Laura Morgan's Blog, page 11
April 20, 2014
London Book Fair 2014
Morning all,
Last week I spent five nights in London for the London Book Fair. It was fantastic, informative and inspiring, to say the least. I started my few days away by flying into Gatwick and making my way to the centre of London, making it to Earls Court within the hour and then letting out that breath I felt as though I had been holding all morning as I checked into my temporary home, the Westbury Hotel (which I cannot recommend highly enough by the way). After a few hours of planning and a tube/train/bus ride I began my learning pilgrimage with a lecture by Smashwords founder Mark Coker at Kingston university. It was a couple of hours very well spent, Mark was a great speaker and his information was invaluable. I came away not only ready to take my career as an Indie Author further but with an insight into the ebook publishing that I would never have gained by self-learning and tiny community of aspiring authors I have found via Facebook and twitter. The fair itself is much more aimed at those already in the book industry and has only opened itself up to the authors in the last few years. The 'Author HQ' area was small, but incredibly set up and had numerous seminars that ran over the three days. I tried my best to sit in on as many as I could, pen and paper at the ready as well as my thinking head on. I loved the feel of it, the industry people I met and the many authors who were there. Each of us were in different stages of our careers, my novel is already on Amazon and while I hadn't really considered that anything too huge before the fair, I certainly came away having realised I was a fair few steps ahead of a lot of the aspiring writers there. My sales were impressing those who I spoke with and I exchanged business cards (yes, I did go with cards at the ready) with lots of people. All in all, I am very glad I went along and could keep on writing about those days in greater detail. For now though, I shall leave it as a huge well done to all those who planned and delivered those amazing few days, and to my fellow authors: write, write, write!
April 18, 2014
December 11, 2013
Eagerly waiting......
I'm over the moon, my first novel is complete, edited and as polished as I can get it, and now I have to sit back and impatiently await word from the literary agents i have sent submissions to. Now, do I jump the gun and self-publish on the kindle store to try and get the story out there into the big wide world? Or do I be a good girl and wait, I just can't decide at the moment, so for now i have printed of my pages and given them to three avid readers, so far all of them have come back with fantastic reviews, having loved the twists and turns, as well my writing style and storyline, which has obviously left me walking on air!
And so, I sit, I wait, I twiddle my thumbs in sweet anticipation of that blessed reply..........
And so, I sit, I wait, I twiddle my thumbs in sweet anticipation of that blessed reply..........
December 2, 2013
Romance vs Erotica?
I've been wondering, where is the line between romance and erotic fiction? I want to write romantic fiction, but does that mean I can only write about the build up to the sexual parts, and then full stop, next chapter? I wouldn't deem my writing as erotic either because i do not have the imagination for the deep, sordid details, and i have to admit i just love the fantasy of the act rather than to add too many intricate, sexual details. I enjoy the lure, the seduction and the build up as well as writing about the act itself and the afterglow.
When I am writing, I imagine the characters completely, their bodies and their reactions to one another as though it is happening to me, resulting in many a sordid thought or two and can be guilty of wanting to let off some steam after writing a particularly sexy part of my books, but can't we all be guilty of doing that after reading sex scenes in modern romance books?
In this day and age thanks to EL James and Sylvia Day, the romance genre is much more used to the finer details, the darker, wilder elements of our sexual experimentations and fantasies, and I think it is better for it.
Perhaps my questions won't be answered, perhaps the readers will be the ones who decide!
When I am writing, I imagine the characters completely, their bodies and their reactions to one another as though it is happening to me, resulting in many a sordid thought or two and can be guilty of wanting to let off some steam after writing a particularly sexy part of my books, but can't we all be guilty of doing that after reading sex scenes in modern romance books?
In this day and age thanks to EL James and Sylvia Day, the romance genre is much more used to the finer details, the darker, wilder elements of our sexual experimentations and fantasies, and I think it is better for it.
Perhaps my questions won't be answered, perhaps the readers will be the ones who decide!
December 1, 2013
Where to start…...
Well, how do I actually start with a blog? Where do we go from here? I suppose, a bit about myself might be a good place, but I don't feel like I'm ready to get all personal just yet.
I will say, however, that I want to write. I've always wanted to, I've just never been able to put things from my brain to the page as eloquently as I wanted to. It took me until this year to finally try, and that was because a story just wouldn't go away, I have a system, you see.
I think up my story, laying out the characters and plots, and I live it. In my head. It's strange, maybe even mentally unstable, I presume some might say that I'm unhappy with my own life and that's why I think up these crazy, fun, sexy and sometimes outrageous lives and live them, in my own head. I've always done it, I remember as a child telling myself stories to fall asleep at night, it would stop my brain worrying and processing all the stuff it does, we all do it, climb into bed exhausted and then your brain won't let you switch off, and it takes you ages to drift off.
Well, telling myself a story has me fast off in minutes. The system works! The problem is that sometimes I become so engrossed in a story I convince myself I need an early night, or take an extra long nap just so I can go back and think up some more, carry on with the world inside my head. It's only this year that I've forced myself to write it out rather than just think it, or allow myself to get to a certain point in the story and then re-tell it, promising myself that I will write it down when I get up. And that's what I've been doing, writing, at last!
I will say, however, that I want to write. I've always wanted to, I've just never been able to put things from my brain to the page as eloquently as I wanted to. It took me until this year to finally try, and that was because a story just wouldn't go away, I have a system, you see.
I think up my story, laying out the characters and plots, and I live it. In my head. It's strange, maybe even mentally unstable, I presume some might say that I'm unhappy with my own life and that's why I think up these crazy, fun, sexy and sometimes outrageous lives and live them, in my own head. I've always done it, I remember as a child telling myself stories to fall asleep at night, it would stop my brain worrying and processing all the stuff it does, we all do it, climb into bed exhausted and then your brain won't let you switch off, and it takes you ages to drift off.
Well, telling myself a story has me fast off in minutes. The system works! The problem is that sometimes I become so engrossed in a story I convince myself I need an early night, or take an extra long nap just so I can go back and think up some more, carry on with the world inside my head. It's only this year that I've forced myself to write it out rather than just think it, or allow myself to get to a certain point in the story and then re-tell it, promising myself that I will write it down when I get up. And that's what I've been doing, writing, at last!
