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Meet the Authors > Stuart Ayris - The Truth About Trees

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message 1301: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments yep! There's a price to pay for the raving and grooving and loving but I'll keep paying it whilst I'm able!


message 1302: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Well a few moments ago I wrote the last word in my novel, Albion Calling. It feels like the first novel that truly encaptures all of me - and I love it for its honesty and for its beauty. It won't be for everyone. Mate, it might not be for anyone. But I love it all the same. Roll on you beautiful years!


message 1303: by Anna (last edited Jun 11, 2016 02:47AM) (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments When a writer pours their heart and soul into a book, there has to be someone, somewhere who will treasure it because it will touch their heart too. We all have commanalities.

Hope it's a huge success!


message 1304: by Philip (sarah) (new)

Philip (sarah) Willis | 4630 comments Congratulations on completing your book Stuart, looking forward to reading it.


message 1305: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments See - a queue already.


message 1306: by Kath (new)

Kath Middleton | 23860 comments Well done, that man!


message 1307: by David (new)

David Hadley Congratulations Stuart. Well done.


message 1308: by Patti (baconater) (new)

Patti (baconater) (goldengreene) | 56525 comments Number nine I believe, Stu?

I love your love of writing. It shines through in your books.


message 1309: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Thank you kind people! It's a weird and wonderful life I've stumbled into and I bloody love it!


message 1310: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments So I think I have finally finished writing Albion Calling. It has wound up at just over 92,000 words and my brother is currently trying to make some kind of sense of it. I love it in all its gorgeous madness and in all its deep, deep love. It won't be for everybody. But, mate, it makes me tingle. And that's just fine by me.


message 1311: by Anna (last edited Jul 25, 2016 03:02PM) (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments As Patti so aptly puts it - that love shines through in your books. Long may it continue that way.


message 1312: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Thank you Anna. Very kind of you to say. You just can't beat a bit of gorgeous, a bit of mad and a bit of love!


message 1313: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments So I have finished writing my latest novel - Albion Calling. It is 92,000 words long and is currently being edited with a view to a mid-September release. I have also begun writing my next novel. It will be called Small Mercy and I am about 3,000 words in. It's looking good - if a little odd - so far!


message 1314: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Well Albion Calling is now with the publisher so is one step closer to release. It will certainly be a love it or hate it book. I love it so that's good! Almost up to 25,000 words now with Small Mercy and I love that too. I love a lot of things. It's not a bad way to be!


message 1315: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments So here's another peek at Albion Calling...

"“First thing you need to learn about baking bread is nothing to do with baking bread. What you need to know, to be sure of, is death. You got that? Death. Unless you know about death then you won’t ever make anything rise, truly rise I mean. Back to your Bible miracle again maybe but that’s the point. It’s all miracles when it comes down to it. You got your Vietnam right now, yeah? Not cool. Death is all over it. We got people dying in this country too. Hard working people just trying to get through life - to sustain like I said - but they wind up dying, some through no fault of their own, others because they don’t know about death, don’t know it at all, just see it as something as happens on the news or in the films. You know anything about death, Missy?”
1967?
West London?
Seventeen years old?
Ready for the groove?
Oh yeah, man.
Oh yeah.
That long gone
bakery girl.
“Salt kills yeast. You know that? You didn’t before? You do now. Never let the salt get near the yeast. Your yeast is your heart, it pumps the blood around, gets everything moving, livens up the dead and creates the miracle - not on its own but we’ll come to that. The salt, you need that for the crust - it’s not magical like yeast but it has a place in the whole scheme of it all. No yeast, no rise. No salt, no crust. Bread without crust is a body without skin. Underneath the skin is where all the magic happens but you need that skin and that crust to hold off the revealing. That crust is the silk cloth the magician holds in one hand whilst he’s dazzling you with the other. But never forget. The salt will kill the yeast soon as look at it. And it does look at it. I’ve seen it. When it’s not looking at me but looking at the yeast. Salt’s not easy to catch out but you can do it. It don’t like being caught but darling you have to keep everything fine in this whole breadmaking thing. Don’t malign the salt because of, you know, the crust. But you look after that yeast and keep ‘em separate then you got no death anywhere near? We don’t want no Vietnam round here. There ain’t no getting out of no Vietnam. You got it?”
“I think so.”
“Good. Then pull those drapes across, sugar, and let me teach you all about the motherfucking rising…”"


message 1316: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Well I have been back from Bolivia for a few months now, during which I have completed the first draft of the novel recounting my experiences. It comes in at just under 97,000 words making it my longest to date. I am currently getting through the first re-write and really enjoying it! I'll update this thread as I go along with various odds and ends as I progress to the finished article. As ever, any questions gratefully received!


message 1317: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments congratulations Stuart :-)


message 1318: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Jim wrote: "congratulations Stuart :-)"

Thank you Jim. It's certainly going well so far. Just need to get it right and let it fly where it might!


message 1319: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments I think with a book like that, that's the best policy. Make it safe and sensible and nobody will notice it, let it be what it ought to be and perhaps only a handful of people will love it.
But they'll love it so much they'll badger their friends until they love it as well :-)


message 1320: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Jim wrote: "I think with a book like that, that's the best policy. Make it safe and sensible and nobody will notice it, let it be what it ought to be and perhaps only a handful of people will love it.
But they..."


I agree mate. Safe and sensible has never really been more forte either in life or in literature!


message 1321: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments as the man said, let it all hang out :-)


message 1322: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments All the best for its take-off, Stu.


message 1323: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Thank you Jim and Anna. Hoping for it to be released early in the new year as the writing of it was something of a chaotic experience and will require something of a steady hand (again not really my forte) to translate it into something coherent to the unintiated!


message 1324: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Has it really been three years? Goodness me!


message 1325: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments Stone the crows - it is you!

Welcome back. Always good to hear how fellow writers tackle things.


message 1326: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Hah! Thank you! One more attempt to get a little "organised!"


message 1327: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments By way of an update...

This Awful Small Mercy of Miss Miriam Mallone - aiming for an early 2021 release.

The Truth About Trees - 20,000 words in and grooving!


message 1328: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments Rush over and tell the 'Today I mostly wrote... word count' thread - you'll look so very good.


message 1329: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments I've always been more comfortable looking ragged than looking very good!


Rosemary (grooving with the Picts) (nosemanny) | 8590 comments Hey stranger!


message 1331: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Hi Rosemary! Hope all is good with you?!


Rosemary (grooving with the Picts) (nosemanny) | 8590 comments Peckin' awa Stuart!


message 1333: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments Welcome back sir :-)


message 1334: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Thank you Jim! Good to be back!


message 1335: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments We expect cake ;-)


message 1336: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments Cake? Did somebody mention cake? Kath bakes cakes, where is she?


message 1338: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Well into my third vegan year and can confirm vegan chocolate is no better than Trumpian Contrition!


message 1339: by Anna (new)

Anna Faversham (annafaversham) | 1752 comments Gingerlilly! That's one of the best and probably vegan... ahem. And who had that first slice?


Gingerlily - The Full Wild | 34228 comments Of course its vegan *ahem*

And I had the slice... I mean, I had to test it before posting...


message 1341: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments That's the sort of dedication I could do with where my writing efforts are concerned! Fine effort Gingerlily lady!


message 1342: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments Serious cake demands dedicated writing :-)


message 1343: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Just can't break my habit of 5,000 word splurges interspersed by days of dayreaming! And my dedication to promotion etc remains on a par with my commitment to sobriety.


message 1344: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Quick update about my yet to be published novels:

This Awful Small Mercy Of Miss Miriam Malone - with editor and hopefully out within the next few months.

The Truth About Trees - almost a quarter of the way through the second draft.

Darling Chubby Chops - first five thousand words done and getting into the groove.


message 1345: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments motoring there :-)


message 1346: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments That's one way of putting it Jim! On a bit of a deadline as once we've exchanged contracts on the house (hopefully before end of March), I'll be playing the cricket season (if there is one) then off to Bolivia for 6 months.

Plenty of caveats so who the hell really knows?!


message 1347: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments Stuart wrote: "That's one way of putting it Jim! On a bit of a deadline as once we've exchanged contracts on the house (hopefully before end of March), I'll be playing the cricket season (if there is one) then of..."

I'd have thought that we'd see Cricket this summer. I certainly hope so


message 1348: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Absolutely. Although being the club captain, secretary and finance fool and chief sandwich maker, it's both a blessing and a curse!


message 1349: by Jim (new)

Jim | 21809 comments Proper cricket that :-)


message 1350: by Stuart (new)

Stuart Ayris (stuayris) | 2614 comments Well it's just gone midnight here in Tollesburyville and I'm writing about a nine year old flemish girl in 1815 who lives in a glass dome fashioned from the single tear of a monkey that was shot out of a cannon nine kilometres from the scene of the battle of Waterloo. Her name is Mademoiselle. She has no ears. I love her very much.

Who needs mainstream fiction anyway? ;-)


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