Escaping To The Country

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Todays Blog Swap is with author, Patsy Collins, who’s blog can be found here

Patsy has recently published her first novel, Escape to the Country which, I’ve read, and thoroughly enjoyed 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I didn’t really. A creative writing class was something I started almost by accident. It wasn’t until the term ended I realised I was hooked and signed on again. That was ten years ago.

What genre do you write in?
I suppose it could be classed as ‘women’s fiction’. I write short stories for magazines and romantic novels. Mostly.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
I don’t have a schedule, but I try to do something writing related every day. I write more in the winter – then it’s most evenings after I get in from the day job. In summer the garden, allotment and campervan are big distractions.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
At home I have a nice office that I share with Gary (my beloved husband to be). This is my half (specially tidied up for the photo!) Two screens are handy for editing and research, so when Gary decided his wasn’t good enough for his photography, I snaffled it.

Although it’s nice to have the office and comfy leather chair these things don’t improve my writing. It has improved since I started with a biro and stack of paper in the gloomy dining room of my previous home, but that’s because I’ve practised and learned a lot since then, not because I no longer have to get a friend to print out my submissions after I’ve typed them up on the work computer. I’d like to say the availability of a computer and printer has speeded things up, but now I have the internet …

I also do quite a lot of writing in our campervan. There’s far less space there, but once I get into a story I don’t notice my surroundings much. I could, and would, write anywhere.

Who inspires you?
Gary, my family, friends, the author of any piece of writing I’ve enjoyed reading.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
I don’t know! My novel writing style has been compared with Katie Fforde – do you think there are similarities? (Vikki – Definitely!)

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
Escape to the Country was published earlier this year after I won a novel writing competition. It’s a romantic crime story, set mostly on a farm in Kent. There’s food, mud, herbal potions, intrigue, bovine midwifery and love.

I’ve had some great feedback as you can see from the Amazon customer reviews I’m doing a series of radio interviews and a book signing to help promote it. Details can be found here

I’ve just finished the edits of A Year and a Day. This is another light hearted romance and I’m currently writing a third. That sounds like I knock out a novel every couple of months – I don’t! I tend to write a draft, leave it and write something else, then edit, then write something else, so there are often several projects on the go at a time.

Dont forget to nip on over to Patsy’s Blog to see what i have to say today. I’ll be talking about my interest in other writers work spaces.

As I said, I’ve read Patsy’s novel and thought it was great….I reviewed it on Amazon. So my question today dear readers, is Do you review books you read on Amazon? I have to say, I don’t review big name authors, but I feel it’s important to support the new authors 🙂

Inspirational Brief Encounters

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s post is from Virginia, a lovely writer who blogs at poeta officium Please do go and check out her great pages 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
There was never a revelation; I have always had the desire to write. I started creative writing classes at school when I was around 8 and shortly after, I began writing at home for fun. This was when I realised there was every possibility I could actually take it seriously. My mother and grandma, who was also a writer, always encouraged me to write as did my school teachers. It always came naturally to me and while the other kids mucked around during this lesson, I lapped it up and even got to read my stories to the class. This really lit a fire within. I literally did not look back.

What genre do you write in?
I love writing psychological thrillers. This is the genre that takes over my bookshelf! I also try and throw in a little family history in the mix as I am a genealogist. Genea-psycho thrillers? Is this a bona fide genre?? I guess it is now!

Do you have a writing schedule?
I try to. I really do! However with young kids it is very easy to lose precious time. I do have a schedule that I stick to on the good weeks; writing every night for a couple of hours – whether its for research or character development. When I’m on a roll, I don’t stop and I find I am writing till after midnight. On the nights that it doesn’t come so easy those 2 hours are put to good use but I know that switching my mind off will be much more beneficial in the long run. As long as I’m getting some writing and reading done every night I’m a happy bunny.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
Lately Ive been writing in bed. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m trying to kill 2 birds with one stone – rest and work – but laying back on my comfy pillows gives me the ‘ahh’ feeling which opens my mind. Especially when it is pitch black around me save for the laptop light. This makes me feel that nothing else exists in the world apart from me and my words. It is a very exclusive feeling.

I also write at my desk or at the dining table. I find my best work comes when I’m comfortable, warm and within reach of a fully boiled kettle. I’ve started frequenting a gorgeous coffee house down the road – which makes THE best mocha’s I’ve ever tasted – so good infact I almost tweeted it! Anyway, I have a quaint corner booth under the stairs which is always empty when I get there. I sit, I drink, I get inspired. I love it.

When do you write?
I normally write at night. I’m not sure if it’s because of the whole kid routine thing but I find I am most inspired late at night. Or, early morning. I love the stillness of pre-dawn although getting up at 4 am isn’t necessarily appealing right now. We are just coming into our winter and the sudden freezing temperatures always encourages one to keep pressing the snooze button.

Who inspires you?
It’s not so much one person as it is a random moment with a person. I love having conversations with people I have never met before and will possibly never see again. I think every single person on this earth has an interesting story to tell; everyone has a fairy tale, a nightmare, a thriller, a happy ending. I am inspired by the way someone will tell their story. I have met many people in my life who I have exchanged deep conversations with; whether it was on the street, on the train, in a library – infact, this happened a couple of weeks ago at an Apple store. We started chatting about something completely unrelated to any Apple product. He probably thought I was a journalist because I kept asking him question after question. But he was so interesting! I was loving it. I spent all of 10 minutes talking to an intelligent, lively, elderly man; this memory will be with me for the rest of my life. This is what inspires me. It is priceless.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
Ooh. This is tricky. I guess my style might resemble a selection of my favourite authors. With the exception of Ernest Hemingway. His writing style makes me cry – in a good, moving way. And I will never compare myself to that man. It would be a sin to!

I read a lot of Kathy Reichs. She is probably my most recent influence. I grew up reading Michael Connelly, so I’d say it’s a combination of both. I do also love Stephen King’s style, his matter-of-factness; I can relate to that. When I am telling a story, I like to get to the point quickly without using too many ‘romantic’ words or phrases. So to answer the question, I guess it’s an amalgamation of the above mentioned authors and my own style thrown in for luck!

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
Ahh, my current WIP. My baby. My heartache. My frustration. What keeps me up at night. What keeps my thoughts going around and around in circles during the day. Just when I think I have it worked out, I rehash. Change names. Change places. I love my WIP, I really do. But it has taken many different forms to be where it is now. I have rehashed the plot so much it is now red raw which I think is a good thing seeing as my main character is pretty much an open wound.

Emma is tired, waiting to tell her sick story. She is mentally ill with very serious abandonment issues. She is living in what she thinks is a daydream, telling her story from a psychiatric cell. She tells us about her trophies, her conquests – the men she loved who are now dead. She tells us that she has killed them because she feared they would leave her. But has she in fact killed them? Is she that sick that she cannot draw the line between reality and make believe? Or is she telling us the truth? Some say it’s a desperate cry for help. Is anybody actually listening?

I’m finding this story frustrating to tell because I want the readers to feel sorry for her – yet she could be a horrific serial killer. How do the 2 fit together? I’m loving the challenge.

Thanks Virginia, for answering my questions (you can see why she’s a writer can’t you?) 🙂

I found it interesting that Virginia says she enjoys chatting to total strangers, for inspiration. That’s a great idea. But I find a lot of people nowadays are in such a rush to get everywhere and do everything, no one has time to stop and chat. Have you ever had a conversation with a stranger that’s inspired some writing? I haven’t, but it’s something I’ll definitely be more aware off now, if I can find anyone who will talk to me lol 😦

The Lonely Hunter

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Today’s guest is a prolific short story writer who is currently working on her first novel. Please welcome Gail Aldwin who blogs at The Writer Is A Lonely Hunter

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve dabbled with writing several times and I studied for an MA at Sussex University which involved writing a travel book about the pilgrim route across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Every time I seemed to be getting somewhere with my writing, life intervened in the form of pregnancies, additional work responsibilities, or moving house. I started writing again three years ago, when the promotion I’d set my heart on didn’t come through and my colleague was appointed. To save myself weeks of reliving the interview and to contain my envy, I began to write a book about back-packing in Australia. I joined a writing group which kept me focussed and I’ve now drafted on my third manuscript. Like many people, I always thought there was a book in me and because I don’t consider myself to be articulate, writing gives a form of expression that enables me to be spontaneous and fluent. I write because I find it hard to talk about the themes I want to share, issues around racism, alcoholism, domestic violence and homelessness. It all sounds very bleak but my characters are resilient.

What genre do you write in?
My novels fall under the category of contemporary women’s fiction. I’d like to move into literary fiction but my writing style will need some improvement to make the transition. I also write flash fiction, complete stories in anything from 75 words up to 1000. I love flash fiction, it’s like an antidote to the slog of completing a novel and I’ve had a few successes in getting work published. You’ll find my stories on line at websites such as Paragraph Planet, Five Stop Story, and Cafe Lit. I also write a regular column for What the Dickens? Magazine that answers writers’ questions.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
I write every day, getting up early in the morning to commit a couple of hours. On days when I’m not working, I also spend a good part of the day at my computer. I watch very little television and that frees up time in the evening for writing.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
I like writing in a quiet space. I’m not sure what the best writing environment is – I haven’t experimented with this. We have a family study that I share with everyone except my daughter who likes working in her bedroom. My husband and son play games on the desktop and I write on a notebook. Sometimes we sit alongside each other but that’s only possible when the headphones are in use. When I can’t stand the distraction, I work at the kitchen table.

Who inspires you?
A couple of years ago I read a book called The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk. It’s set in Istanbul during the 1970s and is a story about obsessive love. I travelled through Turkey during 1981 on a double decker bus heading for to Kathmandu and I was therefore immediately drawn to the story. Pamuk is an intriguing story teller, who features as a minor character within the narrative and using all sorts of devices to hook the reader. I’m amazed at the prose, with one chapter titled ‘Sometimes’ where every sentence begins with this word.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
I’d like to write prose as good as Orhan Pamuk, but it’ll take a lot of dedication to get to there. In the meantime, I read the work of debut novelists to check on the competition. One author I’d particularly like to be compared with is Evie Wyld. Her first novel After The Fire A Still Small Voice is set in Australia and she does a wonderful job of intertwining the location with the characters and their motivations. Australia is like a second home, so I’d like to be as good as Evie Wyld in describing the country and the characters in my novel Manipulation

Tell us about your current WIP
I’m currently redrafting my first novel Manipulation ready to submit to a reader for comment as part of the New Writers’ Scheme with the Romantic Novelists’ Association. It’s a story
that explores the challenges of travelling through Outback Australia during the recession of the 1980s for a well-mannered 20-year-old-girl. Committed to making a success of the experience, Helen follows a difficult path and ultimately becomes involved with a manipulative older man. Misunderstanding and confusion force the couple to ricochet around the country until they finally settle in Sydney and address some of the issues in their relationship.

This year I’ve also had short stories included in three print anthologies. Here’s a photo of them.

I think it’s great the way Gail works with and around the family 🙂 in the evenings I do share my writing space with my husband, but I find it hinders me lol. Have you ever SHARED your writing space with someone else? Did it work?

If you’d like to read my post for the day, pop on over to Gails blog 🙂

You Lucky Lucky People!

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

I’m having so much fun, interviewing people I connect with through my Blog 🙂

Today we have the lovely CC, who’s blog ccarothers is a mixture of fiction, poetry and observations. A place where she can be creative in whichever form she chooses 🙂

I interviewed CC and she kindly answered my questions and provided a couple of photographs 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Good question. I guess it’s when my need to express myself in story form became hard to ignore. I was messing around writing short stories and found I loved being creative in that way. My life makes better sense to me if I fictionalize the parts I don’t understand. If that makes any sense at all.

What genre do you write in?
Romance. I like to dabble in erotic romance as well. Both genres get a bad rap, but are awesome because you get your happy ending (usually). We need that.

Do you have a writing schedule, whats your normal writing day?
No schedule. If I’m sitting in my office and an idea strikes me, I write. In the morning when I first wake up seems to be when my brain is the most open. I tend to have a lot of ideas. But overall, I write whenever I get the itch to do so.

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
My bedroom! Ha! My bed is comfortable and it’s my favorite place to be in my house.

Who inspires you?
To write or in general? My mother inspires me to be someone with fortitude.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
Um… I can’t think of any author in particular. I’m sure I’m in no way unique in the way I write, but can’t pinpoint an author.

Tell us about your current WIP book?
It’s about a pirate! Haha. It’s probably more of an erotic historical romance. A young, unmarried woman is sent to America because she’s headstrong and smart mouthed. She’s shipwrecked along the way and captured by a pirate. It’s an interesting captivity for her.
Trying to get it all on paper. My muse is fickle. It’s funny, but this story started as a 100 word prompt and morphed into something bigger. I like when that happens.

A huge thank you to CC for being my guest. Please pop over to her wonderful blog and say “Hi”

I have to admit that I haven’t really explored the whole idea of writing in bed….I will definitely be trying it 🙂 Have you ever tried writing in bed?

Fascination…..

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Firstly, thank you Sooo much for all the comments on my Blurb post yesterday. I really do appreciate your thoughts and will be working on it again this coming week. Thank you all 🙂

Right, on with the business!

I have a fascination lol…..I love seeing where other writers work. I know, I know, a bit creepy? Lol….noooo, I’m just nosey, aren’t all writers? Lol 😉

When I decided to open up my blog to guests I decided that I needed something to link all these lovely people together, soooo, I thought, hey, I’d love to see where my followers (and people I follow) do their writing. It’s proving to be such an interesting exercise 🙂

My first guest is Josh Mosey a writer who runs his own marketing business and works in a bookstore (I am sooooo jealous of that last bit!!!!! Lol)

I’ve only recently been introduced to Josh, but I’m looking forward to getting to know him better 🙂

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?
Writing snuck up on me. It started with a story I wrote at work while I was bored and blossomed into a goal with encouragement from some of my writer friends. Although, in retrospect, I was setting myself up to be a writer by working in a bookstore. There is nothing like being surrounded by books.

What genre do you write in?
I started by writing humorous flash fiction at Thom & Tom, but when my writers group Weaklings decided to participate in the 3-Day Novel Contest, I decided to try my hand at a novel-length dystopian story. The result was the first draft of my novel, Silent, which is set in a future where sound is illegal. Since then, I’ve dabbled in Historical Fantasy and YA Fantasy.

Do you have a writing schedule, your normal writing day?
I try to write on my blog every morning after my wife leaves for work and before I do. Then, once or twice a week I’ll slip off to a coffee shop near my house and do some writing on my WIP. I try to get at least 700 words down on my novel when I work on it, and my blog posts are anywhere between 400 and 1,000 words. I try not to let my writing life take precedence over my wife though. I’d rather be known as a good husband than a good writer. (Vikki nods in approval)

What’s the best writing environment for you – where you write?
It depends on what I’m writing. For my blog, I sit in my living room and work from my couch. For my novel, I need longer chunks of uninterrupted time than I can comfortably take at my house (where I’d rather be spending time with my wife and daughter or trying to take care of things like dishes or laundry). So, I go down the road to Biggby Coffee where I can be surrounded by life and little noises without any of those noises trying to distract me. While I write, I typically listen to music (Frightened Rabbit is a favorite of mine).

Who inspires you?
I love the writings of Kurt Vonnegut for his wry, black humor. I love J.R.R. Tolkien for his depth and thoroughness. I love Edward Gorey for his strangeness. And I love Terry Pratchett for his satire. I am also inspired by history. When I was doing research for one of my stories, I fell in love with Quentin Roosevelt, the son of US President Theodore Roosevelt. Also, the Vikings.

If you were to be compared to another author, who’s work would yours most resemble?
I like to think that my voice is similar to Terry Pratchett’s, though my subject matter isn’t satiric in nature.

Tell us about your current WIP/recently published book?
I’m working on the second draft of my YA Fantasy novel. The working title is Daniel O’Ryan and the Tree of Life.

My main character is Daniel O’Ryan. At fourteen years old, he’s one of the oldest boys at Stockton’s Home for Disadvantaged Boys.

He was dropped off as a baby at the orphanage by his father, a fallen angel. His mother was killed in an attack by the angel Gabriel, who sought to fulfill his ancient charge to kill the Nephilim. After dropping him off at Stockton’s, Daniel’s father disappears.

Now, fourteen years later, strange things are happening to Daniel. First, there’s his new school, the prestigious Blackwood Academy. Mysterious forces are at work in bringing Daniel and his best friend, roommate and fellow orphan, Ian Langston, to Blackwood.

Freshman year is hard enough, but at the new school, Daniel and Ian make few friends.

When Daniel accidentally throws the star of the rugby team, Hunter Garrison, across the locker room just days before the homecoming match, things look very dim. And when Daniel is completely unharmed after Hunter drops him from the roof of the school, he starts to question his own sanity.

Fortunately, Daniel receives guidance from teacher and angel, Abdiel, who explains the truth about who Daniel is and what he can do. And what’s more, Daniel has a chance to rescue his father from a fate worse than death and restore the family that he’s wanted for so long.

But before he can save anyone, Daniel has a lot to learn about himself and his abilities (360 degree visibility, lightening speed, sonic attacks, heightened strength, and built-in shadow armor). With the help of his friends, the Undesirables, and his teacher, Abdiel, Daniel begins the quest to find and recover the fruit of the tree of life from the long-lost Garden of Eden, the only thing that may help his father.

That’s the plot of book one. Daniel’s story will span three books, and I sincerely hope that you’ll see the whole series on bookstore shelves soon.

So it seems that Josh is a huge fan of the coffee shop. Do you ever write in a coffee shop? Do you find it inspiring? I love to free write in coffee shops, but I find I get easily distracted lol.

if you’d like to see my post for today nip on over to Josh’s Blog where I’ll be talking about The Insecure Writers Support Group 🙂

Be My Guest, Or Not ;o)

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

There seems to be a lot of “Guest Posts” flying around at the moment (have you noticed or is it just me? Lol)

I read with interest fellow blogger Joe Pineda’s (The Bard of Steel) post entitled “Spotlight” where he wanted to showcase fellow writers. Unfortunately, he realised that the only person who was actually benefitting from this was himself. He has now decided to scrap the idea. Read all about his thoughts here as its a very interesting post, with some thought provoking comments.

Also, recently, another blogger I follow, Chris at Write To Perfect, requested people come forward to be guests on his blog (that’s where we had the discussion about me not being a writer lol) and you can find that post here

Both these guys (do go and read the very interesting posts!) have big hearts, and want to showcase people that they themselves like, which IMHO is a great idea, I love it….. But, there does seem to be a downside * wags finger* you readers don’t seem to click the linky things, so, like Joe said, who does it actually benefit?

I would love to have people doing guest posts on my blog, I know a few authors. But, would my readers be interested? If I was asked to do a guest post on someone else’s blog, would you follow the link, would you read it?

So now I’m torn….to have guests, or not to have guests? that is the question…..
Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. Have you had a guest? Been a guest? Perhaps I should do a poll lol 🙂