Roland Clarke's Blog, page 47
February 13, 2017
My Rogue, My Ruin – a review
I realise that I haven’t written a review since September 1st. Although, despite my poor health, I have been reading so there are seven overdue reviews. I’m going to leave those for now and review the book that I just finished.
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My Rogue, My Ruin (Lords of Essex #1)
by Amalie Howard & Angie Morgan
The beau monde has always had it all–money, pride, titles–while the needy die on their doorsteps. So I don a mask, steal from the rich, and give to the poor. I am no longer Lord Archer Croft, the Marquess of Hawksfield and the son of a duke.
I am the Masked Marauder.
My only rule: never let anyone close enough to know my secret. So I’m cold and hard and scare everyone away. That’s just what it takes if I hope to make a difference in this world.
Until one woman, Lady Briannon Findlay, pitied by the ton, sees through my defenses, and I can’t help the heat between us. Everyone sees her as quiet and frail, but I see the spark behind her eyes and I’m like a moth to her flame. For a moment, I think I might be able to keep her and my secret.
But I was never meant to have it all…
REVIEW – ****
I received this book as a prize in a random genre competition and found it hard to put this down. In fact, I stopped reading another book to make time for this one. I’m a very slow reader, otherwise, I’d have read this in one sitting. I rarely read Historical Romances but this had all the right elements to draw me in: well-drawn characters, mystery and intrigue, a strong female lead, visual settings, and there are horses – not surprising as the setting is England in 1817.
The romance between Archer and Briannon/Brynn is tempestuous given their vibrant characters, with incidents and society leading to some challenging encounters. True love never runs smoothly as Archer and Brynn discover, often struggling against their own personalities and realistically wavering emotions. Their motivation throughout is logical in the situations they find themselves.
The characters are all believable and well-imagined, and the society they inhabit rings true – my upbringing brought me into contact with the modern ‘remnants’ of the ton and I could visualise some of the ‘types’.
Attempting to avoid spoilers, I found the mystery plotline worked extremely well and kept me thinking until the end. This was the kind of mystery plot that has you looking for the clever foreshadowing and hidden clues. As a mystery reader primarily, I felt that the authors pulled that off brilliantly.
Attempting to work with another author must be a challenge – I’ve only once attempted it, and failed – but Amalie Howard and Angie Morgan have blended their writing seamlessly. There are no signs of anything like alternate authors for alternate chapters or scenes. They write with one voice and I now await the next Lords of Essex novel.
February 9, 2017
Books Are Not Free
From 11th to 15th February there is an excellent event taking place on Facebook called ‘Our Books Are Not Free’ to make readers aware that books cost money to produce.
Here is the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/206705409792190/222606034868794/?notif_t=admin_plan_mall_activity¬if_id=1486627935877048
This is the online magazine detailing why ‘Books are not free’ and the writers involved: https://www.joomag.com/magazine/golden-box-book-publishing-books-are-not-free/0748123001485514607
I am supporting the event, but what do you think. Should writers give their books away for free?
[If you say ‘yes’ then there is a second question – should shopkeepers sell their goods for free?]
February 6, 2017
Announcing: The 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge! #atozchallenge
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Last week, I posted an advance notice of exciting news about The 2017 Blogging from A to Z April Challenge. That teaser got me wondering what we would learn.
Well, the waiting is over and the announcement has been made, HERE.
Not what I thought, but it seems logical. Some bloggers might need to adjust their schedules, but I believe that is feasible.
Read the announcement, then let me know what you think below.
February 1, 2017
#IWSG – READING AS A WRITER
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I must apologise to any followers still out there. I realise that I haven’t blogged even once since my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day on January 4th – #IWSG – TO BOLDLY GO.
I had intended to post one or two book reviews as there are seven novels screaming at me for reviews. My excuses are getting stale, although I wish my health were better as that would help. However, a month has passed and here is my February IWSG post.
February 1 Question: How has being a writer changed your experience as a reader?
When I was a child, and through my teens, I devoured books – well not like Firmin the rat at the heart of Sam Savage’s fantastic debut; belatedly, I just wrote a quick review on Goodreads.
In my teens, I did write as well, but at that point, the writing merely fed my desire to read some great science fiction and fantasy. Perhaps I was picking up something from the reading, although not vice versa.
It was when I retired as a journalist and began working on “Spiral of Hooves”, my first published novel, that I began to read as a writer. It wasn’t immediate, but I began to note how the writing elements came together in other people’s books – or didn’t.
I follow a few writing ‘mentors’ that have written fiction, such as K M Weiland, so reading their creations is both an insightful and enjoyable experience as a writer/reader. Example: K M Weiland’s Storming which I did manage to review.
However, I try to switch off my analytical self when I read – most of the time. The time for this writer to assess the elements is not when I’m engrossed in the tale. That works in a similar way that my internal editor must be locked away during a first draft. I must find the right moment to switch brains and avoid interrupting the flow.
So my writing has enhanced my reading experience.
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for the February 1 posting of the IWSG are Misha Gericke, LK Hill, Juneta Key, Christy and Joylene Butler!
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A Big A To Z Announcement Is Coming! #atozchallenge
Six years ago, at about this time the first A to Z Blogging from A to Z April Challenge Linky List appeared as sign-ups opened. A successful and popular blogging experience was born – thanks to founder Arlee Bird, who celebrates his birthday today so I hope it’s a great one. [He’s three years ahead of me, but I move one year closer in August.]
I admit that I was an observer in the first few years of A to Z. The first year that I took part was in 2014 when I chose aspects of the future world that became Gossamer Flames. In 2015, it was the War of 1812, and last year I went for a story format entitled ‘A Brilliant Conspiracy’.
Last May, I started scribbling out some ideas for 2017, and have added to those notes. However, there is exciting news on its way, if I read the tempting ‘trailer’ on the A to Z website correctly. If you want to know more, which you must do, then visit and be tempted: http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/2017/01/a-big-to-z-announcement-is-coming.html
January 4, 2017
#IWSG – TO BOLDLY GO
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Attempting to ignore my ill-health, it’s time for my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day.
January 4th Question: What writing rule do you wish you’d never heard?
As there are a few rules that I wish I’d never heard, it seems easiest to start with the first one I broke.
At school in the 1960s and 1970s, my teachers tried hard to teach me, and other students, not to split our infinitives, ever. I never felt that these teachers gave me a reasonable explanation, so when the split infinitive worked, I insisted that I had the right, in the words of Star Trek “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” This usage seemed appropriate as many of my earliest short story attempts were SF.
I felt justified in breaking this cardinal rule when I later heard that the first English Grammar used Latin Grammars as its basis – the Latin infinitive is one word so can’t be split. To my mind, that explained why my teachers, most of them trained in Latin, stuck to the rule.
I have since discovered that although many authorities quote the Latin argument, others point to different 19th-century grammarians for the rule’s origin. Check out these links if you want to know more about split infinitives:
http://www.grammar.com/split-infinitives-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_infinitive
http://grammarist.com/grammar/split-infinitives/
As for me, I learned as a teenager that there were writing rules that needed questioning, and fifty years later nothing has changed, and I welcome excuses to break rules.
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for this January 4th posting of the IWSG are Eva @ Lillicasplace,
Crystal Collier, Sheena-kay Graham, Chemist Ken, LG Keltner, and Heather Gardner.
January 2, 2017
Where am I going in 2017?
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Any realistic writing plans for 2017 are dependent on my health.
My multiple sclerosis has entered a vicious, downward spiral with side issues like pulled tendons and swollen legs aggravating the MS. The consequences are that first, I have to cope with constant pain, sometimes bearable but other times excruciating to the point that all I can do is scream. Second, a combination of medication and lack of sleep at night, from the pain, means that I doze for much of the day, or I struggle to stay awake when I need to do anything crucial.
Excuses over, here are my writing targets for 2017 in achievable order:
I fell asleep here at 17.45, I think [Day 1]
[Day 2] Finally, I’ve got a bit more energy to write.
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TARGET 1 – RE-PUBLISH SPIRAL OF HOOVES
My debut novel, Spiral of Hooves was published on December 9th, 2013 and was available for eighteen months. My publisher, Spectacle Publishing Media Group was changing hands, so I chose to terminate our agreement, receiving all my rights back.
As I don’t feel that the novel was promoted effectively, which is clear by the friends who ask if I ever finished writing the book, then a second release is needed. Furthermore, there has never been a paperback version, so that will be part of the publishing plan.
The first step, though, is to check the reviews, that I copied off Amazon and Goodreads, for anything that needs revising and reading the novel again myself. The resulting revision will also allow me to check the foreshadowing for the sequel Tortuous Terrain.
Next, I need to identify the publishing route. I had presumed that it would be impossible to find a publisher that handled previously published books. However, I discovered Fahrenheit Press that publishes ‘Crime Fiction’ and are “not too bothered if the books have been published before”. I need to check them out more, so if anyone knows about them, please let me know.
The other option is the self-publishing route, and the choice seems to be between Create Space and Book Baby, although there may be better options that I’m overlooking. All recommendations are gratefully accepted. This route means formatting the novel for both eBook and paperback, a major task and daunting – but worth getting right. There are also financial implications at a time when health care has to be the priority.
And then I need to promote Spiral of Hooves effectively and widely – having prepared a strategy in advance.
16:00 – can I rest now, please?
20:28 – rested and showered so sort of energized.
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Photo of a cloud illuminated by sunlight. ~ by Ibrahim Iujaz from Rep. Of Maldives
TARGET 2 – PUBLISH STORMS COMPASS
Storms Compass is the first book in the post-apocalyptic series Gossamer Flames. Books 2 and 3 are partly written already, as I constructed all three around short stories.
One of my critique partners has done an extensive page by page assessment that will be the basis for my final draft. Even though one of my two line-editor friends edited an earlier draft of Storms Compass, I will have made enough substantial changes to run it past the other editor. There are cost implications at this stage as well.
When I have the polished novel, I will attempt to find a publisher – having ensured that I have an excellent synopsis and blurb, that my author profile reflects the ones on social media, and ensured all recommendations for submissions are checked off.
That process could take me into 2018, so I need to be making other plans.
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A lot is dependent on (a) the response that I get to the re-release of Spiral of Hooves; (b) my financial situation. If sales are minimal and health care eats away at our savings, I can attempt to finish the re-draft of Fates Maelstrom and doing research for Eagle Crossing.
On the other hand, if both Spiral of Hooves and Storms Compass are well received, I will need to work on their sequels. Is that hopeful thinking?
Have you any advice on this crazy plan, please? Does my strategy make sense?
December 17, 2016
This could be Kanata
The Norwegian Viking ship Draken Harald Hårfagre sailing outside Greenland – /
What would have happened if Leif Eriksson had settled Vinland permanently in 1000 AD?
That question was an itch that I have kept scratching for many decades. Sailing across the Atlantic, albeit on an ocean liner, and arriving in America by sea, made it one I had to resolve.
NaNoWriMo gave me the perfect opportunity, and a short story called ‘Eagle Muse’ became the starting point for a novel called Eagle Crossing. In fact, ‘Eagle Muse’ was dis-assembled to become the components in scenes from an early chapter to the ending.
So, what, you ask impatiently, is the book’s connection to the Vikings?
Well, the lead character, Torill Migisi is descended from the shamaness that helped persuade Leif Eriksson to stay and work with the indigenous people – a thousand plus years earlier. Yes, this is alternative history, set in a world that is still in the Viking Age.
It’s 2020 AD, and the Migisi family have an international shipping business, but using airships – yes there are steampunk echoes as well. But these airships are high-tech, sleek and fast – but not as fast as the jet that Torill’s brother salvaged from the depths of Lake Gichigami. Yes, the Big-sea-water in The Song of Hiawatha which we know as Lake Superior.
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The indigenous people have equal, if not a higher status on this continent, so many places and people have native names. For instance, Stadacona is the capital of this confederation, and Migisi is a Chippewa name meaning ‘Eagle.’. Is any of this a clue to where Kanata is? I hope that you all said Canada, especially as that originated from a St. Lawrence Iroquoian word, ‘kanata’ meaning village or settlement. All you Canadians reading this knew that of course.
So what’s a jet doing in a world of airships? That’s the question that drives Torill’s quest to save the Migisi business because the jet has the white star markings of the Dixie States, the Southern neighbor of Kanata, with their capital at Charlotte. Hey, what happened to Washington? Did the British burn it down again? Not quite, but the Dixies lost it in a border dispute with Kanata, and Britain has been a Viking nation and Kanata ally since 1040.
Hey, what happened to Washington? Did the British burn it down again? Not quite, but the Dixies lost it in a border dispute with Kanata, and Britain has been a Viking nation and Kanata ally since 1040.
However, the major concern is the continent-wide Arms Ban. Someone must be using the star-marked jet to stir up another war with the Iberoamérica Coalition. But who? Is the answer in the past? Kanatian forces did help the Texians defeat the Mexicans at the Alamo, but Migisi involvement in the under-hand events of 2020 implicates Kanata. Can Torill prevent the continental war that the three nations have avoided for a thousand years?
Don’t panic, the book’s blurb is shorter than the above. I’m just giving you a tour of the developing world. The novel has two plotlines: 1) Torill’s quest to prevent a continental war that would cost lives and bring the end of a rich legacy; 2) the historical development of this Viking Age and the Migisi family’s role down the ages.
I track this evolution through flashback chapters like ‘1759- Stadacona’ when on 13 September, the French attempt to seize the Kanata capital – a rewrite of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, outside the walls of Quebec City. The Alamo is there, along with Columbus’s arrival in the Bahamas – 492 years too late.
There are more flashbacks, in America and back in Europe where Vikings were an influential force in our timeline. With Kanata behind them, these warrior-traders can change European history. So watch out Napoleon, and forget about the World Wars – unless that jet with the stars causes one.
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Wikipedia: USAF – U.S. Air Force photo
Where can these Vikings come unstuck? Is this world possible? Do you want to live in the Kanata Samtök?
December 6, 2016
#IWSG – Writing Career in Five Years
Although we are more settled in our Idaho home and celebrated Thanksgiving with most of the family, I’m still struggling with my health so normal posts are still postponed until…whenever.
I am writing, though, and in November was a NaNoWriMo Winner with my new novel Eagle Crossing. Basic premise: ‘What if the Vikings had settled in Vinland and colonized much of North America before Columbus arrived’. Perhaps, I will reveal more in a future post, as the premise got me excited.
Update: Posted this a few hours early as not Wednesday here – yet. MISTEAK !!!!
Anyway, it’s time for my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day:
December 7 Question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?
My writing plans are directly related to my health, so I must presume that the current slump is only a large dip or valley in the road. On the other side are years of solid writing time, with very few days when the pain is so excruciating that I can’t even write hunched over the keyboard, as I’m doing now.
First the aim: to have at least two more books published, either by a small press or self-published. PLUS, to get my first novel, “Spiral of Hooves”, back in print, and available as a print version.
Beyond those books, everything depends on how they are received, as there are sequels in various draft stages that I would hope to release in that period. I must be realistic, and not presume too much as I have not had anything published since December 2013.
Hence my strategy for getting two more books published:
In 2017, I intend to tackle the final revision of “Storms Compass” and get it published, as I sense that I’m prevaricating about sharing it beyond my critique partners. That would be in the first few month, closely followed by the reprint of “Spiral of Hooves”, which my old publishers Spectacle Publishing Media Group handed back in an easy to reprint form – I hope.
Then, more demanding, there is the first of my mystery series, “Fates Maelstrom”. The latest draft was advanced before I left Wales, so I am aiming to publish that at the back-end of 2017, or early 2018. That has to be realistic, rather than impossible
The respective sequels are: “Blood Tapestry” [Storms Compass]; “Tortuous Terrain” [Spiral of Hooves]; and “Seeking a Knife” [Fates Maelstrom].
Of course, my distraction could be the Viking world of ‘Manitou Mark’, starting with “Eagle Crossing”, but that might be a future post. The research is on my desk after that NaNoWriMo win.
Somewhere during the next five years, it would be great to have some short stories published. However, I have so far failed to pass the first hurdle and seem to cause bemused eyes among readers. I am aiming this month, or next, to discover where my stories fail. I have entered a writing competition, in which the stories are workshopped – starting today…yikes – and then the judges critique those that pay a small fee for their time. Watch this space again.
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for this December 7 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!
November 1, 2016
#IWSG – Favorite Aspect of Being a Writer
I’m still struggling with my health so normal posts are postponed until…whenever.
For now, it’s time for my monthly post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day:
November 2 Question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?
If I had more than one novel published my answer might be different. I would have books to promote and readers to link with. However, I’m still at the early stages so I need to focus on those stages of writing.
For now, my favorite aspect must be able to take the germ of an idea and create an outline where that initial inspiration comes alive. Yes, the actual first draft is meant to bring that alive, but I find that my characters and their actions emerge on stage in the outlining stage.
Or is that because as I work on this post, I’m outlining an idea for NaNoWriMo? Maybe when I get into the draft, that will be my favorite aspect of being a writer. Or have I misunderstood the question? Am I meant to say being my able to work wherever?
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for this November 2 posting of the IWSG are Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!
October 5, 2016
#IWSG – When do you know your story is ready?
Apologies for the long silence, but the long journey from North Wales to Idaho was amazing and exhausting = another post when I recover. For now, I will say that my health is still low and I have been sleeping in my wheelchair – not recommended – as I can’t stretch out on a normal bed. Scary medical details next time and cool pictures arriving in New York by sea.
Anyway, I’ve finally got online to post for Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day:
October 5 Question: When do you know your story is ready?
My stories tend to be plotted in detail so I know most of the twists and endings. Revisions address holes and errors, especially when I remember to use critique partners, writing groups, or editors. I tend to be guided by their comments as to when the story is ready or finished.
However, in the last resort I know I’m finished when I start crossing my ‘I’s and dotting my ‘t’s.
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The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group Day. We post our thoughts on our own blogs. We talk about our doubts and the fears we have conquered. We discuss our struggles and triumphs. We offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling.
Please visit others in the group and connect with my fellow writers.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG
And be sure to check out our Facebook group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/
Our revved up IWSG Day question may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
The awesome co-hosts for the October 5 posting of the IWSG are Beverly Stowe McClure, Megan Morgan, Viola Fury, Madeline Mora-Summonte, Angela Wooldridge, and Susan Gourley!
