Category: Writing

Grace

Grace is the word.Paloma Faith Grace

On Tuesday 5th February 2013, I took a jaunt to the Portsmouth Guildhall to watch Paloma Faith in her ‘Fall To Grace’ tour. She was outstanding not only with her stage craft and voice, but with her sense of style and her balletic moves. This photo in no way captures Paloma’s being, in the same way it cannot deliver her voice, but she was spectacular.

I’ve listened to both her albums, Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful?, and Fall To Grace, pretty much back-to-back for months. I’d reverted to being my younger, teenage self, desperate to absorb every word and hang onto every note of every song.

Yes. I used to do that – the artists were different then, but the feeling was the same as it is now.

Black and Blue, the third track on the current Faith album, was playing when I resolved a plot issue in ‘Truth or Dare?’ I am truly inspired by her lyrics and admire her ability to tell a story musically, and with such depth of feeling. It’s quite an art.

The title of the second album, and the track Agony, brought to mind a poem I wrote in June 1987, entitled Grace.

I could easily go down,

So easily fall from grace,

You tease and touch and tempt me,

As you tenderly trace the depths and hollows

Of the places

Where I could easily go down.

                                                  *Paloma Faith Gig

In the softly scented room,

Where I could easily go down,

Your silent shadows soothe me,

And the secretive sound of your falling clothes,

As you ungown,

Say I will fall from grace.

*

I could easily go down

As you brush against my back,

You breathe and blow and blind me,

As you so deftly touch the depths and hollows

Within my soul,

As I so easily go down.

*

Tonight, I’ll fall from grace,

As you steal my shame away,

As together,

We go down.

Paloma Faith
Paloma Faith

 

Laura x

Click here for a link to my friend Sue’s account of the gig.

Robert DeNiro’s Waiting…

I have a sudden urge to learn Italian. Now, I don’t know if this is a ‘start of a new year’ thing, or a result of a comment I made to a friend I’ve met online, who runs Arte Umbria. As I mentioned in my last post, I’ll be spending a week here in the summer, improving my writing skills, and, although Italian is not required, I keep thinking how lovely it would be to converse in, or at the very least understand the language.

Arte Umbria
Arte Umbria

Surely learning a second language, particularly one from which many of our english words stem, can only improve my use of the written word. What do you think?

Take care.

Laura x

Romancing the Week

This time last week, just after a working lunch, I and my fellow Romaniacs were preparing to present our twenty-five minute panel at the Festival of Romance. We had organised a talk on how well an online writing support group can work. We had tee-shirts, a pop-up banner and pompoms. It went well – especially the cheer-leading display.

This was just one of the many events on a packed itinerary. The night before, we ran a Romanical quiz and the night before that our Celia J Anderson won a contract with Piatkus Entice. I’ll repeat that so Celia catches it…Celia J Anderson won a contract with Piatkus Entice. The table erupted with joy. It was outstanding and we were upstanding.

It was an exhausting but fun and thoroughly enjoyable weekend. I returned home Sunday evening, happy with a positive pitch for ‘Follow Me’, pleased to have spent time with some good friends, and ready for bed.

By Wednesday, I was on a train heading to London for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Winter Party. Another excellent evening of socialising and spending time with wonderfully warm writerly folk.

Now it’s time to get my head down and complete my work in progress ready for early submission to the New Writers’ Scheme, and maybe write a few more short stories.

I’m happy to say my short story, ‘Telling Tales’, achieved runner-up in Choc Lit’s Summer competition . Congratulations to Tracy Fells for her winning entry, ‘Phoenix and Marilyn’.

 

Happy writing and take care.

Laura x

Feel The Love

The weekend of November 16th sees the start of the 2012 Festival of Romance, in Bedford.

I attended the inaugural Festival last year in Watford and had a thoroughly brilliant time. I met authors, publishers, editors and a group of ladies who, with me, were to become The Romaniacs.

The Festival format is a little different this year with Regency Romance hitting Bedford town centre and workshops and events divided between venues.

Friday night is the Festival of Romance Awards and Ball and I am thrilled to announce my current work in progress, ‘Follow Me’, has been shortlisted for the New Talent Award. Not only that, but five of my fellow Romaniacs are also on that list.

In total, twenty five new writers are in the running, so there’s plenty of great competition out there.

Many friends are up for a variety of awards and it is fantastic their hard work is being highlighted in such a positive way.

I offer my congratulations to everyone whose name has appeared on a shortlist and thank Kate Allan, Chief Organiser, and the committee for all their hard work in producing a weekend of romance.

For those who cannot make the event, I hope you enjoy your own weekend of romance.

Take care.

Laura x

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

Hands Up.

This is my right hand.

My writing hand.

This photo was taken two years ago. Assuming you’re not squeamish, you can click on the picture and open a larger view of it.

I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was eighteen. It has attacked a number of joints and tendons which have subsequently been replaced, repaired, reinforced or fused. There are a number of joints yet to receive the Bionic Man treatment. Ahh. Lee Majors. I haven’t reached those dizzy heights yet.

This is from last year, when I had my left thumb fused in the summer, and then revised a few months later. It passed the test.

I’m finding it tricky to locate photos that aren’t too gruesome. I am fascinated with surgery and take a keen interest in the rehabilitation that follows. I have plenty of shots of scars and swellings and bloodied bandages which, one day, may serve a purpose. There is a chance I may use the information in a book. During the thumb fusion, my surgeon allowed me to watch for a short time. It was amazing.

I’m looking at the photo to the right now. I remember having my ring finger knuckle replaced, but for the life of me, have NO recollection as to why my index finger was trussed up. A synovectomy, maybe? I can see a child’s drink bottle in the background, so it was a few years ago.

Ah. Left wrist plated and partially fused. I got quite cross with that. I was desperate to get the cast off.

Anyway, enough fond trips down memory lane. You get my drift.

That’s what my fingers do. They drift. It’s part of the disease, but whilst the rheumatoid cannot be halted, with the use of today’s wonderful technology, the brilliant surgeons and medical staff can rebuild parts of me. One piece at a time.

I so relate to that song.

During my last operation, I spoke to the theatre staff about my goal to become a published author and how grateful I was to them for taking such good care of my hands – my work tools. I recall agreeing to acknowledge their work in my first published book. One day, ladies and gentlemen. One day. For the time being, I truly thank you for preserving my sanity.

My next surgery is this Thursday. My right index finger is to be straightened and fused. That’s about a week in a small back slab and five in a lightweight splint. That equates to a month and a half not typing, tweeting, facebooking or blogging. Unless I use my left hand. Which of course, I will. Be prepared for some really weird words. I am not ambidextrous.

As an aside to this, I think the Paralympians are outstanding. What they achieve is beyond superhuman and I have been humbled by what they must go through every day.

This? This is nothing.

Take care and see you the other side.

Laura x

 

 

To Submit or not to Submit?

To submit or not submit? That is the question I asked myself thirty times.

I am a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme. It is a fantastic organisation which offers friendship, advice, the chance to meet other writers, agents and publishers and once a year, have one’s manuscript critiqued. The deadline for the critique is August 31st. Well done to everyone who submitted.

At the beginning of this year I had a plan; By July I was going to have a second story written and submitted to the NWS. It started well as I joined in with a challenge set by author Sally Quilford entitled 100k in a 100 Days. The aim was to write 1000 words each day for 100 days, starting on January 1st and ending on April 9th.

By March, I had 60,000 words written, most of which belonged to the work in progress (WIP). My writing came to an abrupt halt late March, when I lost my mum. Everything that followed knocked writing off the agenda.

I could not get back into the work in progress. The last scene I’d written concentrated on the hero’s grief having lost his family. It was not a place I wished to visit. With that in mind, I decided not to submit to the NWS. I emailed the organiser explaining my situation and received a lovely reply which left the door open for me to send in a partial (a non-completed story) and a synopsis if I felt able.

As time progressed and life settled into a new groove, I turned to writing short stories. They were perfect for fulfilling the desire to write without draining my emotional reserves. With aspects of my life hanging in the balance, I derived satisfaction from starting and completing a project within a short time span, and it appeased the guilt of not tackling the WIP knowing I was keeping my hand in.

There’s the telling word – appeased.

In hindsight I think those who know me well realised I was struggling with the idea of not submitting. I had 60,000 words saved in Drive C. I had neglected them. My poor, desperate hero, like me, had to start dealing with his grief. I could not leave him in his state of disbelief.

I began to think about the story once more. I mentioned one or two ideas to my wonderful Romaniac chums, who as ever, were supportive, funny and pillars of rock and again the suggestion was made that I should consider sending in a partial. I then received the same advice from two established members of the RNA.

Have you ever had that feeling someone is trying to tell you something?

At the beginning of July, struck by a bolt of insanity, I declared to my family and friends I would be submitting to the NWS and I would work for as long and as hard as I could to finish and polish the manuscript. I had six weeks, after all.

This Tuesday I didn’t go to bed. I stayed up reading through a revised and rewritten 52,000 words, replacing over-used phrases, correcting chronology mistakes and fixing typos and cut and paste errors.

I went to bed at 07:00, Wednesday, rose at 09:00, and at 11:00, handed the NEW padded envelope, fattened with my partial, to the post office assistant.

It was the first time I’d been out of the house in days.

Okay. So I didn’t manage to write the whole story, but I reached a point about a week before when I knew it was not going to happen. Perhaps I should have written the entire book before editing, but I wanted to submit more than a first draft. I appreciate it is not a final version, but I have presented my work to the best of my ability.

What have I learned? Support, advice and encouragement from family, friends and writing chums are invaluable assets when faced with the impossible, and I thank you for providing all three in lorry loads.

Scrap that. Make it juggernaut loads.

No. Container loads.

And what of my hero? He is out of his disbelief phase and he’s through with the guilt, but he is sinking lower than the Titanic. I wonder if like the sun, he will rise and see the dawning of happier times?

Laura x

 

 

Sue Fortin’s Debut Release: United State of Love.

Sue Fortin.  United State of Love.

Since splitting from her husband, single mum Anna Barnes is enjoying her new found freedom and independence. Now she can concentrate on looking after her teenage son and building up her career. However, she didn’t bank on working for Tex Garcia.

The gorgeous American chef is getting the locals hot under the collar and not just because of his culinary prowess! Beneath that handsome exterior, however, lies a man haunted by his past. Tex can’t commit and women pass through his life like dishes going out to service. So what is it about Anna that’s different?

Can Tex break her self-imposed rule of never mixing business with pleasure and add some spice into the mix? Or is Anna’s ex set to spoil the recipe altogether?

 ***************************************

 

I am so excited for today’s guest, the lovely Sue Fortin, and I’m thrilled to be part of this Blog Tour. Welcome, Sue.

Hi Laura, it’s lovely to be here – thank you so much for inviting me.

Now, the reason I’m excited is because you have released your debut novel, United State of Love, and I recall in an earlier Find Out Friday interview I asked you how you planned to celebrate your first ever book launch. The word PARTY featured heavily. How’s it going? Are you in a fit state to tell me about your book?

Well, the launch day went fantastically well, I’m so grateful to everyone who Tweeted, Facebooked and bought my novel.  Can’t believe I was trending at #9 on Twitter above Ed Miliband; that will be my ‘Did you know…?’ dinner conversation piece now.

In the evening I did go out for a meal with some friends to celebrate but I have to say the partying started a couple of days later at the RNA Conference in Penrith.  Well, to be honest, that wasn’t really to do with my book. A weekend with the lovely Romaniacs was reason enough on its own to celebrate.

How are you finding the self-publishing experience?

Educating is the word I would use – Speed Educating. A bit like speed dating; lots of propositions out there, some look very appealing on the outside but dig a bit deeper … Sometimes you get it wrong and have to start all over again.

What reservations, if any, did you have with regard to self-publishing? How did you overcome these worries?

I had lots of reservations, if I’m honest. I thought long and hard about self-publishing. It wasn’t so much the technicalities of doing it, I enjoyed things like coming up with a cover, organising a mini blog tour, picking the brains of people who had already done it.  What concerned me the most was if people would enjoy my novel. So far I’ve had some great reviews and comments from people who have read it.  And being totally candid, I could probably tweak it forever. It received a second read under the New Writers’ Scheme and I’m very grateful for all the advice I’ve been given. I think the positive feedback from all quarters has helped me overcome a lot of my worries about self-publishing.

How important was it for you to be involved with writing and readers’ groups? I’m thinking in particular of Love A Happy Ending and the Famous Five Plus team.

Extremely.

I joined Love A Happy Ending as an Associate Reader and six months ago they took me under their collective wing as an unpublished Featured Author, charting my progress to publishing.  I have had so much support, advice and encouragement, I really don’t think I would have done it without them.

Likewise, the Famous Five Plus team have been there as well.  Through them I found a great graphic designer who produced my book cover and again, they have been really encouraging and supportive.

It would be remiss of me not to mention my wonderful group of friends, collectively known as The Romaniacs, who have cheered me on and restrained me in equal measures.

How soon before you start on book two? What can you tell me about it?

Book Two and I have had a turbulent relationship. We fell in love last September, but around Christmas time we had a bit of a disagreement and were ‘on a break’, not speaking to each other for several months.  At the RNA Conference in Penrith, we had a counselling session with an Editor from MIRA.  Book Two and I have now ironed out our differences and have resumed our relationship.

What can I tell you about it? Okay, it’s about facing up to responsibilities and the actions of your past. Doing what you have to do, rather than what you want to do.  Like my previous book, it’s set in West Sussex, on the coast this time and I’ve had great fun creating my own little town somewhere between Littlehampton and Climping.

It’s taken me a while to realise I write literary/contemporary stories with romance as a central theme. How do you classify your stories?

Oh, this is what Book Two and I fell out about.  Book Two knew what it wanted to be and I was trying to take it somewhere else. It’s a stubborn old thing is Book Two, but it does know its own mind. For now we’ve called a truce and although still not in total agreement, we would say I look at the issues that impact on a relationship between two people and glance at the ripple effect of that.

Many of us have writing buddies. What does it take to be a good buddy?

Honesty and tact.  No point having a writing buddy if they are not going to be honest, but a degree of tact is needed.  Also you need to do away with the disclaimer at the beginning of every feedback which starts off … ‘I’m no expert, please feel free to totally ignore anything I say, it’s just my humble opinion …’

I would say you also need trust. You need to be able to trust them to be honest.

Are you managing to find time to keep reading? (With all this partying going on?)

Struggling slightly. I am quite a slow reader anyway. I like to take my time and really enjoy what I’m reading.  Sticking with the speed dating theme – my reading books and I don’t speed date, we go for lots of dates over a longer period of time.

Finally, before we crack open the paracetamol and pull down the blinds to shield our eyes from the blinding summer sunshine, promise me we’ll party like it’s the start of a new millennium every time you release a book.

Oh, you are so going to regret saying that!

Thank you so much for visiting, Sue. United State of Love is a cracking debut and I know it will do well. When can I read your next one?

No, thank you Laura for inviting me here and for your kind words.  The next one? Now if I say it here, I’m going to have to stick to it, aren’t I?  Oh well, I work better to deadlines, let’s say …. March 2013, just in time for our birthdays.

 

Sue lives on the South Coast in West Sussex and has done so since her mid-teens, prior to having a rather nomadic childhood due to her parents moving on a regular basis.

Before taking to writing, Sue worked in various secretarial roles, before settling as a PA in a high street bank. After thirteen years juggling work and three children under the age of five, she said goodbye to the world of banking. Sue now has four children and grabs writing time while they are at school and work.

Sue is one ninth of the writing group The Romaniacs (www.theromaniacgroup.wordpress.com) A Featured Author with http://www.loveahappyending.com/ and part of http://www.famousfiveplus.com/ an indie author group. Sue has her own book review blog www.lovereadinglovebooks.wordpress.com and is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association under their New Writers’ Scheme.

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/sue.fortin.3

Twitter @suefortin1

Amazon.co.uk http://www.amazon.co.uk/United-State-of-Love-ebook/dp/B00892B2UI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342697477&sr=8-1

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/United-State-of-Love-ebook/dp/B00892B2UI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342697529&sr=8-1&keywords=united+state+of+love