Jane Lythell's Blog: https://janelythellamwriting.blogspot.com/, page 6

Setting, characters and secrets in AFTER THE STORM

My second novel After The Storm is set in Belize City and an island in the Caribbean Sea called Roatan. I’ve been to these places and I always felt they would make a great setting for a novel. Roatan is a beautiful island but it also has a kind of frontier feeling where the normal rules do not apply. I kept a journal when I was there and took lots of photos and these helped me create the atmosphere of the island. The Roatan in my novel is sun-soaked and stunning on the surface but with something dark underneath. 
CHARACTERSFor me fiction is alwaysabout the characters. There are four main characters in After The Storm. British couple Anna and Rob and American couple Owen and Kim. On their first night in Belize Anna and Rob meet Owen and Kim who have a handsome old sailing boat which they have been living on for three years. Owen suggests they charter his boat and he will take them to the island of Roatan, where the diving is sensational. Anna does not want to go at all but Rob is really keen and he persuades her it will be a great adventure. Unknown to them Kim is desperate to go home to Florida. It is Owen who is determined to continue their life on the boat. So straightaway we have conflict of wishes between the four characters and a boat can be a very claustrophobic place when tensions start to build.
CONTRASTThe two women in After The Storm are very different. Anna fears a lot of things in the physical world – cockroaches, wasps, flying, lack of privacy, storms at sea.  She is however emotionally strong and empathetic. She is a speech therapist who works with old men who have had strokes and she tries to help them to speak again. So she is able to look beneath the surface of things and she is a great believer in the power of truth to heal. Kim in contrast is streetwise, capable and resourceful. She knows how to gut fish, how to cook on a boat when it’s pitching up and down, how to adapt and make the best of things. She’s a doer who gets on with things. They are very different women and as a consequence do not really get on. The two men are different too. Rob is laid back and Owen is troubled but they do get on, from their first meeting.
They set off. But why does Owen never sleep and why does Kim keep a knife zipped into her money-belt at all times.
SECRETSThe strapline of the book is Some Secrets Destroy You. Rob, Owen and Kim all have secrets that they are keeping from the others. Some of these secrets are trivial, some are more serious and some are deadly. The underlying theme of the novel is that you need to bring dark and fearful secrets out into the light of day in order for them to lose their destructive power. Those secrets need to rise to the surface and on the surface die.


And finally the storm of the title is both a weather storm and a psychological storm.


At my book launch Waterstones Brighton 22 January 2015
My two novels AFTER THE STORM and THE LIE OF YOU are published by Head of Zeus books.

Thoughts on my second novel - setting, characters, secrets

My second novel After The Storm is set in Belize City and an island in the Caribbean Sea called Roatan. I’ve been to these places and I always felt they would make a great setting for a novel. Roatan is a beautiful island but it also has a kind of frontier feeling where the normal rules do not apply. I kept a journal when I was there and took lots of photos and these helped me create the atmosphere of the island. The Roatan in my novel is sun-soaked and stunning on the surface but with something dark underneath. 
CHARACTERSFor me fiction is alwaysabout the characters. There are four main characters in After The Storm. British couple Anna and Rob and American couple Owen and Kim. On their first night in Belize Anna and Rob meet Owen and Kim who have a handsome old sailing boat which they have been living on for three years. Owen suggests they charter his boat and he will take them to the island of Roatan, where the diving is sensational. Anna does not want to go at all but Rob is really keen and he persuades her it will be a great adventure. Unknown to them Kim is desperate to go home to Florida. It is Owen who is determined to continue their life on the boat. So straightaway we have conflict of wishes between the four characters and a boat can be a very claustrophobic place when tensions start to build.
CONTRASTThe two women in After The Storm are very different. Anna fears a lot of things in the physical world – cockroaches, wasps, flying, lack of privacy, storms at sea.  She is however emotionally strong and empathetic. She is a speech therapist who works with old men who have had strokes and she tries to help them to speak again. So she is able to look beneath the surface of things and she is a great believer in the power of truth to heal. Kim in contrast is streetwise, capable and resourceful. She knows how to gut fish, how to cook on a boat when it’s pitching up and down, how to adapt and make the best of things. She’s a doer who gets on with things. They are very different women and as a consequence do not really get on. The two men are different too. Rob is laid back and Owen is troubled but they do get on, from their first meeting.
They set off. But why does Owen never sleep and why does Kim keep a knife zipped into her money-belt at all times.
SECRETSThe strapline of the book is Some Secrets Destroy You. Rob, Owen and Kim all have secrets that they are keeping from the others. Some of these secrets are trivial, some are more serious and some are deadly. The underlying theme of the novel is that you need to bring dark and fearful secrets out into the light of day in order for them to lose their destructive power. Those secrets need to rise to the surface and on the surface die.


And finally the storm of the title is both a weather storm and a psychological storm.


At my book launch Waterstones Brighton 22 January 2015
My two novels AFTER THE STORM and THE LIE OF YOU are published by Head of Zeus books.

Three cheers for book bloggers

I want to put on record how much I appreciate the work of book bloggers. They produce reviews of writers' works as an act of love, because they are passionate about reading. Through their blogs other potential readers hear about the book. All writers will tell you how important reviews are to getting the message out so I say Three Cheers for Book Bloggers.

My second novel AFTER THE STORM has just been published and here are some early reviews.

From Cosmochicklitan 

Heidi writes:
Jane throws a lot of curve-balls into the mix and I started to mistrust a few characters along the way, but was I right to mistrust them? I loved the way the author was able to plant seeds of doubt into my mind. At no stage did I have the storyline figured out and was held captivated until I turned the last page.


From Laura's Little Book Blog

Laura writes: 
Jane creates a great sense of anticipation as to what is to come by giving little hints that all is not well. I was easily drawn into Rob, Anna, Kim and Owen's world. The descriptions and the atmosphere created by Jane's writing were absolutely perfect. Jane literally transports you there.


From Anne Cater's Random Things Through My Letterbox

Anne writes:
After The Storm is a well-paced thriller, that will challenge the reader. The tension, fear and anticipation mounts up throughout the story. The setting is excellent, showing another side to the usual sun-soaked tropical island, the characters are strong and well rounded.


From Ani Johnson writing in The Bookbag

Ani writes:
As a study of the interrelationships of four people fighting past secrets and current problems it's fascinating and clever. Jane definitely has a talent for writing psychologically scarred, complicated people. I finished the novel wanting to hug all four and remembering them long after I'd finished reading.


From Charlenejess.wordpress.com
Charlene writes:Jane has a way of capturing the essence of the characters and the location that makes you transported there. This is a very tense edgy book, you can feel it in your body as you turn the pages. You do feel like you are waiting for something to happen as there's such an atmospheric build up.

Thank you Heidi, Laura, Anne, Ani and Charlene.



AFTER THE STORM is published by Head of Zeus who also published my debut novel THE LIE OF YOU.

Culloden, Cawdor and Skara Brae

Here are ten photographs from an inspiring trip I took to the Highlands and Orkney this year. They are:
1. Leanach cottage on Culloden Moor
2. The Cairn at Culloden commemorating the battle of 16 April 1746
3. A Clan grave at Culloden
4. Cawdor Castle 10 miles east of Inverness, fourteenth century and linked to Macbeth
5. The peaty burn in the Wild Garden at Cawdor
6. A croft on Orkney
7. Skara Brae one of the best preserved prehistoric villages in Western Europe and a World Heritage Site
8. Entrance to a Skara Brae house
9. Interior of a Skara Brae house
10. One of the Standing Stones of Stenness, another part of Neolithic Orkney
































My novels THE LIE OF YOU and AFTER THE STORM are published by Head of Zeus.

Christmas Lights

During the year I try to be sensible about energy use and go round turning off lights. Come Christmas this goes out the window and I love to see the lights in the streets and the glowing trees spotted through windows. This was Sloane Square and Duke of York Square in London looking sparkly and festive last night.

















My novels AFTER THE STORM and THE LIE OF YOU are published by Head of Zeus.

My favourite books as a child

My sister and I were recently talking about the books we loved as children and how they stay with you all your life. As an adult I'm always looking for the next book to read that will draw me in and reveal its secrets. And there is a strong convention about never revealing the plot in reviews. Which I think is right. But as a child knowing the plot did not spoil the pleasure at all. I would read my favourite books again and again and loved revisiting my favourite scenes. Here are the books that have stayed with me since childhood.
The Borrowers Mary Norton
I cannot recommend this too highly for the way it stimulates the imagination. I loved the idea of a little people borrowing, not stealing, the things they need. They had their own code of honour and were never wasteful. Their names - Arriety, Homily and Pod Clock are inspired because they are just that bit non-human. It's a wistful book too because I seem to remember that the Borrowers had got smaller and smaller because of their fear. Now that is a powerful idea.

Anne of Green Gables L.M. Montgomery
I adored this and read the entire series of Anne books. Anne is such a spirited character. I got so much pleasure from reading about the sparring between Anne and Gilbert Blythe and this was the first love story I read. It follows the familiar pattern of initial antagonism blossoming into love. I remember vividly the scene where Gilbert picks up one on her plaits and says: "Carrots".
"You mean, hateful boy!" she exclaimed passionately. "How dare you!"
And then - thwack! Anne had brought her slate down on Gilbert's head and cracked it - slate not head - clear across.

Little Women Louisa May Alcott
I love the way Alcott sets the story up. In the opening scene where the four sisters are talking about Christmas the essence of their characters is already revealed. It is of course Jo's point of view which dominates and it is her courage and non-conformity that we all respond to. Like millions of young readers I was heartbroken when Jo turned Laurie down and married vain, self-centred Amy instead.

I must also give honourable mention to two other much loved books:
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield which I read when I was eight and ballet-mad and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. This is a coming of age story and I remember feeling very grown up as I read about the fascinating Cassandra Mortmain - now there's a name! 

Finally, I saw a mention the other day of a book which I loved reading to my daughter Amelia when she was little. It's called Pig in a Muddle and involves a pig who escapes from prison and has all kinds of adventures including being locked in a department store. It is hilarious and is told in satisfying rhyming couplets and the authors are Mira Lobe and Winfried Opgenoorth. Highly recommended.






My novels THE LIE OF YOU and AFTER THE STORM are published by Head of Zeus.

AFTER THE STORM Cover Reveal

I’m delighted to reveal the cover of my second novel AFTER THE STORM. This will be available on Kindle from 1 December and in bookshops from 7 January.






AFTER THE STORM
A man who had no voice. A woman who helped him find it.
Rob and Anna have just met Owen and Kim. Now they've chartered their handsome old boat to take them to a far off island in the Caribbean.
With only the four of them on board, Rob dreams of lazy afternoons snorkelling. Anna looks forward to the silence and solitude of the sea.
But why does Owen suffer acute insomnia and seem so secretive about his past? Why does Kim keep a knife zipped into her money-belt? Anna, a speech therapist, can usually get people to tell her the truth... but does she want to this time?
Huge thanks to Laura Palmer my editor at Head of Zeus and to Jessie Price who designed such a perfect cover.                                        
My first novel THE LIE OF YOU is also published by Head of Zeus. 
I am on Twitter @janelythell

Obsessive women - the Shoreham Wordfest discussion

It was great to share a stage with Lucy Atkins and Laura Lockington at the Shoreham Wordfest discussion of Domestic Chillers.

Rosalind Turner, the organiser of Wordfest, had spotted the parallels in our novels. In both the heroine is a mother with a small child who is struggling to cope. She needs to find out the truth about the people around her and she is in the dark and in danger. And in both there is a chilling and obsessive woman who holds the key to understanding. 

Laura, our facilitator, wanted to know where our inspiration had come from? Mine had been personal because I had felt undermined by a colleague at work. This had given me the idea of the character, Heja, who tries to destroy her colleague Kathy and hides it brilliantly. Kathy feels all her work errors are of her own making. Gradually her home life as well as her work life starts to fall apart.

Lucy's inspiration came from an article she had read about a remarkable woman called Alexandra Morton who studied the language of killer whales in Canada. This inspired her fantastic setting of British Columbia and the backstory of Elena, the dead mother of Kali her heroine. 

We had both created cold and obsessive women. My character Heja has formidable reserves of control. Kathy is an open book and is no match for her. Likewise Lucy had devised Susannah who was friends with Kali's mother. She is downright chilling in her reactions to Kali who comes to see her to find out about her mother's past. 

We discussed obsession and I said that we all have a dark side which we hide from the world, and often from ourselves. Sometimes something happens which tips a person into full blown obsession and extreme behaviour. Lucy said that when you discovered someone close to you was a psychopath it was so much more terrifying than it being a stranger. 

We agreed that there is something particularly frightening when the threat comes right into your house, among all your everyday and familiar things and this was probably the origin of the term domestic chiller. 

Laura asked us about the power of mothers. In my novel it is clear that Heja's critical withholding mother has contributed to her psychological disturbance. Likewise in Lucy's book Kali had struggled in her relationship with her mother who was secretive and unpredictable. 

We had a lively and engaged audience who wanted to know do our characters go on living in our heads after the book is written? Yes I said. I often think 'that was a rather Heja thing to do.' No said Lucy. Once written I've left them behind.
THE LIE OF YOU is published by Head of Zeus. I am on Twitter @janelythell

Domestic Chillers at Shoreham Wordfest

Tomorrow (Saturday 11 October) I am speaking at the Shoreham Wordfest with Lucy Atkins author of The Missing One. Our session DOMESTIC CHILLERS will be chaired by Laura Lockington who runs the popular Brighton Bookish Supper Society.

We're at the Sussex Yacht Club from 11.00 - 12.30. Ticket details here.

Rosalind Turner is the organiser of the Shoreham Wordfest and now that I have read Lucy's powerful novel I can see why she has brought us together. In both our novels there is a heroine who is in the dark and is in danger. She needs to find out the truth. And in both there is a chilling and obsessive woman who holds the key to understanding. I'll report back next week on how the discussion went.


THE LIE OF YOU is published by Head of Zeus. I am on Twitter @janelythell

Outdoor Pool Pleasures by Amelia Trevette

July transformed London into a tropical metropolis with an unprecedented heat wave and scorching days topping 30◦C. With predicted heavy rain forecast throughout August we have to ask is summer now over? I’m already reminiscing over last month’s visits to North London’s best outdoor swimming pools.
Parliament Hill Lido
The Grade II Art Deco pool at Parliament Hill Lido on Gordon House Road, in Hampstead Heath is a decent size at 60 metres and is open the whole year round. There’s a 7am-9am swim slot for the early risers and 10am-6pm for a day swim. On Monday, Thursday and Friday the pool is also open for adults only from 6.45pm -8pm, a good option for those willing to brave the cooler slot and to escape the inevitable belly flops and diving competitions that the school holiday months inevitably bring.
The relatively recent addition of a stainless steel lining adds a tempting shimmer to the water, luring you in to take a dip. Keep in mind though it is notoriously cold and lives up to its reputation. There is plenty of room for sunbathers poolside, although little options for shade. However there is a café you can cool down in which sells refreshments.
Dip Tip? Save your coins and pop by Ristorante Rosella on Highgate Road, a short walk from the Lido, to pick up on ice-cream en route. The homemade mango sorbet is subtle and refreshing, and light enough so you don’t need a long wait before stripping down to your swimwear.
For pure chlorine-free, back to nature swimming no outdoor bathing brings me more joy than Hampstead Heath’s Ponds, in particular, the ladies’ ponds, on the East side towards Highgate. 
Hampstead Ladies' Pond

These ponds can be accessed via a secluded path on the Heath and are open all year round, from 7am – 8.30pm during the summer, with the times varying over the winter months. The ladies’ pond is the highest up the hill, and benefits from being the closest to the natural springs in Kenwood and therefore has by far the cleanest water of all three of the Hampstead Swimming Ponds. One for the girls.


There is no denying the water is deep and murky, but be brave, it’s worth the plunge to experience the sense of tranquillity that comes from swimming within the lush green confinements of the Heath’s trees. It’s a Wind in the Willows experience, complete with accompanying aquatic life. Do prepare yourself for the initial dip. It’s a shock to the system even after a long sunbathing stint and you’ll feel the cold knock the air from your lungs before you can truly relish the peace of the pond.
Topless sunbathing has been approved since 1976 so whip off your bikini top and let it dry in the warmth of the neighbouring meadow overlooking the water. There’s a gratifying sense of acceptance and unity amongst the women at the Ponds, who are all different ages, and that’s a valuable find in the city.
A proposed dam-building project, planned from 2014 to protect local homes from an unlikely risk of flooding puts the ponds at risk of closure. However here’s hoping these works do not get approved as over 10,000 people said no to the planned works!
Dip Tip? Hide your picnic items well while you swim. The ducks that meander through the meadow are in search of nibbles, and I’ve twice overheard stories of women returning from a dip to find their lunch half eaten and a trail of crumbs left pityingly in its wake.
A final recommendation for those willing to travel for their dip, Pells Pool is England’s oldest documented freshwater lido, and can be found in picturesque Lewes in East Sussex.


Pells Pool Lewes, East Sussex
Celebrating their 150th anniversary in 2011, Pells is a spring-fed gem with facilities including a sun terrace; picnic lawn and café plus pop-up stall selling homemade cakes. I even picked up a t-shirt on my visit there, with a summer washed watercolour illustration of Pells Pool for a steal at five pounds. I plan on wearing this next summer while hunting out new Outdoor Swimming spots. Weather permitting. This is England after all.
I am on Twitter @ameliatrevette