Sara Foster's Blog, page 12

Nicole Alexander’s Next Big Thing

I’m delighted to be hosting Nicole’s answers to the Next Big Thing book meme. I have been following Nicole’s books right from the start, and her wonderful, epic stories, set in Australia, are in hot demand. In the last two years she has published The Bark Cutters and A Changing Land, while her latest release is Absolution Creek. Read on to find out what Nicole has got planned for Book 4:

1) What is the working title of your current/next book?

Sunset Ridge

2) Where did the idea come from?

My paternal grandfather was a Lewis Gunner during WW1 and was awarded the Military Medal for Bravery. I have a deep interest in military history and long wanted to write a story set during The Great War. My grandfather, whom I never met, inspired me.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Although I started within the Rural literature genre my works now fall into  popular fiction. The term is broad, however all my works to date have included both historical and contemporary narratives which I guess have broader appeal.

4) Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

Hmmm, let’s get the work optioned first. I’m not fussy!

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

I am keeping this under wraps at the moment….

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

Represented by Curtis Brown Australia Pty Ltd

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft? 

I am on a book a year contract which means I am continually re-drafting as I write.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? 

I have been told the work is a cross between Legends of the Fall and War Horse.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book? 

See answer to Q.2

10) What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? 

Once again I have been fortunate to be able to draw on my family’s archival material, which include my grandfather’s war diary and many original publications from the period.

Thanks Nicole! Sunset Ridge sounds wonderful, and I’m already looking forward to reading it. Find out lots more about Nicole by visiting her website here.

Last week I also tagged Annabel Smith, and you can find out about her fantastic new project The Ark here.

Nicole and I would now like to pass the baton on to Lisa Heidke – keep an eye on Lisa’s website to find out what she’s planning next. 

Try the book cover quiz from the Shallow Breath launch

There’s a link to the answers at the bottom of the page when you’ve finished! You can also find the images in the gallery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you’ve finished, find the answers here!

Shallow Breath is officially launched!

I had a fantastic time last night celebrating the launch of Shallow Breath at Tiger Lils in Perth. It was a fabulous turn-out, and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who came. As I said last night, writing might be a solitary occupation, but when it comes to getting books out into the wider world, us writers need a lot of support. It means a lot to me when people get behind my books, by letting me know they’ve enjoyed them, by spreading the word, or by turning up to an event like this.

The night got into full swing so rapidly that only hours later, when I went to bed, did I realise I hadn’t had time to put my heels on, and I’d spent all night in my sandals! We had door prizes and a book cover quiz, and then Julienne van Loon gave a wonderful speech to launch the book. She mentioned that there is a a marked bias towards male writers in writing about the ocean, and it’s gratifying to think I’ve played a small part in redressing that. I spoke about my inspirations for Shallow Breath, and then handed over to Leif Cocks, founder of the Orangutan Project, who talked a little about the dire straits orangutans are in today. Orangutans are one of five animals that feature in Shallow Breath, along with dolphins, whale sharks, kangaroos and elephants, so it was great to have Leif there to talk about some of the facts going on behind the fiction.

We also had an unexpected final speaker. My three-year-old daughter Hannah decided she’d like to say a few words – and now everyone knows she’s expecting a unicorn for Christmas I’m going to have to try to find one. Wish me luck with that!

So, now the launch is over, it’s almost time to start thinking about a new book… The idea I have for the next one is VERY different to Shallow Breath – watch this space!

Thanks again to everyone who came and helped to launch the book in style. You can see the full set of photos from the night in the Gallery.

 

Early support for Shallow Breath

Jeff Hansen and Peter Hammarstedt from Sea Shepherd

I’ve had some lovely support for Shallow Breath, not only from my friends and family who are busy spreading the word, but also from fellow writers, and readers of Come Back to Me and Beneath the Shadows. Not to mention places like IFAW Australia, and Studio Noah Pet Photography, who have given the book a shout-out already.

I felt very proud to receive this photo of Jeff Hansen and Peter Hammarstedt from Sea Shepherd with Shallow Breath. These two and many others like them have devoted their lives to marine conservation, and I hope the book helps raise awareness of the valuable work that they do.

December newsletter is out!

Every couple of months I send out a newsletter by email, to tell readers what’s happening with my books, events, reading interests, and life in general. I’d love you to sign up to receive these updates, which you can do on the right hand column of this page. If you’d like a sneak peek at the December newsletter, which has just gone out, then click here.

Read the introduction and first chapter of Shallow Breath

My publisher Random House has put the introduction and first chapter of Shallow Breath onto Scribd, for you all to peruse. You can check it out by clicking here. (If you can’t click on the link, please open this news item by clicking on the headline, then try again.)

I only hope it serves as a teaser, and tempts you further in!

GUEST BLOG: Steve Rossiter, co-author of Possessing Freedom, and editor of Australian Literary Review

My guest today is Steve Rossiter, the editor of the Australian Literary Review, and one of the authors of a new supernatural thriller called Possessing Freedom. Read on to discover more about this fascinating fiction project, collaborative writing in general, and the fan fiction competition now open for entries, with a prize of $2000! 

You have contributed two stories to Possessing Freedom, one of two collaborative fiction books released in the past month. What is Possessing Freedom about?

Possessing Freedom could be considered paranormal suspense or supernatural thriller fiction. Set in Melbourne in 2026, the book starts out with 17 year old Alice who discovers that her ‘imaginary friends’ are actually ghosts. The POV shifts between 6 characters, with 2 stories told by each POV character.

The book explores themes of freedom and confinement on numerous levels. It deals with life and death, friendship, despair, love, responsibility, and courage.

Tell me more about the processes involved in collaborative fiction? How do the authors work together?

We all got together around a table at a café and discussed the story direction, characters, etc, and came to a shared understanding of some of the big picture elements. Through fortnightly meetings and staying in touch online, we discussed story drafts, character profiles and ideas until we had developed enough detail to have all 12 stories written with a decent level of consistency and integration. Then it was my role as editor to do some tidying up of details between stories.

For anyone considering collaborative fiction, I recommend that each person be flexible and not get too attached to any particular idea, as it has to all fit in together as a whole. It is typically a good idea, especially for groups of more than two, to have one person with the final say on details so a coherent big picture is maintained and so clear decisions are made in a timely manner.

Do you prefer writing short stories or novels? What are the main challenges of each?

I am currently writing my first novel with the aim of publishing in 2014. I prefer writing novels. in the sense that the longer form of a novel provides a more sustained experience which is more rewarding for most readers, and more rewarding for me to create. This also means that novels are a more solid foundation for a writing career, as people tend to read and purchase what they find more rewarding.

There is a sense in which an integrated or themed short story collection can approximate a sustained novel-like experience, which is the general idea behind both Possessing Freedom and The Life and Times of Chester Lewis.

When US novelist Lauren Kate came to Australia last year, I asked her whether she liked writing short stories and she said that she naturally prefers the longer form of a novel where there is room to develop characters and a story more fully, but that part of her wishes she was more suited to writing short stories too so she could participate more in the social aspect of working with different authors.

The two short story books recently released are designed to strike a balance between providing entertaining and thought-provoking novel-length experiences, serving as author-development initiatives for Australian writers, and engaging emerging fiction writers to develop their skills and meet like-minded writers through the fan fiction competition for each book.

What habits do you think make you most productive as a writer? (and those that make you least productive if you’d care to share!)

An important fiction writing skill, which helps productivity by both improving the focus of the large-scale storytelling and improving the clarity of finer details, is to understand the difference between story and characters (what happens and who does it) and discourse (how a writer conveys what happens), and to have good idea of how each works for the story you are writing.

Retreating into a character’s head for a lot of introspection with little happening in the story, or lots of action with unclear character motivations or unsatisfying character development are the kinds of passages which are likely to be cut or to require a major rewriting later. On one hand, a rough draft of a chapter is better than no draft, but, on the other hand, a confused draft is nowhere near as good as a draft with at least a basic level of coherence which makes a clear contribution to the overall story.

I have come across plenty of fiction writers who don’t have a firm grasp of their subject matter or who have only a vague story concept in mind, who find they keep running out of ideas, second-guessing themselves or meandering, with no clear story direction, character development or theme to unify the story into a satisfying experience for readers.

A little forethought can go a long way, and knowing the subject matter, along with having a clear idea of both the big picture details and the way in which you are telling the story does a lot to help the writing process flow smoothly.

The books each have fan fiction competitions – what do you think are the key elements of a good piece of fan fiction?

The word range for the fan fiction competition stories is 2000-4000 words. With that in mind, I suggest picking a character to focus on and a significant episode in their life with a clear connection to something important in the book. The fan fiction stories just have to be recognisably set in the same story-world as those in the book and have a recognisable connection to a major character in the book, but something which also builds on a key aspect of the overall story or further develops the personality and life story of a major character seem likely to result in stories with greater impact and meaning, which also draw added depth from the other stories.

Beyond that, write something original, with clear character motivations, and stakes which matter to the characters.

I have an article with some fan fiction idea-starters and discussion on PossessingFreedom.net.

Thanks for coming on to the site, Steve, and best of luck with your books.

This blog is part of a blog tour for Possessing Freedom. Read other interviews here, purchase Possessing Freedom here, or find out more about the fan fiction competition here. Good luck!

Come to the SHALLOW BREATH book launch in Perth! 5 December 2012

It’s my biggest event of 2012 – the launch of my new book Shallow Breath, at Tiger Lils in Perth on 5 December 2012 – and it’s open to all book lovers! If you’d like to come along, just email my publicist Kirsty Noffke at the address shown on the official invite (see left). RSVPs are essential so be sure to get your name on the list. It should be a great night – hope to see you there!

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

It took me a little while to get into this one, but the characters are superbly drawn. It’s a great mystery combined with a terrifying depiction of a marriage-gone-wrong – featuring two people who have slowly worn one another down to a point beyond all reason. I loved the unreliable narration, and I found myself swapping sides, rooting for one person then another, never sure who would ‘win’ in the end. Brilliant!

October newsletter is out

Where am I?! Click on the picture to find out.

Want to know what I’ve been up to for the last couple of months, and what’s happening next. Read my newsletter by clicking on the picture (and to receive future editions every two months you can SIGN UP HERE).