at them, warts and all, but sometimes I would love to know what they think about. Experts tell us that animals have no emotions, but how can they know this to be true?
I have been accused of having none either, as I appear to turn to stone in certain situations, but that is only what I allow to be seen and probably how I will conduct this latest trial.
On the surface, I can already feel the ice crystals forming as I refuse to get upset over something that may not even be happening.
Next week I will know the truth. I will be prodded and poked, x-rayed and scanned. If it looks bad, a needle may remove some tissue so they can judge how bad it is.
Then what will I do?
Will Jesse stay, or will I send him away, this time for good?
What will I do with what life I have left?
It already sounds as though I know what will happen, but I do not. Maybe, deep down, it is what I want, but I do not think so. My life is not wonderful, but I am not ready to relinquish it just yet…