Katheryn Thompson's Blog, page 23
July 23, 2014
Caley’s “Oscar Wilde-quoting sidekick”
Andrew and Caley are the main characters, but everyone knows that every hero needs her sidekick. Caley’s is William. But why does he quote Oscar Wilde?
William is extremely handsome, well-dressed, charming, and totally in love with himself. But he also has another side to his character, and in order to show the reader hints of that depth (to make the reader see that he isn’t completely shallow!), one of his characteristics is that he loves literature and poetry, and has an eloquent quote for every occasion. For me, the characters are what makes a murder mystery just as much as the plot twists and the murder itself.
I personally love quotes, such as Oscar Wilde whose imagination and eloquence is enviable, but I think that my ‘motto’ (if you like) is: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi. As for William, his ‘motto’ would most certainly be: “You can never be overdressed or overeducated” – Oscar Wilde. What's yours?
William is extremely handsome, well-dressed, charming, and totally in love with himself. But he also has another side to his character, and in order to show the reader hints of that depth (to make the reader see that he isn’t completely shallow!), one of his characteristics is that he loves literature and poetry, and has an eloquent quote for every occasion. For me, the characters are what makes a murder mystery just as much as the plot twists and the murder itself.
I personally love quotes, such as Oscar Wilde whose imagination and eloquence is enviable, but I think that my ‘motto’ (if you like) is: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi. As for William, his ‘motto’ would most certainly be: “You can never be overdressed or overeducated” – Oscar Wilde. What's yours?
July 13, 2014
In my 'free' time
I thought that I would make this post a bit different, and talk about some of my other interests and not just Brown Leather Shoes (as conversation-worthy as it is).
As well as reading and writing, when I get free time (which isn't that often!) I also love watching films – action and thrillers preferably, although I also enjoy sci-fi and an occasional comedy – and listening to music (my iPod is a bit of a confused jumble of songs!). I also love history. I’m currently studying history at college (early modern), and find reading history books fascinating – I can definitely recommend Thomas Penn’s ‘Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England’ which I recently read, and I'm looking forward to reading Bryan Bevan's King William III: Prince of Orange, the first European.
Watch this space for future posts, and feel free to ask any questions (within reason) and I'll try to answer them quickly and honestly...unless you ask 'who dunnit'.
As well as reading and writing, when I get free time (which isn't that often!) I also love watching films – action and thrillers preferably, although I also enjoy sci-fi and an occasional comedy – and listening to music (my iPod is a bit of a confused jumble of songs!). I also love history. I’m currently studying history at college (early modern), and find reading history books fascinating – I can definitely recommend Thomas Penn’s ‘Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England’ which I recently read, and I'm looking forward to reading Bryan Bevan's King William III: Prince of Orange, the first European.
Watch this space for future posts, and feel free to ask any questions (within reason) and I'll try to answer them quickly and honestly...unless you ask 'who dunnit'.
July 5, 2014
Why Brown Leather Shoes?
I didn’t come up with the name until I had almost finished planning the book. It’s quite quirky and may seem a little strange, but all will be revealed once you start reading the book! It is actually – believe it or not – an important part of the book, and probably the biggest clue that leads Andrew to the true identity of the murderer.
Just between you and me, however, there is another reason why I chose brown leather shoes in particular to be the biggest clue – why not another item of clothing…such as blue suede shoes? Oh no, that’s already been used for something else. I wanted something that Andrew would notice, and that would really start to irritate him, because he can’t figure out how the shoes are important (even though he knows that they are). So I started to think about what really annoys me, and I came up with brown leather shoes. Let me explain: it really irritates me when men wear black suits and brown shoes (and I’m not talking about those who do it intentionally to make a statement, and actually manage to carry it off). You might agree with me, you might never have noticed (but it will possibly annoy you from now on), or you may yourself be a culprit! Regardless, it annoys me…and don’t even get me started on men who wear stripy shirts and spotty ties. So there you have it, the secret reason I chose brown leather shoes in particular…but don’t tell anyone.
Just between you and me, however, there is another reason why I chose brown leather shoes in particular to be the biggest clue – why not another item of clothing…such as blue suede shoes? Oh no, that’s already been used for something else. I wanted something that Andrew would notice, and that would really start to irritate him, because he can’t figure out how the shoes are important (even though he knows that they are). So I started to think about what really annoys me, and I came up with brown leather shoes. Let me explain: it really irritates me when men wear black suits and brown shoes (and I’m not talking about those who do it intentionally to make a statement, and actually manage to carry it off). You might agree with me, you might never have noticed (but it will possibly annoy you from now on), or you may yourself be a culprit! Regardless, it annoys me…and don’t even get me started on men who wear stripy shirts and spotty ties. So there you have it, the secret reason I chose brown leather shoes in particular…but don’t tell anyone.
July 1, 2014
So I wrote Brown Leather Shoes during my GCSEs...
If you’ve read the 'biography' section, you’ll see that I was writing Brown Leather Shoes while doing my GCSEs. You might wonder why, and in hindsight I think I might have taken on a bit much at once, but I’m always busy, and have a tendency to do everything at once. I’ve always had a passion for reading and writing and a vivid imagination, which is lethal when combined with an overactive mind (you might be reading this and relating to me – I seem to have far too many thoughts constantly zapping around, and a brain that never switches off). I often get ideas for stories in my mind and sometimes, when I like the idea, I play around with it a bit and might write some ideas down, or even a story opening. I usually get rid of it after a while, when I’ve exhausted the idea (and most probably myself).
When I first got the idea for Brown Leather Shoes, I played around with it a bit, wrote some ideas down, and it began to develop. I started writing the ideas into a story, editing as I wrote, the idea developing as I did so, but this time I just kept writing. I got hooked. Whenever I had any ‘free’ time, I would add to the story, or jot down some more ideas, or edit part of what I’d already written.
Suddenly I had a completed novel…
When I first got the idea for Brown Leather Shoes, I played around with it a bit, wrote some ideas down, and it began to develop. I started writing the ideas into a story, editing as I wrote, the idea developing as I did so, but this time I just kept writing. I got hooked. Whenever I had any ‘free’ time, I would add to the story, or jot down some more ideas, or edit part of what I’d already written.
Suddenly I had a completed novel…
