Welshcake

I Am a Rubbish Blogger

2011-11-21T16:43:00.002Z

I know. But my writing energy is going into the WIP at the moment, so am blogging off for now.

Hope you all have a fab Christmas and New Year-I do read your blogs and keep up with what you're all up to...

Evil Publishers?

2011-09-15T19:43:00.006+01:00

The story of Kiana Davenport and her cancelled contract is raging around the interwebs.

Many bloggers are gleefully feasting on the story as yet more evidence that Traditional Publishing is Evil.

Personally, I think it's dangerous to make any assumptions until we know the whole story (which I doubt we ever will).

There does seem to be a lot of in fighting amongst writers these days, with a split along the lines of "e-publishing is our saviour/traditional publishers are evil" and "indie authors are deluded/produce crap".

Me? I'm staying out of it!

Submitting to submission

2011-06-06T16:01:00.009+01:00

It's a very weird time, being out on submission to editors. I googled around for other authors' experiences of this strange, in between time, but not many people talk about it. I suppose it makes sense; discretion is needed.

So, I'm not going to blog about any ADJUSTED submission ins and outs. But I will point you in the direction of this excellent blog post about the submission process. And also an article by Lorraine Mace in this month's Words With Jam about getting the agent, but NOT getting the deal, a possibility we all have to face (I think agents only manage to sell 50% of debuts, or something like that?).

June's WWJ also features an exclusive interview with a slightly famous children's writer, but I forget her name now. There's also a book review of The Hunger Games by... me!

I also have a tip for you. Kittens are an excellent distraction from obsessing about submission. Here's my lovely girl, who's growing fast.

The Other Side of the Agent Fence

2011-05-16T14:01:00.003+01:00

I always wondered what it would be like, having an agent.

I have to tell you, bloggie friends, it is fantastic. I always knew I wanted a hands on type of agent, someone with editing skills. I found that in Kate. Editorially, we just click. She'll suggest something and almost always I think of course.

THE SCARLET HEART, now renamed ADJUSTED, has gone through two rounds of edits with Kate. Plot lines have been re-plotted. Romance has been romance-ified. Twists have been twisted. Now I have a far stronger book that's about ready to leave home and look for a place of its own. A penthouse would be nice, but I'll settle for a modest one-bed flat.

Phoebe Takes Over

2011-04-30T17:44:00.003+01:00

C and I have been thinking about getting a cat for a while. Our lovely cat died about four years ago, and it's taken us a while to feel we want to have another.

On Wednesday, we went to our local animal rescue shelter, just to "have a look". This is what we came back with:

This is Phoebe, she's only seven weeks old. She's absolutely lovely and settling in very well. But she's so small and vulnerable that I feel very nervous for her (mostly I'm worried about treading on her. Or accidentally wheeling over her with the computer chair).

I think she'll be fine, though. She already has us running around after her.

Our lives are no longer our own!

The Other Side of The Story

2011-02-07T10:33:00.002Z

I'm flailing my way through revisions to The Scarlet Heart. I'm getting stuck here and there. The best cure I know for this stickiness is a visit to Janice Hardy's excellent writing blog.

So, next time you're stuck, pop over to Janice's. You may find the cure for your ailing writing.

Agents are like buses...

2011-01-30T18:54:00.010Z

I am about to boast disgustingly. Sorry!

Last week, I had offers of representation from THREE excellent agents.* I went and met them all! It was mad and wonderful and terrifying.

I am now represented by the truly fabulous Kate Shaw of The Viney Agency.**

www.thevineyagency.com

That is all.

*These wonderful people had a big part to play in me getting three offers.
**I keep worrying she'll change her mind.

Bible Lessons

2011-01-11T07:19:00.007Z

No, I haven't taken up religion (agnostic, that's me)!

This year is the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible. On Sunday, Radio 4 devoted a whole day to readings by various actors.

I was transfixed. The simple strength of the writing (no unnecessary adjectives or adverbs here) and the rhythm of the language had me listening for hours.

Have a listen to a few of them, not only for the sheer pleasure, but also to learn a thing or two about good writing.

I particularly recommend episode five where Rory Kinnear and Adjoa Andoh read The Song of Solomon.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xh4sm/episodes/player

They're available until Sunday.

Be Hopeful in 2011

2010-12-23T19:49:00.009Z

Writing is a weird occupation. Maximum effort, minimal chance of success.

I’ve been writing for about five years, and part of the on-line writing community for four. Many of the writers I’ve met along the way have found success.

I met Guy Saville on YWO – his debut, The Afrika Reich publishes in February 2011.

Doug Jackson, another YWO-er, has done very well with his series of novels set in Rome.

Bob Burke (yes, YWO-er) is now an award winning children's author,

Lexi Revellian (yep, another YWO-er. I’m sensing a pattern) has done incredibly well with Remix. In case you don’t know, Lexi self published and has sold a HUGE number of e-books. Quite amazing.I think she's going for world domination in 2011.

Sophia Bennett won the Times/Chickenhouse competition 2009. She’s doing brilliantly.

There’s plenty of others who are making progress along the writing journey. Writers like Sandra and Tracy. And Lorrie Porter, yet another YWO-er (and whom I was immediately jealous of. She is a beautiful writer) has signed with Eve White. It’s only a matter of time for Lorrie.

These are just a few examples. But you know what all these writers have in common? They persisted. They didn’t let rejection beat them. They kept on writing.

So that’s my message for my three blog readers as we go into 2011. DON’T GIVE UP. Keep reading. Keep writing. You. Can. Do. It.

(And So. Can. I.)

Happy 2011!

For Your Procrastination

2010-11-16T19:56:00.003Z

I finished The Scarlet Heart!

So, I don't feel bad about digging through this archive of interviews with famous authors while I decide what to write next.

Enjoy!

33 Is A Magic Number

2010-10-14T07:35:00.002+01:00

Sorry haven't blogged or visited blog friends lately!

And The Winner Is...

2010-07-30T19:35:00.002+01:00

Charlotte Betts has won the YouWriteOn.com Adult Fiction Book of The Year 2010. She's also landed a two book deal with Little Brown. Isn't that great?

And the Children's Fiction Book of the Year 2010 goes to...um...me!

It's rather exciting. I even get a mention here alongside Charlotte (although you have to read down a bit to get to my part).

I'm quite chuffed. Now all I need is the two book deal!

E-asy Peasy?

2010-07-27T18:38:00.003+01:00

The debate over self publishing e-books continues to rage across t'interwebs. It's fascinating, but perhaps too early doors to say how successful e-books will be (I think it's arguable that there's something of a bubble effect at the moment). It's exciting, though and offers great opportunities. For example:

self e-publishing is a fantastic medium for mid-list authors who, for whatever reason, are dissatisfied with their publisher or who want to e-publish material their publisher isn't interested in or is out of print . JA Konrath is the obvious example of the former.

certain genres do well in e-publishing generally--romance and erotica especially. The author Selena Kitt reckons she makes a good living from self e-publishing her work (see the comments section of the JA Konrath blog post I linked to above).
big name authors can use e-publishing to "treat" their readers--Stephenie Meyer's Bree Tanner is a great example of this (though obv. this wasn't self e-publishing).

What I'm less sure of is whether self e-publishing is right for debut authors (except romance/erotica writers).

I can't see how it would be possible to sell more than a couple of hundred self published e-books without some sort of platform? How do writers find their audience?

What do my lovely blog readers think (if there's any of you left out there)? Are any of you considering self e-publishing?

Oh, and self e-publishing aside, what about the whole Wylie Agency kerfuffle?

Dog...what dog?

2010-07-23T11:51:00.006+01:00

Imagine this scenario between publisher and beleaguered author:

Publisher: We've decided to re-work your cover. We thought having a dog on it would sell better.
Beleaguered Author: ? There is no dog in this story.
P: but we think it's a great idea.
BA: it would be lying! I'll write a dog into the story.
P: lovely.

BA writes a dog into the story. A dachshund called Walter.

P: here's the new dog cover.
BA: ? But that's a Yorkie. Walter is a dachshund.
P: Dachshund wasn't working. So we changed it to a Yorkie.

Think that's insane? Go over to Jennifer Crusie's blog. See here and here for her posts about Walter.

Tall Story

2010-05-25T20:03:00.005+01:00

Tracy over at Tall Tales and Short Stories already posted this trailer for Candy Gourlay's Tall Story. I found it really touching, so I had to post it here too.

To find out more about how the trailer was made, visit Candy's blog.

RIP Malcolm

2010-04-08T20:04:00.002+01:00

I Love Books!

2010-04-01T14:01:00.010+01:00

I've done stacks of reading recently.

I chomped my way through the box set of Sookie Stackhouse novels. Loved every minute of them.

I've also devoured a few YA novels. Best of the bunch is PRETTY BAD THINGS by CJ Skuse. Fear and Candy in Las Vegas might be an apt description. I'd love to write a long review of this book, but too much typing hurts at the moment. All I will say is READ THIS BOOK. Paisley is the freshest, funniest and most touching narrator you could hope for.

If faerys and magic are your YA genre of choice, try MAGIC UNDER GLASS by Jaclyn Dolamore. I'd describe it as Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell meets Jane Eyre. It's a light, quick read and Dolamore writes with charm. Well worth a look.

If werewolves are your thing (and I know they are for lots and lots of YA readers), then you don't need me to tell you about SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater. I enjoyed Stiefvater's style, although sometimes the plot was a bit stretched. It's a likeable book, but didn't blow me away. I liked it better than The Rejectionist did!

Finally, THE LITTLE STRANGER by the always brilliant Sarah Waters. I'm still discussing this book with friends, that's how brilliant and intriguing the story is.

Ow. Have to stop now!

What's It All About, Welshcake?

2010-03-27T20:30:00.002Z

I really enjoy Gary Corby's blog. Have a look at his latest post on plot summary vs what a story is about.

I'm suffering a flare up of RSI, so forgive me for this short post and lack of commenting on all of your blogs.

More Good News!

2010-02-20T12:44:00.009Z

Well, first there was Guy and Nik. Now two writers I hang out with at the Writing Asylum have great news.

First up, Jane Hicks made the short list for the Dundee International Book Prize with Modall. The prize on offer is TEN THOUSAND squid and a publication deal.

Next, Amanda Hodgkinson has sold her debut novel 22 BRITTANIA ROAD to Fig Tree (an imprint of Penguin).

Oh, and Sophia Bennett and Threads are storming the fiction world. Threads SOLD OUT in Norway. Threads has also sold to Japan. How to make Barry Cunningham a happy man!

Speaking of BC, The Times/Chicken House Competiton 2010 shortlist has been announced.

MUNCLE TROGG by Janet Foxley
A SONG FOR NICKY MOON by Miles Cain
LUCKY ALBION by Chris Hill
HAIR by Ash Walker
THE SERPENT HOUSE by Bea Davenport.

Good luck and congratulations to everyone.

Nik Perring Roasted!

2010-02-11T22:11:00.002Z

(Hmm. Could that be misinterpreted?)

Go over to Nik's blog for some very good news.

Wot's selling?

2010-02-08T18:55:00.005Z

Well, there's the Afrika Reich of course, but apart from that...

Some recent UK children's/YA fiction deals:

L.J. Smith's THE NIGHT OF THE SOLSTICE and HEART OF VALOUR, to Venetia Gosling at Simon & Schuster UK, at auction, in a very nice deal, by Ginger Clark on behalf of Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown.

Bob Burke's THE THIRD PIG DETECTIVE AGENCY, featuring a porcine Sam Spade in the universe of fairy tales and nursery rhymes, to Scott Pack of The Friday Project, in a two-book deal, by Svetlana Pironko at Author Rights Agency. WAY TO GO, BOB!!

R.J. Anderson's ARROW and SWIFT, the follow-up to her faery books KNIFE and REBEL in the UK, to Sarah Lilly at Orchard Books, for publication in January 2011, by Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates, on behalf of Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

R.J. Anderson's TOUCHING INDIGO, about a 17-year-old girl with a condition known as synesthesia who must come to terms with her powers after being accused of murder, to Sarah Lilly at Orchard Books, for publication in Spring/Summer 2011, by Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates on behalf of Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

How To Make My Sunday

2010-02-07T20:26:00.010Z

Some of my lovely blog readers will know Guy Saville. Guy is one of the most supportive, generous, talented writers around.

Well, take a peek at his website for some very wonderful news.

I am DELIGHTED for him and can't wait to see The Afrika Reich in print.

Shaking Hands with Death

2010-02-02T19:43:00.003Z

And so I have vowed that rather than let Alzheimer's take me, I would take it. I would live my life as ever to the full and die, before the disease mounted its last attack, in my own home, in a chair on the lawn, with a brandy in my hand to wash down whatever modern version of the Brompton Cocktail some helpful medic could supply. And with Thomas Tallis on my iPod, I would shake hands with Death.

Terry Pratchett

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qmfgn/Richard_Dimbleby_Lecture_Shaking_Hands_with_Death/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/02/terry-pratchett-assisted-suicide-tribunal

Good News for Fantasy and SciFi Authors

2010-02-01T09:35:00.003Z

Thank you Stephenie, Bella and Edward.

(Whatever you think about Twilight, you have to admit young RPatzz is Rather Fetching).

J D Salinger Dies

2010-01-28T20:57:00.004Z

How very sad.

Here's my own small tribute, which I wrote in 2005 (I'd only recently started writing, so please excuse me if it's not very good).

Sniff.

ipad and ibooks

2010-01-27T20:10:00.004Z

From Publisher's Lunch:

At today's iPad announcement Apple introduced a new ebook app, using epub, called iBooks. The logos of all of the big six were displayed on stage as participating partners, leaving aside Random House. (We could not reach Random House yet for comment.) Sample price baskets shown top out at 14.99 though they did not speak to price or business details at the event.

The new iBooks bookstores was called similar to iTunes, and integrates with the iBooks reading app. Steve Jobs gave props to Amazon: "Amazon has done a great job of pioneering this... we're going to stand on their shoulders for this." He also said, "we think the iPad is going to make a terrific e-book reader not just for popular books but textbooks as well."

Will the ipad take off like the ipod has?

Dave's The Man.

2010-01-26T22:22:00.008Z

Poster by Hamish McCool

Satan to Pat Robertson re: Haiti

2010-01-18T15:06:00.003Z

Brilliant riposte to the American evangelist's vile comments* about the Haiti disaster:

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle...[read the rest here]

* I'm not going to link to them.

Relax and ... Write

2010-01-16T10:16:00.003Z

I don’t know about you, but I often have trouble leaving the house.

My ever-patient husband sits in the car as I yo-yo in and out of the house. Have I turned the cooker off? Are my hair straighteners plotting to turn themselves on and burn the house down (even though I KNOW I haven’t used them since New Year’s Eve)? Did I leave the basin tap running and the plug in? Did I let the dog in? Wait, I don’t have a dog!

I tell you, it’s knackering.

Similar behaviour can stop us from pushing on with the stories we write. The words dry up as we do the yo-yo thing. Am I showing not telling? Is it illegal to use adjectives and adverbs? How many similes per ounce do I use? Is my plot holier than a cake doily?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t worry about these elements of writing. Of course we should.

But when your brain is threatening to pack a bag and leave home via your nasal passages, sometimes it’s better to let go of the shownottelladjectiveadverbsimileplothole obsessions and keep that story flowing. Relax into writing and you might be surprised with the results. Maybe even in a good way.

And if you’re still stuck? Here’s some good advice from Justine Larbalestier.

Sold this Week

2010-01-10T12:08:00.005Z

I thought it might be interesting to do a weekly round up of what's selling in the children's fiction market. It's US biased as it's hard to find a central source of this information for the UK (if anyone knows of a good site for this, please shout).

Children's:Middle grade
R.L. LaFevers's fourth book in the NATHANIEL FLUDD: BEASTOLOGIST series, with Kelly Murphy illustrating, set in France, in which Nate closes in on an adversary, again to Kate O'Sullivan at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency (World).

Children's: Middle grade
Tom Angleberger's THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA, celebrating the profound wisdom of Yoda while humorously exploring the politics of a sixth-grade class; in which a "total loser" dispenses surprisingly sage advice to his classmates through an origami finger puppet of Yoda, who predicts the date of a pop quiz, knows who has a crush on whom, and saves several kids from total social humiliation, to Amulet, for publication in March, in association with Lucasfilm (World).

Children's: Young Adult
Kim Purcell's THE SLAVE NEXT DOOR, about a 17-year-old Molodovan girl who comes to the U.S. in search of a better life, but instead finds herself indentured to the Russian couple that has taken her in, to Kendra Levin at Viking Children's, by Kate Lee at ICM (World English).

Children's: Middle grade
Former SI Kids baseball editor, and GENTLEMEN author Michael Northrop's PLUNKED, the story of a young slugger, part Wimpy Kid, part Rocky Balboa, who loses his nerve after getting hit by a pitch and has to dig deep to avoid giving up the sport he loves, again to Anamika Bhatnagar at Scholastic, in a two-book deal, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).

Children's: Young Adult
United States of Tara and former Saturday Night Live writer David Iserson's debut FIRECRACKER, starring a sharp-witted and delightfully ill-behaved daughter of privilege who assembles a team of public school misfits to help her take revenge on her former private school, to Brianne Mulligan at Razorbill, in a two-book deal, by Richard Abate at 3 Arts Entertainment (World English).

Children's: Young Adult
21-year-old Hopkins grad Hannah Sternberg's QUEENS OF ALL THE EARTH, a coming-of-age book about two bickering sisters whose hearts and minds are opened on a Thanksgiving trip to Barcelona, inspired by Forester's ROOM WITH A VIEW, to Bancroft Press, for publication fall 2010.

Children's: Young Adult
Oh.My.Gods. and Forgive My Fins author Tera Lynn Childs's new series, in which triplet descendants of Medusa learn they are destined to guard the door between the world of monsters and the world of men - pitched as a mythological Charmed, to Sarah Shumway at Katherine Tegen Books, in a three-book deal, by Jenny Bent at The Bent Agency (world).
info@thebentagency.com

Children's:Young Adult
Amy Huntington's SLEEPWALKING, centering around an American teenager attempting to rebuild her shattered life after the death of her parents, to Tara Weikum at Harper Children's, in a pre-empt, in a major deal, in a three-book deal, for publication in Summer 2011, 2012, 2013, by Stacey Glick at Dystel & Goderich Literary Management (World English).

Children's: Young Adult
SHADOWED SUMMER author Saundra Mitchell's THE VESPERTINE, a new take on Gothic romance about a Gilded-Age girl who stirs forbidden desires and long-hidden secrets with her new gift of prophecy- power she may share with an intriguing boy who seems to come and go with the mists, to Julie Tibbott at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's, by Sara Crowe at Harvey Klinger (world).

Children's: Young Adult
Newbery Award-winning and National Book Award winner Louis Sachar's THE CARDTURNER, the story of a 17-year-old, who, the summer after junior year of high school, is told by his parents that he must drive his great-uncle to bridge club four times a week; intrigued by a mystery surrounding his uncle, the game of bridge and a new love interest, the boy finds himself in a more complex situation than he ever imagined and spends the summer uncovering deeply buried secrets and figuring out what it all means, to Beverly Horowitz at Delacorte, by Ellen Levine of Trident Media Group.

And this is one I'm particularly pleased to see as Martyn Bedford was one of the judges for the YWO Children's Book of the Year Award 2007, which I won!

Children's:Young Adult
Martyn Bedford's debut FLIP, about a teenager who wakes up inside another boy's body and faces a life-or-death quest to return to his true self or be trapped forever in the wrong existence, to Wendy Lamb at Wendy Lamb Books, in a two-book deal, at auction, for publication in Fall 2010, by Tina Wexler at ICM on behalf of Stephanie Thwaites at Curtis Brown, who sold UK rights in a two-book deal, also at auction, to Mara Bergman at Walker UK. Canadian rights to Amy Black at Doubleday Canada, by John Pearce at Westwood Creative Artists.

Note the lack of sales for debut authors, which bears out this slightly depressing article.

Blue Badge Blues

2010-01-08T20:18:00.005Z

Some people seem to think it's OK to borrow a disabled relative's or friend's Blue Badge so they can park in disabled parking bays.

Last night I had to ask someone to move their car from the disabled parking space outside our house. He and I both knew he wasn't disabled, even though he had a Blue Badge.

It may seem petty, but C (my husband) uses crutches to get about. Crutches+acres of icy pavement to navigate=not much fun. The nearer he can park to the house, the less likely he is to go arse over tit.

Please, please don't abuse Blue Badges. People seem to think it's OK. IT IS NOT.

That's all.

(And now there is someone parked out there and they don't even have a Blue Badge. Grr.)

Curly Wurly

2010-01-04T12:16:00.003Z

Nothing to do with writing...Justine Larbalestier has blogged about attitudes to curly hair.

As a naturally curly person who tends to straighten her hair (you cannot conceive how I dread rain or humidity), I identify with the post and the comments. The post also led me to this site. If you're a curly, you might like to take a peek.

I may yet embrace my curliness fully.

1999-2009

2009-12-31T18:11:00.006Z

(I stole the idea for this post from Nik).

In the past decade:

I changed jobs three times.

I moved home three times.

I did some very stupid things and some very smart things.

I had my heart broken.

My heart soon mended and I got married (one of the smarter things).

My dad died.

I sold my flat.

In 2005 I started writing (smart or not smart - you decide!).

I joined a writing site which made a major difference to my writing progress (thank you, Ted Smith).

My mum died.

I bought a house in Wales (aka the money-pit).

My first novel was shortlisted for a major competition.

I made some fabulous writing friends.

It's been a good decade and a sad one. Wonder what I'll be doing in 2019? Will I still be alive, even? What will the world be like?

Exciting and scary.

Happy 2010 everyone!

Worst Books of The Decade

2009-12-08T19:15:00.002Z

The Guardian's Worst Books of The Decade has some interesting choices in the comments section. Oryx and Crake! Cloud Atlas! Never Let Me Go!

How could they?

Wouldn't it be great to be well known enough to feature in a worst books of the decade list, though?

The Future is ChickieNobs

2009-11-30T14:53:00.008Z

In her brilliant novel Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood's characters discuss the invention of ChickieNobs:

"This is the latest," said Crake.

What they were looking at was a large bulblike object that seemed to be covered with stippled whitish-yellow skin. Out of it came twenty thick fleshy tubes, and at the end of each tube another bulb was growing.

"What the hell is it?" said Jimmy.

"Those are chickens," said Crake. "Chicken parts. Just the breasts, on this one. They've got ones that specialize in drumsticks too, twelve to a growth unit.

"But there aren't any heads..."

"That's the head in the middle," said the woman. "There's a mouth opening at the top, they dump nutrients in there. No eyes or beak or anything, they don't need those."

Now read this article in The Times

I feel a bit sick.

Self Publishing - The Way of the Future?

2009-11-23T15:02:00.006Z

The Harlequin debacle has renewed the debate over self/vanity publishing.

I'm not convinced that this is a good idea for fiction writers unless they really know what they're doing and are realistic about the chances of doing well.

Some bloggers have similar views, others don't.

It'll be very interesting to see what things look like in five years. Will the publishing industry have changed out of all recognition or will it have simply been tweaked a little?

Dearly, Departed

2009-11-23T11:24:00.005Z

I read about this YA novel in Publisher's Lunch:

Lia Habel's DEARLY, DEPARTED, a maximalist, post-apocalyptic, neo-Victorian steampunk zombie novel in which a girl, whose blood is impervious to the "Z-virus," searches for her missing dad, is kidnapped by (good) zombies, falls improbably in love with a rather sweet zombie boy, and sets out to save the world from a zombie plague beyond imagining, to Chris Schluep at Ballantine, in a significant deal, in a two-book deal, by Chris Lotts at Ralph M. Vicinanza.

I think this sounds great fun! Sweet Zombie boys make a refreshing change from sparkly vampire boys, don't you think?

I very much like the author's website.

There's Gold In Them Thar Slushpiles...

2009-11-18T19:36:00.002Z

...or so Harlequin have decided, much to the disgust of many a writer.

I wonder if other houses will follow suit? "Hey, we don't think enough of your book to publish it, but pay us a few hundred squid and we will! And then, if it makes money, we'll offer you a real publishing deal."

Win-win for the publishers. They don't even run the risk of rejecting a potential best seller.

Whew. It's a bit cynical, isn't it? I know publishing is a business and all that, but...

What Does It Mean?

2009-11-17T21:23:00.007Z

I'm re-reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. I've read the series a few times now, but this time I'm even more astounded by its brilliance, perhaps because I'm reading more carefully (I read in an odd way, I think. The first time I read a book, I read it really quickly, to find out the story. If I like the book, I then re-read it at least twice. I re-read my favourite books dozens of times. Sometimes I have to buy new copies because they fall apart from too much reading).

This line from The Subtle Knife is so simple, but so beautiful.

"..he felt something so rare his heart nearly failed; he felt Hester's face pressed to his own, and it was wet with tears."

That sentence is loaded with meaning, at least for me. And as Pullman himself says:

"The meaning of a story emerges in the meeting between the words on the page and the thoughts in the reader's mind. So when people ask me what I meant by this story, or what was the message I was trying to convey in that one, I have to explain that I'm not going to explain.

Anyway, I'm not in the message business; I'm in the “Once upon a time” business."

Pullman is right about this. Once a story goes out into the world, it no longer belongs solely to the author, but also to the reader and it's up to the reader to decide what it all means.

Pacing

2009-11-16T20:18:00.012Z

(Pic from Born Free Foundation Archives)

That's what I'm doing. Up and down the room, making sure my plot all fits together.

I'm on, I think, the fourth draft of this version of the story. Luckily I LOVE rewriting. It's my favourite part of the whole process (I HATE HATE HATE writing the first draft). I enjoy the challenge of changing story elements, adding new bits, deleting others, all the while making sure the whole thing doesn't collapse.

But there's another type of pacing to be considered at this stage of the game - story pace. I read this fabulous post from the fabulous Scott Westerfield. He suggests compiling a pace chart for the three levels of pace (action, tension, nothing).

I love this idea and I'm going to have a bash once I've finished the current draft.

Lately, I forget things. I've usually got a pretty good memory. It may well be old age, but I watched this Stephenie Meyer interview. She talks about how her head empties of everything but the story. So, I think maybe my brain is too full up of my story and it's squeezing everything else out.

The lovely Sandra has nominated me for a blog award. How decent of her.

Now I have to nominate seven other bloggers. The rules are:

1. Copy and paste the pretty picture which you see above onto your own blog.
2. Thank the person who gave you the award and post a link to their blog.
3. Write 7 things about yourself we do not know.
4. Choose 7 other bloggers to award.
5. Link to those 7 other bloggers.
6. Notify your 7 bloggers.

Seven things about me you do not know:

1. I almost got expelled from infant school for doing something bad.

2. But it wasn't me who clogged up the toilets with loo roll. I was fitted up, I swear.

3. I am afraid of clearing out the cupboard under the stairs.

4. I once had Pete Shelley round for dinner.

5. I lived next door to my secondary school. If I played truant, the teachers would come round and knock on the door. Meanies.

6. One of my best ever stories is about a runaway dragon (penned by an eight year old me).

7. The film The Man With The X-Ray eyes traumatised me so much, I was afraid to be in the house alone for about a week.* If thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out! OMFG.

* I was thirteen at the time.

I now pass this award to:

A Write Blog
Melinda Szymanik
Sophia Bennett
Lorraine Mace
Nik Perring
Bob Burke
Anne Brooke

But don't worry, I won't send Ray Milland and his EYES around if you don't spill the beans.

Writers and Wills

2009-11-03T19:13:00.002Z

November is will making month.

What's that go to do with writing? Well, read this article about the late Stieg Larsson. It's sad and sobering reading.

Neil Gaiman campaigned a few years ago about the importance of writers making wills. Read about it here.

V For Vendetta?

2009-10-29T18:49:00.005Z

(Or: Posters Should Not be Afraid of Their Forums, Forums Should be Afraid of Their Posters?!)

The on-line writing community is scary at times.

In a convoluted way I came across a thread on a writer's forum involving a writer/editor who has set up as an agent.

When enquiries were made about this agent's background, the agent responded. War ensued. The agent was banned from the forum amid accusations and counter accusations of all sorts of things.

Oh dear.

But that's only the beginning.

A blogger seems to have trawled the internet to try and find EVERY SINGLE on-line argument involving the agent (and there are quite a few as he has strong opinions). Links to these arguments were then included in a blog post. Other bloggers have linked to that post.

Cue one new agent's reputation shredded.

So, are these bloggers acting out of concern for writers who may be damaged if they submit to this hapless agent (and to be clear, he's not a scammer in any shape or form)?

Or is it an on-line vendetta to pay him back for arguing the toss and annoying other forum members?

I don't know, but no one comes out of it looking good.

The lesson is that we should all be VERY WARY of what we post and where. Let's keep the drama where it belongs - in our writing.

Is It Worth It? Yes it is.

2009-10-22T21:30:00.007+01:00

(Pic from Howies website).

You know how sometimes the same theme will suddenly crop up over and over? In the last few days I've been reminded how tough publishing is. A few examples:

- an author whose career I've followed for a while had a catastrophe with the UK edition of her (very good) children's book, mainly due to the fact that the cover was all wrong for the story. The book tanked here (not so in US, with the better cover). This meant UK bookshops didn't want to stock the second in the series. The UK publisher rejected the third in the series. This author's agent is now having a hard time selling her newest work.

- I've been reading Beleaguered Squirrel's agonised blog.

- writer friends at various stages in their careers are having a hard time.

You get the dream agent. You even get the dream book deal. But it might still go very wrong.

Is it worth me, unagented, unpublished, even trying to break in to such a tough game?

Strangely, I've come to the conclusion that it is. Because if I don't keep on keeping on, I'll always wonder 'what if'?

On a more positive note, you all might be interested in another new writing site Litdrift. There's lots of interesting content, plus they do a weekly free book giveaway called Free Book Friday.

I'm off to watch Greer v Griffin.

Write For Your Life

2009-10-14T20:21:00.003+01:00

I found a good new writing site/blog which you might enjoy procrastinating with.

Write For Your Life

And with thanks to Nik for sharing it, this is well worth watching. Brilliant.

I Is A Writer! Paid n' Everything!

2009-10-14T20:01:00.005+01:00

My very first (and possibly last) royalty statement popped up in my inbox today.

I've earned £2.18 as my share of the royalties from the Arts Council sponsored anthology of YWO short story "winners".

Woo-hoo!

Apparently it's sold 42* copies so far.

*Isn't 42 the meaning of life?!

Greer v Griffin - No Contest!

2009-10-13T16:26:00.008+01:00

I normally keep politics off the blog, but...

The BBC is getting flak over its decision to invite Nick Griffin on Question Time.

I think it's the right decision. Every time Griffin attempts to engage in serious debate, he betrays himself and his party for what they really are - ignorant, racist scum. Also, an appearance on QT will stop the BNP bleating about not being given the same platform as other parties.

Even better, I've just read that Bonnie Greer has agreed to appear alongside Griffin. I love Bonnie and I know she'll intellectually wipe the floor with Griffin and then polish it with his balls.

Go Bonnie!

(...and wasn't I right? Bonnie ROCKED on QT.)

Dalek v Cyberman Call Centre

2009-10-07T20:11:00.002+01:00

Rejection-The Movie

2009-10-07T18:54:00.007+01:00

Some writers blog to vent about rejection. Roland made a film.

You can buy Roland's book here.

PS. It gets a bit sweary later on. And slightly garbled.

A Writer Scorned

2009-10-05T14:05:00.006+01:00

"Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin bone." Mark Twain on Jane Austen.

I've been a member of YouWriteOn, the writer's peer review site, since 2006. YWO has been brilliant for honing my writing skills (what little I have of them). Reviewing other writer's work really helps in training yourself to spot problem areas in your own writing.

Of course, some people take criticism better than others and there's a certain amount of blood letting on the site. But bitching about each other isn't the sole preserve of us wanabees. Check out this article from The Times.

Submit or Hunker Down

2009-09-28T19:00:00.002+01:00

Here's a good podcast from Litopia about whether or not to submit right now.

Painful Publishing

2009-09-28T17:16:00.002+01:00

A while ago, I posted about how it's better to be unpublished than badly published.

This illustrates how it pays to be VERY CAREFUL who you sell your work to.

The Wasted Vigil

2009-09-24T20:50:00.004+01:00

This is one of the most gut wrenchingly powerful novels I’ve ever read. Some passages were so affecting I had to look away from the page for a while. I haven’t read any of this author’s work before, and I’m so glad to have discovered him.

The Wasted Vigil intertwines the stories of Englishman Marcus who is a widower living in Usha (a town near Jalalabad), Lara, a Russian woman who arrives in Usha searching for her brother, David an American ex-spy and Casa, a young Afghani jihadist.

This really is fiction at its very best. A complex story weaving together the tales of a rich cast of characters. A setting so vividly described you can see, smell and hear it. The emotion behind the writing is strong, the writing itself is lyrical without being overwrought.

I can’t praise this book enough. It’s the best novel I’ve read in years, and it’s one that I’ll think about for a long, long time.

Shadowmagic

2009-09-24T20:46:00.005+01:00

Shadowmagic is an unusual take on high fantasy. There were some original touches to the Celtic fantasy land of Tir Na Nog. The kick ass trees were great fun. Conor is a likeable hero (though he seemed a tad young for 18 in parts. When I started reading I would have thought he was around 13-14 if he hadn’t mentioned shaving).

The style of the novel felt a bit odd at first, not quite the right fit for the story, somehow. But once I’d read a few chapters I got into it more.

Overall, an easy and page turning read with some great characters (Araf was my favourite) and a good twist at the end. Worth a look if you’re looking for a light fantasy romp with a difference, especially one for the younger end of the YA audience. The book itself is nicely thought out—TFP do seem to produce well designed books.

Bits and Bobs

2009-09-16T19:10:00.009+01:00

I’m trying to write the final 3,752 words of my second draft (no, I am not obsessed by word count), but thought I’d take a break to blog a few bits and bobs.

Congratulations to Sophia Bennett on the official launch of Threads!

I went to the Threads launch party yesterday and it was marvellous (especially the fairy cakes). I spotted Barry Cunningham (name drop, name drop) in the throng, which was exciting. I have to mention Sophia's dress, which was gorgeous. It was designed by Angela Thurston.

I decided to subscribe to Publisher’s Marketplace for while. I’m very nosy about what’s happening in publishing and it’s a good source of information. Also, I can find out what sort of deals my favourite writers received.

Whilst nosing around, I noticed that Hannah Moskowitz has signed a new two-book deal. Hannah’s pretty amazing, she’s 18 and is already a published author with Break.

Also, the film rights to Wicked Lovely have been sold. I really enjoyed Wicked Lovely, so I’ll look forward to the film.

I’ve been back and forth to Wales a lot recently and have been doing quite a bit of reading on the train. I’ll probably post a few reviews soon. I recently finished The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. A lovely book, even though the ending was weak. The writing is beautiful. I loved this passage, narrated by Roseanne, which has stuck in my head:

“Those that we love, those essential beings, are removed from us at the will of the Almighty, or the devils that usurp him. It is as if a huge lump of lead were laid over the soul, such deaths, and where that soul was previously weightless, now is a secret and ruinous burden at the very heart of us.”

PS: Blogger is making my blog look odd, but it may just be me.

Killing Characters

2009-08-23T21:48:00.002+01:00

Yes, yes, I’m procrastinating instead of writing.

I killed one of my characters yesterday. I put off writing the scene for ages, because I love her and didn’t want her to die.

Now I’ve done the deed. And I feel really bad about it.

Sniff.

Bad Books

2009-08-23T21:17:00.014+01:00

I came across some reviews for a debut author’s book today, which highlighted something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

This year, I’ve made a point of buying as many debut novels as I can. Some have been good to fabulous (and I’ve mentioned some of them here and here and here), some not so. The”not so” ones ALL had great concepts, but the writing didn’t hold up. Now I’m an amateur and what do I know, but these not “so books” seem to me to have one thing in common—poor editing.

This brings me to the reviews I mentioned. The reviewers (all professional authors) were very harsh on this particular book (and no, I’m not telling you the name of it!).

But the severest criticism was levelled at the publishers for accepting a book that wasn’t up to scratch in the first place and then not even bothering to edit it properly. The book was published very quickly after acquisition, which I suppose is not a good sign.

I feel sorry for the author in question. I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know if the reviews are fair or not. But there’s an old adage about agents, it goes: “it’s better to have no agent, than a bad agent.” I suppose another can be added: “it’s better to be unpublished, than published badly.”

It’s all a bit sobering, don’t you think?

Catching Fire

2009-08-08T17:04:00.004+01:00

I'm really looking forward to this.
Trailer.

Audio excerpt

Bloomsbury See Sense

2009-08-07T07:28:00.004+01:00

I expect lots of you know about the furore surrounding the cover of Justine Larbalestier's forthcoming YA novel Liar.

Liar is the story of a girl called Micah, who is a compulsive liar. Micah is black.

This is the original cover of Liar. Yes, really.

You see, white people don't buy books with black people on the cover. Well, that's what the publishing industry reckons.

When the story of the Liar cover spread across the internet, the online writing community expressed their outrage and disgust at Bloomsbury. There was also much sympathy for the author, who was far from happy with the cover but handled the whole situation in a very professional way.

Bloomsbury have now changed the cover.

I should think so too. Publishing needs to drag its backside into the 21st century.

The Demon’s Lexicon

2009-07-30T18:44:00.006+01:00

Nick, protagonist of the Demon’s Lexicon, and his brother Alan have been on the run with their mother for years. The reason? Their mother took a powerful talisman from her equally powerful magician lover.

Now the magician wants it back.

When a bunch of ravens attack Nick and Alan in the kitchen of their Exeter home one Thursday dinnertime, it means the magician and his circle have found them and it’s time to move on again.

Things get even more complicated when brother and sister Mae and Jamie turn up. Jamie’s been marked by a demon and needs Nick and Alan's help.

I have to be honest and say that I found it VERY hard to get into this book. I’m not sure why, perhaps because Nick is a spiky protagonist and not very likeable.

But I persevered and I’m glad I did because of the amazing twist at the end (I thought I had guessed it). It started me re-reading straight away to spot the cleverly laid clues. I know Sara Rees Brennan has written a lot of Harry Potter fan fiction and I think she really learned how to plot along the way.

On the strength of that ending, I will definitely buy the sequel. I have a feeling this author has yet to hit her full stride and I want to see where she takes the story next.

Anti-Plagiarism Day-Don't Worry Too Much!

2009-07-17T07:00:00.004+01:00

Over at HPRW, Jane Smith asked bloggers to post about plagiarism as part of Anti-Plagiarism Day.

So here I am, posting about plagiarism.

The impetus for this apparently comes from an incident concerning one member of a writing group allegedly plagiarising another writer’s work and selling it. That all sounds horrible, although to be honest I don’t like to pass any sort of judgement without knowing all the ins and outs.

Anyway, plagiarism. I do actually worry about it, but probably not in the way you think.

I’m an unpublished writer. I use a couple of on-line writing sites to get feedback on my work. I’ve never worried for more than a nanosecond about someone stealing my work. I mean, really, who would want to?

One of my concerns about APD is that it might make unpublished writers wary of putting work out there for peer review. That would be counterproductive. So I think it's very important to set out that plagiarism of unpublished writers' work is very rare.

As for me, I worry more about unintentionally plagiarising other people myself.

Sometimes I’ll write something and wonder if I’ve actually read it somewhere before. I’ve been known to go leafing through a book to check if my fine turned phrase is actually...mine. I worry about where influence ends and plagiarism begins. Is my WIP’s premise slightly too similar to X,Y or Z’s book? But there’s no copyright on ideas, is there?

Is there??

It’s all a bit ridiculous, really. It’s very very possible that nothing I write will ever be published, so my plagiarism worries are wasted energy.

But it would help to have some kind of solid advice on all this. The best I’ve found is on Justine Larbalestier’s blog, which eased my ever-so-slightly-similar-premise worries. For about half an hour. I think Justine sums the whole thing up very well when she says:

"Plagiarising means to take some one else’s work and pass it off as your own. Taking credit for someone else’s labour is wrong; riffing on someone else’s ideas is what writers/comedians/artists/musicians etc. etc. do. That’s their job"

So, if you are a plagiarism worry-wart like me, read Justine’s excellent posts and worry no more. At least for half an hour.

The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke

2009-06-23T20:37:00.006+01:00

I’ve known (in the on-line sense) Bob Burke for a couple of years now, ever since the inaugural youwriteon.com Children’s Book of the Year Award.

Bob’s moved onwards and upwards since then (unlike me, ahem) and his book The Third Pig Detective Agency is about to be released by The Friday Project, an imprint of HarperCollins (I think it's already available on Amazon).

Ever wondered what happened to the little pig (otherwise known as Harry Pigg) who was wise enough to build his house out of bricks? Well, after boiling the Big Bad Wolf down for soup, Harry became something of a fairytale legend and decided to take advantage of his fame and set up as a detective.

But business begins to dry up and Harry finds he has too much time on his trotters and not enough cash in his piggy bank. So when he's approached by a certain Mr Aladdin, who is missing a very special lamp, he has no choice but to take the case on. Naturally, this embroils Harry in a lot of trouble. There's avaricious witches, thuggish orcs and a sometimes overenthusiastic Jack Horner to contend with, along with a host of other complications.

The Third Pig Detective Agency is a great book, totally entertaining and madcap. Harry Pigg is a fabulous character, a kind of porcine Philip Marlowe let loose in a fractured fairytale universe. I have no doubt he is going to garner a cult following.

As well as being a great read, I have to mention the book design too. It’s beautiful, well thought out and witty.

Here’s to Harry and Bob and may they both enjoy a long career!

Threads by Sophia Bennett

2009-06-19T20:38:00.007+01:00

Threads is narrated by Nonie, a 14 year old fashion enthusiast who, along with her friends Edie and Jenny, befriends Crow, a dyslexic 12 year old Ugandan with a most distinctive dress sense.

Nonie and her friends soon discover two remarkable things about Crow.

Firstly, she is a fashion genius who creates clothes more like works of art than garments,(‘I didn’t know whether to wear it or frame it,’ says Nonie, when Crow gives her a dress she’s made).

Secondly, back in Uganda she was a ‘night walker’- a child forced to move to a different village each evening to find a safe place to sleep and avoid the clutches of the Lord’s Resistance Army.

Nonie and the others set out to help Crow achieve her potential as a fashion designer, but of course all learn much about themselves in their attempts.

What I loved about Threads is the way Sophia weaves the strands of her story to produce a tale as skilfully constructed as one of Crow’s cobweb jumpers. In the hands of a lesser writer, Threads could have erred on the side of fluffy or been a little too issue driven. But the balance here is perfection.

Threads genuinely made me laugh and cry. Nonie’s warm and humorous narration is so beautifully pitched it’s a complete joy to read, right down to the very last line.

I also loved the descriptions of the various outfits that feature in Threads. In fact, here are my three favourite Threads fashion moments:

Crow’s fairy wings and tutu
Nonie’s velvet hot pants, smoking jacket and bowler hat outfit
Granny’s ENTIRE wardrobe (I so want the purple accessorized with turquoise outfit).

Threads is out on 7th September (yes, I got a sneak preview!) and I HIGHLY recommend it.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

2009-05-23T18:24:00.007+01:00

This is Zachary Neagle.

He's fourteen years old and is being tried the murder of his father. Under Idaho law it's legal for him to be tried as an adult.

It may be legal, but it isn't right. Chaining a young boy is appalling and unnecessary. Can you remember being 14? Can you imagine how terrified Zachary must be?

I found an an online petition, though it doesn't seem to have very many signatures yet (around 117), and I'm not sure how effective these things are, but might be worth signing?

Perfect Fever

2009-05-17T19:18:00.003+01:00

Just come back from a weekend in Paris. Had a lovely time. Ate some truly amazing food. Drank one or two glasses of wine. Did lots of wandering. Bought some lovely smelly cheese and equally lovely but less smelly chocolate. C earned massive husband points by booking us first class seats for the return journey.

And to to top off a fine couple of days, Fever Crumb, Phillip Reeve's prequel to the Mortal Engines series is out. I didn't know he was writing a prequel. I do think he might have let me know!

Winging to Best Sellerdom

2009-05-14T19:25:00.010+01:00

A couple of years or so ago, I began following an unpublished writer’s blog. I don’t think she had an agent at the time, but she hooked up with one after A LOT of rejections.

Sadly, the book that snagged the agent didn't sell. But this writer didn't shrivel up and die. She wrote another book.

It sold to Harper Collins as the first of a four book series.

The book was published a few days ago...and...it's debuted at number 6 in the New York Times Best Sellers List.

Isn't that wonderful? I’m reading Wings at the moment. The prose is effortless to read – and we all know easy reading is hard writing.

Tense About Tense

2009-05-04T14:48:00.007+01:00

Okay.

I've sort of finished my first draft.

It's a bit of a messy beastie. It's also about 10K words too short and there are lots of missing scenes that I need to think about. But I know my characters better and who's getting ditched in the next draft. I know the plot and the sub plots. I know all the backstory.

But I'm struggling with the narrative. It veers between third person past tense and first person present. I can't decide which to go with.

Usually I write in third person past. Now I've fallen in love with first person present. I think it lends itself well to the story I'm trying to write. But it's a really tricky thing to pull off.

Argh.

The only answer is to do another draft in first person then put it away for a while. See how it feels after a some distance.

Super. Great. Grot.

2009-05-02T19:26:00.007+01:00

Last night I caught a bit of the new Reggie Perrin.

OMFG, as the young folk say.

Why? Why do this? Why remake something that was perfect first time around?

Reggie Perrin was part of my childhood (though I was only 3 and a half when it first came out...ahem). The catchphrases bandied around the playground. The letters falling off Sunshine Desserts. The mother-in-law hippo. Reggie's screams at the end of each episode.

I bet Leonard Rossiter's screams are echoing across the afterlife at this travesty.

I'll never forgive Martin Clunes.

What will they remake next? *Shudder*

Books I Is Looking Forward To

2009-04-27T15:54:00.009+01:00

2009 is shaping up to be a bumper year for children's/YA books. Some I'm looking forward to reading are:

Threads by Sophia Bennett
(no cover pic yet, so here are some cardis Sophia might approve of).

The Third Pig Detective Agency by Bob Burke

Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Gone by Michael Grant

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Last Ghost by Helen Stringer

Any recommendations to add welcomed. But not by my bank balance.

#Amazonfail

2009-04-13T11:19:00.004+01:00

I've been reading about #Amazonfail. Is Amazon discriminating against GLBT literature, or is it a glitch (as Amazon claim) that's been Twittered out of all proportion?

I hope it's the latter. Really, really do.

Twittered

2009-04-01T08:07:00.003+01:00

My favourite newspaper, The Guardian, to be published only via Twitter from now on.

It's a twittering scandal.

They Came Back!

2009-03-23T17:35:00.002Z

Naughty characters.

Thing is, they brought home another character from a completely different story. She'll have to kip on the sofa until I've a chance to write about her.

Stuck

2009-03-22T22:05:00.004Z

I’ve had a horrible couple of not-being-able-to-write days.

It’s as though my characters have nipped off for a mini-break without telling me. I bet they’re sniggering about it in a bar somewhere. (Actually, I hope not, they’re only 14. Except for one who’s about 60 but looks 14).

All I can say is, they’d better be back by tomorrow morning. Otherwise I’m going to make even nastier stuff happen to them.

So there.

In the meantime, here are some good tips here on getting unstuck.*

* One of which is: resist lure of interwebs. Ahem.

$5m? That'll do nicely

2009-03-11T08:11:00.004Z

Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveller's Wife) has sold her second novel for almost five million dollars.

Now that's what I call an advance.

Endings

2009-03-10T20:15:00.005Z

I've had a run of good reading lately. All the above books are fabulous reads.

I have a niggle though.

Reavers' Ransom and The Hunger Games both closed with blatant set ups for sequels. This meant the endings weren't as satisfying as they could have been. Is it a growing trend? It's an irritating one.

But apart from that, I'd recommend them all. Great concepts, great characters, great writing.

(Blogger spell czech doesn't like "Reavers'". Suggests "ravers" instead.)

Chicken House Competition Update

2009-03-06T23:11:00.007Z

When I first started writing in 2005, I bought a copy of the Children’s Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.

I hadn’t even finished my first novel, but hey...

Anyway, on page 68 there was an article on Spotting Talent by Barry Cunningham. I read it about fifty gazillion times. I wanted Barry to be my publisher. I had little day dreams involving a phone call from him offering me a publishing deal.

Fast forward to 2009. I get a phone call from Barry Cunningham to say... I hadn’t won the Times/Chicken House Competition.

Darn.

He was very nice about it, though. And half a dream’s better than none.

But I am glad to say that Sophia Bennett has won the competition with Threads.

I exchanged a few e-mails with Sophia in the limbo time between the shortlist and the result and she seems like a warm, funny person.

Sophia’s interview is here. You will see the judges were blown away by Threads.

I can’t wait to read it.

Gobbits!

2009-02-16T18:16:00.010Z

I blogged a while ago about the class reading Charlie Squires Goes Elsewhere.

Well. some of them sent me lovely Good Luck letters for the Times/Chicken House competition. And they've sent me pictures of how Gobbits look.

I love them so much I had to post them! Aren't they fabulous?

And if anyone in the class is reading this and wants to send me any other Elsewhere pictures, I'll post them on the blog too.

Oh, wait!

2009-02-12T19:32:00.004Z

Wait.

Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.

W
a
i
t

Wait.Wait.Wait.Wait.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

You have to wait a lot in this aspiring author lark, don't you?

I'm not complaining. It's sort of fun in a kind of stick-pins-in-yourself way.

And of course, I'm writing whilst I'm waiting.*

*This may not be totally 100% accurate.

Austen Eaten by Zombies!

2009-02-07T20:43:00.004Z

I think I might have to buy this?

I think Lexi might like it!?

I think the author may be in more trouble than Salman Rushdie.

Tweet....Brr

2009-02-02T11:55:00.005Z

I'm sure these birds are looking down and saying 'Typical. Bit of snow and London's paralysed!'

It's pretty though.

How Chicken House Gasted my Flabber.

2009-01-23T13:37:00.008Z

I knew it.

It was all a dream.

My doctor tells me there's a medical term.

Insanity.

Caused by spending too much time alone making things up, apparently.

I honestly thought Barry Cunningham e-mailed me to say Charlie Squires Goes Elsewhere had reached the final five in the Times/Chicken House competition.

But no, it was all in my poor, dim noddle.

Not really!!!!!!!!!!!!

Look!

I'm sorry I was dropping cryptic hints, but I was so sure it was a mistake, I wanted to wait until there was something on the Times site.

Is it too early for a celebratory G&T?

PS: if you're wondering about the pic - it's a flabbergasted gozmor.

Devil's Kiss

2009-01-23T10:02:00.006Z

There's a great interview with a chap called Sarwa Chaddat here. His book, Devil's Kiss, sounds like an intriguing read.

Watch, Watch, Watch

2009-01-20T22:21:00.005Z

As aspiring authors we're told 'read, read, read' and 'write, write, write.'

Good advice.

But I think well written TV and film educate us, too.

C and I have been watching a lot of DVDs lately - The Sopranos, The Wire (I love The Wire, but the cussin' can be catchin'!) and Our Friends in the North.

Much fine writing.

For example, the character of Geordie in Our Friends in the North. If you want a lesson in how to write a complex character, watch Geordie's development (or deterioration) over a few episodes.

Superb.

I know some of it's down to Daniel Craig's astonishing performance, but ultimately it's the excellence of the script.

So, when I'm slumped on the sofa watching TV, I'm not being lazy.

Oh no.

I'm learning!

Ooh

2009-01-19T18:07:00.002Z

Looks like the Times/Chicken House final shortlist will be announced soon.

Tizzy

2009-01-14T19:27:00.020Z

Since I received an e-mail from a well known person in the publishing world, I’ve been like a gozmor in a tizzy*.

I’m going to burst. I so want to post my news. But it might be naughty as an official announcement hasn’t appeared on the relevant website. Plus I won’t be convinced it’s real until then.

So I should probably keep it zipped.

Gah!

*You’ll need to read Charlie Squires Goes Elsewhere to know what a gozmor is. And perhaps, if my luck holds, you might one day get to do just that.

I'm in Shock

2009-01-12T19:19:00.007Z

I've just had some really amazing writing-related news.

I keep thinking it's a joke.

I'll tell you what it is when I've recovered a bit.

Starting Over

2009-01-10T17:14:00.006Z

*Blows dust off blog. Sweeps up tumbleweed*

Sigh. I’ve been rubbish at blogging, haven’t I? I’ve been pretty crap at writing too.

Well, my excuse is I’ve had a hell of a six months. My lovely mad mum left us, I got married and we bought a house in Wales (yes, I know we must be the only people in the country who’ve bought property recently).

I spent Christmas feeling like I’d been run over by a bendy bus.

So, 2009.

I feel a bit more settled and ready to throw myself into the writing fray. I’ve already had a bit of good news and a bit of not so good news (but sweetened by some very encouraging words).

And our little house needs lots of fixing. It’s having a new roof right now. The poor roofer (actually, he'll be very less poor soon) is wearing about 72 layers of clothing.

The next project will be overhauling the bathroom, which still has the original 1930’s suite. Then it’s the windows, which are the original 1930’s frames. I’d quite like to keep them, but everyone tells me that they’re past salvaging.

We Loved You Too, Mr Postgate

2008-12-09T21:14:00.008Z

This morning, the Today programme announced the death of Oliver Postgate.

They closed the piece with him reading the familiar words:

"Even Bagpuss himself once he was asleep was just an old, saggy cloth cat
Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams
But Emily loved him."

And at that point, it wasn't only Bagpuss coming apart at the seams.

Ooh!

2008-11-16T21:54:00.008Z

You know when you read something and you get 'that' feeling?

Well, I read this excerpt and watched the trailer (it's further down the page).

And now I really, really want to read the book. But it's not out until March. Gah!

Carrie Ryan is a debut author. She got picked from the slush pile.

See? It can be done. You. Just. Have. To. Write. A. Great. Book.

He Did It

2008-11-05T08:19:00.003Z

I wish my mum had lived to see this. She would have been so thrilled.

Hope

2008-10-19T16:18:00.002+01:00

Via the fabulous Janet Reid's blog, I read this blog.

Make sure you click on the link to the picture once you've read about the history of the Old Courthouse. I found it really moving.

C and I both hope Obama wins.

Thrilled

2008-10-09T12:16:00.010+01:00

I’m thrilled.

A teacher I got to know through Authonomy has been reading Charlie Squires Goes Elsewhere to her class. She reports they are (mostly) loving it!

They have even been writing their own follow on chapters and drawing pictures of creatures they think Charlie might encounter during his adventures. AND they’ve sent me letters. My favourite is the one which starts ‘we kind of liked your story,’ that made me laugh.

Honestly, it’s the biggest boost for me.

I might never get published, but I’ll always know that somewhere out there is a class of kids that connected with my story.

And that’s what it’s all about.

Now, must get off. I decided to take a punt on the Times/Chicken House competition and as per usual I’ve left it ‘til the last minute. Plus I need to reply to all the kids who wrote to me. It’s the least I can do.

Pauline Baynes

2008-08-27T18:33:00.004+01:00

Probably everyone knows that Pauline Baynes died on 1st August, but I only found out today.

Her work was beautiful, what else is there to say?

Animosity on Authonomy

2008-08-26T20:43:00.003+01:00

It’s all kicked off on Harper Collin’s Authonomy site.

Sadly, I’ve lost my Authonomy password and don’t know who to contact to get a new one, so I didn’t witness it all first hand. I have seen a few of the posts that went up. Accusations of cheating abounded. It was biros at dawn.

It all sounds a bit similar to the bitchiness that erupted on YWO when Random House got involved.

Seems that the possibility of a read by a publishing house coupled with the relative anonymity of the web brings out the worst in many writers.

I don’t think I’ll bother getting a new Authonomy password.

Backlash!

2008-08-12T20:53:00.004+01:00

Breaking Dawn, the final installment of Stephenie Meyer's smash hit Twilight series was published in the US earlier this month. The series is HUGE amongst teenage girls and Meyer has a massive and devoted following.

I haven't read Breaking Dawn (I've only read Twilight, the first in the series) but it's apparently littered with continuity errors and typos and carries a very overt anti-abortion message.

Many of Meyers fans are VERY unhappy and want their money back.

There are also some pretty damning reviews on Amazon.

Fascinating, huh? I guess it won't do Stephenie Meyer much harm (she's number one on Amazon.com), but it just shows that younger readers are often more discerning than they're given credit for being.

Handing on the Crown

2008-02-29T11:21:00.008Z

Congratulations to W.L. Mo who's won the youwriteon.com Children's Book of The Year with Tiger Mouse.

I feel quite sad to be handing my YWO crown over! But Tiger Mouse is an excellent story and bound to do well.

YWO has also announced they're going to be publishing an anthology of the best selling stories on the site and one of those is The Blue Dress by yours truly! So that's a bit exciting.

I hope we'll be able to revise the stories as I think the BD needs a bit more work. It was the first short story I ever wrote and it shows.

Right. Back to the testcard.

Ghosting Around

2008-02-08T09:59:00.000Z

Jacqueline Wilson has lost her title as most borrowed library author to James Patterson, an author who doesn't actually write all of his own books.

Fascinating, don't you think?

Being Good Part Deux

2008-02-04T10:27:00.000Z

This post over at Editorial Anonymous kicked up a bit of a storm.

Being Good.

2008-01-22T20:09:00.000Z

Nik's comments on my previous post got me thinking.

It's important to behave well when out and about on the world wide web.

Imagine this (as we all have): your dream agent/publisher asks to see your complete manuscript. They fall in love with it. They're itching to sign you up.

This is it! The break you've been waiting for. The break that'll make up for hundreds of hours sitting alone in your pyjamas, surrounded by the rubble that was once your tidy home, wresting out words no-one else might ever read.

The agent/publisher Googles you (and they will, of course they will). They find that:

your blog rants against the agents and publishers that have rejected you, you name names, then name them a few obscene names of your own.

your blog also rants against the vagaries of the publishing world and how you'll never sell out. Not a word of our precious work will you change. They can wrest your prose from your cold dead printer

you regularly enter into flame wars with other writers.

Result? The agent /publisher rolls their eyes and decides to reject your manuscript after all - they just don't need the hassle.

I've seen examples of all of the above, so I really think this could happen.

Be nice out there (and I know my lovely blog readers are, all 3 of 'em).

It's Not Pretty.

2008-01-17T20:29:00.000Z

A writer whose blog I read now and then has landed a very good book deal.

She's a debut author and you’d think any other aspiring author would cheer her success. But no. Another writer has left a couple of really snidey comments.

Why? Envy, I suppose.

Still, it’s the snidey commenter who loses by being so mean spirited in public.

Is snidey a word?

I'm supposed to be hibernating!

Testcard time!

2008-01-10T20:56:00.000Z

I'm hibernating for a couple of weeks...

http://welshcake.blogspot.com/2007/09/testcard.html