Callum McLaughlin's Blog, page 78

What a Year!

My first book is one year old!

Yesterday was the one year anniversary of my first book, The Vessel, being officially published and made available for sale. It’s been a heck of a year. Since then, amongst other milestones, I set up this blog, have garnered over 500 followers thus far and have written and published my second book, False Awakening.

It’s an odd feeling, as it somehow simultaneously feels like yesterday and a lifetime ago that I saw my book listed on Amazon for the first time, but twelve months later, I still get as much of a warm glow when I look at my bookshelves and see my own name nestled in amongst some of my favourite authors.

Here’s to the next year and whatever adventures in writing it may bring. If you’d like to know more about The Vessel, here’s the synopsis and a brief visual quote to help set the scene:

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Savaged by disease and riots, the world has descended into a state of chaos. Amidst the desperate remains of humanity, the American government has resorted to extreme measures to try and repopulate their now depleted country but one unwilling subject of their ruthless actions will not suffer in silence.

Escaping from a facility at the heart of their experiments, Eva Cole’s nightmare is far from over. Hunted at every turn, she must fight to survive so that she can expose the truth.

The Vessel

You can find it on Amazon UK (click here), Amazon USA (click here) or Goodreads (click here).

Crystals

Deep below our clumsy feet

crystals grow towards the light.

To overcome anxiety

their radiance must duel the night.

If they appeased those thoughtless steps

and cowered in their realm of darkness,

this world would be deprived of sparkle;

a monochrome and imposed starkness.

So push beyond the boundaries,

a gift from soil and Earth.

Defy the insecurities,

a victory through birth.

A Writer’s Work is Never Done

This is relatable!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, writers spend a lot of their time doing everything but writing. The dream may be sitting in a plush office working away on a future bestseller but the reality is a lot more complicated. There’s all manner of marketing to organise, editing, formatting, tackling social media and a whole host of other ‘writerly’ tasks that often cut down the amount of time we can actually dedicate to our beloved craft. In light of this, aside from some bits and pieces of poetry here and there, I haven’t really gotten much written recently.

That is largely the reason why I didn’t sign up for this year’s NaNoWriMo. Having just emerged from the publication of my new book, I wanted to enjoy the excitement of that and take care of a few errands I’d been meaning to get to for a while.

I’ve been setting up and taking part in a few different marketing endeavours, including several book features and a couple of interviews, which I’m really grateful for.

I recently put together a couple of picture quotes, one for each of my books. I liked the idea of having something visual and wanted to give people a tiny snippet of the story and a feel for the general mood of the plot.

False Awakening

You can find out more about False Awakening on Amazon UK (click here), Amazon USA (click here) or Goodreads (click here).

The Vessel

As before, you also find out more about The Vessel on Amazon UK (click here), Amazon USA (click here) or Goodreads (click here).

I rejigged my Twitter a little and got myself a more professional looking header and have also been attempting to get more accustomed to using Goodreads, so by all means come and say hello on either of those platforms.

What ‘writerly’ tasks have you been up to?

Deeper

They tell you that you’ll fall in love,

but misery’s best kept secret is that

you’ll never climb back out.

For when a heart breaks it doesn’t shatter,

instead it crumbles slowly

as it’s chipped away like sandstone.

Those restless, clawing grasps

amount to merely bloodied fingertips,

their futile grip begging to be trampled.

And down once more you must fall,

deeper and

deeper.

Your pleas for mercy

boiling in your bitter blood,

wasted in senseless echoes.

Harry Potter Tag

The books we all know and love

It’s been a long time since it finished and we’ve all grown older and wiser, and yet every year we’re still secretly devastated when an invitation to Hogwarts doesn’t arrive on our birthday. Yes, of course, I’m talking about the phenomenon that is the Harry Potter universe.

I saw this tag on Avid Reader’s blog and thought it looked like a fun way to look back fondly on my love of this series. I hope you’ll get involved and share your answers in a post of your own.

What is your favourite book?

This is like Sophie’s choice right away. I love them all; how can I possibly choose a favourite? I remember flying through the Prisoner of Azkaban and feel it was the first one that for me really played up the darker elements of the story and the first one that felt less like ‘a great children’s book’ and simply ‘a great book’ regardless of audience. I can remember the exact seat I was sitting in when I finished reading it and that I didn’t eat until really late that night because I refused to stop until I had reached the end. From that moment, I had to get every book as soon as it came out. For the clarity of that specific memory, I’ll choose the Prisoner of Azkaban.

What is your favourite film?

Again, this is really tough. The Philosopher’s Stone holds a special place in my heart because it’s so charming and I remember how excited I was to see the world come to life so beautifully for the first time (and because fetus Harry, Ron and Hermione are adorable).

Ultimately, I think I would have to choose the Deathly Hallows. (I’m cheating and counting both parts as one overall movie). It’s visually stunning, dark, tense, exciting and a wonderful climax to so many years of growth and development.

What is your least favourite book?

As I said before, I really do love them all. I’ll say the Order of the Phoenix simply because it is rather long and even JK Rowling herself has said in hindsight that it could and should have been shorter. I’m not one to argue with the master.

What is your least favourite film?

Again, I don’t truthfully have one. I remember being quite ill and more or less bedridden for a week years ago and for some reason felt it would be best to watch the Chamber of Secrets on a loop, so I somewhat sickened myself of it for a while, albeit only briefly.

Which parts of the books/films made you cry?

RIP Hedwig… The film made it even worse because she died actually trying to protect Harry. The end made me sad too, not so much because of what actually happened but simply because it was all over.

If you could hook up with any character who would it be?

*Shudder* The characters in this series feel like old friends that we all grew up with and so in every respect that mere notion is just wrong.

Who is your favourite character?

Gah, so many to choose from! I think overall my runner up would be Luna Lovegood. Not only is she wonderfully weird but better still, she makes no effort to sensor herself to appease ‘normal’ people. Nor should she.

My number one would likely have to be Hermione. She made it cool to be a nerd; she actually made it cool! The best thing about Hermione is that despite everything that makes her brilliant – her intelligence, her loyalty, her bravery – Rowling made it clear that just like everyone else, she is not perfect. I think that despite existing within a fictional fantasy world, Miss Granger is one of the best role models for young people out there.

Who is your least favourite character?

I loathe Dolores Umbridge. Then again, I suppose we are meant to.

What is your least favourite line?  

I can’t recall a line that stuck with me for being bad, not that that’s something to complain about.

What would your Patronus be?  

A sloth? No, let’s go with a cat. They can still be pretty lazy but at least they do it with a little more class.

If you could have the invisibility cloak, resurrection stone or elder wand, which would you choose?

The chance to go out in public without having to interact with other humans? I’ll take the invisibility cloak any day, thank you very much.

What house would you be in?

I’m proud to say I took the test and am indeed a Gryffindor.

If you could meet any member of the cast who would it be?

Emma Watson. This isn’t just because she plays my favourite character. I think she seems a genuinely smart, humble young woman and her recent speech on equality at the UN was fantastic.

If you were on the Quidditch team, what position would you play?

Is there a position where you hide in the safety of the locker room until it’s over? Yeah, I’ll take that one.

Were you happy with the ending?

I love the climax. I’m not entirely sure we needed the epilogue, though I do absolutely understand Rowling’s desire to show us at least a glimpse of the future for the characters we all felt were equally ours as much as they were hers, or else she would have been pestered relentlessly by fans wanting to know what became of them. The only part that irked me somewhat was the overly cheesy names for Harry’s children.

How much does Harry Potter mean to you?

I’m part of the generation that feels they really grew up with the series and have such fond memories associated with both the books and the movies. It’s pure magical escapism that speaks to the desires and fears in us all. Even more generally, as a reader – and now a writer also – I am grateful that JK Rowling reignited the world’s passion for the written word.

Now, I’m off to see if my Hogwarts letter has finally arrived… *sigh*

Teardrop

A glimpse of private pain -

The weight of a broken heart

exposed in glistening truth.

We (don’t) need to talk…

Writing can be intensely personal

I was doing a little digging around to find out more about Amy Zhang, whose recently released debut novel, Falling into Place, is creating a bit of buzz, partly because it was written and published all by the time she was just 18 years old. Everything about this girl is knocking stereotypes right out of the park: She’s young; she’s female; she’s of Asian ancestry, and yet she’s already chasing and achieving her dreams. I can’t speak for the quality of the book, having not read it yet myself, but can say that regardless; Amy Zhang is pretty darn impressive.

More to the point, I was reading an interview with the author when I stumbled upon this quote:

“I try very, very hard to keep my writing life and […] the rest of my life separate. I can honestly count the number of people who know me personally and are also aware that I write on my fingers. Writing is something I love so much that I’m honestly terrified to talk about it with people I know.”

This hit me like a ton of bricks because I relate to it so much. Obviously by this point, having released two books of my own, people who know me generally know that I write, but I can honestly say that – like Amy – I can count the number of serious, in-depth conversations I’ve had about my work with loved ones on just one hand. Sure, they get excited for me when I release something. I post about it on my Facebook to let everyone know at once; some of them like the post; some of them share it; heck, a few of them even buy and read it, but very few of them truly understand the extent of what I do.

This is, ironically, largely down to my own doing. Whenever a friend or family member has attempted to show an interest in my writing, be it asking of the ins and outs of publishing or the details of my current projects, I clam up and mumble a half-hearted, awkward response that tells them next to nothing of any significance. This isn’t because I don’t care. On the contrary, it’s because I care so much that I find it difficult to let them into that part of my life. I can’t explain it; it just feels wrong somehow to talk about my imaginary worlds, fictional characters and royalty payments with the people I’ve known since our schooldays… They know what I love to do and are happy to let me get on with it.

That’s why I love this platform so much, as – whether it’s odd or not – I can happily chat away endlessly about all things literature with fellow readers and writers around the world, many of whom I consider dear friends but who are, I suppose, technically strangers.

I like to hope this is something that is universal. ‘Real life’ friends are, for many of us, all about escaping the stresses of our day to day routines. They’re the people we go to at the end of a long week to unwind, take our mind off things and recharge, so we can start all over again. The last thing most people want to do after work is talk about their day at the office; maybe this is just my equivalent of that same feeling.

I’d love to know if this is something you also experience or if it is yet another quirk to add to my list?

In Memoriam

Some seek only to sow their seed;

to birth a son and heir,

whilst others crave an empire;

a lineage to bestow.

My words will be my legacy,

etched in heartfelt honesty

upon the pages of time.

Nasty Little Books!

Let’s get into the Halloween spirit with some Nasty Little Books!

I became aware of the term ‘nasty little book’ a while back when I first watched this awesome video. It’s not a bad thing as the name might suggest. On the contrary, it essentially describes a book that is short (around 200 pages or less) that really knows how to get inside your head, crawl beneath your skin and pack a heck of a punch. Given that we are fast approaching Halloween, it seemed the ideal time to recommend some of my personal favourite ‘nasty little books’.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Turn of the Screw is a classic and its popularity has endured for good reason. James mastered the art of less is more and through the eyes of his unreliable narrator, we are never quite sure if the story is one of a terrifying haunting or the depiction of one woman’s slow descent into madness. Either way, it’s a chilling, breathless read.

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

This book left me so conflicted, as I was simultaneously rooting for the main characters whilst cringing at their actions during their eventual slip from reality. When a family of children become orphaned and cover up their mother’s death through fear of being separated into care homes, you can’t help but sympathise with their misguided efforts to shut out the world and live a self-contained existence, but their own oblivious ignorance has devastating consequences.

Real World by Natsuo Kirino

Translated from the original text by the Japanese ‘Queen of Crime’, Real World follows the viewpoints of several teenagers, one of whom is a boy who murders his own mother in the opening pages of the book and four of whom are the girls who all become embroiled in the fallout in some capacity. It’s about living in a fantasy world vs reality and the importance of facing the consequences of our actions, but reading from the viewpoint of a remorseless teen killer is enough to send shivers up your spine.

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

The story of The Woman in Black was made famous a few years ago by the very popular and creepy movie adaptation starring Daniel Radcliffe, but it all started with this short yet powerful novella released some years prior. The epitome of a classic ghost story, it will have you looking over your shoulder for a long time after you turn the final page.

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Have you read any of these? What ‘nasty little books’ do you recommend?

Wednesday Author Interview: Callum McLaughlin

callummclaughlin:

I was interviewed by the lovely Marcia Meara over on her wonderful blog, Bookin’ It. It was lots of fun!

Originally posted on Bookin' It:

Today, I’d like to welcome poet and suspense writer Callum McLaughlin to Bookin’ It. Callum, can you tell us a bit about how you became a writer? When did you decide that’s what you wanted to be, and what steps did you take to prepare for a writing career?  

CM: To kick things off with a tried and tested cliché, I really have always loved writing. I’ve been coming up with stories, big and small, for as long as I can remember. My first ‘proper’ writing was for a local magazine and I used that experience to start working on a freelance basis, which allows me the time and flexibility to increase the amount of effort I can dedicate to creative writing.  

BI: It’s wonderful that you were able to parlay your magazine experience into a freelance career, and now have the time to work on your own…

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