Tag: Womens’_Fiction

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?

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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