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How to choose a sweetheart - Nigel Bird
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It's very different from his usual work. Much of his writing is urban noir, I suppose you'd say. This is so different but it's the characters that draw you in. It makes very good reading.
Loved this book. Very hear warming and some great humour.
I enjoyed this one too.
If you haven't read this yet, it would be worth checking that you have the latest version - I know that Nigel has since edited the book for typos. You will see on manage-my-kindle if there is an update available.
If you haven't read this yet, it would be worth checking that you have the latest version - I know that Nigel has since edited the book for typos. You will see on manage-my-kindle if there is an update available.
If Nigel's reading this, I wonder if he could tell us why he was drawn to this genre? It's very different!
Wow. I've just popped in and can't believe the book's up for this honour. Thanks everso.Hi Ignite. It's a very good question.
I'll try and answer and see where it gets us.
This was the first long piece I wrote. It came before any idea I had of being a crime-fiction writer and at the time I was more of a poet. It began as a script for a film (or at least is was in my fantasy) and essentially spoke of my love of old movies.
At the time I was much more in love with the cinema screen than the page and would happily spend a day or a night at a double or triple bill at the Scala Cinema or the Everyman or one of the other rep theatres. I'd watch a variety of things, but the rom-com and the screwball and the off-beat were always an important part of my diet.
In terms of the writing of this story in the first instance, it was stimulated by an infatuation of my own, a crush that was out of proportion. Nothing ever came of it, but I did wonder how it might have turned out on the screen and ended up writing it out (maybe playing out a fantasy).
As to why I chose to write it into a novel this year, it's what my heart was telling me to do. I do have OCD, and as much as it's difficult at times, it has many benefits; on this occasion (and not for the first time) my brain didn't let up until I was done and still has me in its clutches.
I do love the story as it reflects the way I thought about the world once and those thought still echo around a cluttered life today.
I'm also going to give any profits from sales this weekend to Children In Need. I'd urge other writers to do the same.
And thanks for having me - I'm sorry I missed the party so far, but now I'm here, ask away.
xx
And as to writing busily, I wish I was.I've been trying to contact every library in the world to ask if they'd stock some of my titles.
Remember that joke, 'it's a small world...but I wouldn't want to paint it'? Well there are loads of libraries and I wouldn't want to be doing the decorating. :)
Haha! Thanks for that explanation Nigel. I noticed on FB that you were giving your profits this weekend to Children in Need - shared the link. Good luck with it - and if any members here have been havering about whether to buy it - go on! Go on, go on, go on!
Thanks for that. So far, nil pence, but always hopeful.:)
Now I'm off to Wales to catch up with some school friends of 30 years stanging and a little rugby in the background.
There's a new review for Sweetheart - http://ziliinthesky.blogspot.co.uk/20... - it's a nice one in many ways. Maybe you'll agree.
Yes, that is nice. She's caught the essence there!
I'm just going to share a thought about the title. In some ways, it's not quite as fitting as the original and always working title Deborah Faints.
Deborah Faints came from the Evans way of remembering the positioning of the notes on the page - Enter Gregor Barking, Deborah Faints.
The body swerve on the title came when I wanted to use an image from a Victorian aracade on Blackpool pier. The machine has some great images and is really quite beautiful and is called How To Choose A Sweetheart. I took some photos and went ahead and tried to come up with a cover.
In my usual way, I decided I'd got it right and then went ahead and published.
Not long later, I was looking at it and it just looked very home-made. I liked it, but realised that it wouldn't hold up on the book sites. Off I went to get a professionally produced cover (something I've not done before) and found the stunning image I wanted.
By then, the cover was easy to change, but the title not. Hence, How To Choose A Sweetheart.
(deviation I hear you cry)
It's fascinating (to me) how titles evolve. We used to say every Good Boy Deserves Favour' and the other stave was Good Boys Deserve Favour Always' - but I like the sound of yours. Never heard it before!
Hi Ignite. I must say I had the Good Boy one as well. The other, that was my own creation and I quite liked it - just a little more interesting to me. Having said that, I doubt I'll forget the names of the notes until my mind completely goes. I'll also take 'acid plus base gives salt plus water' with me to the grave, even if I'm not entirely sure what that's about.I love titles and names and used to conjure up names for the bands I hoped to be in, the songs I'd write or the characters I want to write about.
My latest curio is Mellonius Punk(while in Cardiff at the weekend and there was a bus going to St Mellons and I had to look it up); I may never use it, but love the sound of it, as well as the nod to the great Thelonius.
:)
St Fagan's also has a certain ring to it!
I know I came late to this party, but thanks for having me.I wanted to share a lovely review from The Law Society Of Scotland's online journal. It's here http://www.journalonline.co.uk/Magazi... and it's lovely.
:)
That is a nice review. I echo the last sentence - more please!
:0)
:0)
Oh, that's lovely! It's a great story. :)
Thanks both. I've just started a new crime romp, but I do hope I'll think of something along the Sweetheart lines after I surface from that. It was such a pleasure to write - by which I mean it seemed to involve much less internal grating and grinding (if that makes sense). :)
Happy Christmas everyone. And humble thanks.xxx
:)>
I haven't head from Nigel for a while - perhaps he is too busy writing. Anyway, this comes highly recommended
http://www.amazon.co.uk/HOW-TO-CHOOSE...