Month: October 2012

Exposed!

If nudity offends, you best avert your eyes…

 

SPLINTED FINGER IS NAKED!

This week I attended my six week orthopaedic appointment following finger fusion. The rather lovely doctor showed me the x-ray- there are three pins of varying length along the finger and a metal ring around the joint – and advised the bone had fused well. Despite my concern the finger is still swollen and red, the doctor told me it’s looking good, but recommended I retain the splint for a further six weeks.

In hindsight, I think my reaction matched Tony Hancock’s in his famous sketch in which he expresses surprise at how much blood he’s expected to donate.

The rather lovely doctor and I entered into negotiations, which included my admission I had spent the day before without the splint, apart from when I went out, and the promise not to take up ten-pin bowling. We reached a satisfactory compromise of allowing Splinted Finger to roam naked around the home, but cover up when out and about.

Splinted Finger is also allowed to write.

Nude.

And with joyous abandon.

Take care.

Laura x

Riotous Kittens & Rampaging Ideas.

On Saturday 13th October 2012, I attended an Advance Novel Writing Course, run by Julie Cohen. It tickles me that it was held in Reading. I know it’s pronounced Redding, but still.

I enjoyed the whole experience – the early morning drive, meeting like-minded souls and learning how to improve my writing.

The main thrust of the day for me was finding ways to build up my hero in ‘Truth or Dare?’ I’ve been working on ‘beefing’ him up and increasing his point of view, but felt I’d reached a point where anything I added would be waffle. As writers, we know that everything we put in a story must move it forward. Through Julie’s exercises, I have found depths to my hero that need exploring and sides to him I hadn’t considered. This excites me. I have so many ideas, I’m having to rein them in a little, just until I have them under control.

I type this as my two recently acquired kittens, Rascal and Sheldon, run riot around my house. If I can get them sorted, I’m hoping my ideas will lie down and also submit.

Right, kittens. You first…

Take care.

Laura x

The Next Big Thing

Friend and fellow writer, Wendy Loveday kindly tagged me for The Next Big Thing. Well, with all the chocolate I have consumed this week, I’m not surprised. But enough. Let’s get down to business. I have ten questions to answer about my work in progress and once I’ve done that, I’ll choose five other writers and ask them to tell us about their work, for posting next Wednesday.

I think it’s a lovely way to get to know one another.

Q: What is the working title of your next book?

I am currently working on my second manuscript and it is called ‘Follow Me’.

Q: From where did the idea come?

I was thinking about my new found fondness for Twitter and how wonderful it was to communicate with my favourite authors and the idea grew from there. What will it take to entice a person to follow back? What measures can be taken to ensure the other person isn’t a fruitloop? How could this fit into a romance without it appearing sinister? This was the starting point, but the story has evolved since the original idea.

Q: Under which genre does your book fall?

A contemporary romance/family relationship story. I didn’t know I wrote these until I started the second one, but I do like to have a family in there.

Q: Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters for a movie?

My male protagonist is an action hero, slim and dark. I’m a big Johnny Depp fan and my character, Chris, is in his late thirties. Mmm. Johnny Depp. He’d play the tortured soul so well. Victoria, the female protagonist is a little younger, with unruly copper curls. Could I get away with Sandra Bullock? I realise she’s in her late forties, but hey, it’s make believe and she looks great.

Q: What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

If I write a one line synopsis, it will give the story away, but here’s a little something… The real world is a daunting place, but having pulled the plug on technology, does Victoria Noble have the power to reconnect her emotions, or will she freeze and crash?

Q: Will you self-publish or be represented by an agent?

My next job on my ‘To Do’ list is to start submitting to agents.

Q: How long did it take you to write the first draft?

I completed 60,000 words from January to March of this year, stopped for a few months and am now back on it. As a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme, I was able to submit my partial for critiquing, which has presented me with some excellent challenges and wonderful advice.

My first full manuscript, ‘Truth Or Dare?’, on which I cut my teeth, took three years from start to final draft. I say final draft – I’m still tweaking as I learn more about the craft of writing.

Q: With which books within your genre would your story compare?

This is a tricky question to answer. I would love my stories to be compared to Jodi Picoult’s, as I like to examine gritty issues. I loved Me Before You, Jojo Moyes and the way she tackled the question of euthanasia. Joanne Harris is another to whom I aspire. There are many great writers for whom I have immense respect and with every book I read, from a wide selection of genres, I learn something new. 

Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Twitter and the wonderful Carole Matthews, who I think I have finally convinced I am not a mad stalker.

Q: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It’s a modern tale for today’s woman, with business intrigue, a troublesome four year old, and the beautiful Dorset coastline for its setting.

The writers I am tagging are:

Vanessa Savage

Celia J Anderson

Nikki Goodman

Anita Chapman

Susan Bergen

As Wendy said, I do hope you’ll join me in this. It’s been great fun.

Thank you for tagging me, Wendy.

Take care all.

Laura x

Review: The Summer Of Living Dangerously. Julie Cohen.

In an attempt to leave her past behind, avid romance reader and technical journalist, Alice Woodstock spends the summer as a Historical Interpreter at Eversley Hall, a Regency stately home.

As past lives play into present day, Alice must decide on her future.

I loved this book. It is clever, witty, escapist and touching. I went to bed early so I could have quality time with the characters. I used the excuse of a bandaged finger to avoid housework so I could sit and read for an entire afternoon or two, and I consumed far too much chocolate whilst absorbed in the moment. The era.

Not only did I enjoy the romance, I learned historical facts without realising. The description of the Regency house is brilliant and I swear I’ve actually been living there for the last few days.

I know this tells you nothing of the story, but if you enjoy being moved in all directions, this is a must-read.

A beautiful tale told with warmth and affection.

In less than two weeks, I shall be attending a day’s writing course with author/tutor Julie Cohen. I am so excited. I have already set the journey on my satnav, gathered the correct stationery and printed out the first five pages of Follow Me for critiquing.

My recently fused index finger still has five weeks in its new splint, but this will not deter me from making notes or participating in the workshops.

I am ready to learn.

Laura x

You can find Julie on Facebook

The Summer Of Living Dangerously can be purchased at Amazon in paperback or downloaded for the Kindle