Fiona Pearse's Blog

FREE 27th MAY

It's time to put my money where my mouth is... Or something like that... I've invested in advertising for Beverly.



Okay, not a poster on the tube. But a featured page on some websites plus promotional tweets, a shout out in news letters and Beverly will be FREE for 5 days from May 27th. Exciting? I think so!

Full blog post:

"I heard about this author who self-published through a self-publishing company"... read more

Beverly in Paperback

OMG! Beverly the paperback is out now AND in a Goodreads Giveaway!

Starting September 3rd and running for one week, enter for your chance to win 1 of 10 signed copies.



Over the last few months I have been sending Beverly out to book reviewers and have been so chuffed to receive these great reviews, which I have added to the paperback: read the blog post...

Beverly Available on Kindle

I am very excited to announce that Beverly is now available on Kindle!

And it has been awarded a place on the Awesome Indies list of quality independent fiction!



Awesome Indies identify and promote independently published books that meet the standard of books published by mainstream publishers. Their reviews are known for being tough, so I'm really proud to be included on their list.

Check out their review on Amazon. My favourite part is: I connected deeply with the characters, I felt each and every dramatic moment. Then why not download an original story about two best friends in London whose codependent relationship is set to implode as soon as they make a quid pro quo kind of deal.

Beverly is Coming Soon!

Soon-ish. After getting a fantastic copy-edit with SilverWood Books, I finally have some time off from my busy job to work through changes.

I was surprised, reading the copy-edit, to find character traits coming across that I had not realised were there! It is as if I unconsciously brought forward these traits and needed someone else to point them out. With this fresh perspective, I can see some small changes can shape the character dynamics further.


READ MORE.......

Beverly, Draft 3

And now, draft 3 of Beverly is finished! The last few weeks have gone quite smoothly overall with lots of editing and re-reading and a little research. Sending it to friends to proof-read draws a real line under the work and stops me from tweaking here and there. I'll be going back to polish off a final draft in December, with my fresh perspective plus friends' feedback.

Read More.

Back Stories: Beverly, Roland and Ella

I have finished draft 2 of my short novel Beverly and now have a checklist of things I want to fix and enhance for draft 3 which I hope to have ready for my proof-readers - er, I mean my friends, in a few months time. Exciting! For me.

We join Beverly's story as she and Ella - her old friend and flatmate - have a falling out that threatens to end their friendship. A deal is struck over their crises but as the story unfolds, resentments come to light and Beverly faces the unknown, watching her carefully structured life unravel in every way.

The three main characters meet in college and though there are flashbacks to this time, the story is set in present day. I have written the below biographies to share more of these characters with you, since posting character descriptions back in March. Most of the information here will not be in the book as it's irrelevant to the story but back stories help grow characters in the mind of the writer, so I thought it would be fun to share them.

Read more...

Awesome Indie Approved!

How do you like my shiny new badge? Orla's Code has been awarded a place on the Awesome Indies list of quality independent fiction! Awesome Indies is a critically acclaimed site that reviews and showcases excellent Indie fiction. What a great idea, to help readers in their search for quality independent books. Their mission is "to identify and honour independently published books that meet the same standard as books published by major mainstream publishers and their imprints." I'm feeling proud that Orla's Code has been placed among them.

Here is their 5 star review of Orla's Code. And if you're taking a look around, why not check out their many categories including genre fiction, literary, YA, experimental, and contemporary fiction, including Orla's Code.

Character Building

I have finished the first draft of Beverly and while I feel I know the characters instinctively, they have not been more than an outline, a bit like clothes pegs, holding up the plot. A few months ago I went to a talk with Eleanor Catton who spoke about her characters having star signs in her novel The Luminaries. I thought this would be a good exercise while fleshing out my characters. Then I thought of some other character definitions to work with.

Here are the three main characters: Beverly, Ella and Roland, described through popular templates.

Star Signs



Beverly - Cancer

A predisposition towards shyness means the Cancerian tends to internalise emotion, but their desire usually centres around security and love. While known for being passionate and loyal, the 'moon-child' is also known for her moodiness and jealously. When hurt she tends to shut people out but can also strike back with venom.

Read more...

Orla's Code in Readers' Choice Award!

I am excited and feel honoured that Orla's Code has been nominated for a Readers' Choice Award!

Big Al's Books and Pals - recently selected as the Best Review Site by Indies Unlimited - receives thousands of books for review and nominates what they consider exceptional writing each year, in 13 categories.

The voting has already begun so if you would like to vote for Orla's Code in the Chick-lit/Women's Fiction category then click on the badge and follow the steps

Your vote also entitles you to an entry in Big Al's Giveaway!

(You can find Big Al's Books and Pals' 5-star review of Orla's Code here.)

Giveaway!

Orla's Code is in a Goodreads Giveaway for the month of February.

Enter here to get your copy!