Guest blog: Lynda Stacey

Welcome, Lynda

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Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Wine?

Oh, thank you. That’d be lovely, let’s pour the wine!

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Can you tell me a little about yourself? (inc if you use a pen name and why)

Sure, I grew up in the mining village of Bentley in Doncaster and left school with barely any qualifications. Higher education wasn’t on the cards, so I… I got a job, went out to work, hoped everything would be okay and got married young. I was just eighteen years old and after living through what I’d now realise was an abusive relationship. That was 30 years ago.

I lost both my first husband and my father to suicide. Both within three months of each other. At first, I blamed the world, I did all I could to hate everyone around me. Then, I began working hard. I worked hard at everything I did. Took various jobs in sales, nursing and as a fully trained Scuba Diving Instructor.

Then, in 2010, I was in a horrific car crash. I lost the use of my right arm and had to sell my dive school, Premier Divers. But after being busy for so many years, sitting down and trying to get well again was boring.

It was at this time that I turned to my love of writing, a hobby I’d had since a teenager. I couldn’t dive anymore, but I could use my fingers, and I could type. For a couple of years, I looked for a magic bullet, a piece of software that just had to exist, it didn’t. Then, I watched a BBC interview with Ian Rankin, he went through his process and suddenly everything made sense. I began writing the next day… and I can honestly say… that six books later, I’m so pleased I saw that documentary.

You have a few books out now. How many exactly? Can you tell me a little about them?

I’ve already written six, the seventh is on its way.

They’re a mixture of romantic suspense and thrillers. They all have strong female leads, complicated lives, people who want to harm them and reasons to live.

What is the title and genre of the book you are currently writing?

The book I’m currently writing has a working title of Lindisfarne. It’s a thriller and follows the life of Alexandra Graves, daughter of serial killer Peter Graves. When her birth mother is killed, in the very same way that her father used to kill, Lexi knows that someone is out to kill her too and fleas for the safety of Lindisfarne. But when the tide comes in, Lexi finds herself trapped on the island, with someone who wants her dead.

Here’s my storyboard.

Are you working to a deadline? Do you write X number of words per day? How are you feeling?

I’m always writing to a deadline lol. And I always run out of time, even though I do all I can to stay on track. My problem is, I keep going back over the manuscript, trying to improve it, which all takes time. And yes, I try for 1500 words a day, which I have to admit, doesn’t always happen.

Do you write in first or third person?

I write in both. My heroine is always in third person. However, if I ever write from a villain’s point of view, I write them in first. By doing this, it creates more tension, it hides the identity and can be the point of view of either a man or a woman. I always hope that this gives it intrigue.

How did you come up with the story?

Each story starts with a location and my next book is no different. It’s based on Holy Island in Northumberland, the perfect place for a thriller, because when the tide comes in the island is cut off from the mainland to keep all who are on it trapped – for at least five hours.

Are you a planner or panster? Do you choose the venue and visit it before writing? Tell us about it.

I’m a panster. I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, although all of my books have a setting which I know. House of Secrets was set in Scarborough, with the backdrop of the beautiful Wrea Head Hall. Tell me no Secrets was set in Bedale, The Fake Date in Scarborough and Keeper of Secrets was set between Herculaneum and Doncaster (yes, really).

My latest release, No Place Like Home was set on the cliff edge at Hunmanby Gap near Filey. All of these locations are close to my heart, I’m a true Yorkshire Girl, it’s beautiful here and have always used the different areas around Yorkshire and the northeast in my books.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Never give up and write every day, even on days when you don’t really want to. Oh and ps: Stay away from social media lol… It sucks your time away like you’d never believe. Use that time writing instead.

What is your writing routine?

Because I work full time as a Sales Director, I tend to write in the evening and at weekends. And even though my time is very limited, I try to write around 1500 words a day.

Do you have an editing process?

I’m continually editing as I go. I literally can’t move on until I’ve perfected (in my head) the chapter before. This tends to mean that by the time I come to do the editing, there isn’t too much to do. **she says hopefully**

Where can people find you on the internet?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lyndastaceyauthor/

Twitter: @Lyndastacey

Amazon: Lynda Stacey

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https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=lynda+stacey&i=stripbooks&crid=2IZPLVIWCEY6Q&sprefix=lynda+stacey%2Cstripbooks%2C150&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_12

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Guest blog: Imogen Howson

Welcome, Immi

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Hi, Suzan! Thank you so much for having me.

Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Wine?

I’ll have a red wine, please!

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Can you tell me a little about yourself? (inc if you use a pen name and why)

I write fantasy and science fiction, mostly for young adults. I’ve been published since 2008, with some small digital-first publishers as well as one of the Big Five. The topics I always want to come back to are spaceships, shapeshifters, twins (especially identical ones!), controlling institutions, and teenage girls with terrifying superpowers.

I also work as a freelance editor.

And in my free time I, um, read and do word puzzles. My life has a certain theme!

You’ve just released a book. Can you tell us about it, including the genre?

My most recent release is A Girl of Stone & Smoke. It’s re-release that was first published some years ago, and is a young adult romantic fantasy, set in a world inspired by Greek mythology. And it has, yes, a teenage girl with terrifying superpowers (check) who’s been groomed to become a priestess and executioner by a controlling institution of bad priests (check) and who falls in love with the shapeshifter (check!) she’s supposed to kill.

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What does a re-release involve?

First, checking you definitely have the rights back to the book you’re re-releasing! (This book was originally published by Samhain Publishing, which has since gone out of business, and all authors had their rights returned.) I didn’t have rights to the original cover, and I wanted to change the title anyway, so for me, this also involved making a new cover and rewriting the blurb. I also wanted to do a light edit, to make it clearly young adult (it was first published as adult fantasy, because at the time there was almost no digital market for young adult books). And then lots and lots of proofreading, formatting it for Kindle, print, and various other online vendors, and putting it up for sale.

If this book hadn’t been edited when it was first published, I would have hired an editor for it, so that was one of the advantages of it being a re-release. And if I hadn’t been able to create a cover I was happy with, I would have had to buy one. As it was, iStock and Canva were my friends!

What is the title and genre of the book you are currently writing?

Right now I’m working on the third in the series begun by A Girl of Stone & Smoke, which follows the second book, A Girl of Dust & Death, releasing in November. It’s another young adult romantic fantasy, and its working title is A Girl of Golden Flame.

How did you come up with the story?

Most of my stories come from a single idea or image. Linked, for instance, was based on the basic premise “telepathic twins in space”. In fact, that was its working title for at least a year, because it summed up exactly what I wanted to write about.

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With A Girl of Golden Flame, I’d finished writing A Girl of Dust & Death, and I still had so many characters whose stories I wanted to know. Once you create a whole bunch of interesting shapeshifters and girls with superpowers, you want to carry on playing with them!

Are you working to a deadline? Do you write X number of words per day? How are you feeling?

I’m planning to release this book in May 2022. I’m such a slow writer that I need lots of lead time! On my best day, I can write 1000 words. On a not-so-good day, I’m lucky to get 100.

Do you write in first or third person?

I mostly write in third person. But it depends on the book—I have works-in-progress that just refused to be written in third, so I had to use first. I also have one scene of one book that insisted it had to be written in second person. I just kept looking at it thinking “This is going to be unsellable” so I didn’t write more than the first scene! Since then, though, I have read a couple of books written mostly in second person, so it can work.

Are you a planner or panster? Do you choose the venue and visit it before writing? Tell us about it.

Because I’m such a slow writer, I can’t afford to be a pantser—I just waste too much time trying to think what to write next. And a nice road map of where I’m going makes me very happy!

I don’t deliberately choose places to write about, but I often take snippets of places away with me as settings for books.  A stretch of deserted land waiting to become a building site turned into a setting on an alien planet in Linked—it had that bleak, dusty feel to it that was perfect for what I wanted.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Read a lot. Read in every genre (apart from the ones you hate). And if anyone tells you a hard and fast writing rule, ignore them. Good writing has principles, not rules. 

What is your writing routine?

Walk the dogs so they don’t interrupt me, make a coffee, open laptop. Hope for words…

Do you have an editing process?

My personal editing process can be summed up as just “Make it better.” After a first draft, I put the book away for a while, then I come back to it and start working through it, changing everything from comma placement to cutting out scenes and characters and rearranging timelines.

Where can people find you on the internet?

Website: http://www.imogenhowson.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imogenhowson/ and https://www.facebook.com/imogenhowsonauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imogenhowson

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

Please do sign up to my newsletter if you’d like updates on my next book. I only send one out every second month, plus on release dates, and you also get a code for a discount on my editing services!

https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h6z8z8

And thank you so much for having me on your blog, Suzan!

You’re very welcome, Immi.

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If you would like to purchase any of Immi’s books please click here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Imogen-Howson/e/B0044CQ0JU%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

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Guest blog: Author Kate G. Smith

Welcome, Kate G. Smith

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Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Wine?

Hi Suzan, thanks so much for welcoming me to your blog, it’s lovely to be here. I shall have a cup of tea please, or a can of Irn Bru if you’ve got one?!

*Hands Kate an Irn Bru*

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A huge congratulations for both of your books being nominated for the Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) Joan Hessayon Award. How does it feel? (Readers: I will post the link to the Bookseller at the end of this interview.)

I am so excited to be nominated for the Joan Hessayon Award. The Romantic Novelists’ Association have been pivotal in my career as an author. I can honestly say I don’t think I’d be here without them. My readers’ report for You’ve Got Mail was so positive and supportive and made me realise that I could write and that I was ready to submit to agents and publishers. It’s a brilliant organisation and I’d urge any budding romance authors to join the New Writer’s Scheme.

In one paragraph can you tell me about yourself?

I am a writer of uplifting romantic fiction and an occupational therapist working in social services. I live in the most wonderful city of Norwich with my daughter and our elderly cat. You can find me either tapping away at my keyboard, reading, whisking something up in my KitchenAid, or painting wildflowers. I also love to immerse myself in a bit of PS5 when I have any spare time, particularly scary games that have me switching the hallway light on at night time!

I’m currently reading The Love Note and like your voice.

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Yay! Thanks so much, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I feel like my voice has developed over the five years I have been writing seriously. Of course, all the characters will have their own voices but the constant voice that runs through the book is just me (probably quite sarcastic!)

How did you come up with the story?

The story for The Wedding Dress came to me when I was scrolling Twitter and I saw a thread about a missing wedding dress. An idea sparked in my head: where was this dress? Why was it missing? Maybe it was missing for a reason. Maybe it had been hidden away. And the story kind of grew from there.

I get a lot of my ideas from the world around me and I always make sure I give myself this creative time. 

How did you make your characters relatable?

Aw thank you, I try! I use a lot of personal experience—not exact experience or people, of course, but the feeling I get when I’m with friends or going through something sad. I always try to make my main characters people that my readers will fall in love with. A little bit flawed, because nobody is perfect (Henry Cavill notwithstanding) and characters with good hearts. And if they have a good heart then I think that readers can learn to love their flaws too.

I also love the side characters, who I go a little off piste with sometimes because there’s nothing better than a quirky best friend or a beast of a mother when it comes to thinking up great scenes.

Are you a planner or panster?

I used to be very much a panster. I’d sit at my keyboard and see where the day took me. Now I do a bit of both. I have a rough outline, an A to B, but I’m not always sure how I’ll get there. I often find that my characters, who I know inside out before I start, lead the way. In fact, the twist in The Wedding Dress was a complete surprise to me when it happened, because it was character led!

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Write! No matter what you think about what you’re writing, just keep going until it’s finished. And don’t expect to be great at it from the get-go. We wouldn’t sit down at a piano and immediately expect to play Beethoven’s Fifth, so why should writing be any different. We get better with practice (though the self-doubt never goes away!)

Also read as much and as widely as you can.

What is your writing routine?

I write better first thing in the morning; it feels like the words come easier and more naturally then. However, as an OT working on the front-line and a single mum, that’s easier said than done! So if I can’t get my words down first thing in the morning (and I mean when I get up at 6.30, I don’t get up at 5 specifically to write!) then I will make myself write in the evening when everything is done and my daughter is in bed, but this feels like a slog.

I always try to write at least 1000 words a day when I’m in the writing stage of a new book.

Do you have an editing process?

Does crying into a bowl of Coco Pops count?

No, actually sometimes I can enjoy the editing process, especially the first round of edits when a book is newly finished. I love reading over what I have written, because immediately prior to this is when I’m at that stage of hating all the words, it makes the book come back to life for me. I will give it a once over and amend any glaring plot points and blank pages where I’ve helpfully written something like make this weep worthy romantic. Then the next round of edits I normally do character by characters, starting with the side characters first, to make sure they have a good story each. And this takes a bit of time as I do as many edits as there are characters. Then one final big prose edit before sending it to my agent. Phew!

Then there are the edits my agent sends me, the edits my publishers send me, and copy and line edits (which is when I break out the Coco Pops!)

Edits from agent and publisher. Here, you need a box of Coco Pops. In fact you need two, one for each.

Haha, yep! It does feel like that sometimes. But I’m very lucky to have the best agent ever!!! She totally understands my writing and my voice and adds plot points that really enhance my work. The same can be said for the editor I work with at Orion Dash, she’s so on the ball with her suggestions. So even if I have to eat my way through bowls of chocolaty cereal to get there, all the edits make my books better for my readers. 

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Where can people find you on the internet?

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kategsmithauthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/writingittoday

Insta: http://www.instagram.com/writingittoday

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

A massive thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read, review, talk about, share, or sing about my books. I appreciate every single one of you and I hope that I can bring you more books to enjoy.

If you have read either You’ve Got Mail or The Love Note an Amazon review is so helpful as it does something to their algorithms that I don’t really understand but it makes the publishers smile. So please review if you would like to.

Thanks again Suzan for having me on your blog. x

You’re very welcome x

Dear Readers, If you would like to have a look at and/or purchase Kate’s books please click on this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kate-G-Smith/e/B08WLZ5MQW?ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vu00_tkin_p1_i0

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Orion Dash does double on RNA Joan Hessayon Award shortlist

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/orion-dash-gets-double-listing-rna-new-writing-award-1277826

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Guest blog: Author Sue Moorcroft

Welcome, Sue Moorcroft…

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Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today, despite recovering from Covid. (Dear Readers, please note that Sue and I did not meet up for this interview.)

Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Wine?

I’m right off tea at the moment! I love it, usually, but Covid seems to have changed it. I’ll have a nice glass of chilled white wine, please.

*Hands Sue chilled wine*

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Congratulations in having a book out this Thursday. I just love this cover. In fact, I like all your covers. I hope you’ll be well enough to celebrate on the day of publication. How many books is this now?

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It’s a tricky question. Nineteen novels and a writing guide is the cautious answer but A Home in the Sun is a relaunch of my very first novel, Uphill All the Way; Family Matters was a hardback that was rewritten as Want to Know a Secret? in paperback and ebooks and I have a few short ebooks that began life as serials and then went on to large print. I don’t count the serials in the nineteen, nor count a book again when it comes out in a different guise, even though there are actually two editions on my shelf.

Many readers say that they’d like to write a book but don’t where to start. I say that their first book doesn’t need to be a full novel. It can be an article for a magazine, a novella or of course, if they want to write a full novel then go ahead. Not everyone plans at the beginning of their work and here Sue will tell us how she gets an idea to a finished full novel.

I agree with you. After two awful novels that publishers couldn’t return to me fast enough, I aimed at short stories for magazines. I sold the first in 1996 and had placed eighty-seven before I sold a novel – what is now A Home in the Sun. I’d also sold a serial and some writing ‘how-to’. My rule was that if it earned money and was connected with writing, I’d do it. It’s actually been a great pleasure to rework my first published novel. The story is the same as it was and I still like it but I had the opportunity to make a structural change to the beginning and edit it in line with my current writing capabilities.

Where did the idea for this book come from?

I was on holiday in Malta when I saw a guy leaving for work by climbing down the balconies of his apartment block to the street and decided he had to go in a book. I was also reflecting on how much I’d hated leaving Malta as a child and how it would be as an adult. I then read an article in the Times of Malta about there being no divorce in Malta (then) and how it left people in separation limbo. I put those things together. Divorce in Malta is now legal but as the book is set 2000-2005, that doesn’t matter.

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One of the army quarters in Malta Sue lived in as a child.

How did you know that this idea would have potential for a full novel?

It was actually the eighth novel I’d written so I was getting the hang of it! Later, I was able to go back and sell three of the earlier ones, after further work. Another became a serial. Publishing can be a funny game but it pays not to throw anything away.

Do you write to a specific wordcount? If you do, how do you know you will able to write to that whilst keeping to the story?

I think there’s a lot of myths surrounding word count. Coming from a background of short stories for magazines, where you’re given a word count and expected to make it work, it’s not that hard. I have a feel for how much conflict and how many goals I need for the two main characters and if I’m falling short I can explore one a little more deeply and if I’m coming up long I can edit down. The latter is my norm. I’m contracted for 95,000-100,000 and my first draft is generally around 110,000. I rip it down in my next draft, the one I send my editor. Then she does the structural edit, which invariably calls for additions rather than subtractions, so I have to tighten again. I always get anxious at the end of the rough draft and think I’m going to mess it up but it’s like a lump of clay. All the material is there. I just have to mould it into the shape I want.

Do you write profiles for all your characters or just the main ones?

Main. I like to know a lot about their conflicts and goals and their lives till now. I don’t feel characters are born on page 1 and when I know who they are already, I know how they’ll react to what I throw at them. I also like to know what other characters think of them. In real life, my husband, son and brothers will each know different versions of me and the Sue my mum knew was different again. I reflect this in my writing.

Do you make up images of your characters or get photographs from the net?

Some of each. I don’t normally resort to photos unless the mental image is hard to keep still in my imagination. I like to know hair and eye colour, general stature, whether hair is curly or straight or if someone has a particularly attractive feature, like a smile.

Do all of your characters have goals to achieve?

Yes, I think so, even if the goal is known to me but not to them. In A Home in the Sun, for example, Judith returns to the UK because she feels there’s nothing left for her in Malta after Giorgio’s accident. However, she immediately begins putting her life in order and adapting to being back in the UK. She worries about her family and wants to help. She also wants her house back, which is tricky because her old school crush is her tenant and doesn’t feel like giving the house up till he has to. Sub-consciously, Judith’s seeking a new status quo but consciously she thinks she’s drifting. If I can give characters goals that conflict with the aims of a different character, so much the better, so at the end Judith can move back to Malta … but not with Adam. What’s she going to do?

At what point do you visit the place in the book?

In normal times, I visit Malta several times a year. It has always been ‘home’ to me.

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Sue and her brothers in a different army quarter in Malta.

If the setting is Italy or France, for example, I’ll try and visit early in the process and maybe later, too. All very tricky in Covid times, which is why my earlier book this year was set where I’d set a book before, Umbria in Italy, and next summer’s book be set in France, as Just for the Holidays was. I already have loads of research pix, as well as my memory bank.

How do you build a plot?

I rely on what I call ‘my plotty head’. I give it material in the form of conflicts and goals that interest me and let it begin to weave. I’ve learned to rely on it quite a lot. It likes help from a notebook and pen where I ‘think aloud’ onto the page. Logic plays a big part, too, because I believe everything’s included for a reason, in fiction. If something is part of the story then it has to earn its place. It took me a while to learn that.

Do you use a white board, post it notes, planning apps e.g. Scrivener?

It varies book to book but I’ve never used Scrivener or similar. I get bored by the idea of learning to use software and when I’m planning I do like good old paper and pen, whether that’s on cards or stickies, a notebook or just a big sheet of paper. Maybe I’m missing something good but paper works for me.

At what point do you know when it’s time to start writing the book?

When Chapter One wants to be written and I don’t want it to escape. I love beginning a book. It’s like being on the starting grid of a Formula One race – everything is possible and you haven’t gone off at the first corner.

Do you write the first chapter then the next and the next or write the beginning and the end and fill in the middle?

Mostly, I write in order, but if a scene or chapter is pulling at me I write it in note form. I find the disadvantage of that is that by the time it falls into place it’s probably wrong. I often put thoughts at the foot of my manuscript and review them periodically to see whether it’s time to pull them in or time to delete them.

My last question: where can readers find you on social media?

Website [www.suemoorcroft.com]

Blog [http://suemoorcroft.wordpress.com]

Facebook profile [Sue.Moorcroft.3]

Facebook author page [https://www.facebook.com/SueMoorcroftAuthor

Twitter  [@suemoorcroft]

Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/suemoorcroftauthor/] @SueMoorcroftAuthor

LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/suemoorcroft]

or you can just use my Link Tree linktr.ee/SueMoorcroft

Thank you, Sue. I’m now off to pre order my copy.

Thank you very much! It’s been a pleasure to chat to you, Suzan. Thanks for inviting me.

This title will be released this Thursday, 19^th August and available in #paperback #ebook #audio.

Pre order now:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Sun-Sue-Moorcroft-ebook/dp/B08TG2171R/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10EG856Z82ROJ&dchild=1&keywords=sue+moorcroft&qid=1628774209&s=books&sprefix=sue+moor%2Cstripbooks%2C158&sr=1-1

If you would like to have a look at and/or purchase any of Sue’s books please click on this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=sue+moorcroft&i=stripbooks&crid=10EG856Z82ROJ&sprefix=sue+moor%2Cstripbooks%2C158&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_8

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Chatting with Jo Lambert

I’m talking to Jo Lambertwriter today, grab a cuppa and come and join us. https://jolambertwriter.blog/2018/02/13/today-tuesday-talk-welcomes-suzan-collins-discussing-the-inspiration-behind-the-chatty-cat-series-and-her-latest-writing-project/

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Guest blog: Author Mandy Baggot

Welcome, Mandy Baggot…

Can I offer you a drink? Tea? Wine?

Perhaps a tea first and then we can move onto wine!

*Hands tea to Mandy* 

Can you tell me a little about yourself? (inc if you use a pen name and why)

I’m Mandy Baggot and I’m a bestselling romantic novelist of – currently – 14 novels. Mandy Baggot is my real name. I did think about writing under another name when I started to write more romantic comedy than anything else, but one Google search told me there was so much information on Mandy Baggot it would be foolish to work against that with a new name.

What is the title and genre of your book?

My latest book is called Single for the Summer and it’s a romantic comedy set on the Greek island of Corfu. Perfect summer reading for your suitcase… or garden at home.

How did you come up with the story?

Ha! It came quite easily really. I wanted to tell the story of someone who’s a serial dater but doesn’t want a boyfriend. Sound weird? Well Tess has been hurt badly so dinner dates and theatre trips she can do, but there is absolutely no commitment. Add in her broken-hearted best friend who says they must remain completely single for the Summer and Tess has a real problem… particularly when she meets gorgeous Greek, Andras.

 It has a lovely cover, did you have any say in what you wanted the cover to be?

Yes. Ebury very much wanted to keep the style of my previous Greek-set books with the large title and they chose me the most amazing designer – Adrian Valencia. I am a real admirer of his work so I knew it was going to be special. It’s completely summery and Greek and gives the perfect flavour for the story.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Write that book! Don’t think too long and hard about planning, just get the words down on the page – you can tinker later. Think about what YOU want to write. Fall in love with your characters, because if you’re not in love with them chances are no one will be.

What is your writing routine?

I generally write when my children are at school every day. But I often work evenings and weekends too depending on deadlines. I am currently writing two books a year so there is quite a quick turnaround!

Do you have an editing process?

I generally write the entire book and then I do one or two read-throughs where I might add in certain details I’ve missed or add more setting etc. Then the book goes to my agent for reading and then on to my editor. After that it goes to copy and line edits with me getting it back in between each time. I always do a final read through on my Kindle to spot any oddities!

What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?

I enjoy making characters that people seem to resonate with. I write, I hope, real life, as well as summery fantasy where you know a happy ending is guaranteed. When readers connect with me and tell me how much they loved my book and how they have been through the same dilemmas as I’ve written it means a great deal.

There isn’t anything I don’t like apart from there are never enough hours in the day!

Where can people find you on the internet?

I am all over the place! Here are some ways to find out more and get in touch!

www.mandybaggot.com

https://www.facebook.com/mandybaggotauthor/

https://twitter.com/mandybaggot

https://www.instagram.com/mandybaggot/

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

I am extremely excited that Single for the Summer will be going in to W H Smith Travel, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco from 27 July. There will be a competition for photos shared of the book on shelves! Keep checking my social media channels!

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=mandy+baggott&sprefix=mandy+baggott%2Cstripbooks%2C149&crid=3L7T6ZXLOSJ35

Thank you for a lovely interview, Suzan.

You’re welcome and thank you for taking time out to tell us about your fabulous new book. I’ve got my evening sorted. 

  

 

 

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Guest blog: Author Ellie Holmes

Welcome Ellie Holmes…

Can you tell me a little about yourself? (inc if you use a pen name and why)

I was born in Essex but made in Cornwall and use those two places as the source of inspiration for my writing. Like most people, I juggle commitments to family and friends, a part time job and my writing so my days tend to be hectic and my nights are long.

I write under the pen name of Ellie Holmes which is a combination of my two grandmothers’ names. I decided to use a pen name because I also write darker, crime driven novels which I may publish under my own name in due course although I haven’t completely made up my mind about that yet. I might introduce a darker line of Ellie Holmes’ novels instead.

What is the title and genre of your book?

My debut novel is called The Flower Seller and it is commercial romantic fiction.

How did you come up with the story?

Believe it or not, it was supposed to be a short story about a woman re-entering the dating game after many years of marriage. One hundred thousand words later you can see my imagination took over. It developed into an exploration of the idea that people are not always how they first appear which is a rich seam for a writer to mine.

It has a lovely cover, did you have any say in what you wanted the cover to be?

Thank you, that’s very kind of you. Yes, absolutely.  As an indie author the cover is so important. I chose the cover designer I wanted to work with – the wonderful Berni Stevens www.bernistevensdesign.com and wrote her a detailed brief.  My brief included my wish for the cover to be “eye catching and beautiful with rich colours” and she certainly delivered on that. I love it and count myself very lucky to have such a beautiful cover.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Do something writing related every day. Really it’s the only way. If you can carve out a few precious minutes each day you will be amazed by what you can achieve. But that doesn’t just mean writing. In addition to that it could be catching up on a webinar on an aspect of the writing business you need guidance on. It could be researching a topic for your next book. It could be choosing editors or cover designers if you are self-published.

If you are engaged in the business of writing and serious about what you are doing and have the commitment and the strength of will to keep going for longer than a few weeks you are a writer. Being a writer is not about having a deal or not having a deal. It is not about traditional publishing or self-publishing. It is about the commitment.

What is your writing routine?

I aim to write 5,000 words a week, a 1,000 words a day for five days, usually in the evenings. In addition, I write two blog posts a week.  The blogs I tend to write first thing in the morning. The one day a week I am at home (apart from weekends), I spend editing.

Do you have an editing process?

I usually let a piece of work sit for a few weeks before I start editing. When I do, I’ll read it through making a few notes about the flow, any loose ends I haven’t tidied up and the areas that need expanding upon. Then I start the hard work of working through it chapter by chapter until each chapter sings. Once I reach the end of the beginning (usually around the thirty thousand word mark for a full length novel) I’ll do an out loud read through of that section. It helps to improve the flow and sharpens up the dialogue when you hear it out loud. Then I repeat the process for the middle section and the final section. Before doing an out loud read through of the whole thing. My read throughs for The Flower Seller were accompanied by the loud snoring of my longhaired Dachshund Sasha, hopefully my book won’t have the same soporific effect on humans!!

What do you enjoy the most/least about writing?

I love the buzz when you have an idea and you start to develop it and suddenly the characters take over. When you are in the zone it’s almost as though you are taking dictation from them which is wonderful.

I don’t enjoy writing the blurb for the back of a book. I am a hundred thousand word kind of girl (fifty thousand for my novellas) sticking to 150 odd words is HARD!

Where can people find you on the internet?

People can find me at my website www.ellieholmesauthor.com

I am also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EllieHWriter  and Twitter @EllieHWriter

and Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/EllieHWriter

Is there anything else you would like to share with your readers?

Yes – I am going to be taking part in a pop up book shop at the East Anglian Festival of Culture across the weekend of 2^nd and 3^rd July in Lowestoft (details below). I would love it if people stopped by to say hello so don’t be shy.

How does it feel to finally hold your book in your hands?

When I first held my book it was a bittersweet feeling. My mum had very much been looking forward to sharing the moment with me but she died earlier this year. My dad is also gone and I know he wanted this for me perhaps even more than I wanted it for myself. Then, as I remembered all the hard work that had gone into not just writing the book but creating it, I felt very proud.

Thank you, Ellie. You have been a marvellous guest and I look forward to seeing you at the East Anglian Festival of Culture (EAFOC) this July in Kirkley, Suffolk.

The Flower Seller   http://goo.gl/UrHYRb

 

 

And if you would like to come and meet Ellie and get a personalised signed copy please visit the website for more details: www.eastanglianfestivalofculture.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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